Our youth group is starting a 7 week series tonight called “What’s the difference?” We are going to be looking at various world religions and the differences between them and Christianity(hint: it’s Jesus). The goal is not for them to know more about other religions but to know what and why they believe better. Here are two of the main resources I’m using for this study. Fritz Ridenour’s book has some great stories about the various founders. It’s as informative as a text book, but is a fun read because of the style.
![718982: So What"s the Difference? How World Faiths Compare to Christianity, Revised and Expanded](http://ag.christianbook.com/g/thumbnail/7/718982t.gif "718982: So What"s the Difference? How World Faiths Compare to Christianity, Revised and Expanded") |
So What’s the Difference? How World Faiths Compare to Christianity, Revised and Expanded
By Fritz Ridenour In easy-to-understand chapters, the author explains the basic beliefs of Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, New Age and a dozen other belief systems of the world. It will help you recognize the real differences and make it easier to explain and share your faith with others. Completely revised and updated. |
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Christianity, Cults & Religions: Compare 17 Religions and Cults with Biblical Christianity
Compare the beliefs of 18 world religions and cults at a glance, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, and more! Learn what each group believes about God, Jesus, salvation, and other basic points of Christianity. Laminated pamphlet measures 5.5″ x 8.5″ and unfolds to 33″—ideal to keep in your Bible or briefcase. From Rose. |
In April and May, we’ll be studying the 10 commandments to continue the process of strengthening their faith foundation. More and more I am finding that many students’ Biblical knowledge is sorely lacking. There are several factors for that but I believe the main culprit is the breakdown of the family unit in our society(more on all that later). The church’s responsibility to make disciples often falls on the local organized body, but I believe that Christ intended for every believer to be and make disciples. I’m not sure when showing up for an hour on Sundays started passing for being a disciple.
Here’s the latest music out this week.
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Beautiful Things CD By Gungor Michael Gungor’s musical creativity and passion for worship are on full display with Beautiful Things, a thirteen-song set of refreshing original compositions. Featuring a guest appearance from Israel Houghton, Gungor breezes through alternative worship styles on tracks like “Dry Bones,” “Please Be My Strength,” “People of God,” and others. |
Gungor also at 
Ohio Avenue at
Vicky Beeching’s new EP at
Saw the preview for this book. Just had a conversation with someone about this very thing.
![316888: Why Is God Ignoring Me?: What To Do When It Feels Like He"s Giving You the Silent Treatment](http://ag.christianbook.com/g/thumbnail/3/316888t.gif "316888: Why Is God Ignoring Me?: What To Do When It Feels Like He"s Giving You the Silent Treatment") |
Why Is God Ignoring Me?: What To Do When It Feels Like He’s Giving You the Silent Treatment
By Gary R. Habermas * Have you ever cried out to God when you were in trouble and felt like he’d abandoned you? Sharing personal experiences, heartfelt insights, and biblical truth, Habermas asks tough questions, shares wise answers—and reveals where we can find our heavenly Father in the midst of suffering and sorrow. 256 pages, softcover from Tyndale. |
In 1997….
1. Cell Phones were scarce, weighed 20 pounds, and came in bags.
2. Dial Up internet was still somewhat of a luxury.
3. There was no such thing as an MP3.
4. No one had heard of Columbine or Michael Moore.
5. Checking in at the airport took about 5 minutes.
6. When you talked to your students about cutting it was because they had been skipping class.
7. I only knew a few people who owned an Apple computer and didn’t understand why.
8. I was single and moved into an apartment closer to the church so it wouldn’t be long distance for teens to call me. Now, I live in a town I hadn’t heard of then.
9. I had never heard of Rick Warren or Doug Fields.
10. My IBM computer had 4 MB of Ram and a 12 MB hard drive.
11. It was still okay to play “Chubby Bunny.”
12. Wednesday afternoons were spent making sure we had overhead slides for all our songs.
What did I leave out?
Next, I will be looking at 12 things that haven’t changed. Thanks for reading.
Our Sunday night youth Bible study is now going through Charlie Alcock’s book, More Than a High. The goal of this book is to move people from the emotional high of a youth camp, convention, or mission trip to the daily process of becoming more like Jesus. Charlie teaches Youth Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University and is the youth pastor at College Wesleyan Church. He has a passion for teens, a wealth of knowledge and experience in youth ministry, and is an all around good guy. It’s an inexpensive book and great for a personal or small group setting. We are on week 2 this week. Check it out.
Well, we are basically a month into the Chase Your Lion dot com era. Thanks so much for your continued support of our mission. Our prayer is to equip and motivate you to discover and pursue your purpose, passion, and possibilities. We want to provide the top Christian Resources. Here are the top 6 and bottom 6 posts from month #1, October 2009.
Top 6
1. October is Pastor appreciation month
2. Rob Bell resources and Drops Like Stars Tour Review
3. Healthy-living-and-lion-chasing
4. Toms Shoes
5. A Detour that helped me Chase My Lion
6. Franchis Chans-new-book-forgotten-god/
Bottom 6
New-music-and-book-releases-October-27/
The Outsiders-review-needtobreathe
Fit Friday-My-workout-routine(so-far)
Tony Morgan-interview-with-David-Crowder
My good friend Scott Simmons finished his first book and it has become a great discipleship tool that many youth groups are using. Our group is almost through with the 10 week study and has thoroughly enjoyed it. ifollow is a great resource for groups or individuals looking to take the next step in their journey with Christ. Scott is the Director of Youth Ministries for the Wesleyan denomination.
Welcome to the Planet is a great resource that will take your youth group through the 5 purposes of the church. This 6 week study includes powerpoints, outlines, transcripts, and games to help you promote and implement this great series.
Check out these other great sermon series:
Came upon this young man’s story and it is truly remarkable. He’s got my vote for the Lion Chaser Hall of Fame. This book chronicles his journey to help suffering people in Africa. Ever asked yourself if one kid can make a difference? This book’s answer is a resounding: YES! This story captures the heart of what Chase Your Lion dot com is all about. It’s about people using their passion to fulfill their purpose through amazing possibilities. This book not only tells Austin’s story, but has lots of information on other possibilities that await you.
For the past 5 weeks, I have been using this series on Wednesday nights with our youth group. The focus is on 9 individuals in desperate need of help who had a life changing encounter with Jesus. This resource is available from Simply Youth Ministry – simplifying ministry and saving you time!. Like so many of their resources, this series is customizable and available for instant download. The thing I especially like is there are practical applications with each lesson. Check out this great 9 week series.
One of the resources I have used at each church I have served is the HABITS production pack and Super Series. This resource gives you materials that can truly help your teens reach a deeper commitment to Christ by learning Godly HABITS. HABITS is an acronym for
Hang time with God (Quiet Time Journals)
Accountability with another believer (Back 2 Back)
Bible Memorization (Hidden Treasures)
Involvement with the church body (no resources)
Tithing commitment (Bank of Blessings)
Study Scripture (Rootworks).
I took things a step further and adapted the materials to a new acronym for our group-PRACTICE. There is a 6 weeks teaching series on the HABITS along with everything you need to reproduce the take home materials for you teens. It’s a great investment and I’ve used it several times.
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