Bible Lessons

Book Review: Uplift: The Way of the Heart is Love

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Uplift: The Way of the Heart is Love by Daniel M. Sponenburg, 164 pgs, Available on Amazon, $10. Gentle Slope Publishing.

Mr. Sponenburg has written a unique collection inspirational readings that consist of five chapters, 1. Uplift, 2. Spirit, 3. Friendship, 4. People, and 5. Heart. He has a conclusion, Healthy Spiritual Exercises, Author’s Notes, Resources and Abbreviations and an Index.

Mr. Sponenburg states: “We live The Abundant Life by interacting with others in Christ where we are planted, not alone, but with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.” He goes on to say, “Your life will change because you are alive. The decision of how you will change is mostly in your hands. . .”

Each chapter is loaded with topics such as Integrity and Truth with important thoughts, such as “Honesty is being Truthful to others, Integrity is being Truthful to Yourself.” Each topic is written in a manner that is easy to read and understand, even a child in 6th grade can read and learn from this book, and each section is short enough to read in a few minutes.

There is so much packed into this book that it is difficult to cover all the topics. It is a great book to mediate about the Bible, to gain insight to everyday life and focus your thoughts on the positive.

Some topics are:

Language of Love

The Next Battleground

Hidden Leaven

Everyday Matters

Angry With God

Each topic has a number of Bible references to support what the author points out. I strongly recommend this book as one to guide you through life.

God’s Creatures a Biblical View of Animals

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As a Christian and an animal behavior consultant, I am always asked questions about God’s relationship with animals. Does God care about them? Does God talk to them? Can they be evil? Surprisingly, the Bible gives us the answers to these and many more questions. Often people are surprised to learn that animals have been part of Biblical miracles. God’s Creatures covers fifteen different topics that involve animals, all questions that I have been asked.

Everything in this book is backed by Scripture and has been reviewed by two theologians for accuracy. When I wrote this book, I compared critical English words with the original Greek to ensure that the translation was accurate to the English meaning. And of course, the most often and the most controversial question that I have been asked is, do animals go to Heaven? This question is covered in the book. Even if you are not a Christian, I am sure you will find the references to scientific studies and the topics in God’s Creatures interesting. God’s Creatures is a great Bible study for churches or Sunday school. It is written so that children can read and understand what it says. Offering a Bible study about animals is a good way to reach out to the members of your community. You can order the book from my website, www.sbulanda.com, on Amazon or from the publisher, www.Caladach.com.

On Kitten Creek: Searching for the Sacred

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On Kitten Creek: Searching for the Sacred, A Memoir by Nancy Swihart, Cladach Publishing, 185 pgs., $13.49, ISBN: 978-1-945099-02-1.

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On Kitten Creek was a very pleasant and surprising read for me. I found that I could relate to many of the author’s feelings and experiences. Ms. Swihart tells us how she had visions and plans about what she wanted to do, her job, ministry, and even the house she wanted as she and her family moved from California to Kansas. But God had other plans for her and her family, and of course God’s plans turned out to be much better. Her experiences are a testimony to all young people to have faith through life.

As Ms. Swihart shows us, it is hard to see the vision while you are young and traveling down the path of life. But the lesson is clear as one looks back, have faith and trust. On Kitten Creek is a good book for all ages, and an inspiration for those who might be struggling with life’s situations. Although it is a Christian book, it is not preachy and I found it a delight to read, more like a novel then a memoir.  Ms. Swihart is a gifted writer and the book is easy to read.