Epic Faith (Faith Stories Series)

Image Credit:  Aaron Burden - Public Domain - via Freely Photos

 The following are my notes taken during my pastor's sermon.

 Epic Faith

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;  for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.  By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.  Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of Heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.  And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. 

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.”  He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. - Hebrews 11:8-19

1.  Epic faith is forsaking.

Forsaking All I Trust Him

If we love this world, we will live in sin and lack faith.  This world is not our home.  Faith verifies our obedience.

Now the Lord said to Abram,

“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;

And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;

And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3

2.  Epic faith is trusting.

We should trust God not only in moments of crisis, but in the everyday.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. 
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward. - Genesis 13:14

3.  Epic faith is seeing.

Faith can't be trusted until it's tested.

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:18

Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. - Genesis 22:13

Abraham saw God's provision.

Freewill Offerings (Bible Study by Beth Moore)

Image Credit:  Falkenpost - CC0 Public Domain Image - via Pixabay

Freewill Offerings to God:  Building the Tabernacle

We’re now in week 3 of A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore.  Today, we studied freewill offerings.  God told Moses to tell the Israelites to bring him offerings of gold; silver; bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goat hair; ram’s skins died red; porpoise skins; acacia wood; oil for lighting; spices for anointing oil; fragrant incense; onyx stones; and setting stones.

In this lesson, we are reminded that God had given and given and given to the Israelites.  He continued to provide all their needs in spite of their grumbling and complaining.  Now, God asked the Israelites to give freely, as their hearts desired, to present a freewill offering to Him.

We learn in Exodus 36 that the Israelites responded well to God’s call to give a freewill offering.  In fact, they responded so well, that they gave above and beyond what was needed.

So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it. – Exodus 36:6-7

They children of Israel gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop giving!  The purpose of the freewill offering was to collect materials to build the tabernacle.  They had more than they needed, more than enough, to complete the work.

Our freewill offering today is given in service to the Lord.  This lesson in our Bible study prompted me to think about my service.  Do I do it without complaining?  Always?  Do I serve freely, as a freewill offering, or do I serve out of a sense of obligation?  My heart’s desire is to serve freely, but sometimes we get so caught up in the busyness of doing church, that we serve out of habit or even out of a sense of obligation.  My heart’s desire is that my service to the Lord be given in freedom, a freewill offering, to further the Kingdom of Heaven.

Service under compulsion or from a sense of obligation is not a freewill offering.  The only motivation for an earnest freewill offering is the joy of giving.  Just as surely as God was building His tabernacle through the Israelites thousands of years ago, Christ is building His kingdom through us today. – Beth Moore, A Woman’s Heart:  God’s Dwelling Place 

 Read all posts in this series here.

Want to complete this study?  You'll find all the materials you need here.

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Enjoying life as the mother of three kids, an educator, and more recently a childcare provider means that we always have a lot of books around the house.  Over the years, we’ve read a lot of different kinds of books.  Some have been award winners and others may be known by no one other than the children who enter my home.  One thing I have noticed over the years is that the same books that were my children’s favorites have remained the favorites of the babies and toddlers I care for in my home today.  Today, I’m sharing with you our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids.  My children are grown now so most of these books have stood the test of time and met the approval of many children spanning two generations.  A couple of them are newer books and sure to be classics in the years to come.

10 Favorite Books for Toddlers and Kids

The first of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is I’ll Always Love You by Paeony Lewis.

Alex breaks one of his mother’s favorite possessions.  Alex wonders if his mother will still love him.  She promises Alex that she will always love him, but Alex has his doubts.  I Will Always Love You is a beautiful story of the unconditional love a mother has for her child.  Get your copy of I’ll Always Love You by Paeony Lewis here.

 The second of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

Love you forever starts out with an illustration of a mother holding her baby and reciting a poem:

I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.

The story continues as the baby grows and then becomes a child, a teenager, and a man with a family of his own.  The ending of Love You Forever, much like, I’ll Always Love You, lovingly demonstrates the unconditional and life-long love between a mother and her child.  Children of all ages and adults love reading this book together.  These two books were not only my children’s favorites,  but also mine.  Get your copy of Love You Forever by Robert Munsch here.

The third of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

The Giving Tree always sort of made me sad.  I always wanted to cry at the end but children love this book.  The Giving Tree is about the life-long relationship between a tree and a boy.  This book teaches the value of giving even to the point of great sacrifice.  It’s sad, but also touching.  You can get your copy of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein here.

The fourth of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is Arthur’s New Pubby by Marc Brown.

We have lots of Author books.  Author books are based on a children’s animated TV show.  Author brings home a new puppy and plans to train him quickly.  After bringing the puppy into the house, the puppy gets into a bit of mischief.  Training his puppy takes more work than Author anticipates but with a lot of work, he manages to get things under control.  Author’s New Puppy teaches children that it takes a lot of love, hard work, and dedication to take care of a pet and train a pet properly.  Get your copy of Author’s New Puppy by Marc Brown here. 

The fifth of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is Clifford’s Family by Norman Bridwell.

Emily Elizabeth and her dog, Clifford, were both born in the big city but now they live out in a small town.  One day, they take a trip back to the city.  Clifford gets to visit with his father, mother, his brother and two sisters.  Clifford’s brother is a rescue dog at a fire station.  Clifford wants his family to go back to the country and live with him but they all have special jobs to do and special people to take care of them.  Get your copy of Clifford’s Family by Norman Bridwell here.

The Sixth of of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is The Legend of the Three Trees.  The Legend of the Three Trees is based on a screenplay by George Taweel and Rob Loos.  This story is adapted by Catherine McCafferty.

Three young trees – an olive tree, an oak tree, and a pine tree – dream of doing great things.  When the trees are cut down, it seems that all their dreams are lost.   The trees don’t realize that God has a different plan for them that is better than anything they had ever dreamed.  Through The Legend of the Three Trees, children learn that even though things might not go like they plan, God has a special plan and a purpose for their lives and that plan and purpose is better than anything they can imagine.  Get your copy of The Legend of the Three Trees here.

The seventh of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is Biscuit (Storybook Collection) by Alyssa Satin Capucilli.

 There are several editions of the Biscuit Storybook Collection.  We have the first edition.  It’s a “My First I Can Read Book.”  The Biscuit storybook collection is a compilation of much loved Biscuit stories.  Biscuit is a little yellow puppy who has won the hearts of children and their parents for many years.  Get your copy of Biscuit Storybook Collection here. 

The eight of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is a Christmas book, Alabaster’s Song by Max Lucado.

Alabaster is a toothless angel who sings a beautiful song as he sits on top of the family Christmas tree.    His song catches the attention of a little boy.  Alabaster’s Song is a sweet story about the relationship between a little boy and this unusual Christmas angel.  You can get your copy of Alabaster’s Song by Max Lucado here.

The next two books I’m going to share with you are newer books.  I didn’t get the opportunity to enjoy these books with my own children but they are favorites with my daycare and preschool children.

The ninth of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is I’m a Dirty Dinosaur by Janeen Brian and and Ann James.

My preschoolers love this little dinosaur who loves the mud.  Children laugh and repeat the words as the dirty dinosaur gets dirty all over.  He sniffs, snuffs, shakes, and splashes throughout the book.  This one will be loved for a long time.  Get your copy of I’m a Dirty Dinosaur here.

The tenth of our 10 favorite books for toddlers and kids is Secrets of the Apple Tree by Carron Brown.

Secrets of the Apple Tree is a “Shine-A-Light Book.”  Children can shine a light behind the pages to reveal surprises hidden all over and around the tree.  Children discover birds nesting in the branches and worms wiggling around the roots of the tree.  You can get your copy of Secret of the Apple Tree here. 

I hope you get a chance to read all of these books with your kids and I hope you and your little ones enjoy them as much as we have over the years.  I’m collaborating with several other bloggers who have gathered their own collections of favorite books for kids.  Please be sure to visit each one.