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A Life Worth Questioning (John Dickson on Evangelism & Good Living)

Feb 16

Before we can give answers about Christ, we must be asked questions. Find out how to invite more questions in this excerpt from author & pastor John Dickson's book The Best-Kept Secret of Christian Mission (eBook).

Living a Life that Stands Out

The apostle Peter's "be prepared to give an answer to everyone" sounds very much like the apostle Paul's "know how to answer everyone". It is as if the two of them got together on this issue to make sure they told their congregations the same thing: be ready and willing to answer those who do not yet believe…

[It is] worth noting that both apostles' exhortations to speak about Christ appear in the context of instructions about living godly lives. [Peter writes,]

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing. (1 Peter 3:8–9)

Christians will not stand out in this world simply by being "nice" …

The life out of which we are to speak [about Christ] is not simply a moralistic life. It is a life of humility, compassion, nonretaliation and so on: in other words, a life of love. Christians will not stand out in this world simply by being "nice" and "ethical", but they will if they live the life described here, the life epitomised by the Saviour himself.

The point is simple: we are to live lives worth questioning and then offer answers worth hearing.

As Christ did, give off light that brings questions

- John Dickson

Question: What's the difference between being "nice" and living by Jesus's example?

Learn More

Learn more about The Best Kept Secretion of Christian Mission eBook

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

(Images & some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of Best Kept Secret. Image attribution: video by CarbonNYC under creative commons license, via Flickr, and special thanks castingoutnines.wordpress.com. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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Re:Word Weekly – 2/10/2012

Feb 10

Re:Word is our weekly roundup of stories for disciples who read, write, and create.

Top Stories from the Week

1. Feast your eyes on Visual Theology – The Books of the Bible. You'll find a free PDF download of the infographic in Tim Challies's post. (@challies is author of The Next Story)

Find and download other sizes.

2. The secret document that transformed China

"In 1978, the farmers in a small Chinese village called Xiaogang gathered in a mud hut to sign a secret contract. They thought it might get them executed. Instead, it wound up transforming China's economy in ways that are still reverberating today."

I hope Yen Jingchang is able to share more of his tale without endangering himself. His is the kind of story that makes me stop and cry out, Is there a biographer in the house? (via @brainpicker)

3. "From Faith to Faithing" Is following Jesus more like a noun (faith) or a verb (faithing)? Kara Powell explores how the faithing view is more in line with the Apostle Peter's example. (via @kpowellfyi. Powell is author of Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids)

4. Sweet potato hash brown recipe – I didn't know fasting could taste this good… (via @kristenfeola, author of The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast)

5. Bloggers: "Is perfectionism stalling your productivity?" 5 encouragements for the blogger perfectionist by Darren Rowse (@problogger). Most intriguing tip: "Realize that an incomplete post will probably attract more comments." What do you think, have you seen success with an "incomplete" post on your blog? Leave a comment on this Re:Word post.

6. Did you see the "Sling Baby" Doritos ad from the Superbowl? Creator Sean Gaffney wrote a Q&A about the experience on his blog. (Gaffney has worked on Veggie Tales and is the author of Larry Boy and the Emperor of Envy. He's on Twitter at @gaffneyinkwell.)

7. What a nebula sounds like - when it's slowed down 1.75 trillion times, anyway. "So you're telling me," says my coworker Rich Tatum, "that the crab nebula is like the porpoise of the universe?" (Link via planetarium educator @rickeyainsworth.)

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

(Disclosure: Some Re:Word stories are by Zondervan authors. Some are not. All of the stories are useful, enriching, or just plain fascinating. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer shares these personal opinions for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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“Your Secret Name” Online Read-Along

Dec 02

Your Secret Name Read-Along

When: Tuesdays,
12/28 – 2/22

No cost

Register Now

An online book discussion of Kary Oberbrunner's latest book Your Secret Name kicks off on December 28.

I haven't participated in an online book group before, but I'm intrigued. It looks like the Read-Along works like this: the groups reads a couple chapters of Your Secret Name throughout the week, and then each Tuesday people discuss the book online. Here are more details on the Read-Along. You can join the Read-Along for free.

Learn More about Read-Along

In a nutshell, Your Secret Name is about how people can shed the labels the world throws at them, and how we can find our true identity in Christ. You can read an excerpt on Scribd.

If you don't already own a copy of Your Secret Name, there's a pretty good deal going on: for a limited time $10 will get you the book, an audio download, and free shipping. Learn more

I think Oberbrunner's book is sure to lead to some interesting discussion. I recommend you check out the Read-Along

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

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Really Living: Kary Oberbrunner’s New Book “Your Secret Name”

Sep 17

Do you know someone like this?

[Someone who has] a restorative quality about them. Rather than taking energy from others, they’re so full of life that they give energy to others.

Anchored and centered, people who know their Secret Name are dialed into a different channel and marked by a quiet confidence that allows them to heal the world.

But what sets them apart?

And who gave them permission to dance while the rest of us remain frozen in time?

How do they know what part to play?

In reality, we’re the ones playing — they’re actually living. They know something the rest of us don’t.

They know who they are.

They’ve learned their Secret Name.

Watch Video Trailer

I took this passage from Kary Oberbrunner’s new book Your Secret Name, which is about how we can grow into a person like that.

Kary’s book contains a lot of valuable counsel about a biblical view of identity, authenticity and self-esteem. I especially appreciated his discussion questions from chapter five, “Impostor Syndrome.” Take a look:

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