Bring to Mind

Dr. Steven Pierson tells how the Estonians' love of ethnic and Christian music helped them to become free of Soviet rule. Profound insights into culture and music provide insight for the church in the West. Arts: A Nation That Sang Itself Free by Steven Pierson   Our songs have been our weapons, Song Festivals our victories," stated Estonian president Lennart Meri in his opening remarks for the twenty-third National Estonian Song Festival this past July, reinvigorating a tradition that began in 1869. Surveying an audience that by all estimates exceeded 100,000, the elder statesman was prompted to chide critics who claim the festival is outdated. Estonian history reveals an incessant struggle for independence over the last 700 years amidst foreign domination and cultural repression. After centuries of feudalism and paganism, Moravian missionaries sparked a revival in the eighteenth century; musicologists agree it spread through choral singing more than by preaching. Estonian Evangelical Fellowship President Meego Remmel confirms that the methodology has not changed. One choral conductor noted, "Music is the first pulpit here in Estonia—the sermon is the second." Soviet occupation in 1940 under the brutal Stalin regime led to a mass exodus of Estonia's best and brightest. The russification schemes of the 1970s also threatened the country's ties to its culturally Christian past. But the more Soviet leaders believed that russification would eventually smother local characteristics that were considered "non-Russian" and "anti-Soviet," the more Estonians determined to resist. The singing culture celebrated especially through Song Festivals provided a means for a peaceful, yet effective resistance, nurturing a renewed national community. One choral conductor noted: "We sang ourselves free." Read the full article at ChristianityToday.com Resources For This Cross I'll Kill You by Bruce Olson All the World is Singing by Frank Fortunato, Paul Neeley, and Carol Brinneman Interact with Us • Melinda: @melindaschmidt• Mark: @MarkBreta• Bring to Mind on Twitter: @BTMpodcast• Bring to Mind on Facebook: Facebook.com/BTMpodcast    

How do Millennials plan on connecting their faith to a fast changing American culture that quickly broadens its moral codes to fit a desire for inclusivity? This week the millennial panel tackles the topic of sexuality. Sexuality By Crystal Anderson Youth Groups love to talk about sex. Right? My youth pastor’s favorite saying to introduce sermons on sex was: “Don’t unbutton it, unzip it, etc …” To be honest, I can’t really remember the rest. I’m quite sure I blocked it out. But I do remember one group discussion that highlights my high school perspective on sex. I stated to a married couple leading the discussion that sex was for making babies and birth control was telling God that you were the boss. Take a moment to let those words sink in. Factually, those words are accurate. But culturally and socially, the declaration is wrong. Sexuality is complex, emotionally charged and created by God. Blanketed statements and factual arguments will not redeem sexuality in the church, but it will cause more pain. I truly believe Christians can bless or unintentionally curse each other with our words, but is there a more edifying way to discuss and learn? Let’s try something … I have collected articles, a blog post and verses on sexuality, and I am going to attempt to summarize each for you. Then I would love to read your conclusion to the package of information presented, so I can learn from your heart reaction and what these summaries “bring to mind.” 1. In a blog called Defeating the Dragons, a user identified as forgedimagination wrote a blog post called “My Body is Not a Stumbling block.” She shared her experience as a curvaceous woman growing up in the church and how it caused her to believe her body was evil. She was told to cover curves with huge skirts in order to protect men from stumbling or lusting. “They didn’t mean for this to happen. I’m positive they’d be horrified if they knew I carried these wounds with me—wounds that still bleed, even though it’s been years since I’ve heard anything like this.” The church meant to prevent sin, but unintentionally cursed her by shaping her perspective on the body God specifically created for her. 2. A group of Christian women authored an article for Christianity Today titled “Don’t Blame the Bikini, Blame the Bikini Culture.” The article traces the historical development of the bikini and asks the question of why male’s brains react in a specific way toward the female body in western culture? “Scientific findings show that the brain is essentially plastic. It can be shaped and formed and changed by our environments. This means that not all neurological responses are hardwired. Some are conditioned.” Somehow western culture has conditioned the male brain to associate women in bikinis with tools. While there is zero brain activity in “the part of the brain that lights up when one ponders another person's thoughts, feelings, and intentions.” 3. John 4:1–26 recounts the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Never once did Jesus try to send her to a rehabilitation center or seminar, but He did offer her living water and she was the first to know He was the Messiah. 4. John 8:1–11 reveals how Christ wants us to respond to sexual sin. “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 5. Men throughout Scripture have committed sexual sins, such as Abraham, David, Solomon, most kings, etc. Many stories in the Bible are rated “R” and most Christians would not be allowed to see a movie based on it today. How would those men be treated in our churches today? Would they have been treated the same way our politicians and Christian leaders are treated when caught in sexual sin? 6. Lastly, Ken Palmer, author of LifeofChrist.com, posted an article titled “Women in the Genealogy of Christ.” “Matthew included five women in his genealogy of Christ. This is notable since it was not customary for Jews to include women in their records. Even more remarkable is the fact that Matthew included some women who had disreputable histories. The five women included were: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.” What did this collection of articles, a blog post and verses bring to mind? Join the discussion by sharing your heart reactions on: Twitter, Facebook and email.

Father Robert Barron talks with Melinda Schmidt about the Christian meta narrative housed in the gothic cathedrals of Europe. Is that medieval messaging relevant for a postmodern world?For more information on Heaven in Stone and Glass by Father Barron click here.

Does loss shape your view of God? Or does your view of God shape your loss? Melinda Schmidt talks with Phl Vischer about the loss of a multi-million dollar company, lessons learned,  and his excitement for a new, more settled future.We're giving away "Buck Denver asks....What's in the Bible?" DVDs and Phil's book, "Me, Myself, and Bob." Click here to enter.  What Happened to Big Idea?  by Phil Vischer Many people think Big Idea Productions died because of the lawsuit brought against it by Lyrick Studios over general market distribution rights to VeggieTales home videos.  While it is fair to say that it was the loss of that lawsuit that forced Big Idea into bankruptcy, it certainly wasn't the only factor causing Big Idea's downfall.  Others believe the money spent producing and marketing our first movie, Jonah, brought the company down.   Originally I had hoped to produce and release the film for less than $15 million total.  When the final production and marketing costs came in at nearly twice that, our hopes of recouping our investment vanished.   In the end our distributor got all of its marketing investment back, but not a penny made it back to Big Idea to recoup the money we had spent producing the film.   So surely that killed the company, right?   Not exactly.   These two factors were certainly the straws that broke the camel's back, but the camel was pretty sickly before Jonah even began production, and long before the owner's of Barney the Dinosaur and Bob the Builder turned a litigious eye toward Bob and Larry. So what killed Big Idea?   Pour yourself some tea, and I'll tell you the real story. Continue reading at Phil Vischer's Website....

Hicham Chehab talks with Melinda Schmidt about the roots of Islam, his ancestral ties to The Prophet and what Islam fears the most.Enter to win a copy of Christian Witness Among Muslims. We'll draw five winners on Friday, July 19 at 4pm (CST). Rules from In The Land of Blue Burqas by Kate McCord     In Afghanistan, the culture, the rules are synonymous with the Holy Quran and the Hadith. A Muslim is a person who submits to these rules. The Quran, of course, is the holiest book of Islam, considered to be the very words of Allah spoken in Arabic, the language of Allah. The Hadith, and there are many, are written collections of the teachings and examples of the Prophet Mohammed. Most of Sharia law, the law of Islam, is drawn from the Hadith. In Afghanistan, women wear burqas, the blue chadaris with the screen woven over the eyes. Burqas are required by the Holy Quran and the Hadith. Women cannot allow a male doctor or nurse even to take their blood pressure, let alone listen to their hearts, because it's the commandment of the Holy Quran or the Hadith. Women must ask their husbands' permission before they can leave the walls of their compound. These are all commandments. Whether the Muslim holy books record these as true commandments or not isn't relevant in Afghanistan. If the local mullah, the neighborhood religious leader, says this is what the Prophet Mohammed taught, then that's all there is to it. There's nothing to debate. There are rules, and they must be followed without question. I lived in Afghanistan for five years. I learned the rules. I had to. Additional Resources Learn about Ramadan  

Melinda Schmidt talks with five Millennials about racism and finds that for some, strong feelings are just below the surface.We're giving away 5 copies of Many Colors by Soong-Chan Rah. Click here to enter to win a copy. How Can the MBI community best observe Black History Month? by Ashanti Pettaway  When first asked to write this piece I pondered, how could I possibly answer this question in a few words? Not only that, I was nervous because this sensitive issue requires addressing some hard truths. So, please allow me to say that there are some things that are going to be said that may be difficult to hear, but they come from the heart of a believer who loves God and his people and desires to see reconciliation among all races. In that spirit, below are three points that can help Moody better understand and observe Black History Month. To my Caucasian brothers and sisters, please remember this one key point: Black History Month is not about you. When slavery is discussed, we’re not seeking to blame you as individuals for something that happened hundreds of years ago. We simply desire for you to listen with an understanding and compassionate heart, so you can better understand us and the struggles we’ve faced and are still facing today. I had a classmate here at Moody say to me, “When are black people going to get over slavery?” He argued that slavery happened in the past and is no longer an issue, so why keep bringing it up. I argue: are we to forget such atrocities as the Holocaust or September 11th? No! Acknowledging and comprehending the past is always necessary for us to move forward. During the last month of education and celebration, we recognized the great contributions African Americans have made to this country and honor their achievements. We learn about the great inventors, scholars and activists like Granville T. Woods, Garret Morgan, Paul Robeson, W.E.B. Dubois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, John Mercer Langston and Madam CJ Walker, who often go unrecognized in our educational system. Black History Month serves as a reminder of the beauty and the beast that live in America. But most of all, we get to see the marvelous hand of God at work and how he brings us through what seems to be impossible. That should encourage everyone, no matter your race or culture. Read a response to this article at The Moody Standard Website Additional Articles It's Time to Move on From the Past by Michel Martin Saying Grace: Paula Deen, Progressives, and Race by Maria Dixon 

How do Millennials love America—or do they? Melinda Schmidt talked with five who had candid opinions about a country often called, “Christian.” Thoughts on America and Christianity by Josh Klos I have a confession. I am a huge Aaron Sorkin fan. For those who don’t know, Sorkin is a screenwriter. Some of his best known works are the movies A Few Good Men and The Social Network, as well as the TV series The West Wing. Perhaps I enjoy his stories because Sorkin has a knack for presenting people in their best light. As someone who has been frustrated watching what has been happening in Washington, D.C.—all the fighting and stubbornness—I’ve enjoyed how Sorkin’s West Wing presented politicians in a more romantic light. Sure they were flawed, and you might disagree with them and their politics, but they were striving to create a better country for us all. They might stumble and fall and mess up at times, but that was okay, they were human after all. In Sorkin’s newest project, The Newsroom, the main character, Will McAvoy, is asked at an event what makes America the greatest country in the world. His answer: it’s not. McAvoy then goes on to list the many ways that America is lagging behind other countries in areas such as literacy and math and so on. What are we the world leader in? Number of incarcerated citizens per capita and defense spending. Sorkin’s romantic side comes out again though, as he speaks through his character McAvoy. He says, “We [America] waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed. We cared about our neighbors. We put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chests. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases and cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars … acted like men … we aspired to intelligence, we didn’t belittle it, it didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn’t … we didn’t scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed.” A romantic picture I would say. Whether you agree that America used to be a great nation or not, Sorkin paints a picture of an America that I would be proud to call my home. Yet I also see in these sentences a call. A call to the Church asking, “Are we helping the poor? Are we willing to sacrifice what we have to help others? Do we care for our neighbors? Are we cultivating our minds to the glory of God … or do we fear the ‘ivory tower’?” The Millennials I know do want to be proud of their country and are discussing the important issues facing our country today. However I believe that they have tempered their excitement for this country with what they see happening with the government as well. America is not a Christian nation, and that’s okay. Neither was Rome … or any of the other countries that the gospel spread to. I would challenge all of us that rather than trying to make America a Christian nation, we should live Christianly in the place that God has called us to—be it America or another country. While we must fight injustice and continue to be involved with politics and the government, we must also not lose sight of the gospel. The Christian life does not equal the American dream. The Christian life is not a call to create a world where we can live in comfort. The Christian life is a call to be in relationship with the creator of the universe, and to proclaim his message to all peoples of all nations to gather together the people of God. Additional Resources Politics and Faith - A past Bring To Mind episode. Is It Persecution or Just Politics? by Skye Jethani

What is it like to be involved in a church and to struggle with same sex attraction? What does it mean to live as a Christian, and yet know that you'll never be able to get married and have a family? This week on Bring To Mind Melinda Schmidt talks with college student Kendell Tanner about his struggle of being both Christian and homosexual. Faith and Homosexuality: No Easy Victory by Kendell Tanner When I enrolled as a freshman, I would never have admitted I was struggling with homosexuality. I wanted to keep it quiet for fear of freaking out my guy friends. You hear gay jokes around campus, in the dorms and even sometimes in the classroom, and you're afraid if you come out people will look at you differently. I remember being terrified of the thought of coming out as gay in a Christian environment. How would people react? Was I going to be an outcast? Was my faith, respected by my peers, going to be doubted by all I came in contact with? Would it ever be worth it to come out of the closet? When I first came out to my small group, they laid hands on me, prayed for me, thanked me for confessing deep, dark things and said they'd be there to support me as I struggled through it. Sean, Troy, Josh and Matt (otherwise known as Dove Love) heard me and have helped me as I struggle and continue to fight for freedom in Christ. My roommate, Blake, treats me as an image bearer of Christ and not as a broken vase that's his project from God to fix. This was the single greatest act of love from the Church I have ever experienced. These guys actually listened to me as I argued and fought with the biblical text and with God. They were patient and gave me community and a space to struggle and not be judged. Struggling with homosexuality in an overwhelmingly hyper-romantic culture at Moody sometimes makes you feel second-class. Even when you Bible Intro professor speaks of love and marriage, it feels as if love is impossible. Most Moody students today like to say all sins are equal in the eyes of God, that there is no scale, that a little lie would have been enough to require Christ's atonement. We say this in theory, but in practice we know that that little lie won't completely disqualify you for ministry. Struggling with homosexuality while finding a ministry to work with makes finding a needle in the haystack seem enjoyable. Life as a Christian who is gay is difficult. The Bible tells us that to follow Christ, we must surrender all earthly passions. For the homosexual, that means no future of family or the blessing of marriage. It's difficult to think of a life of singleness as an even gift. Moody students, we are among you, beside you and rooming with you. Give us grace as we struggle for holiness and sometimes fail. Give us your prayers, not just for today, but throughout your ministry here on earth. We are tempted every day, and for the sake of the Gospel, reject our natural desires. As the world and many members of the church begin to wrongly embrace homosexuality as a positive alternative to true holy biblical relationships, stand with us as we struggle against that mindset. Don't make homosexuality a worse sin than others, but bear our burdens with us as we seek to be holy. Listen to us and be open to allowing the Spirit of God to transform us into the image of christ. As I leave Moody soon, I ask for the saints on this campus to just listen and love, as Christ did.

Millennials - how can the evangelical church embrace and encourage the dreams of post-moderns who don't fit the past social and faith frameworks of past generations? Will the church take its place as an influencer of this emerging generation?Enter to win one of five copies of The Post-Church Christian by Paul & Carson Nyquist...and see what you think about the differences in generations and how we should approach those differences. Girls Talk by Katelyn Beaty There's a spate of new television shows with the word girl in the title—even though the girls in view are all decidedly over age 21. There's New Girl, the Fox comedy where doe-eyed Zooey Deschanel plays a klutzy teacher living with three guys, a Three's Company for the 21st century. There's the Bravo reality show Gallery Girls, a vapid and catty look at seven young women clamoring their way into the art scene of New York City. And 2 Broke Girls is like the all-female counterpart to Two and a Half Men—a raunchy half-hour comedy about men ogling women's breasts, but see, it's written by women instead of men. Ah, the sweet liberation we've waited for. Though they differ in tone, these new shows share a common thread: They focus on unmarried women (or girls, if we must) in their 20s and 30s trying to land a career, and a meaningful way to live, in a time of tricky economic realities for many young Americans, and of choices previously unknown for women. That is also the theme of the smartest and most divisive show of them all, the 2012 HBO series Girls. Written and directed by 26-year-old Lena Dunham (with help from executive producer Judd Apatow), Girls follows the postcollege travails of Hannah Horvath (also played by Dunham), an aspiring writer culling material for her forthcoming memoir, four chapters of which are written—"the rest I kind of have to live," she tells her concerned parents in the pilot episode. Guided by a mantra of feeling and experiencing everything she can, she's busy "trying to become who I am"—either obnoxiously self-centered or simply too introspective for her own good, depending on whom you ask. Hannah, her three girlfriends, and their boyfriends and lovers live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a place where NYU grads can open a business that will take your normal-sized ties and turn them into skinny ones (this is true), and where the population of young, wealthy 30-year-olds has doubled since 2000. It's a place of well-camouflaged privilege: Hannah and company lack secure jobs, hopping from unpaid internship to barista gig. Yet somehow they pay the rent, party, and wear stylish if awkward ensembles, trendy in a disheveled way—which neatly sums up Hannah's whole way of life. Girls is a fitting title, then, because it portrays four women teetering on the verge of adulthood, not knowing which way they will or should fall. The coming-of-age story is an old faithful, and Girls follows in this sturdy tradition. What's new about the show is that these women, like many real-life ones, are working from a rough script. The lines that signal "womanhood" are absent, coming later or not at all, or look quite different from the lines our mothers followed. Continue reading at Christianity Today... Additional Resources Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation - TIME Magazine's Joel Stein examines the Millennial generation and our views of them. Her.Meneutics - A Christianity Today blog written by women talking about cultural issues founded by Katelyn Beaty. Unrequited Love - A past Bring To Mind podcast where Melinda talks with Dr. Laura Smit about unrequited love, especially as the topics of marriage and relationships relates to millennials.

A. W. Tozer said about the Scriptures, “It is not only a book which was once spoken, but a book which is now speaking.” Melinda Schmidt and James Wilhoit talk about the centuries old practice of lectio divina and the ways in which that Scripture-reading practice uniquely transforms our faith and our churches today.Enter to win a one of five copies we're giving away of Discovering Lectio Divina by James Wilhoit & Evan Howard  Additional Resources Tim Keller on Praying through the Psalms as mentioned by James Wilhoit More resources coming soon

 What is a theology of vocation? Why do we need a theology of vocation? In this episode, Melinda Schmidt talks with Skye Jethani about what he says is the church's lost theology of vocation. How does the postmodern generation think about “work,” and what are the new ways the church can provide thought-leadership as young adults sort through the traditional secular/sacred divide of “work?” Calling All Christians by Skye Jethani For years I served as a teaching pastor at my church, but then left the pastoral team to pursue a calling outside the institutional church. For the first time since graduating from seminary, I found myself in the pews more often than in the pulpit. It changed my perspective. Working as a writer and editor, traveling more often, and juggling a young family left very little discretionary time in my schedule. There was simply no way I could participate in everything the church was asking me to do while also fulfilling the calling God had given me to pursue outside the church. Within a few months, I understood how most of my congregation felt. And I realized how insensitive and guilt-inducing many of my past sermons had been. In sermon after sermon I had called them to give more time, more money, more energy to the work of the church. Little did I understand or affirm their callings in the world. I had inadvertently created a secular/sacred divide in which the “sacred” calling of the church was pitted against their “secular” callings in the world. I never said this explicitly, of course, but it was implied. Later I was invited to preach again. This time my message included an apology for my failure to understand the value of their work outside the church. The sermon was met with shouts of “Amen!”—not a common occurrence in our predominantly Anglo suburban congregation. Why did it take me so long to see my error, and why did I have to leave pastoral ministry to recognize it? Part of the problem is history. Centuries ago the word vocation, meaning literally “a calling,” applied only to bishops, priests, and monks—those occupying offices within the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. It was believed that the clergy had been called by God. They alone had a vocation while everyone else merely worked. The idea dates back to Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea in the fourth century. He wrote that Christ had established two ways of life, the “perfect life” and the “permitted life.” The perfect life was the one God called the clergy to—a life of prayer, worship, and service to Christ through the church. Other occupations, while necessary, carried less dignity. The labor of farmers, artists, merchants, and homemakers was not evil, but neither was it blessed, nor were these roles callings from God. After all, they were concerned with the things of earth, while the clergy were occupied with the things of heaven. Continue reading Calling All Christians at Skye's website... Additional Resources This is Our City Redefining Work - Tim Keller (TGC13 Faith at Work Post-Conference) from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo. "Calling All Christians" - Skye Jethani [03.03.2013 | Newsong Irvine] from Newsong Church on Vimeo.

The roots of Christianity are found in Judaism. Why is it the Christian Church is no longer connected to those roots, and what has it lost because of that? Melinda Schmidt talks with Dr. Michael Rydelnik about Shavuot and Pentecost. Go Deeper The celebration of Pentecost finds it's origin in the Feast of Weeks, also known as Shavuot. You can read about the establishment of the Shavuot in Leviticus 23:15-22. Calling this date "Pentecost" comes from a greek word meaning fifty, as the celebration took place fifty days after the bringing of the wave offering (Leviticus 23:15).  So why is this festival important? "It's at this holiday that we remember not only that God provides for us, that's why we bring the first fruits, but also that he has provided through the corners for the poor in Israel" - Dr. Michael Rydelnik   Looking Forward Excerpted and adapted from Christ in the Feast of Pentecostby David Brickner & Rich Robinson (Moody Publishers, 2008). The biblical feasts of Israel were designed to help God's people remember what He did in the past, that we might recognize what He is doing today and have hope in His promises for tomorrow. The "tomorrow" for those living in Old Testament times was not only the coming days, weeks, months, and years. The hope of tomorrow was also the hope of Messiah. The "tomorrow" for those of us who have received Jesus as Messiah and Lord is divided between our future in this world—wherein we have certain promises for daily living—and our future in the world to come. Christ is seen so significantly in the Feast of Pentecost the through Him, this holiday speaks of our past redemption as Christians, as well as to all of our tomorrows. The original and central aspect of Pentecost is that of a firstfruits festival, with all it's attendant offerings. We have seen that Paul used "firstfruits" to refer to the resurrection of Jesus. That central event pronounced the guarantee of our future resurrection as "the rest" of the harvest. Thus Pentecost helps us look back to Jesus' resurrection and forward to the day when we shall be changed and receive all the promises that God has prepared for us. The Holy Spirit was sent, by the Father, in Christ's name on the Day of Pentecost--bringing His followers new purpose and power. We look back on that historic event, and forward to a Spirit-empowered life for our present and future on this earth as we know it. The purpose of that empowering is that we should serve God as we anticipate Christ's return. The Lord gave us a variety of guidelines on how to invest our lives until He returns—and one of the most prominent is to proclaim His gospel to others. We also know that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is but the firstfruits of an even more intimate relationship we will one day share with Jesus when we see Him face-to-face. We also saw how Jewish tradition transformed Pentecost into a holiday of God's Word—and how in Acts 2, the apostles' proclamation of God's Word was a dramatic demonstration that the curse at Babel had been reversed. Not only that, but the New Covenant had come into effect as people received Jesus, the living Word, into their hearts. We look back on this miraculous event and it gives us hope to look forward to an even greater day promised in Revelation 7:9: "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb." Someday all those aspects of our lives—our identities—will come together. Our past, present, and future will converge in an integrated, healthy way. Firstfruits and Pentecost help us begin to achieve that integration now. We know from where we came—"My father was a wandering Aramean," in the words of the Pentecost liturgy in Deuteronomy 26: "He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey"--therefore "now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O Lord, have given me." And they are just that, firstfruits, harbingers of what is yet to come. As John says, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2) Can there be any better hope? And who would have thought that a few sheaves of wheat would have so much to teach us?   Additional Resources Suggested reading list: Brickner, David & Rich Robinson. Christ in the Feast of Pentecost. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008.Goodman, Philip. The Shavuot Anthology. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1992.Isaacs, Ronald H. Every Person's Guide to Shavuot. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1998.Strassfield, Michael. The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary. New York: Harper & Row, 1985.Waskow, Arthur I. Seasons of Our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays. Boston: Beacon Press, 1990. Want to learn more about the liturgical calendar? The following websites provide some starting resources. The Lectionary Page (Provides a liturgical calendar to follow)The Revised Common Lectionary (Scripture readings that follow the liturgical calendar)  

Gabby Douglas was an everyday teen training for the Olympics, but when she became the first US gymnast to win both All-Around and Team gold medals in the same Olympics in London in 2012, she immediately transitioned to fame and the media frenzy. Melinda Schmidt talks with Gabby and her mom, Natalie, about the exciting shifts in their lives and how their faith never wavers.

Dr. Alister McGrath, former atheist and now Professor of Theology, Ministry and Education at King’s College London, talks about his research into the life of eccentric thinker and inspiring “everyman,” C. S. Lewis.

Lindy Boone Michaelis is the daughter of successful pop icon of the 50’s and 60’s, Pat Boone. She led a charmed life and enjoyed traveling and entertaining with her family as she grew up But then the bumps started coming: a divorce and remarriage, and then her son Ryan’s tragic accident profoundly changed her family’s life. How do parents reframe their hopes and dreams for their children when the unimaginable happens?