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It's been many years since I've actually attended a revival...Yet, I've been at a week-long wonderful experience with Benjamin L. Corey, in which Reverend Corey provides readers with his own testimony about his own revival experience, in which he now shares that he...and I...and You...do not need to be afraid!
Hallelujah!
This is one we always sang "after" part of the reval service so that we could stand up and stretch... It brought us joy and fun just as these people had!
I love singing harmony with this song...I'll sing the high part and you sing melody! OK?
For surely, I have been blessed by the book Unafraid and at the end of the first day of reading, I was grinning, thanking God for sending me this book, for surely it was the one that all others had been building up to...at least until the next one! LOL
For surely, God wants to never stop sharing with us, His children... His Love is so wonderful, so powerful that there is absolutely NO limits to it!
Praise His Name!
This is one that I also chose often to sing solo...
Corey starts his story when he was young and was always doing something to gain approval...like being the best scripture memorizer and winning awards for that and then moves on to talk about his growing up in a conservative home and learning all that he must do to be accepted as one of God's children...
And, of course, along the way, he learned from the hell and damnation preachers who threatened the fires of hell if he didn't...whatever...was on the mind of the preacher that day...
And how he met with problems in his home life, losing his children that he loved... Of course, each one of us may have a similar background, perhaps? But each of us has our own personal story that reflects our own early home environment and church life. I was moving along with the Reverend, thinking about how his life compared with mine--something we all do, don't we? Well, the main thing I was thinking was that I really had no fear of God...
Or did I?
Folks, in over 60 years of reading book after book about God and Jesus--both nonfiction and fiction, I have never had My Personal Questions addressed as I found in this book--I've already ordered another book by this same author. For, you know, folks, I know that I know that I know that God has touched this man and he has a story to tell you that has been given to him by The Holy Spirit. It was a hard story for him to write. For some, it will be a hard story to read. Me, I was so excited that in some way, through what I call a God Incident, I had been led to this book!
Perhaps it was because of the title! For surely, with what is happening in America, so many of us are afraid. And most of that fear, in my opinion, is based upon the political climate that now exists today!
There is no way I can tell whether this book will touch you like it did me. All that I can tell you is that Corey has brought a revival to my spirit and I feel so Alive! And, of course, I call this a must-read if you are indeed afraid... Because, today, I say, I have no fear except from those individuals living in America. Who do not know that God is The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit! Once again I have no fear for I know that God is Alive...and Watching...and In Control!
And what happens may not be what many Americans will expect...
My first revival was a Billy Graham crusade revival and, though, he personally wasn't there, I was thrilled to meet George Beverly Shea as he sang and I was part of the choir that had been created prior to the crusade. Many years ago...
I was reminded of the story this morning about the woman who committed adultery in Biblical times and she was about to be stoned. Then Jesus, as the story goes, comes up to the crowd of all men with stones in both hands, quietly said something like, Ye who are without sin, throw that first stone... The story ends as each of the men drops their stones and goes away... But what of the woman? I thought, Jesus asked if any of the accusers acted and she replied no...Jesus said, then neither do I, go and sin no more...
Tamar was also blamed as a prostitute when she was forced to act on her on behalf to ensure she was able to meet her basic needs...
Note: Tamar was the name of two unique women whose unusual stories can be found in the Old Testament. The first Tamar we read about in Scripture was the widow of Er and Onan, sons of Judah, Jacob’s fourth-born son. The second was the sister of Absalom and daughter of King David who was raped by her half-brother Amnon.
Actually, I was googling about what I understood was indeed banned recently...The Song of Solomon. What I discovered that there are many articles related to discussions on line about parts of the Bible that were considered too sexual in nature...until the potential reader was told that it was in the Bible that the story was told... Funny about that, isn't it? You know, folks, either you're going to claim that the Bible is the direct word of God and accept that, or you must begin to consider that the Bible is written sometimes in parable, or is a historical accounting of events as seen by an individual...or... that there is indeed lots of sex discussed within the Bible... and there is little taught about it...from The Song of Solomon, Chapter 2 BY SOLOMON [KING JAMES VERSION]
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice.
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land:
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines; for our vines have tender grapes.
My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
The question, is this beautiful poetry to be enjoyed...or should it be banned as potential affecting the fragility of those young teenagers who might possibly read it? You know, like the "don't say gay..." legislative in Florida...
If you do a search on books banned or similar sex-related topics, you are going to see discussions, say, on TikToc and more... Whether or not you are willing to have local schools discuss basic sexual questions as part of their health classes, you should realize that when something is "banned," there are going to be those who ask Why? And some of those asking may be the children of parents who are acting, supposedly, on behalf of their children, to prevent any mention of anything to do with sex...
Believe me, not dealing with appropriate discussions with children will lead them to explore for themselves. I did, didn't you?
You know Folks, I learn more about life, in general, and also from the Bible from those who write fiction based upon fact. In fact, I learned about a rape that had occurred a long time ago and I don't think I will ever forget it... You know the story, right? Well, if not, maybe it's been banned also, just like the Song of Solomon above... Or wait, maybe not, because it "possibly" could be read as a "good" thing for...men... Sorry, I don't mind being sexist at this time when the potential of going backward 50 years at least is very possible as of this week...
Her name is Tamar...if she was alive in today's world, her name would be Tamara, perhaps. In any event she was special, she was a daughter of royalty. Of course, when she was alive, multiple women to one man was routine, so she may have been just another daughter in a large family, we don't know... and...the story does not provide what actually may have happened to her...
Anyway, one of her brothers raped Tamar. He had pretended to feel ill and asked that food be brought to him by Tamar. When she came, he quickly moved to seduction and when Tamar vehemently protested... he raped her... Afterward, he disdainfully sent her away...
Her father was angry, but did nothing...
Then time passes and another brother, so upset, I guess, that nothing had ever been done, murdered the rapist...
My memory of reading about this story in various books other than the Bible explores what happened to Tamar. Did she get pregnant? Of course, at that time, she could not be wed to anybody, since she was no longer a virgin, other than the rapist (a half brother) who had time to act right and wed his step-sister, instead, he was then murdered since no plans to give legitimacy to his action of rape... After all, she wasn't a virgin and he deserved a wife who was... Right?
So, thinking about it, I'm thinking Tamar knew she had no recourse, she had been raped and tried to fight off her attacker. And the story shares what happened to the men thereafter... but Tamar's story had quickly been set aside to prevent further gossip of the royal family, I assume...
You know, I picture her as pregnant, unwed, having to stay within the family environment for the rest of her life, perhaps having to even give up her child who would be placed into the care of those who took care of all the other children who were born to the royal family... She might not have even been able to care for the child, even though she had been raped...but was or could have been a loving mother...if she had a choice...
But then, she could perhaps never care for a child who had been born by a violent attack on her. She hated what had happened... and inwardly hated her father who did nothing and her brother... How else could she feel... She had been betrayed by those she thought would protect her until, even, perhaps an arranged marriage would be made...
Would she have considered an abortion, if she knew that was possible? You might be interested in a Timearticle that has researched myths about abortion...
You know, folks, I don't know what I would do in Tamar's situation. But I do know that I would expect my father to help me make a decision... I would expect that I be able to discuss what my options were, within both cultural and religious laws. I would want to be able to have a choice... Instead Tamara suffered, maybe not in silence?
Given that there is no further mention of Tamar, we must assume that she had no choice in what happened to her ruined life...
Hundreds of years later...thousands of years later... we are still dealing with a dilemma that only is faced by women...
Yet those who are NOT involved with the choice of that woman are treating all of us like Tamar, King David's daughter... She had NO choice. She was raped. Her father, the King, did nothing. Later, a brother so angry that nothing--that justice had never even been considered for his beloved sister, murdered the rapist, and then had to escape for acting in violence...
Having a leak of the potential Supreme Court to overthrow Roe vs. Wade, seemed to me to be a God Incident. If I'm wrong, then just consider me a women's libber... a woman who has had to deal with sexual abuse, assault, potential of rape, incest and being introduced to sex far earlier than I ever should have been. So, it's time that I can speak my truth, don't you think? I have spent most of my life helping to improve the working conditions of women. I have considered Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as it relates to myself and other women... I have worked in male-dominated professional fields and have found myself dealing with issues that had no relationship to whether my professional skills met the needs of my job description... discrimination based on sex, salary, competence... and just downright harassment and disrespect from subordinates...
The fact is that few women in America actually even have the chance to move upward into the top two levels--self-esteem and self-actualization... Many women are fighting just to meet the basic physiological and safety needs... They have either been raped or have given their love to somebody who then turned away from them just like Tamar's father and brother did. I've also learned that many poor women do not even have the money to buy and use birth control. Yet, if she becomes pregnant, and the support of the father is not provided, each woman has to make some basic choices--hard decisions. Decisions made in conjunction with her doctor, perhaps, or in light of her being left in turmoil and even shame for believing somebody loved her when he said he did...
And, you know folks, God has gifted me with great empathy for the plight of women of all races, religions, and more... I "know" that within my lifetime, conditions have greatly improved because of federal laws such as Affirmative Action to attempt to garner some type of balance...to white men in all areas of life...
And I have watched Donald Trump and other white men living today, do everything possible to set us back decades and destroy any sense of freedom that we fought to gain.
You Christians who claim that women have no choice in their own health decisions are not helping...Jesus did not condemn the woman who participated in adultery... but Jesus wasn't born at the time of Tamar... So why isn't the Love of Jesus for each of us used in allowing free will, given by God?
Tamar was raped and had no choice of any future life. She had no ability to have even justice by her father who was King... She had nothing to give to a potential future husband with whom she may have been wed and/or fallen in love with, and then married. She had no choice. Laws prevented any future for her without being a virgin, and no option to consider her ability to be a woman with a future outside of the probable harem of other daughters and wives, and their children... Tamar was worse off than even Bathsheba, wasn't she? At least the King lusted enough to marry her, after having her husband killed...
It's not yet daylight and I think about my president who is not allowed to take communion in his church because he supports The Right to Choose...
Did I ever tell you all that my life changed when I read the book, How to be a Christian Without Being Religions? It's not earth-shaking as a book and I can't even remember much of the content. But the title still springs to my mind in days like those following the release of a draft Supreme Court action that could set the rights of women to make medical decisions of her own, to include when and if pregnancy is an issue.
I know what I would want for Tamar if I had lived back then. I'd tell her, look at your father, who lusted after a woman, just like your brother lusted after you...and took that woman, by murdering her husband... and challenge her father for ignoring what happened to her... And I'd tell Tamar, you need to be able to make some basic decisions about the rest of your life... You do have the Right to Choose...what is best for you...dear Tamar...
You know folks, I'm about the same age as Joe Biden... We've seen a lot of life and tragedy...and things that were painful... We both found a need to try to help... We both saw women as equal in the sight of God... We both see women as, just like men, having a basic right to make her own health decisions...to choose how she will serve God and keep the Temple He gave each of us to use for Him... And it doesn't need anybody else creating laws for us to do it. God...as well as the Constitution under which we live, gives us all...equal status, equal rights, equal life choices, and a equal basic "human will" to live...for Him...or not... He gives us that choice...
So why can't we have that Right to act on our own behalf...to Choose...
Think long and hard about what might happen if this change, this loss of a right to choose, is taken away...
Be scared...be very scared... You might be Tamar and incest will again reign with absolutely no way to gain justice... At least that's what the Bible teaches us, right?
Now, just for the sake of your responses... I believe the Bible is the "Inspired Word of God..." In the true sense of the word--of extraordinary quality, as if arising from some external creative impulse. Taking that a step further, I believe God through His Holy Spirit speaks to us through the words shared as they are needed to inspire in us what God wants us to know on any given subject or issue. Personally, as a reader and one who has worked with writers on completing their personal words, be it for a book, an article or just homework that requires creative action. I know that any book, especially the Bible, which was first recorded in a different language from the one I would read it in, English, that it has been read and reread many times before the book was accepted as final.
Take for instance the Book of Thomas...Remember him? The one I think as being most closely of the disciples to myself? I need truth, words I can believe... Well, His book was not included in the Bible. But I bought a copy anyway and find it of great value, albeit duplicative. Specifically, it was Thomas who could be called the secretary or the recorder for Jesus. The book is merely a list of all that Jesus said!
What? A book that actually records all that Jesus said--and it was "banned" from the Bible? Well, as a good editor, I would quickly point out that, yes, it was not needed...Jesus' words are also spread through other books. Well, I can accept that...but, really, wouldn't you like to also have a book that presents all of Jesus' words, as spoken, one right after the other? I did and do... In other words, many books can be of value and used by God to speak through them or the "inspired" writer of the book(s).
Now, I'm going to close. I had gone to eat breakfast and turned on the television to watch the news. Instead, Joyce Meyer, an evangelistic speaker was talking... I have absolutely no understanding how a channel on which she would be speaking was the one that was there...instead of what I would assume was the last one I was watching when I turned it off last evening... A tiny God Incident?
Anyway, she was very clear that those who listen...must act... those who listen and know that many lies are being used, more than ever, that we must be alert and speak out what is being said as lies. You know what they might relate to these days, as America is divided worse than before the Civil War. Meyer thinks we are in the "end times..." I read my first book in the last century that it was about to happen...so I don't worry about the actual time period... What I do know is that lies and subsequent anger, hate, and violence is...right now...and that's why we need to act against...to speak truth...
I'm trying to do that in sharing my thoughts on women's rolls in God's plans for today... In doing so, I recognize that I am exercising my own will in doing so, as God allows each of us... And I believe that Tamar, Bathsheba, the woman caught in adultery, the Samaritan woman to whom Jesus spoke of the Living Water...and so many more women of the Bible, as a message to us today...God calls each of us to fulfill His plan... Even though my thoughts may not be the same of many of you, I believe this has been inspired when I awoke at 3AM and started formulating how Tamar would be treated by those who hate and tell lies and succeed in setting back the rights of women in today's world of God...and as accepted and written in the Constitution of the United States. We are All Equal, regardless of race, religion, sex... We have been given certain inalienable rights...which gives us the right to choose...
What would Jesus Do? If I was pregnant and could not, for personal reasons, have the child, then I would discuss the issue with my doctor and I would search out those words that are inspired to help me make a decision... That's all I want for all women... The right to choose...
Just like all of those who went crazy because they believed they had the right NOT to wear a mask! Consider the human value between these two issues...one a minor hardship to wear and help save lives...and the other a decision that could affect your entire future... So, think of Tamar, who, even with a king as a father, was raped and rejected...for the rest of her life...
Would you want that for your daughter, your sister, or even your wife or mother who were attacked by those men who use sex as power, to rape to gain control over women...who do not have the love within them to even care what they've done to women by taking away a God-given ability to claim the right to choose...in all matters of her life.
This is what I know, two of the recent appointees of Trump lied to a Senator who specifically questioned them about not changing a law that had become a precedent... our president supports women's choice... indeed God allows us:
God created and gave to mankind the gift of free will — the gift of choice. He could easily have made us like robots programmed to do His every bidding, but he didn’t, because He made us for the purpose of relationship and Love, both of which are only possible in a world where we have the power to choose. From the very beginning, he gave us a unique gift and he does not intend to usurp or change that.
I must assume that anybody who chooses to take that right of choice away from us is a liar, a thief, a coward, or totally lacking in love or empathy... And Jesus warns us against these false prophets, these liars who seek power rather than acting in love...
All the world is seeking, including me...and including Lee Harmon, whose web site clearly defines his position as The Dubious Disciple. I learned something that has blessed me by reading his latest book... I, too, may fall under the same name... Although I've always considered myself more like the woman at the well...
If you are an individual who is seeking...for something you cannot define, this might be the perfect book for you to read... Most of us, if we admit it, question... Yes, we question many things that happen in our lives and in the world...
The amazing thing about this book, though, and I believe about his earlier books, although I've not read them, Harmon has a passion for learning more... While many of us simply question, he goes seeking. His intense research is obvious. And it appears to be more as a scholar than what you might expect from a pastor, priest or other church leader. Specifically, he is willing to explore all sources of documentation in order to provide the results of his research. I consider and recommend this as a must-read if you, too, are dubious...or, even, like me, always seeking for answers...
The River of Life:
Where Liberal and Conservative Christianity Meet
By Lee Harmon
Let me quickly point out that this book will be very controversial for many! Especially Christians... I'm of the opinion that if you cannot read a book that proves contrary to your beliefs, then, really, how do you have the knowledge to believe as you do... ??? Harmon strikes at the very heart of many of those beliefs... You are Warned...
Tomorrow's discussion includes many of the books issues, so I hope you'll spend time here at BRH then, as well. Will if encourage you to read the book. I believe so...if you are the type of person who wants to seek to learn, to know more...
I am an agnostic Christian. For the sake of full disclosure, perhaps I should define what I mean by agnostic. I believe in God; I just don’t think we know squat about him. I sense that we are linked by something mysterious, that we are more than matter. I am not agnostic in general, I am merely agnostic toward the Christian depiction of God, or any other personal god, feeling that inadequate evidence exists for one caricature to rise above the rest. Arguing about whether it is Shiva or Allah who is the Truth is a little like bickering over the color of Cinderella’s eyes. Yet I believe, because I have both seen and felt God. I have sat in the churches of various denominations and seen strong people reduced to emotional puddles and then lifted into radiance. I have seen kidneys given to complete strangers. I marvel at Mother Teresa’s mission of kindness in the name of God, though she herself felt estranged from the God of her church. I am a Christian in search of God. Christian, because Jesus is my inspiration and Christianity is my heritage. Life is a mystery. How do we explain our universe, life’s origins, and human consciousness? In the Christian Trinity, we have the Son (the mystery of incarnation, or God-in-us); we have the Father (the mystery of our creation and creator); and we have the Spirit (that “something mysterious,” the wave of meaning and purpose which links us). All three are astounding, beautiful, awesome. We Christians tend to combine these three mysteries into one, and then personify their union, though we have no evidential reason for doing so. Nevertheless, I am happy uniting all three under the heading of God so that a common ground exists for discussion. I am also a liberal Christian, living in a conservative world. Most of my family and friends are conservative Christians. Conservatives consider apostolic tradition of utmost importance, meaning they seek to emulate the first-century church as best they know how. This is a noble goal, but it can lead to stringent intolerance for diluted beliefs. It’s the right way or the highway. Liberal Christians, on the other hand, find the creedal requirements which develop from such strictness stifling and contrary to observation and experience. We see God in many people and places, not just in Christian circles. This can lead liberals to a violent condemnation of narrow doctrine. Intolerance is intolerable. And round and round we go. As a liberal Christian, I have both stooped to verbal aggression and felt the sting of attack. Both sides care so dang much that we can’t help squabbling, but this hardly puts a good face on Christianity. If the two sides could merely take one step backward, digging back to the Jesus we both adore, perhaps there could be a unity of purpose. Even though there can never be agreement about religious belief, the Kingdom could nevertheless advance. That is my hope in writing this book.
~~~
Harmon lays out where he is coming from right at the Introduction. He's open and honest with this, as well as with all of the book. In many ways, I thought of this book as his "personal testimony" for those who are used to being called upon to do so... Although, not many individuals did so, in most of the churches I've attended during my life... For that, I was much more appreciative and open to the book... Because the first chapter is called, "Heaven and Hell..."
It may seem strange that I begin my book at the end. Isn't the afterlife more of a destination that a starting point?
Well, I'm not really starting here. I'm dismissing the topic up front as being of little importance to Jesus... Harmon proceeds then to share his understanding of the stories related to Heaven, including those from the Bible. He quickly dismisses Hell...
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [Gehenna]. Isiah 66:24 ~~~
Now if that doesn't set some readers off, I don't know what will! However, I must say that Harmon's argument, his belief, is based on historical evidence as well as his understanding of the Bible...including, most importantly, the background on the words themselves... For instance, reading the Bible historically, easily refers to "unquenchable fire" as simply that... fire, not Hell... I noticed that both Harmon and Cahn, in The Harbinger, both immediately went back to 70 CE in Jerusalem. It is apparent that was a significant time, don't you think? But do you know what happened then? And, are you familiar with the word, Gehenna? If you're like me, I'd never heard of it. This word alone was very enlightening to me...
For now, I'll leave you with Jesus' own definition of eternal life, which has nothing to do with the afterlife:
And this is eternal llife, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent...John 17:3 ~~~
For people around my age, we have lived through a number of times when "The Second Coming" was predicted to come... Are you still waiting, or has that already occurred, as clarified in this book? This detailed research is well worth your study and just may explain how and when your personal beliefs were formed...or, maybe just as importantly, why they were formed...
Are you aware of what is called "The Holy Spirit?" This is one symbol that people have used across the years... These others have a more personal feeling for me...
What if the Second Coming already occurred? Harmon suggests that The Holy spirit is already here...
The spirit remains with us even today. The aion of God's rule began in Jesus's day, when the Spirit arrived from heaven, and continues through today. Do you struggle to feel its presence? If you have trouble connecting with the Spirit, try prayer. Yes, I'm serious, whether you are liberal or conservative. When I slipped from the rank of believing Christian into agnostic Christian, I confess that I forgot how to pray. I simply could not visualize anyone on the receiving end of my prayer, and felt silly trying. Nor could I bring myself to utter the skeptic's prayer: God, if you exist, save me from hell, if there is a hell. Many of you may identify with the class of Spiritual But Not Religious, yet you need not jettison the connection with the Divine that prayer affords.
Six more chapters continue on... And I would say, after reading it, Harmon covered the majority of questions that have bothered me through my life. The book is insightful, intelligent in presentation, objective, world-wide in thought. All this while proclaiming his beliefs based upon his scholarship and humbly presenting his thoughts honestly, logically, and with a caring for his readers, in my opinion. I was impressed. Most of the books I've read from Christians have declared what it is we should believe. Harmon merely provides the results of his efforts and allows the reader to absorb or consider and as you'll see tomorrow, allow questions to be raised about what he's written. The author may be a doubting Thomas, but then, the original Thomas had a pretty good career after he started questioning, don't you think?
Caravaggio — The Incredulity of St Thomas
Do check this out... It's highly recommended. For me, I was blessed by reading The River of Life. I wish for you the same...
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. --John 19:33-34
I believe a tricking river began that day, from the pierced side of Jesus. A river the prophets of Israel some anticipated. There came out blood and water. Water, we are told by John's Gospel, represents the Spirit. The blood, while it carries many deep symbolic meanings, represents the sacrifice of Jesus...
GABixlerReviews
~~~
Author, blogger, computer programmer, liberal Christian. Check out my book blog at http://www.dubiousdisciple.com, where I review all kinds of religious books, and learn more about me and my latest book at http://www.thewayithappened.com. Then friend me on twitter and facebook!
I have a confession for my readers about this book. I learned more from this book about the people living right at the beginning of the world than I've learned in any other book, including the Bible. If you're like me, as a Christian, you started reading Genesis in the King James Version...way back when... After the Creation and then about Adam and Eve, it got harder to understand. So even though I have read it, I never really "tried" to put the people together in my mind as I would fictional characters. Yet, that is exactly what we need to do, isn't it? Well, Sheila Deeth has done an exceptional job for us. She's created a series where she introduces each character and tells a story from his or her perspective! Sure, it a great learning book for children... But if you're a Christian of any age, who is willing to admit that you never took the time to go back to that Old Testament King James Version to try and understand it better, then I recommend you consider this book not only for your children...but plan on learning more yourself! I guarantee that having the perspective of the individual character will help fix these individuals better in your mind and will help you build a better understanding of the family relationships as well..
http://evolvingcreation.com Adam. Genesis 2 There was once a man called Adam who lived in a beautiful place called the Garden of Eden. The weather was always warm in Eden. The rain was just a gentle mist. The ground was soft and covered with grass . There were seeds and fruits and berries for Adam to eat as he walked around. And there were no dangerous plants, nothing that could sting, and nothing that could make him sick. There were no scary places where Adam could get hurt. And all the animals were friendly because they all had enough to eat. ~~~
Sometimes God Incidents happen! [A number of years ago I heard the word coincidence referred to as God incidents...I liked that so much] so when I started reading Deeth's book, I had an immediate flashback--a God Incident, to the book I had just reviewed earlier this week--A Vision of Angels--where a young boy had been taught in school that Christians, Jews and Muslims all worshiped the same God. When he got home, he began to ask questions, like, "Then why don't we have just one religion?" Sheila's book would have been able to help provide him (and the world) answers! As I read Deeth's 5-minute stories, it was quite easy to see the break off as children left home and moved away, sometimes not too willingly... But there was a basic love, forgiveness and the desire for peace that guided the family always... Why that has changed over time is another book or two (LOL) but for me, Genesis People certainly helped me envision the way that the break offs might have felt like the individuals were now on their own with the need for a new religion--but, was there?
Abram’s God was the one true God of creation, the God
who made the world and sent the flood and
rescued Noah. But the people who lived near Abram
had grown bored with
the old stories and the old rules. They changed the
stories every time they told them, adding new gods
and goddesses, and wonderful battles
and magic and wizards and monsters and dragons
and wands. Soon their stories were so exciting
they got scared of their own made-up gods.
Then they made statues for their gods to live in.
They sacrificed food and animals, sometimes even
their own children, in front of the statues,
so their gods wouldn’t hurt them.
~~~
There is some duplication, as when the story is from the
perspective of Cain versus Abel. This helps greatly to tie
the individuals together and to better understand how each might
have felt about what happened...
Then there is a short suggested prayer to recap and thank God
for what was covered in the story.
Depending on the age of your children, you may read one or two
stories to the younger children and allow the older ones to read
as they wish...Or you can do as I did, and read it all at once! It's
an easy and fun read since the stories have been written in story
tale form...
Abram. One day God sent three strangers to visit his friend Abram in the desert. Abram was sitting in the doorway of his tent when he saw the strangers walk out from under the trees. He had no idea where they’d come from but he invited them to rest and share a meal. That was how Abram always greeted strangers, so he could make them his friends. Abram sat outside the tent with the strangers while his servants brought food out to them. “Where’s your wife?” the strangers asked, and Abram said she was busy. “She’ll be busier next year,” said the strangers, “when the baby’s born.” Then Abram’s wife laughed in the tent because she was old and she had no idea she was pregnant. Abram wondered if the strangers were angels from God; otherwise how could they have known something so special? ~~~
The book contains 50 different stories center on those mentioned as well as Joseph, Sarai, Seth, Cain and Abel and all of the others as they were born, married, and had children. And then relocated to start their lives...BTW, it was easy to compare the map of Canaan from that time to see the land is now divided...and where the families
relocated...
So Terah gathered together his wife and his oldest son and his oldest son’s wife and his little grandson. Then he packed up his tents and animals and servants and they all set off for Canaan, where the grass was green and the rain was soft and the sun shone all the time. Halfway there, though, Terah decided to stop. He’d found a fairly quiet, fairly comfortable place. It had grass and rain and sunshine, and he could be happy there. If God was still telling him to go somewhere else, well, God wasn’t speaking very loudly and Terah couldn’t hear him. One day Terah’s son came to him and said that God was sending him to Canaan.
“That’s where God was sending me,” said Terah. But his son said, “It’s where he’s sending me now.” Terah’s son took his wife and his nephew and all his servants and animals. Poor rich Terah was left all on his own, with one son still living in Ur, one dead, and the other one on his way to Canaan. Then Terah wished he hadn’t decided to stop listening to God. But he was too old and too settled to travel again. Instead he just thanked God for his blessings and asked God to look after all his family.
~~~
The author has added a section of "Did you Know?" that I especially enjoyed! Here's a "taste" of it:
True science and true religion can never be at odds with one another. How could they be? Both are attempts to understand the God who formulated the laws of science that rule our universe, which man has struggled mightily to comprehend and codify. Unfortunately, increased understanding has led some to discount the Bible and the events it contains.
Let me know if you learned something new like I did! It is well worth it for your children, but isn't it great that Sheila Deeth just might have helped your understanding of the Bible as well!?! Highly Recommended! GABixlerReviews
About this author
Sheila Deeth grew up in the UK and has a Bachelors and Masters in mathematics from Cambridge University, England. She moved to the States with her husband and three sons in 1996 and now lives near Portland, Oregon, where she enjoys reading, writing, drawing, telling stories, meeting her neighbors' dogs on the green, and running a local writers' group. Sheila's first novel, Divide by Zero, was released in July 2012 from http://stonegarden.net. Her spiritual speculative novellas have been published by Gypsy Shadow, available fromhttp://gypsyshadow.com/SheilaDeeth.html . She has had short stories published in two anthologies from http://secondwindpublishing.com . And her Bible stories, gift books and picture-books can be found at http://www.lulu.com/sdeeth .
Sheila writes book reviews for NightsandWeekends.com, Poetic Monthly magazine and Summit Book Reviews, as well as regularly posting reviews to Amazon, Barnes and noble, Goodreads, Gather, Lunch and Shelfari. Find her on one of her blogs or websites via http://www.sheiladeeth.blogspot.com. (less)
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