Typically, you look for words of encouragement, challenge, and inspiration to share with graduates. I admit that Jeremiah (with the bummer-of-a-nickname “the weeping prophet”) doesn’t seem to be the most likely candidate for an inspirational message. But hear me out.

No one knows exactly how old he was when God called him to be a prophet, but as I did a bit of research, the guesses ranged from early teenager to about 20-years-old.

Bottom line: Jeremiah was young. Best guess? Right around the age of most high school or college graduates.

And here is how his story starts…

The Lord gave me this message:

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms.
Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow.
Others you must build up and plant.”

Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?”

And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”

And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching,and I will certainly carry out all my plans.” (Jer. 1:4-12, NLT)

My guess is that many of today’s graduates could make Jeremiah’s opening line that their own:

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

And yet, there are some truths that God spoke to him that allowed him to enter into his calling with boldness (even though the task and calling were crazy hard).

You are known (and always have been).

When it feels like no one sees you – there is a God who sees you. God formed you. Knit you together. Orchestrated the cells in your mother’s womb into a symphony that is you. You are known.

You are set apart (and appointed).

God has a job for you. He has uniquely gifted you to do it. You might not even know what “it” is. That’s ok. Press in to your gifting and passion. Like Jeremiah, that calling might be hard. Really hard. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee that if God is calling you to it, parts of it will seem impossible. I have learned that God calls us to God-sized tasks so that we realize that He never meant for us to do it alone. (Tweet that.) That leads me to…

You are not alone (and you are protected).

When you feel alone – there is One who is forever beside you. When you fear, remember that He has promised His protection. Make no mistake, God doesn’t promise that there will be no hardship or pain. He promises that He will be with us in and through it all. (Tweet that.)

You are responsible for obeying (not for the outcome).

God told Jeremiah – when he was a young like you – that He will carry out all His plans. He says the same to you. God told Jeremiah that He is watching. He says the same to you. God told Jeremiah to go boldly into the future. He says the same to you.

Go. Boldly. You who are known, set apart, protected, and guided by the Sovereign One. Go.

Photo Credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net – t0zz

Entrusted is a curriculum developed by Awana. Here is how they describe it in one sentence:

Entrusted is a four week curriculum focused on forming a young person’s view of God, themselves, their community, and their world.

And here is how they describe it in 1 minute and 44 seconds:

As with any review, I could go on and on about everything I like and dislike. But rather than going too deep, let me simply provide four reasons you should at least check it out.

1. It’s about identity, not morality.

This is huge for me! I am convinced that tweens – and all of us, for that matter – need to be reminded of who they are, not just what they’re supposed to do. (Tweet that!) Entrusted is all about identity. Getting a correct view of who God is, who they are, whom they’re surrounded with, and who we’re called to be. Beautiful!

2. The training is thorough (without being overwhelming).

So many people are a bit intimidated when it comes to hanging out with tweens. This curriculum does a fantastic job of providing resources for the facilitators – both before and during the four weeks. There are articles, training videos, and instruction on how to make the most of the digital curriculum. They make it super easy for “tween veterans” to dive right in – and for the other 90% of us to get up to speed.

3. The resources are fantastic.

Obviously, I’ve already talked about the training materials. Once you start on this four-week journey, the Entrusted Team walks you step-by-step through the purpose, delivery, and follow-up for each week. Most every curriculum I see has a downloadable lesson and Bible verses for follow-up. While Entrusted has these as well, they also provide the following (for each week):

• Storytelling Script
• Leader Video
• Parent Video
• Parent Email

You don’t get more complete than that!

4. The people behind it are solid.

Entrusted is produced by Awana. These guys and gals have been ministering to students for more than six decades. They know their stuff. And they love God and His Word.

Also, I was first told about this by my friend, Matt Guevara. He and his wife partnered with the team at Awana to make sure Entrusted spoke the “language of digital learners.” Matt writes and speaks all over the place on that very topic. He is the go-to guy when it comes to making sure that content connects with the next generation. He’s also currently the Bartlett Campus Pastor for Christ Community Church near Chicago.

So, there you have it. At the very least, take 1:44 and watch the video if you haven’t already. Then hop on over to the FAQ page and find out more.

Question: What is a curriculum, book, video, or resource that you’ve found helpful for connecting with and serving the next generation?

Bottom Line: In the next several weeks I will be launching the Falling In Love with God’s Word Audio Podcast.

For those of you who aren’t sure what an audio podcast is, the simplest way to put it is that a podcast is an “audio blog.” The beauty of a podcast is that if you subscribe, each new episode is delivered directly to your smartphone or tablet. Listen whenever you want. In your car, taking a walk, doing dishes – whenever is most convenient for you. If you choose not to subscribe, you can still listen to the episodes from your computer.

A few inches down your screen, I’ll share how you can be on the podcast and what I’m planning to put in it. But first, here is the WHY behind this new adventure.

Reason 1: I like to talk.

For those of you who know me well…stop laughing! Since much of what I do has to do with the Word being spoken and heard, it seems right to have a medium where you can hear my tone of voice and emphasis. It is challenging to help you hear the Bible with fresh ears if you’re only reading what I write.

Reason 2: Some people don’t like to read.

I have this nagging suspicion that there is a whole group of people out there who would greatly benefit from the discussions we have on this blog (Relational Bible Study, internalization, and passing on a love for God’s Word to the next generation to name a few). And I’m missing them because the only way to join the discussion is to read it in email or on this blog. Maybe you are one of those people who would much rather listen than read. If so, the podcast is for you.

Reason 3: A guy who knows what it takes has encouraged me to give it a shot.

As I sat with Cliff (and another podcaster who’s been at this a while) a few weeks ago, he asked me about my ministry. He asked about my audience. He asked about my presentations and my books. Then I heard this:

You need to do this. You can do this. In fact, you already have enough content for 50 podcasts. Easy!

This is the guy who has trained more podcasters than anyone in the world! A guy who produces several podcasts every week. A guy who knows what it takes, loves Jesus, and believes in what I’m trying to do with this ministry. He encouraged me to give it a shot. So I’m giving it a shot.

By the way, if that was the only reason, I wouldn’t do it. But it might just be this reason that gives legs to the other two reasons.

A few elements you’ll find in the podcast:

1. “How To’s” for Relational Bible Study
2. Interviews with authors, pastors, speakers, and lay people
3. Q & A
4. Short Scripture presentation with practical application
5. Resource Reviews (books, study tools, blogs, websites, curricula, etc.)

Would you like to be on the podcast?

My desire is to make sure that the Falling In Love with God’s Word Audio Podcast is extremely practical and helpful for you. To that end, I created a super-short survey so you can share your input on things like: topics to focus on, ideal length, ideal frequency, etc. It’ll take you less than three minutes. I promise. Here’s the link.

I also want to include your questions in every episode. There are three ways you can submit your question:

1. Fill out our online Contact Form. (Or hit “reply” if you get these posts in your inbox.)
2. Call the new dedicated message line – (425) 522-3487 – and leave your question. This is really cool because listeners can hear you ask the question!
3. If you don’t have nationwide calling (or you live outside the United States), simply click the link below. You will enter your phone number, your phone will ring, and you can record your question. (How fantastic is that?!)

I am really, really excited about this. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Jot a comment here on the blog, shoot me an email – or better yet – give me a call and let me know what you think!

Photo Credit: Roberto Verzo via photopin cc

1. Most of the sites are horribly designed. It’s either too hard to navigate or so ugly I don’t want to look at it. There are so many free, easy-to-use tools for design, that time and money no longer has to be an excuse for why something looks bad.
2. The content is typically lame. The games are too simple…or too complicated. Or, there’s simply not enough there to make any kid, parent, or teacher ever want to come back after the first visit.
3. Most of these sites are riddled with advertising. So many sites are obviously set up so that the site owner can make money by selling you other stuff. While I’m not against someone making money online, when I’m looking for a site I can send my kids to, I don’t want them “accidentally” buying a year-long subscription to a Sunday School curriculum! (NOTE: I won’t call out the site, but when searching for “Bible games,” I even found one site had a huge, vertical banner down the entire right side advertising a trip to Las Vegas. Hmmm…)

I was recently asked to review the new Adventure Bible Website by Zonderkidz. I love The Adventure Bible – and trust the person who asked me – so I agreed.

Put simply: I haven’t been this excited to recommend a resource for helping kids fall in love with God’s Word in a very long time!

For those of you who like to see things in action before reading a review, here’s the 3-minute overview of the site:

Using my typical frustrations as a guide, here are the three reasons I love The Adventure Bible Site:

1. The design is terrific. As you can see, the graphics are great and the home page is simple to navigate. Kids can click Bible Search, Games, or Bible Activities and jump right in. The same links are at the top as well. For parents and teachers, the links they need (Classes, Student Profiles, etc.) are right there, but not so big that kids will be tempted to click them. In fact, they don’t even appear on the page until you click the “Educator and Classroom Login” button in the upper-right corner.
2. The content is broad, rich, and fun. In all transparency, I intended to jump on the site, browse around for about 20-30 minutes and write a review. I ended up playing enough of the games and exploring the wealth of resources, that I was more than 60 minutes in before I started this review. I won’t go into every game or resource here, but I’ll tell you that there are five different games and hundreds of free, downloadable/printable reading plans, crosswords, word searches, and maps, in addition to the Bible illustrations, sermon outlines, and devotionals for teachers. It seriously blows me away how much stuff is given away on this site! I was expecting a few resources to be free, with links to where you could buy the “full version.” Nope. It’s all free. Which brings me to my last reason why I love this.
3. There is no advertising. As you can see from the graphic below, there are two small  links on the page to “Products.” The Products page is where you can buy physical products – A copy of the various versions of the Adventure Bible, a devotional, Bible cover, etc. Nothing is an “upsell” from what’s on the site. Simply physical resources should you want them. I couldn’t find another place on the site where you – or your child/student – are asked to buy something or “unlock” additional resources. It is what they say it is: FREE! Very cool.

There is only one issue I had and one recommendation.

Issue: A couple times the site just stopped working. I tried it in IE10 and Chrome and twice with each had the site simply stop responding. I reloaded the browser and it started working, so I don’t know if it was something on my end or theirs. And it didn’t keep me from going back, so certainly not a deal-breaker.

Recommendation: There are so many resources that it would be helpful to be able to “preview” them before opening or downloading them. I love that I can save/print a PDF, but since a lot of them reference maps, or specific sections of Scripture, I could imagine times when I would just want to look at the resource in my browser and go back to what I was doing, as opposed to opening or printing the full PDF. I guess it’s not too bad when the problem is how to handle an over-abundance of good content!

If you have a kid between the ages of 9-12, hop over to www.adventurebible.com, browse around, and play some games. Then sign up for a free parent/educator account to see all the additional resources. You will love it…and so will your kids!

I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below. And if you know of another great site/resource for parents or teachers, please let me know and I’ll check it out.

Of course, a week later, I didn’t want to admit I had completely forgotten to pray. I also didn’t want to lie about it. So I quickly offered up something like this:

Father God, You are outside of the bounds of time. You are eternally present in the past, present and future. You know his needs. You know what he needed last week. I pray for him. That You would be near him. That you would heal what is broken. Amen.

I stretched out my hand. He accepted the handshake. And in the very next breath, I said, “How are you? I’ve been praying for you.”

Lame.

How about you? Ever told someone you’d pray for them…and then completely forgot?

Ugh.

As I’m wrapping up my 4-Month Bible Read Thru, I have spent the last several weeks in the New Testament. In the last three weeks, most of my time has been spent with Paul. (Ok, technically with Jesus. But through the writings of Paul.)

This year, something struck me over, and over, and over again. It’s how Paul talks to people about prayer. And it’s not that he doesn’t say he is praying for them. Actually, he says it in almost every letter.

What caught my attention is that he tells people exactly what he is praying for them.

Take Ephesians for example. He does it twice in this short letter. Only 16 verses into the first chapter, he tells them he’s constantly praying for them. He spends the next three verses telling them what he is praying for them:

• That God would give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
• That they would know God better.
• That the eyes of their hearts would be opened.
• That they would know the hope they were called to.
• That they would be reminded of the riches of their glorious inheritance.
• That they would experience His power. The same power that brought Christ back from the dead.

Now that’s a prayer!

A couple chapters later (Eph. 3:14) he says he kneels and prays for them. The next five verses he gets specific again. Check it out. It’s one of the coolest prayers in the Bible.

If you want to look at some more examples, check out Romans 1, Romans 15, II Cor. 13, Phil. 1, Col. 1, Col. 4, I Thess. 1, I Thess. 3, II Thess. 1, and Philemon 1.

Next time you are going to pray for someone, give one of these three approaches a try:

1. Tell someone what you’re praying. Give it a shot. Watch their eyes. Lots of people say “I’ll pray for you.” Very few say, “This is how I am praying…” The difference is massive.
2. Email a prayer. I did this several years ago with a good friend who was struggling. I simply typed out what I would have said if we had been together. I closed my eyes and typed while I prayed. Then I hit “send.” The response came in less than five minutes: Best use of email….ever!
3. Pray immediately. You might be in the middle of the foyer at your church. Or at a restaurant. Or standing in the underwear section at Target. Or in your company’s parking lot. It might be a bit uncomfortable. Do it anyhow. (Though moving to Sporting Goods or Kitchenware might be a good idea.)

Mind if I give Approach #3 a try right now?

Lord Jesus, I lift up this child of yours. I pray that You will show Yourself to them today in a very real and tangible way. Through Your Word. Through a conversation with a friend. Even through the voice in their head and heart, reminding them that they are known. Show them a specific way they can show your grace to another person today. Remind them of the depth of Your love for them. Remind them of Your delight in them. At the place of brokenness, show Yourself as Healer. At the place of fear, show Yourself as Protector. At the place of confusion, show Yourself as Guide. At the place of loneliness, show Yourself as the One who is closer than a brother. And at the end of this day, remind them that You are present…and always will be. Amen.

Question: What is another approach to specific prayer for someone else?

NOTE: As I write this, I’m on a plane headed for the SCORRE Conference. If you’ve been hanging around this blog for long, you’ve heard me talk about this conference. If you’re new here, then let me say there is no conference, book, or event that has helped me hone my craft as a speaker and writer more than the SCORRE Conference. I came as a student in 2002 and have had the privilege of being one of the coaches ever since. If you speak in front of any audience or any size – get here! The next one is in October and it always sells out.

The article below was written by Joyce Glass, a student at the SCORRE Conference last year. She writes and speaks on living more fully and boldly. You can connect with her on her blog and Twitter.

Do you live boldly for Christ? Do you feel strong and courageous?

What do you think and feel as you read these words…

“Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.  This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:6-9, NLT)

Perfect Timing

God speaks to each of us through His living Word. His Word gives hope and encouragement at the moment we need it most. Recently a friend of mine received a word from God directly out of His Word. The timing was perfect, and I was in awe at how precise the message was for my friend.

My friend feels called into ministry, but she is struggling with this calling. Some days she doubts God could ever use a “person like her.” A person who has been sexually abused. A person with many heart aches through the years. A person who feels worthless many days. A person who vacillates between being precious in His sight and being a waste of space on this earth.

A Word from The Word

This week God gave her confirmation of her calling as she was reading her Bible.

Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. (1 Timothy 4:14-16, NLT)

It still amazes me each time the Word of God speaks directly to a person about a situation.

Taking the Challenge

This year I decided to take Keith’s challenge to read straight through the Bible in four months. As I am reading, the Israelites astound me at how many times God does an amazing work in their life, and not even a day later they are back to disobeying God. We may live in a more advanced culture with technology and in medicine, but we are so much like the Israelites. God does something amazing in my life and I turn around to complain about what I think I “need.”

God gives specific instructions to Joshua which applies to all Christians.

1. Be Strong and Courageous.
2. Be careful to obey ALL the instructions
3. Do not turn right or left.
4. Study this Book of Instruction continually.
5. Meditate on it day and night

God promises to be with us wherever we go!

Do You Like the Bible?

I recently read Keith’s new book, 10 Tips for Liking the Bible (Because Believing It’s True Is Not Enough). If you have struggled reading the Bible or want a deeper relationship with Christ, Keith helps you find different ways to connect with Christ through the scriptures.

My favorite tip is Tip 9: Go on a 60-Day Adventure. With this tip you read a book in the Bible and he offers different ways to read through the same book each day. This allows you to meditate on God’s Word day and night.

As we meditate on God’s Word, we will come come to see and know his power. And it is through the power of God’s Word that we can live strong and courageous lives!

Questions: How have you seen God move in your life recently? What is one step you can take to live more boldly for Christ?

Photo Credit [Top Photo]: Courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Photo Credit [Joyce Glass]: Joel Palmer at www.palmerphotography.com

2013 Ivy League SpokenWord Bible Memorization Challenge

When I hear phrases like “Bible Memorization Challenge” and I picture people quoting vast amounts of Scripture without putting much emotion or passion into it.

Learn it. Recite it. Forget it.

Combine that with “Ivy League” and I’m thinking, Holy smokes! This is going to be a whole lot of ultra-smart 20-year-olds “out quoting” each other and then talking about the Bible with a lot of intellectual reverence.

Man, was I wrong!

This was outstanding! Their passion was infectious. Their presentations were engaging. Every one of them. Some were solo presenters. Sometimes they presented as a team.

The winning presentation was by Josh Echebiri, a junior at Dartmouth. Take the next 4:32 and check it out:

There were five different presentations. You can check them all out here.

But that wasn’t even the most inspiring part.

On that same page there is an interview with each team. That’s what got me going. The interviews were done by Eric Metaxas, bestselling author of BONHOEFFER: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. He asked each team this question:

What has been the personal impact of memorizing big chunks of Scripture.

Here are a few of the answers:

I’m not even trying to think of the verses. They’ll just come.

Beautiful things happen [when I memorize]. I used to only notice the big passages. Doing this forced me to dig into passages I don’t normally dig into.

I didn’t think it would be as powerful as it was. It is so useful.

Check it out. Even if you watch every presentation and every interview, you’ll be done in less than an hour.

Who knows? It might just be the most inspiring hour you’ve had in a long time.

Question: What is your biggest reservation or fear when it comes to internalizing God’s Word?

I don’t think I have ever had so much fun, been so excited, and so exhausted in the same week.

Before moving on, first the reminder:

Today is the last day to get your $100+ of freebies. 

Ok, I’ll try to make this quick. (Mainly because it’s after 1am!)

Lesson 1: Having a team is way better than flying solo.

I have had the coolest Launch Team on the planet. Almost 100 people joined a private Facebook group and read, reread, critiqued, encouraged, and prayed me through this whole process. The book is way better because of them. (Not to mention with way fewer typos.)

Heck…the Study Guide wouldn’t have existed without them telling me I needed to write it.

Lesson 2: Live your passion.

I’m guessing you are reading this because you know that I’m passionate about helping people realize that the living Word of God is a reality…not a phrase. I have had that passion for almost twenty years now. I feel like 10 Tips for Liking the Bible is, in many ways, the essence of why I do what I do.

This week I have been blown away by the feedback. Emails. Facebook messages. Twitter comments from people using the hashtag #LikeTheBible. Conversations in person with several of you. All confirming that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing: Helping people fall in love with God’s Word.

When you live your passion, God confirms it. Sometimes the confirmation is a simple sense of peace that passes understanding. Sometimes it is the encouragement of a good friend who knows you through and through. And occasionally, He gives you a week like I’ve had. A week where you actually get a glimpse into the impact living your passion can have. I am overwhelmed…and grateful.

Lesson 3: Giving stuff away is heaps of fun!

I probably first heard it when I was three or four.

It is better to give than to receive.

The truth of that statement might just be the #1 reason why this week has been so fun. When I threw out the idea of offering some bonuses for people who bought the book early, I had no idea what the response would be.

Well, after giving away over $10,000 of freebies, I guess I know.

It’s been awesome. People are already telling me that they are diving in. And I couldn’t be more thrilled. Fun. Really fun.

So, can I give some more stuff away? Three prizes actually.

The prizes: Any single product – physical or download – I offer. Your choice.

Three ways to enter: (and yes, you can enter all three)

1. Send out a tweet with the hashtag #LikeTheBible. (Share a quote from the book, make a comment, or link to this page)
2. Do the same thing on Facebook. (To get credit you’ll need to tag my ministry page (Keith Ferrin -That You May Know Ministries) so I know you posted something.
3. Leave a comment here on the blog. (If you’ve already received your copy of 10 Tips, I’d love to hear what you think. Maybe your favorite tip, idea, or analogy. If you haven’t received it…you can just say “Hi” or tell a joke.)

I’ll select one person from each group and send them whatever book, CD, DVD, or download they want.

How’s that for fun?

Photo Credit: “Old Time” by Salvatore Vuono