Apr

28

Get Back Up: Trusting God When Life Knocks You Down

April 28, 2013 | Leave a Comment

Sheryl Giesbrecht’s life sounds a lot like mine. Maybe a lot like yours, too. Maybe like someone you are ministering to. Do you ever get the idea that your lot is somehow harder than everyone else’s? I do. I compare my problems with my friend’s successes. I compare my not-so-good health to my friend who [...]

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Apr

16

Ephesians: Discovering Your Identity and Purpose for Christ

April 16, 2013 | Comments Off

Last month I reviewed Sue Edwards’ Bible Study on Revelation. This month this busy woman has released a study on the book of Ephesians as part of Kregel Publications’ Discover Together series. This insightful Bible study uses the example of Paul’s church in Ephesus to show readers how they can be victorious Christians, living in [...]

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Mar

28

The Gospel-Centered Woman

March 28, 2013 | 1 Comment

I often have a hard time finding materials for discipleship, especially discipleship aimed at motivating lifestyle changes. It’s just too easy to hide under “looking good” and “sounding good” these days. Wendy Alsup challenges this mindset with her book, The Gospel-Centered Woman: Understanding Biblical Womanhood Through the Lens of the Gospel. She suggests that we [...]

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Mar

25

Studying Revelation

March 25, 2013 | Comments Off

Is your small group considering a study on the book of Revelation? If so, you might want to consider a new study guide written by Sue Edwards, who also wrote the study on 1 Peter  I reviewed last year. Revelation: Discovering Life for Today and Eternity is written for women, as are all of Sue’s [...]

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Feb

5

A Comprehensive New Testament Commentary

February 5, 2013 | Comments Off

What commentaries do you use when preparing for your small group? I usually pull several from my well-stocked shelf. Then I spend hours preparing for an hour teaching and discussion. Yep, overkill. Almost all the time. It’s a challenge because I love studying and could spend my whole week perusing every book I own. But [...]

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Jan

7

The Handy Guide to New Testament Greek: Grammar, Syntax, and Diagramming

January 7, 2013 | 2 Comments

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. That’s how I felt before I took New Testament Greek 1 in seminary. And frankly, it’s how I felt when I finished Greek 1. As a Bible study leader and writer, I would use the English/Greek tools and hope I was getting it right. I thought Greek [...]

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Dec

17

Multigenerational Small Groups

December 17, 2012 | 1 Comment

I’m really excited about the latest download offered by SmallGroups.com. It’s called Multigenerational Small Groups and features articles from a variety of authors, including yours truly. Each article covers a different generation, from Seniors to Gen Next and everything in between. My article is called Baby Boomers: A Complex Generation: How small-group leaders can minister [...]

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Nov

21

The Gospel According to Isaiah 53

November 21, 2012 | 2 Comments

One of my favorite areas of study in Isaiah are the passages known as the Servant Songs. When I took my Isaiah class in seminary, I learned that in addition to the well-known Isaiah 53, there are three other passages the talk about the “servant.” Who is the servant? What is his/its role? Theories abound. [...]

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Oct

2

Accountability in Small Groups

October 2, 2012 | 1 Comment

One of the features I like best about small groups is the accountability they offer—if the leader sets the tone and pace. Otherwise, small groups can become little more than social groups. SmallGroups.com has just published a new download Assessment Pack called Are We Building Accountability?  It features ten articles on accountability, including one I [...]

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Jul

20

The Jesus Scandals: Why He Shocked His Contemporaries (and Still Shocks Today)

July 20, 2012 | 3 Comments

Jesus scandalous? Perhaps. I have to admit that many of the things he said and did have confused me over the years. Sometimes we apply our present day understanding to the gospel accounts and get confused. Sometimes, if we stop and think about it, we border on offense. Most often we shrug and read on. [...]

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