The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and over the centuries it has changed people's lives and led them to God. Yet sometimes it can be a difficult book to understand. The culture in which the Bible was written is so different from our own that at times we struggle to understand what it means or how it is relevant to our modern lives. In this 14-session video Bible study (DVD/digital sold separately), Bible professors John Walton and Mark Strauss give you the background you need to successfully understand even the difficult parts of the Word of God. They provide an overview of the Bible's key themes, show what the teachings meant to the people at the time, and explain how those teachings apply to your life today. By the end, you will have a greater understanding of Scripture, know how all the books work together, and understand what God has done to make a way for you to come to him. This study guide includes: Group discussion questions and notes to help you get the most out of the fourteen video sessions in A Brief Study of the Bible Video Study An overview of each book of the Bible and a daily reading plan Between-sessions Scripture passages, reading tips, and key stories to help you dig into the content Additional facts to help you understand the situations behind the story Sessions include: Introduction Genesis-Exodus Leviticus-Deuteronomy Joshua-1 Samuel 2 Samuel-2 Kings 1 Chronicles-Nehemiah Esther-Psalm 90 Psalm 91-Song of Songs Isaiah-Lamentations Ezekiel-Malachi Matthew Mark-Acts 8 Acts 9-Philemon Hebrews-Revelation Designed for use with A Brief Survey of the Bible Video Study (sold separately).

This six-session small group Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately) by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume nine of the That the World May Know series. When the Israelites left Egypt, they were finally free. Free from persecution, free from oppression, and free to worship their God. But with that freedom comes a new challenge - learning how to live together the way God intends. In this ninth volume of Faith Lessons, discover how God teaches the Israelites what it means to be part of a community that loves him and what that means for us today. Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God's Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible's fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures' significance for modern believers. Each lesson: Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection Includes 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today. The companion DVD for Fire On The Mountain was filmed on location at the Red Sea, Sinai, Serabit al Khadim, and Jebel Katarina. These illuminating "faith lessons" afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study. Lessons include: The Lord Who Heals You - Filmed at the Red Sea and Sinai Not By Bread Alone - Filmed in Sinai Their Blood Cried Out - Filmed at Serabit al Khadim The Mountain of God - Filmed at Jebel Katarina I Led You Like a Bride - Filmed at Jebel Katarina The Whisper of God - Filmed at Jebel Katarina This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the Fire On The Mountain DVD (sold separately).

FUNCITIONAL IMAGES OF THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATOR is one of those rare and precious books which helps religious educators explore and clarify their own special identity as religious educators. This special identity is revealed in ten basic functional roles which are central to religious education enactment. The author shows that while religious educators perform most and possibly all these ten basic functional roles, nonetheless one predominates. This dominant role, plus the way the religious educator harmoniously integrates the other roles into the dominant one, is the key to each religious educator's own special identity.

The cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Perched atop a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. An odd choice, don't you think? Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. Would you wear a tiny electric chair around your neck? Suspend a gold-plated hangman's noose on the wall? Would you print a picture of a firing squad on a business card? Yet we do so with the cross. Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn't be simpler. One beam horizontal-the other vertical. One reaches out-like God's love. The other reaches up-as does God's holiness. One represents the width of His love; the other reflects the height of His holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave His children without lowering His standards. How could He do this? In a sentence: God put our sin on His Son and punished it there. "God put on him the wrong who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God" (2 Corinthians 5:21 MSG). Or as rendered elsewhere: "Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God" (CEV). Envision the moment. God on His throne. You on the earth. And between you and God, suspended between you and heaven, is Christ on His cross. Your sins have been placed on Jesus. God, who punishes sin, releases His rightful wrath on your mistakes. Jesus receives the blow. Since Christ is between you and God, you don't. The sin is punished, but you are safe-safe in the shadow of the cross. This is what God did, but why, why would He do it? Moral duty? Heavenly obligation? Paternal requirement? No. God is required to do nothing. Besides, consider what He did. Just for you He gave His Son. His only Son. Would you do that? Would you offer the life of your child for someone else? I wouldn't. There are those for whom I would give my life. But ask me to make a list of those for whom I would kill my daughter? The sheet will be blank. I don't need a pencil. The list has no names. But God's list contains the name of every person who ever lived. For this is the scope of His love. And this is the reason for the cross. He loves the world. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3:16 NLT). As boldly as the center beam proclaims God's holiness, the crossbeam declares His love. And, oh, how wide His love reaches. Aren't you glad the verse does not read: "For God so loved the rich..."? Or, "For God so loved the famous..."? Or, "For God so loved the thin..."? It doesn't. Nor does it state, "For God so loved the Europeans or Africans..." "the sober or successful..." "the young or the old..." No, when we read John 3:16, we simply (and happily) read, "For God so loved the world." How wide is God's love? Wide enough for the whole world. Are you included in the world? Then you are included in God's love. God's love is just for you. It's nice to be included. You aren't always. Universities exclude you if you aren't smart enough. Businesses exclude you if you aren't qualified enough, and, sadly, some churches exclude you if you aren't good enough. But though they may exclude you, Christ includes you. When asked to describe the width of His love, He stretched one hand to the right and the other to the left and had them nailed in that position so you would know He died loving you. But isn't there a limit? Surely there has to be an end to this love. You'd think so, wouldn't you? But David the adulterer never found it. Paul the murderer never found it. Peter the liar never found it. When it came to life, they hit bottom. But when it came to God's love, they never did. They, like you, found their names on God's list of love. Because God loves you, He has invited you to enjoy eternal life with Him in Heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 NIV). Jesus made a way to accept God's invitation, and He did it just for you. Accept God's invitation by believing that Jesus received the punishment for your sin by His death on the cross. Confess that you've sinned and ask His forgiveness. Invite Him into your life and ask for God's help to turn from your sin. You can pray something like this: Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. Thank You for sending Jesus to suffer the punishment deserved for my sin. Please come into my life and help me live a life that pleases You. Amen. If you have just accepted God's invitation to you, write your name below as a testimony of your decision. Then write to us and we'll send you free literature to help you grow in your new life with Christ. Excerpted from He Chose the Nails: What God Did to Win Your Heart by Max Lucado. (c)2000 Max Lucado. Used by permission of Word Publishing, Nashville, TN.

Choices, Choices, Choices: Managing My Life is designed for twelfth grade students, but can be used in grades nine, ten, or eleven. The text leads students to consider many of the issues that confront young adult Christians in today's world. By exploring God's Word in the context of these issues, students are led to bring their problems and concern to the one who waits to listen, receive, forgive and renew those who love and trust in Him. 13 chapters. 90 sessions.

This journal is for those who are hungry for more.

The Captivating Guided Journal is designed to complement your reading of Captivating – there is one chapter in the journal for every one of the twelve chapters in the book. Using this journal means you’re hungry for more. More of Jesus, more healing, more restoration, and more transformation into the woman you were created to be. You even get more in the journal itself! The “Windows to the Heart” and “Lifting the Veil” sections feature special features and excerpts from other books and movies that you won’t find in the companion book.

By the way, this is not your normal “workbook.” There are no wrong answers. No fill-in-the-blanks. You don’t have to struggle or worry about “getting it right.” Who wants another workbook anyway? We have enough work to do already. Besides, calling this a workbook would imply that the messages in the book Captivating are to be mastered. And mastered in a measurable way. Not at all. The messages in the book are to be pondered, considered. Some embraced. Some practiced. Some set aside for a later time.

In this journal you will experience…

• Excerpts from the companion book, Captivating
• Guided prayers
• “Windows to Your Heart” – insights from movies, books, and music
• “Lifting the Veil” – an activity or exercise to try
• Journaling prompts correlating to each section of the chapter in the book

In this six-session small group Bible study, The Christian Atheist, pastor and author Craig Groeschel leads you and your group on a personal journey toward an authentic, God-honoring life. This honest, hard-hitting, and eye-opening look into the ways people believe in God but live as if he doesn t exist is a classic in the making. You believe in God, attend church when it s convenient, and you generally treat people with kindness. But, have you surrendered to God completely, living every day depending upon the Holy Spirit? In this small group bible study, Groeschel encourages you and your group to be more than just Christian in name, to be honest before God, and to break free of hypocrisy to live a more authentic, God-honoring life. This Participant Guide is designed for use with The Christian Atheist DVD (sold separately). It s filled with helpful discussion starters, self-assessment tools, process questions and much more. Sessions include: 1. When you Believe in God but Don t Really Know Him 2. When you Believe in God but Don t Think He s Fair3. When You Believe in God but Aren t Sure He Loves You 4. When You Believe in God but Trust More in Money 5. When You Believe in God but Pursue Happiness at Any Cost 6. When You Believe in God but Don t Want to Go Overboard"

Are you searching for more than a surface reading of the Bible? These fifty-two weekly studies emphasize personal application and will draw you directly into God's Word ... in order to love Him more. In this roll-up-your-sleeves look at Scripture, each of the studies begins with a short reflection tied to the present day, providing you a springboard into the various passages presented from the Old and New Testaments. Then, in a refreshing departure from other Bible studies, the author doesn't explain what the passage means or offer support on what she feels God is trying to say through Scripture. Instead, Anne asks dozens of questions in each study, prompting you to personally dig into Scripture and discover God's specific message for yourself. Into the Word is more than surface deep ... it's a spiritual study guide that leads you to the heart of God's Word.

Your high school students probably think they know a lot about Jesus. But do they know how the stories of Jesus life relate to their own? If you want to get them thinking and talking about Jesus---who he really was, and what that means for them today---you have everything you need right here. The latest addition to the best-selling TalkSheets series, High School TalkSheets: Life of Christ gives you easy-to-use discussion starters and the tools to lead students into meaningful dialogue about Jesus. The one-page, reproducible handouts offer provocative questions in a compelling design that cover everything from the prediction of his birth to his ascension. Students will delve into each aspect of Jesus life while looking at it through the lens of their own world and applying it to their own lives. These TalkSheets present every aspect of Jesus life in a way that young teens can connect with as they learn to apply the lessons to their own lives. TalkSheets makes the Bible relevant and engaging for students, while offering helpful hints and optional activities to help your youth ministry team effectively facilitate great conversations---without a lot of prep work."

It s not hard to get middle schoolers to talk unless you re talking about something other than the latest band, movie, or the opposite sex If you want to get them thinking and talking about Jesus---beyond the flannelgraph, Sunday school Jesus---you have everything you need right here. The latest addition to the best-selling TalkSheets series, Middle School TalkSheets: Life of Christ gives you easy-to-use discussion starters and the tools to lead students into meaningful dialogue about Jesus. The one-page, reproducible handouts offer provocative questions in a compelling design that keep in mind the unique challenges of middle school discussions. These TalkSheets present every aspect of Jesus life in a way that young teens can connect with as they learn to apply the lessons to their own lives. TalkSheets makes the Bible relevant and engaging for students, while offering helpful hints and optional activities to help your youth ministry team effectively facilitate great conversations---without a lot of prep work."

Many people are obsessed with the approval of others. The problem is that living for what people think of you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about you. In Altar Ego, author Craig Groeschel shows individuals and small groups how to abandon self-worth based on accomplishments and possessions, turning instead to the eyes of God to define them. Participants will learn to expose false labels and selfish motives as the roadblocks they are, going instead to the altar of God's truth and pursuing the higher values he sets above the world. You don't have to get caught up in your self-worth or lack thereof. Your worth is not based on your opinion of yourself. You are valuable because God says you are His. You are not your past. You are not what you did. You are not who others say you are. You are who Christ says you are. This study guide (DVD/digital video sold separately) offers discussion questions and other supplemental material to delve further into God's divine plan, and will ultimately help you sacrifice any old, unhealthy, untrue, and unbiblical thoughts about yourself and introduce you to your altar-ego-who you are in Christ. Sessions include: Overcoming the Labels that Bind You You Are God's Masterpiece Trading the Immediate for the Ultimate Living with Integrity Developing Spiritual Boldness Designed for use with Altar Ego Video Study 9780310894933 (sold separately).

The church across North America has struggled to minister effectively with children, teens, and adults with common mental health conditions and their families. One reason for the lack of ministry is the absence of a widely accepted model for mental health outreach and inclusion. In Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions, Dr. Stephen Grcevich presents a simple and flexible model for mental health inclusion ministry for implementation by churches of all sizes, denominations, and organizational styles. The model is based upon recognition of seven barriers to church attendance and assimilation resulting from mental illness: stigma, anxiety, self-control, differences in social communication and sensory processing, social isolation and past experiences of church. Seven broad inclusion strategies are presented for helping persons of all ages with common mental health conditions and their families to fully participate in all of the ministries offered by the local church. The book is also designed to be a useful resource for parents, grandparents and spouses interested in promoting the spiritual growth of loved ones with mental illness.

La scene de la vie quotidienne qu'offre la Republique Democratique du Congo (RDC) depuis quelques decennies est marquee par une crise d'identite due a de multiples mouvements de rebellions armees et de guerres. Suivant une hermeneutique dite contextuelle qui prend au serieux la singularite de tout contexte particulier, la presente reflexion analyse ce contexte socioculturel congolais. L'auteur propose quelques pistes pour relever ces defis. La reponse sociologique, anthropologique et ethique passe par une hermeneutique adequate de la diversite humaine. La realite humaine se definit par les figures plurielles d'etre et d'action, la diversite de visions du monde et la variete des modes d'approches de ce monde. La reconciliation comme proposition dans la construction du vivre-ensemble a, en effet, son Sitz-im-Leben dans la multiplicite des visions du monde qu'implique la diversite humaine. Cette approche de la Reconciliation est centree sur une dynamique identitaire qui insiste sur le sens de la relation. Ce que nous appelons la mise en valeur de l'Alterite, autrement dit la Reconnaissance mutuelle. A l'horizon de cette demarche, il y a une volonte profonde et reelle d'ouvrir la RDC a des devenirs possibles en pensant les diverses modalites de vivre-ensemble.

This volume brings together the work of a wide range of scholars to explore the long and complex history of the relationships between churches and education. Christianity has always been involved in education, from the very earliest teaching of those about to be baptised, to present-day churches' involvement in schools and higher education. Christianity has a core theological concern for teaching, discipleship and formation, but the dissemination of Christian ideas and positions has not necessarily been an explicitly didactic process. Educational projects have served not only to support but also to question and even reconfigure particular versions of the Christian message, and the recipients of education have also both received and subverted the teaching offered. Under the editorship of Morwenna Ludlow, this volume explores the ways in which churches have sought to educate, catechise and instruct the clergy and laity, adults and children, men and women, boys and girls.

Lent in 50 Moments comprises meditations on fifty daily moments - ideas, objects, or happenings frozen in time - offered as signposts and guidance for our Lenten journey. The moments have been chosen by Liam Kelly, who has written a reflection for every day, and a question for prayerful response. He has also chosen a quotation to prompt further thought, and provides biblical references for each day's readings at Mass in the Catholic Church. Each of the fifty moments has been skilfully illustrated by artist Ted Harrison. The book as a whole provides a unique, stimulating and visually memorable companion for faith and reflection during Lent and Eastertide.