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Top Posts For October 2013

October is in the books. I don’t know about where you live, but here in southern Missouri, the trees have turned beautiful shades of reds, yellows, oranges, and even some darker colors like purples. It’s absolutely stunning.

October 2013 Word Picture from Wordle.net

Along with the fall colors, the month held the final few games in both football and volleyball. And to wrap up the month, our church had a Trunk or Treat and a Chili Cookoff. That event was well attended by both community and church people.

In the middle of the month, I had the opportunity to attend Wilderness, a retreat I try to go to each year in Colorado. It was everything I expected it to be, and more.

All in all, it’s been a pretty amazing month.

Things are happening pretty crazy around JeffRandleman.com as well. My writing schedule has solidified into something approaching regularity, and I have a lot of cool ideas on the horizon.

In case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of October:

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Classic Bible: My Favorite Passages From Nehemiah

This is part of the Classic Bible: Favorite Stories & Passages series. Read more from the series!

One of the most encouraging stories in the Old Testament is the story of Nehemiah.

Tied in closely with the book of Ezra, this short piece of the Old Testament is an amazing bit of history.

Rock Wall

The nation of Judah was taken into captivity by Babylon somewhere around 587 BC. Fifty years later, Cyrus sent some of the people back to rebuild the temple of God. During this time, Zerubbabel rebuilt the temple, Ezra brought the Law back into the life of Israel, and Nehemiah rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, making it secure in the face of intense conflict and opposition.

Nehemiah’s abilities in administration and perseverance helped him mold the Jewish people back into the people of God so they could obey God’s commands and have a distinction from the people around them.

This is really the beauty of the story. Not only did Nehemiah have to rebuild a wall around the city, he had to rebuild a people to the point where they could stand on their own as an independent nation, following God’s lead.

Although the book is only thirteen short chapters in length, it is full of sage wisdom and leadership advice. You will gain much by studying this incredible little book.

Here are a few of my favorite passages from the book of Nehemiah:

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:21-22

As Paul wraps up his instructions concerning elders who need correction, he states his charge to Timothy. Some feel that this is a charge concerning all of Paul’s teaching in the letter to this point. However, the context suggests that this is more in line with his discussion of the elders in the previous few verses.

You can see the passage in 1 Timothy 5:21-22:

1 Timothy 5:21-22

Paul’s charge is a solemn charge, carrying the weight of responsibility for Timothy’s leadership in the Ephesian church. In a way, this charge is given before God, Christ and the angels as witnesses. That indicates the seriousness of this responsibility that Paul is bestowing upon his young friend.

The idea here is that Timothy is called to judge others; but he is to keep in mind that he will be judged himself as well. With that in mind, let’s look at the areas that Timothy needs to watch.

Do nothing with partiality

Partiality conveys the idea that the case has been already judged and closed. Partiality indicates that the decision has been made. Paul warns Timothy to avoid this at all costs.

Do not show favoritism

The idea of favoritism suggests that there is the inclination to side with one side over the other. Again, Paul tells Timothy that this isn’t an acceptable characteristic for a leader to have, and warns Timothy against it.

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Coffee Break – 10.28.2013

Coffee Break

WeBrew With Beautiful Things – Coffee is an art as much as it is a functional beverage (read: “dew of heaven”). So, why shouldn’t the accouterments used in the creation of coffee be as beautiful as the drink itself? The price is a bit hefty, but what is money when beauty awaits…? Ahem…

8 Cool Natural Earth Illusions – There are a lot of cool things about this playground called Earth that God created for us to enjoy. When we see things that look like something they really aren’t, it can be pretty impressing. Here are eight of those cool illusions.

Stalin’s Rope Roads – We have it easy in the US. It’s hard to imagine that elsewhere people are eking out a life in the midst of hardship. But even though things look dismal in post-Soviet Georgia, it’s pretty amazing to see how people adapt and survive, no matter where they may find themselves.

Nanotechnology In A Roman Goblet? – This is an interesting find. Apparently this 1600 year old goblet has the ability to transform colors when filled with certain liquids. Using extremely fine-ground gold and silver, could this chalice have been a test for poisons in the drink of the king? Whether it is or not, it’s still a fascinating discovery.

Why Telling Your Story Is NOT The Best Way To Share The Gospel – I’ve always been told that personal testimony is one of the most effective ways to share your faith. But in today’s relativistic society, that my no longer be the case. While I still believe it’s a valid tool, this article makes some great point, worthy of some thought.

Farewell, NIV – Even though the 1984 edition of the NIV has been gone for a few months now, I still feel like the new one falls short in so many ways. This post gives a good summary of why the new edition isn’t up to par. For the record, I do most of my reading from the NASB now, simply because I feel like it’s the truest to the original languages.

You can impress people at a distance, but you can impact them only up close. – Howard Hendricks

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Book Review – Don’t Miss The Boat by Paul Taylor

Don't Miss The Boat by Paul TaylorPerhaps the most fiercely contested event from early Genesis is Noah’s Flood. Even more than the creation account, the Flood described in Genesis 6-9 has been rejected by mainstream thought. But understanding Noah’s Flood is critical to understanding the world we live in today.

The biggest problem lies in the fact that there is very little material that available that helps people to understand what happened during and because of Noah’s Flood.

Until now.

Paul Taylor has written a very helpful book, called Don’t Miss The Boat, that describes in a very easy to understand fashion the events surrounding and the effects caused by a global flood.

Without getting into too many technical details, Taylor examines such topics as how the flood started, what happened during the flood, where the waters came from, the design of the ark, the following ice age, and much more. One of the most interesting chapters dealt with his estimation of why people stopped believing in the flood.

At times, Don’t Miss The Boat seems overly simplistic, especially if one is well read on the subject already. However, if the topic is a new one, the material is presented in a way that is simple for anyone to grasp and see the significance of Noah’s Flood.

This is a great volume to recommend to someone who doesn’t know much about the Flood or early Genesis history.

I enjoyed reading Don’t Miss The Boat, and spent only a short amount of time in reading and digesting the information presented. If you are interested in finding out more about this portion of the earth’s history, I recommend that you pick up a copy and read it. I think you’ll find it very fascinating.

What are your biggest questions surrounding the story of Noah’s Flood? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

I highly recommend that you read Don’t Miss The Boat, by Paul Taylor. You can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle, or directly from Master Books.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review & Giveaway! – Torn Blood by David J. Bain

Affiliate Link: Torn Blood by David J. BainMost of the time, I’m a hit or miss fan of fiction that is controversial or apocalyptic in nature. But Torn Blood was a book I simply could not put down.

The plot is a labyrinth of mystery, and details unfold in their own time, and aren’t easily predictable.

Only days before reporting for duty at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Addison Deverell arrives in Israel on a mission: to identify the source of the conflict between Arabs and Jews. Going into Palestinian territory for answers he can’t find in Israel, Addison struggles to uncover the truth. And he faces danger from those he seeks to understand and finds himself a pawn in a plot to eradicate the Jews from the earth. In the midst of all of this, Addison, along with his mother, discover a hidden identity, and their true destiny.

For the most part, the story was gripping and held my attention completely. However, toward the end of the novel, Bain seems to get in a hurry, and wraps up a lot of loose threads too quickly. Other than that, I found the book to be highly interesting and well worth my time to read it.