Young Adults and the Life of the Church occupy a lot of interest these days even by CNN.
One of the best conversations I have had happened with Tim and Shawna-Songer Gaines. The primary concern is how to insure a place for young adults in the contemporary church. Listen in.
Taylor and Francis has made the top ten articles in Religious Education free for downloading for the rest of July. A couple of articles address neuroscience (including my own) and others deal with youth ministry, religious education, media and a host of other topics
See my blog post on Nazarene Theological Seminary faculty blog
“It is interesting just how prominent the concern for ministry to families continues to grow in local congregations these days. Several conferences and curriculums span both mainline churches and mainstream evangelical churches including Orange, D6, Faith at Home, and Vibrant Faith Ministries, just to name a few. Most of these initiatives surfaced either to support efforts to make current age-level ministries more family-friendly; to actually place families in the center of discipleship in their homes; or to foster a more comprehensive, intergenerational, ministry within the church. In the Church of the Nazarene, NTS has developed a partnership with SDMI to create Faithful Homes, an online web resource to assist families in naming and shaping their spiritual walk.” (for more go to the NTS site)
http://www.nts.edu/faculty-blog/2013/5/30/john-wesley-family-expert.html
Next week I will be headed to the General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene and the International Higher Education Commission general meeting. We will be talking about innovative delivery in education. I have really been stretched here at NTS through online education and the incorporation of Video Conferencing in the classroom. However, it appears we are just beginning the innovation. I am including a video TED talk to give you a sense of the future.
Wesley’s written prayer for families for Monday Morning. John wrote morning and evening prayers for families, I am offering paraphrases to my Family Ministry class
We humble ourselves, Lord of heaven and earth, before Your glorious majesty. We acknowledge Your eternal power, wisdom, goodness, and truth. We wish to give You sincere thanks for all the good things You pour upon us; most of all Your inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wesley’s written prayer for families for Sunday Evening. John wrote morning and evening prayers for families, I am offering paraphrases to my Family Ministry class
To You, the high and holy One who inhabits eternity, You are to be awed and loved by all Your servants. All your works praise You God. We especially give thanks to You for Your marvelous love in Jesus Christ, by whom You have reconciled the world to Yourself (2 Cor. 5:19). You have given us very great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4). You have sealed them with Jesus’ blood, confirmed them by his resurrection and ascension, and by the coming of the Holy Spirit. We thank You that You have given us so many happy opportunities of knowing the truth as it is in Jesus; this mystery which was hid from ages and generations, but now revealed to them that believe.
I blogged in January on Economic Wisdom and Human Flourishing, including a mention of Dallas’ Willard’s presentations to the Kern Foundation Oikonomia Network retreat.
The network has recently posted a summary and links to the audio files for your engagement.
Professor of Practical Theology and Christian Discipleship, Nazarene Theological Seminary
Discipleship Commons 