The study of the Bible is an enriching and transformative journey, offering profound insights into our faith, personal growth, and understanding of the world. While traditional methods of biblical study, such as personal reading, attending classes, and consulting commentaries, remain essential, modern technology has opened up new possibilities for engaging with the sacred text. One such tool is ChatGPT, a powerful AI language model developed by OpenAI, capable of providing valuable assistance and insights for biblical studies.
In this article, we explore the various ways in which ChatGPT can enhance your biblical study experience, covering topics such as understanding context, translation comparisons, word studies, cross-references, interpretation assistance, theological concepts, biblical themes, historical background, exegesis, hermeneutics, commentaries, and practical application. While ChatGPT is not a replacement for traditional study methods or the guidance of trained theologians, it can serve as a helpful supplementary resource, providing immediate access to a wealth of information and insights.
Join us as we delve into the potential of ChatGPT as a tool for biblical study, and discover how this powerful AI language model can support your journey towards a deeper understanding of the Bible, enriching your faith and spiritual growth.
All examples in this article are tested and generated by the latest OpenAI GPT-4, which is available via ChatGPT Plus Subscription. GPT-4 is not a requirement to utilize ChatGPT effectiveness in Biblical Study, regular ChatGPT is able to generate equally effective (but shorter) response.
The full answers are not included in this article due to the length. If reader is interested to read how ChatGPT answers to the example questions, please leave a comment and we shall response to you.
Figure. Illustrated selecting the GPT-4 used by ChatGPT.
Table of Content
- Understand How to Interact with AI
- Context, Context, Context
- Engaging in Conversations for Accurate Information
- Ways to use ChatGPT for Biblical Study
- Understanding Context
- Translation Comparisons
- Word Studies
- Interpretation Assistance
- Theological Concepts
- Biblical Themes
- Historical Background
- Exegesis and Hermeneutics
- Commentaries and Resources
- Concluding Remarks
- Final Reminder
Understand How to Interact with AI
We start with the understanding of how to interact with AI effectively. By learning how to communicate your needs and inquiries clearly, you can get the most out of your AI-assisted biblical study experience. We will explore tips and strategies for asking questions, providing context, and engaging in meaningful conversations with AI to enhance your understanding of biblical concepts and teachings.
AI language models like ChatGPT act as mirrors in many ways, reflecting the user’s interests and knowledge on a given topic. Let’s explore these aspects in more detail:
Your interest/preference: When engaging with an AI language model, it responds to your specific questions and inquiries, tailoring its responses based on the subjects and themes you express interest in. By doing so, it helps cater to your personal preferences, providing you with information and insights that are most relevant to you.
Your knowledge of the topic: AI language models can adapt their responses to the level of knowledge or expertise you display. By analyzing the questions and vocabulary you use, ChatGPT can provide more general or detailed responses, depending on your current understanding of the subject. This adaptability makes AI language models useful tools for users with varying levels of expertise in a particular area, such as biblical studies or any other field of interest.
Context, Context, Context
AI generates an answer based on context for a given question. While traditional search engines like Google provide links to sources that might contain the information you’re seeking, AI language models aim to generate a personalized and summarized response based on the context provided in your question.
The context provided by the user plays a crucial role in determining the accuracy and relevance of the AI-generated response. Without sufficient context or clarification, ChatGPT might misinterpret the question and provide an answer that doesn’t align with the user’s intended meaning.
- If the user’s question is related to mathematics and includes terms like “sin,” “cosine,” or other mathematical concepts, ChatGPT will recognize the context and generate an answer related to trigonometry.
- If the user’s question is related to Christianity and the term “sin” is used in a religious context, ChatGPT will generate an answer related to the biblical understanding of sin.
Unless the user clarifies context, we can see that AI may misinterpret the question.
Begin with Clear Context
Starting your inquiry with a clear context is a powerful approach to ensure an AI language model understands your intent. By specifying a book or resource in your question, you can provide immediate context that helps generate more accurate and relevant responses.
Consider these examples:
- “Provide an overview of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.”
- “What is the main message of the Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent?”
- “In The Praying Life by Paul E. Miller, why is prayer considered vital?”
- “Summarize the key points of Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson concisely.”
Importance of Providing Clear Context
When a question lacks sufficient context, AI language models may struggle to determine the user’s intent, leading to less accurate and relevant responses. To obtain the most valuable and useful information, users should provide clear context and clarify their questions when interacting with AI.
When given a well-defined context, AI has ample information to work with. For instance:
- The user is interested in Christianity and personal spiritual growth, seeking theological education through books.
- The AI can then consider the author, doctrine, background, and related resources to generate precise answers.
Such context enables AI to provide more accurate responses.
However, if a user only shares this:
- “I’m a Christian who believes in the Bible.”
The AI can only deduce:
- The user is a Christian.
- The user is familiar with the Bible.
As a result, the AI may provide more general or vague answers. Providing clear context is essential for receiving more focused and relevant information from AI language models.
Engaging in Conversations for Accurate Information
Your interactions with AI will differ depending on your specific needs and interests. When seeking answers related to Christian learning, it’s essential to mention the Bible to ensure the AI provides relevant verse suggestions. Remember to verify the context of the provided verses to ensure the information aligns with your inquiry.
The following are examples of questions designed to elicit precise answers from the AI:
- “Please explain James 4:1-4 in simple terms appropriate for a 12-year-old.”
- “Can you analyze a psalm that uses a chiastic literary structure and explain its significance?”
- “What distinguishes the four Gospels in terms of their perspective and content?”
- “I’m worried about the future. Are there any Bible verses that can provide comfort and guidance?”
- “I’m experiencing burnout in ministry. Can you suggest some verses that address this issue?”
- “Sometimes I feel unworthy. What does the Bible say about God’s love for us despite our shortcomings?”
- Details of Application
- “Can you provide some contemporary examples of idolatry that Christians should be aware of?”
- “What are some ways Christians can participate in local missions in Toronto?”
- “With so many spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible, how can I determine which one I possess?”
- “Can you suggest an online commentary that would help me better understand the Book of Exodus?”
- “Please recommend some biblically grounded books that can deepen my understanding of Christianity.”
- “Could you recommend some pastors known for their biblically sound doctrine and briefly describe their teachings?”
- Apologetics (Defence of faith)
- “How can God be loving if He hates sin and wickedness as described in the Bible?”
- “Why do Christians in the Bible experience suffering and sacrifice if God is good?”
- “Given that all Christians believe in the same Bible, what factors contribute to the existence of so many denominations?”
- Debate/conversation in different roles and circumstances
- Example: “Assume the role of a non-Christian who has questions about Christianity. Engage in a respectful dialogue with me, asking questions and raising concerns about the Christian faith. This will allow me to practice my apologetics skills and better understand different perspectives.”
Ways to use ChatGPT for Biblical Study
Once you comprehend how AI interacts, ChatGPT can be a helpful tool for biblical study in a variety of ways. Here are some suggestions:
|Biblical Study||Description||Example of ChatGPT Question|
|Understanding context||Provide historical and cultural context for passages.||What is the cultural context of the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37?|
|Translation comparisons||Compare different translations of the Bible and get explanations for discrepancies or variations in wording.||What are the differences between the King James Version and the New International Version of John 3:16?|
|Word studies||Perform in-depth word studies by asking about the meaning of specific words, their etymology, and the original languages.||What is the meaning of the Greek word ‘agape’ and how is it used in the New Testament?|
|Cross-references||Ask for cross-references to other biblical passages that are related to a specific verse or theme.||What other passages in the Bible discuss the concept of faith?|
|Interpretation assistance||Seek help in understanding difficult passages, parables, or symbolism within the text.||What is the meaning of the ‘parable of the sower’ in Matthew 13:1-23?|
|Theological concepts||Clarify and discuss theological concepts, like salvation, grace, or the nature of God.||What is the doctrine of the Trinity and how is it supported in the Bible?|
|Biblical themes||Explore common themes, motifs, or narratives throughout the Bible.||What are some examples of covenant relationships in the Bible?|
|Historical background||Learn about the historical figures, events, and cultures mentioned in the Bible.||Who was King Nebuchadnezzar and what was his role in the Book of Daniel?|
|Exegesis and hermeneutics||Develop a better understanding of exegetical and hermeneutical methods used in biblical interpretation.||What is the difference between exegesis and hermeneutics in biblical interpretation?|
|Commentaries and resources||Get recommendations for scholarly commentaries, articles, or books that can provide further insight into the biblical text.||What are some recommended commentaries on the Book of Romans?|
|Application||Discuss how biblical principles can be applied to modern-day life and personal growth.||How can the principle of forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:12) be applied in daily life?|
WARNING: Remember that while ChatGPT can be a helpful resource, it’s important to consult a variety of sources and experts to ensure a well-rounded understanding of the Bible. Additionally, bear in mind that ChatGPT may not always provide accurate information and may not align with specific theological perspectives.
1. Understanding Context
Understanding context is crucial for accurate interpretation of biblical passages. By using ChatGPT, you can gain insights into the historical, cultural, and linguistic context of a passage, which can help you better grasp the intended meaning of the text. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with understanding context:
|Context Type||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Historical Context||Understanding the historical background of a passage, including the time period, political climate, and significant events during which the text was written, is important for interpretation.||Provides information on the relevant historical context, enhancing comprehension of the passage and motivations of biblical authors.|
|Cultural Context||Knowing the cultural norms, customs, and social structures of societies described in the Bible can shed light on the intended meaning of a text.||Helps explore the values, beliefs, and practices of ancient civilizations, clarifying the significance of various actions or statements.|
|Linguistic Context||The nuances of the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) can impact the translation and interpretation of the Bible. Gaining insights into linguistic context can help avoid misinterpretations due to translation differences.||Assists with understanding the original languages, explaining word meanings, and examining idiomatic expressions for better interpretation.|
We are doing biblical study on "Understanding Context". What is the cultural context of the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37?
Summary: ChatGPT could provide information on the historical relationship between Jews and Samaritans and how that might impact the meaning of the story.
2. Translation Comparisons
Translation comparisons are essential for understanding the nuances and subtleties of the original biblical languages as they are rendered into English or other modern languages. By using ChatGPT for translation comparisons, you can explore differences between various translations, understand the reasons behind certain translation choices, and gain a more accurate understanding of the original text. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with translation comparisons:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Compare Translations||There are numerous English translations of the Bible, each with its unique approach and style. Some prioritize literal translation, while others focus on capturing the meaning in contemporary language.||Helps compare translations, highlighting similarities and differences in word choice, sentence structure, and overall emphasis, leading to a more well-rounded understanding of the biblical text.|
|Understand Translation Choices||Different translations may adopt distinct approaches based on factors such as the intended audience, the translation philosophy, and the manuscripts used.||Provides insights into the rationale behind specific translation choices and their impact on the interpretation of a passage, aiding in informed decisions about which translation(s) to use for study and personal growth.|
|Identify Translation Challenges||Some biblical passages present unique translation challenges due to factors such as textual variants, linguistic ambiguities, or cultural idioms.||Helps recognize translation challenges and explores how various translations have addressed them, contributing to a more nuanced and informed interpretation of the text.|
|Examine Textual Variants||The Bible has been preserved through a multitude of manuscripts, and some textual variants exist among them.||Assists in identifying and comparing textual variants and their implications for translation and interpretation, deepening understanding of the textual history of the Bible and enabling better comprehension of certain translation choices.|
We are doing biblical study on "Translation comparisons". What are the differences between the King James Version and the New International Version of John 3:16?
Summary: ChatGPT can compare the translations and explain any differences in wording or emphasis.
3. Word Studies
Word studies involve examining the meanings, etymology, and usage of individual words in their original biblical languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). By using ChatGPT for word studies, you can gain a deeper understanding of the biblical text and appreciate the subtleties and nuances of the original languages. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with word studies:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Meaning and Etymology||Understanding the meanings of words in their original languages, as well as their roots and origins, can provide valuable insights into the intended message of a passage.||Helps explore the meanings and etymology of specific words, revealing layers of meaning that may not be fully captured in translation, leading to a richer understanding of the text and deeper appreciation of the author’s intent.|
|Usage in Context||Words can take on different meanings depending on their context. By using ChatGPT, you can examine how a word is used in various biblical passages and understand the range of meanings it can convey.||Assists in grasping the nuances of a particular word and better understanding its role within a given passage or theme by examining its usage in various biblical passages.|
|Word Families and Cognates||Words often belong to families or groups that share a common root or origin, which can influence their meanings and usage. ChatGPT can help you explore word families and cognates in the original languages, providing insights into the relationships between words and their broader linguistic context.||Enhances understanding of the text and the subtle connections between different passages by exploring word families and cognates in the original languages, providing insights into the relationships between words and their broader linguistic context.|
|Semantic Range||Words in the original biblical languages can have a wide range of meanings or connotations. ChatGPT can assist you in exploring the semantic range of a particular word, helping you understand the various nuances it can convey.||Contributes to discerning the most accurate or appropriate translation of a word in a given context by exploring the semantic range of a particular word, helping to understand the various nuances it can convey.|
We are doing biblical study on "Word studies". What is the meaning of the Greek word 'agape' and how is it used in the New Testament?"
Summary: ChatGPT would provide a definition of the word and examples of its usage in various biblical passages.
Cross-references involve identifying and comparing related biblical passages to gain a deeper understanding of a theme, concept, or narrative. By using ChatGPT for cross-references, you can efficiently find connections between passages, uncover recurring themes, and better comprehend the broader context of the Bible. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with cross-references:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Identify Related Passages||When studying a specific verse or theme, it’s helpful to explore other parts of the Bible that address similar topics.||Provides a list of related passages, allowing the study of the broader biblical context and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the topic at hand.|
|Uncover Recurring Themes||The Bible contains numerous recurring themes and motifs that are developed and explored across various books and authors.||Identifies recurring themes and provides relevant passages to study, deepening the understanding of the connections between different parts of the Bible.|
|Clarify Meaning through Parallel Passages||Some biblical passages can be better understood by examining parallel passages that describe the same event or concept.||Identifies parallel passages, enabling comparison and contrast of their details, which helps clarify the meaning and significance of each text.|
|Examine Scriptural Harmony||The Bible is composed of many books written by different authors over a long period.||Finds cross-references to explore the harmony and coherence of the biblical message, gaining insights into the unity of the biblical narrative and its central themes.|
|Understand the Development of Ideas||Ideas and concepts in the Bible often develop and evolve throughout the text.||Provides cross-references to relevant passages, allowing the tracing of the development of ideas and a better understanding of the progression of thought and its implications for interpretation.|
We are doing biblical study on "Cross-references". "What other passages in the Bible discuss the concept of faith?"
Summary: ChatGPT can provide a list of related verses from both the Old and New Testaments.
5. Interpretation Assistance
Interpretation assistance involves seeking help in understanding difficult passages, parables, or symbolism within the biblical text. By using ChatGPT for interpretation assistance, you can gain insights into the meaning of complex or ambiguous texts, explore various interpretive perspectives, and enhance your overall understanding of the Bible. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with interpretation assistance:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Clarify Difficult Passages||Some biblical passages can be challenging to understand due to factors such as cultural differences, linguistic nuances, or complex theological concepts.||Provides explanations, background information, and relevant context to help unpack difficult passages, leading to a clearer understanding of the text.|
|Explore Parables and Symbolism||The Bible contains many parables, allegories, and symbolic language that can be challenging to interpret.||Helps understand the intended message or moral behind these stories, as well as the cultural or historical significance of the symbols used, leading to a deeper appreciation of the richness and depth of the biblical text.|
|Examine Interpretive Perspectives||Biblical passages can often be understood and interpreted in multiple ways.||Provides different interpretive perspectives, allowing consideration of various viewpoints and weighing the evidence for each approach, helping to develop a more well-rounded and informed understanding of the passage in question.|
|Understand Literary Devices||The Bible employs various literary devices, such as metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and irony, which can impact the interpretation of a text.||Assists in identifying and understanding these devices, enabling appreciation of the subtleties of the biblical language and better grasp of the intended meaning of a passage.|
|Provide Guidance on Genre||The Bible contains various literary genres, including historical narrative, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, and epistles. Each genre has its unique features and interpretive challenges.||Helps understand the characteristics of each genre and provides guidance on how to approach interpretation within that genre, resulting in a more accurate and nuanced understanding of the text.|
We are doing biblical study on "Interpretation assistance". What is the meaning of the 'parable of the sower' in Matthew 13:1-23?
Summary: ChatGPT can help explain the symbolism and message of the parable.
6. Theological Concepts
Theological concepts involve the study of key doctrines, beliefs, and principles that underpin the biblical narrative and Christian faith. By using ChatGPT for exploring theological concepts, you can deepen your understanding of these ideas, examine their biblical basis, and engage in thoughtful reflection and analysis. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with theological concepts:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Define and Explain Concepts||Theological concepts can sometimes be complex or abstract, making them challenging to understand.||Defines and explains ideas in an accessible and clear manner, providing a solid foundation for further study and reflection.|
|Explore Biblical Basis||To understand the origins and development of theological concepts, it’s essential to examine their biblical basis.||Identifies and analyzes relevant passages that support or illustrate a particular doctrine or belief, deepening the understanding of the concept’s roots in the biblical text.|
|Compare and Contrast Different Perspectives||Theological concepts can be subject to various interpretations and viewpoints.||Provides an overview of different perspectives, allowing comparison and contrast of their strengths and weaknesses, helping develop a well-rounded and informed understanding of the concept in question.|
|Examine Historical Development||Theological concepts often have a rich history of development and debate within the Christian tradition.||Explores this history, providing insights into the evolution of ideas, key thinkers and theologians, and significant historical events that have shaped theological understanding.|
|Engage in Critical Analysis||Developing a deep understanding of theological concepts requires thoughtful reflection and critical analysis.||Poses questions, presents arguments and counterarguments, and offers insights that encourage critical thinking about the concepts being studied.|
|Apply Concepts to Real-life Situations||Theological concepts can be more fully understood and appreciated when applied to real-life situations and experiences.||Explores practical applications of theological ideas, offering insights into how these concepts can inform daily life, relationships, and spiritual growth.|
We are doing biblical study on "Theological concepts". What is the doctrine of the Trinity and how is it supported in the Bible?
Summary: ChatGPT can offer an explanation of the concept and provide relevant biblical passages.
7. Biblical Themes
Biblical themes are overarching ideas, motifs, or messages that run throughout the Bible, providing unity and coherence to its diverse content. By using ChatGPT to explore biblical themes, you can gain a deeper understanding of these central ideas, trace their development across the biblical narrative, and apply them to your personal faith journey. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with biblical themes:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Identify and Define Themes||ChatGPT can help you identify key biblical themes and provide clear definitions and explanations of their significance. This foundational understanding can serve as a starting point for further exploration and reflection on the theme’s relevance and implications for your own life.||Provides foundational understanding of key themes and their significance, serving as a starting point for further exploration and reflection.|
|Trace Themes Across the Biblical Narrative||Biblical themes often develop and evolve throughout the text. ChatGPT can assist you in tracing these themes across different books, authors, and time periods, revealing the richness and depth of the biblical message and providing insights into the progression and development of these central ideas.||Assists in tracing themes across different books, authors, and time periods, revealing the richness and depth of the biblical message and providing insights into the progression and development of central ideas.|
|Examine the Interplay of Themes||The Bible often explores the interplay and connections between different themes, creating a complex and nuanced tapestry of ideas. ChatGPT can help you understand these connections and relationships, offering insights into how various themes inform and influence one another within the biblical narrative.||Helps understand connections and relationships between themes, offering insights into how various themes inform and influence one another within the biblical narrative.|
|Analyze Themes within their Historical and Cultural Context||Understanding the historical and cultural context in which biblical themes are presented can greatly enhance your comprehension and appreciation of these ideas. ChatGPT can provide background information on the relevant historical periods, cultural norms, and societal structures, allowing you to better grasp the significance and impact of these themes within their original context.||Provides background information on relevant historical periods, cultural norms, and societal structures, allowing better grasp of the significance and impact of themes within their original context.|
|Explore Theological Implications||Biblical themes often have significant theological implications, shaping and informing key doctrines and beliefs within the Christian faith. ChatGPT can help you explore these implications, deepening your understanding of the theological foundations underpinning these central ideas.||Helps explore theological implications of biblical themes, deepening understanding of the theological foundations underpinning central ideas.|
|Apply Themes to Personal Faith and Life||Ultimately, understanding biblical themes can have a profound impact on your personal faith journey and daily life. ChatGPT can assist you in applying these themes to your own experiences, offering insights into how these central ideas can inform your spiritual growth, relationships, and approach to living out your faith.||Assists in applying biblical themes to personal experiences, offering insights into how central ideas can inform spiritual growth, relationships, and approach to living out faith.|
We are doing biblical study on "Biblical themes". What are some examples of covenant relationships in the Bible?"
Summary: ChatGPT can provide examples of various covenants, such as the ones made with Noah, Abraham, and Moses.
8. Historical Background
Historical background involves understanding the historical, cultural, and social context in which the biblical texts were written. By using ChatGPT to explore historical background, you can gain valuable insights into the world of the biblical authors, enhance your understanding of the text, and more accurately interpret the meaning and significance of specific passages. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with historical background:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Provide Historical Context||ChatGPT can provide you with an overview of relevant historical context, helping you situate the biblical narrative within its original setting and appreciate the factors that influenced its development.||Provides an overview of relevant historical context, helping situate the biblical narrative within its original setting and appreciate factors that influenced its development.|
|Explain Cultural Customs and Practices||ChatGPT can help you understand cultural customs and practices, explaining their significance and the role they played in the lives of the biblical characters. This can lead to a deeper appreciation of the text and its meaning for the original audience.||Helps understand cultural customs and practices, explaining their significance and the role they played in the lives of biblical characters, leading to a deeper appreciation of the text and its meaning for the original audience.|
|Illuminate Historical Geography||ChatGPT can help you understand the importance of specific locations, such as cities, regions, or landmarks, and the role they played in the biblical narrative. This can enhance your understanding of the text and its connection to the real world.||Helps understand the importance of specific locations and the role they played in the biblical narrative, enhancing understanding of the text and its connection to the real world.|
|Uncover Archaeological Findings||ChatGPT can help you explore the latest archaeological findings and their implications for our understanding of the biblical text, offering a more nuanced and informed perspective on the historical context.||Helps explore the latest archaeological findings and their implications for understanding the biblical text, offering a more nuanced and informed perspective on the historical context.|
|Examine Biblical Chronology||ChatGPT can help you examine biblical chronology, providing insights into the relationships between different events, time periods, and characters in the biblical story.||Helps examine biblical chronology, providing insights into relationships between different events, time periods, and characters in the biblical story.|
|Understand Ancient Languages||ChatGPT can help you explore the nuances and subtleties of the original biblical languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), offering insights into word meanings, grammar, and syntax that may not be fully captured in translation.||Helps explore the nuances and subtleties of original biblical languages, offering insights into word meanings, grammar, and syntax that may not be fully captured in translation.|
We are doing biblical study on "Historical background". Who was King Nebuchadnezzar and what was his role in the Book of Daniel?"
Summary: ChatGPT can provide information on the historical figure and his interactions with the biblical characters in the Book of Daniel.
9. Exegesis and Hermeneutics
Exegesis and hermeneutics are essential aspects of biblical study, with exegesis focusing on extracting the meaning of a text through careful analysis, and hermeneutics dealing with the principles of interpretation. By using ChatGPT to explore exegesis and hermeneutics, you can develop a more accurate and nuanced understanding of the biblical text and apply sound interpretive principles to your study. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with exegesis and hermeneutics:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Guide Exegetical Analysis||ChatGPT can guide you through the process of exegetical analysis, helping you identify and analyze factors such as grammar, syntax, context, and literary devices in a passage, leading to a clearer understanding of the intended meaning.||Guides through the process of exegetical analysis, helping identify and analyze factors such as grammar, syntax, context, and literary devices in a passage, leading to a clearer understanding of the intended meaning.|
|Introduce Hermeneutical Principles||ChatGPT can introduce you to various hermeneutical principles, such as the historical-grammatical method, literary analysis, and theological interpretation, enabling you to develop a well-rounded and informed approach to biblical interpretation.||Introduces various hermeneutical principles, enabling the development of a well-rounded and informed approach to biblical interpretation.|
|Examine Different Interpretive Approaches||ChatGPT can help you explore different interpretive approaches to studying the Bible, such as historical-critical, literary, and canonical methods, providing insights into their strengths and weaknesses, and allowing you to choose the most appropriate method for your particular study goals.||Helps explore different interpretive approaches to studying the Bible, providing insights into their strengths and weaknesses, and allowing the choice of the most appropriate method for specific study goals.|
|Address Interpretive Challenges||ChatGPT can help you navigate unique interpretive challenges presented by some biblical passages, such as ambiguous language, cultural differences, or complex theological concepts, offering insights and suggestions on how to approach and understand these difficult texts.||Helps navigate unique interpretive challenges presented by some biblical passages, offering insights and suggestions on how to approach and understand difficult texts.|
|Compare Interpretations||ChatGPT can help you compare and contrast differing interpretations of a specific passage or theme, providing you with a balanced and informed perspective on the various viewpoints and their supporting evidence.||Helps compare and contrast differing interpretations of a specific passage or theme, providing a balanced and informed perspective on various viewpoints and their supporting evidence.|
|Apply Interpretive Principles to Personal Study||ChatGPT can help you apply the interpretive principles and methods you have learned to your own study, deepening your understanding of the Bible and its relevance to your faith and life.||Helps apply interpretive principles and methods to personal study, deepening understanding of the Bible and its relevance to faith and life.|
We are doing biblical study on "Exegesis and hermeneutics". What is the difference between exegesis and hermeneutics in biblical interpretation?
Summary: ChatGPT can explain the distinctions between these two methods and their importance in studying the Bible.
10. Commentaries and Resources
Consulting commentaries and resources is an essential part of in-depth biblical study, as they provide insights from scholars and theologians who have dedicated their lives to understanding the biblical text. By using ChatGPT to explore commentaries and resources, you can access a wealth of knowledge, gain diverse perspectives, and enhance your understanding of the Bible. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can assist with commentaries and resources:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Recommend Relevant Commentaries||ChatGPT can recommend relevant commentaries based on your specific study focus or passage, helping you select the most appropriate resources for your needs.||Recommends relevant commentaries based on specific study focus or passage, helping select the most appropriate resources.|
|Summarize Commentary Insights||ChatGPT can help by summarizing key insights, themes, and interpretations from various sources, allowing you to gain a broad understanding of the different perspectives without having to read each commentary in its entirety.||Summarizes key insights, themes, and interpretations from various sources, allowing for a broad understanding of different perspectives without having to read each commentary in its entirety.|
|Introduce Diverse Perspectives||ChatGPT can introduce you to diverse viewpoints from different commentators who may approach the biblical text from different theological, cultural, or methodological perspectives, helping you gain a more well-rounded understanding of the text and consider alternative interpretations.||Introduces diverse viewpoints from different commentators, helping gain a more well-rounded understanding of the text and consider alternative interpretations.|
|Recommend Additional Resources||ChatGPT can recommend relevant resources to supplement your study, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and scholarly articles, providing you with additional information and insights to enhance your understanding of the biblical text.||Recommends relevant resources to supplement study, providing additional information and insights to enhance understanding of the biblical text.|
|Assist with Resource Navigation||ChatGPT can help you locate specific information within a resource, guiding you to the most relevant sections or entries based on your study focus, especially when some biblical resources can be challenging to navigate due to their structure or organization.||Helps locate specific information within a resource, guiding to the most relevant sections or entries based on study focus.|
|Evaluate Resource Quality||ChatGPT can help you evaluate the quality of various resources, offering insights into their scholarly credentials, theological perspectives, and overall reliability, ensuring that you use reliable and reputable sources for your study.||Helps evaluate the quality of various resources, offering insights into their scholarly credentials, theological perspectives, and overall reliability.|
We are doing biblical study on "Commentaries and resources". What are some recommended commentaries on the Book of Romans?"
Summary: ChatGPT can suggest well-regarded commentaries or other resources for further study.
Application is a vital aspect of biblical study, as it involves taking the insights and understanding gained from the text and applying them to one’s personal life, faith, and relationships. By using ChatGPT to assist with application, you can bridge the gap between the biblical world and your own experiences, making the text more relevant and impactful. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how ChatGPT can help with application:
|Topic||Description||Role in Biblical Study|
|Identify Relevant Applications||ChatGPT can help you identify practical ways to apply biblical principles and insights to your daily life, relationships, and personal faith journey based on your study focus, making the text more meaningful and relevant to your own experiences.||Identifies practical ways to apply biblical principles and insights to daily life, relationships, and personal faith journey based on study focus, making the text more meaningful and relevant.|
|Encourage Personal Reflection||ChatGPT can ask thought-provoking questions or offer insights that encourage you to reflect on how the biblical text relates to your personal experiences, beliefs, and values. This process of reflection can lead to personal growth, spiritual development, and a deeper understanding of the text.||Asks thought-provoking questions or offers insights to encourage reflection on how the biblical text relates to personal experiences, beliefs, and values, leading to personal growth, spiritual development, and a deeper understanding of the text.|
|Explore Ethical Implications||ChatGPT can help you explore the ethical implications of biblical passages, offering insights into how the text can guide you in making moral choices and living a life that aligns with your faith.||Explores the ethical implications of biblical passages, offering insights into how the text can guide in making moral choices and living a life that aligns with one’s faith.|
|Address Challenges and Obstacles||ChatGPT can help you address challenges and obstacles that may arise when applying biblical principles to your life, offering guidance and encouragement as you seek to integrate biblical wisdom into your daily life.||Addresses challenges and obstacles when applying biblical principles to daily life, offering guidance and encouragement to integrate biblical wisdom.|
|Facilitate Spiritual Growth||ChatGPT can help you identify areas where you can grow and change, offering insights and suggestions based on the biblical text to help you become more Christ-like in your thoughts, attitudes, and actions. The ultimate goal of biblical application is to facilitate spiritual growth and development.||Identifies areas where one can grow and change, offering insights and suggestions based on the biblical text to facilitate spiritual growth and development, helping become more Christ-like in thoughts, attitudes, and actions.|
|Provide Pastoral Care and Encouragement||ChatGPT can offer pastoral care and encouragement based on biblical principles, helping you navigate difficult situations, find comfort in God’s promises, and draw strength from your faith. While it’s important to remember that ChatGPT is an AI and not a substitute for human pastoral care, it can still provide valuable insights and support during challenging times.||Offers pastoral care and encouragement based on biblical principles, helping navigate difficult situations, find comfort in God’s promises, and draw strength from faith. Remember that ChatGPT is an AI and not a substitute for human pastoral care, but it can still provide valuable insights and support during challenging times.|
We are doing biblical study on "Application". How can the principle of forgiveness in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:12) be applied in daily life?"
Summary: ChatGPT can provide suggestions for practicing forgiveness in personal relationships and various life situations.
Using ChatGPT for biblical study can be highly effective, given its ability to provide information, insights, and assistance in many aspects of biblical scholarship. It serves as a convenient and accessible tool to support your studies, whether you are a beginner or an experienced student of the Bible.
Some key advantages of using ChatGPT for biblical study include:
Accessibility: ChatGPT is available 24/7, providing immediate assistance and information whenever you need it.
Breadth of knowledge: ChatGPT is trained on a vast amount of data, allowing it to provide insights on a wide range of topics related to biblical studies, including context, translation comparisons, word studies, cross-references, interpretation, theological concepts, biblical themes, historical background, exegesis, hermeneutics, and practical application.
Flexibility: ChatGPT can cater to your specific needs and interests, answering questions tailored to your study focus or level of expertise.
Resource recommendations: ChatGPT can suggest commentaries, books, or articles that provide further insight into specific passages or topics.
Support for personal growth: In addition to academic and theological knowledge, ChatGPT can provide guidance on applying biblical principles to daily life, fostering spiritual growth and personal development.
While ChatGPT can be a helpful tool for biblical study, it does have some disadvantages:
Limited accuracy: As an AI, ChatGPT may occasionally provide incorrect or incomplete information, which can impact the quality of your study.
Lack of personal expertise: ChatGPT cannot replace the insights and guidance of trained theologians, pastors, or biblical scholars, who possess years of experience and personal understanding of the biblical text.
Potential for misinterpretation: AI-generated responses may sometimes be ambiguous or unclear, leading to misunderstandings or incorrect interpretations of biblical passages.
No spiritual discernment: ChatGPT lacks the spiritual discernment of a human teacher, which is an essential aspect of biblical study and spiritual growth.
Over-reliance risk: Depending too much on ChatGPT for biblical study can lead to a lack of personal engagement with the text and hinder the development of critical thinking skills.
It is important to keep in mind that ChatGPT, like any AI, has its limitations. It may not always provide the most accurate or comprehensive information, and it cannot replace the expertise of trained theologians or biblical scholars. Therefore, it is advisable to use ChatGPT as a supplementary tool in conjunction with other resources, like commentaries, scholarly articles, and personal study, to ensure a well-rounded understanding of the biblical text.


What’s in a Name? – #6
Bands Named After Published Works (part one)
Alienated author Albert Camus, writer of such existential masterworks like “The Plague” and “The Stranger,” once reflected that “music is the most perfect art.” “Truly fertile music, the only kind that will move us, that we shall truly appreciate,” he wrote, “will be a music conducive to Dream, which banishes all reason and analysis. One must not wish first to understand and then to feel. Art does not tolerate Reason.” Perhaps it is in the spirit of Camus’ words that some musical groups have chosen to reciprocate this honorary praise by naming their bands after a favorite piece of literature or published work. A conclusion based on no reason behind their choice — just acknowledgement of art transcending mediums.
Members of a particular band in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll made a special effort to link their musical persona with literature and the art world of their day. After meeting in 1965 at New York’s Syracuse University, Lou Reed and John Cale, along with guitarist Sterling Morrison and percussionist Angus MacLise, decided to name their band after a pulpy, pornographic S&M novel that MacLise had in his possession. No reason behind it really, just a nod to the smutty work called “The Velvet Underground.” Bringing the German-born, smoky-voiced chanteuse Nico into their fold, the Underground linked up with Andy Warhol and his Scene, and became a part of his multi-media show, “The Exploding Plastic Inevitable.” The group would go on to explore dark, edgy themes in their music, including “Venus In Furs,” (another allusion to S&M, inspired by a novel of the same name by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch), as well as cult classics “Heroin,” and “White Light/White Heat.” Although their heyday was short-lived, The Velvet Underground’s music made a lasting impression on adoring critics and artists like David Bowie and Sonic Youth to name but a few.
In the following year, 1966, seven musicians got together in Cardiff, Wales to form a bluesy rock band called Amen Corner. Their name was taken from a play by heralded African-American author James Baldwin. Baldwin’s “The Amen Corner” related the story of a devout woman who tries to keep her son on the righteous path after his wayward father returns to their Harlem home to play jazz. Perhaps in keeping with the jazzy notions of Baldwin’s piece, Amen Corner, the band, was keen on having two saxophonists as members of the group. While not charting significantly in the United States, Amen Corner broke through the British top 10 on several occasions, and toured in 1967 with Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd.
German author Herman Hesse was noted for his severely analytical, introspective works after World War I. In one particular novel, protagonist Harry Haller tried to resolve the clashes he had within himself and the outside world, which resulted in his life being split into countless extremes in polarity. Pretty heady stuff. So why did the headbanging forefathers of rock, the lookin’-for-adventure, “Born To Be Wild” tunesmiths called Steppenwolf, decide to take their name from the title of that Hesse novel? Well, first of all, their producer suggested it, and second, well, it sounds pretty cool, man. So be it. German-born lead singer, John Kay (born Joachim Krauledat) guided his heavy metal band through hits like the aforementioned “Born To Be Wild” which held the #2 spot in the U.S. charts for three weeks in August 1968, and “Magic Carpet Ride,” which reached #3 in November of that year.
The following year of 1968 brought another heavy metal outfit known as Uriah Heep. Formed in London originally with the name Spice, they switched their name to the one conceived by Charles Dickens in 1850, which Dickens gave to a conniving clerk character in his landmark novel “David Copperfield.” While Dicken’s Uriah Heep wormed his way to the top as a partner in a law firm, the band Uriah Heep barely cracked the top 40 in Britain and the United States with their songs “Easy Livin’” and “Sweet Lorraine.” Fading away in the 1970s and then resurfacing in the heavy metal scene of the ‘80s, Uriah Heep’s blend of bass-heavy metal and organ-driven blues would influence sounds of the big hair metal groups of the early ‘80s.
A benevolent millionaire funded the formation of another group in 1969, and the group went on to garner a number one album in the United States. Sounds like something out of a modern-day Charles Dickens novel too, doesn’t it? Alas, it was one Stanley Miesegaes, a wealthy Dutch playboy, whose real-life philanthropy enabled keyboardist and singer Rick Davies to gather a group of musicians in London to form a band. It’s not like they were begging for money, but perhaps that is why they settled on naming themselves after an obscure William H. Davies novel called “The Autobiography of a Supertramp.” The story dealt with the musings of a wandering English hobo whose life only seems to go downhill after being born in a public house in a nondescript village. The band’s fortunate turn of fate led to a series of underwhelming first releases throughout the early ‘70s, but yielded a monster smash of an album, “Breakfast in America,” in 1979. With tunes like “The Lyrical Song,” and “Goodbye Stranger” receiving massive airplay, Supertramp’s successful LP was #1 on the Billboard charts for an overall six weeks.
Another benefactor was helping a band in 1969 find its voice and its literary name. Guy Stevens was an A&R executive with Island Records when he listened to a demo tape of a quintet of musicians calling themselves Silence. He liked what he heard, but didn’t like their name. Possessing a knack for bestowing unique names on bands (Stevens supposedly had given another band, Procol Harum, their moniker), the executive remembered a book he’d read in prison while serving a short stint for a drug charge. It was an underground comic novel about a man who wants desperately to break from the conformity and labels of daily life, but, through a series of misadventures, learns exactly where his position in society is destined to be. Written by Willard Manus, “Mott The Hoople” became the band’s new name. Stevens replaced their lead singer with curly-tressed, sunglass-wearing Ian Hunter, and after a series of poorly-received cover tunes, the band scored a sizable hit with the David Bowie-penned “All The Young Dudes” in 1972.
A very different kind of literature influenced part of the name of a band that formed in Winnipeg, Canada in 1972. Technically-defined as a gearing mechanism of a vehicle engine that reduces the power output required to maintain driving speed in a specific range by lowering the gear ratio, the word “overdrive” became synonymous with tire-peeling, pedal-to-the-medal rock ‘n’ roll when it was incorporated into the name of C.F. Turner and Randy, Robbie and Tim Bachman’s band. Having already tasted success with the Canadian band Guess Who, Randy Bachman helped christen his new group with the aid of a trucking industry magazine named “Overdrive.” BTO, as they came to be fondly called, scored a couple of successes with “Let It Ride” and “Takin’ Care of Business” before they went to number one on the U.S. charts for a week in November 1974 with “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.”
A drive shaft of a different nature was the germination behind the cult-favorite band Steely Dan when Donald Fagen and Walter Becker answered guitarist Denny Dias’ ad for musicians in 1972. Coining their name from the hardcore, drug-laced, underground novel “Naked Lunch” by William Burroughs, the moniker referred to a Steely Dan model of rubber phallus made by a company named Yokohama. The band did not face any stiff competition in their field of jazz-laced, obscure style of songwriting in the early ‘70s, and as their group line-up became more tumescent with ever-changing session players, Steely Dan produced their best album “Aja,” containing the hits “Peg” and “Deacon Blues” in 1977.
Be sure to log in next week for part two of Bands Named After Published Works
© 2000 Ned Truslow


A spacious and well equipped room ideally suited for technology enabled teaching, discussions, seminars, presentations and the like.
A place where many a future scientist and technocrat is nurtured. Open to students of classes IV – VIII, it promotes spirit of enquiry and learning by experimentation.
The spacious Physics , Chemistry and Biology laboratories which can accommodate up to 50 students at a time are well equipped with sophisticated apparatuses and ample safety measures for doing experiments for Classes from IX to XII. Plenty of state of the art gadgets, abundance of reagents and rare specimens aid and enhance learning by experimentation.
The school has three computer labs.
Our libraries are store houses of knowledge and veritable gold mines. Besides books the main library (40,000) and the junior library (7000) house an astonishing range of multimedia CDs, reference materials, encyclopaedias and other resources. The Open Public Access Catalogue System (OPAC ) in these libraries helps students and staff access information about the resources in a user-friendly manner.


Following 9th century monks as they flee from invading vikings with the body of St Cuthbert and the Lindisfarne Gospels – and undertake a momentous journey that helps shape England
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good…
In the beginning was Ginnungagap – the void, the chasm. Because there was nothing there it was cold and dark in Ginnungagap. It was so cold and dark there that layers of everlasting salt ice formed in that dark void. Then Authumla, the Great Cow, came to lick at the ice and with her rough warm tongue she licked out the giant Ymir. When he came out of the ice she fed him with her rich warm milk until he was grown up. Then alone, using the material from his feet and his armpits, he created the giants. From the giants, the Aesir and the Vanir, the gods of the north, we’re all descended.
After many generations Odin, Lord of the Aesir, and his brothers killed Ymir and used the pieces of his dismembered body to construct the worlds, with Tggdrasil, the world tree, at the centre. After the three worlds were built Odin went for a walk on the beach of Middle Earth with two of his colleagues – Lodur and Hoenir, the silent god. They found two trees on the shore – Askr and Embla – and they breathed humanity into them. Odin gave them life, Lodur gave them form and Hoenir the silent gave them understanding. That was the beginning of people and time and speech and song.


Life in the older times is very simple. Simple in a sense that kids enjoy the breeze of the wind while they run around, and they play their hearts to the fullest even without the gadgets that we have now. We have grown up on stories narrated to us by our grandparents, parents and other elders in the family. These stories made a great impact on how we see life and how we should live our lives. From fairytales to old classic short stories, these all give us wonderful good moral lessons.
All stories narrated to us from our childhood years, up until the present times, these somehow helped in sparkling our passion for reading which is very important in a child’s development. Children instinctively love books and stories as they are introduced to wonderful ideas and places.
Through stories, children are able to learn and discover more about life, the world, and themselves. Aside from having a bonding opportunity, there are so many benefits to reading with your child. This is why in Bridging the Gap, we always make every storytelling fun by using puppets, costumes & dramatic facial expression making the story more real.
Below are the benefits story telling:
- Storytelling introduces new vocabulary words to our children
- This is a big advantage of storytelling. It is proven to help in enhancing a child’s vocabulary. Children become curious about some words and they have the urge to know the meaning of the ones they cannot understand. All these vocabulary words can help them in communicating themselves better.
- Storytelling enhances their listening skills of children
- As early as infant age, children can already absorb words that they later use in their lives. This is why telling stories should be an important part of the daily schedule. As our children grow up, storytelling encourages and enhances the listening skills of the children. When the habit of listening to stories is instilled in them, they learn to become better listeners.
- Storytelling enhances curiosity and imagination
- Reading a story to a child can help increase their willingness to express themselves and communicate their thoughts and feelings. As we verbalize words from the story, it makes them visualize the story, where the story took place, how the characters look like and the mood of the story. All of these can spark their imagination. Most of the time, children like to ask question every storytelling. This actually hones their curiosity and their eagerness to learn new things.
- Storytelling increase focus and social skills
- Through storytelling, children are encouraged to listen to others whether it be the main storyteller of other listening to the story. The children learn to be patient and to let others speak and be open to their ideas. Their focus and listening skills are developed as they concentrate on what the storyteller is saying because if they do not listen, they will miss out a part of the story.
Storytelling is an art that even technology cannot steal from you. Have a quality storytelling time with your kids on a daily basis. Share stories of all genres and story of how your day went. Share with them your thoughts, how you felt in that moment and this will help them develop love to storytelling.


THE DRAGONS OF NIBIRU
The adopted daughter of a distinguished starship commander, young Celine is a brilliant student, a promising cadet – and a secret witch. When a psychotic criminal, bent on revenge against her father, teleports Celine randomly out into the cosmos, she finds herself stranded on the forbidden planet Nibiru, in the lair of Fianna – last princess of a dying race of noble dragons. Fianna and Celine face dire perils and overwhelming odds in their quest for the key to the Dragon race’s survival, and the lives of everyone Celine holds most dear.
DRAGONS OF EARTH
Young warrior-witch Celine and her Dragon companion Fianna face daunting challenges:
DRAGONS OF REMINI
A narrow escape...
An interplanetary slave rescue...
New friends, new powers, and a pair of princes revealed...
Celine and Fianna forge ahead in their heroic quest for freedom and peace.
DRAGONS OF THE PAST
A hero retrieved from beyond life's end...
A brush with death in the black of space...
A desperate quest in time's abyss...
Celine, Fianna and the Dragons of many worlds contend with
time, space and evil itself to safeguard life's very future.


Welcome to the Mina Loy Lost Lunar Baedecker gallery.
This is an exhibit collecting works associated with the poetry of Mina Loy collected in her work The Lost Lunar Baedecker. The purpose of this exhibit is for Loy enthusiast old and new to have a resource to understand what Mina Loy is talking about in some of her poems.
To use this exhibit, click the set of dates you would like to begin with to the right of this text. The exhibits are organized as the poems are grouped in The Lost Lunar Baedecker. Each image metions which poem it is associated with and has a brief description.


She Doesn't Know
Chloe Parker has just been uprooted to a tiny American compound in Saudi Arabia. You’d think after fourteen years of being an Air Force brat, she’d be used to being the new kid, but it still sucks. At least until she meets charming, charismatic Alex and falls for him hard.
But Alex is a year older and is heading off to boarding school in Switzerland. Chloe won’t see him again for nine months and it’s breaking her heart. She doesn’t even know if Alex likes her back until he gifts her his private binder of hand-written stories and song lyrics to remember him by. That has to mean something, right?
At long last the wait is over and Alex returns, but he's a haunted shell of his former self. Something bad happened while Alex was away, something that killed the light in his eyes, and Chloe is determined to help him. She has to get the old Alex back.
But Chloe doesn’t know you can’t bring someone back from a place you’ve never been. All you can do is be there when they finally decide to come home.
Scars of Youth - Scars of Youth Book One
Twenty-five-year-old Jessica Fowler has lived with the regret of the love she abandoned. Her heart still belongs to the boy she fell in love with in high school, but she's come to accept that she can never regain the love she lost.
Kyle Andersen has moved to a new city and is determined to make a new life for himself, but he still feels incomplete. He's never gotten over the girl who broke his heart when he was just fifteen, and the hurt she caused him anchors him to his past.
On the same night, the two remember each other, and they think back to that one year in high school that came to define their lives.
This is their story.
Jessica - How did this happen? I'm a senior! I can't be falling for a sophomore. Yes, Kyle's gorgeous and super sweet, but he's only fifteen! Way too young! And there's no way I can compete with his sure-to-be-a-super-model best friend, Jenn, anyway.
And even if I can have him, will I lose him forever after I graduate? Am I just setting myself up to have my heart broken? Or will the little time we have together be worth it in the end?
Kyle - Could this really happen? She's a senior, almost three years older than me. There's no way such a pretty girl would be interested in me. But we seem to click. We like the same type of music and we have a good time together. Am I just the young kid she likes to hang out with, or could she see me as an equal?
Could there be a future for us? Or will I just end up with a broken heart?
Q - Who is Scars of Youth's Target Audience?
Scars of Youth is a novel meant for mature readers who enjoy stories about young love and second chances. Although this story is set during the main characters’ year together in high school, it deals with mature topics such as underage sex and drinking, and features mildly suggestive sexual language. Discretion is advised.
In My Dreams - Scars of Youth Book Two
It's been seven years since Jessica Fowler graduated from high school, leaving behind her younger boyfriend, Kyle Andersen. She can never forget the love she shared with Kyle, and she’s come to accept that she can never again have what she’s lost.
By an unexpected twist of fate, she finds herself reunited with Kyle, and the two of them begin to reconnect. But when Kyle starts to date one of Jessica’s bandmates, Jessica’s jealousy and regret begin to eat at her and she turns to alcohol to numb her pain. As her regrets and guilt mount, she gets more and more out of control and begins to lash out at those she loves most.
Can she and Kyle ever share the love they once had? Or will Jessica’s destructive behavior drive them apart once again?
In My Dreams follows Jessica and Kyle into their early twenties, and features non-graphic sex. Again, discretion is advised.


JLA/Avengers (Issues #2 and #4 are titled Avengers/JLA) is a 2003-2004 published by and , and features the two companies' teams of , DC Comics' and Marvel's .
In 1979, DC and Marvel agreed to co-publish a crossover series involving the two teams, to be written by and drawn by . The plot of the original crossover was a time-travel story involving Marvel's and DC's . Writer/editor was supposed to script the book, based on Conway's plot, and although work was begun on the series in 1981 (and Pérez had pencilled 21 pages by mid-1983), editorial disputes prevented the story from being completed. The failure of the JLA/Avengers book also caused the cancellation of a planned sequel to the 1982 crossover , .
An agreement was eventually made between the two companies in 2002, with the story to be written by and drawn by George Pérez. In a joint panel at 2000, Busiek, Avengers writer at the time, and , then-writer of the JLA, stated they had nearly come to an agreement to begin the crossover within the regular issues of their respective books but the two companies could not come to a business arrangement. Later, when the book became a "go project," Waid had just signed an exclusive deal with , so the writing chores were offered solely to Busiek.
Avengers/JLA eventually became a four-issue jointly published by and in late through early . The mini-series was published in the 48-page Prestige Format. Issues #1 and #3 were published by Marvel Comics under the title JLA/Avengers, while issues #2 and #4 were published by DC Comics with the title Avengers/JLA. The entire story was reprinted by DC Comics in 2005 as a two-volume collector's edition hardcover, and then re-released as a trade paperback in November 2008.
, an exiled immortal from the who gained the powers of , begins destroying entire universes in his obsession to learn what happened before the . The , an alien of the who is obsessed with games, offers to tell Krona about someone who has the knowledge he seeks; but only if Krona can beat him in a game. The game involves manipulating the Avengers and the Justice League into trying to obtain twelve items of power (six from each universe - the DC items being the ; the ; the ; the 's Medusa Mask; the Bell, Jar and Wheel of the ; and the of ; and the Marvel items being the ; the ; the ; the ; the ; and the ) that have been hidden around across the two worlds. The New God of the DC Universe also helps to trick the heroes into competing.
Numerous battles ensue, comparing and contrasting the powers and personalities of each universe's heroes. The opposing teams continue to skirmish until all of the items are gathered, at which point Krona and the Grandmaster betray each other. Krona lethally blasts the Grandmaster and scans his mind to learn of , while the Grandmaster uses the power of the twelve artifacts to trap Krona between the two universes.
Krona breaks free and begins to merge these incompatible universes, which would result in their destruction and the birth of another universe. The Avengers and the Justice League join forces to battle Krona, with a rapidly varying roster of characters and forms of characters drawn from the entire histories of both teams. Krona is finally defeated, and implodes to become a "". The two universes are returned to normal with no evidence of Krona's tampering, and the cosmic egg is later revealed to be monitored by the JLA.


2019 BOQG Membership Form (docx)
Feel free to visit during one of our meetings!
We meet the 2nd & 4th Thursdays of each month at 6:30pm at the Kiln Library.
November (2nd Thursday only)
December (No regular meeting)
Kiln Public Library, 17065 Highway 603, Kiln, MS 39556
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True Stories of Renegade Educators
Dr. Stuart Grauer Ed.D.
Real Teaching is Fearless. Real Teachers are Renegades.
“Grauer brings joy, courage, and imagination to the dialogue on education. His stories add inspiration to our sense of possibility.”
“Recommended for parents, teachers, school principals, and children. Want to change your paradigm? Go on…”
“Dr. Grauer’s first book, Real Teachers, was a finalist in the San Diego Book Awards. Educational leaders around the nation have referred Real Teachers, as “amazing,” “restorative,” “clear as a bell,” and bringing “joy, courage and imagination to the dialog on education.”
Buy Real Teachers
Purchase your autographed copy of Real Teachers: True Stories of Renegade Educators Now! Makes a wonderful gift for your favorite teacher!
“The point of Stuart Grauer’s book is to remind us that Great Teaching, singular, rare, unusual, is something that should be sought after and found. Thank you. It’s wonderful, timely, accessible, clear as a bell.”
“Fearless Teaching® is like playing hooky fron school! Dr. Grauer’s second book is a stirring, audacious jaunt around the world that peeks through the eyes of one of America’s most seasoned educators to inspire and encourage eduacators, parents and students alike.”
Buy Fearless Teaching®
Fearless Teaching® is a way of seeing the world that changes how understand yourself…. and helps you become a positive agent for change in the lives of learners of all backgrounds!
About Dr. Stuart Grauer Ed.D.
Stuart Grauer, Ed.D. is the founding head teacher at the Grauer School, president of the Grauer Foundation for Education, and founder of the Coalition of Small Preparatory Schools. He became principal of the International School of Basel, Switzerland, at the age of 29. In 1991, he founded The Grauer School in order to establish humanitarian secondary education in Southern California. He is a major authority on small schools education, and he has evaluated and consulted with many schools worldwide.
Listen to the Fearless Teaching Podcast!
The Small Schools Coalition advances the interests of small schools throughout the world (ideally with around 230 students), the families they serve, and the teachers who thrive in this optimal educational environment. The SSC is a non-profit, no cost, voluntary membership association. Small schools are “more” in so many ways and the SSC helps get the word out, which is critical in an age that prioritizes bigness and institutionalization.


Sri Chinmoy's biography, written by one of the most famous Bengali authors
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
The story started long before I became a disciple. Anwarul Chowdhury was the deputy secretary general of the United Nations. He was at the UN for many years and he loved Guru, just loved Guru. He eventually became an ambassador, so Guru always called him Ambassador Chowdhury.
Ambassador Chowdhury is a very literary person and he knew one of the best writers, the most famous writers of Bengal. Not from Bangladesh, but actually from Calcutta. The writer's name is Mani Shankar Mukherjee, but people just call him Shankar. His books are so famous that they have been made into films by well-known filmmakers.
Shankar was very, very impressed to see that Guru, as a Bengali, came twice a week to the UN to give the peace meditation and also inspired his disciples to wear saris, which they did when they went to the UN.
Shankar is also a spiritual person. He loves Swami Vivekananda and has written many books on Swami Vivekananda. He was inspired to write a biography of Guru. This was in 1988 when he first met Guru.
Many years passed. Shankar came, I think, one more time. He also got to meet Guru in 2005. Guru sent him a lot of material, and he started writing his book. But just before Guru's passing something happened and somehow the book project stopped.
Later, I went to India and I heard there that Shankar's wife had passed. I sent him flowers and spoke to him. We talked about restarting the project. Eventually the book got finished. I invited Shankar to come to New York again to sign the book and present it to the disciples.
Shankar is a good writer. The book is beautiful and very well written. Bengalis in different parts of India have read the book, and some have come to the United States and made a trip to the Sri Chinmoy Centre Aspiration-Ground just to know who Guru is.
This book has also been translated into Hindi, the main language, the common language, of India. Vijay and his family from Nepal and other disciples, including Mahavir-ji, have also given copies of the book to many, many people in India.
Abridged and condensed,
Is the earthly life Of an Avatar.
Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. The Supreme and His four children: five spiritual dictionaries, Fleet Press Corporation, New York, 1973
Sri Chinmoy's students describe their inner and outer experiences.
My 5 a.m. strategic meditationsSanchita Fleming Ottawa, Canada
Spiritual moments with my grandmotherPatanga Cordeiro São Paulo, Brazil
My love of spiritual poetryManatita Hutchinson London, United Kingdom
The day when everything beganBhagavantee Paul Salzburg, Austria
Sri Chinmoy's opening meditation at the Parliament of World ReligionsPradhan Balter Chicago, United States
How my spiritual search led me to Sri ChinmoyVidura Groulx Montreal, Canada
The Peace Run visits OxfordTejvan Pettinger Oxford, United Kingdom
The Ever-Transcending GoalPreetidutta Thorpe Auckland, New Zealand
President Gorbachev: a special soul brought down for a special reasonMridanga Spencer Ipswich, United Kingdom
If I can smile like that, it's worth becoming a discipleMahatapa Palit New York, United States
Regaining My Inner JoySujata Muto Kyoto, Japan
'Christ has stolen her heart and brought it now to me'Dodula and Gunthita Zurich, Switzerland
interviews with Sri Chinmoy's students


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Submission open for November 2016
Proposal & Abstract Submission: March 31, 2016
Full Paper Submission Deadline: May 31, 2016
Paper Publication: November 15, 2016
Authors are cordially invited to submit papers for the upcoming edition Volume 4, Issue 2, November 2016.
Topics: All areas related to Social Education fields are covered under the journal.
Publication of an article/manuscript in Social Education requires strict conformance to the paper template. Once the paper is selected, it will be published online. For more details visit www.soced.cz.
There is no charge for the submitted paper for review and publication.
Formal Conditions of Acceptance:
- Papers will only be published in English.
All papers are peer-reviewed, and the Editor reserves the right to refuse any manuscript, whether on invitation or otherwise, and to make suggestions and/or modifications before publication.
Download Call for Papers as PDF.


I was happy to get this book free as a Kindle. It's set in Italy during WWII: two elements that draw me in a novel. I look forward to reading it in December if I can squeeze it in.
America’s entrance into WWII turned that promise to dust. Desperately, Henry sought to find a way to serve his country while remaining by Lilly’s side. On the night he found his solution, Lilly disappeared.
Months later only one thing promised a shattered Henry survival… a band of brothers: skiers and outdoor enthusiasts like himself. Together they formed the 10th Mountain Division. America's Ski Troops of the U.S. Army. Together they trained for war, made their way to Italy, and fought desperately against the Germans.
The same war that shattered Henry’s dreams, now threatened to shatter Henry’s life. Could this same war, somehow save him? Could the peace he had known in his Colorado valley be found in a war-torn valley in Italy? Could salvation be found in the arms of a war-scarred nurse?
Twilight of Memory explores the power of memory and love: to hurt, to haunt, and possibly to heal.
Get to know Henry, Lilly, Daisy, and the 10th Mountain Ski Troops in this gentle historical fiction love story.
Have a great reading week!


Cornes AJ, Wiltshire CJ (1999) Still waiting to be heard: Deaf children in Australia. Australasian Psychiatry, 7(6), pp. 313-318.
Still waiting to be heard: Deaf children in Australia – Australasian Psychiatry (click to open link)
Tong CW, Cornes AJ, Wiltshire CJ (1999) Through the glass darkly: Deaf children from non-English speaking backgrounds. Australasian Psychiatry, 7(6), pp. 319-323.
Cornes AJ, Napier J (1999) Working with Deaf clients in counselling situations. Sydney: Deaf Education Network (curriculum).
Napier J, Cornes AJ (2004) The dynamic roles of interpreters and therapists. In: Austen, S. and Crocker, S., eds. Deafness in mind: Working psychologically with deaf people across the lifespan. London: Whurr Publishers, pp. 161-179.
Cornes A, Napier, J (2005) Challenges of mental health interpreting. Australasian Psychiatry, 13(4), pp. 403-407.
Cornes A, Rohan MJ, Napier J, Rey JM (2006) Reading the signs: impact of signed versus written questionnaires on the prevalence of psychopathology among deaf adolescents. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(8), pp. 665-673.
Cornes, A, Brown, PM (2012) Mental health of Australian deaf adolescents: an investigation using an Auslan version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Deafness & Education International, pp. 14(3), 161-175.
‘Working with deafness: access and ethics.’ Article online:


Music Book - "A Wee Bit West Ay Skye"$20.00
Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band is proud to announce the release of a compilation of tunes from composers across North America.
This compilation was a band project to recognize the contributions of North American pipers to our culture and music, in celebration of the Band's 25th Anniversary in 2005. Our music book is called A Wee Bit West Ay Skye and includes 66 tunes from 31 composers. This collection has submissions from a number of well-known composers like Jack Lee, Neil Dickie, Bob Worrall, and Rob MacNeil to name just a few. But, there are many great tunes from artists who may not be well-known beyond their own band, and that's what has made the project really special for us.


Literary elements are found in books and poetry. They are generally described as the components of a literary piece. They aren’t methods used by the author. It’s essential, moreover, to have the ability to explain how each of the components give rise to the total impact of the narrative. Another simple element in any storyline is using imagery. Another literary component is perspective. It’s intriguing to recognize the fundamental components of a story. Poe utilizes a superb quantity of anadiplosis.
Pupils might choose to pay attention to one national convention or they could pick a relative platform.
She also employs a kind of soraismus within his writing. She also employs a device called bomphiliogia. She uses the biblical areas of angels to spell out the love between the two lovers in Annabel Lee. Characters can be shown by description. In a really first person story, a character tells their own story. You might also write about character so long as you’re combining it with an analysis of one of the aforementioned elements. The character of Laura is a remarkably fragile and exceptional girl. If you’re a writer, attempt to write a minimum of five times every week in a diary. If you’re a writer and you wish to realize your whole possible, you will want to convince yourself of the ability of literary devices to capture your audience and take them to places they might not need to go.
Furthermore, the complete magazine’s archive is searchable so you could start looking for and detect beneficial recipes for almost any dish!
Writers vary structure dependent on the prerequisites of the narrative. How authors utilize sensory details to make mood and setting in a vast array of means. Naturally, fantasy books frequently have magical components. In the book there’s a lot of foreshadowing happening. There are just a couple of books that have ever been written in 2nd person. You don’t need to understand exactly what your story means in a bigger sense however you do have to understand what you’d like your narrative to mean to your readers as well as the manner it will affect them. When a story is told from the view of I, it’s in first-person point-of-view. Some short stories, though, can be rather long.
This element of editing procedure also contains statements and marginments
Rarely does a brief story have two or multiple energetic characters. It is a short work of fiction. To put it differently, it can attain all four purposes. Genre tells you exactly what sort of novel or work it is. Genre Genres are classes for various varieties of literature. Fiction is frequently associated with the novel. paper help Literature can be far more than a superior narrative.
Chronicle has an amazing value within the total Austin.
Gothic literature has developed during the years to include subgenres like Southern Gothicliterature, which happens in the American South and is closely related to much-beloved writers Flannery O’Conner and William Faulkner, amongst others. American literature has lots of the world’s greatest examples of this brief narrative. The expression is generally applied to play, but it might also be used for other literary types. With the immense number of literary terms thrown about, it can be simple to confuse certain terms with other people. Literary terms are important in a wide range of means. Now, there are some literary terms we have for sure forms of personalities. For instance, you can use keywords like power and strong rather than merely replicating the exact same word. Because figurative language isn’t literal, it shouldn’t be utilized in compositions that are intended to be taken literally, for example scientific and mathematic guides or textbooks.


Self-taught, Thomas Lawrence was an instinctive draughtsman, who went on to become President of the Royal Academy. He understood the importance of gesture in communicating character and in introducing a sense of movement in portraits. Gently folding as they pick up a thread or piece of fabric, these hands convey the grace, delicacy and sensitivity of the unknown female sitter.
Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830)
Study of hands
Red and black chalks on paper, 11.5 x 25.9 cm
Given by the Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum, 1972


A cumulative dissertation is a collection of articles which have been published in recognised scientific journals or accepted for publication. My PhD dissertation is a cumulative one and in this blog post I describe its structure and things to pay attention to when writing your own.
Identify the articles that make up your dissertation and identify the main contributions of these articles. A single article can have multiple contributions and a single contribution can be explored in multiple articles.
For example, consider the following articles with their corresponding contributions:
|How to better harvest bananas||Banana harvesting method
|Discovery of a brown magic powder||Cacao powder|
|What do almonds and butter have in common?||Almond butter|
|1, 2, 3, brownies!||3-Ingredient brownies|
The first three contributions (ingredients) are used in the fourth and final contribution (recipe).
The structure of your dissertation looks as follows (in chapters):
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the work that is described in chapters 2 and onwards. Chapters 2 until the second to last align with the articles/contributions. The final chapter concludes the dissertation and looks beyond the work conducted during the PhD.
Considering that we have four articles/contributions in our example, its structure looks like this:
Note that the titles of the chapters do not necessarily need to be the same as the title of the articles. They can be altered if it better fits the story.
Or "the story of your PhD".
The introduction chapter is similar to an introduction section in an article. This chapter is the most important one as it describes the problems the dissertation tackles, what the contributions are, and how the contributions are related to each other. This last one is really important as it turns everything in a single, coherent story! Consequently, you will spend the most time on this chapter.
The chapter includes the following parts:
Try to make parts 1 - 3 as understandable as possible for people who are not part of your academic community, such as family, friends, colleagues from other departments, and so on. I highly recommend to start using an example as early as possible and make that example related to something that everybody understands.
Parts 4 and 5 should still be as understandable as possible. Of course, here it's hard to avoid all technicalities because you have to get to the essence of your dissertation at some point. But at least try.
Some of your articles might have a research question. If that is the case: nice, you can reuse them! But check if they need rephrasing to fit your story. If you have articles without a research question, create one that both fits the story and the work described in the article. Ideally, every research question should also have an hypothesis, which might already be in the original article or that is newly created for the dissertation. Note that not every research question needs an hypothesis. In my case I had a more exploratory article without a research question. I created a research question, but not a hypothesis because that did not make sense. This all depends on the article itself. So check your articles and your story, and see what is possible and what is not.
Part 6 contains two lists: one list with the main articles of the dissertation and a list with all publications you (co-)authored during your PhD.
In general, make sure that you have story (not just a bunch of words and paragraphs) that is clear, not too technical, but still positions and outlines the great contributions of your dissertation.
Aligning this with our example results in
Ideally every contribution is contained in a single article and you can put every article in a separate chapter. That way a single research question and hypothesis is aligned with a single chapter. If it reads better (for the story) to put multiple articles in the same chapter, then that is not a problem. Looking at our example we could have something like
This is fine. Important to note here is that this all depends on the story you set out in the introduction chapter. So I suggest to create a decent version of that chapter first before moving on to the contribution chapters.
The structure of a contribution chapter is as follows
The introduction includes how the chapter fits into the story, where in the story the reader is, and what is discussed. Note that the content of the original article can be adjusted, for example, to
The conclusion chapter is similar to a conclusion section in an article. It concludes your story and looks at what can be investigated in the future. More specific, its structure is as follows
The first part reflects on the research questions, hypotheses, and corresponding contributions, and discusses how they tackle the challenges mentioned in the introduction chapter. The second part describes remaining challenges based on aforementioned challenges and contributions.
Remaining challenges for our example are
Additionally, the second part also discusses future directions:
These are the most important things that I have learned during the writing of my dissertation. Note that these are mere suggestions that might or might not work for your dissertation, so do not hesitate to deviate from them if you feel the need to. It is your story after all 😉


Adult Education and Formation
Bible Study Opportunities
"Catholicism," by Bishop Robert Barron. 10 week study started September 11, 5:30-7pm in the Community Room. Contact Stever or Therese Mareck at 320-743-4188.
"Matthew: The King and His Kingdom" by Jeff Cavins. 24 week study started:
* Tuesdays, September 25, 6:30-8:30 pm in the Library or
* Thursdays, September 27, 9:00-11:00 am in the Library.
Contact David or Paula Tholl at 255-0021.
Faith Formation Contact
Director of Faith Formation


- Author: Jane Austen
- First Published: 1813
- Origin Country: United Kingdom
- Language: English
- Copyright: Public Domain
- Format: PDF
The Pride and Prejudice novel focuses on the message of marrying for love and not money although the story shows that marriage can also be a way to survive financially.
Elizabeth Bennet (the main character) and her sisters must find a husband that can support them as their father’s inheritance is stuck in a legal situation that restricts only a male heir to inherit it.
With only Elizabeth, her sisters and her mother in the family that leaves the father’s property stuck and unobtainable to them.
Within the book, you can find an honest, almost humorous expression of feelings towards aspects of the life at the time of the book being written that many other stories lack.
Writing of the novel began back in 1796 and after many years of revisions, the author eventually sold the rights to a publisher for £110 (around $10,000 in today’s money).
This deal proved successful for the publisher (Thomas Egerton) who went on to make 4 times that amount of money with just the first 2 editions.
As you are probably well aware, the story has become a large part of modern culture and is an important story to learn when studying literature.
At the turn of the century, the BBC polled the UK and found that Pride and Prejudice was the country’s second-favorite book of all time.
You can view the PDF version of the Pride and Prejudice book for free by clicking the link below to go straight to the file.


Entrance to the Tagus estuary, from Mar da Palha to Cascais
MASSAI, Alexandre (? - 1638)
João Vicente Casale (1539-1593) and his nephew, Alexandre Massai, Italian engineer-architects, were brought to Portugal by King Filipe I to study the military reinforcement of Lisbon’s estuary. When he arrived in 1589, Massai was commissioned to build the Fort of São Lourenço da Cabeça Seca, now better known as the Forte do Bugio, which still marks the entrance to Lisbon by sea. In 1617, now with King Filipe II on the throne, Massai was given the task of drafting a report on the silting up of the Tagus estuary.
Much of his work was constructed on the Algarve and the Alentejo coast, as is evident from his forts on the island of Pessegueiro, in Vila Nova de Milfontes and in Sines. He also surveyed the fortifications along the kingdom's southern coast, from Cacela to Sagres, and many others on the Alentejo coast. This project resulted in the manuscript Descripção do Reino do Algarve [Description of the Kingdom of the Algarve], a military codex produced at a time when defences along Portuguese coast were being reinforced to better respond to attacks by corsairs. The codex included this drawing, on folios 79 and 80.
© Museu de Lisboa


“Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days” by Jessica Livingston of Y Combinator is a great read. The book is a collection of interviews with mostly recent technology startup founders. For a complete list of interviews, click here.
Most of the information is not new, but it is great to read it from the founder’s perspective. I especially liked the sections on companies that I had direct relation to. I was at Lotus in the relatively early days, but I never got to hear it straight from Mitch Kapor. Many of the interviews are truly inspriing for a budding entrepeneur like myself. I’ve been involved with startups for years now (some successful, some not), and I’m embarking on my own startup right now. To be able to get honest opinions and views regarding VC, business plans, startup issues is extremely valuable. Even if you are not planning on starting a company, I still recommend picking up a copy and checking it out. Some of the stories are classic.
If you have any suggestions on who should be interviewed for the next book, there is a thread discussing it on Y Combinator News. With any luck and a lot of hard work, maybe you or I will make the list.