Taste the Word

If you've ever wished the Bible called out to you like chocolate from the kitchen, it's time to discover that God's Word is Sweeter than Chocolate!

Sweeter Than Chocolate! - Study of Psalm 119

Announcing the release of Sweeter Than Chocolate! the new inductive bible study of Psalm 119 written by Pam Gillaspie. Who would suspect that one chapter of the Psalms could be so tasty? Pam knew and, in her unique style, she penned a delightful study of Psalm 119 to help anyone find real solutions in God's book. Yes, the cover looks like a box of chocolates-- without the guilt!

Sweeter Than Chocolate! is Inductive Bible Study with Flexibility

Sweeter Than Chocolate! provides the depth and content associated with inductive bible study in a refreshing, well-thought-out format. Pam literally turned inductive Bible Study on end with her landscape layout. Study Psalm 119 as deeply as you desire or as lightly as time permits.

Students untrained in the inductive bible study method can stick with the main text of Sweeter Than Chocolate! with great success. Following this path, they will be learning the method of study while learning the timeless truths Psalm 119. As skills and excitement develop, new comers can try optional assignments for Psalm 119 in the sidebars called "One Step Further". Seasoned inductive bible study participants will be challenged to greater growth and exploration through the "Digging Deeper" assignments.

The Format of Sweeter Than Chocolate!

This study of Psalm 119 contains six lessons:
Week 1 - Taste and See!
Week 2 - Your Source for Answers in a World of Questions
Week 3 - The Secret to Delighting in God
Week 4 - Are You Standing Firm in an Unsteady Culture
Week 5 - Finding Security in Unstable Times
Week 6 - Ready for Every Tomorrow

Why Study Psalm 119

Psalm 119 is the definitive chapter in the Bible about what God's Word is and what God's Word does. This powerful Psalm is a 22-stanza acrostic poem of the Hebrew alphabet with practical application in every stanza.

God's Word makes awe-inspiring claims about itself and it's benefits. In uncertain days like these, what we really need is answers to the important questions that are at the root of our confusion.

• Does the Word of God Work?
• Is the Word of God what it claims to be?
• Does the Word of God do what it says it does?
• Why does the Bible so often not seem to work?
• Is it just me? Am i missing something?

These 6 engaging lessons of Psalm 119 will help anyone uncover the answers to these important questions.

Sweeter Than Chocolate! is not fill-in-the-blank fluff. This study of Psalms 119 is full of everyday, in-your-face, this-is-the-way-it-is insight. A study of Psalm 119 will certainly stimulate direct, to-the-heart discussions. Sweeter Than Chocolate! skillfully incorporates the tried and true inductive study methods and helps the student turn sound Biblical knowledge into godly action for life in difficult times.

With compelling passion Sweeter Than Chocolate! declares the truth every person is dying to hear . . . the Word of God works! Not only does the Word work, it brings comfort, wisdom, peace and joy unimaginable. Through it, He changes our very lives holding us fast in the midst of the troubles and trials of life.

Endorsements:

"If you think you love the Word, if you want to love the Word, if you would like to know why the Word-God's Word-is so significant, then Sweeter Than Chocolate! is for you. No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, you will find incredible delights waiting for you as you unwrap Psalm 119-piece by piece. As you taste each morsel, you will find a portion of Scripture that is Sweeter Than Chocolate! and delicious, delightful and delectable for your soul. Try it. You will like it!"

Jan Silvious
Speaker
Author of Foolproofing Your Life and Big Girls Don't Whine

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"Nothing in life is sweeter than the words of God. Sweeter Than Chocolate! will tantalize your spiritual taste buds as it opens up Psalm 119 -the definitive chapter in the Bible about what God's Word is and does. You will take a six-week inductive journey through this virtual box of God's delights-words that will meet you where you are and cheer you on. You will develop a gourmet's sensitivities as you 'taste and see' that God's Words are rich and wonderful beyond all other words on earth-and be assured you will only long for more!"

Kay Arthur
Bible Teacher and host of "Precepts for Life" on radio and television
Co-CEO and Co-founder of Precept Ministries International
Author of over 100 books and Bible studies, including 4 Gold Medallion Award winners

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About the Author:

Pam Gillaspie is a speaker, teacher and author of No More Excuses: An Almost Too-Practical Guide to Reading Through Your Bible and Ablaze, Igniting Spiritual Passion for Life Through Reading God's Word. God has instilled in Pam a passion for His Word. She has a gift for guiding others to it and through it, so they, too, can experience the transforming power of God in their lives through His Word. A graduate of Wheaton College, she resides in Gurnee, IL with Dave, her husband of 23 years, her children Brad and Katie, and a Great Dane named Abby.

Sweeter Than Chocolate! fits so many situations:

• Perfect for gift giving: Bridal Shower, Graduation or just because...
• Terrific first course for the New Inductive Bible Study Leader (The free Leader Guide is better than any I've ever seen.)
• Ideal Summer or Fall Bible Study
• Women's Ministry Study Selection
• A great way to introduce your friends and loved ones to the Inductive Bible Study method.

Try Inductive Bible Study yourself. Taste a sample of Sweeter Than Chocolate! - Download the first Lesson for your review. Feel free to share this taste with a friend (or 2 or 10).

Buy a copy of Sweeter Than Chocolate!
Exclusive Introductory Offer: $19.99 - (Available until May 31, 2009)
Regular Retail: $24.99

Buy copies for your group of Sweeter Than Chocolate!
Special Group Offer: Buy 10 Get 1 - so the Leader copy is free (Also until May 31, 2009)

Tasting the chocolate,
k8t
k8t(at)faceofagirl(dot)com

P.S. Intended for release in time for Mother's Day gift giving, the initial reception has been overwhelming. Sweeter Than Chocolate! just keeps selling out. Buy your copy today while stock is available.


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Please include the following statement on any distributed or linked copy: By Kaet Johnson. © faceofagirl.com. Website: faceofagirl.com

A Bagel or A Loaf?

We've got a problem in the Western Church; there is a hole in our Gospel.

Can the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom of God, be summed up by an analogy about the trendy bagel and the old-fashioned loaf? I don't know, but I'm gonna' try. Both are basically "bread," both provide sustenance, but which one would you like for the long haul? Which will provide more food (life) over a period of time?

If you're a Christian, a follower, a believer of Jesus, of Yeshua, and if you were spiritually born through an Evangelical "process," then, most likely, you are "Saved." You have "Jesus in your heart." You are "Born Again." "Jesus died to save you from your sins."

For the most part, true statements.

I came to belief through a more old-fashioned, King James-ie, kind of language and "denominational" birth pains. I believed "by faith and that (faith) a gift of God by His grace." My belief grants me "salvation," and now, by grace, I'm to "follow."

Again, true.

We now attended an Evangelical church, which I enjoy very much because God's Spirit is present and active, and the Bible, in its entirety, is preached. Because of the church we attend, I hear a lot of what I'll call evangelical Christian-ese: a dialect developed by well meaning, sincere, disciples of Yeshua to communicate the Good News on a very personal, relational level. Unfortunately, I think the dialect sells Yahweh, Yeshua, and Spirit short-- to quote a friend, "We have been selling an 'introductory price' gospel;" or handing out a bagel instead of the loaf.

The introductory price gospel, along with its dialect, reflects biblical doctrine, yet does not reflect the entire teachings of Yeshua and what he did. The dialect is made up of paraphrases and substitutionary phrases in place of full teaching. It's a friendly, easier to handle, more portable, doctrine that looks like it will fit in, and work anywhere. It's the gospel for the individual-- personal forgiveness, personal salvation. It's the bagel.

The bagel gospel creates individualistic, self-centered, half-learned Christians, valuing our personal experience with Jesus. We've got Jesus in our heart and we're Marionettes, waiting to be moved by him. We've got Jesus and now we're waiting for the magical whoosh and all the fun to begin! We're adult sized kids.

It is true, as babies, we start by drinking only milk. So too do new Christians need easy to assimilate teachings. But while a baby is feeding on milk, the rest of the family is present, eating a much heartier meal. The baby gets to see, smell and, sometimes, taste what everyone else has; the baby begins to long for the heartier, more fulfilling stuff. And as she is able, if it is present, she begins to eat it.

The problem, as I see it, is that we are only providing pitchers of milk-- for everyone. Milk will only support growth for a minimal amount of time. But the worst part of the bagel gospel, the milk gospel, is that it focuses mainly on forgiveness of personal sin, salvation for the individual, personal grace, and there it stops. What if I don't believe my sins are all that bad? What if I think I'm a pretty decent person?

Then what Jesus did to save me isn't all that grand. Then God's grace is not very remarkable. Then I am not grateful for much and Jesus is not worth the effort to talk about, let alone follow.

Woe to us who (maybe ignorantly) are focusing on our personal experience and relationship with God, and what God can do for us. We prayed our prayer and we're waiting for the whoosh and the perfect life. The Holy Spirit has become the magical, ethereal force of good (thanks The Shack, Oprah)-- a talisman of good luck, and wisdom, and self-help. Jesus has become the little god we store in our heart to pull out as needed. The words of God are being replaced by the phrasings of men. We are eating our bagel, and ignoring the big picture, ignoring the loaf set out on the table.

Why Did Jesus Come?

Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan (Hebrews and 1John 3)-- all the works of Satan-- sin, destruction, oppression, death. His death and resurrection enables the forgiveness of sin. Everyone's sin-- even that guy that hunts little boys, abuses them, and then kills them. He came even for that guy. He came for all of creation, for the universe. He came to right every injustice done against human, animal, and land, against God. He came to grant heir ship to all that accept it. He came so that we would have the opportunity to follow his example, and with him and by him, destroy the work of the devil: feed the hungry, free the oppressed, heal the sick, comfort the broken hearted, love our neighbor and our enemy. He came so that those who believe will spend eternity with him. This is the loaf.

Jesus calls us to bigger and harder things, things more important than one individual, things beyond ourselves. We are called to love, to endure suffering and hardship, to consider others more important than ourselves. We are promised joy, in this world and the new one.

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life, take and eat." He said, "Follow me, take my yoke and learn from me, I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Don't you know? I have come to give life and give it abundantly."

Those who believe in Jesus are in Jesus. Truly, this is a relief. I'd rather be covered by the Creator of the Universe than place the Creator in the box of my heart, deciding myself when to pull him out.

Choosing the whole Good News of the Kingdom of God, choosing the loaf,
k8t
k8t(at)faceofagirl(dot)com
P.S. The Good News of the Kingdom of God is not something to just hear or read. The "Good News of the Kingdom of God" is a verb.

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Please include the following statement on any distributed or linked copy: By Kaet Johnson. © faceofagirl.com. Website: faceofagirl.com

Look at the Snake!!!!

I was happily reading along through John 3 and came upon,

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." (John 3:14, 15, NIV)

Huh? Which snake? The snake that turned into a staff and vice versa? The bronze snake? A snake I don't remember?

I went scurrying back through my Bible to the reference cited by the verse that had me scratching my head. I decided I better read it in context,

" When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities." The Lord listened to Israel's plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived." (Numbers 21:1-9, NIV)

Ohhhhh.

The Israelites; a forgetful, ungrateful, complaining, ornery bunch (they sound familiar), wanted to be free of a deadly pest. Moses prayed for God to take the pest away. Instead, God told Moses to perch a bronze snake on a pole. If a snake bitten Israelite wanted to live, all he had to do was look at the pole. By turning and looking, he took action, he displayed his faith (even though it may have been riddled with doubt) that God would save him from death by snake bite. And God did.

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." (John 3:14, 15, NIV)

Turn and look... I never really got that verse before.

Grateful to know,
k8t
k8t(at)faceofagirl(dot)com
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Please include the following statement on any distributed or linked copy: By Kaet Johnson. © faceofagirl.com. Website: faceofagirl.com

Angels, Demons and an Engineer

With the coming release of Angels and Demons, the movie, I am anticipating (read bracing) myself for the barrage of TALK that will hit the media streams.

I haven't read Angels and Demons, but I did read its sequel, The Da Vinci Code. Mr. Brown can WRITE. He certainly creates a fabulous read. And his fictional writing certainly creates a stir. But that's just it, it is fiction. As I read The Da Vinci Code, I was amazed at Mr. Brown's ability to intertwine truth and fact with superstition and legend, a bit of angst (okay, maybe a lot of angst), wishes and fabulous fiction. If you don't know history well, and you're a bit rusty on science, and legends get misplaced into the "Actual Event" column, not to mention ignorance on religious beliefs and history of Christianity and pagan cults, well, OOOOFF! You could be one confused soul, especially if you begin sliding into the trap of believing it's a historical novel.

I'm betting that Angels and Demons is no different. From what I hear it contains some fabulous real science. But how many of us know much about sub-atomic particles? Seriously?

I have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Brown, in Angels and Demons, has attempted to use science to discredit the Christian religion-- the theme will be similar to "Christianity is anti-science." And, most likely, because Christianity is made up of humans, you'll be able to find some, maybe even a lot of Christians who view science with skepticism, even contempt, because they see science as anti-Christian. This will be true past, present and, unfortunately, in the future.

I wonder too, if Mr. Brown has gone after the divinity of Jesus in this book?

Science is used to refute religion, especially the Christian religion and the supernatural, on a regular basis. And, in defense, people of faith, lash out and say silly, unscientific things.

I've never really had a problem with the whole "Science and Religion" debate, because I think first and foremost, my concern is with Yahweh, not religion, not an institutionalized set of tenants. Second, I've never looked at the Bible as a science book. The Bible is not primarily a "how" book, it is a "what" book. It gives us some tantalizing peaks into some "hows" (maybe more on that another time), but it primarily talks about "what." And finally, I think science proves the existence of God.

Yup, I said it.

I love science! I have a natural affinity and ability in some, and have to work really hard to comprehend others-- but they are all fascinating to me. It is the sciences, the study of our world and the universe that assures me, in a concrete way, that God exists!

I am an electrical engineer. Archeology, chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, astronomy, electromagnetics, thermodynamics-- each discipline is testimony that there is a God that created. Each discipline convinces me that God is a design engineer!

For me, the fossil record is not proof of evolution; it is possible proof of the flood and the myriad of creatures that existed. The periodic table is testimony to the structure and order of our world, mathematics and physics, the same. Biology is testimony to the complexity of life and of everything that must be exactly right for life to exist. The laws of thermodynamics, specifically, the second law (the law of entropy), counters the rhetoric that states that life evolved from simple to complex by chance. In reality, things start out complex and break down-- all foremost scientists agree on this. Recent developments in molecular biology actually prove macroevolution false. Microevolution, or variations in species, are evident visually and at the molecular level. To me, DNA is proof that, God, being an excellent engineer, designed life and used the base design to make different kinds of life. We are only 3% different from the great ape in our DNA; yet, it is amazing the difference 3% makes! The evidence of species perfectly adapted to their environment is not proof of evolution, survival of the fittest; it is testimony to God's great wisdom in designing the earth and its creatures in harmony with each other! How silly to put a polar bear in the Mohave or a gecko in the artic.

Did you know that the earth is perfectly placed relative to the sun? Any difference, and life could not exist. Did you know that string theory (an advanced theory of gravity) solves itself with 11 dimensions? Other theories have to be solved by putting in arbitrary numbers, string theory does not, it comes up with its own answer-- 11 dimensions leave a lot of room for God to interact in ways we call miracles, but are actually perfectly logical, if we were capable of seeing it and understanding it.

This is all AMAZING stuff! Science is testimony to God, and the more we "discover" the more evidence for an intelligent creator. The naked science is out there; it is human's who, in our arrogance, make the science fit our conclusions, instead of drawing conclusions from evidence.

I look at God like He is the ultimate design engineer, perfectly logical, perfectly creative. As a human, I cannot encapsulate Him in entirety (I only sense about 4 dimensions), but, I have an analogy, that I think, though we see through glass darkly, might help shed a very small amount of light on the mystery.

The Analogy

When an engineer designs a system, if he is good, he creates back-up and protective mini-systems within the design. These mini-systems create a way for the system/design to meet its goal, purpose, prescribed outcome, no matter what happens when the system is live. These minis are not alternate plans, they are part of the original design and they exist because the engineer understands the limitations and purposes of the components in his design, and because he always has the end purpose in mind. An engineer that forgets the purpose of the design will create a faulty system that NEVER accomplishes its purpose.

A really talented engineer will create designs for the pure enjoyment of the creation, and its components, and purpose. The design, though it has a prescribed pragmatic purpose, also has an ultimate purpose; joy, interaction, and it will reflect, in certain ways, aspects of the designer. Every engineer leaves images of himself in his design, most people will not notice, but the astute, those sensitive to the designer, will.

God as Engineer

God, when He, His Spirit and Jesus, created the universe and everything in it, He did it for His pleasure and for Jesus. We were created for God and Jesus, and everything else was created for us. He created us so that we could be in relationship with Him. He created us for the joy of interaction and purpose of love in freedom. He created us because He chose to.

What's Jesus Got To Do With It?

Knowing full well who and what we are, knowing our limitations, knowing every part of us, and keeping in mind the ultimate purpose-- us dwelling with Him and Jesus in freedom, God assured that He would meet His purpose by how He created everything. God created everything through Jesus; Jesus is the integral part of the design, necessary whether sin entered the world or not; Jesus holds it all together. Jesus was blessed to be part of the design by his unique participation in its creation. Because the design was created through Jesus (not forcibly created, but with his permission) and he is the one who holds it all together, it is Jesus who chose to come to us as one of us, when it was necessary.

Choice

Jesus, suffering what he did, did not do it out of compulsion or a mandate from his Father; he did it by choice, a choice that was given to him in the beginning when he participated in the creation. Jesus is fully equal to God, they are no different. Jesus came to us with the authority of the one who created us. That is why he can destroy Satan and everything Satan has done, that is why he can rightly call himself God. That is why holding God (or anyone else) accountable for Jesus' choice is incorrect. The Bible says that God sacrificed His son, and He did, but it was a sacrifice of holding Himself back, of allowing His son to accomplish what he set out to do, from the beginning. God could have stopped Jesus, Jesus could have said no. God gave His son the authority to make this choice. God honored Jesus in the most profound way. And, Jesus, by freely participating in his Father's "business", honored his Father in the most profound way.

In his humanity, in a time of great physical and emotional suffering, Jesus beseeched his Father, "Is there another way?" And even when he asked, he knew the answer, because he had chosen and created the solution with God. Jesus knew, intimately, the makeup of the components of the design he and his father had created, and he knew that a point would come when He would become human to overcome, to conquer the limitations of humanity. He would provide the way.

When death and sin had been conquered by Jesus' action, God raised him and gave him, formally, the kingdom. Honor upon honor and rightly so.

I Don't Like This World, It's Screwed Up!

We can be mad about the design, but it is arrogant, and, really silly, for us to be so-- like a ridge pole mad it is part of a barn, or a resister mad that it is part of a complex relay, or a break-pad mad that it is part of a race car, or a wire that is mad because it is part of a fighter jet, or your hand mad that it belongs to your body.

We are part of Their design and we are blessed to be so -- honor upon honor. Our challenge is to take our place in the design and be “us” to the fullest of our purpose, as we are able, through Their power.

Taking my place,
k8t
k8t(at)faceofagirl(dot)com

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Please include the following statement on any distributed or linked copy: By Kaet Johnson. © faceofagirl.com. Website: faceofagirl.com

What Do A Bee And A Mother Have In Common?

There are probably many analogies I could come up with, but the one I'm thinking about is encapsulated in Deborah, a judge over Israel (Judges 4 &5). A few years back, I studied Deborah in depth in preparation for a presentation about her. This Mother's Day brought her to mind again.

In Hebrew, Deborah means "bee."

Through Deborah's steady and inspiring leadership, enabled by her unshakeable faith, Barak, and the men of Israel liberated their land from the Canaanite king, Jabin, and his fierce military commander Sisera.

After the land was liberated, Deborah and Barak sang a song praising Yahweh and recounting the deeds of Yahweh and the people of Israel in battle. Interestingly, Deborah, when describing herself, does not refer to herself as a wife, leader, a warrior, or even a prophet (all of which would've been true). She referred to herself as a mother, a mother in Israel.

I thought her description odd. Mother?

In Hebrew, the word translated as "mother" in Judges 5:7 can also be translated, "a point of departure." Hmmm....

I don't think that the translation used in Judges is incorrect, but I do find it VERY interesting that the same word used for "mother" can also be used when someone means "a crucial point, period in time, when things changed."

During Deborah's leadership, Israel, which was being oppressed, terrorized, and plundered (caused by their choosing the gods of the people around them instead of Yahweh), broke free from the yoke that was on them (the yoke of fear, the yoke of false gods) and turned their hearts to Yahweh. Deborah stirred herself to play her part. She placed, not only her heart into the action, but also her body. She followed Yahweh into the thick of the battle calling Barak and Israel to fight with her. Deborah, with God's spirit upon her, lead her people to rise up and change for the good.

And when it was over, Deborah acknowledged the part the people of Israel played and gave all credit and glory to Yahweh.

So ladies, what did Deborah do?

She chose Yahweh, when those around her were choosing other gods. She listened to Him, trusted Him, believed Him, obeyed Him and praised Him.

She fought for her people; she exhorted and encouraged them, she lead and inspired them, she taught them, she held them accountable.

She allowed Yahweh to use her. She considered herself a mother and allowed God to use her as a prophet, a judge, a military leader.

She placed not only her heart and mind into the fight, but her body too. She was a warrior!

What can she teach us?

FIRST, choose Yahweh, by choosing Jesus: listen, believe, trust, obey, praise and worship him!

On behalf of those around you: exhort and encourage, lead, teach, usher accountability in.

Allow God to use you as a mother wherever you are, no matter your position, your authority, your influence or your power.

Place your heart, mind and body into the fight, be a warrior!

You can do this, you have what she had; the wisdom found in scriptures and the trust in God found in relationship with Him.

You have what she did not have. You have God's spirit in you through belief in His Son. You have Christian brothers and sisters.

You can be like Deborah! You have worth because God created you. You are royalty because you are an adopted daughter, sister to Jesus! You can be a warrior, a mother, a point of departure for the people around you; serving their needs, fighting for their lives, following God in the battle, fighting the good fight!

You are a woman-mother-warrior-princess!

Happy Mother's Day!
k8t
k8t(at)faceofagirl(dot)com

P.S. The bible doesn't give us any information about Deborah's husband except his name, but I'm going to make the assumption that he was a faithful and strong man and a supportive husband. His name means "torches." Men, if you are married to a Deborah, remember, God put you together, you are perfect for her and she for you. As your wife fills her call as a warrior mother, know that you are God's warrior also-- never forget.

P.P.S. :-) If you would like to hear more about Deborah (there is a lot more), I'd love to share what I learned! :-)
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Please include the following statement on any distributed or linked copy: By Kaet Johnson. © faceofagirl.com. Website: faceofagirl.com

What Are You Doing With Your Cross?

Thought provoking...
























Putting away my saw,
k8t
k8t(at)faceofagirl(dot)com
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These pictures arrived in my inbox. If anyone can provide information on their origin, I'd love to credit the artist.

Please include the following statement on any distributed or linked copy: By Kaet Johnson. © faceofagirl.com. Website: faceofagirl.com