Posted in July 2009

Want to Listen to Some Great Lessons Online? 2009 Campus Ministry United Workshop Audio Posted!

Into Christian ministry?

Want to listen to some great lessons for free?

Bookmark this page, and yes - I said *free*?

That’s right - Campus Ministry United does NOT charge 6 or 7 bucks a pop for lessons from our workshops. We release them for free, and, Lord willing, always will.

Of course we understand workshop overhead must be covered, but we prefer to take care of that in ways other than charging people for listening to the lessons.

We want these lessons to help as many people as possible, and believe charging for them hinders that.

I wish those in charge of other workshops and seminars would follow CMU’s lead in this!

Anyway, let me step off my soapbox for a moment and share these links with you:

  1. Wes Woodell – “2009 Workshop Kickoff & Planter Interviews” (31:09) (Scriptures & Interview PowerPoint)
  2. Anthony Wood“How Evangelism to the Poor Can Equal Evangelism to Your Campus pt. 1″ (59:42)
  3. Anthony Wood – “How Evangelism to the Poor Can Equal Evangelism to Your Campus pt. 2″ (36:16)
  4. Kerry Cox - “Curriculum Planning Mini-Workshop pt. 1″ (51:18)
  5. Kerry Cox – “Curriculum Planning Mini-Workshop pt. 2″ (32:33)
  6. Buddy Bell“Displaying Strange Behavior: The Value of a Holy Life” (55:12)
  7. David Weidner - “Men’s Session: Real Sexual Purity in Campus Ministry pt. 1″ (63:44) ( David’s Purity pt. 1-4 PowerPoint)
  8. David Weidner – “Men’s Session: Real Sexual Purity in Campus Ministry pt. 2″ (61:29)
  9. David Weidner – “Men’s Session: Real Sexual Purity in Campus Ministry pt. 3″ (61:33)
  10. David Weidner – “Men’s Session: Real Sexual Purity in Campus Ministry pt. 4″ (68:06)
  11. Robin Weidner – “Women’s Session: Staying Secure & Sexually Pure In Your Campus Ministry pt. 1″ (41:07) (Robin’s Purity pt. 1-3 PowerPoint; Full Class Notes )
  12. Robin Weidner - “Women’s Session: Staying Secure & Sexually Pure In Your Campus Ministry pt. 2″ (41:47)
  13. Robin Weidner - “Women’s Session: Staying Secure & Sexually Pure In Your Campus Ministry pt. 3″ (24:15)
  14. Buddy Bell“Effective Small Groups In Campus Ministries pt. 1″ (56:07) (Effective Small Groups Class Notes )
  15. Buddy Bell“Effective Small Groups In Campus Ministries pt. 2″ (46:14)
  16. Wes Woodell & Marvin Crowson – “Fundraising: Seven Principles Behind Effective Fundraising for Ministry Planters” (36:41) (Fundraising Class Notes Outling 7 Principles; Example Fundraising DVD; Example Fundraising PowerPoint; Sample Fundraising Info Packet )
  17. Wes Woodell & Marvin Crowson - “Fundraising: Group Discussion on Fundraising for Smaller Events” (34:00)
  18. Kerry Cox – “Communicating a Strange Idea: Sharing the Gospel with Strangers” (52:19)
  19. Rita Cox – “Women’s Session: Ladies Leading In Campus Ministry pt. 1″ (48:16)
  20. Hannah Cox - “Women’s Session: Ladies Leading In Campus Ministry pt. 2″ (51:53)
  21. Seth Simmons – “Strange Behavior: Spiritual Disciplines pt. 1″ (67:13) (Spiritual Disciplines PowerPoint )
  22. Seth Simmons – “Strange Behavior: Spiritual Disciplines pt. 2″ (69:43)
  23. Gary Lambrecht & Lynn Stringfellow - “Healthy Elder/Campus Minister Relationships pt. 1″ (71:51) (Connection PowerPoint )
  24. Gary Lambrecht & Lynn Stringfellow – “Healthy Elder/Campus Minister Relationships pt. 2″ (57:13)
  25. Lynn Stringfellow - “Strange Criticism: Responding to Criticism & Persecution” (47:57)
  26. Robert Cox – “Avoid Strange Teaching: Clear Doctrine in an Unclear World” (39:57)

To easily access these lessons anytime, visit the Campus Ministry United Audio/Video Page. There you can download all of the lessons from the 2009 Workshop as well as all available audio from previous CMU years (that’s four years worth of great content at no cost to you).

 

CMU Workshop in blogs and Facebook notes:

(If you’ve written a blog post or Facebook note about the CMU workshop, leave a comment with the link and I’ll add you to the list)

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Thirteen Books Ordered Today + Quick Thoughts On Craig Groeschel’s ‘It’

Here’s a list of the titles I ordered today.

I’ll be reading them rather quickly (I hope) – the fall semester starts at Fuller in September, and I’m pretty sure I won’t have much reading time after that (besides what I’ll be reading for class).

Anyway, here’s what’s coming in the mail to me as of today:

  1. Busted: Exposing Popular Myths about Christianity by Fred von Kamecke
  2. College Ministry 101: A Guide to Working with 18-25 Year Olds by Chuck Bomar (I REALLY hope this book isn’t a bust – we’re in desperate need of good campus ministry literature! No pressure, Chuck :p)
  3. The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ by Lee Strobel
  4. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by Frederick Fyvie Bruce
  5. Lead Like Jesus: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time by Ken Blanchard
  6. On the New Testament (A Book You Will Actually Read) by Mark Driscoll
  7. On the Old Testament (A Book You’ll Actually Read) by Mark Driscoll
  8. On Who Is God? (A Book You’ll Actually Read) by Mark Driscoll
  9. On Church Leadership (A Book You’ll Actually Read) by Mark Driscoll
  10. Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions by Mark Driscoll
  11. Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright
  12. The Kingdom-Focused Church: A Compelling Image of an Achievable Future for Your Church by Gene Mims
  13. The Source by John Clayton

I’m looking forward to diggin in to these titles.

Speaking of digging in, I just finished reading It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It by Craig Groeschel.

Zondervan does a great job marketing their products, but they disappointed me with It - I didn’t care for this book. No, I’m not going to right a full review of It, either. Here are a couple of quick thoughts:

It‘s not that It‘s a horrible book or poorly written or anything like that. Good content is there and It‘s readable.

BUT … I just didn’t learn anything new in reading It. Much of It was simply a repeat of material found in Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren - a much better book that I highly recommend church leaders read.

I also got tired of the way Craig used the word It throughout the book. Italicising and highlighting almost every It made for a very annoying read, much like It probably is in this blog post.

It‘s really annoying, isn’t It?

Yes, It is!

Okay … enough of that …

I’m currently reading the daily devotional guide that goes along with Lead Like Jesus, and have also gotten a little ways into Wide Awake by Erwin McManus. They’re both good so far.

By the way – thanks to everyone who contributed to the Apologetics Resource List.

Once I digest these new books and get some faith building studies on paper, I’ll share them with everyone.

Thanks for reading :)

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Atheists Practicing ‘De-baptism’ & Other Tidbits

Ran across this story on crosswalk.com today. Here are a few excerpts:

Up until last summer, Jennifer Gray of Columbus, Ohio, considered herself “a weak Christian” whose baptism at age 11 in a Kentucky church came to mean less and less to her as she gradually lost faith in God.

Then the 32-year-old medical transcriptionist took a decisive step, one that previously hadn’t been available. She got “de-baptized.”

In a type of mock ceremony that’s now been performed in at least four states, a robed “priest” used a hairdryer marked “reason” in an apparent bid to blow away the waters of baptism once and for all.

Several dozen participants then fed on a “de-sacrament” (crackers with peanut butter) and received certificates assuring they had “freely renounced a previous mistake, and accepted Reason over Superstition.”

Within the past year, “de-baptism” ceremonies have attracted as many as 250 participants at atheist conventions in Ohio, Texas, Florida and Georgia. More have taken place on college campuses in recent years, according to Hemant Mehta, chair of the board of directors for the Secular Student Alliance, a group that promotes atheism among high school and college students.

De-baptism efforts have been growing internationally in recent years. More than 100,000 Britons downloaded de-baptism certificates from the National Secular Society (NSS) between 2005 and 2009, according to NSS campaigner Stephen Evans. Upwards of 1,000 Italians requested de-baptism certificates prior to Italy’s “De-Baptism Day” last October, according to Italy’s Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics.

Wow.

Did you hear? 1.2 billion dollars worth of pot was siezed in California yesterday. That’s billion with a ‘B’. 

What is the Federal Government thinking seizing all that weed? Don’t they understand that marijuana is the hottest cash-crop on the market in California today (in fact, it’s so hot we have vending machines selling it)? 

Don’t they know that our state lawmakers (namely Tom Ammiano from San Francisco) were kicking around the idea of legalizing its recreational use to assist in getting us out of our state budget crisis?

Why isn’t the Federal Government thinking of the students this budget crisis is hurting. Don’t they understand that the school around the corner from me was ranked inside the top 25 in the nation for marijuana consumption? Students are hurting because schools are hurting. Students are illegally buying more weed than just about anybody else. Why not simply legalize it … everybody’s happy, right?

What?!? You mean the Federal Government is going to continue to enforce Federal Laws regardless of what the State of California would like them to do?!?

Lawmen who actually enforce the law? Go figure.

Apparently none of them have lived in San Francisco.

Oh, and I’m still waiting on someone to explain this chart to me.

Apparently I’m too stupid to figure it out.

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Apologetics Resources?

I’m going to spend time over the course of the next couple of months perusing the best apologetics resources out there.

Here in San Francisco, many of those I study the Bible with don’t have a basic belief in God, a trust in the Bible, or an awareness of, or belief in, core Christian doctrines.

I would like to prepare myself as well as possible for any encounters with people God may send, and would also like to be able to teach other church members to do the same.

 

Here are a few questions I’m interested in designing studies for:

  • How can the Bible be taken seriously? How do you know it hasn’t been rewritten over the years?
  • How could a loving God send anyone to hell/allow evil to exist?
  • Don’t you think it’s arrogant to say Christianity is the only path to God? Can’t God be found in other religions?
  • Do heaven and hell actually exist?
  • Was Jesus the Son of God, or was he simply a good teacher?
  • Hasn’t science proven that Christianity is a fraud?
  •  

    Here are a few resources I already own that I’ll be diving into:

  • Josh McDowell – The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict
  • C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity
  • F.F. Bruce – The Canon of Scripture
  • Ralph O. Muncaster – Examine the Evidence: Exploring the Case for Christianity
  • C. Stephan Evans – Why Believe?: Reason and Mystery as Pointers to God
  • Lee Strobel – The Case for Christ
  • Lee Strobel – The Case for Faith
  • Lee Strobel – The Case for a Creator
  • Wayne Grudem – Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine
  •  

    Here are a few of good websites I’m aware of:

  • http://www.everystudent.com/
  • http://www.apologetics.org/
  • http://www.evidenceforchristianity.org/
  • http://www.apologeticspress.org/
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jxzGA-OQOk (Jacoby-Shermer Debate)
  • http://douglasjacoby.org/
  • http://thetruthtree.com/faith_qa.shtml
  • http://www.veritas.org/
  •  

    Here are a few additional books I’m planning to pick up:

  • F.F. Bruce – The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?
  • N.T. Wright - Simply Christian
  • Fred Von Kamecke – Busted: Exposing Popular Myths About Christianity
  • Timothy Keller – The Reason for God
  • John Clayton – The Source
  •  

    And here are a few resource lists from TheResurgence.com:

  • http://theresurgence.com/Recommended-Reading_Apologetics-Cults-and-World-Religions
  • http://theresurgence.com/Recommended-Reading_Apologetics
  • http://theresurgence.com/Great-Books_Apologetics_Introduction-and-Methods
  •  

    Am I leaving anything out? If you know of a good resource please let me know.

     

    —-

    In other news, remember that finger I slammed in the bathroom door? That injury has born fruit:

     

    A new nail is growing underneath the old one! This is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to a fingernail of mine.

    Just thought I’d share … I know you needed to see that. :p

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