Bible

Read trusted teachers on Bible truths that intersect with your daily life, and discover study Bibles and more for your needs.

The Story CD: A Soundtrack to the Bible Story



This week The Story CD hit streets, featuring 18 new songs performed by a parade of talent that includes Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Francesca Bottiscelli, Amy Grant, and Mark Hall & Megan Garrett of Casting Crowns. (A tip for the fans: there are video interviews with the artists, including Mark Hall and others, on their experience with The Story.)

The music on The Story CD was inspired by three recent books: Randy Frazee’s The Heart of the Story, Max Lucado’s God’s Story, Your Story, and The Story. Since reading The Story is like reading the Bible in novel form, I wonder if that makes The Story CD like the soundtrack to the Bible story? The abridged soundtrack anyway. Eighten of the major biblical characters receive their own song. You can see the track listing and sample the songs at thestorycd.com.


Learn more about The Story CD & DVD

The lyricist Nichole Nodeman wrote the lyrics in first-person, which intrigued me. One of my favorite ways to meditate on Scripture is to put myself in the human characters’ position, then ask msyself questions like, “How do I behave like this person? What does God think of this behavior? What’s a better way?” This seems to fit with one of Nodeman’s goals in this project, which she describes as:

…to be able to listen to these songs and feel more connected to these people that walked before us and learned lessons that we’re still learning… There’s such a tendency to turn them into superheroes and have these big, takeaway, moral-of-the-story moments. For me it was all about the humanity. These were broken people who were desperate and needed God. They were just like us. I really believe that, and I think sometimes we forget.

Preview the Songs
You can preview the songs at www.thestorycd.com.

Based on the samples at thestorycd.com, which song is your favorite? My personal favorite is the Apostle Paul’s song, “Move in Me,” performed by Jeremy Camp. It’s half blues-rock stomper, half orchestral ode to joy, which makes the perfect musical mix to represent Paul’s guts … inspired by Christ’s glory. The music styles of the other songs span pop, hip-hop, ballads, and rock.

 

Also of Interest: The DVD and Music Tour
The Story DVD also released this week, and you can learn more about The Story music tour that will hit 13 US cities in December 2011.

 

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its partners and representatives. The writer’s opinions are his own, and he’s sharing them for information and entertainment purposes only.)


Share
0 Responses , , , , , , , , , Read & Comment

Hear Margaret Feinberg’s “Pursuing God’s Beauty” Bible Study on Midday Connection

Last Tuesday (Sept. 20, 2011), Moody Radio's Midday Connection kicked off their Fall Bible Study with the first session of Margaret Feinberg's Pursuing God's Beauty: Stories from the Gospel of John. Midday Connection will go through the remaining sessions each Tuesday over the next five weeks. You can listen to the the first session now, and visit  www.middayconnection.org to hear the other sessions as they're posted.

 

Learn More about Pursuing God's Beauty Learn More

In the show's discussion of Pursuing God's Beauty Session 1, host Anita Lustrea asks Margaret Feinberg (@mafeinberg) why pursuing God is important. Margaret responds,  "I think that there are times when we hit that dry canyon, and we have to make a choice. Do [I] sit? … Or do I keep on going … keep on reading, keep on studying, keep on praying. [Do I say] I'm going to keep on talking to You, even through this difficult and dry season."

It's no coincidence that Margaret's study on pursuing God's beauty is centered on the Gospel of John. "I believe the beauty of God radiates in the person of Jesus Christ," Margaret says, and of all the Gospel writers, John "makes Jesus the most real to me." After Margaret discusses why she loves the Gospel of John, the discussion of Session 1 begins earnest (at 14:50 in the show).

I was especially interested in the hosts' contrast between inviting someone to chuch and inviting someone to meet Jesus. This also elicited a thought-provoking disagreement about Margaret's favorite spiritual conversation starter, "What do you love about Jesus?" Some of the hosts found this a compelling question, but others found it threatening.

 

Find Margaret Feinberg on Facebook
Find Margaret on Facebook

Midday Connection's discussion of Session 2 is coming up on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, and you can hear it at www.middayconnection.org. Margaret Feinberg will join the show again to dig into John chapters 4-8, and to discuss the facades we present to others; what it's like for God to see through to the real us; and how this can change the way we live.


Learn more about the Pursuing God's Beauty Bible Study.


Does the Gospel of John make Jesus "the most real" for you, as it does for Margaret? I'm also curious, would you feel comfortable asking a new acquaintance "What do you love about Jesus?"


(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)



Share
0 Responses , , , , , , , , , Read & Comment

Gift Idea for Grandma: The Grandmother’s Bible eBook

Did you know last Sunday was National Grandparents Day? In honor of Grandmothers, this week The Grandmother's Bible eBook is just $3.99.

The Grandmother's Bible is about "nourishing grandmothers to nurture grandchildren," so the Bible includes special features like Bible Stories to Share with grandchildren; Talking Points, which are tips on discussing issues like friendship and salvation; and Praying the Scriptures for Your Grandchild. Grandmother-blogger Lynda Freeman reviews some of these special features in her post about how The Grandmother's Bible helps her grow as a grandmother.

This Bible also includes 365 Devotional Readings. Here's a sample:

"Made in God's Image" by Lori Copeland
Read | Genesis 1:1-31

I was a very young grandmother. This was not all that surprising since I had been a young bride and a young mother, but when Randy, our firstborn son, married and gave us our first grandchild, I was completely unprepared. I was especially unprepared for the love I would feel for this baby. I was amazed that the love I had felt so strongly for my sons—a love I was positive would never be duplicated—tripled when my first grandson’s newborn eyes slowly opened to meet mine. Oh, those eyes, so trusting and innocent. I gave my heart so completely, so swiftly to this new little one named James that the bonding left me breathless.

When I left the hospital, I was filled with joy, with songs of joy. I recalled the words of the psalmist, “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:2), as I enjoyed my ecstatic state. Little did I know that this child was not only a precious gift to me (though he was), but also he was God’s special gift to the world. God in his miraculous grace was enlarging his Kingdom through this tiny scrap of humanity created in his image.

James is a grown man now, a youth minister. Twice a year he ministers to the Kagora tribe in Africa, and through God’s unending grace, he leads lost souls to Christ. As a thirty-nine-year-old grandmother, I had no idea what God had placed in my life the day my first grandson was born; but now, many years later, I stand astounded at his marvelous workings.

Thank you, God, for placing this child in our life, in our grandparental care. As we watch him grow, lead him in the ways of righteous that his days may be long and fruitful on this earth. Amen.


Find the Grandmother's Bible eBook for $3.99 – This Week Only
The regular price is $16.99, so if deals excite your grandmother as much as they excite mine, tell her you found it for 77% off.  :-)

Amazon Kindle: http://zndr.vn/mTcK6w
Apple iPhone & iPad: http://zndr.vn/mW2oPO
Barnes & Noble Nook: http://zndr.vn/qV63qA

You can also find the eBook on Christianbook.com: http://zndr.vn/mPtu0w

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)

Share
0 Responses , , , , , , , , , Read & Comment

“The Story” – Connecting with the Author of Life

Yesterday a tweet from Rich Stearns (@RichStearns) of World Vision led me to daydream this conversation with Jesus:

ME: Jesus, if you were a novelist, what kind of story would you write?

JESUS: Oh, funny you should ask. I wrote this story with two of my relatives. [He winks, and hands me a book called "The Holy Bible."]

We'll return to this scene in a moment, but first I'll share the Stearns' tweet that inspired it:

 

 

Stearns calls The Story (published by Zondervan) the "narrative of God's relationship with his followers" and "a great overview of God's work." If you think this sounds like the Bible, I think you're mostly right. On the other hand, if the Bible doesn't seem like a coherent story to you, we've hit the point of my daydream.

 

Learn More about The Story Learn More

For a whole heap of reasons it can be difficult to see the overarching story that runs through Scripture. And even if we glimpse God's story, it can still be hard to see what it means for our everyday lives. I'd wager this relates to Stearns' recommendation of The Story.


The Skinny on The Story 

The Story presents God's story in one seamless narrative — like a novel. The storyline is chronological from Genesis through Revelation, using verses from the NIV translation. Read Chapter 1 of The Story

I especially recommend The Story to you if…

  • Sometimes you're unsure how Scripture relates to your own life, or…
  • You love God's big story, and you're looking for a new way to engage with Scripture. Or…
  • If you're curious about the Bible but find it kind of intimidating, or…
  • To you the Bible feels like a puzzle, and you want to know more about how the pieces fit.

 

Beyond the Novel (The Story Music Tour and More)  

The Story is a multi-part experience that goes beyond the novel. You can learn more at www.thestory.com but I want to give you a quick heads up on the music tour. Coming later this year, it will feature music inspired by The Story and performed by Stephen Curtis Chapman, Newsboys, Francesca Battistelli, Natalie Grant, Selah, and Anthem Lights. I'm excited that Zondervan is partnering with World Vision, Proper Management, WOW, and these artists to pull this tour together!


Most of the music tour details are still under wraps, but you'll be among the first to know more if you go Like The Story Facebook Page.

 

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its partners and representatives. The writer's opinions are his own, and he's sharing them for information and entertainment purposes only. Whatever else an opinion would "be for" Adam doesn't know, but he's just saying…)


Share
0 Responses , , , , , , , , Read & Comment

Can We Trust the New Testament? News on Upcoming Debate + Recommended Reading

I’m excited for a debate happening October 1, called “Can We Trust the Text of the New Testament?”

The debate will feature Dr. Daniel B. Wallace and Dr. Bart D. Ehrman, who present cases ‘for’ and ‘against’ whether we can trust our New Testament manuscripts to tell us about Jesus and the early Church.

Since I can’t make it to the debate I will probably buy a DVD. Here’s why I’m excited: while I’m a professing Christian who trusts the New Testament, I only began to trust the Bible near the time I began to trust Christ. And I know plenty of people who trust neither. Some people I know are convinced by Dr. Ehrman’s arguments, or similar ones, so I’ll listen to the debate with one ear tuned to its value for apologetics. But I’m intrigued by these scholars’ points of view anyway; I expect Dr. Ehrman to give all the best evidence against trusting the New Testament, and I expect Dr. Wallace to have clear, excellent counter-arguments.

Below you’ll find event details, debater profiles, and a short list of recommended reading on whether we can trust the New Testament.

 

Attending the SMU Debate

WHEN October 1, 2011, 7pm CDT.
WHERE Dallas, TX, at Southern Methodist University’s McFarlin Memorial Auditorium.
WHAT A debate for general audiences, featuring cases ‘for’ and ‘against’ trusting the text of the New Testament.”

 

Learn more about the DVD Release

Can’t make it to Dallas in person? A DVD of the debate will become available for purchase. Details are forthcoming, so to stay up-to-date visit smudebate.com or find SMU Debate on Facebook.

 

Read More…

Share
0 Responses , , , , , , , , , Read & Comment

Margaret Feinberg on Women in Politics


Margaret Feinberg wrote a recent piece for The Washington Post as part of a continuing discussion on women leaders, biblical submission and servant leadership.

Feinberg’s latest article, entitled “The Proverbs 31 Politician,” looks at questions including:

  • What does the Bible say about women pursuing politics?
  • How would a President Bachmann balance biblical teachings and political decisions?

Read Feinberg’s full article at The Washington Post site: http://zndr.vn/oSA78N.

What do you think?
Do you agree with Feinberg that Deborah and Esther serve as good examples that women can, and sometimes should, pursue political leadership? Share your thoughts in a comment.


About Margaret Feinberg
Margaret Feinberg is a popular speaker at churches and events such as Catalyst and Creation Festival. Named one of the Thirty Emerging Voices of Christian leaders under age forty by Charisma magazine, she is author of Hungry for God, Scouting the Divine, The Organic God and The Sacred Echo. She lives in Colorado with her hubby, Leif, and superpup, Hershey. She blogs at margaretfeinberg.com.

Margaret Feinberg

 

 

Share
3 Responses , , , , , , , , , Read & Comment

Wayne Grudem Interview: “Politics According to the Bible”

I recently stumbled on an interesting interview with Wayne Grudem, the author of Politics According to the Bible. Grudem sketches five common mistakes that Christians can make in their posture toward government and politics. The antidote, says Grudem, is growing to understand how the gospel can (and should) change our political sentiments. 

The full interview with Wayne Grudem was originally published by the Acton Institute’s periodical Religion & Liberty. Here’s an excerpt that made me excited:

The gospel, when it is truly proclaimed, will result in changed lives. And I think Jesus wants us to have changed marriages and changed ideas of parenting and changed schools and changed neighborhoods and changed businesses and workplaces, and certainly, that would include changed governments as well.

I think that pastors have an obligation to explain to their congregations how biblical teachings impact the government. In addition to that, there are many passages in the Bible that talk about God’s purpose for government. Another answer to this view that says we should do evangelism and not politics is that it fails to understand the great influence that Christians have had on governments since the early history of the Church. Early in the Roman Empire, it was Christian influence that led to outlawing infanticide, child abandonment and abortion in the Roman Empire. Christian influence led to outlawing the gladiatorial contests in 404 A.D. Christian influence led to granting property rights and other protections to women at various times through history…

 

Learn More about Politics According to the Bible Read Excerpt
Learn More

While I’m all for pastors preaching on values that could affect our voting decisions — for example, “What is a fair wage?”  — I’m unsettled by the idea of pastors regularly giving their congregations specific voting instructions. In my experience, this situation often carries a subtext that there’s only one valid Christian way to vote. I believe our voting decisions today are only rarely as clear-cut as when Christians in ancient Rome influenced the outlawing of infanticide.

But what do you think? Should churches discuss voting decisions from the pulpit, or is that something better left among friends?

Has your church become involved in political projects? And when conflict over politics erupts, how has your church handled it? I’d love to hear your comments.

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)


About Wayne Grudem
Wayne Grudem is Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. He holds degrees from Harvard (BA), Westminster Seminary (MDiv), and Cambridge (PhD). He is the author of over fifteen books including the bestselling Systematic Theology and the related Making Sense Of… series.

 

 

Share
1 Response , , , , , , , , , Read & Comment

3 New Features on Bible Gateway Inspire an NIV & KJV Bible Giveaway

 

THE PRIZE: NIV & KJV Side-by-Side Bible
Learn More about NIV & KJV Side-by-Side Bible

UPDATE: The winners are Sarah B., Andy M., and Eric D. Thank you to everyone who entered! Follow Zondervan Blog for more opportunities to win books, and for original content from your favorite Zondervan authors.

 

BibleGateway.com has been revamped, and three of the new features have Zondervan Blog especially excited. We’re going to celebrate by giving away three NIV and KJV Side-by-Side Bibles (with a tan and black cherry leatherbound cover). Find out how you can enter to win under the Feature #1 section below.

 

Feature #1: Parallel Translations

Learn more about parallel translations

When you’re reading a particularly insightful or challenging verse in Scripture, do you ever wonder how other translations render that passage? Now it’s easy to compare different versions. When you’re viewing a verse, just click the “Add parallel” link to find your other translation options. This feature inspired Zondervan Blog to host this giveaway:

 

ENTER TO WIN: NIV & KJV Side-by-Side Bible

  1. Search for your favorite verse on Biblegateway.com.
  2. Add a parallel translation next to the verse. (Click the “Add parallel” link on the right side of your screen. You can pick any translation you like.)
  3. Copy both versions of the verse and paste them into a comment here on Zondervan Blog.

Leave your comment on this post by 3PM (EDT) on Monday, June 13.
You have 3 chances to win: We’ll pick a comment at random on Thursday, Friday, and Monday. Each of those three commenters will receive an NIV and KJV Side-by-Side Bible. Enter now before you keep reading!

 

You can learn more about setting up parallel translations on the Bible Gateway Blog.

Read More…

Share
36 Responses , , , , , , , , , Read & Comment

Enter to Win the Berenstain Bears Holy Bible & Brother Bear Tote

 

Enter Sweepstakes
Enter the Giveaway

The Berenstain Bears are hosting a giveaway. Ten winners will receive a Berenstain Bears Holy Bible and a Brother Bear Tote! Enter now, because the giveaway closes on Saturday morning, May 29, 9:59AM EDT!

Enter the Giveaway

 

Illustrated by Mike Berenstain, the Berenstain Bears Holy Bible is in the New International Reader’s Version (NIrV), written at a third-grade reading level and specifically designed to help early readers discover the Bible for themselves.

 

Enter Sweepstakes
Each winner will receive a Brother Bear Tote and the Berenstain Bears Holy Bible

The features of The Berenstain Bears Holy Bible include:

  • Book introductions that provide each book’s main themes, plus an outline of the contents
  • Dictionary that defines key Bible words for quick reference
  • Reading plan for 150 famous stories of the Bible
  • Presentation page for personalization and gift giving
  • 18 full-color pages that highlight virtues taught by God’s Word, such as respect, courage and friendship. Here’s a sample:

 

 

This giveaway reminded me of how much I loved the Berenstain Bears books when I was a kid. So after you enter the giveaway, I’d like to swap stories about lessons we learned from the Berenstain Bears books we read as children.

A Lesson I Learned from the Berenstain Bears
I was 6 when I read The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare. If you haven’t read it, it’s a good book about dealing with bullies and peer pressure. In this story, Brother Bear falls in with a gang of cruel but charismatic bullies. They pressure Brother Bear to steal a watermelon from Farmer Ben’s patch, and while Brother Bear knows this would be wrong, he really wants to impress his new friends. Brother Bear caves, gets caught in the act, and his new “friends” run away. Fortunately, Farmer Ben has grace on the young cub and shares some wisdom about how Brother Bear can stand up for what he knows is right.

I thought I was taking this lesson to heart, but I was mistaken. I closed the book still thinking the bullies were really cool. I remember thinking, “Maybe if I just don’t bully other people then I can still do bad things and everything will be okay.” This sounded reasonable to me, so I created a new “cool guy costume” (complete with black fingerless gloves, which I made myself) and I went out looking for trouble. I did the baddest thing my six-year-old imagination could think of: I stripped some branches off of a tree.

Within minutes I began to cry. I remember thinking, “Farmer Ben was right!” I learned that day that being bad, even in secret, is not cool.

How about you, did you learn any lessons from the Berenstain Bears books?
(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)

 

 

Share
1 Response , , , , , , , , , , Read & Comment

Easter Story Cast, Clips, and Thanks

We hope you enjoyed the Easter Story Blog Series as much as we did! Would you like to hear more audio clip experiences on Zondervan Blog? Leave your thoughts, suggestions or questions as comments on this blog post.

Subscribe to Zondervan Blog

Some exciting stuff is coming up on Zondervan Blog (including guest posts from Zondervan authors, book giveaways, and a few surprises…) Subscribe to Zondervan Blog in your favorite reader to keep up on the action!

(If you subscribed to the Easter Story Series RSS, that’s only for audio clip posts. We recommend you add this RSS to your reader so you’ll get everything worth reading.)

 

 

The Cast of the Easter Story

Did you recognize any of these voices from the Bible Experience clips?

  • Luke (Narrator) – Terry Crews
  • John (Narrator) – LeVar Burton
  • Matthew (Narrator) – Wren T. Brown
  • Mark (Narrator) – Victor Love
  • Jesus – Blair Underwood
  • God the Father – Samuel L. Jackson
  • Mary Magdalene – Tisha Campbell Martin
  • Mary, the mother of Jesus – Nia Long
  • Simon Peter – Kirk Franklin
  • Judas – Cuba Gooding, Jr.
  • Pilate – Charles S. Dutton
  • The Psalm Reader – Christopher Morgan
  • Angel of the Lord – Angela Bassett

 

If you had trouble with the audio this week, use these links:

We’ve heard the audio player didn’t work for some of you. We’re very sorry about that! Here are direct links to each of the audio clips. (They’re MP3 files and should open in your computer or device’s default audio player.)
Palm Sunday
Fig Monday
Holy Tuesday
Spy Wednesday
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Easter Sunday

 

The Easter Story Blog Series was brought to you by The Bible Experience: The Complete Bible, Zondervan Blog, and every one of you who participated. Thank you for joining us this Easter! (-The Editors of Zondervan Blog)

 

About the Audio Clips

This series uses audio clips from The Bible Experience: The Complete Bible. This award-winning audio Bible is fully dramatized, featuring a cinematic musical score and voice talent from stars including Blair Underwood, Jeffrey Wright, Kirk Franklin, Nia Long, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and many more.

You can purchase The Bible Experience in The Complete Bible on Audio CD or The Complete Bible, Audio MP3 Downloads on CD.

 Bible Experience: Complete Bible

Related  Resources

Companion Bible
Companion Bible

Old Testament Audio CDs
Old Testament

New Testament Audio CDs
New Testament

   
Share
0 Responses , , , , , , , , , Read & Comment
1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 12  Scroll to top