Book Description:How is it possible to make the Good News of the Gospel better? How can truth be enhanced? Can Jesus Christ be improved upon? In his new Bible study, author Neb Hayden emphatically answers, “Impossible! The Gospel gets even better only when it’s more clearly understood. The Good News gets even better only when we read the Gospels as they were communicated and in the way they were meant to be seen.”That’s why in his new study, When the Good News Gets Even Better (David C Cook, June 2009), Hayden gives students of the New Testament the opportunity to walk through the Gospel narratives in Hebrew sandals. This unique Bible study allows readers to see these letters just as their original audience did and provides vital insights into the Jewish culture, customs, and perspectives, giving a fresh and thoroughly relevant context to the life of Christ.“The Gospels are the foundation of our faith because our faith is built on a Person,” explains Hayden. “He was a Jew, living in a Jewish world, and communicating with Jewish people. This study offers readers the chance to walk the dusty roads with Him, to be there as a participant rather than simply as an observer.”Using a three-month format, When the Good News Gets Even Better combines all four Gospels into one comprehensive and chronological narrative, allowing readers to focus on the overall themes and truths as they occurred. Among many other subjects, Hayden examines the births and childhoods of Jesus and John the Baptist, Jesus’ public ministry, the training of the twelve disciples, and Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. Features also include days sectioned into key points of Jesus’ ministry, suggestions for when to skim or thoroughly read a selection, and interactive questions for individual study and group discussion.“The Gospels are just the beginning of God’s continuing pursuit of intimacy with mankind,” says Hayden. “These biographies of Jesus are our stories too. Every move Jesus made and every word He spoke has direct implications for our lives in the twenty-first century. I pray that readers will be permanently transformed as they become first-hand witnesses to the Gospels’ miraculous events and times explored in this guide.” Author BioNeb Hayden is director of International Student Development at The King’s College in New York City. A former quarterback for “Bear Bryant” at Alabama, Neb has been involved his adult life with the fellowship in Washington, D.C., which works behind the scenes to nurture and encourage the leadership in over 180 nations. The group also works behind the scenes of the National Prayer Breakfast. Neb speaks and teaches extensively at seminars, conferences, and retreats. He and his wife, Susan, live in New York City and are the parents of three grown sons and two daughters-in-law.When the Good News Gets Even Better: Rediscovering the Gospels Through First-Century Jewish Eyes by Neb HaydenDavid C Cook/June 2009/ISBN: 978-1-434767-00-4/240 pages/softcover/$16.99My Thoughts:
I've just spent a few hours perusing this Bible Study guide and am impressed with the depth and the overall quality of material. I'm not able to review it at this time and did not complete the study. But my overview and initial thoughts are that When the Good News Gets Even Better is not overtly preachy, or bogged down with Christianese or theological weightiness. Hayden presents information in a system that is user friendly. Connecting the four gospels and using the knowledge Hayden has gleaned from his study of the Jewish culture of the day he adds a layer of rich information to the time Christ physically inhabited the earth. Great idea for a small group study or a one on one discipleship where the Word is the focus. Also would be a great resource for anyone teaching on the life of Christ.
So, inspired by this...(Nicole's blog is one I plan to check out frequently. I like free stuff, don't you?) I clicked a few places and found this opportunity for a free book.
If you've not read Eric Wilson and you like great writing, intense scenes and 3-D characters, you might want to give him a shot. See how he handled the Dregs Q & A.
One of the biggest pet peeves I have is the well-meaning comments that people make like "Enjoy it now, life just gets harder." or my personal favorite of all, "This is the best time of your life."
What?
I understand that nostalgia overtakes common sense at times. That regret sometimes colors our memories. Understandable. But really, not at all helpful when the hearee is in the midst of a stormy season.
For those of you who are struggling through the worst of the worst, this IS NOT as good as it gets.
Little kids at home clawing at you out of their neediness...this too shall pass. And every stinking hard, painful, agonizing tough thing in each age and season does have a corresponding something that you will take away. Maybe you won't remember smiling as you rock the fussy baby, but I guarantee you were/are being shaped into a better person while you do the best you are capable of at the time. Teenager drama making you want to find a really big rock to hide under? Curl up, suck your thumb and when you are able, make that decision you need to make and believe that you are motivated by your love for a child who is at the moment not so easy to cherish. Financial woes that seem like horrible nightmares until you actually realize you are awake and you can't shake the reality...so hard, so awful, but really, honestly, not life-threatening. I can't speak to those who actually face death or the prospect because I haven't. But I do know that it's not over til it's over and life and living are still tangible and verbs. And life and living are in the hands of a loving God. Marriage trouble? I've suffered (and inflicted suffering) through an awful marriage. Gut wrenching sorrow, hopelessness and bitter tears. But, those tears can be wiped dry, hope can grow in some really rotten soil. Hold on. And one choice at a time, do what you need to do to survive. Prayer works. I promise. Even more so, He promises. And His answer is always a better, more involved and more than I ever could imagine fix to a problem.
A year ago I was inside out and upside down with guilt and grief, sorrow and a lack of hope. And the next to the worst thing happened. And so far we've survived. My goal as a parent wasn't met. And that doesn't make me a lousy parent. It just makes MY goal unmet and maybe it wasn't my goal to set. You read a little about our financial mess yesterday. This albatross began a decade ago and we are finally, hopefully able to see through the dust of what's left after financial ruin. You know what's left? We are. Our spirits are left intact. Our faith is stronger. Our hope, though anemic at times, is waving in the breeze reminding us of each new day's blessings. Our family is here. All of us. And better because of a few struggles. And my family...twenty-three years ago there was little hope. Nineteen years ago we were walking the plank of divorce and I could smell the stench of the circling sharks. Even a a dozen years ago it looked like it was as fragile as a single strand of silky fine spider web. But, apparently God had other ideas and He used the ugliness to shape us into the husband and wife and people He desired us to be.
If we aren't required to stretch and grow, if we aren't changed a little bit by the meals served up by life, then maybe we aren't really living it. Life is hard. It smells like garbage that someone forgot to drag to the curb ten days ago on a humid 93 degree day sometimes. But it's constant and the sun will rise and it will set, whether it's behind a cloud or against a brilliant blue sky. The moon will wax and wane and the ocean tide will respond. We will be hurt. We will hurt. We will cry, weep, gnash our teeth. And on some days we will laugh. The human condition requires cleansing tears and our souls require laughter. Hang in there. This IS NOT as good as it gets. Tomorrow has a new sun, a new and different sunrise and sunset paintings and best of all, God's mercy is new every morning. If nothing else can get you through the hardest day, it's His mercy. Right there. Take it.
I just have to say Wow! And Whew!
See. Several years ago we entered into a rough, rough season financially. Rental property can be a wonderful, lucrative, nest-egging kind of investment. It can also be a nightmare. We chose the nightmare route. And interestingly enough, the nightmare that goes with bad investments doesn't just touch the investment. It kind of sucker punches you right in the breadbasket of life.
Without all the horrifying and gory details I'll sum it up thusly. We were broke. Real bad. Foreclosures, unsecured debt, horrific debt repayment plans, zero credit cards, living on a budget that wasn't actually living, more like existing. In the hey day of this period, our beloved van, Chip, developed yet one more leak, and another rattle, his death rattle. Friends, kind friends, offered us, Bruce, the green, high-mile but more dependable van, for a small monthly payment and we accepted their kind offer.
Bruce took us all sorts of places, even after we paid him off. Even after he ate two transmissions, and praise the Lord, one was still under warranty. Within the past two years we had begun to really see some light at the end of the tunnel but also feared that our credit was still trashed for years to come, and we hoped that Bruce could still keep on, keeping on. Then last year Rob's source of income nearly dried up. We didn't have any other ideas. Our payments were still due. God intervened with the kindness of family members who helped us out, and then He sent Rob the perfect scenario job. Yes!!! This required a car that could travel long distances every day and do that inexpensively. Enter Little Blue who ate up over 300 highway miles a week and did it with a great attitude. But, could he do it again? And what about, Bruce? Is that his transmission slipping again? And that new chugging and clunking sound. What does that mean?
Then a "For Sale" sign went up at church. A small vehicle, less miles, decent price. We could maybe sell Bruce for a grand, but could we willingly sell a van that we knew wasn't feeling so hot and had a history of some serious surgical procedures? Little Blue would be a better car to keep, though. What to do? What to do? When investigating further, another family member suggested something so terrifying I nearly choked. The Cash for Clunkers deal. A new car. A car payment. Qualifying for a loan. Two of the four sounded great. But no way would be qualify. No way.
But we did. Rob put down the money he'd saved for the cheap used car he'd hoped to find. I offered up Bruce, the van, as the clunker and the bank actually approved our credit application. Wow.
So thanks, God. Really. Thanks wonderful family members and friends who encouraged us to keep plugging away and to trust in Your generosity even when the numbers didn't add up. And thanks, Bruce, for your sacrifice. May you rest in peace.
Thinking Cup!
Word of the day...
Courtesy of EER who is obviously enjoying said words and definitions. And beings that I'm always looking for easy ways to fill the Dregs that may alos bring a teensy weensy smile to readers, here goes.
calmorap n. ancient Egyptian custom that was the precursor to today's luxury spas, calmorap began in the hey-dey of Cleopatra's reign.
The ancient Egyptian slaves would feed choice female crocidiles an array of gourmet human-grade foodstuffs, mostly herbs, flowers and a now extinct rat-type rodent called the exrattus which was considered to be the tastiest of all rodents. Once the crocidile ate it's fill it was carefully led (many, many slave girls lost arms and legs during this process) to a holding pen. Inside the pen was a mud pit stuffed full of grape leaves and lavender. As the crocodile slept (and processed the heavy meal) nature would take it's course. The same pits would be used for weeks. As the products fused and fermented more and more lavendar and grape leaves would be stirred in until it became too hot to touch due to the fermenation process. Finally, the valuable ooze was removed and stored in clay pots for another three months.
Once this painstaking process was completed, the contents were mixed with fermented fruit and more lavendar and then slathered over the entire bodies of the royals. Large palm leaves were then wrapped around the luxurious mud mask and the royal was carted into the sun. Once temporarily mummified in the resulting cement-like body covering sleep was sweet and filled with magnificent dreams. Many suggest that the ideas of the pyramids and many of the gods and goddesses surfaced during this process. Finally, the covering was chipped away and after a refreshing dip in the Nile, the skin was said to be as soft as a baby's left buttock cheek.
Information about this procedure was found on ancient tablets.
