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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 2

Week one went pretty well for me. I copied the verses down onto an index card, and kept it in my pocket all week. It’s pretty dog-eared…

Here’s week two.

Again, write it down on an index card so you can keep in your pocket or in a visible location. Place it strategically, so that you will see it frequently throughout the week. Read it several times a day. Recite it aloud a lot. By the end of the week, it will be yours!

Here’s our passage for this week: Matthew 5:4-6.

Week 02 - Matthew 5:4-6

And here’s a link to the passage at Bible Gateway.

How did week 1 go for you?

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E.M. Bounds On Prayer…. One More Time

I find a lot of stuff from E.M Bounds very uplifting. I’ve shared a couple of those quotes over the last couple of week. You can view them here and here. This week, I want to share with you one more quote from Bounds.

Man Praying

This quote comes from The Essentials Of Prayer. In this paragraph, he describes just what happens when we pray in times of trouble.

Prayer in the time of trouble brings comfort, help, hope, and blessings, which, while not removing the trouble, enable the saint to better bear it and to submit to the will of God. Prayer opens the eyes to see God’s hand in trouble. Prayer does not interpret God’s providences, but it does justify them and recognize God in them. Prayer enables us to see wise ends in trouble. Prayer in trouble drives us away from unbelief, saves us from doubt, and delivers from all vain and foolish questionings because of our painful experiences.

When you face times of trouble, do you despair? Or do you turn to prayer? How have you experienced God’s faithfulness in those situations?

If you are interested in reading more from E.M. Bounds on prayer, you can you can purchase his collected works at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
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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My Go To Books On Creation

If you don’t already know, one of my passions is Creation. I absolutely love the first few chapters of Genesis, and I feel that they are foundational to understanding the rest of the Bible correctly. You’ll see more about that in the near future.

My Creation Bookshelves

Today, I want to share with you the top books on my shelf in this area. There is a lot of written material available defending a young earth view of Creation, but there are a few books that are must haves.

Here are my top five.

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Benefits Of Involving Students In The Life Of The Church

This post is part of the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series. Check out the rest of the series!

One thing I’m convinced is necessary in youth ministry is student involvement. Several years ago, youth ministry could be a one-man show, with the youth minister as the main star. I’m not so sure how effective it really was, but it seemed to be the main trend in youth work for quite a while.

Youth with hands up

In order for a ministry to student to be effective today, the students have to be involved, not only in the life of the youth ministry, but in the greater church as well.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be writing about this necessity. Today, I’ll address some of the benefits of involving student in the life of the church. My next post in the youth ministry category will take a look at some of the dangers and challenges. And the third part of the series will look at some examples from my ministry, both successful and unsuccessful.

Benefits of Involving Students In The Life Of The Church

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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 1

I’m memorizing Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount this year. I’ve been neglecting the discipline of Scripture memorization, and decided that 2011 will be different.

I would love for you to join me in this endeavor!

Here’s how it will work. Every weekend, from now through Christmas, I will post a new passage from Matthew 5, 6, and 7. Some passages will be only a verse or two. A few will be three or four.

Write it down on an index card so you can keep in your pocket or in a visible location. Place it strategically, so that you will see it frequently throughout the week. Read it several times a day. Recite it aloud a lot. By the end of the week, it will be yours!

Here’s our passage for this week: Matthew 5:1-3.

Week 01 - Matthew 5:1-3

Here’s a link to the passage at Bible Gateway.

Good luck!

Let me know how it goes in the comments.

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Randleman Family Web

Just a quick reminder….

I’ve started a new site for the Randleman family. I’ve been trying to refine the scope and direction of my writing, and determined that family updates really fall outside of my purpose for this site. So I’ve developed another site that is completely dedicated to the Randleman family news and events.

family.jeffrandleman.com

If you are interested in keeping up with the news in our little corner of the world, or seeing photos and videos of the kids, then check it out at family.jeffrandleman.com.

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Standard Theme – Best. Theme. Ever.

When I started out on this blogging adventure, I had no clue what was going on. I picked a blogging platform at random, not knowing much about any of them. God must have been watching my choices, because I picked the absolute best platform out there: WordPress!

I started with a site that they hosted, but after a year, I decided that I needed to have more control of my online presence. I switched to WordPress.org, and self-hosted my site. This time, I researched things a little bit better and discovered the absolute best theme available: Standard Theme! I’ve been able to customize it to my own tastes, and have had a great experience with a well-coded theme, from an amazing company, with superb support!

Standard Theme

The 8bit team rocks! 

Right now, and through February 15, they are offering a 20% discount on Standard Theme. It’s simple. Buy a Standard License, and get a great theme. Buy a Support License, and get a great theme, unlimited forum access, and free upgrades for life. What could be better than that?