Before the Wrath Review

I love Bible history.  The older I get the more I love to study the mysteries of the Bible.  Some things are pretty straight forward and easy to understand.  But let's face it, some things are quite a mystery.

The end of times, for example.

Whether you believe in one timetable or another (pre-tribulation, post- tribulation, etc.) is not really important.  The important issue is the need for Christ's return.

In the new documentary, Before the Wrath, Bible scholars investigate and explore the parallels between a Galilean wedding timeline and the coming of Christ timeline. This one hour and twenty four minute film will get you thinking about many things, but the most important being that our preparation for His return is far more important than the actual date.  So contrary to our modern way of thinking, which desires to KNOW upcoming dates ahead of time, this film's creators try to show the listener how the Galileans would have understood the importance of the timeline of the return of Christ by comparing it to their culturally relevant weddings.

Examples of this would be drinking of wine by the bride and then the groom as also seen by Jesus and his disciples in the New Testament, the groom leaving to prepare a house for the bride and no one knowing when he would return except his father, and the bride preparing for his return while she waits.  Sound familiar?

Before the Wrath is narrated by Kevin Sorbo and features-

• Jack Hibbs - Theologist and host of “Real Life” on SiriusXM 
• Amir Tsarfati - Founder and President of Behold Israel 
• Jan Markell - Founder of Olive Tree Ministries 
• JD Farag - Theologist and Eschatologist
• Scott McConnell - Exec. Director of Lifeway Research 
• Jay McCarl - Ancient Middle Eastern Anthropologis
• Lizette Dillinger - Qualitative Director of LifeWay Research

"Bible scholars continue to debate the timing of the Rapture, but why is such a mysterious event prophesied to happen in the first place? Is there a deeper understanding surrounding this occurrence that we've lost over the millennia that those living in the first-century clearly understood? Newly rediscovered ancient anthropological evidence from the time of Christ finally reveals unprecedented findings that could prove the upcoming Rapture is not only real to a skeptical world but sheds new light on how and why this event must take place. Regardless of your Tribulation Period views, "Before the Wrath" will captivate believers and non-believers alike; revealing new depths of theological understanding regarding what Jesus revealed to the ancient Galileans about the end of the world in ways you could never have imagined."

The discussion of prophecy in the Bible may divide people if we are not careful, but will pull us together if we remember the purpose of it is to remind us that "God is God!"  If you are interested in seeing this documentary, I have one code to give away to one of my readers.  Just leave me a comment and tell me how I can reach you and we will choose a random winner on Monday!

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):

Many thanks to Ingenuity Films for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, from the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Take Back Your Life

I am usually leery of recommending devotionals.  Not only are they a highly personal item, but there are just so many variances of belief out there that I usually steer clear of unwanted controversy.  Trust me, the threat is real. But when I saw FlyBy offering up for review the timing was perfect.  We are in the middle of a pandemic as you know, daily struggles are at an all time high for many, and we just completed a move to a town in which we know a total of four people.

 

 

Here's the funny thing.  When the devo came in, my 13 year old son took one look a the cover and said, "Hey, I know him!"  

What?!

Good thing his memory is better than mine.  It seems Levi Lusko, author of Take Back Your Life, A 40 Day Devotional,spoke at a youth conference my son attended a year ago in Phoenix.  He loved him!  

I can see why!

Take Back Your Life, A 40 Day Devotional is a 40 day, hard back, interactive devotional intended to challenge and inspire you to live your life as God intended.  While filled with current pop culture references and side stories, it is also filled with plenty of scripture and inspiration that come right from the word.

It may not be at a PhD theological level, but it is written from a heart that obviously wants to reach souls for Christ and challenge them to run hard after God!

That includes-

•   putting social media aside
•   taking a good hard look at yourself
•   asking yourself what God has made you for
•   putting prayer first
  
•   and more!

Each day's devotion, 3-4 pages long, ends with a short prayer. Following that is a section called Breathe, Think, Live.  Here you will find thought provoking questions, challenges, and tasks for you to complete.  This section, Lusko says, is to "allow God to speak to you" rather than simply reading to check off boxes.  I don't know about you, but I am often tempted to skip application sections.  This time around, I have forced myself to carefully consider each question and then pray for the Lord to open my eyes to what He has for me.

I am only a few weeks in to Take Back Your Life, but I have already seen some changes in my daily life and attitude, and look forward to my reading each morning!  I highly recommend this great little book, and would even consider using it in your family devotion time!  Let's face it, I read half of it to them anyway! The thought provoking questions at the end of each day would be great conversation starters or even good journal prompts for older kids to adults.   

For kids ages 8-14, you can download a 4 day devotional just for them.  It even includes lunch box notes for you to print out and encourage them with!

About Levi- Levi Lusko is the founder and lead pastor of Fresh Life Church, located in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Utah. He is the bestselling author of Through the Eyes of a Lion, Swipe Right, and I Declare War. Levi also travels the world speaking about Jesus. He and his wife, Jennie, have one son, Lennox, and four daughters: Alivia, Daisy, Clover, and Lenya, who is in heaven.

 

 

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC and HCCP for providing this book for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Let's Talk About... Christian Education

Another week- another subject!  This one may the most important one yet!  And one of the many reasons we chose to homeschool.  I love that we have the freedom to teach what we want and when we want!  Bible studies are usually the start and end of our day; bookending at its best!

While our family reads through the Bible each year together during our family devotions, we also make a point to study the Word as part of our curriculum.  We have done it several different ways through the years, but here are a few of our favorites-

(They are linked to reviews I have done, when applicable, so you can see further details.)





Abeka Bible- For a season, I needed to take a break from being teacher and just be mom.  ABeka saved the day and the Bible courses we used were our favorite part of the day!  This is a live recording of an actual class with students and a teacher.  She addresses the at home audience periodically and makes them feel included.  If you are not a traditional schooler, this is not for you, but my son LOVED it and learned so much historical context!

I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist- This book is a must have for me!  I have each child read it as a high school senior.  There is a workbook that can be used as well. It is higher level learning for sure, but a great way to get one last good read on Apologetic before sending them off to college or a job.

Sonlight Bible- Again, we have been using Sonlight for years and each year I am reminded of why I love it.  They offer a good list of non- fiction apologetics books for each level, as well as many auto-biographies of Christian saints.

Apologia's Who Am I? Series- If you asked my favorite from this list, this series would be it!  There are four books in the series and workbooks are available at two levels if you want to use them.  There are also coloring books if you choose to use these as a family and have littles participating with you.  I highly recommend using them 5-8th grade!

 

Bible Study Guide for All Ages- This is another one I like for younger kids, but you can use it at higher levels!  The BEST part of this program is different levels of the workbook pages can be used at the same time- perfect when you have multiple kids to school and need to do some things together!  This may look like it is "just fun," but I assure you it is packed with info!

YWAM  Christian Heroes Series- If you have not read any books from YWAM, do so!  Like, go order them now and get started!  Easy enough for a middle schooler to read alone, but good enough for a mom or dad to enjoy.  Great family read alouds!


30 Days to Understanding the Bible- This review product I received was a hit in our family.  We actually are just finishing up, as we decided to do it in 30 weeks as a family, rather than 30 days!  This is a "know your Bible" type book with dates, and facts, and timelines activities in it!

 

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls- We try to incorporate Christian fiction into our library when we can find good books.  These were introduced to us about a year ago and I love them.  Yes, there is a lot of the author's imagination in here, it IS fiction, but lots of truth as well and just some fun reads!

Again, I am getting nothing from telling you about these products.  They are just a few of many we have used in the past and love.  Hope you will find a few new ones that you come to love as well!

Blessings,

 Let's Talk about...Science
Let's Talk About...Math
Let's Talk About...History
Let's Talk About...Grammar and Spelling
Let's Talk About Foreign Languages 
Let's Talk About...Christian Education

Drive Thru History Has Done It Again

Yet another review of Drive Thru History®, because, ya'll, my family loves this company, the man behind it, and the quality products he produces.  We have previously reviewed The Gospels CD set and The Drive Thru History Adventures site, but this time we are taking a look at Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" CD set.

This 3 disk,18 episode set comes with a full color study guide included in the case.  It is the newest brain child of Dave Stotts, producer and star of the Drive Thru History®, franchise.  Acts to Revelation picks up where The Gospels left off, the time where Christianity got its start.   Nine hours of footage includes live video from all of over the middle east, maps, pictures, timelines, scripture, and of course, Dave's witty humor!

Dave begins in the Book of Acts with the first Christians in Disk 1 and ends with the 7 churches in Revalation by Disk 3.   In between you do a lot of traveling in the trusted Jeep they have affectionately named Steve McQueen, across vast lands where Jesus and the disciples once walked.
 

Part Bible lessons and part history lessons, you get to see places and details close up through Dave's eyes. Places visited include Cyprus, Galatia, Philippi, Jerusalem and Rome, learning about the disciples and their lives as well as the history of that time.

Our thoughts and how we used this-
I always have grand ideas of sitting somewhere quietly and watching these series, but alas, that never happens.  Why?  Because my family loves them as much as I do.  Since each episode is about 27 minutes long, we usually watch two at a time in the evenings during our devotion time.


The study guide that is included with this CD set has a summary of each episode and questions meant to spur your conversation and see how well you listened.  We read through those questions after watching each episode and discuss, but quite honestly, most of our conversations come from things we have seen in the show.  Often times there are things that will spark additional questions and we use google to go down a lot of bunny trails!  A lot!

There is a SIDE NOTE section for each episode in the study guide that gives additional information about something pertaining to that episode.  For example, for episode 4 about Damascus you learn that the road to Damascus, also know as the Decumanus Maximus, was a 50 foot wide street that ran for an entire Roman mile.  Beautiful, full color photos of historical landmarks grace every page.
 

Not all of the lessons are easy to hear.  This particular time in history was often a violent one, as shown in Episode 15 describing the Martyrdom of Paul and Peter.  If you have younger children watching, this is recommended for 6th grade and up. Please be aware that some of the subject matter is for mature audiences.

While we love the quality of these CDs and the beauty they contain, what I love the most are the conversations that follow.  Seeing the Bible come alive through pictures, both modern day and ancient, and hearing the excitement in Dave's voice makes the Bible even more exciting to us.  In fact, because of this series, we are hoping to send our 17 year old son on a tour of Israel next year for a graduation gift.

One of our favorite episodes is the story of the conversion of Saul to Paul on the road to Damascus. As he often does, Dave tells the story as close to or at the actual historical site.  Dave travels to the border of Syria, but of course, does not enter due to safety reasons.  (Instead he hangs out at a cafe that is now located there.)  It was a solemn reminder that the area is still one of unrest and danger; a good lesson to our homeschooled kiddos of how blessed we are to live where we do.

Once again,  Drive Thru History® has exceeded our expectations and have become another beloved CD set to watch over and over again!  I am confident it will bless you as well.

80, yes 80, other amazing reviewers have been enjoying this set!  Click on the banner below to see what they had to say as well!

Who Doesn't Need to be Rescued?

The Captain Sun Adventures has a new book out called Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith, by Bryce Morgan and we have had the opportunity to review it these past few weeks.  This 34 page, paperback book is part comic book/graphic novel and part kids' devotional.  It is written at a middle school level, but can be used as a fun read aloud for a family or  in a Sunday school group situation.

With eight chapters of full color pictures, Rescue Me! will keep the interest of your most reluctant reader.  Comic books just seem to do that, don't they?  Rescue Me! introduces a superhero named Captain Sun who is searching for the recent darkness in his city.  Enter Black-Out, the evil villain who has come to "snuff out the light."  What follows is a battle of good and evil where ultimately (spoiler alert) good wins out in an unexpected way.

What makes this book different from your average comic book is the fact that it is much like an allegory of our ultimate hero- Jesus.

 From Bryce-

"So have fun with Captain Sun, but have faith in the Hero of Heroes: Jesus."

Following each chapter is a "study page" written as if from a newspaper.  There you will find a lesson tied to the chapter just read, slowly outlining the central themes of faith in Christ in simple terms that a younger child can understand.  On each lesson page you will also find a question to get their mind active.  For example- If you could have one super power, what would it be?  Why?  Each lesson also ends with a scripture verse and reference.

At the end of the book you will also find "questions to think about", two for each chapter.  

How we used this and what did we think?

As usual, as soon as this book hit our mailbox my son, age 11, (6th grade) took off with it.  This kiddo loves books, but his new favorite thing is definitely graphic novels.  Honestly, he read it in about 30 minutes!  He did admit he skipped the lesson pages the first time through because he wanted to see what happened in the end, but I did convince him to go back and read it a second time, slowing down enough to take in the lesson pages.  We have since gone back again and talked about what he read in each chapter and the discussed the questions together.  It was interesting to see what details he picked upon and those he did not.

I also imagine this would be a fun book to use with a group, reading a chapter a week, and then using the questions as a spring board to some great discussion.  

One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 4 when POWER is discussed.  In the lesson, Bryce talks to kids about how God has given us power as well- the power to love and obey God.  It's not power that simple comes from imagination, but from a God whom loves us.  What a great truth for kids!

I also love that this book stops after each chapter with a lesson, allowing a child to slow down with their reading and absorb what they are learning.  The questions are a great way to help a parent engage their children in a conversation, which, let's face it, is often a challenge with kids this age.

Colby's favorite parts, of course, are the battles!  BOYS!   He did also say he liked how Captain Sun taught not to fear darkness because Jesus was our light.  Hearing that thrilled this momma's heart as fear is something my son has struggled with in the past.  

It is great to have books that entertain children, but how much better is it when those books teach them as well?  I can think of no other lesson I would want my child to learn than they are loved by God!  Such a sweet life lesson from Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith.

Bible Biography Series for Kids!

I often get to review some pretty neat stuff, but this REVIEW has been an extra blessing for us.  Barbour Publishing has a series called the Kingdom Files Series, currently with six books, geared for ages 8-12.  We were given Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? to take a look at.

Other titles include-

• Who Was David?
• Who Was Daniel?
• Who Wad Esther?
• Who was Jesus?

Each book is about 90 pages long and full of black and white drawings with maps included.  The books are broken into three distinct parts- 

1. Fact file- which tells the character's name, where they were from, what they did for a living, what they did in the Kingdom of God, and more.  Timelines are also included in this section.

2. Action File- This is the Biblical account told in a child friendly way.  While the story is written as a narrative, story fashion, the author does not veer off the storyline original to the Bible.  Occasionally things are worded with "might have..." or "maybe..." but more often direct words from the Bible are used and then cited immediately.

Sprinkled throughout the story you will find text boxes labeled "clues."  These are little tidbits of information to further explain what is happening or give deeper insight.

3. Power up- This final section is the lesson portion of the book.   It takes what the child has learned from the story and helps them apply it to their life.    Examples from the Who Was Mary book include "Let your life glorify God" and "God is mighty and carries your burdens."  There is a Bible memory verse attached to each Power -Up for your child to hide in their heart.  There are 10 Power -Ups for each book.

How we used these and what we thought-
So as soon as these two books arrived, Colby, age 11, announced he was reading the Mary one first so I allowed him to do just that.  He squirreled it away in his room and read it over the course of a few days, brought it to me, proclaimed "That was great!" and wanted to know if he could read Who Was Esther next.  Note, that is not one we currently own, of course.  I decided to read Who Was Jonah? on my own before he could get his hands on it.  The boy is a book thief and there is always a small possibility he will run off with a book he likes and I won't see it for a while!  Jonah has always been one of my favorite accounts in the Bible.  Who out there wouldn't be able identify with the prophet who tried to run away from God when asked to do a hard thing!?  How often I want to choose to run away rather than obey and do what God is calling me to do. Power-Up #2 for Who Was Jonah is "don't be afraid."  What a great truth to teach our kids...and ourselves!

So, what did I think?  I really like these little books.  They are packed full of information and I love how they are written.  As you read you will feel that the author, Matt Koceich, is telling you the story, speaking directly to you, often interjecting his thoughts and ideas as little aside.  It is very conversational in tone, which I think often holds young readers' attention.

I love that these can be used as "just" a book on the shelf for your middle school kiddos.  Let's face it, there is a lot of inferior reading material out there and I like knowing that the books at my kids' fingertips are quality literature.  Since Bible Biographies are not often written for this level, these books fill a unique niche.

I would also recommend you use these books for Bible time with your kids as a family.  I imagine you could read the story together over the course of a few days in read aloud time.  I would then use each Power-Up point as a point of study, one each day or even one each week if you want to commit the verse to memory.  We have done scripture memory work often in our home, the kids are ALWAYS better at it than I am, and it always blesses us!


The Kingdom series could also be used as a classroom study such as Sunday School or small group settings for 8-12 year old.

No matter how you choose to use The Kingdom Files Series from Barbour Publishing, I know you will be blessed to add them to your bookshelves.  God's Word and the lessons it teaches us about the God who loves us is always worth the read!

Imagine-...The Great Flood- Book Review

In light of all of the hurricanes lately, flooding has been a popular topic of conversation in our house.  How can that happen?  What would we do?  Are we safe?  I have a 10 year old after all.  All of this talk eventually brings us back to the greatest flood of all, the Great Flood in the Bible!  So you can imagine my excitement when I was able to link one of our latest Homeschool Review Crew's reviews,  Imagine... The Great Flood by Matt Koceich from Barbour Publishing, to some of those discussions.

Imagine... The Great Flood is a 110 page paperback book written by Matt Koceich.   Written for kids ages 8-12, this Christian fiction book seeks to bring The Great Flood to life, seen in the eyes of a young boy, Corey.  The book opens with 10 year old Corey walking with his mom and his dog, Molly.  As a storm approaches Corey and his mom begin a discussion about their upcoming move, one which Corey is obviously unhappy about.  Things quickly turn as Corey falls and hits his head...and wakes up in a different time and place.

The book then tells of young Corey's adventures as he witnesses first hand the events leading up to The Great Flood.  After meeting one of Noah's sons he helps him load animals on the ark, encounters friends who betray him, and comes across several enemies who threaten his very existence.  After much adventure, the books ends with Corey returning to the real world, moving, making friends, and most of all, realizing the depth of God's love for him.

Our thoughts and experiences-

Like most review books that come our way, I asked my son, 10 years old, to try to read this on his own.  He had NO problem doing so and read it in two sittings over a two day period.  A few days later I sat down and read it in about an hour.  It's a cute book.  The main character, Corey, is likeable and realistic.  He is concerned about his upcoming move- something my son can easily relate to as we are a military family who moves often.

I would definitely call this a Christian fiction book rather than an historical fiction, focused mostly on entertainment.  While it holds loosely to the story of Noah's Ark from the Bible, it is not altogether theologically sound.  There is mention of animals waiting to be gathered rather than coming to the ark on their own and there is mention of Nephilim, which are set on stopping Noah and his family.

Imagine...The Great Flood does teach several great truths though, which I really appreciated.  Such things like-

• The Lord is our shield.
• Rely on God.  He never changes.
• God is a promise keeper.

So while I would not allow my child to build their Bible knowledge on this book alone, I think it is a book worth reading.  I would encourage you to use this fun adventure as a way to jump start a conversation with your children about what the Bible really says about the flood and then the lessons we can learn from it.

Reading time

All in all, I liked this book.  I have come to appreciate any book that is Bible focused rather than world focused.  One that is void of controversial modern day issues, snarky attitudes, and questionable language.  That alone makes me value and appreciate books written for kids, with kids AND the truth of the Bible in mind.

From Colby- "I like this book because it is about the Flood and the Flood is one of my favorite things in the Bible.  They did a very good job describing the Flood as powerful.  I thought the funniest thing in the book was when they described the Nephilim as the hulk minus the green.  That made me laugh!"

And this quote is one of my favorite!!

Noah and his family had no idea where they were going, but they knew the One who was calling. p.29

Such a beautiful reminder, and maybe now my new battle cry for this God loving, military moving family of six!

Imagine... The Great Flood by Matt Koceich is the first in a series.  The second book, Imagine... The Ten Plagues is due out in March 2018.  Colby can't wait for that one!