Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Great Links

I just was reading a blog by a writer whom I heard speak at the GPCWC (Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers' Conference) a few years ago.  Hope Flinchbaugh is an author and an activist for people caught in foreign countries with oppressive governments or who are caught in poverty and in the sex trafficking machine.  Her writings have moved me to prayer --there is such a huge need.  I so much wish I could actively do something.  But my best (and only) recourse is to pray.

I will give you the link to Hope's blog at the end of this post. 
One of the things Hope talked about on her blog is some of the resources she has found online which had proved useful in her walk with Jesus.  I would like to do the same here for you, with some different sites.

www.biblegateway.com  It is at this site where you can pick out a Bible reading program --and they will daily send you a reminder link which you click on and it takes you directly to "your place" in the reading program.  Last year I read the Bible in a year...Only I did that on my Kindle by downloading  the "MacAthur Daily Bible" (http://www.amazon.com/MacArthur-Daily-Bible-Through-Notes/dp/0718003578/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423036535&sr=8-1&keywords=macarthur+daily+bible ) and there, you just find the current date and click from section to section (OT, Psa. Prov. NT).  The advantages of this is that you can put the book onto your mobile device and can read it anywhere....even without an internet connection..  However for ease of use and convenience,  I would recommend BibleGateway.com ...This year I decided not to read the entire Bible straight through again. Instead I chose to read the passages from the Common Book of Prayer on Biblegateway.  This is still a nice hefty portion of Scripture but it is just arranged differently and I am really enjoying it.  It doesn't matter if you didn't start it on January  1st.  It is arranged to fit the Christian calender, so it will just take you to the current page for that day.

Also Biblegateway.com has tons of research material for your studying pleasure. There are sermons, and tons of things like concordances and topical Bibles . If you open a (free) account with them you can make and keep your own notes from your Bible study.

Another similar site is the www.blueletterbible.com  They also have many resources. BTW, both sites have NUMEROUS different versions both paraphrases and translations of Scripture and will allow you to do side by side comparisons of different versions for a single passage.

I also enjoy listening to Christian music on www.jango.com .  This site has music of almost any genre but they have almost unlimited "stations" dedicated to Christian music...whether you like hymns or hiphop. they've got it.  They also introduce new artists and  you get to give them the "thumbs up" or "thumbs down."

And if reading is your thing, there is another great site....it has books galore as well as Bible marking kits, tee shirts, Bible covers and any other Christian "paraphernalia":  www.christianbook.com  is where you will find all this and more.  Based on Hope's recommendation in her blog, I just purchased a New Living Translation Large Print Chronological Bible.  It just occurred to me that I could have maybe ordered this at Amazon as an eBook...But actually , it may be easier to use a REAL book, so that I can mark it up.  I am planning on starting that Bible in Jan 2016 since I've already committed to the other reading program.  Although, who knows, if I am reading the Bible through as a book, maybe I will just do that...read it through for pleasure.

If reading the Bible as a story appeals to you there is a great book called, "The Book of God" by Walter Wangrin (http://www.amazon.com/Book-God-Walter-Wangerin/dp/0310220211/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423037871&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=wangrin+the+book+of+God
Wangrin has told the story of Scripture as though he was writing a novel.  It is fascinating and well worth your time.

Here is C . Hope Flinchbaugh's blog link.  She has some more great recommendations.
http://liftjesuscross.com/

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