Seed: A Compelling Video Series from Priscilla Shirer

I have to admit, this is the first Priscilla Shirer study I’ve ever seen or reviewed.  Different than just about every other DVD-driven study I’ve ever come across, Seed (Pack 1) is a very interesting collection.  I think that’s the best way to describe it.  It’s a collection of talks that grab your attention from her very first sentence.

This first collection includes three talks: forgotten, enough and control.  Each of the talks is about 10 to 11 minutes.  Just long enough to fully introduce the topic.  But let me say this, these short films are the perfect introduction to some really important conversations!  Why’s it called Seed?  According to Priscilla Shirer, “the goal is to simply plant a seed in your heart and then equip you to go to the Word of God yourself.”

Perhaps the best way to explain the potential of the series is to reveal the concept behind forgotten.  Opening the video with a story about her little boy’s discovery of a dead sparrow on a crowded sidewalk.  “There, lying motionless underneath the hot Texas sun, right beside the big, ‘Exciting Sale Inside’ sign, was a little sparrow.” Seemingly unnoticed, “it appeared he’d died alone, and that nobody had noticed or seemed to care.”

You might be able to tell where this talk is going.  After all it’s a sparrow.  But I have to say, Shirer does such a good exposing the powerful truth behind the fact that even with “sparrows, not one of them is forgotten before God.”  I know I’ll probably think something different the next time I see a sparrow.

Designed for individual or group use, the format of Seed is unique.  Each week members will read an article on the topic written by Priscilla Shirer and then watch the video.  You’ll find a good set of discussion questions in the Leader Guide section in the back of the Member Book as well as some instructions on how to use the additional content included for each topic.

Along with the article, each topic includes ten biblical passages that can be studied in between group meetings using a Bible study method Shirer calls, “The 5 P’s of Hearing God Through the Bible.”  The 5 P’s are:

• Position yourself to hear from God
• Pore over the passage and paraphrase the major points
• Pull out the spiritual principles
• Pose the question
• Plan obedience and pin down a date

I really like this concept!  A very compelling communicator, I’m thinking Seed ends up on lots of recommended lists.  I can see it being used with great impact by off-campus groups and individuals alike.  I can even see it being used in on-campus Bible study settings where the DVD could provide the focus and launch a very good discussion around tables.