A wide variety of learning resources.
"Ask, Thank, Tell: Improving Stewardship Ministry in Your Congregation"
by Charles Lane
A great book that inspired some spirited discussions at Hosanna. Click the links below to print the outline and four discussion sessions:
Ask Thank Tell Discussion Outline (PDF)
Ask Thank Tell Session 1 (PDF)
Ask Thank Tell Session 2 (PDF)
Ask Thank Tell Session 3 (PDF)
Ask Thank Tell Session 4 (PDF)
____________________________________________________________________________
A free Bible atlas that harnesses Google maps to make the Bible more alive in your life. Select a book of the Bible and a chapter to reveal locations mentioned in the text. Select a book of the Bible and a chapter. BibleMap will mark any locations, if any, for that chapter. Click each location for information about the site. Connect with "Bible Map."
Also includes:
A Biblical View of Finances/Work
____________________________________________________________________________
Call it "Bible 101." Everything about the Bible. Not a single book, but a library, put together over a period of about 1,500 years. You'll find study lessons on its famous characters and events, long and short Bible reading plans and virtual tours of biblical sites. Here you can walk in the footsteps of Jesus and Paul and more. Go to "Bible Boot Camp."
____________________________________________________________________________
This online Bible study is designed for personal devotions, small or large groups. Each session can be downloaded and copied for participants, in PDF format or MS Word.
Each session includes:
Word of Life: biblical background
Word Among Us: a connection of the biblical theme with daily life
Last Word: a suggestion for applying a faith practice in the coming week.
Length: 45-60 minutes
____________________________________________________________________________
Witness the long and tumultuous history of the holy city to three monotheistic faiths. "Let us go up to Jerusalem."
____________________________________________________________________________
Life of Jesus - A Virtual Journey
Travel to the places where Jesus lived, taught, preached and performed miracles, seen through the eyes of pilgrims who have visited historic cities and archaeological sites in the Holy Land. Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus.
____________________________________________________________________________
Martin Luther
Martin Luther Slide Presentation (Power Point)
Martin Luther Slide Presentation (PDF) - Faster download
Martin Luther: Reluctant Rebel - A chronological review of the Life of Luther from birth to death, with photos of Luther sites, quotes from his writings and events in his life. Includes information about the 95 Theses, the Diet of Worms, the Wartburg, his translation of the Bible, the Augsburg Confession and more...
Luther Quiz 18 question, self-answering. Test your knowledge and learn.
Martin Luther: Reluctant Revolutionary Website (from the PBS Empires series)
Videos about Martin Luther (from PBS):
____________________________________________________________________________
Masada
Famous fortress on an isolated rock plateau on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. Attributed mythic significance in the First Jewish-Roman War (also known as the Great Jewish Revolt) when a siege by troops of the Roman Empire led to a mass suicide of the site's Jewish Sicarii fugitives when defeat became imminent. Today, Masada is a very popular tourist destination.
Go to Masada (PDF) - Faster download
____________________________________________________________________________
Money Sanity Solutions
From Nathan Duncan, founder of Share, Save, Spend
Learn healthy money habits. Now more than ever, parents are eager for simple and implementable ideas to help their children develop healthy money habits.
____________________________________________________________________________
Paul's Missionary Journeys and Final Voyage to Rome
Beginnings - Witness Saul's conversion, visit Damascus, Tarsus, Antioch in Syria.
Paul's first missionary journey - Visit Cyprus, Perge, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Derbe and Lystra.
____________________________________________________________________________
Podcasts
Sermon Brainwave at WorkingPreacher.com. Conversation among professors at Luther Seminary about each week's scripture texts, recorded before lectionary date.
Lectionary at Lunch MP3, Windows Media, and Real Audio files of lectures by professors at Concordia Seminary, St Louis, MO (LCMS).
____________________________________________________________________________
Qumran
Located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, Qumran was constructed during the reign of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus, 134-104 BC. It saw various phases of occupation until, probably after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, it was destroyed by the Roman army commanded by Titus. It is best known as the settlement nearest the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden.
Travel to Qumran (Power Point)
Travel to Qumran (PDF) - Faster download
____________________________________________________________________________
Read the Bible from start to finish, from Genesis to Revelation. Each daily scripture reading in the chart has been developed to assist you in your goal of reading the entire Bible in one year (about 30 minutes and 3 chapters per day). The chart uses RefTagger which turns all the Bible references into hyperlinks to the full text of the passage at Bible.Logos.com, making it easy to access the Scripture passages with one click. Challenge Yourself!
Read the Bible in One Year (Interactive with Ref Tagger).
Read the Bible in One Year (PDF).
____________________________________________________________________________
Reclaiming the "L" Word
Outlines of a study based on the book "Reclaiming the L Word" by Kelly Fryer
____________________________________________________________________________
Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, the final book of the Bible, consist of letters to seven churches in what was the Roman province of Asia, today western Turkey. Revelation was written in the 1st century AD by a man who identified himself only as "John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus."
As confirmed by archaeology the seven cities — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea — were actual, historic cities with Christian communities living in pagan societies.
As we understand the uniquely tailored messages, and the specific admonitions in each letter, we discover that any church can be categorized in terms of these seven profiles.
Visit the Seven Cities in Revelation. Explore the excavations, walk among the ruins or see the modern cities that now occupy their sites and learn what Christians living in the 1st century AD endured for their faith. Three bonus stops are included, the island of Patmos, where John received his vision from Jesus, and the cities of Colossae and Hierapolis, near ancient Laodicea. Journey to the Seven Cities.
____________________________________________________________________________
Everyday Evangelists
Actions speak speak louder than words. Watch ELCA members who are everyday evangelists: Bernice Janssen and the quilters of Bethesda Lutheran Church in rural Illinois; Vicar Craig Simenson at Faith Kitchen in Boston; Jorge Cervera and the Puerta Abierta ("Open Door") ministry of Minneapolis; A chorus of ELCA members affirming their calls as evangelists. View this inspiring video.
Stories of Hope and Promise in the Midst of Fear
The neighborhood ministries at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Detroit.; Social media outreach by Living Grace, West Omaha, Neb.; A Ph.D. candidate in theology named Sanchita Kisku.; A Minnesota National Guard battalion served by ELCA Chaplain Corey Bjertness. Be Inspired.
____________________________________________________________________________
With the Whole Church
An 80-page study guide for Renewing Worship (PDF)
For the sake of the shared mission and with the hope of coming to understand more deeply who Lutheran Christians are, With the Whole Church invites people to discuss and study worship.
____________________________________________________________________________
Christianity is unique among all other faiths, because it is about a relationship rather than religious practice. Rather than living according to a list of "dos and don'ts," the goal of a Christian is to cultivate a close walk with God.
Learn What Lutheran Christians Believe.
____________________________________________________________________________
A resource from the ELCA... Includes: the Bible, New or Returning to the Church, Statements of Belief, Prayer Center...
______________________________
"Hosanna is our extended family."
-Tripp and Pam Smith