Some of the feedback I received about my weekly news and notes is that they were (a) too long; (b) not always focused and (c) need to be more resource info based. I did get a lot of encouragement and feedback about community building and linkage in the Union and about some of the ministry and personal descriptions but I am wondering that for some of you did the personal perspectives and length have got a bit much. I am going to try over the next couple months a newer format which will be shorter and more resource based.
This week is the first of two parts on small group resources for the falls that are gleaned from our own existing resource material.
These resources are either multiple copies of a single volume or are a course or cd that can be listened to as a group. If ordering these resources for small groups in your church – a single page commentary / intro will be provided from the week of August 20th on.
1. Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief – Dr. Bruce Milne. This is considered to be one of the finest single volume introductions to theology available.
2. Tom Cowan’s Bible Study Guides. There are several dozen of these study guides which formed the basis of Tom’s Sunday morning preaching both at Lambrick Park in Victoria and FBC Vancouver. They are outstanding guides!
3. The Marriage Course. Conducted by Holy Trinity Brompton staffers. I have taken this course with my wife Kerry (who is a professional counsellor) and found it to be clear, warm, practical, and biblical. These people are wonderful and provide one of the few biblically / egalitarian understanding of marriage that the church needs to hear today.
4. Leadership Next – Eddie Gibbs. Eddie Gibbs is the British born professor of theology at Fuller Seminary in California (which in my mind gives him a left and right brain with a frontal lobe in the bargain). There are never enough fresh ideas about leadership and Eddie Gibbs comes highly recommended by our friends in the BUDF.
5. How to Read the Bible For All It’s Worth and Get the Most Out of It – Fee and Stuart. This is both an introductory and a mid-range primer for reading the bible as a small group or congregation. Gordon Fee (one of the authors) just by himself brings together an expertise in exegesis and textural criticism and a profound commitment to local church.
That’s the beginning for today, we’ll have to be even more concise next week as we haven’t even talked about Ward Gask on the Da Vinci code or any of Mark Buchanan’s excellent books.
Warmly,
In Christ
Jeremy Bell