What’s the best way to get a discussion going? I think the best way to get people talking is to tell a story. Especially one that only has most of the pieces…in the way that the best movies don’t neatly wrap things up at the end. They leave you talking as you walk out to your car.

Lost had a huge impact on the culture, grabbed a massive fan base, because it told a compelling story.  Each week was a wild free-for-all that wrenched the audience back and forth, from the present to the past, back to the present, and even fast-forwarded into the future.  Always packed with what might be clues, or complete red herrings.

Jesus used stories, you know.  In fact, at the end of a long series of stories that Jesus told the crowds while sitting in a boat, Matthew 13:34-35 notes, “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’”

Jesus didn’t say anything to them “without using a parable.”  Hmmm.  Story-driven.

Tripped across a great interview that Gordon Marcy did with Shane Sooter, Artistic Director and President of City on a Hill Productions about the power of story-driven visual media.  I highly recommend that you take the time to read the interview.  And to watch a short video that Sooter developed called, “Our Mission Field.”

One of the reasons that I’m so high on small group studies like those being produced by Liquid and City on a Hill (H2O, The Jesus Experience, Not a Fan, etc.) and story-driven testimonies like those mentioned in this post on the Collide Magazine blog is that I am absolutely convinced that story-driven visual media will be required to reach the widening 60% that will never come to church.

In my opinion, Liquid has developed some of the very best small group curriculum available.  And you can win a complete set…all 7 of their studies…FREE.

I’m so excited to welcome my friends at Liquid back to my sponsor team!  As I said earlier this week, I believe that story-driven visual media will be required to reach the widening 60% that will never come to church.  And Liquid is producing some of the best examples of story that captivates the imagination and ignites conversation about biblical truth.

To celebrate Liquid’s return to the sponsor team, you can win a complete set…all 7 of their studies…FREE.  Here’s how:

Rules of the Contest – (The Contest is Closed…)

You must do TWO (2) things.  And you have to do both to win.

1. Use the comment section to tell me why you’d like to win.  You can comment right here.
2. Tweet or Facebook the following line:  “Win a complete Liquid Bible Study Collection Set, a $175 value http://bit.ly/ieISQz (Please Retweet)”

The contest ends on Friday, December 17th, at noon (CST).  Thanks for playing!

Looking for a challenging study that will appeal to men?  You might want to consider Lifeway’s Game Plan for Life.  Featuring three-time Super Bowl winner, NFL Hall of Fame coach, and three-time NASCAR champion Joe Gibbs, it has some of the ingredients of an easy to market experience baked in.

Game Plan for Life is a DVD-driven study that has a lot going for it and should be pretty easy to promote and lead.  Start with a recognizable name, add plenty of resources* and you’ve got most of the ingredients for what could be a very promotable men’s study that can be done on campus or off.

Each of the six group sessions are reinforced by a 5 day daily workout experience that is built in to the study guide, a nice feature.  Although the study could include reading the hardback (the topics do correspond), it isn’t dependent on it, and in fact, study participants will get a lot out of the sessions themselves.

The sessions are designed to be a combination of media and discussion and they have good variety.  The six topics included in the study were selected “based on national survey” that “identified the eleven most important issues facing men today.”  Volume 1 of Game Plan for Living includes the following:

1. Finances (with a video featuring Ron Blue)
2. God (with a video featuring Ken Boa)
3. Creation (with a video featuring John Lennox)
4. The Bible (with a video featuring Josh McDowell)
5. Sin and Addiction (with a video featuring Ravi Zacharias)
6. Salvation (with a video featuring Chuck Colson)

If there is a challenge to the study it might be the topics.  For many men in your congregation, Game Plan for Life will offer a great next step.  At the same time, while Joe Gibbs’ name recognition and the engaging format will make it easy for men to get involved, I think the pace with which the concepts are introduced will be a challenge for men who are less mature spiritually.

Overall, I think you’ll find Game Plan for Life to be easy to promote and a helpful addition to your men’s ministry menu.

*Resources:

• easy to use DVD
• study guide with the leader’s guide built-in
• Joe Gibbs’ New York Times best seller by the same title
• a promotional video and,
• plenty of collateral materials (bulletin inserts, posters, media slides and website banners) available at the Lifeway.com/GamePlan/Leader website.

Had a chance to preview Convergence: Where Faith and Life Meet, an intriguing new line of video driven small group curriculum.  Available on DVD or as a download, this is not an old-school famous talking head teach-a-lesson and then work-through-the-questions product.  This DVD-driven curriculum comes with a twist.  Instead of watching a short lesson, you really feel like you’re the third party in a great conversation, dying to ask a follow-up question.   Convergence will generate some unexpected and out-of-the-ordinary discussions.

(Be sure and check out the special promotion below)

Every segment is hosted by Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) and features an interesting conversation with with “another well-known Christian author or speaker about the challenges that Christians face while trying to integrate faith with real life.”

The current library includes interviews with Henry Cloud, John Townsend, Randy Alcorn, Dan Allender, Phyllis Tickle, Tremper Longman and Lauren Winner on topics ranging from spiritual practices and personal growth to marriage and parenting; a great set available at a very attractive price, especially when the participant and leader guides are downloadable free.

I was able to take a look at all three segments from the Spiritual Practices DVD featuring Lauren Winner (Mudhouse Sabbath: An Invitation to a Life of Spiritual Discipline), and I have to say, I was definitely pulled in by the conversation.  The combination of Donald Miller’s engaging normal guy take on spirituality and the fascinating story of Winner’s migration from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity kept me glued to the conversation.  When it ended, I was ready to talk about how it might provoke a next step for me.

While the video segments are very engaging, it’s important to note that the segments provide just enough content to prompt an engaging conversation.  At 16 to 18 minutes (on the Spiritual Practices DVD), there will be plenty of time for discussion and the leader and participant guides (downloadable) feature the kinds of statements and questions that will help your groups engage in the topic.  In addition, you’ll find a series of valuable leader development articles in the Resources section on the Convergence site.

Special Promotion for the First 25 Readers:

To promote the new resource, the first 25 people from my blog will get a free download. To take advantage of this offer, just head over to the Convergence site and use the promo code HOWELL.

Next Step on the Convergence Blog Tour

You can join the next stop on the Convergence blog tour on Wednesday, December 1st over at Oil for Joy, Maegan Stout’s site.  She’ll be reviewing the Marriage DVD in the series…and she’ll probably have her own set of download giveaways!

Here’s a Sample from the Spiritual Practices DVD:

Lauren Winner on Spriritual Practices from All Things Converge on Vimeo.

Lauren Winner on Spriritual Practices from All Things Converge on Vimeo.

Looked over a copy of Discovering Our Spiritual Identity: Practices for the Beloved by Trevor Hudson this week.  New from InterVarsity Press, this will be a good addition to your recommended list if you’re looking for ways to “live out…[your] spiritual identity as God’s beloved.”

There are a number of aspects to really love about Discovering Our Spiritual Identity.  First, as Dallas Willard puts it in the forward, “Trevor Hudson states with utter simplicity and clarity the profound truths of Jesus Christ, about how we can live well and beautifully, no matter what our circumstances.”  If you’re like me and you’re looking for “easy to wrap your mind around”…you’ll appreciate the simplicity here.

Second, the practical exercises included in each chapter are the kind of holy experiment that can be done alone and then discussed with a group of fellow travelers.  Alternatively, they can be used as a kind of journal entry that will allow healthy interaction with the content.  Discovering Our Spiritual Identity is much more than a reading assignment.  It really is a set of 16 very practical steps that can be taken in a spiritual journey.

Third, each chapter concludes with a set of questions appropriate for a group or interaction with a spiritual director or partner.  While this would be a challenging interaction for some small groups (there is no leaders guide and the subject matter will require a level of maturity not always found in every group), many groups will find it just the thing to help them take essential next steps in spiritual growth.

I can imagine that many, many of the participants in our congregations would greatly benefit from interacting with the ideas and practices in this book.  Beginning with drawing a new picture of God and continuing on through sections on spiritual friendship, solitude and silence, and offering encouraging words, this is a workbook experience that has the potential to powerfully impact and redirect spiritual status quo.

If there is a concern about the book it is simply that without a leader’s guide it’s application will be limited to individuals/groups that have the required level of maturity.  At the same time, there will be many will find in Discovering Our Spiritual Identity a trajectory altering experience.

I wrote about Lifeway’s Small Group Life curriculum series a while back when it was a new product. Now entering its second year, the series offers a number of key advantages:

• Affordable pricing (a full year’s curriculum can cost as little as $14 per person)
• Subscription model similar to that of a Sunday School quarterly
• Easy preparation
• Each study can be used as a 6 or a 12 week study (each session is designed to be divided into two)
• Free downloadable lesson ideas for kids
• Free downloadable videos for each session online
• Leader’s Notes are embedded in each study and Leader’s Guide is included in every study guide
• Family devotional ideas are included

• Childrens Study Sample – PDF
• Adult Study Sample – PDF

The study guides in the series are called episodes and are part of a year-long pattern that follows Lifeway’s adult ministry strategy of connect, grow, serve, and go.

Barbarians, the fall 2010 offering, is a good example of the engaging nature of the series.  Based on the idea that “over the past two thousand years, Christianity has moved away from its renegade roots to something more comfortable–housetrained conformists who have grown soft through carefully constructed lives veiled with the order of the routine and the mundane,” this study is designed to help group members take steps back into the passionate self-abandonment of the original tribe.

Barbarians’ 6 thematic topics are:

• The Barbarian Creed
• Jesus the Barbarian
• Beat of the Barbarian Heart
• The Barbarian Call to Action
• Barbarian Blind Spots
• The Barbarian in Community

Barbarians is an engaging study and part of a sustainable model.  If you’re looking for a reliable curriculum to give your groups access to, this is a product you’ll want to check out.  You can find out more right here.

Ran into a friend from LifeChurch.tv yesterday at the Small Group Trader day of the Right Now conference.  He made sure to tell me about a new resource available that goes along with Chazown: Define Your Vision. Pursue Your Passion. Live Your Life on Purpose, Craig Groeschel’s engaging book by the same title.

The idea behind Chazown is an exciting one.  The title of the book and resource is based on the the Hebrew word for vision, and it’s what God had in mind for you when you were created.  Each of us is a masterpiece, placed on earth for a unique purpose that’s solely ours to fulfill.  Finding your chazown is the point of the resource.

In addition to the web-based interactive assessments, there is a 6 session downloadable DVD-driven small group curriculum.  As is so much of what LifeChurch.tv produces, the online resources at Chazown.com are free.

Chazown was a great read, very thought-provoking and inspiring when I first picked it up.  Now with the tools and resources available for personal and group use…it will only be more engaging.  You can take a look right here.

By the way, Robert Davis is the Small Group Pastor at LifeChurch.tv’s Northwest Oklahoma City campus.  If you follow him on twitter, maybe it’ll make him tweet a little more regularly!

Looking for downloadable curriculum for your small group ministry?  With over 3,000 lessons available, you probably need to take a look at Good Questions Have People Talking and JoshHunt.com.  Whether your leaders are seasoned veterans or fresh out of a new leader orientation, this is a resource that will be good to know about.

All of Josh’s studies have three important features:

• Ready to use questions that make it easy to teach
• Helpful insights and quotes from respected commentaries that give them depth
• Stories and illustrations that give them life

Whether you’re looking for an in-depth Bible book study or a particular topic, you’ll find a complete catalog of available studies right here.  And let me tell you, it is a very extensive catalog.  In fact, the only thing longer is the list of enthusiastic reviews right alongside.  Very impressive.

While Josh Hunt might be best known for his church growth and training conferences (with high profile recommendations from Rick Warren, Charles Stanley, Ed Stetzer and John Maxwell), he has extensive experience developing curriculum and has been writing study questions for a long time (over two decades!)  Even at 4 lessons a week it takes quite a while to get to 3,000!

He’s also using a very affordable pricing model.  Pricing isn’t based on the number of items.  Your monthly subscription allows unlimited downloads for the month.  With pricing for an individual subscriber at $5.99 a month, there is a sliding scale based on attendance to make the lessons available church-wide.  Even pricing for a large church (over 1500) is very affordable at $99.99 a month.

You’ll find a set of free samples right here.  In fact, the whole book of Ephesians is available for you to preview free.  You’ll also find a free 7 day trial right here.  Take a look at the sample lessons.  I think you’ll discover a resource that will be a great benefit to your leaders.  Especially for your groups that enjoy working through books of the Bible, Great Questions Have Groups Talking might be just the ticket.

Whether you’re looking for a resource that will provide reliable content for groups looking for an in-depth discussion of the Bible or you just want to enrich your leaders and help prepare them to lead great discussions, I think you’ll appreciate Good Questions Have People Talking and JoshHunt.com.

Ripped open the packaging for Not a Fan earlier this week.  For me, not many small group studies are as eagerly anticipated as anything new from Kyle Idleman and the crew at City on a Hill Productions.  The first production that I ran across was H2O and it was really groundbreaking.  Not at all a talking head, it was a much more cinematic experience.  H2O was followed by the Easter Experience…again a beautiful production.  I wrote a review of the Easter Experience right here.

Much like their two earlier projects, Not a Fan is a very dramatic effort.  Great storytelling keeps you engaged in the core message: Jesus is not looking for fans.  He’s looking for followers.  Followers who understand that:

• There is no forgiveness without repentance
• There is no salvation without surrender
• There is no life without death
• There is no believing without following

Each of the 6 episodes follow the life of Eric Nelson, in a kind of contemporary version of a gospel story.  For example, the story of Matthew unfolds in the telling of a modern day failure.  Gary’s life is a mess.  He comes to the place where he figures out that his life of regret is killing him.  Interspersed with Idleman’s narration, the 25 minute segment flies by, setting up a great discussion.  And a key to this study might be, once you start watching…it’s very hard to stop.  You’ll be drawn into a very familiar story.  There will definitely be many very recognizable situations.  And you’ll find yourself thinking…that could be me.

After making the distinction between a fan and a follower in Luke 9:23, the series takes a look at Matthew, the Rich Young Ruler, a series of might be followers who needed to “count the cost” in Luke 9:57-62.

One challenge for many churches will be the cost.  The base price of $69.99 per DVD is expensive when compared to most of the other DVD-driven curriculum.  Although there is a discount with larger purchases (a purchase of 10 DVDs reduces the price by 15% to $59.99 a DVD), it might be prohibitive for some congregations.  Still, when you consider that a DVD can be used more than once, it could be a great investment.

Another challenge might be the level of leadership required to really pull off the kind of discussion that leads to personal action.  Believe me, there will be discussion.  In that sense, this series will ignite conversation and passionate discussion, much like a great movie will leave people with a genuine desire to talk about it.  At the same time, the level of leadership will determine whether it was a great 6 weeks or the beginning of a new and different lifestyle; whether the members of the group remain fans…or truly begin to move toward follower.

Despite the challenges, this is a great new DVD-driven curriculum and there are definitely going to be raging fans of Not a Fan.  Better, this is a series that will mark lives.  Not a Fan, maybe like an Alpha experience designed to produce fully devoted followers, will help fans become followers.

You can find out more about the series right here.  You can even watch a little bit of a sample.  I think you’re going to be captivated.

I review a new study almost every week.  You can read my reviews right here.  While you’re here, why not sign up to get my free updates?  You can subscribe to my blog right here.

New from Group, Dare to Be Uncommon: Discovering How to Impact Your World, is a new men’s Bible study that is definitely worth a look.  Featuring Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy, this DVD-driven study will be of immediate appeal.  Dungy has great name recognition and is well-known to be both a winner and a Christian.  This will get the attention of the men in your congregation.

In addition to the individual study guide, the Leader’s Pack includes DVD, study guide and Surprisingly Simple (a leader resource with tips and ideas on engaging adults in discussion).

Each session includes a short DVD segment featuring Dungy talking about the people and events that shaped him.  These segments have the feel of the answers to interview questions and help set up topics that have immediate application.

• Developing Uncommon Character Inside and Out
• The Uncommon Power of Putting Others First
• Becoming an Uncommon Friend and Brother
• Making an Uncommon Difference in God’s Kingdom
• Finding an Uncommon Purpose and Plan
• Using Your Uncommon Gifts for God’s Glory
• Building on the Foundation for an Uncommon Life

The study is easy to use and each session includes a variety of activities.  More than a collection of questions, the session plan is a combination of readings, surveys, trivia (with answers in the back), fill in the blanks, DVD segments, and discussion questions.

Although it is not essential, this study is a great companion to Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance, Dungy’s best-selling autobiography.  Each session in Dare to Be Uncommon features an optional reading assignment from the book.  An additional resource that could serve as a powerful kickoff event is an Uncommon Event (a DVD kit that can be used as a kickoff or finale to the study).

If you’re looking for small group studies that the men in your congregation will be attracted to, this is a great selection.   Dungy’s name is so well known, this study will have immediate appeal and could easily serve as a launching event for a men’s small group strategy.