Advancing the stories and ideas of the kingdom of God.
It’s easy to trust God in the Promised Land. But how do we feel while we’re lost in the desert?
On his meager college-student budget, Steven Furtick found common ground (in this case food) to minister across cultural differences. What began as a small ministry resulted in real Kingdom impact. In this video, Furtick reminds us God fulfills his promises, even when it feels like nothing is happening.
This video clip is from our friends at Catalyst. You can view all their videos at the Catalyst Vimeo Channel
As church leaders we are called to preach and extend the love of God. But do we experience it ourselves?
Jud Wilhite, pastor and author, says that many Christian leaders find it difficult to believe that God really loves them. In this video Wilhite encourages pastors to trust God’s promise that he loves you no matter what.
This video clip is from our friends at Catalyst. You can view all their videos at the Catalyst Vimeo Channel
Are you willing to call people to the same level of commitment that Jesus did, even if it means a smaller crowd?
If Jesus pastored a church in your town, would your church be bigger than his? That question led Francis Chan to realize he wasn’t calling people to the same level of commitment Jesus did. Despite having a crowd, Chan needed to make disciples who would follow Jesus even when he expected something difficult. Chan started preaching a call to radical love and sacrifice. In this video, he carries that same challenge to other church leaders.
This video clip is from our friends at Catalyst. You can view all their videos at the Catalyst Vimeo Channel
Even the youngest members of the church can be used powerfully by God. How can we empower more of them to pursue their ideas?
When he was nine years old, Austin Gutwein tried out for his school’s hoops team. He didn’t make the cut. Instead he decided to use his passion for basketball to make a difference for orphans living with AIDS in Africa. His story illustrates what happens when God’s people have a vision and the church equips them to pursue it.
This video clip is from our friends at Catalyst. You can view all their videos at the Catalyst Vimeo Channel
The White House has invited recently retired NFL Coach Tony Dungy to join the Advisory Council for the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Dan Gilgoff reports.
Dungy led the Indianapolis Colts to the Super Bowl in 2007. Known for his strong Christian faith commitment to family, Dungy retired to spend more time with his family and in volunteer work. He has long been involved with groups like Family First, All-Pro Dad, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Prison Crusade Ministry, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the United Way.
Christianity Today‘s Stan Guthrie recently interviewed Tony Dungy (listen here). CT also covered Dungy in “A Kinder, Gentler Coach” and “Christian Coaches Face Off for Super Bowl XLI.”
Learn about a new kind of resource on BCL.
Reimagining Evangelism is the debut “podule” from Building Church Leaders. Since we’ve never made something like this before, we thought an explanation was in order.
Like one of our regular training tools, a podule contains several pieces offering practical help on some ministry topic. Unlike a regular training tool, however, a podule isn’t something you just read (go here and click on “Demo” to see how one works).
Reimagining Evangelism features four written articles, but there are also four video clips woven in to supplement the lessons. For example, read about how the salesperson model of evangelism is misleading, then watch author Rick Richardson share helpful examples of other ways to think about evangelism. Another video gives a way to illustrate the gospel message for non-believers, drawn step-by-step on a sheet of paper.
Another new feature in podules is the forum, where you can post your thoughts about the lessons and respond to other people that have used the same podule. We hope that you’ll learn not only from our materials, but also from the reactions of other readers.
In order to include multimedia and this more collaborative training approach, we’re changing the way that readers access the tool. Instead of downloading a podule to your computer, you simply create a username and password that lets you use it right away online. After you’ve purchased a podule, you can come back to view it as many times as you want.
Unfortunately, we can’t make a podule free to our paid members, because of an agreement related to the technology that powers it. Don’t worry, we’ll still be releasing lots of standard training tools for members to enjoy. But we hope that this week you give Reimagining Evangelism a look and see if podules are as dynamic as we hope they are. And since this is your first look at this new tool, we’re offering it right now for $9.95. Click here to try it.
Here are the top 10 politics blog posts from March:
1. Gingrich to Convert to Catholicism
2. Presidential Prayer Effort Proves to be Bipartisan
3. Supreme Court Declines Case of Praying Football Coach
4. Kathleen Sebelius & Obama’s ‘Abortion Reduction’ Challenge
7. Understanding Obama’s Pastors
Jerry Jenkins says publishing sometimes makes for strange bedfellows.
First it was Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. Then it was Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson … and Dinesh D’Souza … and William Lane Craig. Now it is Jerry B. Jenkins and … Stephen King. The two authors, one specializing on God and the other on the devil, are sharing the cover of the next issue of Writer’s Digest.
In his blog, Jerry says the men became friends because they shared the same voice actor, the late Frank Muller, for some of their works. One day out of the blue Jerry received a call from Stephen. Jerry notes:
During the conversation I said, “It may surprise you to know that I’m a reader of yours.” I told Stephen that while I wasn’t into horror fiction, I had read many of his short stories and that The Green Mile was one of my favorite novels.
He said, “It may surprise you to know that I’m a reader of yours.”
