Lessons from Rachel and Jacob (Blogging Through the Bible)

I'm glad to be back sharing my S.O.A.P.s with you as we read through the Bible. We are still in Genesis and I'd love to hear your thoughts on these chapters from our reading this week.

My S.O.A.P.s for Genesis 30-32

Monday, October 27, 2014

Genesis 30

Scripture: Genesis 30:1-24

Observations: Rachel and Leah let their jealousy of each other lead them into actions that put themselves in the place of God. They’re both going to get what they want and they do whatever it takes to get it. They look to their maidservants and mandrakes (thought to promote fertility and conception in barren women), rather than patiently waiting on God to give them children (and in doing so would be fulfilling His promise to Abraham).

Application: Jealousy can cause people to do awful things. Impatience can cause us to take matters into our own hands rather than waiting on God to move in the situation. We often think He has forgotten us because He delays in answering our prayers or even worse – says “no, not now”. We are driven by what we want or how we think things should be and forget that God knows what’s best and that He does love us whether He says “yes” or “no”.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to remember how much You love me even if my prayers go unanswered. May I always look to You for my needs as well as my desires and to trust that You know what is best. Help me to remember that Your love for me is not based on how many of my prayers You answer, but to know that Your love for me was settled so long ago when You gave Your only Son so that I could have everlasting life with You. It’s in His life-saving name I pray. Amen!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Genesis 31

Scripture: Genesis 31:3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

Observations: Jacob didn’t remove himself from the situation until told by God to go back to the land of his father and relatives. He was assured by God Himself that He would be with him.

Jacob was with Laban for a total of 20 years. Near the end of that time, Laban’s sons began speaking unfavorably against Jacob and even Laban’s countenance towards Jacob changed. Jacob had served long and hard during those 20 years. He was deceived many times by Laban. But through it all, he remained loyal to Laban until God finally told him it was time to go. 

God assured Jacob that He would be with him as he returned back to the land of his father and of his relatives. That wasn’t a great situation to be going back into either considering how Jacob had deceived his father and his brother. I think this shows too how God will take us back into situations that we have failed to resolve and learn from. His presence with us during those situations can give us the courage we need to face it confidently and to handle it according to His truth at work within us.

Application: It’s so easy during times of fear or difficulty to simply flee from the situation. Rather than deal with the emotions or conflict, we avoid them altogether by running away. It’s during these difficult times that God can mold our character for His glory. Unless it is a life-threatening situation, we must learn to stay in those difficult situations and allow God to refine us. Don’t remove ourselves from the situation unless or until God tells us to. Otherwise, He may very well bring us back to the situation at a later time in our life and require us to settle it finally in a way that will be honoring to Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are with me in the moments of my life that are fearful and difficult. Help me to remember this when my emotions are running high and I feel the tendency to flee from the situation instead of dealing with it and learning from it. Help me to see how You can use these times to mold my character for Your honor and glory. Teach me Your truth in these situations so that I may in turn help others who find themselves in a similar situation. Help me to faithfully remain until You decide it’s time for me to move on in a peaceful way. I pray and ask this all in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Genesis 32

Scripture: Genesis 32:9-12  Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ ¹⁰ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. ¹¹ Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. ¹² But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”

Genesis 32:24-30 ²⁴ So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. ²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” ²⁹ Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. ³⁰ So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

Observations: This is one of my most favorite chapters of the Bible! Jacob is afraid for his life and the lives of his family when he is told Esau is coming with 400 men to meet him. He’s not sure what is about to happen, he is afraid, and we see him for the first time going to God in prayer. We see a transformation taking place by the words spoken in his prayer – one of humbleness and submission. He’s at a moment of crisis in his life and takes his fears and concerns to God. Jacob prays back to God the promises He has spoken to Jacob in the past.

Next we see in Genesis 32:24-30 Jacob wrestling with God. He’s wrestling for his own blessing from God – one that has not been deceitfully taken. Jacob knew “about” God, but he didn’t “know” God. He knew the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac. He’s reached a point in his life where he longs to know God in a personal way. 

Application: I love praying God’s Word back to Him! I take comfort in knowing that God will be faithful to His Word. In times of fear and uncertainty, may we always run to God in prayer. 

There comes a time in all of our lives where we have to experience God in a personal way. We know about Him through the Scriptures we read, but there will come times of crisis in our lives where we will get to experience and know Him as we watch Him move in our circumstances. There are good times as well where we experience the goodness of God that carry us through the dark times of our lives. God desires an intimate and personal relationship with each one of us. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and for desiring an intimate and personal relationship with me. I thank You for the promises of Your Word that are mine as Your daughter. Help me to hide Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You and so that I can pray it back to You. You have promised that Your Word will not return void. Help me to stand on that promise as I seek Your face and Your will through prayer. Thank You for the good times and the hard times of life that are all opportunities to experience You in a deep and personal way. Help me to remember this during the hard times. I pray and ask this all in the precious name of Jesus. Amen! 

**It's your turn! I'd love to hear what you learned from these chapters. Please share in the comments below.

Here's the reading plan for the rest of this week:

 

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

Jim Hodges Productions Review

Jim Hodges Productions is your source for audio book recordings of historical novels from G.A. Henty. I was excited to be selected to do a review of With Lee in Virginia, as well as the accompanying study guide in PDF format in our homeschool. My 14 year old son loves history, so this was an excellent opportunity for us to learn more about the American Civil War.

All of the G.A. Henty audio book recordings from Jim Hodges Productions come in MP3 CD format. They can only be played on a computer CD drive, a DVD player, a laptop computer CD drive, or on a MP3 compatible CD player. You will not be able to play them on a standard CD player. The stories are best for ages 10 and up.

With Lee in Virginia has a total run time of 11 hours and 20 minutes. Get ready to travel back in time as you and your child are introduced to many of the battles of the 1860's. There are 20 chapters to listen to. Here is a list of the chapter titles and times.

Chapter 1 A Virginia Plantation (36:01)
Chapter 2 Buying a Slave (35:59)
Chapter 3 Aiding a Runaway (34:57)
Chapter 4 Safely Back (25:49)
Chapter 5 Secession (30:12)
Chapter 6 Bull Run (41:53)
Chapter 7 The "Merrimac" and the "Monitor" (33:01)
Chapter 8 McClellan's Advance (32:13)
Chapter 9 A Prisoner (32:54)
Chapter 10 The Escape (34:24)
Chapter 11 Fugitives (32:30)
Chapter 12 The Bush-Whackers (31:54)
Chapter 13 Laid Up (31:40)
Chapter 14 Across the Border (33:07)
Chapter 15 Fredericksburg (30:51)
Chapter 16 The Search for Dinah (36:41)
Chapter 17 Chancellorsville (43:12)
Chapter 18 A Perilous Undertaking (33:15)
Chapter 19 Free (35:21)
Chapter 20 The End of the Struggle (34:32)

The price of the MP3 CD of With Lee in Virginia is $25. It's also available as a digital download for $18.

The 58-page study guide for With Lee in Virginia has vocabulary word lists, storyline questions, history notes, geography notes, old-fashioned phrases and their meanings, activities to choose from, and a list of quality character traits. Answers to the storyline questions are provided as a guide for grading your child's work.

If you and your child love to make timelines, you'll be happy to know that one of the activities included in the study guide is to make a Civil War timeline. There are also website links provided for additional activity choices. Other activity choices include cooking recipes from the time period, map work, artwork, poetry and music of the time period, and watching movie clips of key people during the time period.

There are four quizzes included in the study guide. There is a quiz after every five chapters.

The price of the study guide for With Lee in Virginia is only $12.00. This study guide is a fantastic resource to use alongside of the MP3 CD for a unit study on the American Civil War.

For the vocabulary words, your child is asked to look up the word and write its definition so you will need a dictionary. The vocabulary words are formatted into a table in the study guide with space for your child to write the definition, so don't worry about getting a separate notebook or index cards.

I love the list of quality character traits that is included on the last page of the study guide!! One of my main goals this year in our homeschool was to focus on character traits with my 14 year old son. This list contains 49 character traits any parent would be thrilled to see developed in their child! Each character trait is discussed in the storyline questions as your child is asked to choose a particular character trait to describe the actions of the characters in the story.

We are listening to one chapter a week and working in the study guide. Before listening to the chapter, we work on the vocabulary words, so my son will be familiar with them as they come up within the storyline. After we have listened to an entire chapter, I then have my son complete the storyline questions. On Fridays we usually pick at least one activity and complete it. 

My son and I have loved listening to With Lee in Virginia! The study guide has been a wonderful resource to help us in our unit study on the American Civil War. We have been able to pick and choose from the activities suggested at the end of each chapter in the study guide which has given hands-on opportunities to make our study fun. If you are looking for audio books to use in your homeschool, you will definitely want to check out Jim Hodges Productions.

You can hear Jim Hodges give a description of each title available on the Jim Hodges Productions website at the Jim Hodges Audio Books channel on YouTube.

You can connect with Jim Hodges Productions on Facebook. Jim also has an email list you can sign up for here (under the @ on the left hand side of the website). Once you sign up, you'll be able to receive news on sales, new titles, and special promotions.

To read more reviews on other family friendly audio books available from Jim Hodges Productions, click on the link below.

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

What I Learned from My Meltdown (Blogging Through the Bible)

If you're still reading through the Bible with me, I want you to know I will be back on a regular posting schedule on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday now that both of my temporary jobs with the High Point Furniture Market have come to an end. I'm excited to get back into S.O.A.P.ing, but I've also been reminded that it's okay just to read and then think on the things that have stood out to me as I go about my busy day.

Remember...

Whatever season of life you find yourself in right now at this time...

Do what works best for you as far as your Bible reading is concerned.

You might be in a season of life where you can only take a Scripture and write it on an index card to carry with you in your pocket - ready to pull it out and read when you get a rare free moment.

It's okay. We know that seasons change. Take heart, dear friend.

Soak in the Word of God whenever and however you can. His Word will not return void.


I had a meltdown today at church...just crumbled into a ball of tears. I'm sure it was due to everything that has been packed into this month. The tipping point for me today was when I was trying to get to a little boy who was crawling under the church pews during praise and worship time. Yep, that was enough...

I experienced a learning moment from my meltdown as I drove home today. Here's what I learned:

It is in our moments of weakness that we are reminded how much we need God in our lives.

We have to have that personal relationship with the Lord which requires time alone in His Word and talking to Him in prayer.

As I drove home, I let the Holy Spirit comfort my weary soul. I talked to the Lord and felt His comfort flood my spirit. I knew it was going to be okay because when I am weak, He is strong.

The Bible tells me so. 

Here's the reading plan for this week:

I'll see you back here on Wednesday!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

Z is for Zipporah (Women of the Bible)

Z is for Zipporah.

Scripture Reference:

Exodus 2:16-22; 4:24-26; 18:1-6

Meaning of Name:

A sparrow.

Family Connections:

One of the seven daughters of Jethro; wife of Moses; and mother of Gershom and Eliezer.

Interesting Facts about Zipporah:

• Zipporah and her sisters were helped by Moses when shepherds tried to chase them away from the well as they attempted to draw water for their father's flocks.
• Zipporah invited Moses back to her father's house to break bread together at the request of her father.
• Zipporah marries Moses.
• She and their two sons accompany Moses part of the way on his journey back to Egypt.
• Zipporah had to circumcise their son with a sharp flint to save Moses' life which God was about to take from him for not performing the circumcision.

What We Can Learn from Zipporah:

• Do not cause my husband to compromise.
• Be obedient to God.

It's hard to believe this #abcblogging challenge from my friend, Marcy at Ben and Me is finished - I really enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the journey with me! Find all of my posts in this series on my Women of the Bible page.

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Click on the image below to read more posts from others who are Blogging through the Alphabet!

Y is for Young Miriam (Women of the Bible)

Y is for Young Miriam.

Scripture Reference:

Exodus 2:1-10

Meaning of Name:

"Loved by Yahweh"

Family Connections:

Daughter of Amram and Jochebed; Sister of Moses and Aaron

Interesting Facts about Young Miriam:

• Young Miriam was protective of her baby brother, Moses, staying by the riverbank to watch.
• Young Miriam bravely approached the princess to volunteer to find a nurse for the baby.
• Young Miriam kept her relation to the baby a secret.
• She brought their mother as the nurse who was able to keep him and nurse him in their home until he was older.

What We Can Learn from Young Miriam:

• Bravery in the midst of an uncertain situation.
• Protection of loved ones.
• Young children can be used by God for fulfilling His purposes.

This Blogging through the Alphabet challenge has been hosted by my friend, Marcy at Ben and Me. Thanks, Marcy! If you would like to read more #abcblogging posts, simply click on the image below.

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

New Liberty Videos Review

New Liberty Videos offers Christian DVDs for general audiences. Some of the titles are rated and some are not so be sure to use your own personal judgement. You can read the movie title description to decide if the material is over your child's head or to find out if it's a subject that you might not be ready to discuss with your child. For this review, I chose Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls to watch with my 14 year old son.

Bring the history of the Bible to life with this DVD which features three parts:

1. Part One is a live lecture given by Joel Lampe, a curator who leads a tour discussion on the greatest archaeological discovery of all time! A discovery  which has been put back together piece by piece...the Dead Sea Scrolls.
2. Part Two is a discussion on Hebrew word pictures led by Dr. Frank Seekins. In this part, discover how ancient Hebrew words are formed by using pictures to illustrate the meaning of the word. Learn how simple word pictures beautifully illustrate powerful truths found in the Scriptures.
3. Part Three is titled The Forbidden Book, and is led by Dr. Craig Lampe. Discover how brave men such as John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, and William Tyndale whose obedience to the leading of God brought the Bible to the world. As you listened to Dr. Lampe, you will clearly see how God's sovereign hand has preserved the Bible throughout time.

You'll need any device capable of playing DVDs to watch your selection of the titles available from New Liberty Videos.

 

The Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls...it's not the most accurate term to describe this discovery since only one complete scroll was actually discovered - the Isaiah scroll. All the other pieces - 19,000 in all - had to be pieced back together into 800 unique scrolls. 600 were non-biblical and the other 200 were Old Testament Biblical scrolls. Since there are only 39 books of the Old Testament this means that there were multiple copies in this discovery by a twelve year old boy in the caves of Qumran.

Infrared red technology allowed the reading of the writing on the scrolls by the Scholarship of Jerusalem.

Infrared technology (before on the right...after on the left)

Only the book of Esther was not found in the caves of Qumran!

Books for math, science, astronomy, how to practice proper hygiene, how to cook your food, and books of The Apocrypha were also part of the discovery in the caves of Qumran.

There is so much to learn about The Dead Sea Scrolls! For a long time, I have always had an interest in the history of the Bible. I've covered only a very small part of what I learned from watching Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls with my son. He and I both were taken on a journey of historical significance concerning the formation of our Bible. This is a Biblical discovery that is important to all Christians.

Parts Two and Three were just as interesting! But I don't want to give away everything that you'll see on Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls...check it out for yourself by ordering your own copy today!

This DVD is packed full of wonderful information that could be used as a supplement to any Bible history curriculum. Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls would make a great addition to any home or church library.




The price for Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls is $19.95. The amazing educational content you're going to get is well worth the price of this DVD. The full run-time is 59:38.

At this time, New Liberty Videos is not on any social media outlets. Be sure to visit New Liberty Videos today and browse through all their DVD selections.

Find out what others on the Schoolhouse Review Crew selected to review from New Liberty Videos by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

Standard Deviants Accelerate Review

Standard Deviants Accelerate is an online educational teaching tool available for use from ages 8 to adult. I received a full annual subscription for this review to all of their courses in the Standard Deviants Accelerate Homeschool Courses to use in our homeschool.

There are fourteen courses available for grades 3 and up:

• Arithmetic - Grades 3+
• Fundamental Math - Grades 4+
• Earth Science - Grades 6+
• Nutrition - Grades 6+
• Algebra - Grades 7+
• Biology - Grades 7+
• Chemistry - Grades 9+
• English Composition - Grades 9+
• U.S. History - Grades 9+
• AP Biology - Grades 11+
• AP Chemistry - Grades 11+
• AP U.S. Government & Politics - Grades 11+
• AP U.S. History - Grades 11+
• AP English Composition - Grades 11+

You and/or your child will need an email account to set up an account with Standard Deviants Accelerate. This homeschool resource is entirely online so you will need an internet connection and either a computer, laptop, or ipad.

The cost for regular courses is $99 per year or $24.95 per month for one student. AP courses for one student are $14.95 per month.


You can connect with Standard Deviants Accelerate on the following social media outlets:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Google+

How We Use Standard Deviants Accelerate

I used the Arithmetic course from Standard Deviants Accelerate in our homeschool four days a week with my son. This was a terrific supplement to our math lessons!

I loved everything that was available to use:

• Video Lessons
• Review Activities
• Quizzes
• Tests

My son can watch the lesson and do the work assignments freeing me up to get ready for our next subject lesson. I love how the material is broken down into manageable pieces so that it does not overwhelm my son. Each lesson takes between 15-30 minutes to complete. My son loves the fact that he can do his math work online! The online instructors are young adults who present the lessons in a fun and humorous way through the online video. This is also a big plus in my opinion because it keeps my son's attention in a subject that can be "boring" to him. Another plus is that my son can watch the videos more than one time if he doesn't understand a concept and needs to review it again.

There is a student portal as well as a parent portal within this online educational teaching tool. Navigation is very easy for both the student and the parent. I love that the grading is automatically done for me!

Great news! You can get a 6-month FREE trial for full access to all 14 courses from Standard Deviants Accelerate. Sign up now for a parent account with up to 4 students! This offer is available until November 15.

Please click on the image below to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew for Standard Deviants Accelerate.

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

Our God Who Sees (Blogging Through the Bible)

Hello friends!

My life has been kind of crazy this past week and you didn't see any Blogging Through the Bible posts from me on Wednesday or Friday. I've got a temporary job working in the High Point Furniture Market which is a Spring and Fall event here in North Carolina. The income has been an answer to prayer for my family, but I sure have missed S.O.A.P.ing this week! I did read my chapters in Genesis for the week and would love for you to share in the comments below if there was anything that stood out to you.

One thing that stood out to me was from the story of Hagar. In Genesis 16:13 it says:

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One Who sees me".

This verse really touched my heart when I read it as I was sitting and waiting to clock in for my registrar job. God saw me exactly where I was that morning as I was reading this chapter. I was waiting to clock in for my shift and had pulled up my chapter on my phone so that I could read while I was waiting. Genesis 16:13 jumped out at me and reminded me that God sees me wherever I am at...even in the midst of all the craziness of my life.

El Roi - the God Who sees.

God sees you and me...

And He is waiting...

For you and me to see Him.

Look up, dear friend! Look for God in the midst of your circumstances...whatever they may be for you at this season of your life.

He is there...He sees you...and He is waiting for you to see Him. (((HUGS)))


***Here is our reading plan for this week. I'll see you back here on Wednesday (I have the day off...yaayy!!)

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Apologia Educational Ministries ~ iWitness Review

I'm excited to share with you today my review of three softcover books available from Apologia Educational Ministries that you can use in your homeschool or with your church youth/children's group. The three books I received for this review were: iWitness Biblical Archaeology, New Testament iWitness, and Old Testament iWitness written by Doug Powell.

Doug has a Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics from Biola University.

The reading level for these three books is ages 11 and up. Children and adults will love them! All are priced at $14.00 each.

iWitness Biblical Archaeology

Doug Powell does an excellent job of presenting archaeological discoveries and how they reveal the accuracy of the Scriptures in iWitness Biblical Archaeology. Topics included are: The Flood, Looking for Noah's Ark, Egyptian Chronology, The Exodus, House of David Inscriptions, YHWH Inscriptions, Israel Inscription, Sennacherib's Seige of Jerusalem (finds at Nineveh), Old Testament History, Dead Sea Scrolls, Oldest Old Testament Copies, Hadrian and Constantine, Jesus' Judges, Jesus' World, New Testament Locations, New Testament Inscriptions and The Burial Shroud of Jesus?.

The pictures are amazing and the layout of the pages is very eye-catching!

New Testament iWitness

Many people have questions about the Bible and how it came into being. New Testament iWitness will answer questions such as:

• Who wrote the New Testament?
• How do we know?
• How can we know we have the original text?
• What was the criteria for being included?

and more! 

This is an excellent book to use to discover the history and formation of the New Testament.

Topics covered in New Testament iWitness include: Canon Criteria, Athanasius, Eusebius, Church Fathers, Muratorian Canon, The Gospel, The Apostle, Apostolic Fathers, Apostolic Age, Synoptic Problem, Hymns and Creeds, Rejected Books, Canon Certainty, How It Was Copied, Number of Copies, Copying Methods, Differences in the Copies, Manuscript Families, Textual Criticis and Recovered Text.

Old Testament iWitness

Explore the answers to your questions about the Old Testament in Old Testament iWitness. You will learn how the Old Testament is absolutely the Word of God as Doug Powell takes you through topics such as Canon Formation, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, The Scrolls, Wisdom Books, History Books, Intertestemental Period, etc. There is also a helpful timeline.

How We Used iWitness from Apologia

My son and I read these daily in our homeschool. We both loved digging into each of these books to learn more about the Bible and the history surrounding it. We loved the colorful pages and the interesting text font which made reading them fun! The pictures were amazing!

I also plan to use these with the children of our church in a future lesson on the Bible and how it came to be. These books would also be a nice addition to a church library.

You can connect with Apologia Educational Ministries on the following social media outlets:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• Pinterest

Find out what others on the Schoolhouse Review Crew have to say about the iWitness books by clicking on the image below!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie