Heather's Bible Study -- Truth or Dare

Today was the first day of my wife's Bible study that she wrote! She is now presenting her study "Truth or Dare" for our church ladies each Wednesday morning and she felt led to include an optional daily Bible study also for those who are interested in diggin' deeper.

She even has ladies who can't make the morning sessions ask for the materials so that they can go through the study as well. The Lord has blessed her with this insight and it is fun to see how He is working through her!

Here's the study description . . .
Truth or Dare: Passing on Spiritual Discernment to our Kids
We train our children’s behavior through discipline techniques. We train our children’s socialization skills through playgroups. We train our children academically through preschool and school attendance and educational games. We even train them physically through sports involvement and nutrition. BUT, what do we do to train them spiritually? How do lay the foundations of faith in our little ones? Where do we begin to make them disciples of Jesus Christ? How do WE become more spiritually discerning in a post modern culture so that we can teach our kids to do the same?

Truth or Dare is a 10 week Bible study where we will examine what the Word has to say about living in the world but not of it, and applying these truths to our lives. But, this relevant study is not just for you—it includes step-by-step instructions on how to impart these truths to your children in a fun, hands-on way. Come and be transformed by His Word, as you seek to see your children do the same.

The Beauty of Math

I do like math and this is interesting . . . thanks Robert in England for forwarding this to me!

1 x 8 + 1 = 9

12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?
And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111= 12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this . . . 101%. From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:
What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct yourpaths." Proverbs 3: 5-6

Daily Proverbs

Since I've been playing basketball in the mornings at times lately, I have wanted to find ways to regulate my Bible readings and prayer times. One method that I want to try is to use the Web to help me read the Bible more efficiently so that I can focus on my prayer time in a more private place and focused on Him.

One method that would be very efficient would be to have my daily chapter of Proverbs fed via RSS along with my other content that I try to keep up with each day. For awhile now, I have taken the advice that reading the Proverb of the day (since there are 31 chapters) is a great way to build wisdom and life lessons.

However, after some searching, I can't find a chapter of Proverbs available via RSS feed. This will not meet this need for anyone else but I'm adding links for each chapter here for my own benefit (using the NASB version) and I invite you to bookmark this page and use it for your own reading also.

Proverbs 1
Proverbs 2
Proverbs 3
Proverbs 4
Proverbs 5
Proverbs 6
Proverbs 7
Proverbs 8
Proverbs 9
Proverbs 10
Proverbs 11
Proverbs 12
Proverbs 13
Proverbs 14
Proverbs 15
Proverbs 16
Proverbs 17
Proverbs 18
Proverbs 19
Proverbs 20
Proverbs 21
Proverbs 22
Proverbs 23
Proverbs 24
Proverbs 25
Proverbs 26
Proverbs 27
Proverbs 28
Proverbs 29
Proverbs 30
Proverbs 31

Mark Shultz Biking Across America

While listening to KLTY (our local and "the #1 Christian Radio Station in America") yesterday, I heard that our family's favorite artist, Mark Shultz, is biking across America to raise money. I went to check it out and while reading about what he is doing I decided to put a banner on my blog for him during his ride.

He is accepting normal donations and is also running an auction to help raise money for orphans and widows. I have not heard of the charity that he is working with called The James Fund which is affiliated with Family Christian Stores so I am not personally endorsing of them. However, I feel confident that Mark and his staff have made a wise selection.

Way to go Mark and keep up the good work and good music that touches us all!