Mission

Posts on Christian mission, ministry and service in God’s world.

Use These Outreach Books (5 Zondervan Authors Honored with Outreach 2012 Resources of the Year Awards)

 

The 2012 Outreach Resources of the Year were announced today in a press release from Outreach magazine, honoring twenty evangelism-themed resources from the last year. Five of these resources are by by Zondervan authors.

The Outreach Resources of the Year series celebrates of "the best outreach-oriented books and curricula," says the magazine, which selects titles in "areas such as evangelism, compassion and justice ministries, missional living and cross-cultural ministries." Here is the magazine's Editor, Brian Orme, on the goal of the series:

These resources deserve accolades, but Outreach Resources of the Year is about more than that… We strive to help churches share God's love, reach their communities and change the world. Drawing their attention to the best resources available each year is one way we do that.

 

We at Zondervan couldn't agree more with Orme. Of course we're thrilled for our authors when they receive awards — we love our authors, and it's exciting to see their excellent work honored by others. But the chief reason we celebrate today is this: we're blessed to work with authors who help people share God's love and transform the world.

 

Here's the scoop on these five award-winning Zondervan authors and their books:

USE THESE BOOKS:
Five 2012 Outreach Resources of the Year

1. Evangelism

Learn more about One Thousand Gifts

The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited
by Scot McKnight (@scotmcknight)
Evangelicals have reduced the gospel to the message of personal salvation. This book makes a plea for us to recover the old gospel as that which is still new and still fresh. (From the synopsis)
Read Excerpt
Learn More about The King Jesus Gospel

2. Church & Culture

Learn more about Understanding World Religions

Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women
by Carolyn Custis James (@carolynezer)
James unpacks three transformative themes in the Bible that raise the bar for women and calls them to join their brothers in advancing God's gracious kingdom on earth. (From the synopsis)
Read Excerpt
Learn more about Half the Church
Visit James's Blog

3. Children's Outreach

Learn more about Ocean Adventures Book

The Nature of God: Ocean Adventures Book & DVDs
by Peter Schriemer (Follow @peterschriemer)
With rich and age-appropriate content based on & supplementing the presentations of Peter Schriemer in the DVD collection Nature of God, readers learn more about God's creation of eco-systems, flora, and fauna specifically found in the Hawaiian Islands of the United States. (From the synopsis)
Learn More about Ocean Adventures Book
Visit "The Nature of God" Page on Facebook

4. Youth Outreach

Learn more about Sticky Faith

Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids
by Kara Powell (@kpowellfyi & @stickyfaith)
Based on Fuller Youth Institute findings, this easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to actively encourage their children's spiritual growth so that it will stick to them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith. (From the synopsis)
Learn More about Sticky Faith
Visit the Sticky Faith Website

5. Small Group Curriculum

Learn more about The Christian Faith

Muslims, Christians, and Jesus DVD: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships
by Carl Medearis (Follow @carlmedearis)
Medearis, an international expert in the field of Arab-American and Muslim-Christian relations, provides American Christians background info on Islam and tools for sharing Christ with their Muslim neighbors. (From the synopsis)
Learn More about Muslims, Christians, & Jesus DVD

If you would like to send one of these authors congratulations on their achievement, leave your comment on Zondervan's EngagingChurch Blog. My coworker, Andrew Rogers, has graciously volunteered to forward everyone's messages to the authors!

The full list of 20 award winners are featured in the March/April 2012 issue of Outreach. Now we've covered five of Outreach's favorite books on evangelism. What's your favorite?

 

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan. Big tip of the hat to Andrew Rogers.

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives; the writer's opinions are his own, and are only intended for information purposes. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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Small Group Videos Galore: Watch Over 50 Full Bible Study Sessions for Free

 

Have you ever watched a trailer for a movie, then watched the movie, only to realize the trailer collected all the best parts, or it told you nothing about the movie's real plot? While curriculum trailers aren't exactly like that, sometimes watching a two-minute trailer just won't tell you if you want to spend 4-12 weeks with the topic, or study, or author.

Watching the complete first session of the curriculum is a great indicator of what the rest of the sessions will be like. That's why we're making the first sessions of our video-based curriculum available for free on YouTube.

View the curriculum videos playlist

 

Today we have 50-plus full video sessions loaded on the playlist (zndr.vn/curriculumvideos). We will continue to add more until there's video available from every group study that Zondervan publishes.

Now you can watch full curriculum sessions from bestselling authors like…

 

 

If you like what you see, you can visit Amazon, CBD.com, BN.com or your local retailer and get the DVD and Participant's Guides for yourself and your small group.

 

Tips for Small Group Members

  1. Share the videos with your small group via Facebook to discuss what you might want to study.
  2. Subscribe to the YouTube playlist (http://zndr.vn/curriculumvideos) because more videos are coming soon.
  3. Most of all, enjoy!

 

- Chris Fann, Zondervan Curriculum Marketing

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's opinions are their own, and are shared for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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King Jesus, His Gospel, and Us: Recap of N.T. Wright’s January Series Message

 

Yesterday the venerable N.T. Wright concluded the 2012 January Series of Calvin College with a message on Christ's kingship, and its import for the daily life of his followers. I couldn't attend the event, but Press reporter Matt Vande Bunte offers a pithy recap of Wright's presentation.

NT Wright

Image via MLive Media Group. View Original

In one of his more provocative points, Wright suggests that Christians inadvertently water down the gospel if they fixate on the death-and-resurrection part of the story. Here Vande Bunte quotes Wright:

 *While some [secular thinkers] downplay Christ's divinity [by imagining] Jesus as a great social worker "being kind to old ladies, small dogs and little children," orthodox Christianity "has not wanted Jesus to have a political message." Christians have turned off parts of the gospel, like turning down the volume on a song. But the biblical gospels must be listened to in symphony, "like a musical score that demands to be played."

*Heard in full sound, the gospels tell about the establishment of a theocracy, and portray what theocracy looks like with Jesus as king. The body of the texts – the parts between Jesus' birth and death – present "an entire agenda for renewed humanity. When God wants to reign, he doesn't send in the tanks. He sends in the meek, the broken-hearted, the crushed in spirit. We've all got it horribly wrong in all sorts of ways."

In other words, Wright says that to limit our gospel proclamation to the death-and-resurrection story would be like fast-forwarding through Handel's Messiah to the Hallelujah Chorus, then playing that part over, and over, and over again. As we limit our study and consumption of the gospel in this way, we truncate the gospel's power in our lives and in our world.

Wright's call to a more full, symphonic view of the gospel reminds me of Scot McKnight's latest book, The King Jesus Gospel, to which Wright actually contributed a foreword. You can read Wright's foreword in this excerpt of The King Jesus Gospel.

If you read Matt Van Bunte's full report of Wright's January Series appearance, I would be very interested in hearing your reaction to Wright's message. Leave your comments on this post.

 

Also of Interest

Learn more about Surprised by Hope DVD Study
Learn More

1. Watch Session One from Wright's Surprised by Hope DVD Study. Discussed: The source of Christian hope; Jesus as king; the church as people of hope.

2. Watch N.T. Wright's presentation How God Became King at Moody Bible Institute in November 2011.

3. Interested in Scot McKnight's The King Jesus Gospel? Read this unconventional yet appropriate review,  Interview with a Christian Vampire. (Full disclosure: I wrote the review.)

4. Update 1/26/12 – Find comprehensive coverage & commentary on Wright's appearance in So, who's up for a little theocracy?, a fine blog post by Ben Irwin (@benirwin).

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's opinions are their own, and are shared for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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The Hitchhiker and the Blue Jeans – A Surprise Blessing [Excerpt]

 

In this excerpt from her new memoir Faith and Other Flat Tires, Andrea Palpant Dilley shares a surprising experience with a hitchhiker that she will never forget.

 

image from www.zondervan.com
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From Faith and Other Flat Tires: Searching for God on the Rough Road of Doubt

One winter afternoon when I was twelve years old, my father picked up a hitchhiker. My two brothers were sitting with me in the back seat of our Plymouth Voyager van…

The hitchhiker looked sixteen or seventeen, a tall Scandinavian wearing blue jeans with big holes in the knees. It was thirty-five degrees out. He ducked his head and climbed into the van with us, and then my dad drove on. The ensuing conversation, which I will never forget, went something like this:

"These are my kids, Andrea, Ben, and Nate. My name's Sam. What's your name?"

"Donovan," the hitchhiker said.

"Oh, that's a good name." My father paused. "Have you ever heard of Amy Carmichael?"

"Um, no…"

"She was a Christian missionary to India who worked to save young girls from sex trade enslavement. The place where she worked was called Dohnavur, which is kind of close to your name, Donovan. So you have a good name, a name with Christian purpose."

"Oh."

In the hitchhiker's long pause that followed, I remember thinking, My father is out of his mind, preying on this young hitchhiker who wanted a ride and instead got a church sermon on Christian missionary history. I felt embarrassed in the same way I did when my dad prayed over our food in a restaurant and the waiter brought the ketchup while he was still praying.

Donovan rode with us for several miles until we reached the cut-off road to our house. After pulling the van onto the shoulder to let him out, my dad turned to my older brother, who was about the same size as the hitchhiker, and said, "Ben, why don't you give Donovan your jeans. It's cold out."

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4 Bold Ideas about Compassion that Can Transform Your Life in 2012

 

1. We often confuse the heart of compassion that requires a response with the feeling of sympathy that remains idle.

 

2. Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it. But, I'm afraid He would ask me the same question. [-Anonymous]

 

3. Need is everywhere, yet we too often fail to see it. If we don't see it, we won't be bothered by it. If we're not bothered by it, we won't engage it. By our neglect, we become the oppressor.

 

4. All movement toward mission requires sacrifice. Nothing of great value comes without great cost.

 

Learn More about Barefoot Church Learn More

These quotes are from Barefoot Church: Serving the Least in a Consumer Culture by Brandon Hatmaker (@brandonhatmaker).

Learn more about Barefoot Church.

 

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team

 

(This post does not represent the official view of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's opinions are their own, and are shared for information purposes only. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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Interview with a Christian Vampire

 

'Gospels of sin management' presume a Christ with no serious work other than redeeming humankind … [and] they foster 'vampire Christians,' who only want a little blood for their sins but nothing more to do with Jesus until heaven.

-Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

DOCTOR VANHELSING'S JOURNAL

31 October. On the dark side of twilight, I at last have reached Count Dracula's castle. The Count greeted me eagerly if not warmly, then ushered me into his dining room, where "Our encounter will be most appropriate," whatever that means. I am grateful for the food offered me, but the Count eats naught. From across the table he stares, intently, or almost hungry. Those eyes… I have a creeping feeling this interview was a mistake, but Dracula is the most influential Christian in this region, and I must challenge him with the questions that have seized my psyche over the last three months!

 

Those eyes... more 'undead' than alive...

COUNT: What brings you to my home, Doctor…?

 

ZBLOG: VanHelsing. My name is Zonder VanHelsing. I've come to interview you about the King you serve.

COUNT: I serve no King. I am the sovereign of Transylvania, and you do well to remember that, my good Doctor.

 

ZBLOG: Forgive me, I just mean, it is said you've been a Christian for some time now?

COUNT: Oh. Yes, in my youth I made a decision for Christ.

 

ZBLOG: What did you decide?

COUNT: What do you mean? I decided to believe the gospel.

 

ZBLOG: Please tell me, what is "the gospel"?

COUNT: [He furrows his brow, as if trying to decide whether I'm playing a joke. There are tense moments, but at last he continues.] Everyone knows what the gospel is, but very well, I'll play your game.

We're sinners. If we believe in Jesus, his blood saves us from hell. Jesus died on my behalf so that I do not have to. And that's that.

 

ZBLOG: And how does your decision to accept Christ connect to discipleship?

COUNT: What do you mean?

 

ZBLOG: Well, I've recently read in Dr. Scot McKnight's new book The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited that as many as 75 percent of Americans have made a decision to accept Christ, but only about 25 percent Americans go to church regularly.

McKnight also claims this: "Most of evangelism today is obsessed with getting someone to make a decision; the apostles, however, were obsessed with making disciples." So, tell me about your transition from the Decided to the Discipled.

COUNT: Discipled, what nonsense. I became a disciple when I decided to believe in the power of Jesus' blood! The blood is the life! You cannot let the power of the blood and salvation by faith become eclipsed by discipleship. No, you don't need to do anything if you know and believe the central idea of "justification by faith."

 

ZBLOG: It's interesting you think so, since justification by faith isn't mentioned in the Gospels. And I happen to believe that if we're not growing in our faith, we're, er… undead.

COUNT: You try my patience, Doctor! Why don't you tell me what you think the gospel is!

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Going Deeper (3 Commitments on the Way)



I've said it, and maybe you have too: "I wish the preaching would go deeper." What did we really mean?

I wondered this when I read a recent post by pastor and writer Kurt Willems (@kurtwillems). Willems knows a lot of people who have left their church because it didn't go deep enough. This is occasionally a valid reason, but Willems suspects it's more likely to be a holy-sounding excuse for leaving a church that we just don't like.

 

What does "going deeper" really look like?

To challenge our thinking about what we're looking for (and not looking for) in our faith journey, Willems quotes from writer/pastor Alan Danielson's 3-point definition of going deeper:

 

1. Going deeper into my commitment to God's Church.

I can't be committed to Jesus (the head) without being committed to the church (His body)…

 

2. Going deeper into my commitment to the world.

…If I am to "go deeper" I must dive deeper into the muck and mire of a borken world in order to reach people…

 

3. Going deeper into my commitment to being mastered by Christ.

I'm a work-in-progress, and the more God works on me, the more progress I realize I need…

 

Danielson summarizes, "Deepening knowledge is not enough; it must accompany deepening commitments!" On Willems' post, commenter Craig Falvo reminds us that commitment will become visible in action:  "At my last church, going deeper would mean … getting into the Word. Lots of talk about it, little emphasis on doing." Falvo then pleasantly surprised us by adding, "At my current church, we … are working our way through the Bible using Zondervan's The Story.  The emphasis from preaching bleeds over into the small  groups… The trick is going to be to keep the excitment going throught the year." (Incidentally, Falvo makes a good point that it can be a challenge to remain engaged throughout a year-long series. Soon we'll share some tips on how your church can make the most out of your year in The Story.)

My personal opinion of The Story is that it first targets Commitment #3. The Story helps people encounter the Christ of Scripture (#3); The Story also helps people unite as a church body (#1); the united body serves by spreading Christ's love and hope to the world (#2).

Which of the three commitments of going deeper do you find most difficult, and which is most energizing? Commitment to God's church, commitment to reaching our world, or commitment to being mastered by Christ?

Learn more about how The Story is taking people deep into Scripture.

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its partners and representatives. The writer's opinions are his own, and he's sharing them for information and entertainment purposes only.)


http://www.thestory.com/the-story-testimonials?cm_mmc=ZT-_-Blog-Sep11-_-Blog-_-The+Story+Testimonials
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Baseball & Other Ways to Live Out the Gospel: Interview with Tom Roy

 

I jumped at the opportunity to interview Tom Roy, former baseball player for the San Francisco Giants, and President of Unlimited Potential Inc. (UPI). UPI is a world-wide ministry that serves Christ through baseball, and Tom has appeared at speaking events and in baseball clinics in over 60 countries.

Tom graciously gave his time to discuss how baseball has informed his view of Christian mission; how we can navigate failures and successes; and how we can make a difference for Christ wherever we work, play, and live.

 

Tom and Carin Roy
Tom Roy & his wife, Carin.

ZBLOG: Tom, I challenge you to tell me about UPI in the time it takes to run to first base.

TOM: (Hmmm…I am a very slow runner!) The purpose of UPI is to Reach, Teach, Train for the purpose of Sending ballplayers onto the mission field in the clubhouse, the community, the church and the entire world.

 

ZBLOG: UPI does a lot of cool things, but what is it about the ministry that gets you most excited? What makes you think, “This is why I do what I do”?

TOM: I get fired up to see God working in the hearts of men to be men and reach their world — to see the light go on about what living an authentic life with Jesus looks like. Jesus said in John 17, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but rather that you protect them from the evil one.” Infiltrating their culture with Jesus gets me excited.

 

ZBLOG: I like how you say “infiltrating” our cultures for Jesus. How would you advise someone who wants to do that, but doesn’t know how to get started? Do you have any tips on being salt and light?

TOM: Yes I do —

  1. Care for people! Ask about them. There is often more power in asking good questions than having the right answers.
  2. Don’t see them as projects, but as people. Develop a genuine relationship. If the timing is appropriate, ask what they think of Jesus. Or ask if they have a spiritual philosophy.
  3. I used to think every soul I met was like the final out of a game. Now I see that God sometimes allows us be a starter, sometimes a middle man, sometimes a set up man and once in a while a closer. HE will bring people to himself.

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Margaret Feinberg on Women in Politics


Margaret Feinberg wrote a recent piece for The Washington Post as part of a continuing discussion on women leaders, biblical submission and servant leadership.

Feinberg’s latest article, entitled “The Proverbs 31 Politician,” looks at questions including:

  • What does the Bible say about women pursuing politics?
  • How would a President Bachmann balance biblical teachings and political decisions?

Read Feinberg’s full article at The Washington Post site: http://zndr.vn/oSA78N.

What do you think?
Do you agree with Feinberg that Deborah and Esther serve as good examples that women can, and sometimes should, pursue political leadership? Share your thoughts in a comment.


About Margaret Feinberg
Margaret Feinberg is a popular speaker at churches and events such as Catalyst and Creation Festival. Named one of the Thirty Emerging Voices of Christian leaders under age forty by Charisma magazine, she is author of Hungry for God, Scouting the Divine, The Organic God and The Sacred Echo. She lives in Colorado with her hubby, Leif, and superpup, Hershey. She blogs at margaretfeinberg.com.

Margaret Feinberg

 

 

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Beyond Crime and Punishment: Philip Yancey on Prison Fellowship International

 

In his latest blogpost Philip Yancey reflects on his experience at the recent conference of Prison Fellowship International (PFI). For those unfamiliar with PFI, they minister in over 120 countries to prisoners, ex-prisoners, victims and their families. Their vision is to bring restoration and reconciliation into the lives of those involved in and affected by crime. I imagine this wouldn’t be easy anywhere, and sometimes they’re active in prison conditions that, in Yancey’s words, “rival Nazi concentration camps.”

Ron Nikkel
Ron Nikkel, President of PFI, has visited more prisons than anyone else in history.

What drives PFI volunteers to do what they do? Most at the conference “insist they do it because Jesus commanded it,” says Yancey. “Announcing his mission, [Jesus] included the goal to ‘liberate the captives’ [Luke 4:14-20] and he said in Matthew 25 that God will judge the nations on how we cared for ‘the least of these,’ including prisoners.”

So how are our nations doing on caring for prisoners? Not so good, says PFI President Ron Nikkel, who has probably visited more prisons than anyone else in history. Nikkel has an interesting opinion about what it takes to bring down crime, and I encourage you to read his thoughts in Yancey’s post.

The passion of Nikkel and the volunteers crept under my skin. One commenter says aptly, “It’s the kind of stuff that gives you goosebumps – that someone has decided to not forget about prisoners, someone has decided to not write them off as either too far gone or not worth ministering to.” 

Yancey concludes his post with a provocative aside: we can’t tell the Christian story without including prisoners. There’s John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, the thieves crucified next to Jesus, and Jesus himself. If I noticed this before, then I forgot it. I also tend to forget  that every century since then has seen prisoners and martyrs of the faith; and too often I forget that some studies say as many as 1 in 31 American adults are on probation or incarcerated. So PFI got me thinking about some things. They take a hard road when they refuse to write people off as “too far gone” or “not worth ministering to,” and I’m thankful for their service.

You can learn how to get involved in PFI’s ministry at pfi.org.
(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team) 

PS: Have you ever read a life-changing book from a Christian who has been to prison? I know a lot of people who love the prison writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I recommend Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s masterful history The Gulag Archipelago.

 

 

 

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