Zondervan Blog

Going Deeper (3 Commitments on the Way)

I've said it, and maybe you have too: "I wish the preaching would go deeper." What did we really mean?

I wondered this when I read a recent post by pastor and writer Kurt Willems (@kurtwillems). Willems knows a lot of people who have left their church because it didn't go deep enough. This is occasionally a valid reason, but Willems suspects it's more likely to be a holy-sounding excuse for leaving a church that we just don't like.

 

What does "going deeper" really look like?

To challenge our thinking about what we're looking for (and not looking for) in our faith journey, Willems quotes from writer/pastor Alan Danielson's 3-point definition of going deeper:

 

1. Going deeper into my commitment to God's Church. I can't be committed to Jesus (the head) without being committed to the church (His body)...   2. Going deeper into my commitment to the world. ...If I am to "go deeper" I must dive deeper into the muck and mire of a borken world in order to reach people...   3. Going deeper into my commitment to being mastered by Christ. I'm a work-in-progress, and the more God works on me, the more progress I realize I need...

 

Danielson offers a nice summary, "Deepening knowledge is not enough; it must accompany deepening commitments!"

Likewise in Willems' post, commenter Craig Falvo reminds us commitment becomes visible in action:  "At my last church, going deeper would mean ... getting into the Word. Lots of talk about it, little emphasis on doing."

Falvo then pleasantly surprised us by adding, "At my current church, we ... are working our way through the Bible using Zondervan's The Story.  The emphasis from preaching bleeds over into the small  groups." 

My personal opinion of The Story is that it first targets Commitment #3, by helping people encounter the Christ of Scripture. It also helps people unite as a church body (Commitment #1). Then the united body becomes better prepared to serve, to spread Christ's love and hope to the world (Commitment #2).

Which of the three commitments of going deeper do you find most difficult, and which is most energizing? Commitment to God's church, commitment to reaching our world, or commitment to being mastered by Christ?

Learn more about how The Story is taking people deep into Scripture.

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its partners and representatives. The writer's opinions are his own, and he's sharing them for information and entertainment purposes only.)

http://www.thestory.com/the-story-testimonials?cm_mmc=ZT-_-Blog-Sep11-_-Blog-_-The+Story+Testimonials

The Story CD: A Soundtrack to the Bible Story

This week The Story CD hit streets, featuring 18 new songs performed by a parade of talent that includes Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Francesca Bottiscelli, Amy Grant, and Mark Hall & Megan Garrett of Casting Crowns. (A tip for the fans: there are video interviews with the artists, including Mark Hall and others, on their experience with The Story.)

The music on The Story CD was inspired by three recent books: Randy Frazee's The Heart of the Story, Max Lucado's God's Story, Your Story, and The Story. Since reading The Story is like reading the Bible in novel form, I wonder if that makes The Story CD like the soundtrack to the Bible story? The abridged soundtrack anyway. Eighten of the major biblical characters receive their own song. You can see the track listing and sample the songs at thestorycd.com.

The lyricist Nichole Nodeman wrote the lyrics in first-person, which intrigued me. One of my favorite ways to meditate on Scripture is to put myself in the human characters' position, then ask msyself questions like, "How do I behave like this person? What does God think of this behavior? What's a better way?" This seems to fit with one of Nodeman's goals in this project, which she describes as:

...to be able to listen to these songs and feel more connected to these people that walked before us and learned lessons that we're still learning... There's such a tendency to turn them into superheroes and have these big, takeaway, moral-of-the-story moments. For me it was all about the humanity. These were broken people who were desperate and needed God. They were just like us. I really believe that, and I think sometimes we forget.

Preview the Songs
You can preview the songs at www.thestorycd.com.

Based on the samples at thestorycd.com, which song is your favorite? My personal favorite is the Apostle Paul's song, "Move in Me," performed by Jeremy Camp. It's half blues-rock stomper, half orchestral ode to joy, which makes the perfect musical mix to represent Paul's guts ... inspired by Christ's glory. The music styles of the other songs span pop, hip-hop, ballads, and rock.

 

Also of Interest: The DVD and Music Tour
The Story DVD also released this week, and you can learn more about The Story music tour that will hit 13 US cities in December 2011.

 

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its partners and representatives. The writer's opinions are his own, and he's sharing them for information and entertainment purposes only.)

Hear Margaret Feinberg's "Pursuing God's Beauty" Bible Study on Midday Connection

Last Tuesday (Sept. 20, 2011), Moody Radio's Midday Connection kicked off their Fall Bible Study with the first session of Margaret Feinberg's Pursuing God's Beauty: Stories from the Gospel of John. Midday Connection will go through the remaining sessions each Tuesday over the next five weeks. You can listen to the the first session now, and visit  www.middayconnection.org to hear the other sessions as they're posted.

 

Learn More

In the show's discussion of Pursuing God's Beauty Session 1, host Anita Lustrea asks Margaret Feinberg (@mafeinberg) why pursuing God is important. Margaret responds,  "I think that there are times when we hit that dry canyon, and we have to make a choice. Do [I] sit? ... Or do I keep on going ... keep on reading, keep on studying, keep on praying. [Do I say] I'm going to keep on talking to You, even through this difficult and dry season."

It's no coincidence that Margaret's study on pursuing God's beauty is centered on the Gospel of John. "I believe the beauty of God radiates in the person of Jesus Christ," Margaret says, and of all the Gospel writers, John "makes Jesus the most real to me." After Margaret discusses why she loves the Gospel of John, the discussion of Session 1 begins earnest (at 14:50 in the show).

I was especially interested in the hosts' contrast between inviting someone to chuch and inviting someone to meet Jesus. This also elicited a thought-provoking disagreement about Margaret's favorite spiritual conversation starter, "What do you love about Jesus?" Some of the hosts found this a compelling question, but others found it threatening.

 

Find Margaret on Facebook

Midday Connection's discussion of Session 2 is coming up on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, and you can hear it at www.middayconnection.org. Margaret Feinberg will join the show again to dig into John chapters 4-8, and to discuss the facades we present to others; what it's like for God to see through to the real us; and how this can change the way we live.

Learn more about the Pursuing God's Beauty Bible Study.

Does the Gospel of John make Jesus "the most real" for you, as it does for Margaret? I'm also curious, would you feel comfortable asking a new acquaintance "What do you love about Jesus?"

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)

3 Insights on How to Forgive When it's Hard

Letting go of anger is easier said than done. I was reminded of this by some thoughtful readers last Friday, when they commented on the Zondervan Facebook page about an excerpt on letting go of anger. Their questions included, "What if the person doesn't think they did anything wrong?" "What if we've tried to forgive someone, but we just can't let go?"

I think we've all felt how hard it can be to forgive and forget, so I'd like to share three things I've learned about forgiving when it's hard. I didn't come up with these on my own, so wherever I'm drawing inspiration from an author, I try to point you to a resource where they say more, and say it better than I do. Okay, here we go...

 

3 Insights on Forgiving When It's Difficult

1. Forgiveness isn't a free pass.

Learn More

Forgiveness isn't a "get out of consequences free" card. If trust has been breached then consequences are often healthy, and both parties will need to work together to rebuild trust.

Here's an illustration from a sermon I heard recently: Imagine  a married man who has a specific after-work ritual. Every day he unwinds with his coworkers at a coffee shop for about an hour. But, his wife discovers, for the last few months he hasn't been going to the coffee shop — he's been seeing another woman. If he repents of this to his wife, and she forgives him, does that mean it's a good idea for him to go to the coffee shop every day again? Probably not. For a while, maybe the husband should come straight home after work. Or if he does stay out, he should call his wife at an agreed-upon time, touching base on where he is and who he's with.

The point is that forgiveness opens the door for rebuilding trust, but it doesn't rebuild trust in a day. Both parties will need to work at reconciliation.

The single most valuable book I've seen on learning when and how to rebuild trust is Dr. John Townsend's Beyond Boundaries. [Here you can watch the Beyond Boundaries Webcast].

2. Nobody deserves forgiveness. That's where grace comes in.

Learn More

If you're like me, there are times when you've thought "So-and-so doesn't deserve my forgiveness." A simple idea from Scripture overhauled my thinking on this: nobody deserves forgiveness. Grace is always undeserved, or else it isn't grace.

I encountered this idea years ago when I heard a sermon from Chuck Swindoll. I remember he was preaching on grace from the Gospel of John, and I remember that near me was sitting, seemingly by coincidence, someone I considered to be my enemy. This person had refused to acknowledge how they'd hurt me, and I carried so much bitterness for so long, I was exhausted.

So as Swindoll talked about grace and the cross, I began to sense how amazing grace really is. Jesus, God-in-the-flesh, the only innocent person who ever lived, took the place of people like us? I mean, I had hurt people too. And Jesus still wanted to love and forgive people like me?

I wish I had a recording of that sermon, but I see that Chuck Swindoll's Insights on John covers a lot of the same ground. Powerful stuff.

3. When you can't forgive, pray.

Have you ever heard the old saying, "It's hard to hate someone when you're praying for them"? I swear by that. (I can't recall if Lewis Smedes says those exact words in Forgive and Forget, but it's one of many nuggets I gleaned from that book.)

I pray something like this when I feel especially unequipped to forgive:

God, I can't find it in my heart to forgive them for what they did. I'm so angry and hurt that I don't want to forgive them. Thank you for your patience and grace with me. Please help me to follow Jesus' example, help me extend some of your grace to them. I can't do this without you. Thank you, amen.

God has answered that prayer for me. It can take a long time (and more pain than I'd like) to forgive someone, but I believe God delights in our desire to become more like Christ, and the Spirit helps us in our pursuit.

Those are a few insights that have made a big difference in my journey. What about you? What insights into forgiveness have made a difference in your life?

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team. The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives.)

Why Anne Graham Lotz is "Expecting to See Jesus" Soon (Interview)

 

Why does Anne Graham Lotz call the Sept. 11, 2001 attack a "wake-up" call in her new book Expecting to See Jesus? Anne shares why in this interview, then answers controversial questions such as, Can we really know when Jesus is coming back? And What about the doomsday predictions for October 21? Find out why Anne is convinced "the kingdoms of this world are about to give birth to the kingdom of God."

 

See Anne Graham Lotz on FOX NEWS: Huckabee on Saturday, Sept. 17, and Hannity Monday, Sept. 19.

ZBLOG: Why do you believe Sept. 11 was a wake-up call for America? Has America slept through the alarm?

ANNE: I believe that September 11 was an alarm that should have served to wake us up to God.  While many of us did give Him our attention in the weeks immediately following 9/11, we seemed to go back to sleep in the busyness of our day-to-day routines and responsibilities. I believe as a country we have pushed God farther and farther out of our government, businesses, marketplace, and schools, and it's time to repent and invite him back. If 9/11 didn't wake us up, what will it take? It's time now to get right with God.

 

ZBLOG: How did the attack on Sept. 11 affect you personally?

ANNE: After the initial emotional trauma of realizing I was watching many people step into eternity, or run for their lives, or make desperate attempts to contact loved ones — after trying to make sense of the senseless — on that day, God woke me up and set my heart on fire to tell other people that God has given us Hope even on the most horrific of days. Especially on the most horrific of days! Because God has given us Jesus. And Jesus gives to all who believe in Him eternal life.

God woke me up in a fresh way to the glorious good news of the Gospel. While the war on terror is an absolute necessity, terrorism is not the primary problem our world faces. The primary problem is sin in the human heart and a broken relationship with God. The primary solution is to place our faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross for forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God, that we might receive eternal life. Eternal life is a personal relationship with God here and now, and the certainty of Heaven when we die.

 

ZBLOG: Looking back 10 years, how do you think Sept. 11 changed America? What about the Church?

ANNE: While we can all see some changes, good and bad, in America, my primary concern is for the church. I don't see much change in the average, individual church member. Which is astounding to me. So I ask myself, what will it take to wake up God's people? To wake up the church? To wake us up in our relationship with God? In our love for others?

 

Gift Idea for Grandma: The Grandmother's Bible eBook

Did you know last Sunday was National Grandparents Day? In honor of Grandmothers, this week The Grandmother's Bible eBook is just $3.99.

The Grandmother's Bible is about "nourishing grandmothers to nurture grandchildren," so the Bible includes special features like Bible Stories to Share with grandchildren; Talking Points, which are tips on discussing issues like friendship and salvation; and Praying the Scriptures for Your Grandchild. Grandmother-blogger Lynda Freeman reviews some of these special features in her post about how The Grandmother's Bible helps her grow as a grandmother.

This Bible also includes 365 Devotional Readings. Here's a sample:

"Made in God's Image" by Lori Copeland Read | Genesis 1:1-31 I was a very young grandmother. This was not all that surprising since I had been a young bride and a young mother, but when Randy, our firstborn son, married and gave us our first grandchild, I was completely unprepared. I was especially unprepared for the love I would feel for this baby. I was amazed that the love I had felt so strongly for my sons—a love I was positive would never be duplicated—tripled when my first grandson’s newborn eyes slowly opened to meet mine. Oh, those eyes, so trusting and innocent. I gave my heart so completely, so swiftly to this new little one named James that the bonding left me breathless. When I left the hospital, I was filled with joy, with songs of joy. I recalled the words of the psalmist, “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:2), as I enjoyed my ecstatic state. Little did I know that this child was not only a precious gift to me (though he was), but also he was God’s special gift to the world. God in his miraculous grace was enlarging his Kingdom through this tiny scrap of humanity created in his image. James is a grown man now, a youth minister. Twice a year he ministers to the Kagora tribe in Africa, and through God’s unending grace, he leads lost souls to Christ. As a thirty-nine-year-old grandmother, I had no idea what God had placed in my life the day my first grandson was born; but now, many years later, I stand astounded at his marvelous workings. Thank you, God, for placing this child in our life, in our grandparental care. As we watch him grow, lead him in the ways of righteous that his days may be long and fruitful on this earth. Amen.

Find the Grandmother's Bible eBook for $3.99 - This Week Only
The regular price is $16.99, so if deals excite your grandmother as much as they excite mine, tell her you found it for 77% off.  :-)

Amazon Kindle: http://zndr.vn/mTcK6w
Apple iPhone & iPad: http://zndr.vn/mW2oPO
Barnes & Noble Nook: http://zndr.vn/qV63qA

You can also find the eBook on Christianbook.com: http://zndr.vn/mPtu0w

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)

"The Story" - Connecting with the Author of Life

Yesterday a tweet from Rich Stearns (@RichStearns) of World Vision led me to daydream this conversation with Jesus:

ME: Jesus, if you were a novelist, what kind of story would you write?

JESUS: Oh, funny you should ask. I wrote this story with two of my relatives. [He winks, and hands me a book called "The Holy Bible."]

We'll return to this scene in a moment, but first I'll share the Stearns' tweet that inspired it:

 

 

Stearns calls The Story (published by Zondervan) the "narrative of God's relationship with his followers" and "a great overview of God's work." If you think this sounds like the Bible, I think you're mostly right. On the other hand, if the Bible doesn't seem like a coherent story to you, we've hit the point of my daydream.

 

Learn More

For a whole heap of reasons it can be difficult to see the overarching story that runs through Scripture. And even if we glimpse God's story, it can still be hard to see what it means for our everyday lives. I'd wager this relates to Stearns' recommendation of The Story.

The Skinny on The Story 

The Story presents God's story in one seamless narrative -- like a novel. The storyline is chronological from Genesis through Revelation, using verses from the NIV translation. Read Chapter 1 of The Story

I especially recommend The Story to you if...

• Sometimes you're unsure how Scripture relates to your own life, or...
• You love God's big story, and you're looking for a new way to engage with Scripture. Or...
• If you're curious about the Bible but find it kind of intimidating, or...
• To you the Bible feels like a puzzle, and you want to know more about how the pieces fit.

 

Beyond the Novel (The Story Music Tour and More)  

The Story is a multi-part experience that goes beyond the novel. You can learn more at www.thestory.com but I want to give you a quick heads up on the music tour. Coming later this year, it will feature music inspired by The Story and performed by Stephen Curtis Chapman, Newsboys, Francesca Battistelli, Natalie Grant, Selah, and Anthem Lights. I'm excited that Zondervan is partnering with World Vision, Proper Management, WOW, and these artists to pull this tour together!

Most of the music tour details are still under wraps, but you'll be among the first to know more if you go Like The Story Facebook Page.

 

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its partners and representatives. The writer's opinions are his own, and he's sharing them for information and entertainment purposes only. Whatever else an opinion would "be for" Adam doesn't know, but he's just saying...)