Bible Stories for Grown-Ups Leader Guide


Book Description

Read the Bible for the first time – again. In Bible Stories for Grown-Ups: Reading Scripture with New Eyes pastor Josh Scott looks at familiar Bible stories and reveals new details and interpretations for an adult audience. This six-week Bible study will consider stories many read as children including Noah's Ark, the binding of Isaac, Jonah and the big fish, Jesus and Zacchaeus, Jesus healing a blind man, and the parable of the talents. Scott reimagines these stories and opens new visions for readers to understand well known pieces of Scripture in our current cultural environment. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the six-week study, including session plans, activities, discussion questions, and multiple format options. Additional components include the book, Bible Stories for Grown-Up, and video teaching sessions featuring Josch Scott, making this perfect as a group study throughout the year.




Bible Stories for Grown-Ups


Book Description

Read the Bible for the first time – again. In Bible Stories for Grown-Ups: Reading Scripture with New Eyes pastor Josh Scott looks at familiar Bible stories and reveals new details and interpretations for an adult audience. This six-week Bible study will consider stories many read as children including Noah's Ark, the binding of Isaac, Jonah and the big fish, Jesus and Zacchaeus, Jesus healing a blind man, and the parable of the talents. Scott reimagines these stories and opens new visions for readers to understand well known pieces of Scripture in our current cultural environment. The book can be read alone or used by small groups, and can be used anytime throughout the year. Additional components include video teaching sessions featuring Josh Scott, and a comprehensive leader guide, making this perfect as a six-week group study done throughout the year.




Growing in God's Love


Book Description

Help nurture the faith of the children in your life with Growing in Gods Love: A Story Bible. This engaging resource features 150 popular Bible stories that are organized by 13 themes, including Strong Women and Men; Listening for God; Parables; Healings and Miracles; and more. Each story is built on the latest in biblical scholarship and learning theory and helps children begin to understand the Bible and apply its teachings to the world around them. Growing in Gods Love features diverse artwork from more than twenty artists to appeal to a variety of ages and learning styles. Three reflection questionsHear, See, Actare included at the end of each story to help children further ponder the message of the story. Growing in Gods Love: A Story Bible is ideal for children ages 4-8, and it is perfect for Sunday school classrooms, childrens sermons, vacation Bible school, and gift-giving at baptism or other milestones.




Growing Older & Wiser


Book Description

Age brings many gifts and opportunities for continued growth. In this nine-session LifeGuide® Bible Study, Dale and Sandy Larsen help you discover the Bible's perspective on aging. You'll discover how God can effectively and powerfully use those who have grown wiser with the passing years.




The Bible Year Leader Guide


Book Description

The Bible. 365 days. You. Yes, you! Not the type to sit down and read the entire Bible? Yes, the goal is to read the whole Bible in a year, but think about it in terms of smaller, daily goals. Think about a commitment to read a short selection from the Bible plus a concise devotional every day. You can do that – especially since The Bible Year has it all mapped out for you day by day. Plus, you’ll also get summaries of key themes and ideas to help you better digest and understand your readings. So you’re not just reading verse after verse, you’re enriching your spiritual life, developing a deeper faith and forming a closer connection to God and to each other. The Bible Year is also a wonderful way for small groups or even individuals to grow closer to God, while providing a common thread that will promote new and deeper friendships among members. The Leader Guide contains 52 weeks of small group sessions based on the readings. Each session follows a concise, simple, and consistent lesson plan with discussion questions on the scriptures and instructions for using the videos if desired. Additional resources sold separately include a Devotional for every-day use and a Pastor's Guide for a church-wide emphasis. Daily Bible goals start here! Praise for The Bible Year When it comes to read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year programs, The Bible Year is a game changer. Packed with devotionals, discussion guides, and resources for pastors, this beautifully written book makes journeying through Scripture less daunting and more rewarding. It’s the perfect companion for those who wish to read through the Bible for the first time or those seek to go deeper in their study of Scripture together with others. – Ryan P. Bonfiglio, Director of the Candler Foundry and Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Candler Theological Seminary With a pastor’s devotion to God and the people he serves, deVega has structured a truly helpful guide for reading the Bible in the span of a year. The thoughtful format is well designed to encourage steady progress in reading, and provoke thoughtful reflection. Brief section summaries allow the reader to stay on top of the larger story line, and thoughtful questions and blank spaces support a meditative encounter. This book is a welcome gift for anyone who wants to grow in faithfulness and devotion. – Melody D. Knowles, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Old Testament, Virginia Theological Seminary




Fatherless Generation


Book Description

Drawing from culture, stories, and his own personal experience, John Sowers presents the desperate reality of fatherlessness in his generation. Fatherless Generation is a hard-hitting, descriptive look at this issue, showing how awareness, compassion, and mentoring are the keys to writing new stories of hope.




Leading Small Groups That Thrive


Book Description

Nearly every church is trying to help their congregants build relationships with others, grow as disciples, and/or engage in meaningful service through small groups. Many have argued that these small groups are the preferred vehicle for relationship building, disciple making, and membership assimilation in the local church, especially in large, multisite churches. Leading Small Groups That Thrive shows small group leaders, step by step, how to plan for, launch, build, sustain, and multiply highly effective, transformational, healthy small group experiences where people grow spiritually together. Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want--practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups--and what they need--substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.




The Story Bible Study Guide


Book Description

The Story group Bible study provides groups of all sizes the opportunity to discuss and apply what they experience during the 31-week The Story church campaign. To understand the Bible, says Frazee, you need bifocal lenses, because two perspectives are involved. The Lower Story, our story, is actually many stories of men and women interacting with God in the daily course of life. The Upper Story is God’s story, the tale of his great, overarching purpose that puts the individual stories together like panels in one unified mural. In 31 sessions, The Story video-based group study opens your eyes to God’s master plan unfolding in the lives of the Bible’s characters and in your own life. Discover the heart of God’s Upper Story, and the joy that comes as you align your story with God’s. The Story Study Guide and DVD (sold separately) are designed for use by groups of all sizes, including small groups and Sunday school and adult education classes. Designed for use with The Story Adult Curriculum Study DVD (9780310329527) sold separately.




Im Waiting, God - Women's Bible Study Guide with Leader Helps


Book Description

Find help and hope for times when it's hard to wait on God Do you ever feel like God is taking too long to answer your prayers? Have you ever taken matters into your own hands, only to discover that you’ve made the situation worse? Waiting on God challenges our faith when the bills are stacking up, our families are falling apart, or our dreams feel like they won't come true. We know that God hears our prayers, but it’s hard when the clock is ticking yet He hasn’t shown us the answer. In this four-week Bible study, Barb Roose invites us to explore the stories of women in the Bible who had to wait on God— women such as Hannah, Ruth, Tamar, and the unnamed woman who suffered for over a decade with a painful medical condition. If you’ve felt anxious, angry, discouraged or depressed because God isn’t giving you what you want, their stories will breathe fresh hope and practical next steps in your life. As a reforming control lover, Barb mixes in her personal stories of learning how to wait for God during long seasons of unanswered prayers, family difficulties, and challenging times in ministry. Together we will discover that there is goodness and blessing to be found in times of waiting, including a closer relationship with God than we’ve ever dared to dream. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a DVD. "Barb Roose tackles the topic of patience in a way that really hit home for me personally. I have a lot of “why, how, and when” questions for God. Combining in-depth Scripture study with practical tools and personal stories, this study is one of the best I’ve ever read! —Melissa Spoelstra, Bible teacher, speaker, and author of Romans: Good News That Changes Everything and numerous other Bible studies and books When waiting is hard and long, the last thing you need is someone disregarding your pain, with platitudes like “just push through.” In I’m Waiting, God, Barb walks with us in our waiting. Warm, tender, and a help for moving forward, Barb’s study has left me stronger, knowing I can wait so His glory is seen. —Lynn Cowell, author of Make Your Move and member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and writer team Barb Roose is a wonderful role model of walking out biblical truth while in life’s waiting room. This study is a must read for anyone wondering what to do while waiting and wanting to stay close to God in the meantime. —Pam Farrel, best-selling author of over forty books, including Discovering Hope in the Psalms: A Creative Bible Study Experience Bible Study Features: A shorter four-week study is ideal for in-between or busy times. Accessible and friendly format. Each week concludes with a devotional lesson featuring prayer journaling, helping women create “memorial stones” during a waiting season. DVD features dynamic, engaging teaching in four 20-minute segments. Participant Workbook includes group session guides, discussion questions, prayers, video viewer guides, and leader helps.




The Bible Year Devotional


Book Description

The Bible. 365 days. You. Yes, you! Not the type to sit down and read the entire Bible? Yes, the goal is to read the whole Bible in a year, but think about it in terms of smaller, daily goals. Think about a commitment to read a short selection from the Bible plus a concise devotional every day. You can do that – especially since The Bible Year has it all mapped out for you day by day. Plus, you’ll also get summaries of key themes and ideas to help you better digest and understand your readings. So you’re not just reading verse after verse, you’re enriching your spiritual life, developing a deeper faith and forming a closer connection to God and to each other. The Bible Year is also a wonderful way for small groups or even individuals to grow closer to God, while providing a common thread that will promote new and deeper friendships among members. Additional resources sold separately include a Leader Guide with discussion questions for small groups and a Pastor's Guide for a church-wide emphasis. Daily Bible goals start here! Praise for The Bible Year When it comes to read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year programs, The Bible Year is a game changer. Packed with devotionals, discussion guides, and resources for pastors, this beautifully written book makes journeying through Scripture less daunting and more rewarding. It’s the perfect companion for those who wish to read through the Bible for the first time or those seek to go deeper in their study of Scripture together with others. – Ryan P. Bonfiglio, Director of the Candler Foundry and Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Candler Theological Seminary With a pastor’s devotion to God and the people he serves, deVega has structured a truly helpful guide for reading the Bible in the span of a year. The thoughtful format is well designed to encourage steady progress in reading, and provoke thoughtful reflection. Brief section summaries allow the reader to stay on top of the larger story line, and thoughtful questions and blank spaces support a meditative encounter. This book is a welcome gift for anyone who wants to grow in faithfulness and devotion. – Melody D. Knowles, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Old Testament, Virginia Theological Seminary