Intro to Titus

We are starting the study of Titus in my Sunday morning Bible Study.  It will have a focus on building Godly character.  But first an introduction to Titus.  What can we find out about this book?  But grow with me as we start with the basics of Who? What? Where? When? and Why?

Who?

It is written by Paul and is considered one of the Pastoral Epistles.  Did you know that there were different kinds of Epistles?  Well there are...isn't learning fun :-)  I have learned that there are missionary journey epistles, prison epistles, and pastoral epistles.  Titus falls into the pastoral category because it is a letter Paul has written to Titus to help him oversee and grow the church.  And that answers Why?

But who was Titus?  He was a Gentile Christian (see Galatians 2:3) who ministered with Paul (see Galatians 2:1) and was left in Crete to continue to grow the church (see Titus 1:5). 

What do we know about Crete at this time?  Crete was deplorable, full of sin and depravity. The quote below is what someone from Crete says of his own people!

Titus 1:12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

Where? There are two important locations we learn about in Titus.  Titus is on the island of Crete and in Titus 3:12 Paul writes that he has decided to spend the winter at Nicopolis, so the assumption is that he was not there yet. 


When? According to the Blue Letter Bible resource Titus was written late in Paul's ministry, in about 65 AD and was one of the last books he wrote.

New vision and focus

I have not been blogging in so long, I almost forgot I had a blog!  I have been doing Bible studies and have even enrolled in two ministry schools just that I have not been blogging about it.  If I had plenty of spare time maybe I would list all the Bible studies I have done in the last few years...Yeah right!  I can hardly remember them all.  Which is one of the reasons why I have come back to the idea of using this blog as my study notes.

I have no idea if anyone will even read this little blog, but if there is anyone out there, welcome!  As for ministry school, I probably won't use this blog much for those.  I am taking online classes at Christian Leaders Institute which is a fantastic program and I am also taking classes through the NCAG District School of Ministry.


It was during the last class at NCDSOM and in the reading of the assigned book Living by the Book that I was inspired to take a new look at how I approach Bible Study.  All of this coincides with my Sunday morning Bible Study where we are starting to study the book of Titus.  And so...here we go.  In depth Bible study, starting with the book of Titus.  No spending a lot of time making a plan, just going to jump right in.  Prayers appreciated :-)



Oh!  And I just remembered that it is the first day of spring!  How beautifully appropriate that I am refocusing my vision of spiritual growth on the first day of spring. I chose the verse for this blog when I started it years ago, it is not new.  The Holy Spirit has been working for a long time, I just have not always been cooperative!  But now...But Grow!

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.


I pray that this simple, little blog will bless you as you also work towards spiritual growth. 

Transported right into the story of Ruth

The Girl's Still Got It: Take a Walk with Ruth and the God Who Rocked Her World

by Liz Curtis Higgs


Most have read the book of Ruth.  I have read it, several times.  I have even seen the movie and completed an in-depth Bible study on the book of Ruth.  However, there is something about the way Liz Curtis Higgs writes that takes you right into the story, deeper than all the other resources. 

Each verse of Ruth is taken apart and broken down as if the screenplay is being written and we are transported right into the story.   With this style of writing supported with the authors detailed and extensive research we are seeing the events as if we were standing right there. 

Combining the study guide at the back of the book with the DVD that is also available would make a wonderful group Bible study.


Did you know that many new books have preview trailers now.  What a great concept!
Go here to see the book trailer and to buy the book.

Disclosure: WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BloggingForBooks.org book review program.

Disappointed

1000 Days - The Ministry of Christ
By Jonathan Falwell

Based on the description of the book I expected an in-depth chronological study of the three year ministry of Jesus.  I was disappointed. 

This book instead provides simple topical Christian lessons with a disjointed attempt to connect them to the "1000 days" ministry of Christ.  I might recommend this book for a new believer (which is the only reason why I gave it two stars).  However, for a not so new Christian the overall feel of the book is simplistic and rather dull.

The end of each chapter contains several questions that are titled "Questions for individual reflection or small group discussion".  I found many of these questions to be useful but often wanted there to be more.  Well, at the end of the book there is more, titled as "Bible Study Guide (with Leader's Helps).  I have no idea why the author or publisher choose to separate these two sections. I found that the section at the back of the book would be far more useful to an individual or a small group as a way to take the topical study deeper and be able to have relevant application.

The final section of the book provides the final disappointment.  It contains a list of the "100 Main Events In Jesus' Life".  It is in this list that we are provided with the chronological ministry of Christ.  Unfortunately it is a simply a basic list with scripture references.  I have the pretty much the exact same list in my Bible called "The Harmony of the Gospels".

Disclosure: Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

We need to first be great parents!

There is a section on page 23 that sets the tone for this book...after quoting Luke 6:40 it states "If we want to have great kids, we need to first be great parents.  Our kids cannot rise above our level, so seeing where we need to grow is essential."

Part 1 of the book discusses 5 types of parents and it was painfully obvious which category I fall into.  I found myself wanting more practical application from the book but I kept coming back to the tone for the book.  It is up to me to figure out the areas I need to grow.  The book goes on to other sections that are more specific to individual children, but there are so many categories that most of them did not fit our kids.

There were many family stories told throughout the book and I could have read many more.  In these stories I found some of the practical application I was looking for.  Through these stories is how this book truly shines.

I primarily review books on this blog for material to use in our women's Bible study.  I did not find that this book would translate well into a Bible study.  This is a book that is better used in the home to encourage conversation between parents and to enable parents to view each other in their own styles.  My next purchase will be the "How We Love" book that focuses on marriage.  There is more to these love styles that I want to learn about so that I can grow to be a better person, better wife and of course a better parent!

Disclosure: WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BloggingForBooks.org book review program.

Sunrise on the Battery

...yawn... It was difficult to get through this book because it was so slow moving.  The story was rather dull - even a miraculous healing and dealing with a teenage drug issue were never fully developed to be a page turner.   It seems that the front and end of the book are just filler around the big event that changes all their lives.

I was even surprised that the book went where it did - such as seeming to promote The Message translation (why can't she just be reading the Bible?) and how quickly and easily one of the characters considered a certain path. Sorry, I can't get into to that storyline further, would hate to spoil it for you in case you ever decide to read this book.  Although, I was disappointed with the book and wouldn't recommend it - perhaps you will have a different opinion...


Disclosure: Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

Everyone can learn from this book

This book is very easy to read and translates well into a study guide because it is broken into small manageable sections.  It is perfectly designed for individual or small group study with an 8-session study guide. 

Each chapter has critical insights into deepening your understanding of the Holy Spirit, and all of it is based on scripture...a lot of scripture references.  But that is a good thing because if you are going to use this book to guide you through an in-depth study of the Holy Spirit, you will be able to test the author against the truth of the Bible.

When God sent the Holy Spirit to us we were given the incredible ability to speak directly to God.  We don't have to make sacrifices to atone for sins, we don't have to climb to the top of mountains, none of that!  Everything changed when the Holy Spirit came.  Through the Holy Spirit I have a personal relationship with God. I can talk to Him anytime I want to, anywhere and everywhere!!!   Everyone can learn from this book, because we can all be closer to God.

Go here to read an excerpt.

Disclosure: WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BloggingForBooks.org book review program.