One of the questions I get asked from time to time is “Does God speak to us today?” There are two camps of people within evangelical circles in this debate. One group says yes and one group says no. There are very mature Christians who find themselves on opposite sides of this question. My own answer is an unhesitating YES.

I am sure we could all think of a wierdo or a TV preacher who says that God is speaking through them when we know it isn’t true. However, just for the sake of the argument, let’s throw that out and discuss the matter sincerely as people who really want to know the answer. In fact, let’s get a little more specific. Let’s ask, “Does God really speak to Christians today apart from the Bible?”

The group that says “no” usually points to examples of people who have been hurt by those that said that God was speaking through them. When a life is hurt because another person told them something supposedly from God, it seems to give God a bad image to the person who was hurt. But as powerful an emotional argument as that is, is that still any reason to believe that God doesn’t speak to us today?

Consider this: throughout time, God has used two tools in the life of his church. The Bible and the Holy Spirit. We all know people who interpret the Bible wrongly but we don’t throw it out because of that. Just like this, some people don’t know how to interpret what the Holy Spirit is saying or doing, but we shouldn’t come to the conclusion that he doesn’t speak anymore because of this.

The Holy Spirit and the Word of God work together in our lives. We don’t have a fool proof method of interpreting either of them to solve every ethical or moral question. We do disagree about what they say at times. But just becuase we disagree doesn’t mean that God is silent. People disagree about all kinds of stuff. The fact that there are disagreements or abuses doesn’t mean that we should shut our ears and believe that God, through the Holy Spirit, no longer speaks to us.

A scripture regarding this is John 14:6 ?I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.? If the Holy Spirit is inside of us, then he still speaks to us. If the Holy Spirit speaks to us, then God still speaks to us. It’s not a good argument to claim that God has given us his Holy Spirit, but that God doesn’t speak to us. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, advocate, helper, etc… Does it make sense that he does all this without saying anything to us?

The following week, my husband and I began a Vacation Bible School with a rowdy group of inner-city children. What a struggle it was to keep their attention! It was obvious that we were going to need something special to keep them coming back each day.

Boldly I announced, “Tomorrow we will have a puppet show. Be sure to be here!” My husband’s eyes grew wide, but he didn’t say a word until we were on our way home.

“And who will be leading the puppet show?” he asked.

“I will!” I responded with confidence.

By taking that first step, we learned what a dynamic tool puppetry is for teaching, capturing attention and motivating children. Although our scripts that week were simple stories centering around the memory verses, they were what we needed to peak the childrens interest and to keep them coming back each day. A whole new ministry opened up before me.

The puppets were able to make it fun to listen and pay attention to the lessons for the kids, even though they had a hard time listening without the puppets. The puppets seem to be alive to the kids, and just about anything with the puppets will hold their attention more effectively than a teacher can.

Memory verses and lesson applications are easily related through animated characters. Puppets can also get children involved and thinking and can help to maintain discipline. We have discovered that using puppets is more than just fun. It is an effective way to share biblical principles and stimulate growth.

Fortunately for teachers and ministry leaders, puppets can be made for just about anything that you may have around the house, and there is no need to spend a lot of money to start a puppet ministry.

Although there are some great resources available for puppet ministries (particular resources available online), most importantly you will benefit from simply having excitement and commitment to starting the puppet ministry.

Lord, show me if You want me to include puppets in my ministry to boys and girls. And if You do, I will trust You for enthusiasm and courage.

Ann Shorb is a Christian therapist in PA, writer, and speaker. She has been using puppets in children’s ministry for more than 25 years.

Random Bible verse generators are often used on Christian websites to provide visitors with some content that will change each time they visit. A random verse script will show one of a hundred or so verses each time the page is loaded, so visitors are likely to see something different every time. While this isn’t a major change for a website, random verse scripts are easy to use and they do a good job of keeping something fresh on the site.

Why Use a Random Bible Verse on Your Christian Website:

Fresh Content

When visitors are on your site multiple times they hope to see something different or new from the last time they were there. While not all websites include content that is updated frequently, having a random verse on your site will accomplish the task of having something different and interesting for those visitors.

Spreads the Word of God

In addition to the benefit of having some fresh content, random verse generators are also popular because they give you an easy way to put portions of Scripture on your site. Many of your visitors will appreciate how easy it is to visit your site and get a new verse to read, and you never know who will greatly benefit from seeing those verses.

It’s Simple

With the availability or scripts for random Bible verses, putting one on your site is very easy. If you have the ability and access to insert a small piece of code into your site’s page(s), you can easily add it yourself with no need to create or edit any HTML or CSS code. Most random verse scripts will provide instructions that anyone can follow. However, it is key that you be able to access the code of your site.

Putting a Random Verse Script on Your Site

Now that we’ve looked at the reasons to add a random verse script to your site, you may be ready to take the next step. You can find a free script at our website that will allow you to add it to your site, with instructions provided. See this page for details ” Random Bible Verse Generator.

The author is a Christian counselor. Get a random Bible verse for your site from CCES.

Humankind has valued aromatic oils for their healing qualities since the dawn of civilization. These dense, rare substances have been a critical part of medicine and spiritual worship in many cultures across the world. Because creating essential oils necessitates having a large amount of plant material, the final product has always been extremely valuable. In no other body of work is this more visible than in the Old and New Testaments. In the Bible, aromatic oils signified devotion, wealth, medicine and humility. Whether looking at the use of cinnamon to anoint sacred objects used in worship, to the three kings offering Jesus gifts of frankincense and myrrh, oils have had a special niche in Jewish and Christian cultures for centuries.

The distillation process for essential oils is a relatively new phenomenon that requires a still and a large amount of water to steam out the essential oils. Most likely, the oils we read about in the Bible were infusions of plant material into other more common oils. This, however, does not reduce their potency or their cultural and historical significance. Frankincense, myrrh and the other oils of the Bible were held in high esteem and difficult to obtain. Regardless of their distillation process, creating an aromatic oil has always been a labor-intensive project.

We find about twelve essential oil plants listed in the Bible: juniper, myrtle, spikenard, frankincense, myrrh, galbanum, cinnamon, cedar, cedar and sandalwood, hyssop and cypress. One part of the puzzle that is unclear to modern scholars is whether all these plants were used as essential oils or if they were herbal plant remedies. Regardless, the Bible certainly makes reference to the Jews and Christians using these plants for anointing and also for medicine. There are varying interpretations of how many healing plants mentioned in the Bible were used for medicinal or sacred purposes. However, contemporary aromatherapy still recognizes these oils as important ingredients in the essential oil repertoire, and it is clear humankind has valued these plants for thousands of years.

The aromatic plants of the Bible reflect the dryness of the Middle East. These plants can survive harsh climates and little rainfall. Fortunately for humankind, this unforgiving environment has given birth to many of aromatherapy’s most well-loved plants. The oils of the Bible come from a variety of plants, most of which are hardy, desert-dwellers. Cinnamon is a bark from an aromatic tree that curls once it is removed and dried. Sandalwood, cedar, cypress and juniper are also all trees or shrubs found in the Mediterranean region. Historically, they were used for wood as well as medicine, aromatherapy and incense. Frankincense, myrrh and galbanum are resins derived from the barks of trees. They are often burned directly, also used in incense and retain their aromatic qualities for a long period of time. Modern aromatherapy often uses frankincense and myrrh for their abilities to connect us to higher planes of awareness. The frequently mentioned hyssop is an aromatic plant with purple flowers that is widely cultivated for use in cooking and herbal medicine. Myrtle, a flowering short tree or shrub, is a common aromatherapy plant as well that grows wild in these dry climates. Finally, spikenard, also called nard in the Bible, is a plant that is native to the Himalayan region of Asia. It was imported to the Middle East and used as an expensive perfume.

When searching for Biblical references to medicinal plants, the Old Testament is the place to begin. Myrrh, one of the first oils to be referenced, can be found in Exodus 30:23-29. After wandering in the desert after their escape from Egypt, the Israelites, led by Moses, were asked by God to have an anointing oil made for the ritualistic objects in the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. This portable altar was carried as the Israelites roamed for forty years in the desert. The oil, which was made from olive oil, cinnamon, cane and myrrh, was used to transform the ritual implements into sacred instruments. The process of anointing both humans and objects can be found throughout the Bible as an act of faith and worship.

The birth and death of Jesus both contain references to aromatic oils as offerings. Matthew 2:11 recounts the arrival of the magi at the time of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem. Following a guiding star, these kings arrived where Mary had just given birth and offered the baby frankincense and myrrh, oils which are still used today to induce spiritual awakenings. During Jesus’s life, he was anointed with oil of spikenard on two different occasions, once by a woman who broke a jar and poured it over his head and once by Mary of Bethany. Mary, who had purchased the spikenard with her life savings, anointed Jesus’s feet and rubbed the oil in with her hair. In each instance, the bestowal of oils were a gift of great worth.

Today, the oils of the Bible are frequently used in aromatherapy for healing physical ailments, connecting with spiritual or meditative states and even as offerings in religious contexts. Many of these oils have been used in unison, such as frankincense and myrrh, for thousands of years. Their widespread cultivation and our appreciation for their medicinal qualities have traversed the globe as Jews and Christians have continued to respect and use these rare oils. While aromatherapy as it is practiced today is a relatively new field of medicine, the use of medicinal oils is actually as old as civilization itself. By learning how these plants were used during Biblical times, we can connect to traditions that have recognized the relationship between humankind, the plant world and spiritual awakening.

If you have begun to read the Bible, you have started a noble task. But it is easy to get frustrated or dismayed while reading the Bible if you don’t know where or how to begin. It seems like the beginning is the right place to start, but that would lead you astray. In this article, I will show you a plan to read and understand the flow and thought of the Bible.

As you read the Bible, don’t begin in the beginning. Instead, find the contents page and locate the Gospel of John. It is about two thirds of the way through your Bible. It is after Luke and before Acts. Reading the Gospel of John will acquaint you with the most famous person in the Bible, Jesus. John will also help you understand the main point of the Bible, which is why a lot of people read it in the first place.

Next, I recommend that you read one chapter a day, so as not to start out too fast. Take some time and reflect on what you read. You may even want to write down your thoughts and questions about the chapter you read. Reading through John will take you about a month, if you read four to five days a week.

Once you are finished with John, go right to the next book, Acts. Acts details the lives of the Apostles after Jesus went back to heaven. Reading through Acts will help you understand the other books in the New Testament. Most of the other New Testament books were written by the Apostle Paul, who you will learn about in Acts. Acts is only a few chapters longer than John, so it should also take you about a month to read.

Now, switch gears and move back to the beginning of the Bible to the book of Genesis. Genesis is a story about the beginning of the earth and about how God chose the people he wanted to use to affect human history. Reading Genesis should take you about two months and it will familiarize you with some of the most famous characters in Biblical history. You will become familiar with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and others.

After you are done with Genesis, travel back to the New Testament and read Romans. Romans is right after Acts, a book you have already read. Romans was written by the Apostle Paul. Throughout Romans, Paul teaches us about the point of Biblical history. Most of what you just read in Genesis will help you as you read Romans. Romans is considered the height of Biblical teaching by many scholars.

If you would like to read more than just one chapter a day, try reading a Psalm or a Proverb. Psalms is found in the middle of the Bible. The Psalms are a collection of prayers and songs to God. They aren’t very long to read. Proverbs comes right after the Psalms. They are a collection of writings that teach wisdom for life in general. They are great to read if you want to gain knowledge about life, leadership skills or just plain old common sense.

So far you have read about Jesus, the apostles, the beginning of the world and the point of Biblical history. I think it is time for you to pick your own book of the Bible to read through. There are lots of different types of literature in the Bible, so take time to make sure you understand the type of literature you are reading. In the Bible there is history, prophecy, parable, poetry, and many other forms of writing. I have written a great book on how to understand them all. Most importantly, take some time to pray and ask God to help you in your reading. If you ask, you shall receive.

Countless people pick up their Bible because they know they are supposed to read it, but they just don’t get much out of it. You may be one of them. Are there large portions of the Bible that you just don’t seem to understand, or just aren’t interesting to you? Do you try to read the Bible but get stuck or bored? Are you in an endless cycle of trying to begin reading the Bible consistently, but failing over and over? Don’t worry. In this article I am going to provide you with a few simple tips that will allow you to read the Bible with understanding instead of frustration.

To begin, remember that the different sections of the Bible have different rules for reading it based on what type of literature it is. As an example, you wouldn’t read the New York Times the same way you would read a love poem would you? It’s the same with the Bible. For instance, the Psalms are songs of praise sung by the ancient Israelites. You shouldn’t read them like you would read I Samuel, which is a historical account of the kingdom of the Israelites. So, for starters, if it is history, read it like an historical account. If it is poetry, read it like poetry, with emotion. Everything in the Bible is true, but the writing style can differ greatly.

Now, make sure that you read everything in the right context. Don’t just pick a verse here or there. If you read consistently, the Bible answers most of the questions it asks or prompts in the reader. This is true especially of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. If you get confused, just keep reading. A solution or clue is usually right around the corner in the next chapter or section.

It is also important to make sure that you have a very readable vesion of the Bible. You can’t be constantly working to understand the terms and language. That will only slow you down. The NIV, New International Version, or the NLT, New Living Translation, are both very reliable, modern translations of the scriptures.

Ok, now, go ahead and pick a Gospel, it doesn’t matter which one you choose. Begin to read it while asking yourself these few questions.

1) What is God saying or communicating to the people?

2) How are the people in the story responding to God?

3) How does God treat the people based on their reaction to him?

4) Now apply it to yourself. Ask yourself, “Am I like or dislike the people in the story and is that a good or a bad thing?”

As you ask yourself these questions, be ready with paper and something to write with to journal your thoughts, questions and comments about the passage. You will find yourself looking deeper into the text as you discover what God is saying and how the passage portrays the reaction people give to God. Then, you can chart your own thoughts about your current life situation and how your relationship with God is doing.

After you are done with this, to give you some variety, turn to the middle of your Bible and open to the book of Proverbs. Read one Proverb a day, corresponding to the day of the month. For instance, if the date is the 15th of the month, read Proverbs chapter 15. The Proverbs provide countless gems of wisdom for modern believers. However, always remember that the Proverbs were not written to be specific promises that we can rely on 100 percent of the time, but rather general life statements that usually turn out to be true, all things being equal. If you see the general wisdom of each Proverb, you will grow in your understanding of that type of wisdom literature in the Bible.

As you begin to impliment these steps, you will quickly begin to understand much larger portions of the Bible. Try this for thirty days and see what happens.

Lots of people would like to read the Bible regularly. Many have great intentions, but very few actually make a life time habit out of it. Why does this happen? And what makes those who make a habit out of reading their Bible?s different? The reasons can be found in a few easy steps that we will look at in this article.

First, people do not set aside the correct amount of time to make a habit out of reading their Bible. Many people express the desire to want to read their Bible regularly, but desire alone does not account for much. Many people also want to stick to a diet, but few can. In order to get something out of reading the Bible, you have to commit regular time to it. I suggest scheduling out at least twenty minutes a day for thirty days.

Next, it is important that you have a place where you can read the Bible without distraction. Get away from the TV, radio and the internet. Get away from noise and visual clutter. Find a place where you can read undisturbed.

Now, make sure you own an understandable version of the Bible. Getting a modern English version isn’t hard. The New Living Translation or (NLT) or the New International Version (NIV) are great and easy to read. If you can’t understand the sentences you are reading, you won’t understand the main thought of the passage. Since this is frustrating, be sure to get a Bible translation that is easy for you to read and understand.

Next, start choose a book of the Bible that is easy to understand. You don’t have to start reading the Bible from the beginning. the Gospel of John is a great place to start since it is very readable.

Something helpful to have around is a notebook and a pen or pencil. Keep track of the thoughts and questions that come to your mind as you read. Doing this will help you be able to keep reading without getting distracted by one question or concept. Later on, you can take your questions to a pastor or a mature Christian.

Finally, make sure you come to your reading with a submissive heart. The Bible is a special book, given to us by God himself. Reading it with an attitude of humility to grow in your relationship with God is the best way to read it. Before you begin your reading, stop for a moment and pray. Ask God to help you understand what you read and to allow it to change you. You will find that God answers this type of prayer.

The Bible is a wonderful resource for spiritual growth. With these tools, you will learn to understand and apply all the riches of the Word of God for yourself.

Here are the five steps. Study or teach 1. The Biblical Principles 2. The Order 3. The Overlap 4. The World 5. The Why

The Principles: Most of us know the stories included in the Bible are there to teach us principles. Unfortunately we often just grab a story when we need to teach or learn a principle and just go for it. But we miss the larger picture. We’re so busy teaching principles we don’t put them in God’s larger viewpoint. We don’t even know simple things like when Ruth lived compared to Esther or Daniel to Solomon? Even after years of Bible study.

That’s where a Bible timeline comes in to play. And a Biblical timeline chart with World history is even more useful. Your study and teaching have more meaning when you see how it all fits into God’s plan for man on earth. Let’s start with first things first.

The Order. Where do people and events fit into the overall picture? Even better what is the overall picture? Using a timeline that shows us events from Adam to today makes it visual. We see the long foundation building of God’s plan during the 2500 years from Adam to Moses with a short hop to Solomon and then an intermediate length of a 1000 years to Christ. And another long slow building up of events to today as long foretold prophecies come to pass.

The overlap. What can we get from that? How many people know that Methusaleh, the longest living human, died the year of the flood? Or that Shem, Noah’s son, was still alive when Isaac was born. Or even more exciting is realizing that Noah was still living when Abraham was born. Is it possible Abraham and Isaac were told stories of the flood from a person who lived through it? When we actually see, using a timeline, that Enos, grandson of Adam lived until Noah was in his 90’s suddenly we make that leap. The leap that tells us Abraham, or members of his family, may have known Noah and Noah knew Adam’s grandson. Talk about your six degrees of separation story.

When we discover that Daniel and Confucius lived at the same time, or that the Greek poet Homer and Solomon lived in the same century, we begin to connect all those bits of history into a solid map in our minds. These aren’t isolated events happening “somewhere in time.” History is a series of connected events. More than that – they are a quilt of events all interconnected. All under God’s direction.

When we discover that Homer and Solomon lived during the same century, or that Daniel and Confucius lived at the same time, the history of the world becomes one grand picture rather than little bits. These aren’t isolated events happening “somewhere in time.” History is a series of connected events – all under God’s direction.

Why. We see God’s hand dealing with all of His children, the descendants of Noah, scattered across the globe to bring about the saving of the human family through Jesus Christ. That’s your why. We see His hand orchestrating major events to bring about prophetic promises of blessing or cursing. Especially now during the wrapping up years as the entire world is in contact and relationship with each other. Now we see His hand played out on a world stage, all of that history coming together into one grand finale. A Bible World History Timeline gives us that whole world view of God’s plan.

There are your five steps. 1. Teach or study your principle. 2. Orient the story in time. Place it in order on the timeline. 3. View the overlap and what that tells us. 4. Consider other events going on in the world at the same time. 5. Why. See it all as part of the God’s great plan for man.

Now that’s how to add power and excitement to your Bible study and teaching.

Who were the original twelve apostles and what happened to them? The Bible only mentions the deaths of two apostles, James who was put to death by Herod Agrippa I in 44 AD and Judas Iscariot who committed suicide shortly after the death of Christ. The details of the deaths of three of the apostles (John, the Beloved, Bartholomew and Simon the Canaanite) are not known at all, either by tradition or early historians. The deaths of the other seven apostles are known by tradition or the writings of early Christian historians. According to traditions and the Bible, eight of the Apostles died as Martyrs. At least two of the Apostles, Peter and Andrew were crucified.

Simon surnamed Peter died 33-34 years after the death of Christ. According to Smiths Bible Dictionary there is “satisfactory evidence that he and Paul were the founders of the church at Rome, and died in that city. The time and manner of the apostles martyrdom are less certain. According to the early writers, he died at or about the same time with Paul, and in the Neronian persecution, A.D. 67,68. All agree that he was crucified. Origen says that Peter felt himself to be unworthy to be put to death in the same manner as his Master, and was therefore, at his own request, crucified with his head downward.”

James the son of Zebedee: We know about his death from Acts 12: 1-2 He was put to death by Herod Agrippa I shortly before the day of the Passover, in the year 44 or about 11 years after the death of Christ.

John: Nothing is available either from tradition or the early writers. Various historians conclude he died sometime between 89 AD to 120 AD

Andrew: No accurate death date given. A variety of traditions say he preached in Scythia, in Greece, in Asia Minor and Thrace. He is reported to have been crucified at Patrae in Achaia.

Philip: Again, the Bible does not say when he died nor do we have accurate information. According to tradition he preached in Phrygia, and died at Hierapolis.

Bartholomew: We have no knowledge about his death, not even by tradition.

Matthew: He must have lived many years as an apostle, since he was the author of the Gospel of Matthew which was written at least twenty years after the death of Christ. There is reason to believe that he stayed for fifteen years at Jerusalem, after which he went as missionary to the Persians, Parthians and Medes. There is a legend that he died a martyr in Ethiopia.

Thomas: The earlier traditions, as believed in the fourth century, say he preached in Parthia or Persia, and was finally buried at Edessa. The later traditions carry him farther east. His martyrdom whether in Persia or India, is said to have been by a lance, and is commemorated by the Latin Church on December 21 the Greek Church on October 6, and by the Indians on July 1.

James Alpheus: We know he lived at least five years after the death of Christ because of mentions in the Bible. According to tradition, James son of Alpheus was thrown down from the temple by the scribes and Pharisees; he was then stoned, and his brains dashed out with a fullers club. (I guess they wanted to make sure he was really dead. After all Paul was once left for dead but recovered.)

Simon the Canaanite ” No information either in the Bible or by tradition.

Jude (Thaddeus) according to tradition Jude brought the gospel to Armenia, Syria and Persia where he was martyred. Tradition also tells us he was buried near the Caspian Sea in what is now Iran.

Judas Iscariot: Shortly after the death of Christ Judas killed himself. Matthew writes about it in Matthew 27:5. Judas hanged himself at Aceldama, on the southern slope of the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, and in doing so he fell down a cliff and was dashed into pieces.

Modern scientific discoveries have confirmed that the creation account of the Bible is correct. The creation is covered in 31 verses in the first chapter of the Bible. With only a hundred or so sentences describing we’re clearly not looking at a detailed account of how to create a universe. It is instead a quick outline of the events of creation.

The author of the first book of the Bible, Genesis, gives an astoundingly accurate account of how our world began. Without access to the huge telescopes or worldwide research that scientists have today he was able to write about events that scientists are just now beginning to understand. In fact the first event he describes was not understood by today’s astronomers until the last fifty years.

What about that first event, the separation of light from darkness? This turns out to be a superb description of the photon decoupling event. What is that you might ask. It seems, according to current astronomical theory, that at the very beginning the universe was an opaque, murky stew of unformed atoms. Light would begin to form creating blinding flashes of light and then immediately be destroyed. As the universe cooled, light was able to form and to stream. Other atoms necessary as the building blocks of worlds also were able to form. Light was at last separated from darkness. The stage was set for the next steps of creation.

Now we have light and darkness, and the materials to make worlds, stars and more. Moses simple statement of the separation of light from darkness is an awesome layman’s description of the photon decoupling event.

After this major event, then the earth is created. It is watery mass from which dry land eventually appears. The first life is plant life. Grasses come before shrubs (or herbs) ending with trees. Heavenly bodies are apparent as the atmosphere thins. Animal life also comes in this order – fish, birds, land animals. Last to arrive is man.

As scientists study the creation of the universe and life on earth, they have found that it happened in exactly that order. David Attenborough’s book “Life on Earth” gives a good description of the order of the creation of life on earth. His listing of the order of appearance of various types of life and the sequence given in Genesis agree. While Moses does not mention every item, those he does mention are in the correct order.

The next segment is found in Genesis 1:17. That says “God set them [the moon and the sun] in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth”. The moon is especially interesting.

What about our earthly moon makes it unique among moons. Primarily it’s size and composition. It is so large that sometimes it is given the classification planet rather than moon. Compared to our moon, the moons around other planets are tiny.

The moon is such a puzzle that scientists still have not figured out exactly how it was formed or ended up in such a serendipitous orbit around the earth. If it were just a bit further away it would not circle the earth but have it’s own orbit. Any closer and it would hit the earth causing incredible destruction. Our unique moon is precisely placed to accomplish it’s purposes.

The Bible and science are in agreement as to the step-by-step process of creation that ended with the appearance of humans on earth.