Sarah Koontz, Living By Design

BEFORE I GO is the name of an upcoming bible study presented by a very inspiring lady Sarah Koontz that I wanted to share with you. Some of you may or may not know that at some point over the last year I have found a new hobby for bible journaling and it was through online sharing on Facebook that I found the loveliest of ladies Sarah Koontz. Someone had posted about a bible study coming from Sarah focusing on Solomon's Wisdom  which I was able to focus on during my lunch breaks (in the car!). That study was so eye opening for me and perhaps it was because I felt she was talking to me! Her audio commentary spoke to my heart in such an exceptional way I could not help but want to follow more of her devotionals. I've studied each of her studies after that and recently participated as a launch team member for the brand new study Before I Go through the Living By Design Ministries.


And while the name of this blog is Burton Book Review I realize the book in question here, the bible, may not be your thing for so many personal reasons. I want to say that I respect you for that. I also implore to try out this study of Jesus's last words from the book of John. A fun fact I learned through this study is that John uses the word BELIEVE ninety-eight times in his gospel. One simple action, believe! Why should you follow Jesus? This study will show you how worth it it is!

All you need to complete this free online Bible study is 15 minutes per day, an open mind and your mobile device (or your computer).

The Before I Go study will offer you an email full of engaging content each morning including a few days of rest on the weekend with an emailed goodie like a cellphone wallpaper to keep your mind creatively inspired, continually aiding in your reflection. Perhaps you will be inspired to create in your bible journal!

The 21 day study will focus on John 14-17. You may have been told Jesus is the way and you doubtfully ponder this context for our modern lives. Let Sarah help you apply Jesus's teachings found in these three very important chapters of John's gospel. There are so many ways this study will help you apply some of Jesus's teachings to your everyday life. This could help you deal with work issues, your relationships and bring you to a greater understanding of God's truth.

This is an invitation to show you who Jesus really is! What a glorious opportunity to see Jesus Christ through the eyes of one of His closest friends, John.

visit this site to enter your email address and you're in!

Each day will focus on a key verse from the scripture alongside the commentary from Sarah to help put things in a new perspective.
There will be action points. Things to ponder.
There is a discussion question if you choose to follow along on the daily facebook thread.
There are references to other resources to help us find more truths because even Sarah knows that even she can use some back up.

My favorite feature is the link that will be in each emailed devotional to her Audio Commentary! You can listen to her devotional at any time by just clicking on her link to the audio. The Bible can be confusing and Sarah really hones in on the scripture and examines what God really wants us to do, and you don't need to do anything but sit back and listen (or read)! You do need to register with your email address so that she can send you her goodies starting on October 15th. I do hope you will join me using the #BeforeIGo hashtag for discussions.

We are celebrating the release of this powerful new study with weekly giveaways at LivingbyDesign.org and other collaborating blogs. Each handcrafted giveaway item is inspired by the beautiful truths in John 14-17 and we are so grateful for our talented creative partners who have donated these items to support the study.

This week’s giveaway bundle is worth more than $122. It features handcrafted items from Drift Design Co, AE Lettering Co, Evy Letters, and Copperhead Jewelry. Enter below for your chance to win!


In addition to this fantastic giveaway, everyone who pre-registers for the study by October 14 will be entered to win a custom handpainted Bible from Wheat and Honey Co.

THIS STUDY IS FREE! There is no reason you cannot pre-register today! Please feel free to reach out to me to ask any questions.

I turned off commenting long ago on the blog but I welcome comments at the Facebook page here.

Happy 2018 to all! Do you do resolutions? Have goals for 2018? Reading goals? Life goals?

You know what they say about the best laid plans...
2017 was a whirlwind for me. 2018 I hope I can relax a little and enjoy life. So far, not exactly what is happening but I am trying. My word of the year is JOY.

I am thankful to have discovered a new way to connect with my faith within the last few weeks and I am looking forward to exploring my creative unabilities in 2018. Here's a look at some of my work with Bible Journaling recently:

This one is my favorite

The monogram is copied from a gift I received for Christmas

and this one is my second favorite

I expect (hope) to get better as I acquire more tools and of course, time. Time is needed to read books  and I did not have much of that in 2017 with the selling of a house (which was/still is a heartbreak for me) and moving to a brand new house. No more pond pictures or pretty trees from me, sadness.

So with all that drama, I only read 13 books in 2017 but here's the summary from Goodreads. Thank God for Goodreads because I would have forgotten half of what I read already.


I did complete an entire trilogy by Petra Durst-Benning and I also read a Pulitzer Prize winner, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr towards the beginning of the year which really was a great start to my year! But then I said "honey, I love you, and I know you want to move. So let's get the process started." Someday he will appreciate my sacrifice.


I enjoyed some new authors with what I call 'comfort reads' which are fun, easy to get into type of a story for me when everything else is falling apart around me. Suspense/mystery/thriller Gone Girl style with authors like Paula Hawkins, Ruth Ware and JP Delaney. And of course I got caught up on my favorite male author Billy Coffey (There Will Be Stars was a 5 star read of 2017 along with All The Light We Cannot See). He is one that I actually pre-order his books regardless of cost.
And I managed to finish a book I had to put down a year or more before by female favorite author Elizabeth Chadwick.

What I found is that I struggle immensely with actual physical books. eBooks are a much better fit for my routine these days. With Amazon Prime I get a free book a month, plus with Kindle unlimited I can download any of the eBooks in that unlimited status. And of course if my library has anything available I can borrrow eBooks from them as well but they have a 2 week loan period and I can't hang with that timeframe. A huge change from five years ago, right?!

After I am done with my current read (book two of the All Souls Trilogy) I am reading A Wrinkle in Time as the January selection for a local book club that I am a co-host of. Why why why why


Other than all that -- kids are well, I have a sophomore and a fifth grader now, and Sweetie is still the light of my life :)
meow!

PS I turned off commenting long, long ago.. so go find me on facebook to say hello!