Bible

The Expository Thoughts Website has an article that graphs the Daily Devotions of to the ESV devotions site. We see that there is, as you might expect, a spike in January and then a drop that only goes up at another huge spike in December.

How Can We Influence Greater Devotions in Others?

There are two things that this makes me wonder. The first is what can we as preachers do to help people keep up their daily devotions? While it is true that ultimately whether a person keeps daily devotions is up to them, the preacher can probably do some things that might at least influence people to continue devotions?

How Can We Increase Devotions in Ourselves?

The second thing I wonder about is what does the graph look like for preachers? My guess is that it is exactly the same graph. As preacher's we must recognize that our power comes from our connection to God. That connection comes from prayer and Bible study. Without it, we are adrift. So the second question that we as preachers must contemplate is how can we motivate ourselves to pick up and continue our devotions?

My favorite Bible is the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. It is almost like carrying an index of all the Bible along with the Bible. You can look at a particular word, person, and Biblical idea and use the system to follow the theme all the way through the Bible.

The tool is very valuable for preachers. And right now it is on sale at Christianbook.Com. At least the Burgundy KJV is on sale. Instead of 85 dollars it is now 45 dollars...

I would encourage anyone to at least take a look at this important preacher's resource.

KJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, Burgundy Genuine Leather, Capri Grain By B. B. Kirkbride For years the unique Thompson Chain-Reference system has been a favorite study tool, and for good reason. Easy to learn and use, the Thompson Chain-Reference system contains over 100,000 topical references in over 8,000 chain topics, helping to make in-depth topical study and lesson preparation easier and more efficient. The Thompson Chain is also known for its excellent archaeological supplement and extensive collection of charts, diagrams, and other illustrations. Other features include a revised concordance, 16 pages of full-color maps, words of Christ in red, and Smythe Sewn reinforced tubular construction, which lies flat and provides a durable binding that will hold up to heavy use for years. Features: Thompson Chain-Reference System---over 100,000 marginal references covering 8,000 completed chain topics Thompson instant-use guide included KJV concordance Numerical index of chain topics Alphabetical index Outline studies of the Bible Bible character studies Bible harmonies and illustrated studies Hebrew calendar Index to the Scriptures atlas 8 point type Double-column format Wide margins References in margins Words of Christ in red Subject headings Concordance Full-color maps Archaeological supplement Ribbon marker Gold gilded page edges Smythe Sewn Burgundy genuine leather Capri grain 7" x 91/2" x 11/2"

Professor Michael Brown, author of The Blackening of the Bible has a website that includes audio sermons and syllabi of his courses. His main page is found at this link. The book Blackening of the Bible is a survey of African American approaches to reading the Bible.

Vincent Wimbush provides a history of African American interaction with the Bible in his book The Bible and African Americans. The Bible has often been held in high esteem by Black Americans and thus it is interesting to look at how this came to be.

Acts 1:1-11

We all know that the disciples had seen Jesus Crucified and now they have him resurrected. Certainly this is the time when everything will be fulfilled. They must have throught that now was the time for the Kingdom to be fully realized in this world. If at any time it would be then. And yet Jesus left again.

Psalm 1

Happy are those who stand with God. The wicked are not so happy. In this Psalm the wicked are giving faulty advice. They scoff at God and truth. In contrast the righteous meditate on God's word and law. So they stand in the Judgement.

What do I do? Do I stand with the righteous or the wicked? Do I delight in the law of the Lord or do I scoff at it? Do I make fun of those who stand for truth come what may? Becasue if I am not on the side of the righteous then the Lord who watches over the righteous will execute Judgment on me.

Genesis 2

Genesis 2 gives us the second creation story. In this complementary story God goes through great pains to make all of the inhabitants of earth to live in community. The birds were made to be in community, the other animals as well had their community. And the final thing that God made was the man.

Genesis 1

Genesis 1 paints the picture of a God that brings order out of the disorder. The earth was "without form and void" and after God speaks the earth becomes a paradise. As I think about this I come face to face with the reality of the disorder that we still find in the world.

Matthew 1:18-25

O Come O Come Emmanuel, and Ransom Captive Israel. So goes the Advent hymn. God will be with us. Our story reminds us how this came about. God chose to become human in a way that is at the same time normal and abnormal. God became human by the Holy Ghost impregnating a young woman which is very abnormal. But God came into the world through a woman which is very normal. We all are born of a woman.

Acts 1:12-26

Two individuals were chosen by the group as possible replacements for Judas. One Matthias and the other Justus. Both Matthias and Justus were only mentioned in the Bible in this one place, but they stood with Jesus and followed for the whole time. We know that they both were true followers. They had been with the movement from the baptism of John through the great difficulties of the death and resurrection.