Today, we are wrapping up 1st Peter. I'm not sure what direction I want to head into next. I am getting a lot of books in the mail to review, so I foresee my blog becoming more of a blog about book reviews and less about lessons. I have shifted one of my major life goals from becoming an author to becoming one of the top Catholic book reviewers, and the only way to do that is by reading more books, and writing more reviews.
We could slowly walk through 2nd Peter, where I post a little on 2nd Peter and then post a good book to help you grow in your understanding and use of Scriptures. I don't really know. My blog is still in its infancy and is still a living and breathing organism. I would welcome some feedback. I haven't had any comments on my blog in a little while. I've had a lot of views, but not a lot of comments, so please let me know what you would like to see. Let's finish 1st Peter for now though.
Verses 1-4 is advice to presbyters, AKA priests. St. Peter gives this advice to them not as a Bishop giving an order, but as friendly advice from one priest to another. This is wise, because people are more likely to take advice than an order. His advice is straightforward in that he tells them to be good leaders, not leaders seeking a profit or glory. He tells them to be good examples for their flock, and reminds them that though they are shepherds of their church, Jesus is still THE SHEPHERD, and if you treat your flock rightly, you will be rewarded in Heaven.
The rest of the chapter (Verses 5-14) is advice to the community/congregation. We are first told to be humble and subject to the priests. The priests are the head of a church for a reason, and though we don't always agree with their every decision, we should respect them and listen to them, assuming they aren't doing or saying stuff that is heretical.
Verse 7 reminds us that we can cast our cares on God because he cares about us. That is a truth we should already know, but is still reassuring to hear. I believe St. Peter tells us this because the next few verses can be scary. We are told that Satan is prowling around the earth like a lion and trying to eat us (take us to hell). That is terrifying imagery if you just read that verse on it's own, but we know God has already won. So we must resist the devil and know that just as we undergo these trials and sufferings, all other Christians do as well.
Last, like in all letters we have the closing. Silvanus is named as Peter's secretary. We see mention of Mark, writer of the Gospel. And finally, we receive a blessing of peace from St. Peter.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
DOUBLE Book Review Monday
Greetings fellow readers! I am going to undertake an ambitious double review post today, because I feel that these books should be read together, not necessarily at the same time, but definitely in succession. Both of these books (as well as a box of others) were given to me by Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) in exchange for an honest review.
The first book I am going to review is called, Why Enough is Never Enough. In this book Gregory Jeffrey fills the pages with personal stories about "Making Peace with God and Money." There are chapters on trusting God, figuring out how much money it takes a person to truly be happy, giving to others in charity, and attitudes of greed vs. gratitude.
By design, this book will not give you advice on how to make money, budget your money, or what to do with your money. Instead, the whole premise is about helping the reader to become comfortable with the money they have and hopefully help them realize that they do have more than enough money to be happy.
I found this book to be good to very good, but lacking for me. I liked that each chapter included reflections and tasks/questions to complete/answer to make you think and grow in your understanding of your own personal and unhealthy want for more money. But I was disappointed with how many personal stories there were in the chapters and felt the entire book was a little too "fluffy" for me and could have been condensed. The message was solid, but you had to wade through a lot to get to the message I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars, because it was good, but not what I would want out of a finance book.
The second book I am reviewing is 7 Steps to Becoming Financially Free. OSV was GENEROUS enough to send me not just the book, but an entire kit to lead a small group session. The kit included the book, DVDs, a leader's guide, a workbook, etc. I was blown away by not only OSV's generosity, but the quality of this product. I have a small group study that I help lead now, and I know they would enjoy this as much as I did.
I don't have enough space or time to say enough good things about this book/kit, but I will do my best. Each chapter is well-laid out and in a logical order. It starts with us realizing that everything we own belongs to God and progresses from there. Chapters include finances with marriage, with kids, charitable giving, buying a house, getting off debt, saving, investing, etc. etc.
The advice is straightforward and backed up with Scripture references. The tasks to do at the end of each chapter are practical. The workbook supplements the book nicely. And the leader's guide (if you choose to buy the whole kit and lead a group) is immensely helpful and gives you great advice, not only on how to lead each session, but how to be a better small group leader overall.
On a side note, I had ambitions of writing a book with exactly this purpose in mind of personal finances from a Catholic perspective. After reading through this book and watching the DVDs, I can see my time is better spent elsewhere. Phil Lenahan does a masterful job of providing just such a product for Catholics (or any flavor Christian).
I wish I could give this book more than 5 out of 5 stars, but that's the highest rating possible. If your finances are a complete mess and you need to get them in order, buy this book or see if your Parish is offering this class and take it. If your finances just need some tweaking, or you need some practical advice, buy this book. I think anyone and everyone can and will find something beneficial from this book. It should definitely be on the bookshelf of every newly married couple too!
Well, that's all I have for you today. Thank you for taking the time to read these two reviews. I don't anticipate making Double Review posts in the future, but these books had a common theme of personal finances, and I just felt like it worked. Thank you all for taking the time to read this review! I'll see you next time in Stuart's Study.
The first book I am going to review is called, Why Enough is Never Enough. In this book Gregory Jeffrey fills the pages with personal stories about "Making Peace with God and Money." There are chapters on trusting God, figuring out how much money it takes a person to truly be happy, giving to others in charity, and attitudes of greed vs. gratitude.
By design, this book will not give you advice on how to make money, budget your money, or what to do with your money. Instead, the whole premise is about helping the reader to become comfortable with the money they have and hopefully help them realize that they do have more than enough money to be happy.
I found this book to be good to very good, but lacking for me. I liked that each chapter included reflections and tasks/questions to complete/answer to make you think and grow in your understanding of your own personal and unhealthy want for more money. But I was disappointed with how many personal stories there were in the chapters and felt the entire book was a little too "fluffy" for me and could have been condensed. The message was solid, but you had to wade through a lot to get to the message I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars, because it was good, but not what I would want out of a finance book.
The second book I am reviewing is 7 Steps to Becoming Financially Free. OSV was GENEROUS enough to send me not just the book, but an entire kit to lead a small group session. The kit included the book, DVDs, a leader's guide, a workbook, etc. I was blown away by not only OSV's generosity, but the quality of this product. I have a small group study that I help lead now, and I know they would enjoy this as much as I did.
I don't have enough space or time to say enough good things about this book/kit, but I will do my best. Each chapter is well-laid out and in a logical order. It starts with us realizing that everything we own belongs to God and progresses from there. Chapters include finances with marriage, with kids, charitable giving, buying a house, getting off debt, saving, investing, etc. etc.
The advice is straightforward and backed up with Scripture references. The tasks to do at the end of each chapter are practical. The workbook supplements the book nicely. And the leader's guide (if you choose to buy the whole kit and lead a group) is immensely helpful and gives you great advice, not only on how to lead each session, but how to be a better small group leader overall.
On a side note, I had ambitions of writing a book with exactly this purpose in mind of personal finances from a Catholic perspective. After reading through this book and watching the DVDs, I can see my time is better spent elsewhere. Phil Lenahan does a masterful job of providing just such a product for Catholics (or any flavor Christian).
I wish I could give this book more than 5 out of 5 stars, but that's the highest rating possible. If your finances are a complete mess and you need to get them in order, buy this book or see if your Parish is offering this class and take it. If your finances just need some tweaking, or you need some practical advice, buy this book. I think anyone and everyone can and will find something beneficial from this book. It should definitely be on the bookshelf of every newly married couple too!
Well, that's all I have for you today. Thank you for taking the time to read these two reviews. I don't anticipate making Double Review posts in the future, but these books had a common theme of personal finances, and I just felt like it worked. Thank you all for taking the time to read this review! I'll see you next time in Stuart's Study.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Saints Museum and a BONUS Book Review
Well, my fellow readers. I have no Sunday School lesson plan for you again this week. This week we are doing a Saints Museum with the kids! What is a Saints Museum you ask? Good question! Each year our Parish Catechetical Leader has the 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders dress up as Saints, and act like they are statues in a museum. It's fun for the little ones, but not so much the older ones cause they hate dressing up. But I definitely love the idea of it and think it is an awesome activity to show that there are saintly and religious things going on, and not just ole pagan Halloween!
Since, I don't have a lesson plan for you this week, I am going to recommend a resource I received in the mail from the great folks at Emmaus Road Publishing. This is a great Catholic publisher that is true to the teachings of the Church and prints many great books. The book I am recommending this week is Getting the Marriage Conversation Right: A Guide for Effective Dialogue.
As a note, I would only recommend this as a teaching aid for High School and older. This 70 page book is a quick read, but it packs a powerful message. In this book, we get a definition of what is going on in our current society with regards to marriage, and how society is trying to rid itself of traditional marriage. This is sad indeed, because as the book states, "Marriage unites a man and woman with each other and any children born from their union." No other societal institution does that, and if traditional marriage was compromised, an institution would need to be created to fill the requirements of the quote above.
What I like best about this book is the Question and Answer section in the back. Even after reading through documents and books such as this, I still find that I have a hard time answering frequent objections and questions that people of the opposing viewpoint have. I also like that this book tries to answer the question from more than a religious standpoint. Those who disagree with us will always disagree with us if all we have to argue them is our "faith." Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is orthodox, authentic, helpful, and necessary, but it wouldn't be a book I would actively seek out to read.
Tune in Monday for my review of Why Enough is Never Enough. Thank you and have a blessed day!
Since, I don't have a lesson plan for you this week, I am going to recommend a resource I received in the mail from the great folks at Emmaus Road Publishing. This is a great Catholic publisher that is true to the teachings of the Church and prints many great books. The book I am recommending this week is Getting the Marriage Conversation Right: A Guide for Effective Dialogue.
As a note, I would only recommend this as a teaching aid for High School and older. This 70 page book is a quick read, but it packs a powerful message. In this book, we get a definition of what is going on in our current society with regards to marriage, and how society is trying to rid itself of traditional marriage. This is sad indeed, because as the book states, "Marriage unites a man and woman with each other and any children born from their union." No other societal institution does that, and if traditional marriage was compromised, an institution would need to be created to fill the requirements of the quote above.
What I like best about this book is the Question and Answer section in the back. Even after reading through documents and books such as this, I still find that I have a hard time answering frequent objections and questions that people of the opposing viewpoint have. I also like that this book tries to answer the question from more than a religious standpoint. Those who disagree with us will always disagree with us if all we have to argue them is our "faith." Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is orthodox, authentic, helpful, and necessary, but it wouldn't be a book I would actively seek out to read.
Tune in Monday for my review of Why Enough is Never Enough. Thank you and have a blessed day!
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