Overall and Biblical Stance
This is a Bible teaching and blogging site based on the Christian Bible. It’s viewpoint most philosophically aligns with the stated Tenets of the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. This is is the denomination that the author of this site belongs to, but neither the denomination nor any individual church has any responsibility, oversight, or input for the contents of this site. The opinions, mistakes, errors and omissions on the site are all the responsibility of the site creator.
Permissions for use:
Anyone may use, quote, or download the contents of this site for any teaching or personal study purposes. Attribution and if appropriate, a link back to this site is appreciated, but not required.
Feel free to use the materials in any way that is helpful to you in sharing God’s Word.
Site Creator and Site Limitations
I’m Yvon Prehn, a Christian writer and teacher and content creator for this site.
I love the Bible; I love to study the Bible and write about the Bible. I believe it is God’s true, trustworthy, and reliable message to people. I believe its core message is that salvation is found in Jesus only and that God used history and poetry, story and prophecy, to tell us about Him.
But I don’t study just for myself–I am also a teacher. When I was in third grade I started teaching the kindergarteners in Sunday School, when I was in 6th grade I got my class of 4th graders in a little church in Marina, CA; when I was 16 the high school sponsors at the church I was at (in Colorado Springs, CO) left and I said, “I think I could do that.” From there I led and taught youth groups for many years. I started teaching adult Bible classes, when it was somewhat controversial for a woman to do that.
I got degrees in English and Education; a master’s degree in church history, did graduate work in communications, and almost finished a seminary degree (family tragedy ended that), and taught on the high school and university levels. I worked at and with various Christian organizations in communications, but whatever I learned I wanted to teach.
Through a series of only-God-could-have-planned-this events I became a national trainer/speaker for Padgett-Thompson, the nations largest one day seminar company and learned about adult education and how to travel and conduct full-day seminars. Though I learned a tremendous amount from working for them, I realized I didn’t want to teach communication seminars to secular business. I wanted to help the church.
This was when desktop publishing was first invented and churches desperately needed help in their communications, but couldn’t afford seminars that cost $250 and up a day to attend. Through more only-God-could-have-planned-this events and great relationships with sponsors for the next 20+ years I traveled and taught seminars on church communications all over North America. In addition to teaching church communications as my job, I also taught adult Sunday School classes and helped my husband ( a bi-vocational pastor at that time) lead first a Single Adult Ministry and then other adult ministries, conferences, and Bible classes, which I continue to enjoy doing when I can.
In addition to the in-person teaching, I’m also exploring how to teach online. This blog is a part of that.
This blog is a collection of:
- Lessons I’ve taught in the past at church or various Bible studies–because of that, various local notices through the site. As I get time, I will be going through them and removing confusing scheduling announcements, but I won’t remove the references to various groups or classes I’ve taught, because they were all a joy to be part of for the time the Lord allowed me to minister in those places.
- Notes from my devotional time—though I have a time of Bible study every day, I won’t necessarily write about it every day.
- Comments on books I’m reading. I love to read current and past Christian authors. I think of it as a conversation and periodically I’ll recommend or comment on books.
- Cultural or current events commentary—not from a political perspective, but occasionally how Biblical truth relates to events, media, or culture.
- Some stories of people, primarily examples I admire. The stories I tell or examples I give will be true, but I will attempt to disguise details. PLEASE don’t think it is about you, whoever you are. I am in contact with believers all over the world who email me and tell me their stories and again, if it sounds like you or someone you know it is probably simply because of the similar trials and challenges of humanity.
My day job is training church communicators. Because of that some of the lessons or series are addressed to church communicators, but most of the entries will apply to anyone, because in many ways, professional or not, we are all communicators for the church of Jesus our Lord. My website for that ministry is: www.effectivechurchcom.com.
Be warned, this isn’t a scholar’s website
Though I have an MA in history, have been to seminary, briefly taught history on the college level, taught Bible classes for many years, and continue to teach in person and online, I am not a professional scholar. Though I know the tools of a historian and try very hard to research honestly, check my conclusions and assumptions, I am not an authority or expert. I am a lay-person who loves Jesus and his Word.
I know from many years in ministry that people don’t begin to really mature in their Christian lives unless they know the Bible. I am also greatly distressed that so few people today, even some in church leadership and who claim to be disciples, have never read through their Bible in its entirely and when pressed, admit they seldom read it and do not know it well. Many of the incorrect views of the church, Jesus, and Christianity overall in our world today come from self-labeled Christians who neither know nor accurately live the truths in the Bible.
In contrast, I’ve also seen many lives radically change when people do read the Bible and the excitement they get from understanding the book as a whole and seeing God’s incredible plan through history. Not only do minds come alive, but lives are changed when people actually read what God says, see how he works and understand what he wants them to do.
In my life, reading through the Bible chronologically each year has made an incredible impact on my growth as a disciple and I want to share what I have learned with others. As you read or listen please take everything on the site as this—personal sharing, study, and I pray, Spirit-guided insights. Again, they are only part of the dialog of faith, I hope a valuable part, but not the final word in any area. When I give suggestions for application or opinions they are mine only and no great inspiration or discernment on my part is claimed in any way.
Check out all I say with scripture (Acts 17:11) and always ask the Lord how He wants you to apply what you’ve learned.
This also isn’t an interactive site
The comments section on this site has been turned off because I simply don’t have time to deal with comments.
At present, my work to pay the bills is extremely demanding and I work on this site early morning or late at night (or sometimes in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep). In the past version of the site, I was attacked by members of various cults in the comments section and the process of reading through and deleting them was exhausting. I definitely did not want my readers to have to deal with all that and I don’t have time for it now.
If you have a question or comment you respectfully feel you want to share, you can contact me at yvonprehn@gmail.com, but I make no promises as to a response.
I’m working on this site because I believe the Lord wants me to share what I’ve learned and because I care deeply about some of the people I want to share it with and for many who don’t know what a chronological study of the Bible, or an in-depth study of the Bible in any form can do for them. I believe it is essential and of overwhelming importance if we want to become a mature disciple of Jesus.
For now, I trust that is enough.