Category Archives: Training

Link Roundup: February 27, 2012

Posted on by
Reply

Here are some links from the past week that will help you in your ministry. Enjoy!

Logos Help on YouTube

Posted on by
Reply

Logos Bible SoftwareLogos Bible Software recently featured their YouTube channel on their blog, which I did not know existed. On their YouTube channel, Logos provides uses with a wealth of instructional videos for both beginners and experts, as well as product info, behind the scenes videos, and endorsements for their software. Personally, I am excited to jump into Morris Proctor’s Mac-specific tutorials to see how I can use Logos more efficiently.

Check out Logos Bible Software’s YouTube channel, and be sure to subscribe for new videos. Also, enter a contest to win a trip to Logos’ headquarters in Washington State.

Book Review: Lit! by Tony Reinke

Posted on by
Reply

Lit! by Tony ReinkeAuthor Tony Reinke, who formerly served as research assistant for CJ Mahaney, is a true book lover. Just after reading some of his tweets or a few articles on his blog, not to mention seeing his library, one comes away with a sense that Tony loves to read and share with others what he is reading. That is why when I heard he had written Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books, I knew I had to read it.

In the first several chapters, Reinke walks the reader through a theology of reading, trying to show how important it is to read, how reading can glorify God, and how reading books by non-Christian authors can impact your spiritual life. The most helpful concept from this section was when Reinke classifies all reading into a dichotomy: reading Scripture and reading everything else. He continues this division by stating his own subcategories of “everything else,” which includes “Reading to know and delight in Christ,” “Reading to pursue vocational excellence,” and “Reading to enjoy a good story.” The last half of the book deals with practical advice on reading books, including how and why to mark up books, how to carve out more time to read, and how pastors can inspire a love for reading in a congregation.

This book will challenge what you read, how you read, and how much time you set aside to read. It will also inspire you to read books you might not normally read; for me that is more classic fiction, more poetry, and more of the Christian classics. If you are an avid reader like me, this book will deepen your passion for good books. And, if you are not a big fan of reading, this book may inspire you to crack open a few more books.

Be sure to subscribe to Tony’s blog for daily insight and quotes, follow him on Twitter, and be sure to pick up his book.

3 Reasons to Read the Bible in a Year

Posted on by
1

If you are a youth pastor or youth worker, one of your primary purposes is to teach the Bible to students. Sure, your responsibilities may include event planning, budgeting, organizational work, and other behind the scenes stuff, but ministry is about creating and developing disciples of Jesus Christ, and that is only done through the Bible.

But, for many youth workers (not to mention many Christians), reading the whole Bible is not a priority in their lives. They read the Bible for lesson prep, they read the Bible on

Sunday morning during a sermon, and they might even read a portion of Scripture for a daily quiet time. Sadly, this scattershot approach to reading the Bible is not nourishing enough for ministry; we need a steady diet of the Bible to minister effectively. Reading through the whole Bible is vital to our Christian walk, our participation in the Christian community, and our ministry to others. That is why I think youth pastors need to read through the Bible at least once per year.

3 Reasons to Read the Bible in a Year:

  • Big Picture view of the Bible.It is too easy of falling into the trap of the urgent, studying only those Bible passages you are preaching/teaching on in the next few weeks. But you need to have a bigger picture of the Bible. By regularly reading through every chapter of the Bible, you gain a deeper and fuller understanding of how God has worked in history and how he continues to work in our lives.
  • Unstick some pages. Just like I said above, it is very easy to focus our Bible study and lesson prep times just on the passages we are preaching/teaching in youth group that week. And, unless we are preaching through the entire Bible in a year, that means there are large swaths of the Bible we are neglecting. In some of those sections, the pages might still be stuck together, just like they are when they leave the printer. If you read through the Bible regularly, you will be “unsticking” some of those pages, while at the same time seeing what God is communicating to you.
  • Fills Your Cup. I heard a professor once say that teaching and preaching the Bible is like filling up your audience’s cups with water. In order to fill up their cups, your own cup needs to be topped off first. By reading through the Bible on your own, you arefilling yourself up on the Word of God, so that you can later pour some of that Word into your students.

On Friday, I will provide a list of 5 recommended Bible Reading plans for 2012.

(image from khrawlings)

Free eBooks for Youth Ministry

Posted on by
9

 

Updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012

I am a big fan of eBooks. They take up hardly any space, are often cheaper than physical books, can be purchased and downloaded instantaneously, and can be read on a variety of devices.

Categories for eBooks

There are several types of eBooks out there. The first type of eBooks are PDFs. Many PDF eBooks are visually stunning, since they are often designed by a graphic artist and take full advantage of the color displays on computers and tablets. These range from extended blog posts all the way to PDF copies of full published works. Another type of eBooks are ones formatted for e-ink devices like Kindle and Nook. While these type of eBooks lack in graphical beauty, they make up for in pure reading capability. When you read a book on a Kindle, there is nothing on the screen but the text. These type of eBooks can be read on dedicated e-ink devices, as well as Kindle apps on tablets, smart phones, and computers.

Free eBooks for Youth Workers

Here is a compiled list of free eBooks that would be helpful for youth workers. Sometimes eBooks are free for a short period of time, so make sure you double check the price before you click Buy.

Youth Ministry:

For a limited time, the folks at Simply Youth Ministry is giving away Marko’s new book A Beautiful Mess. The download includes PDF, ePub, and mobi versions of the book, so you can read it on any device.

Vyrso, the companion eReader app from Logos Bible Software, has this new book by David Kinnaman for free.

Tim, author at Life in Student Ministry, compiled this assortment of youth ministry tips and tricks from his blog. It is a very helpful guide that I often send to rookie youth workers. Tim also has a new eBook out called Focused Youth Ministry ($9.95); it looks very helpful for youth workers looking to develop a clear focus for their ministry.

This is a free eBook providing tons of helpful game ideas from the folks at YouthMinistry.com. Free registration required.

This 36 page PDF provides a great introduction to the process of studying the Bible. It would be a great resource for youth leader – as well as student leader – training.

Another great PDF game resource, this time focused on popular icebreaker games for small groups. I am still trying out all the games from this resource!

Nick provides 43 very helpful and tangible ideas on how to connect with students from the greater community.

ChurchMag just released this helpful guide to the basics of church IT. It provides advice on everything from what computers to buy to how to safely network all those computers. The PDF is free after you register for their new email newsletter.

Kolby, author at Youth Ministry Media, put together a good eBook on developing a plan for communicate with students. The eBook is free if you sign up for his email list, which is well worth it.

Leadership:

Amazon has the newest book by Mark Riddle, Redeeming Leadership: Shoulder Pads, for free for a limited time.

Tony Morgan, author of Killing Cockroaches, wrote The Leisure Suit Trap: 8 Reasons Why Your Church is Stuck. While primarily about general church issues, there is some great takeaways you can apply to your own youth ministry. Also check out his followup ebook

Hanging Up the Leisure Suit, which provides strategic advice on how to get your youth ministry unstuck.

Amazon has Lead to Succeed and You Won’t Manage to Fail on Kindle for free.

Bible:

Amazon has the ESV Bible for free on Kindle.

Amazon also has the HCSB for free on Kindle.

Theology:

Monergism Books has a whole collection of free theology eBooks on their website, including landmark works by Calvin (Institutes), Bunyan (Pilgrim’s Progress, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners), and Berkhof (Doctrine). While not books you will immediately suggest to your youth small group, these books will immensely help you, the youth pastor. Books are available in both Kindle (.mobi) and ePub formats (for Nook, etc).

Amazon has The Pursuit of God for Kindle for free.

Amazon has Orthodoxy for Kindle for free.

Desiring God Ministry has graciously released the ebook of Bloodlines for free.

Desiring God Ministry also has free PDFs available for some of Piper’s other works, including Don’t Waste Your Life, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, and The Supremacy of Christ in a Post-Modern World. Several of the resources include group study guides.

John Bunyan’s classic Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners is free from Amazon.

[image via jblyberg]