Spiritual Resources
Resources to Grow your Faith
Here are some resources to help you grow in faith!
Get a new bible
Buying a new Bible can be daunting. There are so many from which to choose! Here are a few options endorsed by our pastor.
The Good News Bible - Translated from original languages into a sixth grade reading level, this is probably the easiest Bible to read. It’s great for beginners to the scriptures. Shop here: https://bibles.com/home/resources?search_query=The+Good+news+bible
The New International Version – Translated from original languages into a seventh grade reading level, this is a very popular Bible in the United States. Note: This is the only translation recommended here that is not an “inclusive” translation. That means it uses man and mankind when referring to people in general. Still it is a very literal translation of the Greek and Hebrew texts and an easy reading level making it a useful translation. Shop here: https://bibles.com/home/resources?search_query=NIV+
The Revised Standard Version - This is a great study Bible for serious students of the Bible. It is an inclusive translation and is written at a college reading level giving lots of nuance to the text. This is Pastor Sally’s favorite Bible translation. Look for the Oxford study edition to get lots of Bible study helps. https://www.amazon.com/New-Oxford-Annotated-Bible-Apocrypha/dp/0195289609
What if you just want to look up a Bible passage???
Devotional Guides
Be sure to get on our list for weekly devotionals by Pastor Sally. You can access them by clicking Read Devotionals below or send an email to the church office and request to receive them in your email inbox. office@presby.com.
Our Daily Bread is a devotional guide appreciated by many of our members. The moto for this ministry is, Love God, Love Others. You can get a daily devotional in your email inbox by signing up here: https://odb.org/page/email-signup
Pastors Pen 3/10
Dear friends, I have always thought everyone should have a dog because when you arrive at home…
Learn To Pray
Prayer for Beginners and Those who have Forgotten How, by Mark Link.
Published back in 1976, this is still one of the best books for developing your prayer life. Mark Link takes the reader through the basics for connecting to God and adds skills slowly. Each brief description of skills is followed with a week of devotions during which you can practice and develop your prayer life. The book is out of print but can be picked up on used book sites.
Daily Prayer
Pastor Sally recommends the Celtic Daily Prayer guide by the Northumbria Community if you would like to try doing regular daily prayer with a guide. Celtic Daily Prayer has more prayer resources that you can probably use at once. Sally likes the morning prayer rituals with have daily prayers, scripture readings and a brief meditation to read. She also like the Complines which are brief prayers meant to be read just before bed.
You can either purchase the prayer book and use it at home or you can bookmark the Northumbria site and visit it when ever you want to use their daily prayers.
Race Relations Resources
First Presbyterian Church of Elkhart has developed a position statement (Loving All Our Neighbors) in response to the tragic killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In addition, we have established a new task force (Christian Action Team for Racial Equity) to address this issue and provide direction to Session and our members on race issues.
Rudy Gourdine and Jim Pyles address the inequity faced by people of color in our country and relate their own experiences as black men living in America.
Wednesday's Table
Book Reviews - Good Books for Growing Christians
Book Reviews - Good Books for Growing Christians
Wednesday Table began the 2022 year reading the book Always a Guest
written by Barbara Brown Taylor, a renowned preacher. TIME, in 2014,
included her on it’s annual list of Most Influential People. In 2018, she was named one of the world’s twelve most effective preachers in a survey by Baylor University. Barbara Brown Taylor is also known for her books on the New York Time’s best sellers list.
Always a Guest is a collection of sermons that she has preached as a guest speaker. As our group reads from this collection, we appreciate why Barbara Brown Taylor is acknowledged as one of our generation’s great preachers. Each one in our Wednesday Table group has acknowledged that this book has made them look at today’s news with Barbara Brown Taylor’s offer of insight and wisdom, and know more of what God wants us to do in order to create heaven on earth. In her 31 sermons, she is leading us in deepening our thoughts as we respectfully engage in our weekly Wednesday Table’s discussions.
Always A Guest
Marie Mutsuki Mockett wrote American Harvest, God, Country and Farming in the Heartland
I liked this one particularly because being an Iowa farm girl, I could relate to some of the scenarios. The author writes as American, but she soon learns of the prejudices for her because of her Japanese descent. In fact, she finds to her surprise there are prejudices about education, religion and status to say nothing of color. She lives with a crew that travels across a good share of the west harvesting wheat crops as they ripen so begins in the south, moving north. She attends various churches & finds her religious experiences to be diverse. She is surprised to learn how cruel people can be to each other, but is reassured realizing that is why we have a Savior.
American Harvest, God, Country and Farming in the Heartland