Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Book GIVEAWAY

Please welcome Sarah Fallis.

If you'd like to receive a FREE SIGNED COPY of Sarah's book THE DRAMA OF REDEMPTION, please leave a comment below with your email address written like so: sandirog at gmail dot com.

Who is Sarah?

            Sarah Fallis recently retired as assistant professor of mathematics at the Northwest Campus of Tarrant County College; she teaches 2 courses part time now since she retired.   She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and English from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M, Commerce), a master’s degree in mathematics and education from Texas Woman’s University, and has done graduate work in Bible and counseling at Abilene Christian University.  
  
            Sarah is married to Gary Fallis who served 15 years as instructor in the Brown Trail School of Preaching in Bedford, Texas and is now the coordinator of the Graduate Program for the Bear Valley Biblical Institute of Denver.  In addition to her work as a mathematics professor, Sarah was Director of the Women’s Program at the school of preaching and taught regularly in that program.  She has taught Bible classes for children, teenage girls and women and is currently teaching the Ladies’ Bible class at the Bridgewood congregation in Ft. Worth.  Her work has included workshops and lectureships such as World Vision for Christ in San Antonio, Texas, Oklahoma Christian University Lectureship, Ft. Worth Lectures, North Texas Bible Teachers’ Workshop in Dallas, Texas and numerous ladies’ days and retreats, including The Mid-Atlantic Retreat and Cold Harbor Road Lectures in Virginia, the Connecticut Ladies' Retreat, and the European Christian Women’s Retreat in Spyer, Germany in 2007. Sarah travels with Gary each summer to Tanzania, East Africa and other mission areas, teaching and maturing the women.  Gary and Sarah have two children—a daughter, Tonya, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a son, Paden, who lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Bethany.


What is THE DRAMA OF REDEMPTION about?

The review below was written by Sandi Smith.

Many years ago I was asked to be an assistant to the teacher of the Wednesday night 4th grade Bible class. That was when I met Sarah Fallis. I was blown away by the depth of the material she was teaching those kids: material she had created with the assistance of an artist to illustrate the big ideas. She was teaching fourth graders how to see Jesus in the Old Testament. That first evening we looked at some of the prophecies of Christ in Isaiah and how they were fulfilled in the New Testament. It was not just the students who learned important lessons in that class. I came away with new knowledge and with new ideas on how to teach young students the deeper concepts of God’s plan through time. I have just finished reading Sarah’s new book, The Drama of Redemption: Walking with Jesus from Creation to Canaan, published by WestBow Press in Bloomington, IN, and it has proven no less valuable than the time I spentlearning from her in person. It is a teacher’s resource book, a teacher’s guidebook, and an invaluable look at the scheme of redemption as seen through the Old Testament events and people.

The Drama of Redemption is twenty chapters covering Creation to Joshua. Each chapter includes goals for each lesson, related Scriptures, and illustrated charts to help teach these otherwise difficult lessons. Sarah gives us word pictures and real pictures to help our students “know God, not just know about God.” She gives teachers effective tools, ideas, and even specific words to say, so that even young children can learn to trace the purpose of God all the way from “before the beginning” to the end of Revelation. Her goal in choosing these charts and words and lessons is to strengthen young students against the bombardment of erroneous teaching and thinking they meet and will continue to meet in the world.

I call this a teacher’s guide book because Sarah has done so much more than give us tools to use. Sarah has taught us how to teach these difficult concepts to our students. Working off of the knowledge that we “cannot teach what we do not know,” she uses the greater portion of this book to teach us the deeper meaning in the stories we’re accustomed to telling, to make clear for us the connecting thread between all these people and the Savior who died for us all, so that we can, in turn, relay this soul-saving information to our classes. One need not be intimidated when faced with relating Jacob’s ladder, blood sacrifices, holy days, or even priestly garments to the Son of God; Sarah tells us how to do that concisely and without any confusion. She even includes within the different lessons ideas on how to narrow down the information for first-graders or expand the concept for older students. Though she lets us know that we must study and consider age-groups and maturity, Sarah leaves us confident and prepared enough to tackle subjects we wouldn’t have considered before. For that alone this book is a treasure.



Even if one is not teaching, The Drama of Redemption can be read for the sheer goal of personal growth.  In every one of the 20 chapters I learned valuable information I had not considered before. The reader will see her own understanding greatly expand by reading this book.  Sarah’s passion and joy for learning, knowing, living and teaching God through His word will also inspire the reader and cause one to crave more and more of this spiritual meat.  If you’ve ever desired a deeper understanding of God’s word, this is your means of developing that. Your love for God will grow. Your love for Christ will grow. Your love for the Spirit Who breathed into man the words of the Bible to write will grow.  And, if you’re a teacher, your abilities and your students will grow.  You will understand the “unity and integrity” of the Bible in ways you have never done before.



I highly recommend The Drama of Redemption: Walking with Jesus from Creation to Canaan to anyone.  If you teach the Old Testament, you need this book.  If you teach from the New Testament you need this book.  Sarah Fallis instructs us how to teach these concepts forward from the shadow of Christ to its New Testament manifestation and how to teach them backward from the reality of Christ to the Old Testament shadow.  She teaches us how to teach these concepts to all age groups from as young as First grade up through adult. Roy Johnson’s illustrations are perfectly tailored to each lesson, and she has graciously shared them for use in your classroom. I have assigned this to my teenage daughters to read and incorporate into their Bible class of 5-6 year-olds. I have been blessed from the reading of this book, and I plan on blessing my students with Sarah’s lessons as well. I most eagerly await Sarah’s next book on the prophets. Read this book. The soul you strengthen just might be your own.

By Sandi Smith

Sandi Smith was raised a preacher’s kid in Illinois. She now homeschools her four children in Fort Worth, TX with her husband of 18 years, Joe. Sandi loves teaching ladies’ Bible classes, and is a regular instructor for the Preacher Wives Program at the Brown Trail School of Preaching.



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Now it's me, Sandi Rog. If you'd like to win a free signed copy, please leave a comment below and your email address. I'll announce the winner in a week! Thanks for stopping by!


Where can I get THE DRAMA OF REDEMPTION? Click HERE to find it on Amazon.


12 comments:

  1. joycejudd at bellsouth dot net
    I would love a copy!

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  2. I would love a copy.
    email
    penney dot thorne at gmail dot com

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  3. As a sister in Christ that sometimes struggles with teaching the younger kids, I would love to have a better understanding and perspective.
    bmommy2 at gmail dot com

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    1. Sandra,
      This says "anonymous says," but that's the only way I could reply! This is from Sarah: I was blessed with a grandfather who saw the pictures of Jesus in the Old Testament more clearly than many of his peers. He also enjoyed teaching this to his grandchildren. Now, I'm blessed to share this with good teachers like you. I pray you'll be encouraged, informed and challenged to mine the treasures of the Word for even more nuggets of these grand truths to present to the children you teach. It is amazing what they can learn!

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  5. Sandi, God has blessed you with your healing of cancer and he continues to bless you with this book. Even if I don't win, I will buy it. I would love a signed copy. I truly admire your courage. Grace. globue@rocketmail.com

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    1. Thank you, Grace. It's all God. :-)

      Sarah should be swinging by to reply to comments tomorrow.

      Bless you!

      Sandi

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    2. Yes, Sarah is swinging by under the profile of "anonymous" since that was the only way I could sign in! And, Grace, I see you did the same. :) My book is in the second printing with a new publisher (Hopkins Publishing) who is making it available for less than West Bow Press. You can order on Amazon or through other online book sellers. For a signed copy, you can order from me. My desire is to get this book into the hands of as many good teachers, mothers, grandmothers, and Christian women as possible. Thanks for your interest! ~~ Sarah

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  6. Looks terrific.
    acertainnicole at gmail dot com

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  7. Would love to have another copy to share!
    Donna

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  8. I would love that book. I'm taking an Old Testament Survey class online from Willmington School of the Bible in Virginia, and I am blown away by the way the OT truths relate so perfectly to New Covenant salvation.

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  9. Yes, Veronica, there is SO much in the OT that points to our salvation! God was teaching His people (and us) about His plan and purpose. The OT is truly "a tutor to bring us to Christ," and when we study it that way, we see Jesus throughout. Blessings in your continued studies. ~~ Sarah (aka "Anonymous")

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WHEN THE WORLD SAYS YOU CAN'T, FAITH SAYS YOU CAN!