CANCELLED: Bluefish Event

Tomorrow's event to see the Bluefish Game has been cancelled.

HUMOR: Pray for the Food

Not mine.  From here.

Young Ernie and his family were invited to have Sunday lunch at his grandmother's house in Monkey's Eyebrow, Arizona. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served.  When Ernie received his plate he started eating straight away.

'Ernie, wait until we say grace,' demanded his father.

'I don't have to,' the five year old replied.

'Of course you do, Ernest,' his mother insisted rather forcefully. 'We always say a prayer before eating at our house.'

'That's at our house,' Ernie explained, 'but this is Grandma's house, and she 
knows how to cook.'

REMINDER: Bluefish coming on Monday!

Don't forget that our year-end Bible Quizzing Event is Monday at the Bridgeport Bluefish!  We're meeting at 6:30 PM to buy the ticket (about $10 each) and go in together.  Bring some extra money to buy dinner and any souvenirs you may want.  It's Trumbull and Monroe together!

WEEKLY COMIC: Ark Problems

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Nothing Is Impossible

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Funny Parking Sign

VERSE OF THE WEEK: John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13 (ESV)

http://biblehub.com/john/15-13.htm

DID YOU KNOW: What is Memorial Day all about?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

What is Memorial Day all about?

These days, most people think of Memorial Day are one of three things:  (1) the first Summer day off of work, (2) the beginning of "Beach Season", or (3) a day to shop the really good sales.  But Memorial Day was set up for something much more serious and somber.

Memorial Day was first declared by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic of the United States of America in 1868.  The Civil War had ended 3 years before, and he wanted to set aside time to lay flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.  The war had cost over 620,000 soldier lives (and a total of over 1,030,000 lives - about 3% of the population).  It was important to take a moment to remember those who had laid down their lives for their country (on both sides).  New York was the first state to formally recognize Memorial Day in 1873, and all northern states had recognized it by 1890.  It wasn't until after World War 1 that the practice was picked up by all of the southern states.

In 1915, the poet Moina Michael came up with the idea of observing Memorial Day with a red poppy, symbolizing the blood shed by heroes, who were only remembered now by the flowers on their graves.Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. In 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts began placing a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights.  In 2000, Congress passed the "Moment of Remembrance" calling on all Americans to observe a moment of silence (and prayer) at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day to remember Americans who died fighting in our wars.

Take a moment today and pray about this.  Thank God for living in a land of religious freedom, and thank Him for those men and women who have died to protect that freedom.


Source:  http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

HUMOR: Ewwwwwwww!

Not mine.  From here.

Marty, a little boy, was in church one Easter Sunday with his mother Doris, when he started feeling sick.

'Mummy,' he inquired, 'can we leave now?' 
'No,' his mother replied, 'the service isn't over yet.'

'Well, I think I'm about to throw up.' Marty announced. 
'Then go out of the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush.' said Doris.

After about sixty seconds, Marty returned to his pew, alongside his mother.

'Did you throw up?' Marty's Mum asked quietly. 
'Yes,' Marty answered, embarrassed.

'How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?' Doris demanded.

'I didn't have to go out of the church, Mummy. They have a box next to the front door that says, "For the Sick".'

Are you ready for some BASEBALL?!

We've got one more event coming up for the Bible Quizzing season!  Monroe & Trumbull will be getting together to watch the Bridgeport Bluefish play the Camden Riversharks on Monday, June 1.  Please meet at the ballpark at 6:30 PM to buy tickets (about $10).  We'll see you there!

WEEKLY COMIC: Act Now!

INTRODUCTION: Why Should I Quiz?

At the Ministry Fair, some people may have been exposed to the Teen Bible Quizzing Ministry for the first time.  So, we want to give you a chance to get to know us with some basic, introductory posts.  This series will give you a taste for what Bible Quizzing is.

Why Should I Quiz?

The Tagline

We like to break down the appeal of Bible Quizzing into a simple tagline:  Learn God's Word, Make New Friends, Compete

Learn God's Word

Ultimately, Bible Quizzing is all about learning the Bible - God's own words to humanity.  As a quizzer, you won't learn a few quaint Bible stories, some watered-down theology, or a couple of hand-selected memory verses.  You will learn whole books of the Bible!  You'll learn to commit scripture to heart and mind, to read critically, and to understand the original meaning of the text.

We like to tell the story of a couple of past quizzers who applied to be missionaries.  They were in a group with seminarians, pastors, and Bible school graduates, and went through a rigorous test to check their knowledge of the Bible.  They got the top two scores in the entire group, outdoing men and women with MDivs and PhDs, and they realized it was all due to Bible Quizzing.

Make New Friends

There are not many ministries these days that reach out beyond the four walls of your own church or the small group of teens who make up your Youth Group.  But in Bible Quizzing, we compete against teens from other churches from our District (the northeastern USA) and some years from all over the country.  It is a chance to meet people from all over who share your love of Jesus, and form friendships that last a lifetime.

A number of past quizzers met their college roommate, their spouse-to-be, or their best friend in Bible Quizzing.

Compete

Let's be clear - Bible Quizzing is fun!  It's a sport where you test your mind and your heart as you compete with other teens to see who knows the most, who remembers the most, and who is the quickest to remember the material.  Like any sport, not every competitor is the same.  Some are amazing at memorization - it is not uncommon to find quizzers able to recite whole chapters or books of the Bible.  Some are amazing at recognizing key words or phrases - this was my specialty.  Still others are gifted at quick jumping and lightning-fast recall.  And some teens aren't great at memory, but are gifted in bringing the team together and encouraging others.  Whatever your gift, be sure we can use you.  And be sure you will have fun!

A Few Other Things

• Some Home Schoolers find Bible Quizzing a perfect fit for their curriculum.
• Some teens find the Bible Quiz Team to be a safe place to ease their way into the social side of the church.  As a smaller and supportive group with a focussed purpose, it is unintimidating.
• Some colleges offer Bible Quizzing scholarships.  If you're looking at a Christian college, be sure to inquire!

INTRODUCTION: How does a Quiz Work?

At the Ministry Fair, some people may have been exposed to the Teen Bible Quizzing Ministry for the first time.  So, we want to give you a chance to get to know us with some basic, introductory posts.  This series will give you a taste for what Bible Quizzing is.

How does a Quiz Work?

The Basics

A Bible Quiz always works the same way:

• There are 20 questions in a quiz
• Quizzers "jump" to answer a question
• You have 30 seconds to answer a question (with certain exceptions)
• A correct answer is worth 20 points
• A wrong answer is deducts 10 points, plus the other team gets a bonus question to answer worth 10 points
• There are ways to earn extra points by
• Getting 5 questions right and none wrong (+10)
• Having 4 quizzers on your team get at least one question right (+10)
• Having 5 quizzers on your team get at least one question right (+10)
• At the end, the team with the higher score wins.  (If there is a tie, we go into a 5 question overtime session.)

"Jump"

Every quizzer sits on a chair during the quiz with a pad on the seat.  The pad contains two switches which are depressed when the quizzer puts pressure on it.  When a quizzer relieves the pressure - by standing up, moving their leg, etc. - they have "jumped" and an electrical current goes thru the pad to a box seen by the quizmaster.  The first quizzer to jump - and only the first - shows up as a light on the quizmaster's board.  Once that light is seen, the quizmaster will call on the appropriate quizzer

Kinds of Questions

• Regular Question:

Q:  In my first book, WHO?
A:  O Theophilus   [Acts 1:1]

• Multi-Part Question: 

Q:  2 Part:  I dealt with all that Jesus WHAT?
A:  Began to do and teach    [Acts 1:1]

• Reference Question:

Q:  According to Acts 1:20, For it is written, WHAT?
A:  in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate,
    and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’

• Situation Question:

Q:  WHO SAID IT? "Look at us,"
A:  Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John   [Acts 3:4]

• Finish-the-Verse Question:

Q:  He said to them… 
A:  … “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority..  [Acts 1:7]

INTRODUCTION: What are we quizzing on next season?

At the Ministry Fair, some people may have been exposed to the Teen Bible Quizzing Ministry for the first time.  So, we want to give you a chance to get to know us with some basic, introductory posts.  This series will give you a taste for what Bible Quizzing is.

What are we quizzing on next season?

Books of the Bible

Some years, we only study a single book, but this year we are covering 5 of the epistles:

• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• Philemon

Version of the Bible

There are many different English translations of the Bible.  We use the 2011 edition of the English Standard Version.  

How and When

We'll be studying approximately one chapter per week, but paced through the course of the Bible Quizzing season (September to May).  We recommend every quizzer read thru the chapter of the week twice every day.  We'll also meet once a week for a practice where we'll have a short lesson on the chapter - talking about context and importance of the material - and then we'll quiz as a team.  Practice will be about 1 hour long.

INTRODUCTION: What is Bible Quizzing?

At the Ministry Fair, some people may have been exposed to the Teen Bible Quizzing Ministry for the first time.  So, we want to give you a chance to get to know us with some basic, introductory posts.  This series will give you a taste for what Bible Quizzing is.

What is Bible Quizzing?

Summary

Bible Quizzing is a ministry of the Evangelical Free Church which brings together teens to study books of the Bible in-depth over the course of a school year.  We focus on learning the text - as well as getting information from the coaches on the context and meaning of the text - and compete with each other to demonstrate our knowledge.  Periodically - about once a month - we get together for a Quiz Meet with other churches in our District for a competition, and about twice a year we meet for a full-blown formal Quiz Meet, complete with trophies.

What is the Goal of Bible Quizzing?

Our focus and goal for the Bible Quizzing ministry is to store up the Bible in the hearts of willing teens.  The competition is a fun, but is just a means to the end of learning scripture.

How much is covered?

We go through a different section of scripture every year, covering anywhere from 1 long book of the Bible to five short books.  Over the course of a cycle, we cover gospels, history, and letters from the New Testament.

For next year, we are studying the books of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon - about 19 chapters.

If you go through all the possible years of quizzing, you will have learned 16 books of the Bible!

What would MY commitment be?

We have one practice a week, approximately 1 quiz meet a month, and once or twice a year we will do an overnight for one of those Quiz Meets.  We met from September to May.  There is no required cost.

How do I get more information?

1.  Read thru this website.  The sidebar especially has lots of useful information.
2.  Talk to teens currently in the Bible Quizzing ministry.
3.  Talk to the coaches.  You can e-mail us via the link in the sidebar.
4.   Keep coming back to this website.  It will be updated every day with new information.

DID YOU KNOW: Who were the human authors of the Bible?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

Who wrote the Bible, in a human sense?

The Bible is not one book, but a collection of books written by a number of men (as inspired by the Holy Spirit) across the centuries. Did you know just how many people were involved with producing the scriptures you hold today?

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Joshua = Joshua - 1350 B.C.
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel = Samuel/Nathan/Gad - 1000 - 900 B.C.
1 Kings, 2 Kings = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah = Ezra - 450 B.C.
Esther = Mordecai - 400 B.C.
Job = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Psalms = several different authors, mostly David - 1000 - 400 B.C.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon = Solomon - 900 B.C.
Isaiah = Isaiah - 700 B.C.
Jeremiah, Lamentations = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
Ezekiel = Ezekiel - 550 B.C.
Daniel = Daniel - 550 B.C.
Hosea = Hosea - 750 B.C.
Joel = Joel - 850 B.C.
Amos = Amos - 750 B.C.
Obadiah = Obadiah - 600 B.C.
Jonah = Jonah - 700 B.C.
Micah = Micah - 700 B.C.
Nahum = Nahum - 650 B.C.
Habakkuk = Habakkuk - 600 B.C.
Zephaniah = Zephaniah - 650 B.C.
Haggai = Haggai - 520 B.C.
Zechariah = Zechariah - 500 B.C.
Malachi = Malachi - 430 B.C.
Matthew = Matthew - A.D. 55
Mark = John Mark - A.D. 50
Luke = Luke - A.D. 60
John = John - A.D. 90
Acts = Luke - A.D. 65
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon = Paul - A.D. 50-70
Hebrews = unknown, mostly likely Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos - A.D. 65
James = James - A.D. 45
1 Peter, 2 Peter = Peter - A.D. 60
1 John, 2 John, 3 John = John - A.D. 90
Jude = Jude - A.D. 60
Revelation = John - A.D. 90

From GotQuestions.Org.

HUMOR: If "His eye is on the sparrow"...

Not mine.  From here.

A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.'

His son asked, 'What happened to the flea?'

The Ministry Fair is tomorrow!

Remember that the Ministry Fair is tomorrow.  If you know anyone - teen, parent, or pastor - interested in learning more about Bible Quizzing, PLEASE send them our way!  Feel free to hang around the table to share your fun stories as a quizzer, too!

WEEKLY COMIC: Golly!

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Even So Come

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: November 2014 Quiz Meet

Slideshow 2015

If you know anyone interested in doing Bible Quiz Team for 2014-2015, please encourage them to visit our table at next week's Ministry Fair!

DID YOU KNOW: How long did it take to write the Bible?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

How long did it take to write the whole Bible?

It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ)

Happy Mothers Day!

We wish a VERY happy to day to all the mothers in Bible Quizzing.  We greatly appreciate all you for your kids and our ministry.  We know without you, all of our lives would be far harder and less loving.

HUMOR: Fund-Raising Ideas

Not mine.  From here.

One Sunday the Reverend Jones announced to his congregation, 'My good people, I have here in my hands three sermons...... 
A $100 sermon that lasts five minutes
A $50 sermon that lasts fifteen minutes
And a $20 sermon that lasts a full hour.

Now, we'll take the collection and see which one I'll deliver.'

WEEKLY COMIC: Uncommon Mothers Day Problem

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Feet of Jesus

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: Quiz Team Moms

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Proverbs 31:28

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. - Proverbs 31:28

DID YOU KNOW: How was the Bible put together?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

How was the Bible put together? How did history decide which books were in and which ones were out?

The current list of books in the Bible - known as the "canon" - was put together in different ways for the Old Testament and New Testament. But despite what some fiction authors might like to claim, the process was not secretive or mysterious.

...there was very little controversy over the canon of the Old Testament. Hebrew believers recognized God’s messengers and accepted their writings as inspired of God. While there was undeniably some debate in regards to the Old Testament canon, by A.D. 250 there was nearly universal agreement on the canon of Hebrew Scripture...

For the New Testament, the process of the recognition and collection began in the first centuries of the Christian church. Very early on, some of the New Testament books were being recognized. Paul considered Luke’s writings to be as authoritative as the Old Testament (1 Timothy 5:18; see also Deuteronomy 25:4 and Luke 10:7). Peter recognized Paul’s writings as Scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). Some of the books of the New Testament were being circulated among the churches (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27). Clement of Rome mentioned at least eight New Testament books (A.D. 95). Ignatius of Antioch acknowledged about seven books (A.D. 115). Polycarp, a disciple of John the apostle, acknowledged 15 books (A.D. 108). Later, Irenaeus mentioned 21 books (A.D. 185). Hippolytus recognized 22 books (A.D. 170-235). The New Testament books receiving the most controversy were Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, and 3 John...

The councils followed something similar to the following principles to determine whether a New Testament book was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit: 1) Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle? 2) Is the book being accepted by the body of Christ at large? 3) Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching? 4) Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit?

HUMOR: Heavenly Accommodations.

Not mine.  From here.

One Easter a pastor and a taxi driver both died and went to heaven. St. Peter was at the Pearly gates waiting for them.

'Come with me,' said St. Peter to the taxi driver.

The taxi driver did as he was told and followed St Peter to a mansion. It had everything you could imagine from a bowling alley to an Olympic size pool.

'Oh my word, thank you,' said the taxi driver.

Next, St. Peter led the pastor to a rough old shack with a bunk bed and a little old television set.

'Wait, I think you are a little mixed up,' said the pastor. 'Shouldn't I be the one who gets the mansion? After all I was a pastor, went to church every day, and preached God's word.'

'Yes, that's true.' St Peter rejoined, 'But during your Easter sermons people slept.  When the taxi driver drove, everyone prayed.'

BIBLE NEWS: Biblical Art Museum Closing

The Bible has been inspiring artists of all kinds since the beginning of its history, and it continues to serve as a muse today.  But that doesn't mean that Biblical art can find donors to keep museums open.  The Museum of Biblical Art in Manhattan is closing due to lack of funds to support the necessary space to showcase masterpieces.

If you think religious imagery has no place in modern art, consider Barnett Newman’s paintings Adam and Eve. Newman translates the Bible’s first man and woman into red vertical columns in fields of purple-brown: the nude portrayals of these inhabitants of Eden by earlier artists such as Albrecht Dürer become lines of stark abstraction. This is not the only echo of Genesis in Newman’s art. His entire aesthetic of sublime power suggests God giving the 10 commandments to Moses or dividing the waters from the earth. Newman’s Broken Obelisk might be an image of the destruction of the temple or the fall of Babylon. In his cycle of shockingly austere paintings The Stations of the Cross, he turns to the New Testament story of the Passion.

WEEKLY COMIC: Accessorizing