Sharing Your Faith with Parents

Liz Sweet

Nina Hoyt

Hebrews 12:1-3

It is because of the great commission that we share the good news of Jesus with our family. Not only does God want to reach our family, but he wants to transform us through the process. It is important to remember God's role as we love our families and pursue the biblical love that God wants to produce in us as we step out in faith. Some practical ways we can be effective in sharing our faith include: praying; practicing gratitude; remembering it's a spiritual battle; listening; learning love languages; initiating spiritual conversation; practicing forgiveness. \r\n

Building a Family Around the Word

Chris Risley

Psalms 78:5-7

Many parents don't have a specific goal for their children to shape their parenting. As Christian parents, however, our goal should be to have our children grow to love the Lord wholeheartedly. This means we need to address our relationship with God, with our spouse, and with our kids. In order to give to our family amidst our own imperfections and anxieties, we need to be receiving from God ourselves. Through prioritizing our marriage, spending ample time getting quality time with our children and raising them according to God's priorities, we can build a successful family around the word of God.

How to Ask Good Questions

John Ross

Genesis 4:4-7

Learning to ask good questions unlocks new potential to more effectively share our faith, develop deep relationships, and help others move toward Christ. This workshop helps describe what good questions consist of and explains how to actually ask these questions while talking with others. Before asking our questions, we should prepare ahead of time and be willing to adjust our approach during the conversation. As we listen wisely in conversations, we can walk away more prepared to ask further questions later that may go deeper. The workshop ends with several case studies to practice asking good questions in specific contexts.

Bonhoeffer - Community Under the Word

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 2:14

Dietrich Bonheoffer, a leading figure in the Christian church in Nazi Germany, became the director of the Confessing Church's underground seminary. During his time there, he lived with a dozen or more Christian men in community, something that resembles Xenos' ministry house model today in some ways. From Bonheoffer, we can learn keys to rich community, including being wary of romanticizing community and being watchful that we are living under the word in this area. This means that in the context of community we are practicing confession, thankfulness, self-control, and humility.

Recovering From the Fall

Dennis McCallum

Genesis 3:7-19

The effects of the fall on a individual human can be substantially (but not completely) reversed through gradual spiritual growth. The theological alienation humans experience is reversed through turning back to God and beginning a relationship with Him. Psychological alienation is healed by no longer propping self up as a god but instead putting self under God's leadership. Sociological alienation is reversed by moving away from a self-centered relationship and towards a God-centered relationship. Ecological alienation is healed as humans take a stewardship perspective of God's Earth.

Bear One Another's Burdens - A Study in Galatians 6

Scott Risley

2 Timothy 4:7-8

Galatians instructs us to bear one another's burdens but just verses later says each person should carry his own load. To understand this, we must first understand the difference between a burden and a load and be able to distinguish between the two in our own lives. Each of us was given a race marked out by God that we are responsible for, but we are also responsible to one another in times of crisis and tragedy, when things are too much for one person to handle alone.

Love Therapy - A Little Known Approach to Counselling

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 5:46

Biblical love can be defined as a commitment to give of oneself in every area for the good of another, and it is a giving of this love that can truly be therapeutic in the believer's life. This love can further be separated into four categories: sacrificial, forgiving, emotional, and disciplining. As we examine these categories, we see how deep our call to love is. As we assess love defects and relational continuums, we can gauge our own position and learn how to become more effective love givers.

Exploring Eternity (Part 3) - Minds Fixed on Eterntiy

James Rochford

Ephesians 5:15-16

Investing in heaven is the wisest choice we can make. It starts with setting our mind on heaven in this life. Here are five things to consider: 1) people are the only lasting commodity; 2) eternity reminds us why temporal pursuits never satisfy; 3) a mindset on eternity reminds us our suffering has a purpose; 4) eternity reminds us to be faithful with the small stuff; and 5) eternity reminds us that we will all give an account for our lives someday.

Patience (Part 1) - Patience with Weakness

Ajith Fernando

Philippians 2:3

We often yearn for a particular fruit of the Spirit, patience. But patience is not achieved without difficulty. One way we grow in patience is through experiencing weakness in ourselves and others. As we experience conflict and the weakness of other believers, we are sharpened to become more Christ-like in our patience.