Presidential Prayer Team

Have you ever wondered what you can do to help out your country, even though you are still young and getting education for your future? You have read many verses this year about the power of prayer, but have you considered actually putting it into practice? Consider the Presidential Prayer team. This group, founded during George W. Bush's presidency, is dedicated to finding men and women of God willing to put aside time every day to pray for the President of the United States, no matter what his (or eventually her) party may be.

Some don't agree with all of the views of the current president, but he still needs prayer for wisdom to face the many challenges facing him: North Korea, Iran, Honduras, the economy, etc. Consider becoming a prayer warrior here for your nation.

Britain knows not the Bible

Despite 75% of all Britons owning a Bible, there is apparently a serious dearth of actual scriptural knowledge. This is not only an issue for Christians, but for anyone who wants to really understand Western literature, which is deeply steeped in Biblical themes.

Researchers found that 57 per cent of people knew nothing about Joseph or his brothers despite the hit musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and 60 per cent were ignorant of the story of the Good Samaritan.

The Reverend David Wilkinson, from St John's, said the consequences of ignorance went far beyond being unclear about what church leaders might preach. He said a good grounding in the stories and characters of the Bible was essential to understanding history and culture because so much of art, music and literature was bound up with religious themes.

It is easily to feel self-righteous because we are Bible quizzers. But how much Bible reading have you done outside of the books we study?

HUMOR: Be careful what you pray for

A country preacher decided to skip services one Sunday to spend the day hiking in the wilderness. Rounding a sharp bend in the trail, he collided with a bear and was sent tumbling down a steep grade. He landed on a rock and broke both legs.
With the ferocious bear charging at him from a distance, the preacher prayed, "O Lord, I'm so sorry for skipping services today. Please forgive me and grant me just one wish—make a Christian out of that bear that's coming at me!"
At that very instant, the bear skidded to a halt, fell to his knees, clasped his paws together, and began to pray aloud at the preacher's feet: "Dear God, please bless this food I am about to receive."

Bible Theater

There are many ways to teach the Bible to kids, but one of the more fun and creative ways is to use drama. It is amazing how someone who would never read a Bible story or listen to a testimony will willingly sit down for a short skit about the Greatest Book.

Featuring three short dramas — including “The Walls of Jericho,” “Moses in the Wilderness” and the “Tower of Babel” — the Theatre School combines a Christian theme with a touch of modern humor.

All the plays are original productions and written by Bethany theater instructors Pete Bloedel and Matthew Caron. The plays are about 10 minutes long and retell common Bible stories in a way that’s easy for both students and audience to digest.

During the Tower of Babel, the mighty King Nimrod is mocked by his minions for a ridiculous name. During Moses in the Wilderness, the Israelites cha-cha to the Promised Land.

I wonder sometimes how much easier some might find it to memorize scripture for quizzing, if they tried acting out the material they are reviewing.

Love you, Dad!

George Sarris on Behemoth.Com!

George Sarris has long been part of the Bible Quizzing family. He has produced 4 excellent quizzers in his children, he has entertained many meets with his "Worlds Greatest Stories" dramas, and he has come along on many occasions to cheer Trumbull on. Now, he has started on a new adventure, producing a read-thru the Bible program on Behemoth.Com. He will, over the course of the next year or so, be producing *FREE* readings from the King James Version of every book in the Bible. This could be a great resource for your family devotional time, or for a friend looking to get into the Bible without spending any hard-earned cash.

But please keep in mind, these recordings are NOT for quizzing. These are, again, KJV. Quizzing is in the New International Version, only!

Getting away from it all

Nazarene Quizzers prepare for Orlando

Bible Quizzing is not only for the EFCA, but is used by may denominations to teach scripture to kids. The Nazarene denomination is preparing for their big year-end quiz now.

More than 2,000 children will be competing in the Bible quiz in Orlando, Moore said. The Nazarenes also are making the competition more international by translating quiz materials into French, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.

The Decatur children have studied a very important span in the Bible that plays out like a movie, from the Israelites dwelling in Egypt, the birth of Moses, the burning bush, Moses returning to Egypt, the plagues, the exodus of the Israelites, the Red Sea and Mount Sinai to the tabernacle being buil

Congratulations, Bronx Box!

Congrats from all of us here to Bronx Boy on his graduation today. We'll miss you next year, but are praying for success in your next venture.

Happy Father's Day!

We here at the Quizzer's Pad want to wish all of the Quiz Team Dads a VERY happy father's day. We know how much you do to encourage, instill self-discipline, and provide the tools to make us the best we can be. (And apologize to the many dads I could not picture here today. You are absolutely included in our hearts.)

Somehow Saturday is becoming "dance day"

This should be the last interpretive dance post for a while, unless there is demand for more. This is from Bill Chalmer's 70th birthday party.

Something's Fishy

Bible Squares Game

Have you started looking into 1 Corinthians yet? If so, you may want to check out this 4-squares game about the book. Every question right gives you an X, every one you get wrong gives your opponent an O. Three in a row, and you win! Simple rules, but the questions are not easy. (Free Adobe Flash required to play the game in your browser.)

A Collection of Historic Bibles on Display

We love the many translations available to the modern reader of the Bible. But have you ever thought about the trials and tribulations that others have gone through to produce Bibles in languages that locals can read? One man has a traveling display of historic Bibles translated into various languages.

"People have taken the Bible for granted because they've always had one or can easily get one if it is lost. Because of its availability we've lost a sense of its importance," he said. "That's what prompted me to gather this collection."

Among the Bibles to be displayed at the SBC exhibit:

-- A Latin Vulgate that was handwritten on vellum around A.D. 1230 and served as the basis for John Wycliffe's translation.

-- The last of five editions of Erasmus' Greek New Testament, printed in A.D. 1535.

-- William Tyndale's New Testament dated 1552 which served as the basis for all subsequent English versions for the next 400 years. Many of these were confiscated and burned...

We're never done with the Bible

Prayer for Chit-Chat

From now until July 1, Chit-Chat will be down in Texas on a short-term missions trip. She'll be helping out with VBS for local kids, and doing some basic construction work. Please be praying for our fellow quizzer!

HUMOR: Religious Programming

Jesus and Satan have a discussion as to who is the better programmer. This goes on for a few hours until they come to an agreement to hold a contest, with God as the judge. They set themselves before their computers and begin. They type furiously, lines of code streaming up the screen, for several hours straight. Seconds before the end of the competition, a bolt of lightning strikes, taking out the electricity. Moments later, the power is restored, and God announces that the contest is over.

He asks Satan to show what he has come up with. Satan is visibly upset, and cries, "I have nothing. I lost it all when the power went out." "Very well, then," says God, "let us see if Jesus fared any better." Jesus enters a command, and the screen comes to life in vivid display, the voices of an angelic choir pour forth from the speakers. Satan is astonished. He stutters, "B-b-but how?! I lost everything, yet Jesus' program is intact! How did he do it?"

"Easy," God chuckles, "Jesus saves."

Kiwi Dances II

One more video from Quirky/Fishy's graduation.

Speak up!

Crossword Puzzle - The Epistles

It's Thursday which means it is quiz/puzzle day here at the Quizzer's Pad. Today's puzzle is a crossword puzzle on the Epistles. Click on the puzzle below to go directly to a live version. FYI, you need JAVA installed and enabled in your browser to play this.

Milligan College Bible Bowl

While the Bible Quizzing season may be over for the Evangelical Free Church of America, many other groups are still in the midst of their season. Milligan College in Tennessee is hosting a Bible Bowl which is their version of a Districts Bible Quiz Meet. The big prize here, however, is not a trophy or a plaque, but a college scholarship!

The Bible Bowl competition promotes fun fellowship while learning Scripture from the Bible. Over 200 participants along with youth ministers and team leaders make up the 32 teams. Bible Bowlers compete by answering questions accurately and quickly. All questions for the quizzing program are about the Bible. Winners in certain categories will receive Bible Bowl college scholarships upon admission to Milligan College.

In addition to competing in Bible Bowl, Bible Bowlers will experience college life by living in the dorms and eating in the dining center. They will also enjoy sports, swimming, and some local activities.

If you are planning to attend a Christian college after High School, be sure to inquire about Bible Quizzing Scholarships. Not all institutions have them, but those that do can be a big help in alleviating the strain of higher education.

Russia persecuting Christians?

In the days of the Cold War, Christians in Soviet Russia were persecuted daily for their faith - imprisoned, killed, sent to camps in Siberia. These days, after the fall of Communism, the Russian government is theoretically open to people of faith. But some are concerned that things may be going back to dark times, especially for minority Christians.

“Centralized religious organizations” can be registered by combining at least three local organizations of the same denomination. In addition to all the legal rights enjoyed by local organizations, centralized organizations also have the right to open new local organizations without any waiting period. Centralized organizations that have existed in the country for more than fifty years have the right to use the words “Russia” or “Russian” in their official names.

However, the 1997 Law also gives officials the authority to ban “religious groups” -- for any or no reason -- and thereby prohibit all of the activities of such religious communities. As a result, many Christian groups meet in unregistered, underground house churches. This onerous provision has been used to close down Christian churches.

Kiwi Dances

This is a short video from Quirky/Fishy's graduation showing an interpretive dance by former quizzer Kiwi.

What did you say?

Photos from Quirky/Fishy's Graduation

You may have thought the papparrazi take the summer off. But you'd be wrong! Click on the image below for the whole set.

Unintended consequences

Bible Literacy Test

Most Bible Quizzers should have pretty decent basic Bible literacy - after all, we already consider the Bible important in our lives. But do you really understand it beyond the books we directly study? If you're not sure consider taking this test to see where you stand. Have a friend or family member administer the quiz, and total up your score. It should not be a problem if you know a different translation of the Bible than the one used in the test.

If you find yourself doing less well than you expected, don't worry. There are plenty of resources at the church and among Quiz Teamers, to help you know the Bible better.

Undercover at a Christian College

There are all kinds of undercover investigations in TV. But did you ever thing you'd see an undercover investigation of Christianity? One secular student decided to "infiltrate" Liberty University, pretending to be a Christian student, and tried to learn all he could about the student body. His biggest surprise? Most of the students were honest Christians who followed Jesus's teachings.

Fellow students knew Roose had transferred from Brown, but few suspected his secular background — and none knew he was writing a book. Once the semester was over, he had to come clean with his new friends.

"It was one of the hardest things I had ever done, because these had become some of my best friends," Roose says. He expected them to feel betrayed — and expected to do a lot of apologizing. Instead, he says, something amazing happened.

"Everyone forgave me — immediately," he says. "It was unreal how quickly their surprise turned to real compassion and excitement."

Bible unwelcome at Show and Tell

What happens if the teacher tells a child to bring their favorite book to "show and tell", and it is the Bible. According to the Pennsylvania court, he has to leave it at home.

A kindergartner's mother cannot read Scripture during show and tell, even if the Bible is the boy's favorite book, a U.S. appeals court said Monday.

The Marple Newtown School District in suburban Philadelphia told plaintiff Donna Kay Busch in October 2004 that she could not read the Bible passages during her son's "All About Me" program. The school did permit the boy to discuss a poster that included references to his church as well as his family, pet and best friend.

Congratulations, Fishy!

Congratulation to Fishy on graduating this weekend from "Pioneer Christian Academy." Our best wishes and prayers as she moves into an exciting future!