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Reading The Old Testament

Have you ever really taken the time to read through the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament? Have you done so recently?

Bible Study

A lot of the time, when I encourage people to read the Bible, they begin with Genesis. That’s a great place to start, and it has a lot of incredible and foundational history laid out through its pages. Once they finish with Genesis, they move on to Exodus. Again, there is a tremendous amount of history found here.

But then they hit Leviticus and Numbers. These books are filled with tedious information about Jewish feasts and festivals, sacrifices and censuses, the tabernacle and the distribution of the Promised Land.

It is easy to get bogged down and lost in these books, and feel discouraged about continuing to read through the Bible.

I encourage people to not give up. There is a lot of incredible information found in the books of Leviticus and Numbers!

At our church, we are studying through the Bible, one book at a time, during our Wednesday evening programming. We just finished Leviticus and have moved into Numbers. But what we discovered as we studied Leviticus, and are finding as we go through Numbers, has been nothing short of amazing.

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Book Review – Lethal Beauty by Lis Wiehl

Lethal BeautyI am quickly becoming a big fan of Lis Wiehl. I have read a few of Wiehl’s books, mostly featuring the character of Mia Quinn. I have enjoyed each novel that I have read.

Lethal Beauty is the latest in the Mia Quinn series. In this story, Wiehl takes on some pretty heavy social topics in the midst of the narrative, dealing with human trafficking and performance enhancing drugs.

Spinning a tale as only Lis Weihl can do, Lethal Beauty approaches these important topics and explores them in the confines of the story, but allows the reader to realize that these are real life issues, and not just fantasy.

Lethal Beauty addresses these issues, and while there are no easy answers to social problems such as these, Wiehl manages to present the dangers clearly and establishes a moral high ground that must be taken, both within the story and in reality.

That is perhaps my favorite aspect of Wiehl as an author. She is unafraid to take on the big, important issues and look at them clearly, from a Christian worldview. Because of this, Wiehl is quickly becoming a favorite author.

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Lethal Beauty, or one of Wiehl’s other novels, A Matter Of Trust and A Deadly Business. Though all three of these feature Mia Quinn as a main character, each of them stands alone as a story. And each of them is well written.

Grab a copy and read it. I know you’ll enjoy it.

Question: Have you read any of Lis Wiehl’s work? What did you think of it? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

If you are interested in reading Lethal Beauty, by Lis Wiehl, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle. You can also purchase the first two Mia Quinn novels, A Matter Of Trust, and A Deadly Business.

I received this book free from Harper Collins Christian Publishing as part of their BookLook Bloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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Coffee Break – 06.15.2015

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

June continues to move forward, and here is what happened on this day in history: In 1752, Benjamin Franklin experimented by flying a kite during a thunderstorm. The result was a little spark that showed the relationship between lightning and electricity. In 1844, Charles Goodyear was granted a patent for the process that strengthens rubber. And in 1909, Benjamin Shibe patented the cork center baseball. Important stuff.

Coffee Break

You Might Be A Coffee Snob If… – I actually prefer the term “coffee revolutionary.” Regardless, I found this list quite amusing. Our daughter’s first word might just have to be coffee related…

14 Of The Coolest Hotels In The World – Several of these locations just got added to my bucket list. My favorite is either number four or five. Which one is yours?

A Fly-Through Of The Gum Nebula – This brief fly-through of the Gum Nebula captured by the Hubble Space Telescope is stunning in its beauty.

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 1:23-24

The previous two verses are some of the most often quoted in this letter to the Philippians. But this week’s passage shows Paul’s heart perhaps even more clearly.

Take a look for yourself in Philippians 1:23-24:

Philippians 1:23-24

Paul is very agitated. He knows that his time on earth may be short, and he fully expects that his imprisonment may not end well. But he also realizes that to live means that he will continue to preach the Gospel, and to die is to stand in the presence of Christ himself!

He is torn, and doesn’t know which to long for more.

In fact, in this passage, he makes the statement, “I am torn between the two.” This is a word that conveys the idea of being pulled strongly in two different directions, with pressure from two equally strong desires, causing Paul great agitation and anxiety.

It is clear, that if he is forced to chose between the two, his greater desire is to depart and stand before Jesus. The word “depart” is a military term, meaning to strike camp, or a nautical term, meaning to release the moorings and set the vessel free. Paul is ready to die. In fact, this is the more preferable outcome because of the end result. He would be ushered into the presence of God finally and eternally.

While Paul’s theology on what happens at death is sketchy, whether there is a period of waiting until Christ’s triumphant return or he is in the presence of God immediately, his point here is clear. It is better to be ready for death than to be able to understand the process fully.