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Jonathan Petersen
November 15, 2018

Celebrate the International Day of the Bible

International Day of the Bible

International Day of the Bible

The National Bible Association is sponsoring International Day of the Bible (@IntlDayofBible) (#biblecelebration) November 18, inviting people around the world on that day to participate at noon your local time by pausing for a few minutes to creatively celebrate your love of the Bible by reading, reciting, singing, Tweeting, or socially sharing portions of Scripture.

Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Bible Honored in US House of Representatives.

The International Day of the Bible is the official start to National Bible Week in the USA. November 18-24, 2018 will be the 77th commemoration of the event. The National Bible Association website explains how it all began:

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Jonathan Petersen
November 15, 2018

Following Jesus Without Faking It: An Interview with Andi Andrew

Andi AndrewWe live in a culture where many identify as “Christian” without fully embracing what it looks like to follow Jesus day-in and day-out. After gathering for worship, do we simply go about our business, void of true transformation? Is the gospel simply a self-help tool; the church just a place where our needs can be met? Are we really following Jesus?

Bible Gateway interviewed Andi Andrew (@andiandrew) about her book, Fake or Follower: Refusing to Settle for a Shallow Faith (Baker Books, 2018).

Buy your copy of Fake or Follower in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day

What’s the difference between truly following Jesus and “faking it”?

Andi Andrew: We fake it when we settle for a shallow faith, manifest in hollow religion, mediocrity obligation, and checking the box of Sunday attendance rather than living a life of surrender, no matter how uncomfortable it gets.

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Mel Lawrenz
November 14, 2018

How to Live the Bible — Get Ready for Joy

howtostudythebible

Sign up for the free email devotional Christmas JoyPastor and author Mel Lawrenz is interrupting his weekly How to Live the Bible series to focus our attention on the wonder of the Incarnation for the Advent season.

Dear friend reading “How to Live the Bible”…

In a couple of weeks we’ll be sending, from December 1 through December 25, the free daily devotional called Christmas Joy. Many people do these 25 readings every year as a rhythm of reflecting on the wonder, the power, and the joy of the coming of Jesus the Christ. Each brief daily reading takes a word from the biblical text associated with the coming of Christ.

Peace. Joy. Angels. Manger. Shepherds. Jesus. Bethlehem. Magi. Christ.

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Drew Reichard
November 13, 2018

Here’s One Great Way to Focus on Christ This Christmas

Thanksgiving (in the USA) is almost upon us, and Advent is just around the corner. That means it’s time for our free Advent and Christmas devotions. This year, we’re bringing back several favorite classic devotionals, and introducing a new one that we think will help you to renew your focus on God’s Word this holiday season.

Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst

You can sign up for them on our newsletter page, which is always a good place to find out what’s new and discover old gems you may not have known about. Each of these free Christmas-related devotionals begins on or shortly after Advent, which is December 2nd this year. Sign up today so you won’t miss them. Here’s what we have to offer this year:

  • Bible Gateway Advent Devotions: Our classic Christmas devotional, bringing you Scripture readings and Christmas inspiration from Christian thinkers ancient and modern. (Runs throughout Advent.)
  • Classic Christmas Hymns: This Christmas season, find new appreciation for these classic hymns about Jesus’ birth by learning about their history, and by thinking about their lyrics in greater depth. (Runs for 9 days.)
  • How to Live the Bible with Mel Lawrenz: Christmas Joy: Have you ever wondered where all the Christmas joy went? How did things get so complicated? So squeezed and cluttered? A nonstop buzz of Christmas lights and weary shoppers, boisterous television specials and pleading children. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can choose to step aside, step into a quieter moment. This is a great place to start if you want to discover the true joy of Christmas. (Starts December 1st and ends on Christmas Day.)

Taken together, these three free Christmas devotionals approach the holiday season differently—and all of them will help you to focus on the person of Jesus Christ as Christmas grows nearer.

Learn more about the wonders of Jesus coming to dwell among us when you become a member of Bible Gateway Plus. Try it right now!

Jonathan Petersen
November 13, 2018

Women Called to Ministry: An Interview with Kristen Padilla

Kristen PadillaWhat does it mean to be called to ministry? What does the Bible say about men and women in ministry? Who are the examples in the Bible of being called to ministry? What are the practical tools to help you pursue God’s call for your life?

Bible Gateway interviewed Kristen Padilla (@kristenpadilla) about her book, Now That I’m Called: A Guide for Women Discerning a Call to Ministry (Zondervan, 2018).

What does the Bible say about ministerial calling?

Buy your copy of Now That I'm Called in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day

Kristen Padilla: Scripture is not a ministerial calling textbook. However, we can extrapolate from Scripture a loose definition of a ministerial calling.

Humans were created to be in relationship with God and to govern over creation. After the Fall, God employs humans to be involved in his plan of redemption. He reveals himself to individuals like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, etc., to do something on his behalf. Abraham’s task is to travel throughout the land, to believe and to obey. God makes a covenant with Abraham and promises to create a people through Abraham’s line for himself, who will also be part of this covenant.

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November 12, 2018

Finding Those Nuggets of Beauty in the Midst of Dark Days

Kim Taylor HenryBy Kim Taylor Henry

Those who seek me find me. . . . My fruit is better than fine gold.
—Proverbs 8:17, 19 (NIV)

“No matter how awful my day has been, there are always some gifts of beauty in it, however small. Every night I review my day and ask God to help me find them, and he always does.”

When I heard those words from a friend who’s battling a serious illness, a memory rose and settled gently on my mind. . . . I’m about eight years old. My grandpa stands next to me at a large backyard metal tub filled with water. He reaches into a bucket of deep brown creek-bottom mud and places some in his gold-mining pan and in mine. He drizzles water in and expertly circles his pan, swirling the liquid into and through the mud, patiently showing me how. I try it. Sure enough, within a few minutes, the sludge gives way to fine black sand amid which tiny golden nuggets sparkle.

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Jonathan Petersen
November 12, 2018

New Public School Curriculum Teaches Wisdom Literature from the Bible

New curriculum to teach specific books of the Bible academically in public high schools is now available from Essentials in Education (EIE). Wisdom Literature from the Bible is a standards-based (National Council of Teachers of English/International Reading Association) curriculum using material from the writings of

in the Hebrew Scriptures to teach English/Language Arts objectives and incorporate lessons of character that can be imparted from the Bible.

[Read Bible Gateway Blog posts that introduce you to the Bible]

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Jonathan Petersen
November 11, 2018

Bible News Roundup – Week of November 11, 2018

[Return daily during the coming week for updates]

See the Bible News Roundup archive on Bible Gateway

Support Bible Gateway—Browse the Bible Gateway Store
⇨ BibleGatewayStore.com
▼

Woodrow Wilson, the Bible, and the End of the Great War
⇨ The Hill
▼

City Takes Extraordinary Action on Reading Bible in Public
⇨ WND
⇨ Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Scripture Says Reading the Bible in Public is Important
▼

Archaeologists Discover 1,500-Year-Old Painting of Jesus Being Baptized
⇨ WND
⇨ Read about Jesus’ baptism from Matthew 3 on Bible Gateway
▼

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Jonathan Petersen
November 9, 2018

Quiz: What Does the Bible Say About Thanksgiving?

Buy your copy of One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every dayThe Bible tells us to be humble and show gratitude to God for his goodness and love. Following are only a few examples in Scripture of people giving thanks. And below that is a quiz to test your knowledge of thanksgiving details in the Bible.

Be sure to sign up for the short-run free email devotional Give Thanks. Each inspirational email contains a Bible story that illustrates an important lesson about gratitude and thankfulness, as well as brief reflection questions to help you think through what you’ve just read. You can enjoy the readings on your own or use them as the basis for a group discussion with your family or friends.

[Browse the Thanksgiving section in the Bible Gateway Store]

Buy your copy of Thankful in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day

Elizabeth

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was thankful that God blessed her with a baby even though she was long beyond child-bearing age (Luke 1:5-25).

Mary

Mary gave thanks for being chosen to be the mother of the incarnate Son of God (Luke 1:46-55).

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Jonathan Petersen
November 8, 2018

The Apostle Paul’s Final 12 Hours: An Interview with Brent Crowe

Brent CroweIn the biblical letter of 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul reflected on his passing life, saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” What would it be like to creatively peel back the curtain of Paul’s final 12 hours of his time on earth? What could we learn about living life with purpose, redeeming the time, and embracing the mysterious reality that we, too, are on a sacred journey?

Bible Gateway interviewed Brent Crowe (@BrentACrowe) about his book, Moments ’til Midnight: The Final Thoughts of a Wandering Pilgrim (B&H Books, 2018).

Buy your copy of Moments 'til Midnight in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day

What inspired you to write Moments ’til Midnight?

Brent Crowe: I once had the privilege of visiting the prison and dungeon in Rome where the apostle Paul was held in the days leading up to his execution. In that very prison Paul wrote a letter that we refer to as 2 Timothy. It was the location where Paul spent his final days.

I still see that prison when I teach about Paul’s life and impact on the world. This one man led the movement of Christianity and contributed 13 books to the Bible. Yet, at the end of the day, Paul was merely a Christ-follower: an earthly pilgrim wandering toward heaven. Yes, we study and hope to emulate his theology and methodology, his leadership, and his impact. But like all of us, Paul was just trying to go home.

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    Bible Gateway

    11 hours ago

    Bible Gateway

    Anxious for Nothing lesson #5
    Phil. 4:4-8
    C.A.L.M.
    Question: How does gratitude lower stress?
    Readings from book:
    pgs. 94,95/97,98
    Sign up for An Encouraging Word from Max Lucado devotional here: bit.ly/2Q1PhqR
    ---
    If you would like to read and follow along in the book, Anxious For Nothing is available here: bit.ly/2DoBp37     ...

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    Bible Gateway

    14 hours ago

    Bible Gateway

    VERSE OF THE DAY: Trouble and distress have overtaken me,
    but Your commandments bring me great joy. -Psalm 119:143 (VOICE) www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A143     ...

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    Bible Gateway

    15 hours ago

    Bible Gateway

    GIVE THANKS Day #4
    The Lord is the strength of his people;
    he is the saving refuge of his anointed...
    Read more from Psalm 28 here: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+28&version=ESV     ...

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    The Bible Gateway blog features the latest news, announcements, and reflections from Bible Gateway. We hope what you find here will add to your understanding of and appreciation for the Bible.