Faith Under Fire

From October 2004-June 2005, Lee Strobel hosted a CNN news talk type TV program entitled Faith Under Fire. He, along with Gary Poole and Zondervan have put together four, four-session DVD's with talks and debates from that original television show. I recently reviewed the second in the series, Faith & Facts. In this study, groups will go through the histoic reliability of the Bible, heaven, hell and the science of creation.

A mission statement for these studies might be a question - "Does the Christian faith stand up to tough scrutiny?" The topics are not debated against a straw man or even decided conclusively at the end of each session. There are two sides presented on an issue, done by people very knowledgeable in their field, who generally disagree with one another, but civilly promoting their viewpoint. At the conclusion of the video segment, Lee Strobel offers his viewpoint on the matter, but ultimately, the final decision of what to believe lies in the hands of the participant.

The videos are spaced out in-between various participant discussion times, with open-ended questions for groups to dig into the heart of the matter at hand, provided in the participants guide.

This is not a Bible study, per se, but a topical discussion meant to get participants talking about what they think about these subjects. Groups will interact with Scripture, theologians, non-Christian thinkers and one another. The DVD does most of the work, so leader's need not be worried about having answers to these subjects. They serve are facilitators who welcome all thoughts and guide the discussion.

Below is a video sample from Zondervan for this series.

Outreach Resources - Curricula

As promised from yesterday, here are the best group curricula available in the area of outreach!

Just Walk Across the Room – Zondervan, Willow Creek
In Just Walk Across the Room, the complete church kit, author Bill Hybels brings personal evangelism into the twenty-first century with a natural and empowering approach modeled after Jesus himself. When Christ “walked” clear across the cosmos 2,000 years ago, he had no forced formulas—just an offer of redemption to people like us, many of whom were neck-deep in pain of our own making. This dynamic, four-week experience is designed to equip and inspire your entire church to participate in that same pattern of grace-giving by taking simple walks across rooms—leaving your circles of comfort and extending hands of care, compassion, and inclusiveness to people who might need a touch of God’s love today.

Becoming a Contagious Christian - Zondervan, WillowCreek
This Willow Creek Resources six-session evangelism course for churches and groups of all sizes is designed to equip believers for effective evangelism by showing them how they can share the gospel in a natural and powerful way while being the person God made them to be.

H2O – Standard
H2O is an evocative, DVD-driven, group-oriented journey of faith. Hosted by Kyle Idleman, the 10 episodes of high-definition video are a new way to share your faith. It's an invitation to get together, enjoy a meal, watch a DVD, have a conversation, and end with an invitation to be transformed through the living water of Jesus Christ. This kit contains all the planning tools and resources for the church, ministry, small group, or individual to lead an H2O journey.

Go Fish – Multnomah, North Point
We’ve all heard them. “It was this big.” “You should have seen the one that got away.” People love to tell stories of their fishing adventures. When it comes to faith, however, most people clam up. Why is it we can’t talk about what God has done in our life as naturally as we can spin fishing tales? This six-part DVD explores the motivation behind sharing our faith and how it can become a natural part of our lives. Its companion study guide is complete with a leader’s guide and six lessons, including conversation-starting exercises, discussion questions, and application steps.

Bullhorn – Zondervan, Mars Hill Bible
God loves everyone, so a Christian should, too. In fact, Jesus said that the most important thing in life is to love God with everything we've got and love others the same way. But it's not always easy to love everyine around us, is it? Sometimes we strongly disagree with other people's political views, religious belieifs, behaviors or something else, and it makes it hard to love them when we feel like we're right and they're very wrong. But Jesus doesn't separate loving God and loving others. So maybe that best way for us to show our love for God is actually by loving other people no matter how hard it sometimes is. Maybe it's the only way.

Life on Loan – Standard
Life On Loan is a six-week, church-wide experience that leads children, students, and adults through a study of what it means to live a life that is on loan from God - a life serving others, building relationships, and earning the right to share your faith. Life On Loan provides the curriculum and tools to plan, promote, and implement a program throughout the church. Age appropriate curriculum is provided for early childhood, elementary, teens, and adults, so the entire church studies the plan God has for our lives - lives that have the opportunity to make a real impact in our world.

Going Public with Your Faith – Zondervan, Focus on the Family
The people in your group spend hours every day in the most high-impact mission field in the world: their workplaces. A place where they are regularly in touch with people facing significant life questions. But to have an impact, they need a perspective that’s different from anything they’ve ever heard or read about evangelism. Real evangelism is a process. It’s organic—more like farming than selling. In six thought-provoking and empowering sessions, Going Public with Your Faith walks your group through a proven approach to evangelism that respects the unique relationships they have with their coworkers, clients, or customers.

Sharing Your Life Mission Everyday (Doing Life Together) – Zondervan, Saddleback
The way you’re wired is no accident! God designed your unique mix of gifts, natural abilities, personality, values, and life experiences to play an essential part in his kingdom. These six sessions will help you develop your God-given design at home, at work, at church, and in your community in a way that extends God’s love to others and enriches your own life immeasurably.

The Alpha Course – Alpha
The Alpha Course is a 10 week, 15-session practical introduction to the Christian faith. It provides an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to explore the meaning of life. Included are 15 talks dealing with essential questions of life, such as: Who is Jesus?, How can I be sure of my faith?, How does God guide us?, How can I resist evil?, What does the Holy Spirit do?, and How can I make the most of my life?

Outflow – Group
For most adults, outreach feels...well, uncomfortable. Intrusive. Contrived. That's why--in spite of Jesus' intent that we share our faith--we seldom do so. With Outflow, adult small groups experience transformed, joy-filled lives they then share with others. Outflow encourages honest outreach based on a growing relationship with God...and the sharing of God's love. This Small Group Kit gives small group leaders everything they need to lead a 5-week Outflow study.

10 Keys for Unlocking the Bible – Moody, Arlington Hts EFC
Many people--churched and unchurched desire to learn more about the Bible, and find purpose in their lives through its timeless principles. 10 KEYS FOR UNLOCKING THE BIBLE COURSE, is an ideal tool for small groups, home Bible studies and personal evangelism or discipleship. It is designed for people with limited knowledge of the Bible who want to learn about it in a non-threatening way, and seasoned believers who desire a better understanding of the Bible story from beginning to end.

They Like Jesus but Not the Church (forthcoming) – Zondervan
Many in today’s emerging generation don’t like the church. Some are leaving the church; others never were a part of it. Yet they remain fascinated with Jesus. This small group curriculum will explore six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church and how the church can respond in positive ways.

Outreach Resources - Books

This week is the National Leadership Conference for the EFCA. This morning I am leading a seminar on the best resources available for outreach. I will post those resources on the blog tomorrow. But here are some of the best books available on outreach.

Just Walk Across the Room – Bill Hybels
Believers universally affirm that evangelism is a vital part of what God calls them to do, but very few make a practice of doing it. They feel awkward and ill-equipped, either because they've never been trained, or because their lack of interaction with non- Christians prevents them from using and developing the skills they do have. Bill Hybels addresses these concerns and signals the next era in personal evangelism with Just Walk Across the Room. Drawing on fresh perspectives from the author's own experiences, as well as time-tested and practical illustrations, Just Walk Across the Room encourages and equips readers to routinely initiate spiritual conversations with those who don't know Christ.

Becoming a Contagious Christian – Bill Hybels, Mark Mittelberg
Evangelism doesn't have to be frustrating or intimidating. Effectively communicating our faith in Christ should be the most natural thing in the world. We just need encouragement and direction. In Becoming a Contagious Christian, Hybels and Mittelberg articulate the central principles that have helped the believers at Willow Creek Community Church become a church known around the world for its outstanding outreach to unchurched people. Based on the words of Jesus and flowing from the firsthand experiences of the authors, Becoming a Contagious Christian is a groundbreaking, personalized approach to relational evangelism.

They Like Jesus But Not the Church – Dan Kimball
Many people today, especially among emerging generations, don’t resonate with the church and organized Christianity. Some are leaving the church and others were never part of the church in the first place. Sometimes it’s because of misperceptions about the church. Yet often they are still spiritually open and fascinated with Jesus. This is a ministry resource book exploring six of the most common objects and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church and Christianity.

Living a Life on Loan – Rick Rusaw, Eric Swanson
As a Christian, your life is no longer about you. It is allowing God to write his story through you and your story. Explore a life where serving others provides an opportunity for your story to intersect theirs - and for lives to be forever changed! Explore a life of finding grace at the intersections.

The Radical Reformission – Mark Driscoll
Reformation is the continual reforming of the mission of the church to enhance God’s command to reach out to others in a way that acknowledges the unique times and locations of daily life. This engaging book blends the integrity of respected theoreticians with the witty and practical insights of a pastor. This basic primer on the interface between gospel and culture highlights the contrast between presentation evangelism and participation evangelism.

The Forgotten Ways – Alan Hirsch
Hirsch identifies six latent potencies in God's people that lie dormant and forgotten until something catalytic prompts the rediscovery of them. These elements are clearly seen in the church during times of phenomenal growth and impact, but he suggests that they are actually always present and can be reactivated to create apostolic movement. He describes them as the centrality and lordship of Jesus, disciple making, the missional-incarnational impulse, organic systems, apostolic environment, and communitas (a type of community formed in situations of significant ordeal and/or mission).

No Perfect People Allowed – John Burke
No Perfect People Allowed shows you how to deconstruct the five main barriers standing between emerging generations and your church by creating the right culture. From inspiring stories of real people once far from God, to practical ideas that can be applied by any local church, this book offers a refreshing vision of the potential and power of the Body of Christ to transform lives today.

Outflow – Steve Sjogren, Dave Ping
If it's all about God, why do we live as if it's all about us? This book--a cross between a manifesto and a how-to manual--inspires readers to embrace outreach as a lifestyle--a natural, everyday thing that's as normal as going to the grocery store.

Share Jesus Without Fear – William Fay
In recent years, the Share Jesus without Fear book and its growing family of ancillary products have sparked a faith-sharing movement that continues to gain momentum. It began with the jaw-dropping story of William Fay, once a money-driven businessman with Mafia ties who ran a house of prostitution until it was raided by police. Facing the threat of jail time, Fay turned to Jesus Christ for redemption and ever since has been turning others to Him as well.

City Impact – Daniel Bernard
God calls His Church to take the Gospel into the world, but what about meeting the day-to-day needs of your local neighborhood? Daniel Bernard uses practical, motivating examples from his ministry, Somebody Cares, Tampa Bay, and from Christians all over to illustrate how unity among churches and partnership with local businesses can transform communities.

The Gutter – Craig Gross
Why did an all-knowing, all-powerful God send the perfection of His kingdom? His only Son? To the earth through the gutter? Why did Jesus spend so much time, reaching out to people in their own secret, dark places? Why do His followers so often turn away from those very same situations? The Gutter chronicles the author's journey to the gutter, telling the stories and sharing the insights he gained while spending time with the people who dwell there.

101 Ways to Reach Your Community – Steve Sjogren
You may not be a gifted evangelist, but you do have the gift of servanthood. You can use that gift to reach out to your community with the love of God. For years Steve Sjogren has successfully used a simple approach called "servant evangelism" that allows any believer—regardless of gifting—to be involved in sharing God's love with others. One of the great things about this approach is that you don't have to do it alone. Sjogren offers 101 simple and effective ways your church or small group can demonstrate the love of God to those in your community. When people see the love of God in action, they want to know more about Him. You can share your faith successfully, and here are plenty of starting points!

Outreach Ministry in the 21^st Century – Group Publishing
This collection of 200 practical ideas turns "outreach" from an intimidating mandate into something that's actually enjoyable. Included: proven ideas for preparing your church to embrace outreach, ways to teach kids, service ideas for youth, long-term and mission ideas, ways to make your church visible in your community, and much more.

The Way of the Master

I recently viewed The Way of the Master basic training course. In this course, Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron propose to train participants to "seek and save the lost the way Jesus did." Their approach is an in your face, "where would you go if you die?", street preacher approach.
Growing up, I went to a Christian school which was affiliated with Bob Jones University. I went out on Wednesday nights before Wednesday church through neighborhoods witnessing door-to-door. We would pass out tracks, ask the "where would you go if you die?" questions, and generally annoy people who had just gotten home from work.
So you see that I have some baggage with this approach. I will admit that I think some people are suited for this approach, and that some people do in fact come to know Jesus this way. I am not suited for this approach (I learned that when I reviewed the Becoming a Contagious Christian curricula a few weeks ago here).
My issue with The Way of the Master curriculum is that Cameron and Comfort feel this is the only way (at least that is how it comes across)to evangelize, and that if you try friendship evangelism, you are not really being a friend. I disagree. These guys just come across as arrogant and condescending. (See below, The Atheists Nightmare).



I applaud their passion for people and wants to lead people to Jesus, but cannot recommend this curriculum. You can find out more on their website, The Way of the Master.

Going Public with Your Faith

The United States is the third largest unreached nation in the world (according to Focus on the Family). Too often, we as Christians are waiting for the lost to wander into our churches. Bill Peel and Walt Larimore say that Christ never called Christians to bring Christ to people, but bring people to Christ.
Where do most people have the most interaction with lost people? The workplace. Going Public with Your Faith is a six-week study in helping ordinary believers bring Jesus to their co-workers. Mr. Peel and Mr. Larimore feel that people are fearful of evangelism because they think they must do the work themselves, that the only way sharing their faith "counts" is if the "target" prays a prayer at the end.
That is not what Jesus calls us to, say Larimore and Peel. That kind of thinking puts the emphasis on us, not on the work the Spirit does. All we are told to do is bring Jesus to people. God does the converting - not us.
One of the great examples Peel and Larimore give is setting people up on a date. If you were to introduce two people to one another, you wouldn't tell them that you think that they will have a lot in common, that they would get along great and that they should get married. They want to spend time with one another, find out more about each other.
In the same way you do not just throw Jesus in people's faces and say, commit your life to him, make him Lord of your life, on first introduction. They need to know why they just must get to know Jesus.
This is a good study, one that specifically deals with workplace evangelism. However, if you want to go through the best evangelism study, I would suggest Just Walk Across the Room. Many of the principles are the same, and it deals with a broader audience.

Becoming a Contagious Christian - Kit (Revised)

The Becoming a Contagious Christian Curriculum Kit has recently been revised. It is an extensive evangelism training course. What's new? Pretty much everything. I have not seen the original curriculum, but in talking with the folks at Zondervan, it is pretty much a new course. The same basics are there, but this revised edition has been completely overhauled from the last. The one thing that has not changed is the actual Becoming a Contagious Christian book (except for cover design - other than that, everything is the same).
The sessions have been pared down from eight to six sessions and have completely new teachings and drama presentations. The old kit came with overhead projector sheets, this revised edition comes with a PowerPoint presentation CD ROM (also on the CD are sermon transcripts, promotional materials for a church-wide campaign, and other campaign goodies). Another item included in the revised kit which was not included in the old is a copy of the Becoming a Contagious Christian trade paper book. Both the Leader's Guide and Participant's Guide are significantly different (and the PG has numerous assessments and such which each person will want to have).
So that is what is different. If you have not used this course before, what is it about?
This is a full blown course on evangelism. Lee Strobel & Mark Mittleberg teach participants on contagious Christianity (Bill Hybels also helped develop the curriculum also, he just doesn't lend himself to the teaching). By using this training course, participants will be able to discover their own style of communicating about Christ, learn how to direct conversations toward matters of faith, and develop more openness in sharing their own story about coming to Jesus.
The aspect that struck me with this resource is the intensive nature of it. Many curriculum kits (evangelism ones included) are very simple so that most anyone could lead it (making it easy for small group leaders who might consider themselves more facilitators). This course is just that - an evangelism course. I would only recommend seasoned leaders leading this course. There are different options for putting on the course - 6, once a week sessions, or two day seminar.
Leading this course will prove to be intensive & complex, but participating will only be intensive. Being a participant will help you answer some questions about your faith and going through it is very straight-forward. The intensive part is that this is not a surface study. This gets right into the basics and the depths of spreading the gospel and sharing your faith.

Holy Conversation

The idea behind Holy Conversation is that most people learn best in community and in dialogue with others on various subjects. This study tries to balance the need postmoderns have for talking a topic through while still maintaining a faithfulness to the authority of Scripture.
Many people are frightened of sharing their faith because they feel that they need a prepared monologue to recite to others and that they need all the answers to all the questions that anyone may have. This study helps Christians relearn how to talk about our faith. Each of the twelve week studies will consider a different aspect of the gospel and how to talk about it.
Dr. Richard Peace (Fuller Seminary) wrote this 12 week study after having been asked to write a magazine article on Conversion? Conversation. Dr. Peace wanted to explore the art of Christian witness. In looking around pop culture and pop music, he noticed many people talking about spirituality. Who better for them to talk with than Christians? But he saw the problem being that Christians felt they needed to spew out a litany of words so the other cannot get a question or shoot down an "argument."
Holy Conversation guides participants through the art of meaningful conversation on spiritual matters. People are hungry when it comes to spiritual matters, and Christians can learn how to guide conversations to holy matters, to discuss intelligently with others issues of belief and help them see Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Whether Dr. Preace was intentional about it or not, each study is laid out in that manner - Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. The first segment of each study helps participants share their life. How they live this Jesus life. The next segment delves into the truth of Jesus, what He said, what Scripture says about him. The last segment provides practical application to the journey we find ourselves on.

Outreach Resources of the Year

For the last four years, Outreach Magazine has rated the best outreach materials in many categories (adult, children's, youth, and others). Link. They rate Just Walk across the Room the best overall. I would definitely concur with that. Earlier, I reviewed a number of these resources.
Just Walk Across the Room
H2O
Heroes Unmasked
The AIDS Crisis
The New Friars
Soul Cravings (reviewed by Lexi Lorentz)
Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

I Sold My Soul on eBay

A little while ago an atheist gentleman made headlines by putting his his "soul" up for auction on eBay, the popular online shopping and auction website. Technically, he did not put his soul up for bidding, but for every $10 bid, he would attend one hour of church service. Jim Henderson, author of the book Evangelism without Additives and the creator of the website Off-the-Map.org, bought the soul of Hemant Mehta for $504. That meant that Mr. Mehta would be committed to attend church once a week for a year.
Mr. Henderson asked Mr. Mehta to visit different churches ranging in size, location, denomination and philosophy in order to help churches learn how unchurched people see them. I Sold My Soul on eBay is the telling of the auction, Mr. Mehta's background and belief's (Jain turned atheist), his visits and critiques of some of the churches he visited (includes a EFCA church, WillowCreek, Mars Hill Bible & others), and finally, his thoughts on what the church is doing right, what it is doing wrong and what it would take to convert him.
I found this book to be interesting, entertaining, and infuriating.

Entertaining:
I enjoy learning about other religions and different cultures. I have never had any exposure to the Jain religion, and had no idea what beliefs they held. I also quite enjoyed the stories Mr. Mehta told of his experience with the auction, the publicity he unexpectedly received and a little more about general atheist philosophy. Mr. Mehta is an good writer and seems like a very intriguing person.

Interesting:
Many of the helpful comments Mr. Mehta observed are ones that you or I could have made. We would want to see passion and enthusiasm from the worshipers. Churches can always do more to serve the community they are part of. Don't get bogged down with tradition and ritual (when to sit, when to stand, when to sing along, when to listen, etc)
Many of the other comments Mr. Mehta made were criticisms which I found funny because they were things he did not like - but as an unbeliever, he should not have! He was critical of pastors using the Scripture too much in their sermons, preferring LakeView Church's(Joel Osteen) "more relevant" style, without "having to reference the Bible as much." He felt too much time was devoted to singing. Of course an atheist would think worship of a deity would be a waste of time.
The two most helpful observations Mr. Mehta had were that in some churches there was a sense of elitism - a country club mentality of I'm in & you're out. The other was more opportunity for dialogue with opposing viewpoints. I don't know that the Sunday service is the right venue for that, but I think it important for people of differing beliefs to have a platform to converse and see the other side.

Infuriating:
As I read, I could not help but think of a food critic. Mr. Mehta came into different churches with his notepad making notations of things he liked and disliked. My thoughts also went the fact that if Mr Henderson were less interested in using Mr. Mehta for his research in making church appeal to the unchurched (which I am not sure should be done anyway), than in saving Mr. Mehta's soul, he would have sent him to one church for a year, and had him build some kind of relationship with the church body and it's leadership, rather than be a church critic.

I did find this book to be helpful in seeing the perspective of lost people (a term which "offended" Mr. Mehta - and should. The gospel is foolish & offensive to the lost), but I also believe that we should not cater our worship to them. Our worship is directed to God, for God and is to be about God. Non-believers, and especially atheists will not like that, regardless - and that is all right. He rightly mentions that we should be less inward focused and more community focused. It is in that reaching out to the community where we can be sharing our faith and leading others to Jesus, instead of letting their seeker church do the work of reaching the lost.

We need to be doing the work & the church needs to be equipping the people to do the work. Christians simply cannot sit back and pray that they're friends, family and neighbors would come to church with them and find Jesus. They need to also present Jesus to them everyday.

Life On Loan

Life on Loan is a six week small group study which helps the participant look at every moment of their life as on loan from God. The authors hold that we are accountable to God for what we do with the time that we have been given. How have we spent that time? Have we served others & God, or have we served our own purposes?

This study is balanced with teaching from Rick Rusaw (Externally Focused Church) and real-life stories from people who have taken advantage of the opportunities God has given them.

What a concept. This is nothing new, but it is revolutionary. Western Christianity can lean very self-centered and inward focused. An important idea that this curriculum presents is that we are presented with many "intersections" not only in our lives, but in every day. Are we going to allow God to shift our focus off ourselves and onto himself & others, or are we going to walk around with blinders on, solely concerned with ourselves?

This is a very good study, and one that many Christians, myself included, need to hear. The teaching sums up what Rick Rusaw & Eric Swanson are saying in their excellent book, Living a Life on Loan. If you are wanting to inspire people toward outreach and a deeper commitment to God, this would be a very good study to go through.

Outflow

I felt conflicted about Outflow when it first came in. I really liked the idea (subtitle – outward-focused living in a self-focused world) and felt that it would be really good. However, it has been my experience that material from Group has been really watered down to include as many types of churches as possible. I started looking over the book & found it quite simple (in an over the top way). I felt the authors were writing to unbelievers, but marketing to believers.

I previewed the Small Group DVD sessions (5 sessions, 20 minutes or so each) and found the lessons to be very sound and quite inspiring. The basic gist of the study is that by having the right relationship with God, and being filled with him each day, we will naturally have an abundance of love pouring out of us and we should use that over abundance to love others and thereby show them the love of God.

I like that in 5 sessions on outreach, 2 of them were spent on getting your own relationship right with God. The studies were very engaging, fast paced, interactive and, again, quite inspiring. Interspersed throughout the DVD teaching are pauses with questions to discuss in your small group. The questions are well-written and do a good job of sparking conversation. Overall, a great study on outreach, that centers the focus on God.

the hope factor

Recently, I went to the 2006 Global Summit on AIDS and the Church at Saddleback Church. The conference was great & not only did my wife & I become educated through it, we also learned how to turn it around and effectively make positive change within our own church. One of the books featured in the resource tent was the hope factor. This is basically a conference in book form. In 2003 Southeast Christian Church held a conference to address the issues of the church and HIV/AIDS. The hope factor was born out of that conference. The book is broken up in to three sections –

- Understanding the HIV/AIDS Crisis
- Crisis Interventions
- Biblical References

In the first section, the reader learns about the pandemic, what it looks like, how it affects people all over the globe & is also affecting the church. But in the flurry of numbers people spout, the thing this work gets across is that statistics represent people.

In Crisis Interventions, the authors speak about everything from how faith-based organizations can get involved to programs & people have helped in Ethiopia to the very real need for public awareness. In his essay, Peter Meadows states and important principle which is often lost in speaking of AIDS – HIV/AIDS is vastly more than an issue of human sexuality. There are many factors which help the spread of HIV – not least of which is misinformation & lack of information. The best, first thing we can do about this pandemic is become educated about it.

In the last section, thinkers from John Piper (Bethlehem Baptist Church) to Richard Stearns (World Vision) to Tom Correll (Wooddale Church) talk on the how’s and why’s of the church & its response to AIDS. The church is in the best position to stop the spread of AIDS. Not only does the church offer the behavioral solution, the hope of grace and love, but the church is the only entity that is more wide-spread than the virus – the only thing.

This book is a phenomenal resource in helping the church engage the AIDS pandemic & helping its members become active participants in the largest humanitarian crisis the world has ever seen. The church has sat by on the sidelines for far too long. Now is the time to step up and stop the spread of this treatable, preventable disease.

Outreach Resources from Group

There are some new books out that Group Publishing has produced which are intended to help churches and small groups reach out within their community. Inside each of these volumes are simple, practical ideas for groups to get outside the church walls and make their presence known in the community.

The first is They Will Know Us By Our Love. This book is designed specifically with small groups in mind and lays out the different opportunities in five sections - serving within your community in general, serving your church, serving your small group, serving your friends & family & serving those with special needs. This book lists 101 different ideas to serve with your small group in those five categories. You can choose from tutoring children to hosting a town festival to doing a prayer walk in your community. Each idea has a verse accompanying it to meditate on, a description of the activity, questions for reflection after the service and helpful hints for the serve. Also, for each service, there are icons which help you gauge duration (one time, short-term or ongoing), types (getting to know people, behind the scenes, honoring people, supporting people, and giving to people), as well as best time of year for the serve.

The next two books are in Group's Body-Building Guide series. The first is the guide to community - Strengthening Relationships in Your Church, and the second is the guide to outreach - Stretching Out to Your Community. These books each offer 15 practical ways to either build community with people in your church or reach out to those outside the church. In Strengthening Relationships, your church can build community

among men
through racial reconciliation
among children and adults
through date nights
with shut-ins
through membership retreats

Each chapter tells a story of someone who had a heart for the type of community being built - for example racial reconciliation. Then the book shares the vision of that person and how your church can take steps to build community racially. Each chapter outlines types of meetings or events to get the conversation started & then the chapter ends with an implementation guide which guides the leader through the process. In Stretching Out, the chapters work just the same with topics including reaching out to

the homeless
latchkey kids
young readers
through sports
nursing home residents

One book that kind of encompasses everything is Outreach Ministry in the 21st Century. This encyclopedia of ideas has 200+ ideas within eight sections which include

Making your Church visible
Equipping your Church for outreach
Bible Studies for people who don't know the Bible
Sharing Jesus in your daily life
Movie nights
Simple service ideas
Caring for the long haul - ideas for long-term service
Going out into the world - ideas for missions

Each of these sections then get broken down and offer many ideas within different areas or using different people within your church. From biblical studies on the movie Nacho Libre, to how to host a book club to holding a spiritual talent search, the ideas are in-depth and help your community make faith a part of their everyday life in church, in their jobs and in their homes.

The New Friars

Taking their leadership from St. Francis of Assisi, the new friars are using downward mobility to leave the comfortable trappings of the West & serving the poorest of the poor across the globe. With usually nothing but the love of Jesus in their hearts and the determination of fulfilling their God-given purpose, they move to slums, garbage communities and impoverished urban “neighborhoods” to show that love and help in what meager ways they can. Often they find sickness and death, but also a surprising hope amid the tragedy.

Many times people ask how God can sit by and watch the travesty of poverty – not American poverty, but poverty that has sucked you down so much there is no human way of escaping – and not do anything. The eew friars have asked themselves that same question, and their answer is that He is not standing idly by, He is calling them to go and be.

Scott Bessenecker “believes there have been in each generation those who long to gather like-minded individuals to be set apart in service guided by a rule, order or set of disciplines. In fact, I would go so far as to say that there are places on earth that cannot be truly changed by the kingdom of God without people willing to make Nazarite-like commitments.”

Mr. Bessenecker describes some of the work these New Friars are doing, where they go, and with whom they work for and with. According to Mr. Bessenecker, there are five qualities that both the old and new friars have in common. They are-

Incarnational – they don’t just preach the gospel, they strive to be the gospel.

Devotional – they have a set of spiritual commitments or a “rule” that governs their life.

Communal – they live with others, sharing their lives and possessions.

Missional – they strive to stretch the borders of the church into the geographic fringes.

Marginal – they are bound to people at the edge of society, often ministering to those who no one else wants to be around.

Mr. Bessenecker paints a portrait of those old friars and their work & correlates it to the work that the new friars are doing and accomplishing. He then talks to those of us who are not specifically called to slum communities and the like. He shares what we can do to further the gospel and the mission of the new friars. This is a very informative & captivating book which describes some of the hope that the gospel can bring to even the most desperate situations.

Pick up a copy here for 20% off.

Faith in Action Study Bible

One of my favorite discoveries this past year was the World Vision Gift Catalog. I realized that I have much more than I possibly need and have started requesting items in this catalog in place of things for myself. You can send children to school for a year, give a family a goat and give a small business loan to a hardworking woman – all for $100 or less. Well, within this catalog I found the NIV Faith in Action Study Bible. My interest was immediately peaked. You, the giver can receive this Bible by donating $100 to the “Maximum Impact Fund”. This fund enables World Vision to answer specific, urgent needs that might otherwise go unmet.

Not only did I give this to myself for Christmas, I ordered in a few for NextStep. This Bible, which proceeds partially go to World Vision if bought through NextStep, is a fantastic piece of scholarship and a great combination of Biblical study and everyday outreach.

Each passage has study notes which both give you insight into the text “Then and There” as well as challenging thoughts and questions applying to “Here and Now”. Also interspersed throughout the pages are biographical sketches of various people (William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, etc), Charts (Nazarite Vows, Refugees Then & Now, TV Violence, etc), and snapshots of recent individuals and groups tying into the passage.

Other features this study Bible offers are
- reading tracks on topics such as courage, stewardship, pollution, and injustice
- study guides on those same topics offered in the reading tracks
- a concordance with 35,000 references
- full color guide to the world in the 21st century

This Bible is a great tool for shaping your mind to hear God’s heart for the poor, orphan and abused. Whether you read through the Bible & keep up with the study notes covering every passage, or choose reading paths which take you through the plans already alluded to, this Bible will guide you to a deeper understanding of God and his heart for the poor.

Practical Justice

I think it would be fair to say that most of us see tragedy’s occur everyday – whether around the world, or in our home town – and would like to help out in any way, small or large. Kevin Blue’s book Practical Justice speaks to that tension. Mr. Blue is the director of Servant Partners, an organization that sends holistic church planting teams to cities around the world.

Throughout Scripture, God shares his heart for the poor & the outcast. Mr. Blue writes that “He [God] so identifies with those in need that as we serve them, Jesus tells us, we encounter him”. Mr. Blue goes on to say that “this is the unique experience of those who minister among the poor. They are invited to encounter the utterly beautiful presence of God in the midst of those in need.”

Rob Bell speaks in one of the nooma DVD series entitled “Bullhorn” that how we love others is how we love God. I very much think that Mr. Blue would agree. Mr. Blue says that, “though Jesus says that the gospel is about justice for the poor, abandoning everything else for God’s kingdom, and hating our lives, we frequently seem to define it otherwise”, and “Jesus is very clear that concern for those in need is a litmus test of faith, not to be failed by any who hope to enter his kingdom.”

Practical Justice moves through discussions of “Should I help?” the three types of aid to offer, as well as how to live a life of justice. As to the question of “Should we in the Church help?” you probably could guess the type of answer from the above, but Mr. Blue takes it even a step further. He writes, “apart from substantive commitments to just and righteousness, worship is a mockery of God.”

Mr. Blue works directly with the poor & needy in Los Angeles & throughout the books, you get the sense that we doesn’t want to waste time. This is the issue, here it is, we need to get involved & get our hands dirty!

The three types of aid Mr. Blue mentions are direct relief (“giving a man a fish”), distributing skills (“teaching a man to fish”), & advocacy for a change in the system (what he calls “fixing the pond”). All three of these approaches are necessary & are ripe for people with different gift sets to become involved in different ways.

There are a few things that we are to keep in mind as we strive to live lives of justice according to Mr. Blue. “If we are involved in justice work for long, we recognize that indeed the world will be changed, and the Lord will do it in part through each of us; but the world will not become a fully just place, and there will be cruel and unjust people and systems within it until the Lord comes.” This statement is just to point out the reality of the situation & that it should not “discourage us, rather it should focus us on the task at hand.”

One of the most important things Mr. Blue said was “seeking justice can be an all-consuming task. Be patient and just keep working at it [justice] along with your group of explorers.” Once you see the need people, you feel that everyone should have the same passion & drive to help as you do. It will come in time, & sometimes that process is a slow arduous one. Let God work on their hearts as he did yours. It will come.

This book is an excellent resource to have in the fight for justice. I would encourage anyone to read this & work through it. Pick up a copy here for 20% off.

The AIDS Crisis

Today is World AIDS Day 2006. I am off that the Global Summit on AIDS & the Church at Saddleback. I look forward to listening to one of the authors of the book reviewed today at the conference. Deborah Dortzbach is the International Director for HIV/AIDS for World Relief. She will be at the conference speaking about the effects & implications of HIV & women. Her new book is entitled The AIDS Crisis: What We Can Do.

Before I read The AIDS Crisis, the book I would have given someone who wanted to read one book on AIDS would have been The Skeptic’s Guide to Understanding the Global AIDS Crisis. But The AIDS Crisis is the best book I have come across that not only explains the situation, but also tells people’s stories, shows that there is hope & offers insight & practical suggestions for becoming involved.

The authors tell personal stories of being involved in the lives of people with AIDS from their work with World Relief. World Relief works with local evangelical churches to bring relief to suffering people in the name of Christ.

This book offers information & ideas for the pandemic of AIDS. As the authors say, the question is not whether we should do anything – it is what CAN we do? The book takes the reader through the depth of the problem of AIDS around the world, sharing true stories of people afflicted with this preventable, treatable disease. The reader will learn the history of AIDS, from its reported outbreak in 1981 to how the disease affects the daily lives of millions of people to projections of the future ramifications.

Also, as evangelicals, one of the audiences the authors target is evangelicals & their churches. In talking about AIDS, there are certain other things that need to be addressed, such as human trafficking, sex & homosexuality. The authors share the hurt and heartbreak they have witnessed & that their aim is to save lives as well as save souls. They have also laid out the chapters in a format which is very conducive for group &/or personal study. At the end of each chapter are two sets of questions. The first set are for personal reflection & help you form your thought about the disease as well as help you try to understand what it would be like to be afflicted with it. The second set of questions are action steps – ways that you or your group can get involved in the fight against AIDS & make a difference both in the world & your community.

This book is a necessary book to be aware of (at least) regarding the fight against global AIDS. As Christians, we have taken a backseat long enough in fighting this pandemic & we must even take the lead in offering our help. We often hear people ask, why does God let evil like his to happen? He could ask us the same question. Please pick this book up & let it help you in your knowledge of fighting the global AIDS crisis.

Pick up The AIDS Crisis here for 20% off.
To find out more about World AIDS Day go here.
To get started informing yourself about AIDS browse through the books listed here at NSR
Other World AIDS Day Resources

This Beautiful Mess

In Rick McKinley’s second book, This Beautiful Mess, he discusses kingdom life – what does living out the kingdom of God look like? Mr. McKinley believes that the American church has separated Jesus from his kingship & from his kingdom. But it is not like we are living Kingless lives. Each person is encouraged & even expected in some instances to be the king of their own life. And although many of us think it is in his job description, Jesus is not interested in helping us be better kings. He is looks to unseat us & to rule over our lives.

How do you know if you are the king of your domain? Well, one way is when you rule your “kingdom”, you blame God for your troubles. I caught myself in this trap. Something would happen which I didn’t think should, or didn’t like & would ask, “Why is all this happening to me?” The disciples had a concept of this as well. They came across a blind man & asked Jesus whose fault it was – his sin or the sin of his parents. Jesus tells him that it was neither, but that he was born blind so the glory of God could be shown in him. Mr. McKinley believes that we need to get out of this trap & to let Jesus reign in our lives & see mess as an opportunity & as a place to bring glory to God.

Another thing Mr. McKinley finds in the Gospels is that nowhere does Jesus speak of building the kingdom. He talks about being the kingdom. He says that the church has divided the kingdom into parts, evangelism, discipleship, justice, work life, family, etc. When we divide things up like a human or the kingdom or whatever, we lose sight of what it truly is & focus so narrowly on the individual aspects. We need to see the whole & not just the parts.

The kingdom is a beautiful thing, but not because it has all its ducks in a row, or because everyone who is a part of it has it all together. The kingdom is beautiful because it is about others & that brings glory to God. Mr. McKinley says that we have a GAP version of the kingdom. We have a “franchise faith where everyone is winsome & smiling.” We try to make Christianity look like once you “join” you will magically have your life put together & in place. I don’t know about you, but I have been a Christian for over two decades & that has yet to come close to happening.

Overall, I would recommend Mr. McKinley’s book. He has some very important things to say about the kingdom, & we would be wise to ponder them.

You can pick this book up here for 20% off.

Confessions of a Pastor

I cannot get enough of this guy. I thoroughly enjoy Craig Groeschel’s ministry, writing & thinking. He is one of the most real writers you will ever come across & also has a gift for turning struggles & failures into opportunities for growth.

I tell everyone I meet, practically, about the great work that was Mr. Groeschel’s first book, Chazown. That book is one of the best books for people to go through, especially regarding discovering how God has wired you.

Confessions of a Pastor is simply a must read. Craig Groeschel is tired of being phony & desires personal integrity in his own life & hopes that his readers do as well. In this book, Mr. Groeschel lists a number of struggles & temptations which he has that may be true of most Christians, but dangerous to admit. If we were truly honest with ourselves, we could say the same things – Mr. Groeschel just does it in a public manner, for all to see.

This is not some kind of “tell-all” book that you would see on Behind the Music or the E True Hollywood Story. Confessions of a Pastor shows the shortcomings of an honest Christ-follower & how God has worked in his life & what we can do to gain victory over these struggles as well.

Rather than calling on everyone to confess before the whole church, Groeschel asks readers to “do what God requires,” whatever that may be. Confessions of a Pastor is a necessary book for the Church to hear. Authenticity is something that we must all strive for. People will not care for what we have to say, if we are not real in who we are.

Old Testament Today

Old Testament Today is a great book to be used for individual study or a great group resource for going through the whole Old Testament, or just specific portions for it. It follows the same format as the NIV Application Commentary set. If you are not familiar with that layout, here is a brief overview.
First the author (in this case Dr. Walton) presents the segment of Scripture being discussed. This is called the Original Meaning section. Here the reader gets historical background, what the original setting was like, who the intended audience was & any other pertinent literary information. The next segment is called Bridging Contexts. Here the author asks why the content we are given is given to us at all. This segment tries to connect the original audience & the current audience together. Is there any different meaning that the original audience would have understood, which would not be intuitive to us? Is there something which sticks out to us, but not to the intended audience? This section addresses these concerns. The last segment is called Contemporary Significance. Here the author makes the text come alive using illustrations & examples anyone could connect to. This is the practical, "What can we do with this passage?" section.

A few years ago, I took my high school students through the book of Genesis. I used Dr. Walton's commentary in the NIVAC. This was a phenomenal resource to use. It furthered my understanding of the text & helped me present it in an applicable & practical manner. One of the best examples of this is the correlation between the Tower of Babel & the Matrix. The week before we discussed the Tower of Babel, I gave the students a teaser that we would talk about the Matrix in relation to it & they were talking all week how the two would fit together. They seemed pleasantly surprised the next week as well & the connection helped them see the importance of that story more clear.

Old Testament Today does a excellent job presenting the message of the Old Testament in a clear, concise manner. Dr. Walton also lays out a few ways to use the book in the introduction. Dr. Walton Is a professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School, & brings his teaching style to the page. The flow of thought is easy & exceptionally readable & reads more like a novel than a commentary. This is a resource that anyone who teaches through the Old Testament should be familiar with. I think you will find it indispensable once you do use it.


Dr. Walton is the author of several books, including Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament, Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context, Covenant: God'’s Purpose, God'’s Plan, and IVP Bible Background Commentary of the Old Testament.
You can pick up any of these books for 20% off by clicking on them, or by going here.