Peace of God Bible (Review and Giveaway) #PeaceOfGodBibleMIN

The Peace of God Bible

You were made for peace ― and to be a peacemaker.

The story of the Bible is the story of peace―peace with God and with one another. 

But peace isn't simply a feeling of calm or ease. It is a way of experiencing life as we were always meant to―in relationship with our Creator and with each other. We can recover a completeness that was once lost but is restored in the gospel.

The Peace of God Bible invites you to experience peace with God as you trace this important theme throughout Scripture. By meditating on it daily as you read 365 devotions and application notes, you will find the encouragement you need to live out of the wholeness you have in Christ―and be equipped to share that peace with others.

Jeremiah Johnston, PhD (General Editor) Bio: Jeremiah J. Johnston, PhD, is an elected member of the preeminent New Testament scholarly guild Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS) and minsters internationally as president of Christian Thinkers Society (www.christianthinkers.com). Jeremiah loves the local church, and also serves as pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church.

 Peace of God Bible features include:

• Book introductions to help reveal the part peace plays in each book of the Bible
• 365 devotionals based on a key verse or passage to guide you in how to receive and live by God's peace
• 365 peace notes offering short, powerful insights to help you understand more deeply the wholeness you have in Christ
• Topical indexes to help you study on your own how God's peace can shape different relationships in your life
• Articles explore what the peace of God is, how to find or recover it, and how to experience eternal salvation because of what God has done for you
• Concise concordance and index of features
• End-of-page translators' notes and cross-references
• Line-matched, double-column typesetting
• Clear and readable 9.5-point NKJV Comfort Print®

My thoughts: Many times I've heard that peace is a theme throughout the Bible, and I know it's true, but seeing the devotionals and Peace Notes on almost every page in the Peace of God Bible really emphasized that truth. Not just in the verses that are very clearly about peace (Psalm 4:8 comes to mind), but in familiar passages that may not explicitly mention peace, such as Psalm 23, and in many passages that we might not associate with teachings about God's peace at all. 

This devotional with Psalm 23 highlights just how knowing God as our "Good Shepherd" and understanding that he cares and provides for us leads to our experiencing peace.

The short Peace Notes throughout provide brief reminders on what the Bible says about peace and how applying God's truth will bring us into the peace he has for us. Peace characterizes the "sound heart" spoken of in the Proverbs. This note in the book of Habakkuk sees how the prophet's declaration could be viewed as his own plan for focusing on God's promises and peace, in a way I wouldn't have thought of.

I liked the topical index in the back, because it's a quick reference for seeking Scripture and related devotionals when one is needing to overcome worry and anxiety about specific topics.

Purchase your copy of the Peace of God Bible today on Amazon!

It's available in three cover styles:  Hardcover

Brown LeatherSoft

Purple LeatherSoft

Learn more at PeaceofGodBible.com 

As part of this promotion, Momentum is generously allowing me to host this giveaway of one copy of the Peace of God Bible. Please note: This giveaway is open to US only, opens on November 2nd and closes on November 8th. Fill out the entry form here, on my Giveaway Page on A Fresh Cup of Coffee.

Hashtags: #PeaceOfGodBibleMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

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 ©2006-2025 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Rosh Hashanah - Day of Trumpets

Rosh Hashanah, sometimes called the Jewish New Year, is being celebrated this week. In 2025, Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of Monday, September 22nd and goes through Wednesday, September 24th. Even though my family is not Jewish, as Christians we see the truth of the Messiah in all the Jewish feasts. 

According to the Torah, the New Year actually begins with Passover, but Rosh Hashanah also signifies an opportunity to reflect and then to start anew. This day is also known as The Day of Trumpets or The Feast of Trumpets, and is the start of a ten-day period of repentance in preparation for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). In Leviticus 23, God tells Israel: "On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts."

The blowing of the shofar (ram's horn) summoned the people of Israel to gather, whether for a sacred assembly, to break camp and move, to prepare for war, or to listen to the word of the Lord. The sound of the shofar commands attention and reminds us of the solemn necessity of turning back to God during these holy days. 

This assembly known as The Day of Trumpets was a special sabbath with offerings and preparation that would turn the people back to God. It is a day linked to atonement, with God's instructions in Numbers 29 specifying, "a male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you." There were other kinds of offerings by fire made as well; offerings not made today because there is no Temple or Tabernacle. 

The Torah reading is about the patriarch Abraham's journey and willingness to obey God and offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. But God provided a ram for the sacrifice instead! And we know that God has also provided a sacrifice for all of us - his own Son, Jesus the Messiah. God always provides.

It's traditional to eat fruits, honey cake, and apples dipped in honey. These sweet foods are a reminder of the biblical celebration described during the time of Ezra, when the people were instructed to "Go, eat rich food, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who can't provide for themselves; for today is consecrated to our Lord." (Nehemiah 8:10) Round or braided Challah is another traditional treat for Rosh Hashanah, and one I particularly love. 

Challah (makes two braided loaves)

(Recipe based on the one in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois)

 Add 3/4 tbsp yeast, 3/4 tbsp salt, 2 lightly beaten eggs, 1/4 cup honey, and 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter to 7 ounces lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Mix together, then stir in 3-1/2 cups unbleached flour with a wooden spoon. Don't knead, just mix with the spoon, although you might need to use your hands a bit. Lightly cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about two hours at room temperature. The dough should rise and then collapse or flatten a bit on top during that time. Then put it in the fridge for about an hour to make it easier to work with (or you can keep it up to five days covered in the fridge if you don't want to bake it right away). 

Dust the dough with flour and cut off about half of it (size of a grapefruit or so) to make one loaf. Stretch and turn the piece of dough quickly into a ball and put it on a cutting board dusted with flour. Divide it into thirds using a knife. Roll each third into a ball and then into a rope. Braid the three ropes together, starting from the middle and going to one end, then turning the braid and braid from the middle to the other end. Let the braid rise on a cookie sheet that has been lightly greased or covered with parchment paper for an hour and twenty minutes. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350*F and brush the loaf with an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the challah cool before slicing and eating.

*********************

There is a custom called Tashlich (which means 'casting off') that is symbolic of seeking and offering forgiveness. Take a bag of breadcrumbs to a pond or lake and take turns with your family members tossing crumbs into the water and watching them float away. Micah 7:19 says that God "will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." This is also a good time to reflect on whether we have wronged anyone and need to ask their forgiveness.

 It's customary for Jewish people to greet each other with the wish "may your name be inscribed for a good year", or a simple wish for a sweet year:

L'Shana Tova!

"Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has kept us and sustained us and brought us to this season." 

~Traditional Jewish blessing for Rosh Hashanah~

Just as the trumpet summoned Israel from ancient times, we look forward to the day when the trumpet will sound indicating the Messiah's return to gather all his people.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with God's shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord. ~I Thessalonians 4:16-17

Portions of this article are based on my previous article From the High School Lesson Book: Rosh Hashanah which appeared in October 2016. A version of this article will also appear on A Fresh Cup of Coffee. 

Sources include: How to Celebrate a Messianic Jewish Rosh Hashanah from Jews for Jesus; Rosh Hashanah from Jews for Jesus

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 ©2006-2025 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

A Polymath Park PhotoJournal

When I shared about our tour of Fallingwater recently, I promised another set of photos coming soon because we also visited Polymath Park on that trip. Here are those photos and a little about this site. Polymath Park is about a half hour from Fallingwater, and about an hour from Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands. 

In the 1960s, two families from Pittsburgh engaged architect Peter Berndtson to design two summer houses for them in Westmoreland County. Berndtson had studied at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and had worked with him on several projects, so his designs were greatly influenced by Wright, and his original vision had been to create a Usonian type area with common areas shared by the two families.

In 2000, the Papinchaks purchased a home in the mountains as a retreat, and in 2003 also purchased the Berndtson-designed houses (Balter and Blum) and land in order to preserve the area known as Polymath Park from development. The work of restoration on these houses began with a plan to open to the public at some point. In 2006 they got involved with the relocation of Frank Lloyd Wright's Duncan House which had originally been in Lisle, IL. Mr Papinchak acquired the house and it was reassembled at Polymath Park piece by piece. Polymath Park opened to the public in 2008 for tours and overnight stays, educating guests on Wright and Berndtson and their concepts of Usonian designs. In 2016, the Frank Lloyd Wright house known as "Mäntylä" was also acquired and approved for relocation from Cloquet, MN. This house was reassembled and opened for tours in 2019.

This is the Treetops Restaurant at the 'headquarters' of the site, which was originally the home of the Papinchaks:

Guests can tour all four houses or just the Wright houses. On our visit, we chose to visit just the two Wright houses.

The Duncan House was one of the prefabricated houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in a partnership with Marshall Erdman. Today Wright's best-known buildings are the large custom homes he designed for wealthy clients, but he was interested in mass production of housing throughout his career. In the 1950s Wright found that the builder Erdman was selling prefab houses, and he offered to design better homes for Erdman that would sell at even more modest prices. The Duncan House is an example of the Prefab #1 design - a single story, L-shaped home with a bedroom wing and a living and kitchen area wing all centered on a large fireplace. The design also included a storage shed connected to the house by a carport.

The R.W. Lindholm house, named Mäntylä, was designed in 1952 by Wright. The name is from a Finnish word meaning "of the pines" which was appropriate for its original location in the Minnesota forest. The house was in danger of demolition due to encroaching development, and in 2016 the house and furnishings were donated and the relocation project began. Mäntylä at Polymath Park opened for tours in 2019.

I loved both of these homes. As beautiful and innovative as I found the other Wright homes we've toured, they were all designed for very wealthy families with household servants and plenty of money for luxuries, and so there was a bit more of a museum quality to them. The houses at Polymath Park were designed for families that prepared their own meals and spent time in their own kitchens, and drove their own cars instead of having a chauffeur. Just the design of a kitchen that was part of the family's living space added a hominess that I really felt.

For review, here's my recent post about Fallingwater: A Fallingwater PhotoJournal

Thanks for joining me as I looked back on this tour! Hope you enjoyed it, and maybe even learned something. Have you visited any Frank Lloyd Wright buildings? Leave a comment and let me know!

See my related posts: A Kentuck Knob PhotoJournal; Frank Lloyd Wright - Blogging Through The Alphabet; A National Building Museum PhotoJournal

  

A version of this post will also appear on A Fresh Cup of Coffee.

Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to HS Coffee Break by email 

 ©2006-2025 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.