Featured Recommendations

Fall 2012

Looking for some ideas to get your small group going in the Fall?  Looking to start a new group?  Check out these studies on Christian Living for adults, youth, and children to build disciples and encourage the development of spiritual practices in your congregation.  To search all of our resources, click on the Catalog link on the right.

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Previous Recommendations

Summer 2012
Winter 2012
Fall 2011
Summer 2011
Winter 2010-2011
Fall 2010

Adults | Youth | Children

Resources for Adults

A Shared Christian Life

United Methodist pastor and New Testament scholar Ben Witherington, III has just released a brand new book that deserves a home in every UMC congregation.  Take your small group through this book to follow the Wesleyan tradition of strengthening spiritual practices together.  With reflection questions at the end of each of the ten chapters, your group will grow together in spiritual formation and loving God through study of worship, conversion, the imitation of Christ, salvation, fruits of the spirit, grace, scripture, communion, and works of charity.

BK932  A Shared Christian Life

Opening Ourselves to Grace

If your group really prefers a DVD, engage them in this six-week study on John Wesley’s understanding of spiritual practice featuring several United Methodist pastors and speakers.  This DVD and CD-ROM combination includes a discussion guide for group leaders, as well as additional resources for leaders and participants.

DVD130  Opening Ourselves to Grace

If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat

Does your group need to be pushed out of its comfort zone? Popular author and pastor John Ortberg presents a six-session study to do just that.  With sessions on discerning God’s call, transcending fear, risking faith, managing failure, and trusting God, your group will become equipped to “walk on water” with God.  In the DVD presentations, Ortberg uses testimonial interviews to encourage your group to trust God more fully.  A leader’s guide and participant guide is included.

BK320  If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat
DVD2   If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat

Sacred Rhythms

Are you wondering just when you will have time to devote to these spiritual disciplines?  Ruth Haley Barton draws upon the natural rhythms of God’s creation to help your group carve out time for spiritual practices with specific examples.  Barton contemplates the purpose of spiritual disciplines in drawing us closer to God and fulfilling the desires of the human soul as she reveals specific practices in six sessions using DVD video presentations and the participant’s book.

DVD392  Sacred Rhythms

The Power of a Whisper

Engaging in spiritual practices will open up your group to hear God’s voice.  Learn techniques for listening to God’s voice in your life through popular author and pastor Bill Hybels’ DVD study, The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God, Having the Guts to Respond.  In the four sessions, your group will learn to practice hearing from God, surrender to the voice of God, obey his promptings, and become a more effective kingdom-builder.  This leader’s kit includes the book, participant’s book, DVD-ROM, and leader’s guide.  Your whole congregation can participate through the provided sermon transcripts, outlines and and promotional materials that are included.

DVD393  The Power of a Whisper

The Jesus Creed

New Testament scholar and historian Scot McKnight brings us back to focus on the commandments of Jesus: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  In seven sessions, you will learn lessons about the Jesus Creed and how to mature in faith following the model that Jesus provided for his first disciples.  McKnight will encourage participants to develop compassion and bring Christ into the community.  The DVD comes with a leader’s guide and a copy of McKnight’s book.

DVD254  The Jesus Creed: Seven Lessons on Loving God and Others

Resources for Youth

The Jesus Creed for Students

Teach your students to become a true Jesus-follower by learning the commandments of Jesus and how to practice them in everyday life.  Scot McKnight will teach your students how to love God and love others in these twelve DVD sessions.  This resource makes an excellent companion to The Jesus Creed for adults that a group of parents may be doing at the same time.  Make following Jesus a practice for the whole family.

DVD572  The Jesus Creed for Students

Exploring Blue Like Jazz

Teenagers face increasingly difficult challenges to their faith as they grow up.  Donald Miller has been there, and he offers frank and practical guidelines and beliefs to help teenagers make faithful choices about alcohol, confession, consumerism, culture, doubt, drugs, evangelism, gender, money, partying, and sex.  This five-week study features video lessons and clips from the movie based on the bestselling book, Blue Like Jazz, as well as an interactive resource guide with scripture.

DVD574  Exploring Blue Like Jazz

Stories

Place your youth lessons in reality with these discussion starters from BluefishTV.  Your youth will hear real stories from their peers about realities that they deal with at home and at school.  Each volume features six short videos on three topics to help your youth develop a Christian response to life’s situations.

DVD444  Stories: Volume 1
DVD445  Stories: Volume 2
DVD446  Stories: Volume 3

Surviving School

Similar in format to the Stories series, BluefishTV also offers this DVD to focus on issues that teenagers face at school.  The four short videos on this DVD cover loneliness, cheating, decision-making, and gossip.  Use them as discussion starters to get your youth talking about their realities and a Christian response.

DVD443  Surviving School

Resources for Children

Project Choice

Teach your children how to make Godly choices in this six-week curriculum.  Designed for ages 7-10, this DVD helps children learn to be resilient, make choices and solve problems through faith instead of fear.  As they work together on making choices, the children will also learn the importance of having group support, encouragement, and accountability.  This DVD from Abingdon Press includes a leader’s guide, kids’ workbook, video segments, and music.

DVD570  Project Choice

Sprouts

Expect more from the children in your church and teach them to become faithful disciples through covenant discipleship groups.  This guide shows you how to start these groups with children in grades 3-6 and how the groups will grow the children into Jesus followers.  Based on John Wesley’s interpretation of Jesus’ commandments to love God and neighbor, the children will gather weekly to put these commandments into practice.  The lessons your children learn through activities and connections with their peers can last them a lifetime, and this book provides everything you need to know to get started.

BK48  Sprouts

Helping a Child Develop Faith

Produced by the Western North Carolina Conference, this booklet serves as an excellent guide to the faith progression of children from birth through fifth grade.  Each section divided by age or grade level lists the highlights of what children should be learning about faith and some ideas about how to help them learn it.  In addition, the book includes a list of resources including scripture references and other various ideas such as prayer activities, bible games, litany samples, chrismons, and discipline.  Use this book to plan educational goals for your children’s Sunday School or weekday classes.

BK53  Helping a Child Develop Faith