The Saturday Six

One.

My sister sent me this link to a handful of Andy Griffith quizzes. Any Andy fans out there? You should try these! They were a little more difficult than we expected. :)

Two.

Source

I have mentioned a time or two on here before about The Daily Grace Company, which is a fairly recent discovery for me. (Within the last year, I would say.) I love following them on Instagram, but I have also been enjoying their publications in recent weeks. I just finished reading my first Bible study of theirs, and I wanted to tell you about ! (They have many studies, but this was the first one I had completed.)

It's called Amen: The Story of Scripture from Eden to Eternity and it's written by Kristin Schmucker, who is the founder of the Daily Grace Company. This particular study is an overview of the whole Bible and takes particular care to show the thread of God's covenant and fulfilled promises from Genesis to Revelation.

I'll tell you immediately that in all my years of teaching Bible studies, one of the most difficult obstacles I've always found has been finding books that are meaty enough for seasoned Christians while simultaneously being basic enough for new believers. Most general study groups have a mix of "faith ages" inside them, and it's so easy to lose one end or the other. I feel like Amen does a great job of appealing to both sides. I've been a Christian since I was six, and I drank up every page of this study. I found new-to-me themes and threads inside its pages, and I loved returning to the basics of the Bible for a little bit. But as I studied, I could also think of friends of mine who are new to all this, and I was certain they could just as easily follow the thread.

This study is written to cover five weeks, with five days of study per week. (I read it every single day straight through, so I finished it faster, but that's how it's designed.) The front of the book includes colorful graphics to explain some basic Bible facts, like how many books are in the Bible, the 3 original languages, the number of years it took to write, the number of earthly writers, Testaments, books, divisions, and chapters. It also provides a timeline of Scripture from Eden to the destruction of the second temple.

The first week of study is an overview of why the Bible is important, why studying it matters, what the Gospel means, and a quick glance at both the Old and New Testaments. From there, the remaining four weeks travel from Genesis to Revelation and show how God was (and is!) present in the world and with His people.

Each day offers a manageable piece of Scripture to read, a one-page explanation of that day's study, and three reflection questions that can be answered in as few or many words as you would like. The conclusion of each week offers six more questions over the week as a whole, and those questions are consistent throughout the book. Twice in this book, there's a chance to write out a summary of what you've learned so far, if you wish to do so.

The entire study is bathed in Scripture references and points entirely to the Word, and not just to the writer's opinion.

And because things like this usually matter to girls, the book itself is BEAUTIFUL. Many full color pictures that make it an absolute delight to walk through from beginning to end. If you want to do this study together with your husband or in a mixed group setting, there is also a men's version of the book, which I believe is the same in content, but a little more masculine in presentation.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, regardless of depth of understanding of Scripture. And I'm excited to dive into the next study. (I already ordered it so I wouldn't even have a day's lapse in study.)

* I have no affiliation with the company and I purchased the book with my own money, so this just really is me telling you about something I love! I will add that they do often run sales, so even though I absolutely find this book worthy of the $20.00 price tag, if you need something more affordable, check back often and you'll probably find a sale!

Three.

Our pastor shared this rendition of Softly and Tenderly in our staff meeting this week, and I thought it was so beautiful.

Four.

I'm pretty sure a lot of you who read here also read Kelly's Korner (in fact, it's how I met some of you!) but if you don't or you missed this post, check it out! For those of you who aren't familiar with Kelly, her daughter (Harper) has hearing loss, so mask-life makes it even harder for her to understand what people say to her. Kelly posted about these smile masks that have a clear area around the mouth!

Five.

I know this unique prayer idea is geared for teaching kids (in a group) to pray, but I happen to think some of the ideas here might work equally well on adults! Creative!

Six.

If you're following the Gospel reading plan I used last year, here's the list for the month of June! It will get you almost to the end of Mark!