A Well-Watered Garden

Title: Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity: The Essential Edwards Collection
Authors: Owen Strachan and Douglas Sweeney
Publisher: Moody Publishers 2010
Genre: Non-fiction, Christian growth, discipleship, basic foundation belief
Format: Paperback
Pages: 160
Rating: 5 Stars
Source: Self-purchase

The Works of Jonathan Edwards volumes 1-26 are free for download @ http://edwards.yale.edu/
Biography can be read at this link, from Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179857/Jonathan-Edwards
and
A summary of The Great Awakening: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/242887/Great-Awakening

Another biography from Christian Classics Ethereal Library: http://www.ccel.org/e/edwards

I've heard several authors lately refer to Jonathon Edwards and I made the decision a few days ago to finally read this book. True Christianity, is a beginning point for reading Jonathan Edwards. The bulk of the book is the authors Owen Strachan and Douglas Sweeney, commenting on Edwards serm…

Title: The Headmistress of Rosemere: Whispers on the Moors Book 2
Author: Sarah E. Ladd
Publisher: Thomas Nelson December 31, 2013
Genre: Christian Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Free copy from Litfuse Publicity Group and Thomas Nelson.

Link for book at publisher with an excerpt.

Review Tour at Litfuse

Setting~Rosemere School for Young Ladies, Darbury, England 1816.
Patience Creighton is a young women who's been left to manage the Rosemere School for Young Ladies, after her father's recent death and her brother's absence. Her brother Rowden is to be in charge of the school; but departed for London shortly after the funeral. Patience's mother has taken to bed, her willful and defiant behavior is taxing for Patience. Patience fulfills all the responsibilities as a headmistress, but without the title. The landlord of Rosemere is William Sterling. When the story begins William had business dealings with shady characters who pay him a visit. …

The week of January 19th through 25th I read:
Ezra chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Nehemiah chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
Matthew chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18.
Scripture read from The Transformation Study Bible New Living Translation.

Links of interest:

Christianity Today Magazine
"How 100 Cities Rank and Tank at Embracing the Bible."

"Has Authenticity Trumped Holiness" Gospel Coalition, Brett McCraken

"A Golden Age in Christian Publishing" Tim Challies

A Timelines of Some Key Characters in the OT Justin Taylor

D.A. Carson: How Can We Reconcile the Old Testament God and the New Testament God? 
Justin Taylor

When I was a child growing up there was a painting that hung on the wall behind my dad's chair at our dinner table. The painting was of an aged, white-haired, reverent man, with his head bow down in prayer. A loaf of bread, knife, Bible, glasses, bowl of soup, were placed near him. When I looked at my dad sitting at our family dinner table, behind him on the wall was the reverent man. For some reason in my childlike mind I thought the man in the painting was God the Father. My earthly daddy sitting at the head of our dinner table, with a painting of my heavenly Father behind him. 
Many people equate their earthly father as to what God must be like. If their earthly father is harsh, condemning, fearful, then God must be also. If their earthly father is indifferent, passive, absent, then God must be also. 
Maybe you've heard this before, but there is a big difference between knowing about someone, and really knowing them personally.
The only way to know God personally is thro…

From January 12th through the 18th the following Scripture was read:
Job chapters 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42.
Ecclesiastes chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
Song of Songs chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Matthew chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

A few verses this past week that stood out:
"You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!" Ecclesiastes 9:3
"Control you temper, for anger labels you a fool." Ecclesiastes 7:9
"I am young and you are old, so I held back from telling you what I think. I thought, 'Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.' But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent." Job 32:6-8
"Like the finest apple tree in the orchard is my love among other young men. I sit in his delightful shade and taste his delicious fruit." Song of Songs 2:3

All…

Title: The IVP Concise Atlas of Bible History
Author: Paul Lawrence and Edited by Richard Johnson
Publisher: IVP Academic September 2013
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Rating: 5 Stars
Source: Self-purchase

Link for more information at IVP Academic.
Link for information on Paul Lawrence from IVP Academic. 

Bible illiteracy is rampant. Statistics show only a small number of Christians read their Bible on a daily basis, and many don't read it at all. Those who read books on Bible history or textual criticism is even less. To have someone tell us what is in the Bible is to depend on someone who may or may not know what they're talking about. To read the Bible for our self not only gives us confidence in knowing what we believe, but the Word transforms our mind and heart. This is called developing our walk with the Lord.
The IVP Concise Atlas of Bible History can be utilized by any level of education. It is NOT the Bible, but it can help to solidify our Bible understanding.

I'm…

TheCrucial Questions Series by R. C. Sproul is available for a limited discount (25% off) at Logos Bible Software. This is a six volume set in a format of paperback booklets.

The six books are:
Can I Have Joy In My Life?Does God Control Everything?What Can I Do With My Guilt?What Is Baptism?What Is The Trinity?Who Is The Holy Spirit?




R. C. Sproul is a respected teacher, theologian, and pastor. He is the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries where he serves as executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Sproul holds degrees from Westminster College, Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary, Free University of Amsterdam, and Whitefield Theological Seminary. He has taught at several colleges and seminaries including Reformed Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary. He currently serves as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, in Sanford, Florida. Sproul’s teaching can be heard daily on the ‘Renewing Your Mind’ radio broadcast which plays in …

This past week my husband was home with a upper respiratory virus. He has asthma so a trip to the doctor was necessary for steroids. He is improving. I felt sick for a few days, but feel better today.
This has been a hard winter and a tough season for illness.

Since January 1, I've read the following Scripture from The Transformation Study Bible, New Living Translation.
Jonah chapters 1, 2, 3, 4.
Amos chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Hosea chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.
Micah chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Nahum chapters 1, 2, 3.
Job chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. 
Matthew chapters 1, 2, 3, 4.
1 Corinthians chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. This is the first time to read 1 Corinthians in 2014, 11 more to go. The next translation will be from The New Testament An American Translation by Edgar J. Goodspeed.
Most of my daily Bible readings in 2013 were read from New King James V…