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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 29

This week’s passage is one of my all-time favorites.

I love Matthew 6:19-21, but it’s so hard to apply sometimes.

Matthew 6:19-21

The truth is, we live in a very materialistic culture. I know that’s no excuse, but it’s very true. Sometimes it is extremely difficult not to store up treasures on earth. We all think about it: savings accounts, retirement accounts, the 401k or IRA, insurance…

It’s sometimes extremely difficult to store up treasures in heaven when we have so many safety nets here.

I’m not sure exactly what I think on this topic, but it’s been on my mind a lot recently.

What do you think? How do you prevent yourself from storing up treasures here, and instead build up your heavenly accounts? Let me know in the comments.

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11 Things You Can Do With Your Kids On A Long Trip

We’ve had a crazy summer! I might have mentioned it before.

I’ve had my normal summer schedule of camps and mission trips. But added to that mix have been three family funerals: my dad and my step-dad, and right now we are in Minnesota for the funeral of my wife’s mother.

Like I said, it’s been a crazy summer.

Open Highway

From our home to my wife’s grandmother’s house, near the Twin Cities, it takes eleven hours. According to Rand-McNally. That’s normal driving, with normal stopping. They don’t have an option to figure out how long it will take when you add five kids into the mix.

Needless to say, it took us a little longer…. Like three more hours. And that doesn’t even take into account the time spent at a tire shop on the way.

In a trip of that length, you need to have things for kids to do. A lot of things for kids to do. And since our kids are different ages, we had to find different things to them to do.

Here are some we came up with:

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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 28

How often do you fast?

Do you ever?

Fasting is one discipline that modern Christians have almost completely forgotten. It is such a neglected discipline that we aren’t even sure what it is any longer.

I find that extremely sad. And I bet Jesus does as well.

In this week’s passage, he begins by stating “when you fast…” When. Not if.

It’s almost like this is expected of us.

Check out the entire passage in Matthew 6:16-18.

Matthew 16:16-18

Fasting is not something we find easy to do. Most of the time, we don’t even think about it. But it is a discipline that we need to develop.

I know that I’ve seen God’s hand very clearly during times when I’ve fasted.

Maybe we need to relearn this discipline…

Do you fast? What benefits have you received from fasting in your life? Let me know in the comments.

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Book Review: The Life Of Andrew Jackson

The Life Of Andrew Jackson

I’ve really enjoyed reading biographies recently. I’ve read some in the past, but never had a burning desire to pursue this genre too much.

Until recently. Not too long ago, I read and reviewed The Life Of John Knox. You can also see my review of Lee: A Life Of Virtue and Unshakable Faith, about Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver.

And I’ve been reading several other biographies of great lives.

I love this genre.

And The Life Of Andrew Jackson was no less intriguing than any of the others I’ve been reading

I’ve never really known too much about the life of our seventh President. The Life Of Andrew Jackson was extremely enlightening.

Originally written in 1850, this biography has been reprinted by Attic Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing. Since it was written within just a few years of Jackson’s life, it presents a comprehensive and fresh look at his life, military career, and his presidency.

Also included are several key papers from his life, including his inaugural and farewell addresses, and Bancroft’s eulogy of Jackson’s life and service.

All in all, The Life Of Andrew Jackson is a great historical resource to have on your shelf. If you love reading about American history, or reading biographies, you’ll love reading The Life Of Andrew Jackson.

Do you think you’d be interested in reading The Life Of Andrew Jackson? Why or why not? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

If you are interested in reading The Life Of Andrew Jackson, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

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: Another World by Philip Stott

Another WorldI recently finished reading Another World by Philip Stott, and I have to admit, I wasn’t too impressed.

Another World is described by the author as “biblical science fiction.” Based in a pre-Flood civilization, Another World speculates what life would have been like just before God sent his judgment of the world described in Genesis 6-9.

As someone who loves the subject of biblical creation and beginnings, especially the history included within the first eleven chapters of Genesis, I was hopeful that Another World would be right up my alley. Unfortunately this was not the case.

Obviously a believer in a young earth, Stott has written a story that is easy to read, and yet lacks that something needed to really make it impactful. His story is set in a time of which we have no information, only speculation. And his information is a bit off.

For example, he describes an animal he calls a Brontosaur. But no such animal existed. The discoverer of the fossil remains inadvertently placed another animal’s head on the skeleton, resulting in an inaccurate representation.

Another example would be his speculation that the large stones found in Tiahuanaco, and other places in South America, or the great pyramids of Egypt. He states that these are the remains of pre-flood civilization. This is unlikely. A catastrophe such as the one described in Genesis would have destroyed even structures such as these. More likely, these are some of the earliest structures built shortly after the Dispersion from the Tower of Babel, using residual technology that Noah and his sons knew, or mankind “rediscovered” after the Flood, and has subsequently lost. I find this much more plausible.

While I am excited that someone has attempted to write a story about pre-flood life, I’m disappointed in this one. The story fails to engage the reader and doesn’t really offer any incentive to continue reading, in spite of the fact that it is easy and quick to read.

I wasn’t too impressed, and wouldn’t recommend reading Another World.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Nordskog Publishing in order to read and review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 27

Forgiveness. It’s a crucial aspect of the Christian life. In fact, it’s a crucial aspect for everyone. It is one of the keys to making any relationship work.

In this week’s passage, Jesus connects the forgiveness within our human relationships to the forgiveness found in our relationship with the Father.

It’s simple, really.

If we forgive, he forgives. If we don’t, he won’t.

Take a look at the passage. It’s found in Matthew 6:14-15.

Matthew 6:14-15

I can name numerous instances in my own life where I’ve seen this principle in action. Fortunately, I can say that eventually I’ve come to a place of forgiveness in almost every one of them. Unfortunately, I can’t say that it always happened quickly or timely.

I just pray that I’m getting better at it. And the more I practice it, the easier it gets.

Do you find it easy or hard to forgive others? What do you do to help you overcome the temptation to not forgive? Let me know in the comments.

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Video Review: Book Book Cases for iPhone 4 and iPad 2

Over the past week, I received two new products from 12 South. I received the Book Book for iPhone 4 and another one for the iPad.

Book Book for iPhone 4

Book Book for iPad

I’m pretty excited about both of these products. I ordered the iPhone case directly from 12 South, and the iPad case came from Amazon.com.

I received the iPhone case first. I started to rip into the packaging, when I had a brilliant idea: I should open and install these on my first ever video blog.