A curated compilation of scripture-based articles, blogs, journals, and other resources for reading and reference, alphabetically categorized by popular literary genres.
Think the Bible is boring? Think again! THE BOOK of Genres is a compilation that shatters the misconception of scripture as a dull, monolithic text, revealing it to be a compelling library of diverse literature addressing the widespread issue of Bible disengagement.
This curated compilation of scripture-based articles and resources offers a revolutionary approach: it connects biblical narratives and teachings to over 30 literary categories. Unlike traditional guides, this book uses popular literary genresâfrom Action & Adventure and Mystery to Horror, Politics, and Humor.
This collection reveals the surprising depth and rich diversity of the Bible, showcasing its timeless relevance to modern life. It includes resources addressing contemporary issues like loneliness and envy, and features study questions to inspire deeper reflection. By framing Godâs Word in relatable, contemporary terms, THE BOOK of Genres makes the profound wisdom of scripture accessible and compelling. It's an essential guide for both believers and non-believers to discover that the Bible is a dynamic, inspiring, and absolutely fascinating read. Get ready to be engaged and inspired by a book thatâs anything but boring.
A curated compilation of scripture-based articles, blogs, journals, and other resources for reading and reference, alphabetically categorized by popular literary genres.
Think the Bible is boring? Think again! THE BOOK of Genres is a compilation that shatters the misconception of scripture as a dull, monolithic text, revealing it to be a compelling library of diverse literature addressing the widespread issue of Bible disengagement.
This curated compilation of scripture-based articles and resources offers a revolutionary approach: it connects biblical narratives and teachings to over 30 literary categories. Unlike traditional guides, this book uses popular literary genresâfrom Action & Adventure and Mystery to Horror, Politics, and Humor.
This collection reveals the surprising depth and rich diversity of the Bible, showcasing its timeless relevance to modern life. It includes resources addressing contemporary issues like loneliness and envy, and features study questions to inspire deeper reflection. By framing Godâs Word in relatable, contemporary terms, THE BOOK of Genres makes the profound wisdom of scripture accessible and compelling. It's an essential guide for both believers and non-believers to discover that the Bible is a dynamic, inspiring, and absolutely fascinating read. Get ready to be engaged and inspired by a book thatâs anything but boring.
Iâve never been an animal lover, in fact, most of them scare me. The idea of having a pet never appealed to me. As a child, our family dog, Daisy, was fun, but I donât remember much about her. Later, when my son wanted a pet, I steered him towards a cat, figuring they were lower maintenance than dogs. That cat, however, eventually ran away.
My sister is a dog enthusiast who used to breed them, she had a litter of Pekingese puppies when I was in my early 40s. I had recently been divorced, and with my son grown and married, the house felt empty. On a whim, I decided to take one. He was a cute, mischievous, and adventurous little pup named Panda, though he wasnât big on cuddles. Honestly, I wasnât that attached to him. So, when I found out I was going to be a grandmother and a coworker was looking for a dog for her son, I immediately offered Panda to her.
Six years later, living in East Memphis, my husband and I decided to move closer to family and our church. He worked full-time during the day and part-time at night, leaving me alone in our new house. With an unfamiliar open field next door and no neighbors I knew, I felt scared and unsettled. The silence was deafening. I told my coworkers I wanted a dog. Thatâs when a coworkerâs aunt, who bred Yorkie puppies, entered the picture. I bought one, an 11-week-old named Ruffinâthey called him that because he was the âroughestâ in the litter. When I went to pick him up, he was joyfully playing with his (dog and human) family. Iâll never forget the child, about 12 years old, who helped put him in his crate. Tears streamed down her face as she handed him to me. The moment I put Ruffin in the car, he started shaking. Then, as I drove, the poor little thing began vomiting and pooping. I genuinely thought he wouldnât survive the drive home. He whined pitifully, and in that moment, it hit me: I had just taken him from his entire family. The drive seemed to take hours.
My husband did not want a small dog. He said you need a German Shepherd or some kind of big husky dog. As soon as I got home with Ruffin, my husband held him to his chest. He said he needs to feel a heartbeat. And lo and behold Ruffin stopped shaking and breathing so hard, calmed down and went to sleep. It took him about three days to realize we were not going to harm him. Ruffin was a part of our family. He was the cutest and friendliest dog ever! I would talk and fuss at him all the time. He loved to sit in my lap and loved people. We had eleven good years with our fur baby. The 12th year I could tell he was getting tired and not wanting to play anymore. He was eating a little, his appetite would come and go. Sometimes he was lethargic and distant. Although I did not know how long he would last, I tried not to think about it.
The greatest memory I have of Ruffin which makes me cry thinking about it is when I fell in the garage and hurt my hip. I was slow trying to get up and going down the stairs. Well, he would always go fast down the steps, but when he saw that I could not move like I used to, he came up the steps and would just go very slow and pace with me so we could go down together. He let me know he was not going to leave me.
Ruffin just stayed in his bed most of the time. He would muster up enough strength to use the pee pad and I would let him smell his food so he would follow the scent to try to eat. Well, my office is upstairs, and he had not been upstairs in a while because he was just too weak. I did not even hear him, but one day he made it upstairs and I knew it had to be a struggle. Ruffin had lost weight, and his bones were protruding. He looked so sad, and I knew in my heart it would not be long.
It was time for him to be groomed and I thought he would feel a little better. When the groomer brought him back in the house, Ruffin just slumped over. He could not stand; he fell over to the side and could not get up. I immediately took him to the emergency veterinarian. They asked me did I want to see him before they put him to sleep. I cried loudly. Just give me the papers; I must sign so I can get out of here. After I signed the papers, they asked me one last time, I said no, then I suddenly changed my mind and said yes. She brought Ruffin in. He was so happy to see me. He just nestled his head in my arms just like a baby. When it was time for the veterinarian assistant to take him, he fought with all his might to stay with me. I did not even know he had that much strength. She was taken out of my arms for me to never see him again. I donât even know how I drove home; I was crying so hard.
My husband did not even know what happened. I did not want to tell him while he was driving home. When he comes home, the first words that come out of his mouth is: RUFFIN!!! RUFFIN! WHERE IS YOUR MAMA? I ran to him weeping, letting him know that Ruffin was gone. My husband said I never felt that way about a dog. If you chose to read this chapter, let me tell you, I never thought I could feel this pain and loneliness of losing a dog which was my pet.
I always understood why children were emotional about losing a pet, but I thought adults were just too emotional and after a day of mourning should be enough. I did not understand until Ruffin died. I had two questions: God, am I supposed to feel this way about an animal? God what does your WORD say about Animals & Pets?
ANIMALS & PETS â Godâs Word The Bible does not really address the issue of keeping pets. The only possible example of a pet owner is the poor man in Nathanâs parable, a man who âhad nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to himâ (2 Samuel 12:3). I have read and heard this parable preached a few times. Before I had Ruffin, I really only heard and focused on the message which was that Davidâs actions were a betrayal of Godâs trust and David abused his authority. The parable serves to expose the sin and call David to repentance, highlighting the contrast between easily recognized sin and the self-deception that blinds people to their own wrongdoing.
Nathanâs parable tells the story of two men in a city: one was rich and the other was poor. The rich man had a huge number of flocks and herds, while the poor man had nothing but a single little ewe lamb that he cherished.
One day, a traveler came to visit the rich man. Instead of taking one of his own many animals to prepare a meal for his guest, the rich man took the poor manâs ewe lamb and killed it.
After Nathan finished the story, King David became furious and declared that the rich man deserved to die and should pay back the lamb fourfold. At this point, Nathan dropped the bombshell, pointing directly at the king and saying, âYou are the man!â He then explained how God had given David great wealth and power (like the rich manâs flocks), but David had taken something that belonged to another manâUriah the Hittiteâs wife, Bathsheba (like the poor manâs lamb). David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then arranged for her husband, Uriah, to be killed in battle to cover up his sin.
The parableâs simplicity allowed David to judge the injustice of the situation without realizing he was judging himself. It was a powerful and indirect way of confronting a king with his own immense moral failure, leading to Davidâs deep repentance. God answered my prayer! After all these years, it never dawned on me about a man who raised an animal that grew up with him and his children that shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms, the animal was like a daughter to him. Wow! God understands how people feel who lost a pet. For me, this parable is two-fold. I donât feel guilty anymore about my feelings for Ruffin. This verse was for me during this time!
We can draw some conclusions about pets, however, based on what the Bible says on other topics: The loss of a pet is traumatic because often the pet gave us unconditional love and acceptance when nobody else did. They were usually happy to see us when we came home or provided company in our loneliest hours. Their innocence and funny ways provided us with years of enjoyment and laughter. When anything important to us is gone, a void is created that takes time to fill. Experiencing grief for any kind of loss, including the death of a pet, is normal and healthy, and itâs okay to allow yourself those emotions.
Who is better to express our sorrow to than the One who created animals for our enjoyment? Jesus said that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father knowing about it (Matthew 10:29). He created those sparrows and knows each one. He also created our pets and understands the place they hold in our hearts. Because He, too, cares about animals, He is a safe place to turn with our overwhelming feelings.
During the season of losing Ruffin, I was determined to search more about Godâs creation of animals, and I found some profound and surprising truths about this animal: THE DONKEY IS AMAZING! God woke me up in the middle of the night to see an animated movie that was almost 4 hours long which had 15 episodes. Although sleepy, I could not stop watching it. I thought this was an excellent movie for children. The movie, King of Glory, is about a journey into the Scriptures starting at the book of Genesis of the prophets inviting you to meet the one true God, and understand His plan to rescue His rebellious people from the kingdom of darkness and qualify them to live with Him forever in His kingdom of light. With its thought-provoking narrative and inspired mix of animation and live video, this film is for a worldwide audience. I had no idea I would learn anything new. This blew my mind! It is not in the Bible, but itâs so profound and still visible today.
(I have a picture of a donkey with the dorsal and shoulder stripe inserted here)
The symbolism of the donkey: It connection of the donkey has key figures in the Bible, including King David, King Solomon, the prophets, and Jesus. The main points are:
The donkeyâs âhigher purposeâ: suggests that the donkeyâs use by kings and prophets, in contrast to the horses used by modern kings, has a symbolic and metaphorical meaning.
The âdorsal and shoulder stripeâ: highlights the genetic marking on the donkeyâs back, which forms a cross. It presents this as a divine, non-coincidental feature.
Jesusâ entry into Jerusalem: focuses on the story of Jesus riding a donkey colt that had never been ridden before, connecting this to the fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9.
Symbolism of the unridden donkey: interprets the fact that the donkey had never been ridden as a symbol of its purity and being âset apart by God,â much like Jesus himself. It also suggests that the donkeyâs submissiveness to Jesus was a sign of Jesusâ divinity.
Jesus came into Jerusalem on the cross. He also left Jerusalem with a cross.
Donkey Milk? What are the animals the Bible people actually got milk from? 1 Samuel 6:10 â cow. Goat (Proverbs 27:27). Camel (Genesis 32:15). Sheep (Isaiah 7:21-22 . AndâŚdonkey. Donkey milk was the BEST milk. A female donkey is a jenny. She produces 1 liter per day of delicious milk. Why was donkey milk such a delicacy? First of all, donkey milk most closely resembles human breast milk. This is highly convenient for nursing.
Nutritional profile: Donkey milk is similar to human milk in its lactose, lipid, and protein profile. Good for children: Donkey milk is well tolerated by infants and is suitable for children with cowâs milk protein allergy. Good for the elderly: Donkey milkâs low-fat content and lipid composition make it a good food for the elderly
I will end with a little humor I heard: A hypothetical conversation between God and an Angel. God remarks on the slew of people these days drinking almond milk. The angel says the people are getting milk from almonds now. God says I sent them like 8 animals to get milk from! The angel replies, âThey donât like that milkâ.
Seeing from survey statistics that quite a number of people are not reading their Bibles even though the compilation of books remains a bestseller, Renee Stewart writes The Book of Genres to help recover peopleâs interest in the Christian stories and teachings. To achieve this goal, Stewart frames biblical tales and lessons within popular literary genres like History, Law, and Mystery. Because of the extracted characters and plot twists from the Bible, and the incredible interpretations that are excerpts from Christian books, one cannot help but engage with the content.
Engrossing as the read is, many of the stories fall into multiple genres, and the approach taken can make them sound repetitive. At other junctures, the information is insufficient for someone who has never read the Bible to fully grasp the depth of the story, character, or lesson. For example, the Action and Adventure stories lacked the thrill and awe of their genre because they were not written with the spirit of their genre. What creates an adventure isnât simply the exploration of something new but the fear, excitement, and shock of discovery. Simply retelling the stories of the Bible, all disjointed and lacking what gives them depth deprives the reader of the spirit of the genre. This was a consistent issue with many of the genres, and that sullied the reading experience.
But it was not all doom and gloom. Even though many of the stories were not done justice, those in the Fantasy/Magic/Witches were among those given the details needed for someone to grasp what was going on. As much as other stories were not adequately told, there was enough intrigue for someone to want to find out a bit more about what happened. Considering that the target audience is adults, particularly young adults, I think that Stewart might have overestimated peopleâs knowledge and interest (disregarding her statistical findings). This book is worth a read for a mood reader who would like to read the Bible according to genres beyond those of its current order and would not mind connecting the dots as they go.