The gift that I am given
How do I handle it?
With great care or frivolous flair?

The gift that I am given
Who will use it?
Do I share it or selfishly keep it?

The gift that I am given
How do I use it?
Do I use it to assist all others,
Or just my friends, family and brothers?

The gift that I am given
How valuable is it?
Is its value difficult to assess,
Or is it priceless?

The gift that I am given
How do I use it?
Can I develop it or just give up on it?

The gift that I have received
Comes without conditions but is full of traditions.

The gift that I have received
Comes from a dear friend,
That at times I find difficult to comprehend.

The gift that I have received
Comes from a time far away,
But for some just came today.

The gift that I have received
Comes from a heart of great love
And comes from above.

The gift that I have received
Comes from my Creator,
Saviour and Redeemer.

The gift that I have received
Is my life.

Thank you Lord God
For your gift of life.

Image credit: Patrick Hajzler

praise our Lord,

Dennis

God is like General Electric; He lights your path.

God is like Bayer Aspirin; He relieves pain.

God is like Hallmark Cards; He cared enough to send the very best.

God is like Tide; He gets out stains that others leave behind.

God is like VO-5 Hair Spray; He holds through all kinds of weather.

God is like Dial Soap; Aren’t you glad you use Him? Don’t you wish everyone did?

God is like Sears; He has everything.

God is like Alka Seltzer; Oh, what a relief He is!

God is like Scotch Tape; you can’t see Him but you know He’s there!

God is like American Express Card; don’t leave home without Him!

praise our Lord,

Dennis

This WordPress theme is inspired by the great Amazing Grace hymn written by John Newton.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Download the theme by clicking on the link below.

Amazing Grace Crimson WordPress theme

praise our Lord,

Dennis

Overall the book is nicely done. The illustrations should inspire a youngster’s imagination and cause them to think about what they’ve read. Adults may think that the pictures are a little too cartoon-like though.

The writing flows but some difficult words can be found in the text and the writing should be a little more accurate in places. Often difficult words are explained in a separate box on the page.

Background information is given on each book of the Bible along with an introduction of one person from that book. Each story ends with something your child should think about and a positive message.

There’s nothing overly complicated in the book and this is as it should be for youngsters who are exploring God’s word on their own for the first time. Again the book is a well done work.

The New Bible In Pictures For Little Eyes

This is an amazing and lovely book. The illustrations are beautiful and the book is printed on high quality paper. The paper should be durable even under your child’s handling.

The book is recommended for children between 4 and 7. To me it appears that the book is suitable for children as soon as they begin to talk.

It is made up of one-page stories that can be read to your child each night before bedtime. At the end of each story there are a few questions that can be answered to your child and a small prayer that can be said.

I highly recommend this book to you if you have a 2 to 5 year old that you would like to teach to love Jesus!

The Children’s Bible in 365 Stories

This is a solid and straightforward book that delivers on what it promises in its title. I would say that this book is appropriate for children between the ages of 5 and 8.

As with the Bible, both good and bad stories are presented and illustrated in watercolor. The length of the stories seems to be fine and contain thorough enough details.

Not to take away from this endeavor, there is nothing that makes this book great or outstanding. It is simply a solid and straightforward work and you wouldn’t be regretting the purchase of it.

The Golden Children’s Bible

This book should provide years of enjoyment to you and your children. The book would be good for slightly older children, let’s say between the ages of 7 to 13.

It is classically illustrated and by that I mean that the drawings seem to have a quality of endurance and don’t seem fashionable or trendy. The numbers of stories are extensive and thorough though not all chapters of the Bible are covered.

In general I prefer this book to the one that I previously mentioned but they are both good choices. This book has a little advantage because it is more extensive and should provide more years of enjoyment.

If you were looking to raise your child to love Jesus any of the mentioned books would be very useful along with prayer and worship. I know that God will assist anyone wishing to do this and bring many blessings to you and your loved ones.

praise our Lord

Dennis

Bible Explorer 4

Installation was straight forward and without problems. Software requires Internet connection to install 3 books. Three books should automatically be installed with the setup program instead of requiring another download.

The layout of the software looks very practical and uncluttered although there is the possibility to open up too many panes and create a cluttered look. Navigation through the software is very straightforward.

Bible Explorer 4 contains a personalized Bible reading planner where you can set up a schedule to read the Bible. After choosing what and when to read, a calendar is created with the specific chapters that need to be read. This planned schedule looks to be very useful.

Nave’s Topic is another useful feature of the software where you can study and read the Bible in a topical or keyword fashion. This is a very nice feature and can assist in bringing more meaning and understanding to various texts.

ESword

Installation has a bit too many next screens to click through and your PC requires restarting after installation. Automatically creates a desktop shortcut icon without giving you the option not to have one.

Once inside the program my first impression is that it looks confusing, although the tips that came up when starting the program make it seem promising. The main reason for the confusing appearance is because in the Bible window nearly every word or phrase is annotated with Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionaries. The software offers a few useful features such as the ability to maintain a prayer list, one click pasting of verses into your study notes and the option to display a paper texture so that it looks like you’re reading from a book rather than a computer screen. I was not able to find a way to disable the annotation and tame the confusing appearance of the ESword software. That alone doesn’t make the software conducive to Bible study so I cannot recommend its use.

The Word

This was the easiest installation of any of the programs. The program’s interface seems to be the most intuitive of them all and offers the option to increase and decrease font size amongst other features. Searching for words and phrases works great. The software offers a parallel view where verses that you choose are shown from different Bible translations in parallel. There is also an area where you can type in study notes. The program offers three methods to navigate to a particular verse. You can navigate through the Bible tree, verse reference or search. Overall it is an easy to use, straightforward and intuitive Bible study software.

The Sword Project

The installation of this program is the most complex and Internet access is definitely required. About 75% through the installation a readme window opens up and subsequently the Crosswire home page opens up. This left me pretty confused as to what to do next. On the right side of the Crosswire page there is a block with the title Download new modules for your Sword library. I clicked on the Crosswire official repository link and on that page there is an installation help link. I followed the directions on that page and filled out the ftp information. After saving the information the software provides a list of modules that are available for installation. Browse through the list and double click on the modules that you would like to install. The program downloads the modules and installs them. Closing the window allows the software to finish it’s installation routine.

This program offers a parallel view of various Bible translations and three different daily devotionals or in other words, readings. Book marking verses for future reference is very easy to do. Editing the bookmarks is managed nicely as well. Searching for words or phrases does take quite a bit of time and seems slow. To add personal study notes a new window pops up but it would be better if you could just type them in on the screen. Font sizes and colours can be adjusted easily to your liking. This software is very powerful and feature rich.

I would recommend The Word software since there were no big issues with this software. The layout worked and the program was easy to use. Using the program was an enjoyable experience from beginning to end.

If you are computer savvy and serious about your Bible study then the Sword Project is the right software for you since it includes many powerful features. All of the Bible study software reviewed here can assist with your spiritual growth in Christ, and best of all the software is free.

praise our Lord,

Dennis