May I ask a favor of those of you who have read Contend? If you get a few moments, would you go over to the Amazon page and write a review. Essentially, you just tell others what the book is about, what you personally liked and disliked, and give it a rating. These reviews can help new people consider whether the book is for them or not. Many thanks.
These are real sentences my 7 year old has written and saved on the computer. Spacing and spelling are both his, preserved exactly. He thinks a lot like I do, I think.
Noah is a boy. he likes to jomp in the pool. And Mary is his babby sister. We have fun. Are moms car is gray.
And are dads car is green. We sometimes ride to scool in the truck. But sometimes we go in the van. My techer is Mrs Patton. And Anna is butyful O and mom. Will is back! And im getting baptize in two weeks! And I have fun with Anna. Mary has teeth! Won mom is gon dady sometimes plays hideingoseeck with us. We have fun. My dad is sterong. Mary can walk! I like wen she walks. She is funny! She is onley 1 yers old. Mom is a good cook. Dad is cool. He talks a lot. On septeber 26 ( 2009) hannah and ian came over.
And Ian is a noiing. Hannah is fun to play with! We had fun. Today I got battize! Basketball is fun. I did play basketball. I gave ian 18 baseball tops cards. I got to eat the lords supper. Life is graet! Granny is graet to. Famlys are grat. My famly is big. Some famlys are small. Famlys are graet! I love my famly. I still have my graet granny and grandady! Im going to play baseball this year. Im Noah! Im 7 years old. Anna is my sister! She is 5 years old. Page is my mom. She is 29 years old almost 30 I now what 13 + 35 is. 48. Isaac is 12 weeks old. Isaac is a baby. Isaac is 3 moths old. So he he is 0 years old. Dad says im funny and I am funny. Dad is funny to. We have fun together. I love dad, mom, Anna, Mary, and Isaac. They are the ones living in the house. They are all funny. We all love God. Because he made us. So that’s why we love him. God made you special and he loves youvery much. God is the best. Noah is in the Bible 55 times. Isaac is in the Bible 129 times! Annas in the Bible 1 time. mary is in the Bible 54 times. I got glassis that are black. I loves to play to play the drums It is fun to play the drums. I like to play the drums. I like to play the drums! Do you want to play the drums? That’s my thing! Mary has fun. I have fun to. Anna likes cartoons. I do to just a little. Do you like cartoons? I like baseball. Math is good for you. I know my phone nuber. 8530807. all phone nubers have 7 nubers in it. Can you do a fruntflip? I like candy. Its good. We are going to have soop to night. I like soop. It is good. We cant go to scool today. We need to stay home today because we are a little bit sick today. It is October. My birthday is in one of the cold days. Halluween is near. We are going to a fallfestivau. James is my mittle name. frootloops are good. My lunch number at scoll is one, three, six, three. I have a lot of numbers to remember. I can do the yo-yo. Foxs are sligh. Don’t mes with a fox. I no the days of the week. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and those are the days of the week ther are 7 days of the week. Apples and grapes and other frutes are good for you. I wint to build-a-bear today. I named him Fluffy. And he was born on October 17 2009. we are moveing. Today my build-a-bear Fluffy is 0. I love Fluffy. Hes my pow. I like him. Hes a boy. Hes a good frind. I love fluffy. My furry friend is special. I brought it to life. I chose it. I stuffed it. I made it my own. Im glad I chose it He is a good bear.
John 15:1-2 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Jesus Christ is the “true vine.” Israel, as it looked in Jesus’ day, was a corrupted, diseased vine. The outward manifestations of Judaism, like the temple sacrifices, the feasts, and other rituals, were powerless to save this broken vine. But Jesus Christ came as the very embodiment and incarnation of all the institutions and symbolisms that marked Israel. So when He says, “I am the true vine,” we should quickly respond by saying, “I will abide in you” (See verse 5). Attached to the true vine, the followers of Christ find deep, and abiding, and meaningful life, and they are capable of bearing fruit worthy of his name, since he is the One flushing His branches with the powerful sap of His Spirit.
The Feast of Booths is the pinnacle of earthly rejoicing in the mercy and provision of God, and points forward to a day in which spiritual nourishment and eternal shelter shall be the lot of all those in Christ. Why do we not celebrate this great Feast anymore?
Nehemiah 8:17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.
Four words to describe Feast of Booths
(and this is the outline for my upcoming sermon Sunday)
Reflection: Leviticus 23:39 On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.
Food: Leviticus 23:39 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days.
Shelter: Leviticus 23:42-43 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Satisfaction: John 7:2;37-38 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand…On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
The past few years I have been training Noah and Anna, primarily on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, complete with some of my own modifications, not in the theology but in the language. We got out of the habit through the Spring and Summer, but now we are back at it. However, my frustrations continue to grow over wording issues, and so I’ve decided to write a “new” (not new theology) catechism based on our own 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. So far, I’ve gotten 31 questions and answers done, and the kids and I have already started working on it. You’ll notice I’m borrowing from other catechisms somewhat (Q1 for example!), but following the BF&M as closely as possible.
If you have suggestions or comments on these, or if you use a certain catechism in training children, feel free to comment.
THERE are two extreme tendencies in the ministry. The one is to shut itself out from intercourse with the people. The monk, the hermit were illustrations of this; they shut themselves out from men to be more with God. They failed, of course. Our being with God is of use only as we expend its priceless benefits on men. This age, neither with preacher nor with people, is much intent on God. Our hankering is not that way. We shut ourselves to our study, we become students, bookworms, Bible worms, sermon makers, noted for literature, thought, and sermons; but the people and God, where are they? Out of heart, out of mind. Preachers who are great thinkers, great students must be the greatest of prayers, or else they will be the greatest of backsliders, heartless professionals, rationalistic, less than the least of preachers in God’s estimate. – E.M. Bounds
If interested, you can now listen to my interview with Dr. Reeder on the Conversations website. There are 5 sessions titled Christian Apologetics.