Troy Schmidt

Life is full of difficult questions and many of them often seem impossible to answer. In 12 Truths & a Lie, author and pastor J. D. Greear confidently tackles some of the most perplexing questions that Christians face. It's not unusual to have questions about life. In fact, many of us have the same questions. How do I know if I'm going to Heaven? What's my purpose? Why isn't God answering my prayers? In his latest book 12 Truths & a Lie, author and pastor J. D. Greear offers scriptural insights and practical advice to help readers navigate life's toughest challenges. Unafraid to approach areas of doubt and uncertainty, Greear welcomes even the most challenging questions with curiosity, thoughtfulness, and scriptural application, leading readers into a more intimate relationship with Christ. 12 Truths & a Lie includes questions such as: - How could a good God send people to Hell? - How should Christians handle political differences? - Why does God care so much about my sex life? - Can I know that I'm going to Heaven? - How do I know my purpose in life? Whether you're a new Christian or someone who has walked with God for a lifetime, 12 Truths & a Lie is an invaluableguide for readers seeking to deepen their understanding of God and explore how He meets us in the midst of our most soul-stirring questions.

THE SEVEN time-travel adventure series follows a group of kids given gifts of incredible powers all on the same day then find each other over the course of the book series. They unite to battle a villain who is trying to disrupt Bible history. In book 2 of the series FIRE, Josh and his friends travel to the middle east to save their friend Haji and witness the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The work to make sure Lot and his family get out before fireballs (and Dr. Bales) wipes them out. THE SEVEN carefully follows biblical history and even throws in some archaeology to show the truth behind the Bible. Books 2-7 will release in 2024 and 2025. Every book has a secret code adventurers can decipher, testing to see how carefully they are reading.

THE SEVEN time-travel adventure series follows a group of kids who are given incredible powers (mapping to the gifts of the spirit) which begin day then find each other over the course of the book series. They unite to battle a villain who is trying to disrupt Bible history. In the first book of the series FLOOD, Josh Davidson's dad, Edison, has created a time travel backpack that is stolen by the evil Dr. Bales, who uses it to travel to Noah's day to sink the ark Josh and his newfound friends, with the help of Big Mike, an operative with a secret, covert organization, follow Dr. Bales to stop him before all of humanity (and nature) is completely destroyed. THE SEVEN carefully follows biblical history and even throws in some archaeology to show the truth behind the Bible. Every book has a secret code adventurers can decipher, testing to see how carefully they are reading.

From Genesis . . ." In the beginning, God created everything out of nothing." What do all the Bible stories actually mean? Will the Bible be too boring for me? Why is the Bible so long? Have you ever asked--or been too embarrassed to ask--any of these questions? This young reader's edition of The Whole Bible Story will help you understand what the stories in the Bible are actually all about and how every single one of them fits together to tell one big story about God and his love for people--including you! Along with the story of the Bible in words you can easily understand, in every chapter you will find great bonus material like exciting illustrations, fun facts and trivia about the Bible stories, simple lists of important characters and places, and easy-to-follow ways to apply the themes to your own life. After reading The Whole Bible Story, you will understand what's so exciting about the Bible and why God's Word matters to you!. . . to Revelation"God has all of history-- past, present, future-- in his hands."

We go to church. We join a church. We call ourselves a member of a church. But what does it meant to BE the church? Here is the first time the word "church" was used in the Bible. And it came right from Jesus. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Matthew 16:18Jesus never called the church a building. In his day, there was no church building, just homes and community gathering places like the temple courtyard. When all the individuals in the church decide to BE the church, the church becomes the force it was meant to BE. There are four purposes of the church that we'll examine over the next forty days-Believe, Belong, Become, Beyond. Those four purposes all begin with the letters B-E so you can understand what God wants the church to BE. You'll discover after forty days, that the church is far more than a place you go, but a person God called you to BE.

1 & 2 Chronicles paints the best picture it can of the nation of Israel and the rise and fall of the kings. Many times the authors use yellows to brighten up the message, giving the impression of sunny days. However, the backgrounds skew towards dark black, as sinful leaders cloud Israel's future and eventually witness its downfall.1 Chronicles begins with nine chapters of genealogies, listing everyone from kings to gatekeepers. While the exercise feels tiresome and unnecessary, it reveals the goal of 1 & 2 Chronicles-to record the legacy of the Israel. One wonders if the writers weren't nervous about Israel's future and felt they needed a detailed record of its history, similar to how one writes an obituary, highlighting only the good parts. Take David, for example, unlike 2 Samuel which exposed all of David's sins, 1 Chronicles references some faults but skips over his major sins. While 1 & 2 Kings unveils the nitty-gritty history of Israel, 1 & 2 Chronicles gives a loving tribute to the nation, preferring the victories over the failures, but inevitably it must share the truth as this nation falls. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIESWhat is God's word? Simply put, it is the word of God spoken to people long ago who transcribed that information into writing. That writing was meticulously passed down for thousands of years to speak to us today. How did God speak to people in Bible times? -Audibly - God spoke directly to people who heard him with their ears or in their heart.-Through situations - God spoke through the actions and events of this world.-Through people - God spoke through leaders, kings and prophets who proclaimed God's purpose.-Through prophecy - God spoke about future events, then those events happened.-Scripture - God spoke through his written word when people read those words later.-Prayer - God spoke through the prayers of people. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIES recognizes the power of God speaking to mankind through His Scriptures. God's word was not only meant to be read, but applied. We must apply ourselves to these passages and adjust our lives to God's will. Today, God uses many ways to speak to us. This book incorporates those avenues of communication to ensure that God will speak to you during your quiet time with Him. Each section asks the reader to do six things.1. Read the passage. Open up the Bible and read His Word.2. Memorize the passage. A certain verse is given special focus. Commit it to memory. Remember it all day.3. Understand the passage. Background information (Time, Characters, Place, What's Happening) help you to understand the context of the section you are reading.4. Read the prayer. Read the written prayer as if it is from your heart. Don't recite them as words from a page, but a plea from your soul.5. Keep praying. Prayer prompts are there to help you continue praying about other specific areas. Listen to the Holy Spirit and see if there is more you need to pray.6. Journal your thoughts. In the space provided, write down some thoughts that you feel God said to your during this time. Every five sections I've included a "Prayer Thoughts" page to give you more room to journal your thoughts and write down prayer requests as you go through the Bible. Get ready to spend some quality time with God. Get ready for God to speak to you through His Word.

In football, there's a line. The offense wants to cross it. The defense wants to hold it. The entire game, that line moves back and forth on the field. It's exciting to watch and every year we can't wait for football season to start again. In our culture, there's a line when it comes to our constitutional right to express our beliefs. The offense does all it can to move little by little towards their goal line. The defense pushes back with all it can to prevent that line from moving any further. The line separates two factions - one trying to keep their religious freedoms and the other trying preserve, what they call, "a constitutional right." They each see the opponent as their mortal enemy. The Christians believe the atheists want to smother their faith into silence. The atheists want to remove this offensive God from government for the good of America, or so they believe. Little by little, groups like Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) are gaining ground every day. Their goal - to eradicate any mention of God's name, the Bible or prayer from every part of our government. It's time Christians get into the game and play ball. Author Troy Schmidt is a chaplain for a high school football team. In 2014 when he was told that he could no longer talk about God, read from the Bible or pray with the team. Since then he has been investigating this movement in our nation to wipe out religion from all aspects of America.

Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther simply are about restoration. God punished the nations of Israel and Judah because of their disobedience and allowed their enemies to plow through them. Remnants of Judah went to Babylon where they lived in enemy territory for seventy years. Then God allowed them to move back and rebuild a broken Jerusalem. Ezra was a priest who helped to restore the spiritual components of the temple and reignite the sacrificial system. Nehemiah inspired the people to build the wall around the city for protection, standing up to enemies who wanted to tear down the infrastructure. The story of Esther shifted back to Persia, a nation now in charge after defeating the Babylonian powerhouse. God protected His people politically through a beauty contest and a near slaughter of the Jews. These three books show that God is always at work behind the scenes and He uses people like us to build His kingdom, spiritually, practically and politically. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIESWhat is God's word? Simply put, it is the word of God spoken to people long ago who transcribed that information into writing. That writing was meticulously passed down for thousands of years to speak to us today. How did God speak to people in Bible times? -Audibly - God spoke directly to people who heard him with their ears or in their heart.-Through situations - God spoke through the actions and events of this world.-Through people - God spoke through leaders, kings and prophets who proclaimed God's purpose.-Through prophecy - God spoke about future events, then those events happened.-Scripture - God spoke through his written word when people read those words later.-Prayer - God spoke through the prayers of people. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIES recognizes the power of God speaking to mankind through His Scriptures. God's word was not only meant to be read, but applied. We must apply ourselves to these passages and adjust our lives to God's will. Today, God uses many ways to speak to us. This book incorporates those avenues of communication to ensure that God will speak to you during your quiet time with Him. Each section asks the reader to do six things.1. Read the passage. Open up the Bible and read His Word.2. Memorize the passage. A certain verse is given special focus. Commit it to memory. Remember it all day.3. Understand the passage. Background information (Time, Characters, Place, What's Happening) help you to understand the context of the section you are reading.4. Read the prayer. Read the written prayer as if it is from your heart. Don't recite them as words from a page, but a plea from your soul.5. Keep praying. Prayer prompts are there to help you continue praying about other specific areas. Listen to the Holy Spirit and see if there is more you need to pray.6. Journal your thoughts. In the space provided, write down some thoughts that you feel God said to your during this time. Every five sections I've included a "Prayer Thoughts" page to give you more room to journal your thoughts and write down prayer requests as you go through the Bible. Get ready to spend some quality time with God. Get ready for God to speak to you through His Word.

We all have this in common: We get hungry. Inevitably, we eventually notice something we lack, and we wonder how we're going to get our needs met. And then sometimes we notice that someone else has already taken care of our needs. And then sometimes we notice that the One who is taking care of our needs is God. This warm and down-to-earth book invites you to sit in on one of the most miraculous moments of human history, when one Man took a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread and fed an entire village. Meet the Jesus who dares you to ask Him to give you each day your daily bread, who makes promises and keeps them, and who does immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine on a regular basis.

Some people are smart, but are they wise? Wisdom comes through experience, not diplomas and degrees. While school gives you experience with information, hands-on or life-lived, information is good only for the brain. Wisdom is what you learn from life, then apply it so you can live right. King Solomon asked for wisdom when God inquired, "What would you like me to give you?" Our minds would cascade through a number of great things like long life, more power and, yes, more money. Solomon instead asked for wisdom and got it. Plus, God threw in all those other things we wanted first, saying if you have wisdom, you'll live longer, be more prosperous and have more influence. Proverbs is 31 chapters of short, pithy sayings that say a lot with very little so you can live wisely. Ecclesiastes is an essay on life, spoken through an older, wiser Solomon who learned from his mistakes and doesn't want you to repeat them. Song of Songs is a romantic play of a husband and wife in love, expressing the wisdom of true marital bliss. We can all learn something from these three books and live a wiser, more productive life. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIESWhat is God's word? Simply put, it is the word of God spoken to people long ago who transcribed that information into writing. That writing was meticulously passed down for thousands of years to speak to us today. How did God speak to people in Bible times? -Audibly - God spoke directly to people who heard Him with their ears or in their heart.-Through situations - God spoke through the actions and events of this world.-Through people - God spoke through leaders, kings and prophets who proclaimed God's purpose.-Through prophecy - God spoke about future events, then those events happened.-Scripture - God spoke through His written word when people read those words later.-Prayer - God spoke through the prayers of people. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIES recognizes the power of God speaking to mankind through His Scriptures. God's word was not only meant to be read, but applied. We must apply ourselves to these passages and adjust our lives to God's will. The prayers contained in this book paraphrase the scriptures into a personal conversation with God. That way you can speak the words of God back to Him and make them your own. Today, God uses many ways to speak to us. This book incorporates those avenues of communication to ensure that God will speak to you during your quiet time with Him. Each section asks the reader to do six things.1. Read the passage. Open up the Bible and read His Word.2. Memorize the passage. A certain verse is given special focus. Commit it to memory. Remember it all day.3. Understand the passage. Background information (Time, Characters, Place, What's Happening) help you to understand the context of the section you are reading.4. Read the prayer. Read the written prayers as if they were from your heart. Don't recite them as words from a page, but a plea from your soul.5. Keep praying. Prayer prompts are there to help you continue praying about other specific areas. Listen to the Holy Spirit and see if there is more you need to pray.6. Journal your thoughts. In the space provided, write down some thoughts that you feel God said to your during this time. Every so often I've included a "Prayer Thoughts" page to give you more room to journal your thoughts and write down prayer requests as you go through the Bible. Get ready to spend some quality time with God. Get ready for God to speak to you through His Word.

How is your country doing? Prosperous? Are the people happy, cooperative, united? Do they love God and obey his commands? Are all the enemies kept away? Or is it chaotic, constantly in turmoil, with disobedience and selfishness running rampant, everyone doing whatever they want, worshiping whoever they want? And are the enemies knocking on the front gates or, worse, knocking down the walls? These days the latter is more likely true which makes Jeremiah and Lamentations reflections of today's culture as much as Jeremiah the prophet's time in Jerusalem from 627 to 589 BC. Jeremiah was the prophet who God chose to speak to the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem during its darkest time-its collapse at the hands of Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah's strength is to be admired as well as his compassion. The people (specifically the religious leaders) drove Jeremiah insane with their disobedience to God and abuse to Jeremiah. And yet Jeremiah wept for them and the destruction of God's city. As you pray through Jeremiah, you'll be praying for your nation too and most likely weeping for its current state, hoping that God will restore your county to the way it once was or a better version of what it can be. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIESWhat is God's word? Simply put, it is the word of God spoken to people long ago who transcribed that information into writing. That writing was meticulously passed down for thousands of years to speak to us today. How did God speak to people in Bible times? -Audibly - God spoke directly to people who heard Him with their ears or in their heart.-Through situations - God spoke through the actions and events of this world.-Through people - God spoke through leaders, kings and prophets who proclaimed God's purpose.-Through prophecy - God spoke about future events, then those events happened.-Scripture - God spoke through His written word when people read those words later.-Prayer - God spoke through the prayers of people. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIES recognizes the power of God speaking to mankind through His Scriptures. God's word was not only meant to be read, but applied. We must apply ourselves to these passages and adjust our lives to God's will. The prayers contained in this book paraphrase the scriptures into a personal conversation with God. That way you can speak the words of God back to Him and make them your own. Today, God uses many ways to speak to us. This book incorporates those avenues of communication to ensure that God will speak to you during your quiet time with Him. Each section asks the reader to do six things.1. Read the passage. Open up the Bible and read His Word.2. Memorize the passage. A certain verse is given special focus. Commit it to memory. Remember it all day.3. Understand the passage. Background information (Time, Characters, Place, What's Happening) help you to understand the context of the section you are reading.4. Read the prayer. Read the written prayers as if they were from your heart. Don't recite them as words from a page, but a plea from your soul.5. Keep praying. Prayer prompts are there to help you continue praying about other specific areas. Listen to the Holy Spirit and see if there is more you need to pray.6. Journal your thoughts. In the space provided, write down some thoughts that you feel God said to your during this time. Every so often I've included a "Prayer Thoughts" page to give you more room to journal your thoughts and write down prayer requests as you go through the Bible. Get ready to spend some quality time with God. Get ready for God to speak to you through His Word.

Good times...bad times...horrible times. Nothing could better describe the timeline of 1 & 2 Kings. After the death of David, Solomon's rule prospered and lifted Israel to the best national position it had ever seen. But the best of times turned quickly into the worst of times. A civil war led to a national split. Two nations emerged-Israel, a coalition of ten nations, and Judah, two nations, Judah and Benjamin. The nation of Israel quickly turned to idolatry and, through the army of Assyria, God scattered the inhabitants as punishment for their sins. Judah, while highlighted with amazing leadership every now and then, collapsed much like the nation it split from and turned to idols. God sent Babylon to destroy Judah and the city of Jerusalem.1 & 2 Kings show us the patience of God despite our evil sprints away from His love. The two books show us a simple formula for staying in God's goodness-follow His commands and don't honor any other gods.1 & 2 Kings are also frustrating books to read because they reveal our human nature to always turn from God. They encourage us also, showing that God will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to win our hearts back. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIESWhat is God's word? Simply put, it is the word of God spoken to people long ago who transcribed that information into writing. That writing was meticulously passed down for thousands of years to speak to us today. How did God speak to people in Bible times? -Audibly - God spoke directly to people who heard him with their ears or in their heart.-Through situations - God spoke through the actions and events of this world.-Through people - God spoke through leaders, kings and prophets who proclaimed God's purpose.-Through prophecy - God spoke about future events, then those events happened.-Scripture - God spoke through his written word when people read those words later.-Prayer - God spoke through the prayers of people. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIES recognizes the power of God speaking to mankind through His Scriptures. God's word was not only meant to be read, but applied. We must apply ourselves to these passages and adjust our lives to God's will. Today, God uses many ways to speak to us. This book incorporates those avenues of communication to ensure that God will speak to you during your quiet time with Him. Each section asks the reader to do six things.1. Read the passage. Open up the Bible and read His Word.2. Memorize the passage. A certain verse is given special focus. Commit it to memory. Remember it all day.3. Understand the passage. Background information (Time, Characters, Place, What's Happening) help you to understand the context of the section you are reading.4. Read the prayer. Read the written prayer as if it is from your heart. Don't recite them as words from a page, but a plea from your soul.5. Keep praying. Prayer prompts are there to help you continue praying about other specific areas. Listen to the Holy Spirit and see if there is more you need to pray.6. Journal your thoughts. In the space provided, write down some thoughts that you feel God said to your during this time. Every five sections I've included a "Prayer Thoughts" page to give you more room to journal your thoughts and write down prayer requests as you go through the Bible. Get ready to spend some quality time with God. Get ready for God to speak to you through His Word.

Ezekiel and Daniel are the last of the major prophets. While the books are very different in style, their content covers similar territory. Both Ezekiel and Daniel prophesied during the tenuous time of exile for the Jews, pushed out of Israel and forced to live in a foreign country for seventy years. But God did not forget them and worked to shape history and allow them eventual freedom. Both Ezekiel and Daniel contain strange visions that to this day confound scholars. The prophecies of a coming judgment have consequences close to the time of the prophets, but also have interesting reverberations to a future judgment for us. Both Ezekiel and Daniel confronted the spiritual leaders in their day. Ezekiel went face-to-face with Jewish priests while Daniel faced off with magicians, diviners, wise men and kings. These strange and wonderful books contain such powerful prophecies that John in the final book of Revelation echoes the themes from Ezekiel and Daniel very regularly. There's mystery and intrigue in the books of Ezekiel and Daniel, but life applications for us today and insight into our tomorrow. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIESWhat is God's word? Simply put, it is the word of God spoken to people long ago who transcribed that information into writing. That writing was meticulously passed down for thousands of years to speak to us today. How did God speak to people in Bible times? -Audibly - God spoke directly to people who heard him with their ears or in their heart.-Through situations - God spoke through the actions and events of this world.-Through people - God spoke through leaders, kings and prophets who proclaimed God's purpose.-Through prophecy - God spoke about future events, then those events happened.-Scripture - God spoke through his written word when people read those words later.-Prayer - God spoke through the prayers of people. PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIES recognizes the power of God speaking to mankind through His Scriptures. God's word was not only meant to be read, but applied. We must apply ourselves to these passages and adjust our lives to God's will. Today, God uses many ways to speak to us. This book incorporates those avenues of communication to ensure that God will speak to you during your quiet time with Him. Each section asks the reader to do six things.1. Read the passage. Open up the Bible and read His Word.2. Memorize the passage. A certain verse is given special focus. Commit it to memory. Remember it all day.3. Understand the passage. Background information (Time, Characters, Place, What's Happening) help you to understand the context of the section you are reading.4. Read the prayer. Read the written prayer as if it is from your heart. Don't recite them as words from a page, but a plea from your soul.5. Keep praying. Prayer prompts are there to help you continue praying about other specific areas. Listen to the Holy Spirit and see if there is more you need to pray.6. Journal your thoughts. In the space provided, write down some thoughts that you feel God said to your during this time. Every five sections I've included a "Prayer Thoughts" page to give you more room to journal your thoughts and write down prayer requests as you go through the Bible. Get ready to spend some quality time with God. Get ready for God to speak to you through His Word.