Articles – Page 13

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The resource page of this site mentions some books, podcasts, and study tools, but I thought I’d put some of my favorite Bible study tools and apps here in a post as well.

Some websites and recently found Christian entertainment sources aren’t noted in the resources section yet.

(The list of favorites will stretch over two or three posts. I won’t get them all in today).

Favorite podcast: Wretched Radio

I have found a few good Christian podcasts, but by far my favorite is still Wretched with Todd Friel. The podcasts are freely available and available to listen on the web or with a variety of different podcast apps. The main website for Wretched is Wretched.org where you can also watch Wretched TV episodes.

Also, Wretched can be found on radio at these stations and on satellite radio systems.

Favorite podcast app: Podcast Republic

Not a “Christian” resource, but for years, I have used the free podcast app Podcast Republic. It is available on Android and is ad supported. The ads are not intrusive but if you want to remove ads, you can do so for a very small fee. It has all the features I need, like sorting podcasts into played and unplayed and which ones are downloaded (for when I think I may hit an area with a spotty internet connection). It’s easy to forward or rewind a few seconds within a podcast and has a sharing feature as well. I include the link to Podcast Republic here, opened to the page where you can listen to the Wretched Radio podcast.

Favorite Bible Study tool/app: Blue Letter Bible

Blue Letter Bible is available on the web at BLB.org and in an app that is available on both iOS and Android platforms. You can read the Bible in various English translations, use the Interlinear tool to find the original Hebrew and Greek words, access text and audio commentaries on almost every verse of the Bible, make notes, highlight passages, read devotionals, and more. I have not made use of all the tools available at BLB and am still learning about what is available there. Check it out! You won’t be disappointed.

Favorite Sermon and Commentary websites:

(There are too many websites that I use for me to narrow it down to just one website. Also, please be diligent to study your Bible prayerfully, no matter which site you use. I don’t agree with all the teaching found on these sites. These ministries are good, solid resources but are put together by fallible men. Let the Bible be your final authority on all matters! Pray for discernment and wisdom always).

Grace To You – the Bible teaching ministry of John MacArthur and others at Grace to You are available here. There is a huge collection of sermons and blog articles along with the ability to search on a wide variety of topics for Christian living.
Got Questions – easily search on thousands of subjects and get answers from the Bible.
Answers in Genesis – So many good articles about the Bible and Christianity are here with, as the name suggests, an emphasis on the book of Genesis. I subscribe to the ministry’s Answers Magazine which is available in print, online, or audio formats. Each issue comes every two months with an insert especially for kids. From the AIG about page:

Answers in Genesis is an apologetics (i.e., Christianity-defending) ministry, dedicated to enabling Christians to defend their faith and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. We focusparticularly on providing answers to questions surrounding the book of Genesis, as it is the most-attacked book of the Bible. We also desire to train others to develop a biblical worldview, and seek to expose the bankruptcy of evolutionary ideas, and its bedfellow, a “millions of years old” earth (and even older universe).

Living Waters – Get equipped to share your faith and purchase some of the best Gospel tracts around. The free evangelical videos produced by the ministry (see Fully Free Films) are outstanding!
Religious Affections Ministries – This website is the one I read the most lately. Have you ever been disappointed with the music that is described as “worship music” these days? Have you ever wondered why music can be such a divisive factor in churches? Do you feel you could benefit from learning what the Bible has to say about worship, emotions, music, and proper affections? If so, browse this website. And, if not, but you call yourself a Christian, browse this website. A good place to start is with the articles that are categorized as Essential Resources.

I was about to add a list of some of my favorite Twitter accounts to follow, but instead I’ll leave that for another post along with the Christian entertainment source I found.

Please share your favorite Bible study tools, websites, apps, and other resources with me by commenting on this post. Thank you!

Cultural and Current Events, Musings and Amusing

Irregularities

July 17, 2019March 21, 2022 patricia grace

I began this blog not long after becoming a Christian. As a new Christian, some of the earliest posts display my immaturity. (Maybe some recent ones, too!) A while back I deleted some of those posts as I was cringing upon rereading them. I started to do the same with my social media postings.

Now, however, I’ve decided to leave things as they are. I am in a process of sanctification and it’s been good to read some immature posts to remind myself of how far the Lord has brought has me and how He is being faithful to change me (Phil 1:6).

So, if you read any of the older posts or find me on social media and have issue with anything you read, please keep my ongoing sanctification in mind. If ANY posts contain what you think is a doctrinal error, please contact me! Doctrines such as the divinity of Jesus Christ and His being the only Savior are not up for debate, but as a Christian I’m called to maintain a teachable spirit, so I’m open for correction, dear saints.

My postings have been irregular too, and I am hoping to change that pattern and post at least once a week.

Blessings to you,
Patricia Grace

Cultural and Current Events, Musings and Amusing

God’s Good Intention for Women

January 1, 2019December 17, 2023 patricia grace

Listen to popular culture long enough and you will hear, more than once, the idea that Christianity is bad for women. Either that or you’ll find someone professing Christ but denying Biblical Christianity because of unpopular verses (ex. 1 Tim 2:12) and distorting the commands of Christ.

No matter what the world will tell you, the Bible is clear about the lengths that God has gone to in order to protect, honor, and show love to women.

We are introduced to the sin of a woman very early in the creation account in Genesis¹ and part of the curse of her sin was regarding childbearing (Gen 3:6,16). Eve was told that she would now give birth to children in pain. Yet, in bringing salvation to the world, the Lord chose a humble young woman named Mary to give birth to the Savior. Childbirth was cursed, and yet God uses childbirth in His plan of salvation of mankind. And a star player in this plan was a Jewish girl.

As a woman poured a very expensive perfumed ointment onto Jesus (“…to prepare me for burial” Matt 26:12b), the disciples complained that the act was a waste. Jesus defended the woman stating that her actions would be remembered all over the world where the Gospel was preached.Later we see his closest disciples abandoning Jesus as He was taken into custody before His crucifixion. Yet we are told “many women” were at the crucifixion “looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him…” (Matt 27:55-56) and two are named: Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph.On the first day of week after Jesus was crucified, the two Marys are once again featured as they are the first to be tasked with sharing the good news of Christ’s resurrection, first by an angel, then by Christ Himself (Matt 28:1-10).There’s certainly more Scriptural evidence of God’s care for women, but the example of God using childbirth is most precious to me. In the Gospel writers’ accounts, we see God using the very thing that was cursed in a woman’s life to bring eternal life to her and redemption to all who would ever repent and believe the gospel of Jesus the Christ.Jesus is truly a Redeemer, reconciling us with God the Father who promises to be with His children always (Deut 31:6, Heb 13:5).

Edited: formerly noted “The first person who sinned was a woman and part of the curse…” Strictly speaking, I don’t now think it’s correct to say that the woman sinned first. Adam sinned by not showing proper leadership as the head of the woman. We are told that Adam was “with her” (Gen 3:6) and that while Eve was deceived, Adam knew it was wrong to eat of the forbidden tree (1 Tim 2:14). ↩︎