Balancing the Sword 2 Volumes

Read one book of the Bible in depth using both volumes one and two of Balancing the Sword or the whole Bible over a year using the two volumes separately. Develop a comprehensive, working knowledge of each book of the Bible with this question and answer workbook. All questions are objective and can be answered from the text, as well as cross-referenced with space for notes. Read the selected chapter, try to answer the questions without assistance, then read a second time and answer the questions you missed. Annual studies may be used for years of reflection or short studies many be used every day. KJV often used. YHWY is used for the name of God in the Old Testament. The included CD contains a customized reading schedule. Both volumes contain 589 pages each, hardcover. May be used as an entire family, from younger grades through adult studies.

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BALANCING THE SWORD VOL 1
BALANCING THE SWORD VOL 2

I visited my sweet old Italian aunt years ago, just after she became a Christian. Over tea, we discussed the wonderful things she was learning from her Bible. My uncle Nick, irritated at this, said, “Gracie, you reada duh Bible a wunsa, now forget it!” Well, here is a course designed so we won’t “forget it”!

Right on the cover it states, “You must know what the Bible says before you can know what it means.” That’s the main focus of Balancing the Sword. These two beautifully bound volumes can take you and your family on an incredible journey through the entire Bible, gleaning deeper wisdom and inspiration directly from the pages of Scripture. Every lesson begins with a Bible reading, followed by a series of carefully crafted questions designed to test your comprehension and draw attention to vital details you may otherwise overlook. Virtually all the major points of each chapter and book are highlighted through these revealing questions, so retention is vastly improved! In addition, both volumes include thousands of cross-references, detailed antique illustrations, maps, tables, and an answer key. Ample room is provided to write in answers, as well as journal your discoveries along the way. I particularly enjoyed the many hundreds of inspiring quotes from great thinkers such as Washington, Webster, Spurgeon, and Moody on the importance of Scripture reading. The program is big but never overwhelming because the bonus CD offers a Bible Reading Planner so you

can create a plan that best suits your family’s or student’s schedule.

Though ideal for devotional study, Balancing the Sword is challenging enough to be used as part of your homeschool Bible curriculum or group study. It has already met with great success as a 12-credit-hour lecture course at a major university!

Balancing the Sword is one of the best spiritual armor-building tools I have seen in a long time. Learn to love God more and live right, by the Book! Hardcovers.

—Dean

Average Rating:

7 of 7 Reviews Showing:

Reviewed by Mrs. Sleep (Cary, NC), May 14, 2009

Thank you so much for providing such a wonderful resource. I've got mine on a 4-page layout, printed as a booklet (1 page, front and back), folded and put in my Bible. I love BTS software almost as much as I love the Bible.

Reviewed by barb (irwin, pa), January 14, 2008

Are you hesitant towards buying yet another bible reading program, or you have bought in the past a program and use it for a few weeks and then it goes by the wayside? Think again on this one! Balancing the Sword is easy to use and keeps you on task. You read the passage from the Bible for that day, depending on what parameters you have set for your reading program (free software comes with this program for you to decide how and when you want to work through the Bible), and then daily you open your bible and read following your reading schedule. BTS has cross-referenced everything you will be reading, so you can dig in as deep as you like while reading the passages for that day! I have my children listen while I or my husband reads the Bible and then we ask the questions for that chapter and write the children's replies in the blanks. This keeps the children focused while you read, because they know they will be asked questions about what was just read. There are not a large amount of questions either. We have written our answers directly into the BTS hardcover book so that in the years to come as we repeatedly go through the Bible, we will have the answers the children gave when they were younger. It should be interesting to watch their answers mature as they do! This is the first program we have purchased that has made us stay on task with reading through the Bible. We set our reading program for a 2 year study. With younger children we thought it best to slow down and make sure the children understand. We have really had some interesting conversations sparked by what we have read in the Bible. Some of the conversations would never have happened if we hadn't been reading through the Bible. So thank you BTS, great job!

Reviewed by Scott Shields (Lexington Ky), December 06, 2007

I was tired of all those individual little books on the Bible and was looking for one comprehensive workbook. Well in Balancing the Sword I found two!! These books are pure delight in their scope. Two 600 page hardback books full of illustrations, charts and questions that are objective taken right from the Bible. If your looking for a good coursebook don't look any farther.

Reviewed by Joseph Williams (Secaucus, NJ), June 16, 2007

BTS is a wonderful tool for Bible study! These books can be used alone or in conjunction with other Bible reading plans. Both volumes cover the entire old and new testaments. It's like having a giant hardcover workbook with the Bible as the textbook. The first volume asks basic factual questions while the second volume tends to dig deeper by asking more thought provoking questions. The historical info adds a really nice touch. The drawings are beautiful and the quotes are also great. The only drawback is the limited amount of space to answer questions if you want to write in the book. However, there is ample space for note taking. For younger children it's OK to just discuss the questions but you may want individual copies for older children to take their own notes. This book is good for every stage of Christian development; from new believers to more seasoned saints. The format is very simple yet quite comprehensive. It encourages bible study line by line. Read the preface. Worth buying!!!

Reviewed by Miles Blaine (Asheville, NC), June 05, 2007

My family has enjoyed and learned so much from this study. We are currently about halfway through the first volume. We use it daily during our family worship time. I appreciate that we are actually studying the Word of God, with comprehension questions asked AFTER reading of the Word is completed for the day. We customized a reading schedule to complete the first volume plus a complete read-through of the Bible in one year, but you could adjust the schedule to fit your own needs. This purchase has been worth every penny!

Reviewed by Christy Bryson (lago vista, texas), May 25, 2007

Easy to use, fill-in-the-blank questions. Easily 2-4 year's worth of Bible study. Bible, not doctrine. Customizable reading plan cd-rom Extensive cross-references. This curriculum has breathed life into our family Bible study.

Reviewed by Joy (Cary, NC), May 23, 2007

This has been an invaluable resource for our family. Dad reads the Bible every morning while we all listen. But how do we know all the children are listening? Because they each try to answer the questions when he's done (even the younger ones) and when he gets to the end of each day's reading... "Awww! Read some more, Daddy! Please!" I used the software to print out a reading schedule for our high schooler. She'll read through the entire Bible by the time she graduates! If you get a copy for your family, be sure to get an extra set for yourself. The wide margins are a great place to record prayers and notes.

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Author: Allen B. Wolfe
Located in: Tampa, FL
Submitted: November 01, 2007

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I live in Tampa, Florida. I was raised by godly parents, but was drawn away by the allures of the world. But, praise be to God, for the Spirit turned my pleasure into misery and convicted me with a holy calling. By God’s amazing grace, my appetite for “the knowledge of the holy” felt insatiable. But, “he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” (Ecc. 1:18). As I gazed “into the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25), my eyes were further opened to my flawed estate and the desperate condition of the Church and this world. Now, I want to help as an ambassador to bring reconciliation.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  I perceived that the Church (as a network of many denominations) has drifted far from our biblical roots. Human traditions have distracted us; hollow ceremonies have dulled our minds; bureaucracy has weighed us down; unbelief has stolen our power; sin has undermined our reputation with hypocrisy; and, laziness has lulled us to sleep. Let’s face it! We’ve lost many from Generation X. And now, Generation Y is predominately disconnected. When I began BTS, I longed to see change. I still look for radical change. But, how will revival come? Power comes from the Holy Spirit working through the Holy Word of God. We must condemn our biblical literacy and make transformation our goal. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). If the average Christian will get back into the Bible with a tender conscience, change will come. If parents will resume their role in the daily discipleship of their children, hope is justified.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  It’s my prayer that each person or family using Balancing the Sword will develop a comprehensive working knowledge of each biblical book. I also hope that your newly accumulated knowledge of the Holy One will lead to dynamic transformation so that you may better reflect the purity and wisdom of Christ.

    How were you personally impacted by working on this project?  It took about 11 years to write Balancing the Sword. The work was done in layers. Each year of study brought new conviction. Accumulating the cross references unquestionably shed the greatest light upon my own understanding. I’ve been also deeply stirred by the many quotations that I gathered about the Bible’s greatness from more than two hundred famous historical figures.

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  St. Augustine, Martin Luther, Matthew Henry, Charles H. Spurgeon, and many other colossal figures have blessed my life immensely.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  Greetings dear ChristianBook.com customer, Thank you for your interest in the Balancing the Sword study package. The Bible is composed of 66 inspired books, 1,189 chapters, over 30,000 words, numerous subsections, and several writing styles. Over 40 men, guided by the Holy Spirit, contributed to this full address of every topic of godliness. The Scripture’s complexity comes as no surprise after also considering that the Divine Canon spanned many generations spread over much of the world. Yet, we and our children must learn the Sacred Text if our generation and the generations to come will have a vibrant and successful Christianity. The Word is an essential tool of every person who wishes to known and pursue God. Balancing the Sword was designed to give you a comprehensive working knowledge of the entire Bible. More than 7,000 questions with more than 12,000 parts provide an engaging format. If you’re looking for an engaging study aid that directs your attention back to the Scripture, then the Balancing the Sword package may be perfect for you. Almost 54,000 cross references are included to permit you to use scripture to understand scripture. Balancing the Sword leaves the interpretation to the Holy Spirit, you, and your spiritual leader. If you want to have structured but flexible studies alone or with your family but lack time to develop materials each day, then you will likely be as thrilled as other ChristianBook.com customers who have purchased Balancing the Sword. May the Lord bless your growth in astonishing ways. Your fellow servant, Allen B. Wolfe

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