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Learning to Study the Bible Leader Guide For Tweens: For Tweens
by L. J. ZimmermanLearning to Study the Bible guides your tween students through eight weeks of Bible discovery. They’ll explore the wonders of biblical geography and archaeology. They’ll compare and contrast biblical genres. They’ll learn the history of biblical interpretation, and discover that they are Bible interpreters too! Students will become familiar with Bible dictionaries, commentaries, concordances, maps, and more. Best of all, they’ll practice sharing their Bible knowledge with others each week. Session Outline and Learning Goals: 1. Who? * Learn to identify the original author and audience * Understand your own social location and biases * Practice reading a text with the author and original audience in mind 2. What? * Understand the significance of genre * Practice identifying genre in biblical texts 3. When? * Understand the significance of historical context * Learn about the major social contexts of biblical texts * Practice reading Scripture contextually 4. Where? * Learn how to utilize biblical maps * Understand the significance of geography and shifting national borders for biblical interpretation * Practice interpreting a biblical text with a geographical lens 5. Why? * Learn about the formation of the canon * Understand the significance of a text’s changing meaning over time * Practice reading a text with multiple layers of meaning 6. How? Close reading * Learn the value of reading texts slowly and carefully * Understand how to use study bibles and commentaries * Practice reading a short text carefully 7. How? Side-by-side reading * Learn about the Revised Common Lectionary and its purpose * Understand how to use a concordance to cross-reference texts * Practice reading a text intra-canonically 8. How? Lectio Divina * Learn about the ancient practice of Lectio Divina * Understand the significance of a spiritual reading of Scripture * Practice Lectio Divina individually and as a group 1. Who? * Learn to identify the original author and audience * Understand your own social location and biases * Practice reading a text with the author and original audience in mind 2. What? * Understand the significance of genre * Practice identifying genre in biblical texts 3. When? * Understand the significance of historical context * Learn about the major social contexts of biblical texts * Practice reading Scripture contextually 4. Where? * Learn how to utilize biblical maps * Understand the significance of geography and shifting national borders for biblical interpretation * Practice interpreting a biblical text with a geographical lens 5. Why? * Learn about the formation of the canon * Understand the significance of a text’s changing meaning over time * Practice reading a text with multiple layers of meaning 6. How? Close reading * Learn the value of reading texts slowly and carefully * Understand how to use study bibles and commentaries * Practice reading a short text carefully 7. How? Side-by-side reading * Learn about the Revised Common Lectionary and its purpose * Understand how to use a concordance to cross-reference texts * Practice reading a text intra-canonically 8. How? Lectio Divina * Learn about the ancient practice of Lectio Divina * Understand the significance of a spiritual reading of Scripture * Practice Lectio Divina individually and as a group
Godspeed: Voices of the Reformation
by David TeemsFor the Protestant reformer, times were treacherous. The reformer lived, moved, and exercised his or her faith within the shadow of a powerful church that dominated Western culture. Many of these men and women paid the ultimate price for their faith. Celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, Godspeed is a 365-day devotional that features the words of prominent reformers, including Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Calvin, and others, thoughtfully illuminated by best-selling author David Teems with both historical precision and charm. Godspeed: Voices of the Reformation possesses a startling relevance for today’s reader, offering a word of hope and comfort. The reformer’s voice is clear and bright and comes to us with the authority of heaven.
Curating Church: Strategies for Innovative Worship
by Jacob Daniel MyersIf we are willing to shift our approach to church, we will better connect with increasingly heterogeneous cultures. This shifting requires curation. Church leaders must learn to be curators! Churches in modernity were set up to facilitate a particular kind of experience with God. Church was its own (protected) culture. In the wake of postmodernity, facilitated by new forms of (digital) communication, we are entering a new epoch in the history of the church. Curators manage the tasks of connection, preservation, and transformation, in their care for cultural artifacts and communities.When someone serves as a curator, they make connections between different elements in the culture, preserving the best of cultural traditions, and promoting fresh ways of thinking and being in the world. What might this work of curation mean for us? In Curating Church, readers learn how curation can reorient and sharpen the ways and work of the church. Curation can inform how we connect with cultures beyond the church, preserve what is best in the rich history of Christian thought and expression, and nurture spaces where contemporary persons may be transformed by the gospel. This book helps readers to understand with new richness the church and the world, and it equips them to become active in making those connections—as curators—with and for others.
Restored Leader Guide: Finding Redemption in Our Mess (Restored series)
by Tom BerlinOften we make a mess of our lives and wonder if there is any redemption. In this six-week study, pastor and author Tom Berlin helps us see our mess through the eyes of Christ to find redemption and restoration. Using Scripture, devotional tools, and the writings of Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross, St. Augustine, John Wesley, Evelyn Underhill, and others, Berlin encourages reflection and meditation through our own brokenness. Only then can we focus on the cross as the place where we truly surrender control, leave our mess, and find redemption.The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the 6-week study for Lent, including session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.
George Buttrick's Guide to Preaching the Gospel
by George A. Buttrick Charles N. Davidson JR,"Does the preacher now impress us as a ‘legate of the skies’? To many he is a pathetic figure, an anachronism, a stage-joke—an inoffensive little person jostled by the crowd, and wearing the expression of a startled rabbit. With one hand he holds a circular hat on a bewildered head and with the other desperately clutches an umbrella. The crowd pushes him from the sidewalk; the traffic shoots him back into the crowd. Some curse him; a few laugh; most are unaware of his existence." (George Buttrick, Lyman Beecher Lectures, 1931).Whether we need preaching has been asked for hundreds of years, long before an age of media saturation from streaming 24-hour news, entertainment, politics, and sports. This question hounded George Buttrick, one of the most profound preachers of the twentieth century and often compared with Billy Graham. Buttrick offers a compelling answer to the question, but his answer remained hidden for 40 years until now.In George Buttrick’s Guide to Preaching the Gospel, we learn why the world needs competent preachers, what the preacher must preach about, and how the preacher goes about creating the sermon with daily discipline and several practiced skills, including research, charting, outlining, writing, and performance. These writings have never been published before and were found by his grandchildren after his death. A brief biography of Buttrick introduces this master orator and professor to readers who do not know his work.
The Apocalyptic Literature: Interpreting Biblical Texts Series (Interpreting Biblical Texts)
by Stephen L. CookBiblical texts create worlds of meaning and invite readers to enter them. When readers enter such textual worlds, which are strange and complex, they are confronted with theological claims. With this in mind, the purpose of the IBT series is to help serious readers in their experience of reading and interpreting by providing guides for their journeys into textual worlds. The focus of the series is not so much on the world behind the text as on the worlds created by the texts in their engagement with readers. Nowhere is the world of the biblical text stranger than in the apocalyptic literature of both the Old and New Testaments. In this volume, Stephen Cook makes the puzzling visions and symbols of the biblical apocalyptic literature intelligible to modern readers. He begins with definitions of apocalypticism and apocalyptic literature and introduces the various scholarly approaches to and issues for our understanding of the text. Cook introduces the reader to the social and historical worlds of the apocalyptic groups that gave rise to such literature and leads the reader into a better appreciation and understanding of the theological import of biblical apocalyptic literature. In the second major section of the book, Cook guides the reader through specific examples of the Bible’s apocalyptic literature. He addresses both the best-known examples (the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation) and other important but lesser known examples (Zechariah and some words of Jesus and Paul).
The United Methodist Book of Worship: Regular Edition Black
by Various Abingdon Press UMPH Methodist PublicationThis helpful United Methodist denominational book of liturgy, prayer, services and service music is indispensable for pastors, musicians, and laypersons that plan and lead worship. Arranged according to the Christian year, this resource enables worship leaders to locate prayers, services, and information quickly. Updated information and new formats insure ease of use, making this a great resource when planning worship.It features: A vast collection of worship material: services, liturgies, litanies, prayers, blessings, music, and other acts of worship and praise. Thousands of references to The United Methodist Hymnal, including suggested hymns for a host of worship occasions. Resources for special Sundays and other days of churchwide emphasis. New Christian Years Services Services for various occasions including: Presentation of Bibles to Children An Order of Farewell to Pastor Orders of Installation or Recognition Orders of Daily Praise and PrayerUpdates include: Membership vows, baptismal covenant, diaconal changes, and other updates made as a result of General Conference action. Calendar for dating Easter and related holy days—extend beyond 2020. Chart of lectionary years on page 227--update and extend. Current version of ordinal.
Seven Words: Listening to Christ from the Cross (Seven Words)
by Susan RobbWhile many of us naturally wish to avoid the reality of the cross, it’s from the cross that Jesus speaks and shows his deepest love for us. It’s from the cross that Jesus' full humanity draws us closest to him. It’s from the cross, as Jesus breathes his last breath and speaks his last words, that his deep trust in the Father and his divine glory are revealed. Those who listen to Jesus' last words from the cross will discover what he most wants them (the world) to hear and will experience an intimate and divine awe only available to those who are willing to draw near his cross.In Seven Words, Susan Robb looks at the seven last words of Christ on the cross through a lens that finds life and hope in his final sayings, while exploring each from a biblical and historical perspective. The book brings a hopeful and contemplative take on the cross during the weeks of Lent.Additional components for a six-week study include a DVD featuring Susan Robb and a comprehensive Leader Guide.
Why I Am a United Methodist
by William H. WillimonIn seven chapters, Willimon examines United Methodism and the ways it has made and continues to make a difference in his life. In an inspiring and enlightening way, he writes of his pride in being part of a church that has grown from one man's experience to a worldwide movement covering the globe with its message. A learning guide for groups and individuals is included. Chapter titles:Because Religion Is of the Heart Because the Bible Is Our Book Because Religion Is Practical Because Christians Are to Witness Because Christians Are to Grow Because Religion Is Not a Private Affair
Accion Social: Social Action (Ministerio series) Spanish AETH
by Association for Hispanic Theological Education Hugo MagallanesAlgunas personas ven el trabajo social de la iglesia local como «el patito feo» de nuestra fe; como algo que se debe hacer pero que nadie quiere hacerlo. Aun más, hay quienes consideran que este tipo de ministerio no es necesario y que eltrabajo de ofrecer ayuda social le corresponde al gobierno y a otras agencias no gubernamentales pero nunca a la iglesia. Por estas razones, en este libro presento las bases y los fundamentos necesarios para responder a estas formas de pensar y tratar de cambiar la percepción de que el objetivo de la iglesia es solamente espiritual, sin ninguna implicación social. De la misma manera, espero que las sugerencias y métodos aquí presentados sean útiles para desarrollar ministerios de acción social que sirvan para aliviar las necesidades y sufrimientos de nuestro pueblo hispano y de la gente pobre y vulnerable que se encuentra en las comunidades a las cuales ministramos. Some people see the social work of the local church as “the ugly duckling” of our faith; something that should be done but no one stepping forward to do it. Others look to our state and local governments to handle this work. This book presents the basics to respond to these methods of thinking, and attempts to change the perception that the objective of the church is only spiritual, without any social responsibility. Suggestions and methods are presented to equip social action teams to assist with the needs and sufferings of the Hispanic community and the vulnerable and poor of our communities.
The Holy Spirit in the New Testament
by John T. CarrollIn an area of study that is sometimes neglected and often debated, this book offers readers fresh insight through careful attention to the different ways the New Testament writings present and interpret the Spirit of God. With Carroll’s guidance, readers will gain a sense of the identity and activity of the Spirit manifest in the cultures and literature that informed the New Testament and its earliest audiences. The author also maps the distinctive views of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament books, employing a literary "close reading" of texts where the Spirit figures prominently. Readers discover that for the writers of the New Testament all of life is touched by the Holy Spirit. And for human beings this life is lived in the awareness God’s presence, sustained in hope through adversity and pain, open to change and new possibilities, and equipped and empowered to act boldly and speak prophetically by wise Spirit shaped discernment. The Spirit in the New Testament is a creative force sustaining, fostering, and restoring life – the first and last word both whispered and even shouted as the divine breath animating embedded and embodied human life and community.
Make a Difference: Following Your Passion and Finding Your Place to Serve (Make a Difference)
by James A. HarnishEvery day we see that things are not right in our world, and as followers of Jesus Christ, we have an impulse to do something about it. We long to connect our passions and gifts with the world’s great needs, making a unique contribution for the healing of the world.In Make a Difference, author James A. Harnish helps United Methodists answer the questions "How can I contribute to God’s healing work in this world?" and "How can I find my place to serve and make a difference?" Drawing upon biblical wisdom and real stories of real people who have found their place to serve, he provides practical guidance to help every disciple make a difference as a participant in God’s transformation of the world.This six-week study is perfect for anyone desiring to engage service or mission as a vital part of discipleship, find a place to serve—in the church, the community, and/or the world engage in God’s work in the worldThe study includes a book, leader guide, and DVD featuring six engaging and lively discussions with the author and several special guests highlighting opportunities and outcomes of making a difference in this world.
CEB Common English Bible with Apocrypha - eBook [ePub]: The Holy Bible - With Apocrypha
by Common English BibleTake a fresh look at the Bible while you experience a new translation. The Common English Bible is relevant, readable, and reliable. The result is a new version that the typical reader or worshipper is able to understand. 115 leading biblical scholars from 22 faith traditions and 77 reading specialists in 13 denominations worked on this translation. Contains Apocrypha books.
CORE Study 1: Study 1
by Danette BairdCORE (Connect, Own, Reveal, Empower®) is a resource designed to help teenagers discover their true identity, value and worth as God’s children and empower them to reach their potential in faithfully following Christ with others.Dig In is a four session study for groups of all sizes that takes teens on the journey of addressing the obstacles they’ve experienced in understanding who they are in Christ toward connecting with God and others in new and healthy ways. Identity Theft Delete the Spam Connect with God Connect with OthersThe CORE Dig In Leader Guide contains helps for using the study with your teens along with plans that include engaging material for both large-group and small group discussions. Featured in each session is a short and powerful video introducing the topic.
Funeral for a Stranger: Thoughts on Life and Love
by Becca StevensI have seen water move rocks. I have seen thistles break through boulders. If water and flowers can move stones, surely love can. Becca Stevens, from Funeral for a Stranger In this meditation on living and dying, Becca Stevens shares moving and hilarious stories about her life, love, friends, and our many families. This delicately formed narrative is also a window into the soul of a priest. I loved it and will hold it in my heart with gratitude for years to come. -Phyllis Tickle, author of The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why Loneliness finds connections, depair meets celebration, and fear discovers faith. Join Becca on her journey to a funeral for a stranger. God will be there. -Don Schlitz, Hall of Fame songwriter of The Gambler With elegant simplicity Becca Stevens escorts the reader to the banks of the deepest spiritual wellspring. Surely she ranks among our most gifted teachers on the things that matter most of all. -Stephen Bauman, author of Simple Truths: On Values, Civility, and Our Common Good
The Miracles of Jesus - Women's Bible Study Participant Workbook: Finding God in Desperate Moments (The Miracles of Jesus)
by Jessica LaGroneJesus demonstrated the presence and power of God by performing miracles. He turned water into wine, healed the sick, calmed the storm, opened blind eyes, and raised the dead. While these beloved stories draw our attention to divine power, they also have something else in common: human desperation. Every time we see Jesus performing a miracle, we also get a glimpse into the gift of desperation, a gift that opens us to the dramatic power of God through our desperate need for him. In this six-week Bible study, Jessica LaGrone leads us in a captivating exploration of the miracles of Jesus, helping us to see that our weakness is an invitation for God to work powerfully in our lives and reminding us that we need God on our best days just as much as we do on our worst. Themes and miracle stories include: the gift of desperation (turning water into wine and other signs of God's response of fullness in our times of emptiness) the miracle of abundance (feeding the 5,000 and other abundance stories) miracles on the water (calming the storm, walking on water, the abundant catch) Jesus our healer (5 stories of healing) death and resurrection (Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter) the miracle we all receive (the Incarnation) The participant workbook includes five days of lessons for each week, combining study of Scripture with personal reflection, application, and prayer. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit.
Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Acts (Abingdon New Testament Commentaries)
by Beverly Roberts GaventaIn a striking departure from customary readings of the Acts of the Apostles as the story of the growth of the church, Gaventa argues that Luke's second volume has to do with nothing less than the activity of God. From the beginning of the story at Jesus' Ascension and extending until well past the final report of Paul's activity in Rome, Luke narrates a relentlessly theological story, in which matters of institutional history or biography play only an incidental role. Gaventa pays careful attention to Luke's story of God, as well as to the numerous characters who set themselves in opposition to God's plan.
Assaulting the Gates: Aiming All God's People at the Mission Field
by Paul D. BordenLearn the “Big Picture” approach that will aim your congregation at the mission field in your back yard, or around the world.Many churches want to make the transition from an inward to an outward focus, from catering to the needs of members to reaching out into the world to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Too often they try to accomplish this radical change by taking half steps and partial measures, initiating a new program here or adding a new staff members there.Yet this kind of change requires more. To succeed in changing its core focus this way, a congregation must learn strategic thinking; it must commit itself to seeing the big picture, and to taking the steps necessary to paint that picture afresh. Everyone, including pastors, lay leaders, key teams and groups, and the congregation as a whole must be involved in a process of transformation. Paul D. Borden, author of Hit the Bullseye and Direct Hit, knows that this transformation will not be easy. But if the target is bringing more people into saving relationship with Jesus Christ, what could be more worthwhile?
The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith
by James F. WhiteThe sacraments were a major factor in the Reformation of the sixteenth century. Ever since, they have been an important part of Protestant church life. Major changes have occurred in our time as most traditions have revised their sacramental rites and experienced many changes in sacramental practices. This book traces the most significant practices in the past five centuries, explains how they often led to controversies, and examines the faith that was expressed and experienced in the sacraments. James F. White attempts to depict the whole sweep of Protestant sacramental life, so that an overall picture is possible. And he outlines the possibilities for future developments.
It Worked For Us: Best Practices for Ministry with Children and Families
by Judy ComstockNeed help from someone who has actually “been there and done that”? This comprehensive guide provides the all the information you need to plan and implement a complete ministry with children of all ages. Produced in partnership with the International Network of Children's Ministry, this guide features numerous articles written by experienced children’s workers. The enclosed CD-ROM makes it easy to access and customize forms. This one-source guide covers multiple topics, from safety concerns and technology to spiritual formation. Ideal for children’s pastors, educators, and leaders, whether paid or volunteer.
What Do We Tell the Children?: Talking to Kids About Death and Dying
by Joseph M. PrimoOne out of seven children will lose a parent before they are 20. The statistics are sobering, but they are also a call for preparedness. However, pastors and counselors of all types are often at a loss when dealing with a grieving child. Talking to adults about death and grief is difficult; it's all the more challenging to talk to children and teens. The stakes are high: grieving children are high-risk for substance abuse, promiscuity, depression, isolation, and suicide. Yet, despite this, most of these kids grow up to be normal or exceptional adults. But their chance to become healthy adults increases with the support of a loving community.Supporting grieving children requires intentionality, open communication, and patience. Rather than avoid all conversations on death or pretend like it never happened, normalizing grief and offering support requires us to be in-tune with kids through dialogue as they grapple with questions of "how" and "why." When listening to children in grief, we often have to embrace the mystery, offer love and compassion, and stick with the basics. The author says, "We don’t have to answer the why and how for them, but we can assure our children that God is with us as we suffer. We can do so by doing good for others and pointing out all of those moments when someone has done something good for us. I believe that most of the time that’s as far as we will get, and that is okay."
Jesus in the Gospels: Containing Teacher Helps (Disciple Ser.)
by Leander E. Keck Nellie M. MoserStudy Manual content illuminates some aspect of the Jesus in the Gospels each week and connects Scripture to daily life and Jesus' call to discipleship.The overarching aim is to deepen discipleship through better understanding of the biblical texts and their message. The study helps group members understand that Jesus is rooted in Judaism and the Scriptures of Judaism and that Christianity and the New Testament are rooted in the Scriptures of Judaism—our Old Testament.The Study Manual guides daily study and preparation for the weekly group meeting. The main elements in the format are designated by scriptural phrases:“They have no wine” (John 2:3) is a brief statement about the human condition and alerts the reader to some aspect of daily life that Scripture can shed light on. “Beginning with Moses and all the prophets” (Luke 24:27) is a way of referring to Scripture as a whole and signals the fact that we can understand Jesus in the Gospels better by understanding the Old Testament better. “Do you want to become his disciples, too?” (John 9:27, New International Version) is designed to stimulate thoughtful reflection so readers can come to their own conclusions about what their own discipleship calls for. Accompanying each day’s Scripture reading assignments are suggestions of things to look for that take the reader deeper into Scripture. As readers become aware of detail in Scripture, they might ask themselves repeatedly, What am I to make of this? The study manual provides space for writing notes on insights, observations, and questions related to the Scripture, and for putting into words personal perceptions of Jesus from the week’s Scripture.
Gospel Discipleship Participant Guide: 4 Pathways for Christian Disciples
by Michelle J. MorrisThere was a time when discipleship was taken for granted. It was assumed that people could be persuaded to believe and that each person would step into the path that took them to Jesus. That assumption is no longer valid. As early as the Gospels, Jesus and his biographers recognize that each person brings experience to the journey, which travels through different times and places. The discipleship path for each individual disciple is assessed and determined through this Gospel Discipleship Participant Guide while the Gospel Discipleship Congregation Guide serves as the implementation guide for church leaders. It also assesses the discipleship path for the congregation as a whole. By understanding what type of disciple you are, participants in Gospel Discipleship can clarify the path they need to walk. Some people love to go on mission trips; some people really thrive learning from a great teacher; some people connect to God through painting and music; and some people just want to have a cup of coffee and talk about life and eventually get around to talking about Jesus. Participants in Gospel Discipleship can be set free from the guilt of not feeling like a "real" disciple because they don't feel called to experience the journey the same way as everyone else. Instead, participants can become the disciple Jesus wants them to be. They can spend their valuable time and energy living and walking on the path where Jesus is calling them to follow.
Healing the Heartbreak of Grief
by Peter James FlammingFree yourself from the threads of grief that grip your heart.In an irreversible moment, your life changes forever. Your life is upside down and your heart is inside out. Life goes on for others, but yours came to a screaming halt. With comfort and assurance, Dr. Flamming points ahead to tomorrows that will become a little easier than today. From years of pastoral experience and the heartbreak of losing his own son, the author knows that grief is anything but a tidy, predictable progression. Written in short, easy chapters, with practical helps, this book can be your companion as you struggle to pick up the pieces and go on. Contents:When Grief Breaks InWhat Do I Do Now?Unpredictable Emotions of GriefDecide Who to Talk ToWhen One Day at a Time is Too MuchFind Your Releasing ActivitesStrength from Beyond YourselfSoemtimes Faith Needs HealingTurning Points and Beginning Again
Navigating the Future: Traditioned Innovation for Wilder Seas
by Andrew P. Hogue Dr L. Gregory JonesTraditioned innovation is a habit of being and living that cultivates a certain kind of moral imagination shaped by storytelling and expressed in creative, transformational action. Moral imagination is about character, which depends on ongoing formation that takes place in friendships and communities that embody traditions and that are sustained by institutions.There is no quick-fix or set of techniques that will create a mindset of traditioned innovation. But we do believe that you can learn to cultivate it by Becoming immersed in an imaginative engagement with the story of God told through Scripture Learning from exemplary institutions, communities, and people practicing traditioned innovation. Discovering new skills for integrating character formation and dense networks of friendships, communities and institutions into your leadership and life.Navigating the Future will explore stories and tips for cultivating traditioned innovation that will stimulate your thinking and inspire your imagination for more faithful and fruitful living along with the cultivation of more vibrant, life-giving institutions.