Wow! Is 2014 off to a busy start or what? I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are off to a great New Year. This issue is packed with resources to get you into God’s Word and to help you get more out of your studies. Also, I am working hard to make my blog and newsletter more useful to you. I have a quick and easy way for you to help me make that happen – see the first article for details.
Here is what you’ll find in this issue…
- Please Take My 2014 Reader Survey
- Do You Ever Feel Burned Out? Do You Long for More Peace and Purpose in Your Life?
- Official Release Date is March 1, 2014 but You Can Get Your Copy of Remaining in the Vine Now!
- 4 of My Go-To Free Bble Study Tools
And of course, be sure to check the new details in our regular features:
- Contact Links to my Facebook and Twitter feeds as well as my Website so you can join in the conversation. I regularly post quotes and links to articles that I’ve found to be helpful or that I think you might enjoy reading.So “Like” my Facebook page or “Follow” me on Twitter so you don’t miss out of these gems. [Use the icons at the top of my website pages to connect to my social media profiles.]
- Recommended Reading Each month in this section I’ll highlight a book that I have read that I think you would enjoy and benefit from. This month I chose How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to become better equipped to study God’s Word and apply God’s eternal truth to their lives. These insightful authors make it is easy to understand and implement sound biblical interpretation principles. I’ve mentioned this book in previous blog posts, and you may see it recommended again from time to time. I think it belongs in the library of all who study the Bible.
- Calendar I have several speaking engagements booked for 2014. If I’m speaking near you, I hope you’ll come out and visit me! I’d love to see you.If you are planning a retreat or Bible study and want me to speak/teach, please get in touch soon as my calendar is beginning to fill. Visit my Speaking Page to get more information or start the booking conversation.
- What others are saying about the ministry
- How Can I serve You? I look forward to serving you. If you need a speaker for your event in 2014, please visit my Speaking Page for information about my topics and how to book me for your event. Is there a topic you would like me to address on my blog or in an upcoming Monthly Newsletter? Leave a comment below or email me.
Blessings of truth and grace,
Laura
Please Take My 2014 Reader Survey
Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Doing so will help you as well as me. Why? Because your input will make my content even more interesting and relevant to you.Your answers to the survey are important to me. The survey is easy. The results are completely anonymous. I can’t tell who said what. And it will take less than five minutes of your time.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Do You Ever Feel Burned Out? Do You Long for More Peace and Purpose in Your Life?
Then plan to get a copy of my new Bible study, Remaining in the Vine: Cultivating an Intimate Relationship with Jesus in an Insanely Busy and Superficial World.
In this four-session study, I share practical and personal lessons that will help you:
- Say goodbye to an off-the-rack faith and hello to a custom-made walk with God.
- Stand steady on a firm foundation even when the rug is ripped out from under you.
- Diminish the chaos of an over-scheduled life and gain more peace and balance.
- Resist perfectionism and people-pleasing by finding a better source of approval.
In our over-scheduled lives, it is easy to find our faith becoming one more thing on our “to do” list. Despite being up to our eyeballs in people and projects, we can find ourselves feeling alone and hungering for more meaningful relationships. Come to the True Vine and find the peace, purpose, and meaning awaiting you in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ!
You’ll be able to purchase a copy on Amazon.com or through other major retailers beginning March 1. Don’t want to wait? Check out the article below to see how you can get your copy now!
Official Release Date is March 1, 2014 but You Can Get Your Copy Now!
The advance copies arrived a few days ago. The sneak peak event begins January 28. Would you like to get your copy of my new Bible study before they go on sale at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc. on March 1? There are three ways to get your copy before the official release date:
- Join the Launch Team
- Participate in our local Sneak Peak Bible study
- Host a Remaining in the Vine study group at your church or home
I’m so thrilled to finally have this project come to fruition. I would love to have you be a part of the Launch Team for my book.
Join the Launch Team
What is a Launch Team? Well, this group of special people will actively promote the book upon its official release. In exchange for some special incentives team members read the book and help spread the word by posting reviews on sites like amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, use Facebook, Twitter and other social media to promote the book, and generally be a cheerleader for the study.
If you are part of the Launch Team, you will have early access to the book prior to its official release as well as some special bonuses: an advance electronic copy, access to a special private Facebook group where we will brainstorm promotional ideas and celebrate milestones, and some other special bonus items I can’t tell you about yet.
If you’d like to be on the Launch Team, just click the button below to sign up and I’ll let you know how you can get your copy of the book before the official release date and I’ll start sending you your bonus items just as soon as they are available.
Attend a Live Preview of the Study!
If you live near the Georgetown, Texas area I would love for you to participate in the live sessions that will be offered prior to the official release of the book.
I will have the honor of teaching this study at my home church: Main Street Baptist. If you live within driving distance, I’d love for you to join us. We will meet on Tuesdays beginning January 28. The study is four weeks long. You can attend either the morning or evening sessions. The morning group meets from 9:00 – 11:30 am and the evening group meets from 6:30-8:30 pm. (This is our Women’s Bible Study. So guys, if you would like to attend a preview session, reply back to this email and let me know. If there is enough interest I’ll put a co-ed class together.)
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Offer the Study at Your Church or Home
Don’t live near Georgetown? Can’t attend the preview sessions? That’s OK, you can offer the study at your church or with a group of friends in your home. We might be able to arrange for me to attend in person or meet with your group via Skype. If you are interested in exploring these options, click the button below to begin the conversation.
4 of My Go-To Free Bible Study Tools
Though I have a bookshelf full of expensive resources, lately I turn to these four free online Bible study tools as much or more than I visit my bookshelf. You can use these tools to go deeper in your understanding and study of God’s Word.
1. NET Bible: This site is the gateway to many of the other tools I’ll highlight. I prefer the classic view because I find it easier to navigate than their newer version. Look up your text using the drop down boxes on the upper left side of the page. Then use the yellow Discovery Box located in the upper right of the screen to dig into related commentary articles, maps, and other resources related to the selected text. The footnotes also provide valuable information about translation decisions, historical context, and ancient customs.
2.Word Study Tools: Most of us can’t read the Bible in its original languages so we need to access word study tools that help us understand the nuances of the text. In many instances, the Greek or Hebrew word means the same as the English term. However, if you compare a verse in multiple translations and notice the various translators differed in which English word they chose, you will want to look the word up and read for yourself the various meanings of the original word. I have books that let me do this, but frankly it is much easier to do through the Net Bible Word Study Tools.
From the first screen, click on the verse reference to open up a screen that shows that one verse in multiple English translations. Below the translations you will see the verse listed along with the original language with the corresponding Strong reference numbers. Hover your cursor over a particular word and a definition will pop up. Or click on the word and you access the lexicon (the full definition and information about the original word).
Click on the Word Study Tools link in the navigation menu on the left side of the screen and access a lexicon from multiple sources (Wordnet, CIDE, Oxford, Thesaurus, Roget Thesaurus)
3. Study Maps: Sometimes we need to see a map to make sense of a particular passage or biblical story. For example, if you are studying the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul you will have a much better idea of the scope of the journey if you see it all plotted on a map.
From within NET Bible.org you can access a number of different types of maps. View satellite images as well as standard maps. If you use the classic view, maps related to the text you specified will appear in the Discovery Box. You can also click on Study Map System in the navigation menu on the left side of your screen and access the whole catalog. This provides an index by Place Name as well as an index by category: Satellite, Old Testament, New Testament, and Paul’s Missionary Journeys.
4. Free Bible Commentary by Dr. Bob Utley, Professor of Hermeneutics: This website is so much more than a commentary. If used as designed it is an indepth class on how to study the Bible. Dr. Utley’s studies emphasize the original author’s intent, by means of: 1) context, (2) history, (3) word studies, (4) grammar, (5) genre and (6) parallel passages.Several years ago his commentaries were included in the Logos Bible Study Software.
There are several things I like about this commentary:
1) he addresses both the rational and spiritual processes involved in understanding the inspired ancient text and applying God’s eternal truth appropriately in our own situation and time.
2) He insists on the reader doing their own study and interpretive work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit prior to coming to the commentary. It is easy for us to get lazy and come to the commentary to be spoon-fed the interpretation (I’m guilty of that and his commentaries always remind me of the need to do my own work first.)
2) He emphasizes the need for us to be yielded and open to God’s Spirit guiding our understanding.
3) He insists upon approaching the rational process with consistency and fairness to the text. One must not allow one’s personal or denominational biases to twist the text to say what we would like for it to say. He helps us recognize our historical conditioning and biases and offers us guidance on how to keep those in check.
4) He utilizes three interpretive principles to help us overcome our biases:
- Rigorous examination of the historical context. “The text cannot mean something to us that it never meant to the original, ancient, inspired author.”
- Literary context is addressed. “Interpretation must move from a deductive approach of the whole to an inductive approach to the parts.”
- Language and Translation context and influences are examined. By studying the text in a variety of English translations, Dr. Utley highlights the range of possible meanings of the original texts.
Try These and Let Us Know What You Think
Try some of these tools as you study the Bible. Leave me and the other members of our Making It Real community a comment about your experience. I’d love to hear what you think of these resources. And if you want to share other resources that you use in your studies, that will be helpful to everyone as well.
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