About In Praise of God Ministries

Our History

In Praise of God Ministries began in mid 2004 under the name At Home Studies. As a family ministry, we self-published several inductive Bible study course books as well as accompanying Teacher/Leader Guides. Interest in these courses spread by word of mouth and within two years resulted in At Home Studies Bible study groups in seven states. Over the next few years, we produced more study materials, word about the studies continued to spread, and even more study groups became interested in our courses.

In 2007, we contracted with Focus Publishing to release one of our studies (Hope in God) on a broader basis. Since then, Focus has also published a second one of our studies (Prayer); we are looking forward to continuing this relationship with Focus.

In early 2009, we changed our ministry name to In Praise of God Ministries both to alleviate some confusion about our previous name (no, the studies do not have to be done at home!) and to reflect some newer facets of our ministry. Along with continuing to develop inductive Bible study course materials, our ministry has expanded to include a limited number of speaking engagements for Kristie (see About the Author). In the future, we also plan to offer Seasons of Life studies, which are shorter and require less time per day than our inductive Bible study courses.

Our Purpose

Our purpose as a family and a family ministry is to help build up a faithful generation of people who love God, love His Word, and praise Him throughout their lives. We also remain committed to the idea (which gave us the name "At Home Studies") that believers should love and spend time in God's Word so much that they truly become "at home" in it, as they hide it in their hearts and its truths abide within them.

Our Courses and Leader Guides

Each inductive Bible study course uses a variety of study methods (cross-references, word studies, lists, reasoning from the Scriptures, comparing and contrasting, etc.). Most importantly, each course focuses on the greatness of our God as well as application of truths to daily life through practical examples and application questions. We hope that the student will come away from each lesson with a new (or renewed) desire to be more like Christ and a greater ability to do so. The goal of each study is life-change to the glory of God!

Other features found in our courses include Bible memorization helps, shorter study options, childrens' pages, calls to prayer, etc.

The helps and suggestions in each Teacher/Leader Guide are presented in sections, allowing leaders to choose those elements which best meet their individual teaching style and goals. Every lesson plan is adjustable to any size group (personal study, one-on-one discipleship, homeschool Bible curriculum, small groups, large classes).

Guides include lesson aims, conversation starters, ideas for reviewing course material, discussion questions, visual aid helps, relevant quotations, cross-references, explanations to ensure understanding and application questions. Some guides include small group discussion sheets, while others provide reproducible handouts for use in large or small groups.

For more information on specific features of each course and leader guide, see our Bible Studies.

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