Set A Seal Upon My Heart By Sarah Neisen

 God has a plan for all believers to solidify our faith and draw us deeper into a relationship with Him, and it's all found within The Song of Solomon.

Here you'll discover a treasure of intimacy with our bridegroom Jesus. Have you ever asked yourself 'Is there more?' Maybe you've wondered how the Bible really applies to your life. This Devotional Study will answer those questions and more.

In this book you will:

Discover the truth of God's great love and promises for your life.

Connect with Jesus daily and experience peace and joy.

Identify yourself as a disciple of Jesus and learn how to share your testimony with others.

Learn how to follow God's will and purpose for your life.

Fully embrace your role in the kingdom to bring glory to God.

Pick up your copy here...

https://www.amazon.com/Set-Seal-Upon-Heart-Devotional/dp/1735397407/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1599751551&sr=1-1

Sarah Neisen is a graduate of the New Day School of Ministry and Co-Founder of Discipleship Training Ministries, SSM. Along with her husband Lee, they seek to teach and encourage believers in their identity in Christ so that the Good News may be preached throughout the world with signs, wonders, and miracles.

She is a regular speaker at churches in the river valley region of Minnesota and a guest speaker at local women's groups and retreats. Sarah and her husband have one son whom she homeschools. They live on a farm in south-central Minnesota with a plethora of chickens, ducks, cows, and other animals.

My Thoughts...

A Devotional and a  Bible Study in one. You can use this book to study The Song of Solomon and read your devotional every day at the same time. This is one of the deepest studies that I have seen in a while it really gets to the meat of the Bible.

This would be great for a small group or just yourself.

I hope that you will grab a copy of this Bible study to use with your Bible reading each morning. 

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Live Hopefully By Lenya Heitzig

This all-new 20-minutes-a-day study of Nehemiah reminds readers that with God’s help, one person who is ready to do the impossible can change the world.

Hope is not wishful thinking. It is a confident expectation for the future. Nehemiah knew how to live with true hope. After boldly requesting permission from the king to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, he restored the city and called his people back to God. Despite opposition on all sides, Nehemiah saw God transform a cup-bearer into a contractor, ruins into a city, and a wayward people into followers of God.

As Bible teacher Lenya Heitzig reminds readers in this new Fresh Life study, God calls them to live boldly with a hope that only He can give.

 

Pick up your copy here...

https://www.amazon.com/Live-Hopefully-Study-Nehemiah-Fresh/dp/1434712478/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517857783&sr=1-1&keywords=Live+hopefully+by+Lenya

 

Lenya Heitzig is the executive director of she ministries at Calvary Albuquerque, an award-winning coauthor of numerous Bible studies, and the author of the semiautobiographical book Holy Moments. She is the founder of Mercy B.A.N.D.S. and Reload Love, encouraging and empowering people around the world to stand up to terrorism. Lenya’s husband, Skip, is senior pastor of the 14,000-person congregation at Calvary Albuquerque. Their son and his wife have two children.

 

My Thoughts...

A Bible study in the book of Nehemiah.

 It has a lot of scripture using inductive questions. The questions help you discover the facts. You will learn the who what and when and where of each passage.

It has questions and places for you to answer them in the book.

It  also has personal checklists as well as Small- group checklist.

Each days broke down in sections for you.

This was a wonderfully Bible study book.

I gave 4 stars to this Bible study from the book of Nehemiah and I recommend it for small groups or personal study.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Interview with Pastor Devon Blanton

The Assignment is a fantastic Bible study for the individual or small groups. It addresses the big questions such as why are we born and why do bad things happen to good people? It is eye opening, full of inspiration and challenges. It can change your world!

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/ASSIGNMENT-here-purpose-doesnt-mystery/dp/1974430774/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1513205147&sr=1-1

Dr. Devon Blanton is a pastor conducting a full time ministry along with a very busy Christian Counseling practice. He holds an earned Doctorate in Religious Education, specializing in Counseling. He is certified in Family and Marriage, Grief and Drug Abuse and Health and Nutrition. He is also a Certified Health Coach. His post-doctoral pursuits include an earned diploma in Psychiatric Studies. He also completed brief studies in Cardiology and Resuscitation from Perelman School of Medicine, Penn State University. He further expanded His studies in nutrition from Texas A&M, Vanderbilt University and Stanford University. This all coincides with his four pillar philosophy on Counseling. These focus on the Physical, Spiritual, Emotional and Financial parts of who we are. He is also the Founder of Cross Anchors Solutions, a high level training program out of Durham, NC providing training in Leadership Development, Biblical Counseling I, II, Advanced Biblical Counseling and Health and Nutrition.

Welcome Pastor Devon

What sparked your decision to journey down the path of writing The Assignment?
After many years of pastoring and counseling, I realized that most believers didn’t really know why they are here. The number one question over all others is why am I here. I began preaching on the subject and just wrote a book out of that experience.

What is the most important thing you hope readers will take away from reading The Assignment? I would like for each reader to have that “ah ha” moment for which every writer hopes. The amazing discovery of how our purpose is simple is a powerful and shocking revelation. Understanding the big picture view that God offers us is key to that understanding. We look at the view very carefully.

What did you find to be the most difficult part of writing this book?
Most of the time when I write, it just flows like a waterfall. The writing is easy. On the other hand, the editing is hard because it must be written in a way that everyone can easily understand. My brain tends to think in awkward sentences that don’t make a lot of sense to my readers. That part is grueling. Content means everything to a theological writer, so I must do sentence structures myself so that the exact meaning remains intact.

Did you at any time get writer's block? If so what did you do to overcome that obstacle?

I never get writers block. It just flows. I have a system that I use as a guide to writing. I simply write a list of carefully crafted questions about the subject that I am about to write about and then answer all the questions. Usually I write one chapter (the answer) for each question. It got me through college and post grad school and served me well. It is a sure-fire way of covering the subject clearly. At least, that is my main goal and I think it works for the reader.

 

You are known for your great sense of humor. How much humor will readers see in your writing? It is a difficult thing to write humor in a sentence particularly when theology is the subject. However, my candor and mid-western plain talk is usually seen as character and most people are grateful for an honest strait talker. My sense of humor is off the chain, so the more people learn about my personality, the more they can see it in my writing.

What is your favorite scripture? And why?

It is hard to lock down a particular scripture but in a nutshell, I really like Galatians 2:20. Understanding that it’s not at all about us is key to negotiating this life in the best interest of the Kingdom. My goal is to be sure that my body submits to the true leadership of the Holy Spirit. It’s a tall order but it will never be accomplished with a lesser desire; that’s for certain.

Tell us a little about your family, and your church....

My wife and I have been married 43 years. We have two sons, one of whom is married with a beautiful 1-year-old daughter and a son on the way. We are so blessed! Our wonderful church is amazing. We focus on “equipping the saints for ministry”. We try to avoid the modern pitfalls of “business as usual” and the clubhouse mentality of many modern churches today. Our emphasis dictates that we get serious about our faith while we live, love and laugh together. It’s a great community of believers with open arms for anyone wanting to know more about our Lord.

If you could go anywhere in the where would it be and why?

Like most believers, I would love to go to Israel at some point. However, I am quite content to spend time with my wife at the beach or somewhere in the mountains. We like to go off season when it is quiet. We would enjoy mingling with different cultures such as in Mexico, Scotland or maybe even South Africa.

What is one accomplishment that you are most proud of?
I have done a lot of things in my life, but I most enjoy being a father and a husband. I also enjoy having great friends whom I love as family.

 

Tell my readers where they can keep up with you.
I can be found on Facebook under my name “Devon Blanton.”  A new website is underway now. The Cross Anchor Solutions page is also a good way to connect on Facebook. That is the core company through which I book speaking engagements. I founded it as well.

Interview With Andy Lee Author of A Mary Like Me

While still in need of a Savior, they were called by God. Come find grace and courage to follow your call as you discover the Mary in yourself.
A Mary like Me unites twenty-first-century women with first-century saints by exploring the hearts of some of the most famous women of the Bible. One gave birth to the Son of God, another sat at his feet, and another was the first to proclaim his resurrection. These women shared the name Mary, which means bitter, defiant, and rebellious; and a closer look at Scripture reveals their personalities in light of their name.A Mary like Me uncovers the fear, doubt, bitterness, and faithlessness the biblical women fought, just as we do. In Jesus's presence, their weaknesses became strengths and their flaws were redeemed . . . just like ours. The reader discovers camaraderie in the imperfections of the Marys. Comparison paralyzes, but camaraderie found in our less-than-perfect hearts inspires.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Like-Me-Flawed-Called/dp/0891123342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501027119&sr=8-1&keywords=a+mary+like+me

Don’t let the name fool you. She’s a girl. She just didn’t know how to spell her new name (the girl way) twenty-five years ago when God gave her this one. Like many biblical characters, God changed Andy’s (Andrea’s) name at a critical time in her life when she chose Jesus for a second and final time. It had been a lonely year without Him. Andy plunged into the waters of baptism and came out rubbing her hands together. She was ready to move forward with her calling and her faith never again to look back or deny her Savior.

Andy grew up on the plains of Southwest Oklahoma always believing she'd marry a farmer, but her prince wore Army boots. Like Sara she followed her Abraham wherever God sent them (which they trusted came through the chain-of-command). Serving their country was a blessing to their family even through deployments, wars, and many moves to foreign lands--like Germany and Boston.

Andy taught middle school Language Arts until she took a twenty-four year maternity leave to raise three kids and one husband. She's been an assistant pastor and a care giver to the elderly. Today, Andy blogs, teaches Hermeneutics, mentors, and speaks to audiences around the country. She and her retired soldier live on the coast of North Carolina. Their last baby bird recently flew to college, so the nest is now empty, except for Hank, the kitty.

Ladies, I have been taking  A Mary Like Me Bible study with Andy for three weeks and  you all are missing out. Andy is a wonderful teacher. A Mary Like Me is a must read and study for us all!

Welcome Andy,

Give us the back story on "A Mary Like Me".

The desire to write a book lived in me for years, but I wouldn’t write one until God gave me an idea. And one day, He did. Out of the blue a thought wafted through my mind, “Write a book on the three Marys. You’ve got the material.” A few years earlier I had taught a women’s retreat using their stories. That thought was the Lord’s whisper nudging me into a new season of ministry. Our family would soon be moving to a new town, and I would no longer be working on staff at a church. The timing was perfect.

 

What is the most important thing you hope readers will take away from reading "A Mary Like Me"?

There are many things I hope they take away from this book, but if I have to choose, I pray they meet Jesus in a deeper place, and that stirs new dreams or forgotten ones and greater faith.

 

Tell us about your Dream to journey down the path of writing.

Even though I always thought it would be cool to write a book, I don’t think I took the dream seriously. It was too big a dream to allow myself to dream. But I always loved words and English class, and in high school I longed for teachers to tell me my writing was amazing. (But they didn’t.) When my parents didn’t allow me to be a religion major, I opted to be an English major in college. The closest thing to a compliment was an A+ on a paper in English Lit class with a note from the professor that she had investigated my writing for plagiarism but couldn’t find any. Later in life I enrolled in an adult- studies program for ministry that demanded many papers. I loved every assignment, and I know that program strengthened my writing. All along, God was leading me on this path to becoming an author, but I had no idea.

 

How does faith play on your writing?

It’s everything. Writing the book is the easy part, but publishing it demands faith. That was another journey all by itself. I began studying how long the book needed to be, and all I needed to do to get it published. A book is written to be read by others. And that takes faith. Faith that you’ve done what God has prompted you to do, and faith that you’ve written the best book you could write. Each step of this thing called writing requires faith from the words you type on the screen to the promptings of the Spirit to attend writers conferences and make appointments with publishing houses and literary agents, or decide to self-publish. It all requires hard work and a lot of faith.

 

If you were granted one wish what would you wish for?

My holy answer is, greater faith. But my worldly answer is for a bigger platform to share A Mary Like Me all over the world.

 

Do you listen to music when writing? If so, would you share your playlist with us?

I don’t listen to music when I write. I love silence and the sound of clicking keys.

 

What is your favorite book or books and why?

Thank you for the plural. I couldn’t give you just one. I love The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis because the books are brilliant. I love Living Prayer by Robert Benson because I love the ease in which he writes. The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey is one of my favorites because he made us question our traditional Sunday school view of Jesus, and I love all writing by John Eldredge. His words are both beautiful and challenging. I also loved The Help.

 

What is your favorite Bible verse?

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy as you trust him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” Romans 15:13.

 

Tell the blog readers how they can keep up with you?

I would love for ya’ll to visit me on my website: www.wordsbyandylee.com and you can follow me on Facebook, Andy Lee (Andrea Stone) to join hundreds of others on my daily Facebook Live broadcast called the Bite of Bread. Monday through Friday we dig into a bite of scripture to feed our spirits. Come dig deep to live fully with me!

 

Something Different! Bible Study from the Book of Ruth By Sheryl Pellatiro

Tell us about Ruth from tragedy to triumph.....

The story of Ruth is about tragedy turned into triumph. It is also a great love story. When Elimelech and his family arrived in Moab, Ruth had no idea that her marriage into this Israelite family would be the beginning of new things, both good and bad. In a very short time, Ruth’s whole world came crashing down as the family she grew to love would be torn apart by death and uncertainty. In the end, though, God was setting things up for a greater purpose. The story of Ruth is packed with eternal truths.

How did your faith play into your writing this study?

Studying the Old Testament , watching it come to life, and seeing God’s redemptive purposes being fulfilled is one way that my faith always soars to new levels. Some people do not see the relevance of the book of Ruth in the fuller picture. But, as I researched this little story and wrote this Bible study, I began to understand that God strategically placed Ruth’s story within the chronicles of Scripture so that you and I can see that God was at work all the way back then, and that His plans continue today.

How long have you been writing Bible studies?

I have been writing Bible studies for almost twenty years.

Why did you start writing Bible studies?

God began to show me the power of His Word and its relevance to our lives the first year of Bible College. After I got married and my kids were little, I was invited to my first in-depth Precept Bible class at my church. It seemed that God put a deep hunger within my spirit for HIS Word and I just couldn’t get enough. After 3 years of attending a Precept Bible class, I knew that God was calling me to teach a Bible study at my church. As I began to look in the Christian market for studies, I couldn’t find any that seemed right for the ladies under my teaching. So, I began to write my own studies.

What do you hope readers will learn while doing this Bible study?

I hope that readers will love Ruth’s story as much as I have. I hope that the topics discussed in each chapter will unveil greater truths through God’s Word and that each participant will gain valuable insight for their own lives.

What is your favorite Bible Verse and why?

That is a hard question to answer as I have many favorite verses. Probably right now, I would say Philippians 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” I am currently teaching my latest Bible study on the Bride of Christ, which is all about our Bridegroom’s return, our future home, our inheritance waiting for us, and the future wedding all of God’s Bride will participate in. Therefore, this verse has a two-fold impact on my life – I want to live every moment of every day to bring glory to my King, but I also want to keep my eyes focused on my eternal life because it is far better than anything we have here.

Do you have a website where readers can get to know you better? Where can they get a copy of this study? 

All my Bible studies and any information about me can be found on my web site: www.solidtruthministries.com.