Book Review: Christian Academic Writing

Guide to Better Christian Writing

For those who are Christian writers, the challenge of writing academic papers and longer materials can be daunting. Where does one start? What should one write about? How does one have enough time to write? How does one know if their writing is good enough? Should one publish their Christian academic writing? Should one participate in professional conferences? All of these questions and more can plague the Christian writer, but Benjamin Merkle and Adrianne Cheek Miles have written the guide on how to improve and grow in success as a writer.

Christian Academic Writing

Christian Academic Writing is a great resource for high school and college students as well as anyone who would like to improve their writing skills. Each chapter has practical tips and advice on writing as well as reflection questions that will help you get to the next level of writing. Merkle and Miles share books that have helped them learn about writing, a weekly planner to help find more time to write, Another thing that Merkle and Miles share that is very useful is the list of Academic Religious Publishers in the Appendix; writers can find publishers whom they can contact to try to publish their work.

Tools for Writing and Reading

Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for being such a helpful resource on writing. I found the tools in the book to be very helpful not only for writing but also for reading; the list of Academic Religious Publishers can be used in looking up new books to read when looking at the publishers’ newest published books. Merkle and Miles include their own journeys in writing as well, which makes it more personal. If you are looking for a guide to better writing as a Christian, this one very well may be the one for you. Also, thank you to Net Galley for a copy of the e-book for an honest review!

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post or start a conversation on X.com/sarahderinger88.

• Are you struggling with knowing where and how to start writing?
• Do you find yourself wishing you could write better and more often?
• Have you read this book?
• What are some other resources that you would recommend for learning about Christian writing?

Biblical Mothers series – Eve

God has a high regard for mothers, and a woman’s highest calling outside of being a believer in Christ is to be a wife and a mother. God told Eve in the garden of Eden that the source of her hope was coming, and that source would be brought into the world through motherhood and a lineage. Eve was the mother of all people that would come from her and Adam; her motherhood was imperfect due to hers and Adam’s sin. However, even though sin would mar motherhood, God’s glory would still be had through and in spite of motherhood. Therefore, in this series, we will be taking a closer look at mothers in the Bible.

Eve

The first mother we take a look at is Eve; her story can be found in Genesis 2-4. Eve was formed from Adam’s rib that God took from Adam, while Adam was put in a deep sleep. When Adam saw her he called her woman because she had been taken from man (Genesis 2:18-24 NASB). God brought together the first man and woman to create a covenant marriage, and no one should be separate the man and wife.

The Fall and The Curse

Adam and Eve were in the garden of Eden and charged with the duty of taking care of and overseeing the garden and the animals. Enter in the snake, which was actually Satan. The snake asked Eve if God told her that she could not eat from any tree in the garden; Eve answered incorrectly and said that she and Adam could eat the fruit from any tree but not eat or even touch the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden or they would die (Genesis 3:2-3 NASB). Side note: In the Bible, it is not mentioned what kind of fruit it was, but many assume that it was an apple. It might not have been – what if it was a peach, a pear, or another fruit? We do not know for sure.

The truth is that God had said, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” – Genesis 2:16-17 NASB. When the snake told her that they would only become like God if they ate from the tree rather than die, Eve listened to the snake rather than believing God. She was not alone at fault; Adam was right there with her in the garden and made no effort to correct her. Adam had the opportunity and the obligation to kill the snake right then; however, he ate the fruit too.

When their eyes were opened to what they had done, Adam and Eve hid themselves. God called them out and pronounced the curse on the serpent, the curse on childbirth, the curse on the ground, and the promise of death.

Receiving a Name and a Promise of Hope

In the midst of the curse, God gave grace by sharing the protoevangelium. God was the first to proclaim the Gospel:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” – Genesis 3:15 NASB

The One to crush the snake was coming, and He would be born of a woman. The One to come is Jesus, and Adam and Eve could look for Him to come and rescue them. There is hope.

And she was called Eve because she “was the mother of all the living” (Genesis 4:20 NASB). I found it interesting that it was not mentioned in Scripture that her name was Eve until after she and Adam sinned AND after God pronounced the curse and the protoevangelium. In Scripture before that she was just known as the woman. This seems similar to how believers when coming to Christ receive a new identity (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Going Through Pain and Holding onto the Promise

Eve had Cain and Abel and experienced the pain of childbirth, and she also experienced the pain of the loss of a child when Cain murdered Abel. Eve would have been looking to Cain and / or Abel to be the one to crush the snake, but she found out that neither were the One to come. God gave Adam and Eve a new baby boy, Seth. Was He the Promised One? Well, we see in Genesis 5 that Seth died and was not the Promised One. However, Eve’s story begins the waiting for the Promised One, and she would be telling the next generation about the One to come – the One promised by God to save them. Even when Eve sinned, God is still so good and so overflowing with grace.

My Takeaways from Eve’s Story

• We need to be careful in what words we choose to say that God has said; we may be wrong.
• We need to help others when we see them going astray.
• We need to be careful and discerning about whom we choose to listen to.
• God is such a grace-giving God and so faithful. He is worthy of praise!
• We can be and should be looking for the return of Christ, the One foretold in the garden.

Resources on Biblical Motherhood and Eve

• Eve in Exile
• Praise Her in the Gates
• Loving the Little Years
• You Who: Why You Matter and How to Deal With It
• The Fruit of Her Hands
• God’s High Calling For Women
• Risen Motherhood
• Missional Motherhood
• Devoted: Great Men and their Godly Moms
• Gospel Mom
• Standing on the Promises
• Twelve Extraordinary Women
• Feminine Appeal
• Lies Women Believe
• Biblical Portrait of Womanhood
• Biblical Womanhood in the Home

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post or take the conversation to x.com/sarahderinger88.

• Do you enjoy studying the Bible?
• In what ways do you see God’s grace in your life?
• What books or resources would you add to the list for studying the women of the Bible?
• What is wisdom and advice that you would give to a mom or a woman who hopes to be a mom someday?
• What other lessons could we learn from Eve’s life?

Church History – George Whitefield

To get inspiration and wisdom, we can look back and learn from the past. Therefore, we are going through a series of articles where we will look back at historical people who have played a part in church history. I plan to share resources for learning more about these historical figures as well as an encouraging quote and what we can model after them.

Our next historical person to look at and learn from in this series is George Whitefield, a British Anglican cleric and evangelist. For more information on the man who traveled the American colonies preaching a hot Gospel, see these resources:

Websites

• Brittanica
• Christianity Today
• Official Savannah Guide
• Banner of Truth
• Sola Ecclesia
• Grace Bible Theological Seminary
• Wethersfield Historical Society
• Southern Equip
• Desiring God
• The Gospel Coalition
• Drive Thru History
• Crossway
• Credo
• Banner of Truth
• Project Gutenberg
• Desiring God
• For the Church
• Anglican Library
• Christian History Institute
• Monergism
• The Genevan Foundation
• Church Leaders
• Christianity Today
• Truth and Tidings
• 1517
• Teaching American History
• Bible and Stuff
• Monergism
• The Master’s Seminary
• One Passion Ministries
• For The Church
• Relevant Magazine
• Seedbed

Fight the good fight of faith, and God will give you spiritual mercies. – George Whitefield

Books

• Sermons of George Whitefield by George Whitefield
• Daily Readings – George Whitefield by Randall J. Pederson
• George Whitefield by Arnold A. Dallimore
• The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield by Steven Lawson
• George Whitefield: America’s Spiritual Founding Father by Thomas S. Kidd
• George Whitefield: The Voice That Woke the World by Lucille Travis
• The Printer and the Preacher by Randy Petersen
• George Whitefield by Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt
• Forgotten Founding Father by Stephen Mansfield
• George Whitefield’s Journals by George Whitefield
• George Whitefield: A Biography by J.C. Ryle
• George Whitefield and the Great Awakening by John Pollock
• The Method of Grace by George Whitefield
• Walking with God by George Whitefield

We are immortal until our work on earth is done. – George Whitefield

Why should we learn from George Whitefield’s life? He had an evangelistic zeal that few have had, and some compare him to Billy Graham. How many more lives can we help bring to Christ if we had the evangelistic zeal that he had? Tell the world about His grace and mercy through Christ Jesus.

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who had disbelieved shall be condemned.'” – Mark 16:15-16 NASB

We, the Church, have been commanded to go share the Gospel with the world. Let’s go!

And now let me address all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to accept of mercy and grace while it is offered to you; Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation; and will you not accept it, now it is offered unto you? – George Whitefield

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post or take the conversation to x.com/sarahderinger88.

• Do you enjoy studying church history?
• Do you enjoy sharing the Gospel with others?
• In what ways do you struggle with sharing the Gospel with others?
• What tools or resources do you know of that can help with sharing the Gospel?
• What other resources would you add to this list about George Whitefield?
• What other lessons could we learn from his life?

What’s in the Mail – Joseph

Letter’s in the mail! Recently, I received a letter from Joseph in Kenya. I sponsor Joseph through Compassion International. I have been sponsoring him now for seven years. He is in first grade and is 8 years old.

In this letter, Joseph writes that his school is four kilometers from his house. He walks to school. He likes to play football and volleyball at school. He likes his teachers at school. His favorite subject in school is Kiswahili. After school he likes to play with his toys. Here is what he drew for me and colored for me in his letter:

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post! Or start a conversation on X.com/sarahderinger88.

• Do you sponsor a child through an organization?
• Which organization do you sponsor the child through?
• How long have you sponsored the child?
• What is the funniest thing that they have written or drawn for you in the letters?

Sponsor a child through Compassion International!

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International. You can make a difference in their lives for $43 per month, which gives them an opportunity to receive an education, food, clothing, shelter, clean water, job training for their parents, and most importantly, the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By sponsoring a child through Compassion International, they can know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for their sins and rose again so that they might believe in Him and gain eternal life. What a great gift you can give to a child!

Fruit of the Spirit I Want to Grow In

As we have examined the Fruit of the Spirit, I have been reflecting on which Fruit I would like to grow more of with the help of the Holy Spirit. Paul describes the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” 

GALATIANS 5:22-23 (NASB)

More Peace

And while I want and need to grow more in all of them, I think I want to grow more in peace lately. When you have the peace that passes all understanding, you can walk through life more courageously fully relying on God for strength. When you have peace from the Holy Spirit, you can be content with what you have – whether it is a little or very much. When you have this kind of peace, you can face trials and testing focusing on Christ, knowing that He is the One that holds tomorrow and that He cares for you.

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

1 Peter 5:5-9 ESV

Join in on the Conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post or start a conversation on X.com/sarahderinger88.

• What fruit of the Spirit do you hope to grow more in?
• What fruit of the Spirit do you want to learn more about?
• What fruit of the Spirit do you struggle most with?
• How may I pray for you? (If you would like to private message me a prayer request, please feel free to message me via Instagram, Facebook, or X.com. I will gladly pray for you.)

2024 Total Solar Eclipse – Once in a Lifetime in Paoli, Indiana

Previously, I had shared about the partial solar eclipse that I experienced with my dad and my cousin, and on Monday, I experienced the total solar eclipse with my mom and my cousin and family. My cousin invited me and mom to his backyard. The eclipse was a wondrous sight to behold! By experiencing the partial eclipse before, I knew that the skies would get darker and the air cooler, but in a total eclipse, it is a much cooler experience. You could see a star (or maybe it was a planet) when the moon covered the sun. Once it was in totality, you could take your solar glasses off and see the full eclipse with your bare eyes.

You could see that it was lighter farther over, like it was sunset where you were standing but a different color of lighting than just a cloud or sunset. It had the feeling of being on a different planet for those three and a half minutes.

My cousin’s wife has some goats, and we noticed that during the eclipse, the goats went into their barn because they thought it was night. The birds still sang. The dogs were inside the house so that they would not look up or run away, but you could tell they knew something was happening.

And when I tried taking pictures of the total eclipse, my phone’s camera just couldn’t do it justice. The camera could not pick up the beauty and majesty of the moment and most of the pictures that I see online do not compare to actually experiencing the eclipse. I can see where some people might want to become eclipse chasers. More information on future eclipses: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/

During the eclipse, I thought about this quote:

The sun will burn your eyes out from a distance of 92 millions miles and do you expect to casually stroll into the presence of its maker?

Luke Walker

May we not get too familiar with God in a way that we become arrogant and think that we are too important in His presence. God is the One to be glorified for all the wondrous things He has done!

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post. You can also start a conversation on X.com/sarahderinger88.

• Have you ever seen a partial or total solar eclipse?
• Did you get to see the 2024 total solar eclipse? 
• What are your tips for watching the solar eclipse?
• What are some things in nature that you would like to see?
• What things in nature have you seen that have caused you to praise the Lord?

Church History: Charles Simeon

To get inspiration and wisdom, we can look back and learn from the past. Therefore, we are going through a series of articles where we will look back at historical people who have played a part in church history. I plan to share resources for learning more about these historical figures as well as an encouraging quote and what we can model after them.

Our next historical person to look at and learn from in this series is Charles Simeon, a British Anglican pastor. For more information on the man who ministered for 54 years (https://simeontrust.org/about/a-brief-history/), see these resources:

Websites

• Desiring God
• Simeon Trust
• 5 Minutes in Church History
• Monergism
• King’s College Cambridge
• Christianity Today
• The Gospel Coalition
• Charles Simeon Institute
• Monergism
• Expository Preaching Trust
• Mathena Center for Church Revitalization
• Reformation21
• The Spurgeon Center
• Library of Congress

The tender heart, the broken and contrite spirit, are to me far above all the joys that I could ever hope for in this vale of tears.

Charles Simeon

Books

• Charles Simeon by Derek Prime
• Charles Simeon: Biography of the Great Anglican Preacher and Evangelical Christian by Handley Carr Glyn Moule
• Evangelical Preaching: An Anthology of Sermons by Charles Simeon (Classics of Faith and Devotion) by Charles Simeon, et al.
• Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae – The Old Testament (Volumes 1-10) by Charles Simeon
• Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae – The New Testament (Volumes 11-21) by Charles Simeon
• Charles Simeon of Cambridge by Hugh Evan Hopkins
• Expository Sermon Outlines by Charles Simeon
• The Christian, His Conflict and His Armour by Charles Simeon
• More Expository Sermon Outlines by Charles Simeon
• An Exhibition of the Law, the Gospel & the Holy Spirit by Charles Simeon
• Charles Simeon: For Christ in Cambridge by George MacLean
• The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce (Volume 3) by John Piper
• The Entire Works of the Rev. C. Simeon by Charles Simeon

You often feel that your prayers scarcely reach the ceiling; but, oh, get into this humble spirit by considering how good the Lord is, and how evil you all are, and then prayer will mount on wings of faith to heaven.

Charles Simeon

Why should we learn from Charles Simeon’s life? He taught and pioneered the way of expository preaching by writing annotations of the Bible. Like him, we can learn to study the Bible in depth. One way to study the Bible from his example is to go through some of the courses offered by the Charles Simeon Trust. I have worked through the First Principles for women course by the Charles Simeon Trust with my aunt.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Paul writes to Timothy in the passage that we need to rightly handle the word of truth. Therefore, we must know Scripture and be able to use it correctly.

My endeavor is to bring out of Scripture what is there, and not to thrust in what I think might be there. I have a great jealousy on this head; never to speak more or less than I believe to be the mind of the Spirit in the passage I am expounding.

Charles Simeon

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post or take the conversation to x.com/sarahderinger88.

• Do you enjoy studying the Bible, or do you find it to be more of a chore?
• Do you have any good Bible study resources?
• How can you grow in studying the Bible?
• How can you encourage others to study the Bible more to know Christ more?
• What other resources would you add to this list about Charles Simeon?
• What other lessons could we learn from his life?

Fruit of the Spirit series: Self-Control

We are looking at the Fruit of the Spirit in this series, and recently we looked at the fruit of faithfulness, and now we are going to learn about the fruit of Self-Control. The Holy Spirit is the One who develops the fruits of the Spirit in us, and we cannot produce this on our own. We rely fully on Him for this to grow, but we can add this through obedience to Christ (not a working for our salvation but from our salvation). The full list of the fruit of the Spirit is found in Scripture:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” 

GALATIANS 5:22-23 (NASB)

Gospel Self-Control

This time, we will look at how the Holy Spirit develops self-control in us and in our lives. We must believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to have self-control begin growing in our lives. 

God so loved the world in this one particular way – He sent His Son Jesus to live a sinless life on earth, to die on the cross taking the punishment for sin (also called substitutionary atonement) and paying the debt we incurred when we sinned. And not only did He die on the cross but He resurrected (came back to life) and appeared to over 500 people before ascending to throne where He reigns presently and forevermore. By believing in Christ for salvation and repenting of our sins (agreeing with God that sin is sin), we are then able to have the hope of eternal life with God through Christ Jesus. This is the ONLY way; there is no other.

References: JOHN 3:16-17; ROMANS 3:23-25; ROMANS 5:8; ROMANS 10:9-10; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:3-4; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21; 1 TIMOTHY 1:15; 1 TIMOTHY 2:5-6; 1 PETER 2:24-25; 1 PETER 3:18

Then, when we believe in Christ for salvation, we are granted the Holy Spirit and are sealed with Him. This is when the transformation (or sanctification) begins, where the Holy Spirit begins to make us more and more like Christ everyday. Through that process, He produces His fruit in our lives (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). The process involves: reading the Bible, prayer, being active in a local church that preaches sound doctrine, living in such a way that glorifies Christ, repenting each day as we sin yet again and fighting against that sin, and doing the good deeds that God has prepared for us (see Romans 8).

Self-Control

What is self-control, and how do we have more of it in our lives? The world has a counterfeit self-control of being driven for the promotion and benefit of oneself over others. This kind of “self-control” is not loving to others as it is self-seeking.

If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13 NASB

Self-control such as this is the kind that will push others down to lift oneself up. You can see this type of self-control in the workplace, where many workers are undercutting each other to get the boss to recognize their talents and give them a promotion. This selfish pettiness is unbecoming to the believer in Christ, and this type of behavior should not be found in the Church.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:25-26 NASB

The Christian should be one that is grateful where God has placed them and understanding that He is Sovereign over their lives. True self-control is being self-disciplined (not to be confused with self-flagellation) in a way that builds up the body of Christ, that is the Church. Self-control is knowing that God is Sovereign and that He will meet our needs, and therefore, self-control is not pushing one’s way to the top or to the front of the line. Self-control is humbly serving others in Jesus’ name for Christ’s glory.

Biblical Example of Self-Control

The ultimate Biblical example of self-control is Jesus Christ. He is our example of humility and serving others. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples as an example to believers of how we ought to serve one another. Washing feet was a dirty job because they had sandals and dusty roads. However, Jesus did not feel that He was above stooping down to clean His disciples’ feet. The apostle Paul and Timothy encouraged those in Philippi (and ultimately all believers) to have a similar attitude as Christ:

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:1-13 NASB

Final Fruit of the Spirit and Closing

Self-control is the last of the fruit of the Spirit in the list. And to each of them, against such things there is no law. This means that we will not be doing anything illegal when we are growing in the fruit of the Spirit. While we may face persecution for being a believer, there is no charge that anyone can bring against us as we are growing in sanctification. As we close this series on Fruit of the Spirit, reflect on how you can grow more in the Fruit of the Spirit. Yes, the Holy Spirit is ultimately the one who grows the fruit in you and me, but you and I have a responsibility to meditate (fill our minds with, not empty our minds) on God’s Word on what self-control and each fruit of the Spirit is. What is one way that you and I can show the self-control of Christ this week?

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post.

• What fruit of the Spirit do you hope to grow more in?
• What fruit of the Spirit do you want to learn more about?
• What fruit of the Spirit do you struggle most with?
• How may I pray for you? (If you would like to private message me a prayer request, please feel free to message me via Instagram, Facebook, or X.com. I will gladly pray for you.)
• What are your favorite examples of self-control in the Bible?
• Who is someone in your life that shows the self-control of Christ to those around them?

My Experience: Partial Eclipse in 2017

On April 8, Orange County, Indiana, will be in the line of the totality for the 2024 solar eclipse, and our county and the counties around us are abuzz with planning for the eclipse. Schools and businesses are planning to be closed that day to avoid the potential traffic, shortages, and more that are forecasted to happen that day. Indiana State Police have been warning us to have full gas tanks and stay home or in one spot that day rather than trying to rush around.

Back on August 21, 2017, the town of Paoli, Indiana, was in the line of the partial solar eclipse. I got to experience that solar eclipse with my dad and cousin at the nursing home. Dad had had a surgery prior to that and was recuperating, but we did not want to leave him out of the fun.

The sun began to change forms as the moon moved in front of it. Here are the pictures I took with my cell phone by placing my eclipse glasses over the phone lens. I had to set the glasses just right over the lens to take the pictures, and I looked at my phone rather than at the sun. Then I looked at the sun using my eclipse glasses as well.

It only lasted a few minutes, but it was really neat to experience. The air got a little cooler, and it did get a little darker. It really makes you think that if there is this much excitement about an eclipse, how much more should our response be to Christ’s return?

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
From the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens and the first of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8 NASB

Resources for Planning for the Eclipse

• DHS Indiana
• Eclipse Glasses Safety Info
• The Torch
• Indy Star
• WDRB
• Visit Indiana
• Best Places to View the Eclipse in Indiana
• Indiana Museum
• Solar Eclipse Phone Photography Kit

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post. You can also start a conversation on X.com/sarahderinger88.

• Have you ever seen a partial or total solar eclipse?
• Do you plan on going to watch the 2024 solar eclipse?
• What are your tips for watching the solar eclipse?
• What are some things in nature that you would like to see?
• What things in nature have you seen that have caused you to praise the Lord?

Church History: Oswald Chambers

To get inspiration and wisdom, we can look back and learn from the past. Therefore, we are going through a series of articles where we will look back at historical people who have played a part in church history. I plan to share resources for learning more about these historical figures as well as an encouraging quote and what we can model after them.

Our next historical person to look at and learn from in this series is Oswald Chambers, a Scottish Baptist evangelist and teacher. He was aligned with and influenced the Holiness Movement, which was closely related to the anabaptists, Quakers, and Restorationism. For more information on the man who wrote “My Utmost for His Highest”, see these resources:

Websites with Information about Oswald Chambers:

• My Utmost for His Highest
• Christianity Today
• Christianity.com
• Oswald Chambers Publications Association
• Wheaton College
• Puritan Board
• EquippingSaints.com
• Theologyforwomen.org

“We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there’s nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all.

Most of us would prefer, however, to spend our time doing something that will get immediate results. We don’t want to wait for God to resolve matters in His good time because His idea of ‘good time’ is seldom in sync with ours.”

Oswald Chambers

Books

• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
• Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by Oswald Chambers
• If You Will Ask by Oswald Chambers and David McCasland
• Our Ultimate Refuge by Oswald Chambers and Macy Halford
• The Love of God by Oswald Chambers
• Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God by David McCasland
• Christian Disciplines by Oswald Chambers
• ESV Oswald Chambers Devotional Bible from Crossway

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.”

Oswald Chambers

Why should we learn from Oswald Chambers’ life? He was completely devoted to God, which he called abandon – that all believers must abandon their lives to God. When we give our full lives each day to God, we become a living sacrifice to Him, which glorifies Him all the more.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern, what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2 ESV

Therefore, we can live our lives devoted to God understanding that His way is best. We can be transformed by the renewing of our minds, which happens when we study God’s word and aim to live it.

Join in on the conversation!

I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment on this post. You can also start a conversation on X.com/sarahderinger88.

• Do you want to praise Him more?
• When do you struggle to praise Him the most?
• How can you encourage others in their walk with Christ?
• What other resources would you add to this list about Oswald Chambers?
• What other lessons could we learn from his life?
• What do you find most fascinating about his life?