STUDY RESOURCES: Online Audio Bible

You can download the MP3s that we provide, but sometimes it is useful to hear the same material in different voices.  One such tool in your belt should be the Online Audio Bible.  This Bible was specifically made for those who learn better by hearing than by reading, and offers every book of the Bible read aloud for free.

Click on thru and take a listen.  

Online Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible was one of the first books every produced by the moveable type printing press, and is widely considered a great work of art.  Now, scans from a Gutenberg Bible are available online for free!  Click on thru and enjoy a little bit of Biblical history during Christmas week!

COOL TOOLS: The Names of God

We don't often think about names.  Expectant parents may look up the meanings of names, and history teachers may enjoy telling us the origin of names, but overall we tend to take them at face value.  But the Bible is very intentional about names.  When major figures go through a life-changing experience, their name is changed - Abram to Abraham, Saul to Paul, etc.

So, what about the names given to God?  The name chosen to describe Him at various points in scripture can be VERY significant.  So, why not go over to the Blue Letter Bible and see their section on The Names of God?  I think you'll be surprised!

COOL TOOLS: Dictionary of Biblical Theology

Bible Quizzing is great, because you always know exactly what to study.  We even break it down by week for you! But sometimes there is a specific topic or idea that you want to learn more about.  You can try word studies by using a concordance, you could try asking questions of your coach or youth pastor, you could even try Googling the issue.  But a Dictionary of Biblical Theology is a great place to start.  It lays out an issue, a person, or an idea clearly and cites a number of different experts, if there is disagreement.  It's a quick way to go from ignorance to expert.

Click on thru and click on a few topics you find of interest!

COOL TOOLS: Online Interlinear Bible

An interlinear Bible is one which gives you the translated English text in parallel with the relevant original Greek or Hebrew text of the scripture. It is a great resource if you are curious EXACTLY what a specific word or phrase meant when the original writer put it down. These tend to be expensive, but now you can find free tools to do the same thing online! If you're interested to see the language the original writers were working in, it is worth clicking through and trying it out.

COOL TOOLS: Bible Maps

If you've been watching the situation in Sudan, you'll have realized one important fact about maps.  They're always changing!  Changes in geography, climate, politics, and religion are constantly changing boundaries between regions and nations.  Can you imagine how much the map has changes in the 2000+ years since Christ walked the Earth?

Check out the Bible Maps of StudyLight.Org for a good atlas of how the map of the Holy Land looked throughout Biblical Times.

COOL TOOLS: EFCA Today

Once upon a time, you'd see the magazine "EFCA Today" hanging out in the lobby of our church.   It was a short, glossy publication highlighting the most interesting things going on in the Evangelical Free Church of America.  But like many magazines, it found it hard to compete with the internet and thus has moved completely online.  EFCAToday.Org still exists and is still a great tool for getting news about other churches in our denomination.  Click on over and check it out.

COOL TOOLS: Ravi Zecharias Podcast

There are many different kinds of preachers in the church today.  Evangelists who reach out to non-believers and invite them to come to Jesus, Teachers who impart eternal truths to open minds, and even Apologists who defend the Christian faith against skeptics and hostile philosophers.  Ravi Zacharias is a very important modern apologist who takes on skeptics on their own ground, heading to college campuses and other intellectual venues to debate those who are most hostile to Christianity.  His weekly podcast "Let My People Think" is a great tool for any Christian looking to understand why you believe what you believe.

COOL TOOLS: MP3s from Nationals

After the wonderful time at Nationals, you want to stay feeling the glow of the glory of God forever. Someday, we'll have that in eternity. But for now, that high fades as you return to "real life". But one good tool to capture and hold onto the blessings from Challenge 2012 is recordings of the speakers to remind you what you learned and how you were challenged. Click on the image below for the site where you can download them all!

COOL TOOLS: Timer from AppCubby

We don't talk about it much, but one of the most important parts of any quiz is actually the timer. That little wristwatch, stopwatch, or wall clock is the tyrant that decides whether your brilliant answer counts for points or not. So, it is important to have the right timer around to quickly count off 10, 30, or 45 seconds. If you have an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), one such tool might be the app "Timer" from App Cubby. It allows to set up a series of preset timers and have them count down at a tap. Plus, you can set a fun or weird sound to go off when the timer is done. It's 99 cents in the App Store.

COOL TOOLS: Online Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls represent some of the oldest copies of the Bible in existence (as well as commentaries).  Many were written over a hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ!  If you're interested in taking a look at these amazing archeological treasures, check the Digital Dead Sea Scrolls. This website offers scans of some of the best-preserved of the artifacts, along with a description of their history.

COOL TOOLS: Reformed Theological Seminary

One of the most amazing ways the internet has changed our lives is by taking learning outside of the school. If you have an interest in anything, you can find a class for it online... usually for FREE. Reformed Theological Seminary (or RTS) has been at the forefront of bringing Bible teaching to everyone. They have great courses on just about any book of the Bible, or any aspect of theology. You can download them as Podcasts, MP3s, or via their own Apps. Click on thru and see what they have to offer!

COOL TOOLS: One Year Bible Online

We normally hear about this in January, but there really is no right time to start reading the Bible. It should be part of our daily routine, to listen to what God has to say to us. If you're ready to start on an epic journey of discovery, check out the One-Year Bible Online which offers you the chance to build a customized plan to read through the entire Old and New Testaments in one year. Start now or start when school ends. It is a great way to start digging into the great story ever told!

COOL TOOLS: BibleGateway.Com

We use BibleGateway.Com all the time to post quotes from scripture, but did you know it has a whole lot more to it than that? It includes commentaries, introductions, notes, cross-references, daily devotionals, and much more. Click on over and do some exploring!

COOL TOOLS: NIV Study Bible Introductions

One of the more useful parts of the NIV Study Bible is the introductions offered to each and every book. These intros give you historical info about the book, the author, the basic themes, and an outline of the book itself. It is a useful way to get an overview of the book and place it in historical context. But now, you don't need to buy the book to get these intros! They are available online! Click on over and take a look.

COOL TOOLS: NTGreek.Net

We've discussed before that the New Testament was written in Greek, but have you ever wanted to learn how to read it in that original language? NTGreek.Net offers an online course of study for those looking to begin studying this ancient language. Check it out!

COOL TOOLS: Art & the Bible

The Bible is among the most popular subjects of art in history. No other book or story has reached so much of the world, and inspired so many artists of all walks of life. If you're ever looking at a section of scripture, and wondering how to picture it, Art & the Bible is a great resource. You can search by book and chapter for a piece of art which relates to, or was inspired by that section of scripture.

COOL TOOLS: Online Parallel Bible

Most of us are aware that the Bible was not written in English. The Old Testament is a combination of Hebrew and Aramaic, and the New Testament is Greek. So, anytime we read the Bible in English - the Bible Quizzing or any other reason - we're reading a translation. So, how do we know that we're getting back to what the original writer intended? One way is to read several different translations, to get the different perspectives of different translators. The Online Parallel Bible is a very effective (and free!) way to do that. Enter any Bible Reference, and it'll give you many different translations side by side, so you can compare how scholars have viewed the verse over the years. It is the next best thing to going to Seminary and learning Greek.

USEFUL: Blue Letter Bible

Everyone knows about Biblegateway.Com as a great resource for online Bible reading, but have you checked out Blue Letter Bible? This relatively new Bible website not only gives you the raw scripture in your chosen translation, but has one-click access to a parallel Bible (view any verse in all available translations, including the original Greek/Hebrew), commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and more! It can be a great resource when you're ready to really dig into the Word.

Click through and check it out. It could be a very valuable tool for the 2011-2012 season!

OUR FAVORITE SITES: World's Greatest Stories

Did you know we have a minor celebrity right here at Calvary Church? Our very own Mr. George Sarris is an actor renowned for his acting which brings the truths of God's Word to life through oral interpretation and dramatic presentations! He has presented at Bible Quizzing events before, and puts on a show at Calvary every year or so. (And he is a father of 4 former Trumbull quizzers!) Consider clicking thru to his "World's Greatest Stories" site and taking a look - and giving a listen - to his work.