Woodbury Presbyterian Church

Small Group Resources

 

Alpha Resources:

A Life Worth Living

Challenging Lifestyle

Searching Issues

Heart of Revival

Max Lucado Resources:

        3:16-The Numbers of Hope

A Heart Like Jesus

Applause of Heaven

Cast of Characters

Come Thirsty

Cure for the Common Life

Facing Your Giants

Fearless

A Gentle Thunder

Chip Ingram Resources:

        Finding God When You Need Him Most

        Invisible War

        Living on the Edge

John Ortberg Resources:

If You Want to Walk on Water, YouÕve Got to get out of the Boat

Life YouÕve Always Wanted

Faith and Doubt

Fully Devoted:  Living Each Day in Jesus Name

God is Closer Than You Think

Andy Stanley Resources:

Discovering GodÕs Will

Life Rules

Take It to the Limit

 

 

Alpha Resources:

A Life Worth Living 

For many, the Alpha Course represents the first steps in the Christian Life, and many new Christians will end the course asking, "What happens next?" A Life Worth Living is aimed specifically at those who are starting out in the Christian life and is an excellent follow-up course to Alpha.

Challenging Lifestyle

Is a resource designed for use in a small group setting, and is accompanied by a guest manual. It's ideal for use a follow up course to Alpha, or with a small group for new Christians. Each talk can be viewed in its entirety or in convenient segments.

The DVD contains six talks given by Nicky Gumbel at Holy Trinity Brompton that are based on Jesus' radical teaching given in the Sermon on the Mount, and suggests ways in which we can apply this teaching in our own lives.

Searching Issues

"Interest in spiritual matters is exploding. It is difficult to get away from TV programs and newspaper articles concerned with the search for meaning and purpose, life after death, and the existence of God. Among these, many are taking a new look at Christianity.

While discussing the Christian faith, especially with those who are not Christians, I have found that a number of questions are raised time and again. Some of these I have looked at in Alpha - Questions of Life. In this book however, I want to look at those issues that are usually seen as objections to the Christian faith.

In the Alpha course, which is designed to be of help to people with such objections, we give talks based on the material in Alpha - Questions of Life. Often objections are raised in the discussion groups afterwards. Those in the course may agree with much of what is said in the talk, but they often say, 'What about...?' In this book, I have set out the seven issues most often raised, in descending order of frequency. They are searching questions both in the sense that they are asked by those searching for truth and in the sense that they are demanding and difficult to answer.

Heart of Revival

'Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?'" was the cry of the psalmist (Ps. 85:6). And it is the cry of the church once again. As so many dreadful things are hurled into our consciousness every day  through the media and our own observation or experience  there is a growing hunger in many hearts for God to do something radical, exciting, real and new. There are, of course many encouraging signs. Churches all over the world are beginning to see shoots of new life springing up, sometimes in unlikely settings. Alpha courses (Alpha is a 15-session practical introduction to the Christian faith) are growing in churches, homes and prisons; the spiritual atmosphere is softer now in many ways than it has been for a long time. Against this encouraging background it is not surprising that there is so much discussion today about revival. Churches and intercessory groups are praying for, believing in, and expecting revival. Some people are understandably confused. What do we do while we are waiting for revival? Is there life before revival? How do we recognize it and are we seeing something of it now - or not?

 

Max Lucado Resources:

3:16-The Numbers of Hope

It's more than a book, it is a mission of global proportions that invites Christians around the world to unite around the central message of our faith, embodied in the words of John 3:16. Join Max Lucado as he unpacks this timeless message - phrase by enduring phrase.

A Heart Like Jesus

The heart of Jesus is sacred, and the lessons and examples it provides to us are paramount in our daily mission to follow in His footsteps. Max Lucado poses the question what if, for one day and night, your heart was replaced by the heart of Christ? That thought-provoking question leads to many personal revelations demonstrating that we can recast our hearts to be more like that of Jesus, and the blessings created by the transformation will unleash ripples to the widest edges of our lives and those around us.

Applause of Heaven

It is what you've always dreamed but never expected. It's having God as your dad, your biggest fan, and your best friend. It's having the King of Kings in your cheering section; it's hearing the applause of heaven. Max Lucado believes that the Beatitudes provide what we truly need to discover: the joy of God. Much more than a how-to book on happiness, The Applause of Heaven is an encounter with the Source of Joy.

Cast of Characters

Some of the most powerful stories from the Bible will come alive for today's readers through these inspiring selections from the writings of Max Lucado. Max provides a compelling look at the most high-impact moments in the biblical narrative, drawn from his previous 20+ years of writing. 

At the end of each chapter will be study guide questions so the reader can go deeper into this scripture.

Extraordinary stories are told about the following characters:

Mary, Peter, Matthew, Joseph, Nicodemus, Woman at the Well, David, Esther, Job, The Samaritan Woman, John, Rich Young Man.

Come Thirsty


We were not meant to live with dehydrated hearts... come and learn how to quench your soul.

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life." (John 4:13-14 NCV)

Like the woman at the well, we recognize our need for living water. We need moisture, a swallow of water, a long, quenching drink. But where do we find water for the soul?

In this renewing and life-giving program, Max Lucado leads us to the four essential nutrients needed by every soul.

 

Cure for the Common Life

 

It's Sunday afternoon and you're already dreading the inevitable Monday morning. You spend 50+ hours at a job you hate, only to come home too exhausted to pursue anything other than reality TV.

Well, you are not alone: 87 percent of workers don't find meaning in their work and 80 percent believe their talents are not used. And there are consequences-whether or not we realize it, our resulting attitude impacts our health, our relationships, and our fundamental sense of happiness-but best-selling author Max Lucado has a cure.

We are all unique individuals, created in God's image, with our own gifts, strengths and passions. In his winsome voice, Max will encourage you to explore your uniqueness, put it to work, and redefine your concept of career.

 

Facing Your Giants

 

This profound look at the life of David digs deeply into the defeats he suffered, and the victories he won, as he faced the giants in his life. When David focused on God, giants tumbled. But when David focused on giants, he stumbled.

Goliaths still roam in our world. Debt. Disaster. Dialysis. Divorce. Deceit. Disease. Depression. These super-sized challenges swagger and strut into our lives, pilfering our sleep, embezzling our peace, and robbing us of our joy. And while these giants try to dominate our lives, we know what to do! We've learned what David learned, and we do what David did. We become God-focused. We pick up five stones. We make five decisions. And we take a swing.

Fearless

They're talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming. The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. Fear, it seems, has taken up a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversized and rude, fear herds us into a prison of unlocked doors. Wouldn't it be great to walk out?

Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, or doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, where you could trust more and fear less.

A Gentle Thunder

How far do you want God to go in getting your attention? Don't answer too quickly. What if God moved you to another land? (As He did Abraham.) What if He called you out of retirement? (Remember Moses?) How about the voice of an angel or the bowel of a fish (Gideon and Jonah.) God does what it takes to get our attention. That's the message of this book: the relentless pursuit of God.

 

Chip Ingram Resources:

Finding God When You Need Him Most

Praise for The Power of Weakness: "Ingram breathes new life into familiar psalms in this deeply personal rumination on how Christians can hold to God in times of fear, sorrow, depression, crisis and personal failure. Ingram's style is conversational, even confessional, as he shares how certain psalms helped him at critical junctures in his life. He writes well and engagingly, even managing to discover fresh insights in the well-mined territory of Psalm 23."--Publishers Weekly With wisdom and a keen ability to apply biblical truth to everyday problems, Chip Ingram reveals God's true nature and desire to care for his people in a way the no earthly person can. Whether struggling with day-to-day problems or overwhelming hardship, readers will find the strength and encouragement they need.

Invisible War

Some Christians believe strongly in the existence of demons and spiritual warfare. Others downplay or even ignore the idea. With such divergent views, how are Christians supposed to know the truth about demonic forces at work in this world? The Invisible War examines what every believer needs to know about Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare, offering a balanced look at this controversial subject. This provocative book will help Christians understand what the Bible says about these threats and will show them how they can safeguard themselves and their families through prayer. Now available in trade paper, The Invisible War offers a balanced look at what is going on in the spiritual realm and what believers can do to defend themselves.

Living on the Edge

 Ingram gives a clear profile of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, with practical and specific means to live out that life authentically.

 

John Ortberg Resources:

If You Want to Walk on Water, YouÕve Got to get out of the Boat

In the six sessions in this Silver Medallion award-winning curriculum based on the author's book, Ortberg teaches participants the skills essential to Òwater-walkingÓ in faith with God: discerning GodÕs call, transcending fear, risking faith, managing failure, and trusting God. The curriculum kit includes a leader's guide, a participant's guide, a Closed Captioned DVD video and VHS video, and a hardcover edition of the book

Life YouÕve Always Wanted

In this six-session ZondervanGroupwareª video curriculum, award-winning author John Ortberg teaches participants the skills essential to Òrunning the marathonÓ in the Christian life.

Faith and Doubt

John Ortberg demonstrates how doubt is very much a part of faith and how uncertainty can lead to trust. ?The beliefs that really matter,? he writes, ?are the ones that guide our behavior.? We all hope, Ortberg writes, but we cannot hope without faith, and so we must not hope for something but someone?Jesus Christ.

Fully Devoted:  Living Each Day in Jesus Name

As part of the Pursuing Spiritual Transformation series, Fully Devoted gets to the heart of what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

God is Closer Than You Think

The story of the Bible is the story of God's desire to be with his people. God is extending himself, stretching out to reach us and to fill our lives with his presence. Every moment of your life is like a page in a Where's Waldo book. God is there, the Scriptures tell us, but the ease with which he may be found varies from one page to the next. God is closer than you think!

 

Andy Stanley Resources:

Discovering GodÕs Will

God has a personal vision for our lives, and He wants us to know it even more than we do. But determining GodÕs will can be a difficult process, especially when we need to make a decision in a hurry. The Discovering GodÕs Will DVD and its companion study guide, designed for small groups or personal study, take you through the important steps of decision making, pursuing GodÕs will, seeking counsel from others, learning to use discernment, and understanding the mind of God through Scripture as you seek His will. The DVD includes 4 complete sermons and eight 12- to 15-minute group sessions that correspond with the study guide. The study guide, which includes a leaderÕs guide, will help outline the amazing plan God has in mind for your life.

Life Rules

When we were in kindergarten, half the fun of living was breaking the rules without getting caught. In real adult life, however, there is nothing fun about broken promises, relationships, or hearts. In this DVD and study guide from North Point Resources, Andy Stanley explains GodÕs set of life rules that can improve current relationships and mend broken ones. Every game requires parameters, and in this lifelong journey toward heaven, itÕs never too late to learn, relearn, and follow the rules God clearly outlines for His peopleÉbecause they set you on the course for success!

Take It to the Limit

Overloaded? Maxed out? Our culture encourages us to live as if we have no limits. So we fill up our schedules and empty our bank accounts. We do as much as we can, spend as much as we can, and acquire as much as we can—all in an effort to get as much as we can out of life. This six-part DVD shows that the secret to getting more out of life is not by doing more, but by doing less. Its companion study guide is complete with a leaderÕs guide and six lessons, including conversation-starting exercises, discussion questions, and application steps. YouÕll learn to create the margin you need to live the life God intends for you.