2 Peter

• God gives us blessings, so in our lives we need to add faith - goodness - knowledge - self-control - patience - service to God - kindness to brothers and sisters in Christ - love
• Prophecy came from God by the Holy Spirit through the prophets
• False teachers are sinful
• Wants to help Christians remember
• God is being patient with people for He doesn't want them to be lost
• Be ready and look forward to the second coming
• Keep your faith
• Don't wrongly interpret Paul's letters

1 Peter

• Blessings cannot be destroyed and are kept in heaven
• Faith is shown pure in troubles
• Before we know we follow evil ways; now tat we know, we must live a holy life
• As babies want milk, want the teachings; Jesus is the cornerstone
• Live for God, obey authority
• Respect our spouse; wives be holy to influence; not influential by clothes and/or jewelry
• Suffer for doing right = blessed
• Respect Christ, be ready to explain your hope with gentleness and respect
• Strengthen yourself as Christ did to withstand evil desires
• Love will cause sins to be forgiven
• Suffering because a Christian trust and faith gets you through
• Watch over your people humbly as an example not as a ruler
• Give your worries to God

a hope more powerful than the sea

This was a heavy book that stirs compassion.  It's a true story of a journey that is awful (and that is putting it lightly). 

It is something I wish more people would read, embrace and think on in a world that is so quick to judge and hate. 

It reminds of the saying I once heard "there's not a person you wouldn't love if you know their story."

Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph

Our church's Advent Bible Study is reading this book.  While I don't attend the Bible Study class with other folks, I do read along.  And our Pastor preaches on this lesson for the week on Sunday's too, so I enjoy following along.

However, I did not love this youth study book version.  I found it only loosely connected to Joseph and distracted from the story of Joseph with many other stories along the way.  Each with their own merit, but I wish I'd just read the original book in place of this.

James

• Trouble should equal joy for troubles test our faith and give us patience
• Doubters are like waves in the sea; thinkin in 2 different directions at once and being undecided
• Poor proud because rich in spirit; rich proud because shown spiritually poor
• God does not tempt anyone; lead to sin by our own evil desire
• Listen, study and obey God's word
• Care for orphans and widows and stay free of evil
• Do not make some people more important than others
• Disobey a command and it is like you've broken all the commands
• Faith without action is nothing/dead
• Deeds alone don't show belief; demons believe in on God too
• Faith made perfect in action; they work together
• Control your tongue, we all make mistakes but good and bad shouldn't come from the same source
• True wisdom is pure, peaceful, gentle and easy to please
• Selfish desires lead us away from God
• Come near to God and God will be near to you
• Don't judge
• Knowing the right thing and not doing it is sin
• Worldly riches don't last
• Be patient and watch your words
• Prayer is powerful

Hebrews

• God spoke through prophets before Jesus; then the Son reflected the Glory of God
• The Son is greater than all of the Angels; angles worship the Son
• Lord will remain even when Earth and skies are destroyed and He will never change
• Angels are spirits who serve God and help those who will receive salvation
• Don't stray from trust; salvation is great
• God -> Jesus -> Angels -> People
• Jesus became lower than angels as human; suffered and died for us; then rose to be at God's right hand
• Jesus didn't help the angels
• Jesus was the high priest on Earth
• Jesus no can help those who are tempted because He suffered and was tempted
• Jesus is greater than Moses; builder is greater than the house; God is builder of every thing
• Keep the faith until final rest; don't turn away
• Nothing can be hidden from God
• Jesus is our high priest, chosen by God, an honor, sacrifice for eternal salvation because of his obedience and perfection
• Move forward in learning and teaching to grow
• Do not leave the faith and sin shaming God; work hard until Hope and God's promise are reached
• God cannot lie in promise or oath; He is our safety and hope to anchor our soul
• Priest Melchizedek, means King of Goodness and King of Peace and no one knows who his parents were, when he was born or when he died; he continues to be a priest forever
• Abraham gave Melchizedek 1/10 of everything from battle even though he wasn't from the tribe of Levi
• Jesus is like Melchizedek and is priest forever bringing us near to God
• Jesus the priest is unlike the other priests who had to make sacrifices daily for Jesus offered himself
• Jesus is at the right hand of God
• God made a new agreement with us through Jesus
• Reminder of the Old Agreement and the Holy Tent with the Ark
• A will is useless until someone dies
• Christ bring a new agreement; blood cleanses and shows death of sins
• Holy Place replaced with heaven = most Holy Place
• Christ death takes away sin
• Christ second coming is for those waiting for salvation
• Trust God, don't turn back; help others and go to church
• Faith is being sure of things we hope for knowing it is real even though we can't see it
• Cannot please God without faith
• Go to God believing He is real and knowing he rewards those who seek Him
• Examples of faith from any people in scripture
• God has something better planned for us
• Keep the faith; follow the examples before us, follower Jesus example; remove things that hold us back
• Let God's discipline teach and change us
• Live with God in mind
• God's kingdom cannot be shaken but everything created will be
• Welcome strangers; remember those suffering and in prison; keep your marriage pure
• Strengthen your heart with God's grace, not food rules

The American Heiress

I wasn't so sure about this book for sections of it.  In my Bible reading lately, I'd been learning a little about the mere following of the law doesn't make our hearts right.  And with the rigid expectations of positions and appearances it was a great example of just because everything look good on the outside and rules were followed, hearts weren't in the right place.  Ultimately the ending brought it altogether so I didn't dislike the book anymore. Maybe I never really disliked the books, but I certainly wasn't excited about it for period of time either.