As summer winds down, please consider 40 Days With... devotional journals for your fall Sunday School classes, small groups, and personal Bible study. You can easily use these for a 6-7 week study.  There are 14 titles to choose from. Get yours from Amazon.com.

Note: As of 7/30, Amazon is running a sale on Psalms, Vol. 1 and Matthew, Vol. 2 and you can get either for less than $5 per book!

My friend Rev. Dr. Shannon Karafanda has coordinated a fresh Lenten Challenge after collaborating with a number of friends and colleagues. Below you will see 40 Lenten activities and you are encouraged to try some if not all of them. Some will stretch you and get you out of your comfort zone. We are all encouraged to create some #HolyMischief during Lent. Join the Holy Mischief Facebook group for more information and to share your experience. There is a daily devotional for each activity on the list which you can access here:  https://holymischieflentenchallenge.blogspot.com/2020/02/40-challenges-of-holy-mischief.html. Let’s become #HolyMischief makers!

Thank you to The Factory Church! They have been studying 40 Days With…The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1 for the last 40 days. I’ve enjoyed being an observer in your online group and watching you encounter the scripture each day as you have journeyed together. I hope the study has been a blessing to you.

40 Days With…The Gospel of Mark is now available on Cokesbury.com. Look for more 40 Days With… titles on Cokesbury in the coming weeks.

40 Days With…Romans is now available on Amazon.

On February 27th, I’ll be speaking on Lectio Divina at Epworth UMC in Columbus GA. Rev. Tony Crosby will be preaching and teaching on the Gospel of Mark during Lent. He is inviting his congregation to listen carefully for what God might be saying to them through Mark in this season and is introducing them to the practice of Lectio Divina. The church will be using 40 Days With…the Gospel of Mark as a church-wide resource during Lent. I’ll give a brief talk on the history and practice of Lectio Divina and guide participants through a Lectio exercise.

Just in time for Cyber Monday! 40 Days With…The Gospel of John, Vol. 1 and 40 Days With…The Gospel of John, Vol. 2 are now available on Amazon. 40 Days With… devotional journals make great Christmas presents!

I’ve released a new Kindle book: Praying the Scriptures - An Introduction to the History and Practice of Lectio Divina. I wrote this short book (about 30 pages) because of the questions I was getting when I talked to groups about my devotional journals. As the subtitle states, the book is intended to give a brief introduction into the history and practice of Lectio Divina. There are certainly other books available that go into much greater detail, but this book gives you a nice quick overview. It’s available on Amazon HERE for 99 cents. I’m trying to get them to make it free, but don’t know if I will be successful. So you can wait to see if it becomes free, or you can break the bank and spend 99 cents now.

I will be leading a A Taste of Lectio Divina workshop after the Midweek Supper. The ancient practice of Lectio Divina has been called “feasting on the Word” and “praying the scriptures.” After a brief history of Lectio Divina, Chris will guide participants through a Lectio Divina experience with Scripture.

Five different 40 Days with… devotional journals are in the top 26 of Church Materials on Amazon.com. Thanks to everyone who is finding their 40 day journey’s with Scripture so meaningful.

I was honored to be asked by my friend Rev. Scott Hughes to be his guest on on the Discipleship Ministries podcast about Courageous Conversations. Check it out:

https://blog.umcdiscipleship.org/episode-43-courageous-conversations-in-small-groups/

I am excited be teaching a combined Sunday School lesson that highlights some of my core principles of teaching. After lunch, I will lead a Master Class for teachers in the church on Better Bible Teaching Starts Now.

Teaching the Bible can be intimidating for both new and experienced teachers. And yet, leading a great class can be one of the most rewarding church experiences. This workshop will discuss principles of adult learning, core principles for teaching the Bible, suggestions for your study and preparation, and several practical ideas for planning creative lessons. No matter what your setting or experience level is, this workshop aims to give you some practical ideas for you as a teacher. 

I’m excited to announce that 40 Days with… The Acts of the Apostles, Vol.1 and Vol.2 are now available on Amazon.com.