World Watch List #19 & #18
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Study the Bible Online
We have been offering online Bible studies here at Precept Camden for some time now. I have been teaching a weekly Bible study in my community for 13 years. A couple of years ago, I started preceptcamden.com as a resource for my class. I began uploading the audio of our class discussions so that anyone who had to miss class could catch up by listening online. What started as a service to my “in person” students grew into an avenue of study for those who could not attend on Tuesday mornings.
Here’s how it works: I upload the audio from our class discussion each week right after our Tuesday morning Bible study and it stays on the website. So you can do it at your own convenience – which is what many people are looking for. You will do your lesson each week and then listen to our class discussion. It is unedited. My online students tell me that they get a lot out of listening to the discussion. Inevitably, someone will ask a question that they had, too. I assign accountability partners to those online students who request one. They connect with their partner through email, facebook, or whatever way is convenient for them. This has been a learning experience for all of us, but it has also been an incredible surprise and blessing.
Now Precept Ministries International is offering another option for online Bible study through their Connect Site. This Bible study is done in real time through a chat room. A study on the book of Nehemiah is getting ready to start tomorrow (September 14, 2011). Visit Precept’s Connect Site and see what else will be offered in the coming months. It’s another great way to connect with the Word of God through inductive Bible study.
Remember.
2011 Fall Women’s Conference
I have attended this conference every year since 1998. It is not your ordinary women’s conference. It is filled to the brim and overflowing with deep, powerful teaching from the Word of God by Kay Arthur, passionate praise and worship by Alicia Williamson Garcia, and sweet fellowship with other women of God. You will leave with a heart full of encouragement. I promise! Click here for more information on how you can register for this life-changing event.
World Watch List #21 & #20
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Japanese Roll Pen Case
It is no secret that Precept Camden loves Jet Pens. They have made us #1 fans of Japanese office supplies. Really, just do a search of Jet Pens on this site and you’ll see. And we all know how much inductive Bible study students need/love/want/collect/hoard/covet pens and pencils. Therefore, we need/love/want/collect/hoard/covet cases in which to store them.
Here is another wonderful pen case from Jet Pens. They are made in Japan from beautiful traditional Japanese fabrics and have 3 inside pockets. You put your pens and pencils in the pockets, cover them with the fabric flap, roll them up, and tie the case with a black cord.
Click here to see more fabric choices. Precept Camden is partial to the mustard yellow print. And here is another nifty Japanese pencil case from Jet Pens. This one is also a favorite but not a Japanese design and not from Jet Pens. Check out ALL of the Japanese office supply awesomeness at Jet Pens. Tell them Precept Camden sent you. 
Brand NEW Key Word Symbol Pages Are Here!
If you are an inductive Bible study student, then you know that marking key words in the text is an important tool. (If you are not familiar with the inductive Bible study method, click here for a free download that will get you started.) I always tell my students that the point of marking the text (the Bible) is not to create a pretty picture; the point is to engage you with the text, to help you slow down and read with purpose, and to dig out the truth for yourself. You can use different colors to mark different words, but it won’t be long before you will simply run out of colors in your box of pencils. And with so many colors, recognizing the color code at a glance may be difficult. Another way to use the tool of marking key words is to use colors and symbols. You should be able to look at your own Bible (or observation worksheets) and recognize your symbols and what they mean. They don’t have to be complicated works of art. They just have to mean something to you. I like to keep my markings as simple as possible.
However, sometimes even the most seasoned student gets stumped trying to think of different symbols to use. Over the years, I have created my own symbols and I have made them into printable sheets for you to stick in your Bible or notebook. These are not the “correct” way to mark key words. There’s no such thing. These are simply some ideas on ways to mark words to help you so that you won’t waste time laboring over the “perfect” symbol. You can just get down to business studying the Bible, applying it to your life, and being transformed by its power!
Visit our Key Word Symbol Page to print out your own copies of the brand new Key Word Symbols.
Why I wear barbwire.
Did you know that 70% of the world’s population lives in countries with heavy restrictions on religion? Did you know that more than one hundred million Christians worldwide are currently suffering interrogations, arrest, and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ? All of this happens on a daily basis around the world while Christians in the West enjoy relative peace, security, and freedom.
First Corinthians Chapter 12 compares the church, the body of Christ, to a physical body with each member having a different function. Verse 26 says that if one member suffers, then all the members suffer with it. Taking these Scriptures to heart, for the past several years I have been an advocate for our suffering brothers and sisters around the world by volunteering for the ministry of Open Doors, a ministry dedicated to serving persecuted Christians worldwide. We would like to invite you to share with us in the wonderful privilege of standing in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who share our faith but not our freedom.
Open Doors is launching its single largest initiative to connect the persecuted church with the American church in a campaign entitled ONE WITH THEM. It will all lead up to November 13, 2011 – the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) – when literally millions will cry out together before God to deliver strength and courage to His saints. Over the coming months, Open Doors will equip you with every tool you will need to prepare your church for IDOP including share-ready testimonies, Bible studies, videos, and printable bulletin inserts – all absolutely free.
But first, we are hoping that you will get the word out by WEARING BARBWIRE. In order to get more people praying, Open Doors would love to send you two barbwire wristbands (made of comfortable rubber) absolutely free. One is for you; the other is for a friend. Please visit onewiththem.com. More wristbands can be ordered for a nominal fee (we just want to cover the cost). We must get the word out and place these reminders on as many wrists as possible so that millions will not forget our suffering brothers and sisters.
Please visit onewiththem.com or scan the QR code at the end of this post with your smart phone and place your order for TWO FREE BARBWIRE WRISTBANDS. Then be prepared to share with others who ask why you are wearing barbwire.
On behalf of suffering saints all over the world, THANK YOU.
New Kid’s Precept Study on Esther
Esther is, I think, one of the most-loved people in the Old Testament. For centuries women have aspired to her beauty, grace, integrity, and courage. Hollywood has made more than one movie about her. (Click here to see a few.) And of course, we often quote the words that her cousin Mordecai spoke to her as he encouraged her to accept God’s plan for her life and save her people the Jews from their mortal enemy, the evil Haman. Mordecai tells her, ” And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
Now your kids can study about this fascinating queen and learn from her godly example in Precept Ministries International’s brand new book called God Has Big Plans for You, Esther by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt – the latest in PMI’s Discover for Yourself (D4Y) series. The D4Y books are inductive Bible studies for kids ages 8-12. These creative books – that are really workbooks full of fun games and activities – guide kids through different books of the Bible so that they can “discover truth for themselves.” In each book amateur detectives Max and Molly (and their beagle Sam) go on a adventure that leads the reader through the study of a particular book of the Bible. In God Has Big Plans for You, Esther Max and Molly visit Washington, D.C., and the Capitol building and in the process unearth an incredible story – the story of Esther and how God used her to save her people.
Even though these wonderful D4Y studies are for ages 8-12, they can be used with younger children as well as long as someone works through the workbook with them. And more than one adult has found them beneficial in simplifying often complex topics such as Bible prophecy, the inductive study method, and the book of Revelation!
To see all of PMI’s titles in this series, click here.
The Purpose Driven Life – with QR Codes!
I love The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I really do. In this post I told you all the reasons that I think this book is special. But I recently discovered that there is a QR Code Enhanced Edition! If you don’t know what a QR Code is, then read no further. This post isn’t for you. Actually, I take that back. Keep reading. You may learn something! (In this post I discussed my love of QR Codes. I still haven’t stitched that pillow. I need to get on that.)
If you have a smartphone, then you know what QR Codes are. They are those nifty squares scattered throughout magazines that encourage you to scan it and view a video related to the article you are reading. Wikipedia has an easy-to-understand definition: “A QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.” Well, sort of easy to understand.
Now this book that I love to give as gifts to seekers (and recommend that every Christian read) has 40 unique QR Codes within its pages. When scanned by your smartphone, the codes link to videos of author Rick Warren. What a great way to incorporate technology in this treasure of a book and bring even more illumination to its reader. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of this technology included in books, magazines, and newspapers.
I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. Technology – for such a time as this.
