New Releases by Kathleen Dalton

A few weeks ago I was sitting outside a nursing home with a friend of mine. It was a beautiful day, and she was loving getting out into the fresh air after many days not even seeing the outside. I read the first five verses of John''s Gospel to her: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:1-5 She started singing, "Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made..." I joined in, and together, traffic noise and all, we sat out in front of her nursing home and sang all the verses we knew of "How Great Thou Art". This 9-lesson Bible Study of the first four chapters of John is all about the One we were singing to.

This three-lesson Bible study is perfect for a group study, or for a personal time of learning the New Testament book of 2nd Peter. In his second letter, Peter, the aging apostle, is fighting hard against false teachers who have sprung up in the church. He knows the best defense is Christian growth! It''s only three chapters long, but if 2nd Peter were all the Bible we had today, we would be challenged to grow, to fight back against false teaching, and to look to the skies for Jesus'' soon return. Peter was a Pastor...and the heart of Pastor Peter shines through.

Paul knows some of the challenges Timothy is going to face as he pastors the church in Ephesus, and he is writing to encourage Timothy, but not to feel sorry for him. Timothy has the unparalleled privilege of shepherding a group of believers in Jesus Christ. He''s a Pastor - he has the best job in the world! But he is probably going to suffer, as Paul himself suffered. In fact, before Paul left Timothy at Ephesus there had been a city-wide riot because Paul was teaching the truth and growing the Ephesian church. (Acts 19:21-41). That is the situation Paul left with Timothy. As we talk through 1st Timothy together, don''t forget: this is not a letter to shore up someone who is about ready to give up and throw in the towel. Not at all. This is just a little helping hand from an experienced Pastor to one who is beginning.

Philippians is simply a sweet love letter from Pastor Paul to his beloved Philippians. He displays his genuine love for them with no apologies, and then tenderly shows his genuine gratitude for their love for him. He very much wants them to learn to genuinely love each other. We live in a world where love is not often genuine. And especially we live in a world when love between Christians is sometimes shamefully non-existent. But, in this letter, Paul lets us looks at love Ð and long for it.

As you read through the whole book of James, certain common themes begin to emerge: 1. He calls them Òmy brothersÓ very, very often. 2.HeÕs not too impressed with Òrich peopleÓ. 3.He talks about a new kind of law: the Òlaw of libertyÓ. 4.He expects people of ÒfaithÓ to be doing something. 5.He thinks talking is serious business. 6.He accuses them of thinking they are something great when they are not. 7. He advises prayer when any need arises. As you read, you realize that James had a few things to sayÉand I think he could barely get them on paper because of all the other things he kept thinking of, like sending the kid off to college, or off to camp Ð and donÕt forget thisÉand donÕt forget thisÉ.and donÕt forget thisÉ.

What questions do you have about Heaven? And does the Bible have answers for them? a 4-week study.

If you are a Christian, you are different. You are not the same as the unbelieving people who live around you. You may look the same. You may dress the same. You may eat the same. You may work in the same places and live in the same neighborhoods. But you are totally, radically, different. In this five-lesson Bible Study you will see that you are: Chosen, United, Submitted, Alerted, and Shepherded. And you''ll find that it''s perfectly normal for you to be different. If you are daily walking with the One Who gave His life for you, you should feel like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon....finally free to be who you were always meant to be.

These final chapters in the book of Genesis describe for us the character and personalities of the twelve sons of Jacob. I don''t think I''m being overly dramatic when I say: these twelve sons were the future of the world. From these twelve sons and their sons and daughters, and their sons and daughters, and their sons and daughters... would come the leaders and sustainers of the Jewish nation. That nation would fight to survive in a harsh world, fall on their faces often, love their God, and more often than not disobey that same God, claim victories, limp away from failures, and still survive to deliver to all of us the Savior of the world. And, as if that was not enough, they also will outlive all the enemies thrown at them in our future...and they will be gazing up into the heavenlies, eyes full of tears, fully forgiven and righteous, hearts overflowing with faith and joy when He returns - that He may be glorified.

This second part of Genesis is the story of God''s choosing of the Jews. As you read and study your way through this second part of Genesis, I think you''ll be struck, as I was, at what a total mess this chosen family was. And perhaps you''ll come to the same conclusion I have: All families are dysfunctional in more ways than we know! Genesis Part 2 is full of hope and a little humor for all of us dysfunctionals.

My goal for this chapter-by-chapter Bible study in Revelation is that we will be overtaken with that sitting-in-the-back-seat-are-we-there-yet? -longing that will only go away once we see the arrival of Jesus Christ into our world for the second time in history. The first time He came as a baby. The second time...oh my... Let''s think of world history as a stage, and imagine there are a series of curtains on that stage, curtains that are fairly "see-through", so that as each curtain is removed the one person standing on the stage gets easier and easier to see. That may help us realize what has been happening since the creation of the world, and what will be happening as the events of Revelation unfold. Every event points to Jesus. Every mercy, every disaster, every judgment, every moment of grace - all of them reveal Jesus to us more and more and more, until finally we see Him clearly in Revelation Chapter 19, mounted on a white horse, returning to be King over the world that was made for Him.

A 10-Lesson Verse-by-Verse Bible Study on the Christmas Story, from the books of Luke and Matthew. This study has been prepared for your individual, devotional use, or for your Small Group Bible Study.

Chapter by Chapter Bible Study of the New Testament Book of Colossians. For useeither in your own personal Bible Study time, or to help you lead a Bible Study discussion group. It is divided into several lessons, usually covering one Bible chapter. Each lesson has two (2) parts: 1. Questions for you to use as you read and think through the scripture. 2. Answers to those questions with my comments and thoughts. If you are leading a discussion group, I suggest making sure each member of your group has a copy of the next week''s questions in advance so that they can prepare if they want to. Preparation for a Bible Study is one way to establish the habit of getting into the Word every day.

A Chapter-by-Chapter Bible Study of the first of the Apostle John''s three letters, found at the end of the New Testament. 1st John is an excellent Bible study for those who are wanting to know the basics of how to be a Christian. This study has been specially prepared for use in your personal devotional time, or for a resource as you lead a small group Bible Study.

A chapter-by-chapter Bible Study of the Old Testament book of Esther. The true story of how the courage and faith of one Jewish woman saved her people from mass genocide. This study has been especially formatted for your own devotional use, or for a resource as you lead a small group Bible Study.

This true story begins with a Jewish family living in Israel during the time of the Judges. Ruth is a story of hopelessness turned into hope, and bitterness turned to sweet peace. It''s a story of God stretching out His arms to catch up seemingly insignificant people into His amazing plan for all creation. This four-lesson Bible Study of the Old Testament book of Ruth is designed for personal devotional use and group Bible studies.

A 7-Lesson Bible Study of the Old Testament prophets, Jonah and Nahum. For use either in your own personal Bible Study time, or to help you lead a Bible Study discussion group. It is divided into several lessons, usually covering one Bible chapter. Each lesson has two (2) parts: 1. Questions for you to use as you read and think through the scripture. 2. Answers to those questions with my comments and thoughts. If you are leading a discussion group, I suggest making sure each member of your group has a copy of the next week''s questions in advance so that they can prepare if they want to. Preparation for a Bible Study is one way to establish the habit of getting into the Word every day.

He inherited a sense of entitlement (and obligation) from his family, yet eventually came to see his own class as suspect. He was famously militaristic, yet brokered peace between Russia and Japan. He started out an archconservative, yet came to champion progressive causes. These contradictions are not evidence of vacillating weakness: instead, they were the product of a restless mind bend on a continuous quest for self-improvement. In Theodore Roosevelt, historian Kathleen Dalton reveals a man with a personal and intellectual depth rarely seen in our public figures. She shows how Roosevelt’s struggle to overcome his frailties as a child helped to build his character, and offers new insights into his family life, uncovering the important role that Roosevelt’s second wife, Edith Carow, played in the development of his political career. She also shows how TR flirted with progressive reform and then finally commited himself to deep reform in the Bull Moose campaign of 1912. Incorporating the latest scholarship into a vigorous narrative, Dalton reinterprets both the man and his times to create an illuminating portrait that will change the way we see this great man and the Progressive Era.

A Portrait of a School: Coeducation at Andover is the first comprehensive study of how gender works out on a day to day basis in an American high school. Using school records, survey research, interviews, and school archives, Kathleen M. Dalton reports for the first time on the long term effects of policy making to acheive sex equity in what was the oldest boys'' boarding school in America. Is coeducation or single sex education the best way to educate adolescents? This is basic reading for anyone who seeks to understand gender and education.