Month: September 2018

The Audio Bible of My Dreams

audio Bible of my dreamsThe audio Bible of my dreams has finally made its way to the app stores! I have a daily Bible reading schedule in which I read 10 chapters per day. It is an adaptation of Professor Grant Horner’s Bible reading plan. The plan has its critics but many Bible-lovers give it high praise. I am into the fourth year of using it daily. The plan is to continue using it. It is my desire to do everything I can to ENCOURAGE the reading of the Bible. For that reason I want to describe to you a new development which might appeal to smart phone users.

My Bible reading WITHOUT the audio Bible of my Dreams…

It has been my normal practice to use Logos Bible Software to do my daily Bible reading. I have a laptop hooked to a 22-inch monitor. Enlarging the text considerably. I use the audio reading function of Logos (Control + R). The reading speed I set at 2X. Logos will automatically scroll through the content. It is quite easy to move through the ten readings using keyboard shortcuts. It has worked for me for a long time. I am sure it will continue to work for me. It is easy on the eyes and ears. It is very pleasant to notice various and sundry nuances as the words are read and as the words scroll on by. I consider these words to be the very words of God and am convinced I am made a better person through this exercise.

My Bible reading WITH the audio Bible of my Dreams…

For a few days I have been exposed to advertising from the people who produced the Olive Tree Bible App. I have used this app for a few years. I think it is one of the best. There is a free version and you can add to your library with many excellent books and study tools. Their most recent attempts to take my money involved incorporating audio Bibles into their Bible app. I read their material. I watched their video. It looked amazing. I am glad I checked it out and made the purchase. There are several Bible versions available and other books in audio format. I chose the NKJV Voice Only Audio Bible.

As I understand it, these audio Bibles are available now only on phones and tablets with a data plan. If you have enough storage you can download the entire Bible. You can download whatever part of the Bible you want to read, or you can stream the content. I do not have the storage, so I stream. The wonderful thing about these Bibles is that you can do on the phone the same thing I do with my laptop and Logos that I mentioned above. Most audio Bibles are pretty limited about where you can begin reading. Not this one! You can go to whatever book, chapter, and verse you desire. Also, it automatically scrolls through the text, which you can read from the screen as it reads the text audibly! WOW! You can speed up or slow down the reading. It produces perfect audio, the text scrolls without any noticeable delay.

One NEGATIVE in this audio Bible of my dreams…

There is one pretty important flaw in these audio Bibles. I am sure that when complaints come in they will make adjustment with subsequent updates. There is not enough space on the screen for the longer verses. The words appear on the screen a verse at a time. Many of the verses have more words than will fit in the scrolling space. I am using an iPhone 5S, so my screen is small. Even if you adjust the font face and size, some verses still will not fit. Surely this will be only a temporary hindrance, but it is quite frustrating.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this audio Bible does all I need it to do. I recommend it to you highly. It will be a delight to me for many years. My copy came to $26.49, including tax.

Called of God–Questions to Consider

Walking in Truth: called of GodIn this radio program we consider the important question: “Have YOU been called of God?” This question pertains to a statement found in Acts 2.39. I sincerely believe that many people misunderstand and pervert this passage. I am using some material from the book: The Hub of the Bible, by J.D. Bales in this discussion.

There is a lot of confusion about being called of God which ought not to be so. The Bible is quite clear in its answers to all of the questions we could possibly come up with regarding God’s calling us. When we are content to allow the Bible to speak, our confusion over this matter quickly disappears. Let’s study this important topic by considering the pertinent Bible passages and let God’s Book guide us in answering the questions.

What Does it mean to be called of God?

Men must call upon God in order to attain salvation according to Acts 2.21. But men cannot call on God unless God first calls men. God calls all men, but only those who respond to His call and call on Him does He save. What does it mean for God to call men? How does God call us? Is the call irresistible? To what does God call us?

Questions answered in this Lesson on what it means to be called of God…

  1. What does CALL mean?
  2. Whom does the Lord call?
  3. How does the Lord call?
  4. Is the call of God irresistible?
  5. What happens to those who heed the call?
  6. From what and to what does God call us?From rebellion to obedience (Acts 2.23 + Acts 2.37-42).

1) From darkness to light (Col 1.13; 1 Peter 2.9).

2) From bondage to liberty (Gal 5.13).

3) From antagonism to fellowship (1 Cor 1.9).

4) To sanctification (1 Cor 1.2).

5) God called us by His own purpose and grace (2 Tim 1.9).

Here is the audio recording of our September 2, 2018 edition of Walking in Truth:

Tom House is Coming to Maple Hill

Tom House Gospel Meeting AnnouncementTom House is coming to Benton to preach a series of messages at Maple Hill. On Sunday, his plan is to preach a 3-part series entitled: “God is Our Refuge.” These messages he will preach on Sunday, September 23, at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 7:30 p.m. During the week, on Monday night, September 24, at 7:00 p.m., Tom will present: “Trusting in the Faithfulness of God.” Finally, on Tuesday, September 25, at 7:00 p.m., the meeting concludes with: “They Shall Never Perish,” a study of John 10.27-28.

Who is Tom House?

Tom House is a graduate of Freed-Hardeman, and has been preaching the gospel for 50 years. He is working with the Plainview congregation in Fulton, Mississippi.

In the past Tom has worked in public service, having served as a police officer for the city of Fulton. He also has served as a Deputy Sheriff for Itawamba County. Significantly, his work there involved lecturing for the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Awareness program since 1982. He has presented that material to nearly 41,000 people. In 1993 citizens of the  town of Tremont, MS elected him as an alderman. He has served as president of the Tremont PTA and as president of Oakland Rural Community Development Council.

Finally, Tom House is also presently a full-time employee with the United States Postal service, with 31 years of service. If you want something good accomplished, call on a busy man. That is what we have done.

He is married to the former Nina Ruth James of Gadsden, TN. They have two children and four grandchildren.

We are quite confident that the messages Tom will preach will be biblical, edifying, and will produce great good. Our aim is to serve the church and our community with messages from the Bible that promote Christ-like living. Please come hear him preach and tell others about it as well. You can help us get the word out by sharing this post on social media, please. We plan to record the messages and make them available here.