My Favorite Bible Story

First off I wanted to thank my friends who shared their favorite Bible stories with me in the comment section of a previous post. Not a single person had the same favorite. One of the things that stuck out to me was that each story had something in common: God uses unlikely people and circumstances to accomplish his will. Over and over again, you see this play out.

Mary was a young, unwed girl who found herself pregnant with God's son. Luke 1:26-38

Abigail was a wife who made amends for her husbands actions behind her husband's back and saved her family from destruction at the hand of David. I Samuel 25

David volunteered to fight the giant, Goliath, while the entire Israelite army cowered at the idea of this task. He was just a teenager with no combat skills, yet he chose to face Goliath without armor; relying on a sling shot and his faith in God. I Samuel 17

Saul was a zealous man who persecuted early Christians – even vowing to wipe out the new Christian church. After his conversion to following Christ, he changed his name to Paul and became instrumental in spreading the Gospel of Christ. Acts 9:1-31

Ruth was a Moabite who chose to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi, after the death of her husband. Custom of the time would have permitted her to return to her own family. Ruth's dedication to Naomi and Naomi's God results in Ruth becoming part of the lineage of Christ. The Book of Ruth

Esther was a Jew, from the tribe of Benjamin, who finds herself married to King Xerxes of Persia. Through the course of the story, Esther must appear before the king and request that her people be saved. In appearing before the king, she risks her own life as well as the lives of her people. The Book of Esther

In all of these stories, we see that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. And he does this over and over.

I have spent the last several days contemplating my favorite story from the Bible. I grew up reading the Bible and my favorite story has varied throughout my life depending on what is going on with me. Right now I would have to say that my favorite story is when the Lord appears to Elijah. First comes a mighty wind, then an earthquake, followed by a fire. But God does not appear as any of these things. Instead, he appears to Elijah as a gentle whisper. I Kings 19:11-13

Again we see that God does not appear in expected ways.

------------------------------------------------------------------ 

The winner for the book, A Story of God and All of Us, chosen at random is: Wanda

Thank you for sharing your favorite Bible stories with me! 

Thank you to The History Channel for inviting me to participate in this giveaway.

The miniseries, The Bible, will continue to air on Sundays at 8/7C.  

Books I read in January (#1-2)

I think it may be a few years before I can commit to reading 52 books in a year again. Last year I made it to 28 and for the month of January of this year, I managed to read two. I guess I just have to wait and see how things pan out.

Our church is reading the book, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People this year. It is a chronological telling of the Bible using passages from the NIV. I have read the first "chapter" which starts with creation and goes through Noah and the flood. During the year, sermons and classes at church will follow the entire story of the Bible. I have read through the Bible several times, but I find this to be a fresh take and I am enjoying the discussions we have had in our class so far.

The first book I actually read this year was The Wander Year: One Couples Journey Around the World by Mike McIntyre. I have to be honest and say that since it is a travelogue, I had high hopes for this book. However I found it disappointing. 

Perhaps, because of all the travel blogs I read {or have read}, or maybe because it covers a world trip that Mike and his girlfriend took in the 90s, I just didn't get into it. I don't know. If you are looking for good travel stories, I would suggest you check out Erck.org about a newlywed couple that cycled around the world in 2006-2008 or Traveled Earth about a Canadian couple who quit their jobs in 2011 and are currently traveling the world for an undetermined amount of time. 

I guess I just relate to these blogs because they are written by people closer to my age? Whatever the reason, The Wander Year didn't do anything for me other than give me something to read before I drifted off to sleep at night. I gave it 3/5 stars on Goodreads.

The second book I read this month was Gods and Kings by Lynn Austin. It is the first in a series of 5 books. It is historical fiction {a favorite genre of mine} that follows the Biblical story of the rise of King Hezekiah as found in Kings and Chronicles in the Bible.

I started this book after a friend recommended it. I found it fascinating and it really gave a clear picture of what King Hezekiah might have felt like as a child growing up under King Ahaz and then becoming king at a relatively young age. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the rest of the series. I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads.

What books are you reading this year? Any good recommendations?