Discovery Place Pick of the Month

September 2010 Pick Of The Month
“When Christians Get It Wrong” DVD study by
Adam Hamilton

Recent studies show that 40% of young people (16-29 year olds) have consciously turned away from the church. When young people talk about the problems they have with Christianity and the church, they often name certain attitudes and behaviors they believe are practiced too often by Christians: judging others, condemning people of other faiths, rejecting science, injecting politics into faith, and being anti-homosexual. With his familiar style, Adam Hamilton tackles these issues and addresses how Christians can get it right when it comes to being Christ in the world.
Those who study “When Christians Get It Wrong” will gain a different way of understanding the issues that keep people away from Christianity and keep Christians from living a more compelling faith. Because, honestly, if we don’t start getting it right, we may lose an entire generation.
6 Study Sessions:
1. When Christians are UnChristian
2. Christians, Science, and Politics
3. When Speaking of Other Religions
4. When Bad Things Happen
5. In Dealing With Homosexuality
6. When Christians Get It Right
Bonus: Meet John
Includes a Leader's Guide and Participant's Guide.

July Pick of the Month
The Divine Conspiracy: Jesus’ Master Class For Life
With Dallas Willard and John Ortberg
Dallas Willard issues a timely and challenging call back to the true meaning of Christian discipleship.
Gracefully weaving biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice into one cohesive group study, Willard shows Christians everywhere the necessity of making profound changes in how we view our lives and live out our faith.
This video-based group study masterfully captures the core of Christ's teachings in a fresh, relevant light, revealing a revolutionary way to experience God … by knowing Him as an essential part of the here and now, rather than only as a part of the hereafter. Based on the Sermon on the Mount, the author calls Christians into a more authentic faith and then offers a practical plan by which we can answer the call.
Six session titles include:
1 The Divine Conspiracy
2 The Path to a Blessed Life
3 Becoming a Good Person
4 Treasuring What Matters Most
5 Becoming a Community of Prayerful Love
6 Living as a Disciple of Jesus
Includes a Leader's Guide, Participant's Guide and a Study Guide.

June Pick(s) of the Month
The Read And Share™ Bible on DVD combines an enchanting art style with a warm narrator and gentle musical underscore to transport kids back to Biblical times. Thirteen essential lessons of scripture star the Bible's best-known characters.  The bite-size vignettes are perfect for the attention span of little ones, and give teachers and parents maximum flexibility to fit any time frame. Stories include: Promised Land, Samson, Ruth & Naomi, Samuel, David, Elijah, Esther, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, Jesus (The Coin, The Blind Man, and Lazarus), and Saul/Paul and His Travels.   Each story is 3 minutes for ages 4-8.

What’s In the Bible? Presenting a 13-DVD series from the creator of VeggieTales, Phil Vischer! Each DVD is filled with original music, animation, puppets, and creative writing that will teach kids about God and his Word. The first 3 volumes include: “In the Beginning”, “Let My People Go”, and “Wanderin’ in the Desert”.  Each DVD contains two 25 minute episodes.

For Elementary Age Children.

May Pick of the Month
Surprised By Hope:
Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright
Many Christians believe that our future in heaven is all that really matters. But that's not what the Bible teaches. Premier Bible scholar N. T. Wright takes you inside the Scriptures to grasp the full, breathtaking hope Jesus offers the world, and its implications for how we live our lives today as believers. In six transforming, faith-inspiring sessions, N. T. Wright reveals the amazing full scope of what God's Word has to say about the world to come and the world that is. What is heaven really like? Is our main duty as Christians simply to help non-Christians get there? What hope does the gospel hold for this present life, and in what ways does God intend for us to experience that hope personally and spread its healing power to the world around us? Includes a Leader's Guide and Participant's Guide. Six Lessons:
1. Hope For the World
2. The Hope of The Resurrection
3. The Hope of Heaven
4. The Hope of Jesus' Second Coming
5. The Hope of Salvation
6. The Hope of the Church

April Pick of the Month
Living the Questions Curriculum
People know that at its core, Christianity has something good to offer humanity. At the same time, many have a sense that they are alone in being a "thinking" Christian and that "salvaging" Christianity is a hopeless task. What is needed is a safe environment where people have permission to ask the questions they've always wanted to ask but have been afraid to voice for fear of being thought a heretic.
Living the Questions is a source of curriculum and media for both seekers and "church alumni/ae" convinced that Christianity still has relevance in the 21st Century. Providing a variety of flexible resources, Living the Questions can help people explore the future of Christianity and what a meaningful faith can look like in today's world. Titles included are:  Living The Questions; First Light: Jesus and the Kingdom of God; Dream Think Be Do; Eclipsing Empire: Paul, Rome, and the Kingdom of God; Countering Pharaoh's Production-Consumption Society Today; Saving Jesus; Tex Mix: Stories of Earthy Mysticism; Uppity Women of the Bible.

March Pick of the Month
We’ve chosen two Youth resources for March Pick of the Month

You Teach: Stop looking through piles of books or documents trying to put together the perfect lesson. The Skit Boys have compiled it all for you!  In this new DVD series from the Skit Guys, you'll find everything you need to teach a memorable lesson to your students on topics that really matter to them. Tommy & Eddie provide you with a Skit Guys video, a message outline, and small group questions--making it easier than ever for you to plan a lesson!
Each of the four volumes has 6-8 lessons.  Titles include: Need Harmony; Friends Tell Friends Everything; The Mourning Booth; What is God's Will?; The Parachute; Perception Vs. Reality; Overcoming Laziness; Identity; Rich Young Ruler; Bubble Wrap Accountability; Cards You've Been Dealt; The Mourning Bench; Too Deep, Too Soon and many more.

Trigger:  With video clips that hit on topics that matter to teens, and a discussion guide to help you lead engaging conversations, you'll find Trigger to be the perfect addition to your program to start discussions or illustrate a point in your message.  Whether you use Trigger in your large group, a small group, or even Sunday school, your students will connect and doors will be opened for conversations that matter. Includes titles like:  "House" As a grandfather and grandson view some of the great religions structures of the world, this trigger explores the question, "What, where, and who is church?"
"Release" This trigger captures the emotion and mindset of a cutter to help shed light and understanding on a quiet epidemic that is affecting so many people.
"Action x Reaction 3 Effect" This short story follows the main character, who finds himself being interrogated about a violent crime he witnessed, opening up the question "What is the solution to war and violence?"   Each of 4 DVD’s has 5 titles

February Pick of the Month

The Easter Experience: What if, what happened then, changes everything now?  The Easter Experience DVD Study is a truly spiritual experience that has the power to change every member in your small group. The six 20-minute episodes bring the passion and resurrection of Jesus to life through dramatic storytelling and challenging teaching. Each episode explores a universal theme that is relevant to our lives all year round. Also includes a Leader's Guide, Participant's Guide, Ministry Devotional and Leader's Training DVD.

24 Hours that Changed the World: No single event in human history has received more attention than the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. In this study, Adam Hamilton guides us through the last twenty-four hours of Jesus' life. Each session is designed to help you experience and understand the significance of Jesus' suffering and death in a way you have never done before. In this DVD study, we travel to the Holy Land with Adam Hamilton to visit the sites where those earth-shaking events took place. We walk where Jesus walked and see what he may have seen, along the road that led to the pain and triumph of the cross.  Leader Guide features two format options (60-minute and 90-minute).  Also includes book of same title, and 40 Days of Reflection booklet.

January Pick of the Month
Celebration of Discipline

Welcome to the New Year and new decade, Twenty Ten (2010).  As we start a new year, we wish to recommend a classic resource that will offer guidance not only for the year ahead, but also for the Threshold Movement within the conference as we look to our New Susquehanna Conference.  This excellent resource has been around for many years and is now offered in a revised edition in book, video, study guide and journal.  Many persons use Richard Foster’s book as ongoing reference for their spiritual journey. Discovery Place has only three copies of the group study, but we recommend that churches and small groups buy their own.  This is a study that can be used many times by various groups. The 13 session video based curriculum is designed to help Christians experience authentic transformation through engagement with classic Christian Spiritual disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.

December Pick of the Month
LIQUID
LIQUID is a DVD-based experience featuring present-day characters whose problems and struggles mirror biblical stories, illustrating that God's word is as true today as it was when it was written. With emotionally provoking videos, introspective questions, and tips for leading a small group, LIQUID is the perfect experience for individual growth or small group study.  There are five 10-minute episodes in each series, as well as a 112-page Reflection Guide with questions and leader's tips.  See previews at www.experienceliquid.com.
Mirror Image is the story of a family from Orange County who faces dramatic events and must choose how to respond. Based on some of the most famous biblical parables, Mirror Image reminds us that Jesus' teachings ask us to change the way we think in order to be salt and light in the world.
Fork in the Road is a modern retelling of the life of David. From his legendary triumph over Goliath to his greatest downfall with Bathsheba, Fork in the Road portrays one man's crucial moments of decision that lead him to either victory or defeat.
The Ten: Freeway 10 runs through the center of Los Angeles, ten lanes wide and packed with cars.  Behind each set of brake lights lies a story.  We follow the lives of five different freeway drivers, each one living out one of God's Commandments on the streets of the City of Angels.  Even today, the Ten Commandments are more than a list of restrictions; they're a road to a better life. 
Other titles include:  Money Talks, Live at Five, and Crossing

November Pick of the Month

Veggie Tales 
Discovery Place has over 50 Veggie Tale DVD’s and videos.  Have you watched any lately?  They are fun for adults, youth and children and teach Biblical and moral truths in every one.  See our title list at our online catalog.  Just type Big Idea into the publisher’s category.  www.discovery-place.org.  Order online or call 1-800-682-2615.  Following are three Christmas selections.
The Star of Christmas: It’s 1880’s London, and Cavis Appythart and Millward Phelps are putting the finishing touches on their first Christmas musical – “The Princess and the Plumber”.  Filled with spectacle and more electric lights than London has ever seen, Cavis is convinced his impressive show will “teach London to love!”  Unfortunately, a church Christmas pageant staged by little Edmund Gilbert is opening the same night right down the street, and features the “Star of Christmas”, a priceless artifact that hasn’t been seen in 80 years!  A hilarious, action-packed adventure which teaches it’s the true story of God’s love that shows us how to love one another at Christmas time and throughout the year!
The Toy that Saved Christmas: When Mr. Nezzer's TV advertising campaign convinces all of Dinkletown that 'Christmas is when you get stuff', the brave Buzz-Saw Louie doll from the Nezzer Toy Factory testifies to the real meaning of Christmas. 

October Pick of the Month

Advent Conspiracy
Tired of the consumerism that has come to define Christmas? Advent Conspiracy invites families, home groups, and churches to restore the heart of the Holiday. Unwrapping four simple but powerful concepts, this stirring DVD study with guide, invites you to celebrate Jesus' birth more meaningfully by giving relationally to family, friends, and the less fortunate.  Advent Conspiracy shows how readers can substitute compassion for consumption by practicing four simple but powerful, countercultural concepts:  
Worship Fully—because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus!
Spend Less—and free up resources for things that truly matter.
Give More—presence: helping hands, healing words, humble hearts.
Love All—the poor, the forgotten, the marginalized, the sick, in ways that make a difference.
Includes DVD and study guide.

September Pick of the Month

Start: Becoming a Good Samaritan

What does it take to “love your neighbor” in a global community? Partnering with World Vision, Zondervan presents a new DVD study, start>Becoming a Good Samaritan—an unprecedented initiative to help Christians live out Christ's love in world-changing ways right where they live.  It will take you out of your comfort zone into the mean streets of life where you can begin to bring hope to those suffering from poverty, social injustice, disease, oppression, and more.  This groundbreaking training program helps small groups, families, Bible studies, entire churches, and organizations explore the most pressing issues of our time—then start actually doing something about them. Presenters include John Ortberg, Eugene Peterson, Philip Yancey, Desmond Tutu, Rob Bell and Shane Claiborne.  This pack contains 1 DVD and 1 Participant's Guide.

August Pick of the Month

Deeper Connections Series

This series is unlike any other Bible study.  Visually stunning and written and taught by Biblical experts, these studies are for everyone who wants to deepen their understanding of God’s Word and apply it more faithfully and effectively.  Each session is introduced from Israel and includes historical and cultural background, a close look at the Biblical text, and challenging applications to life today.  Each volume contains six sessions taught by a different teacher.  With maps and pictures, outlines, key scripture verses, discussion questions, plenty of room for note taking, and a personal five-day Bible study for each session, the participant’s guide will help you get the most out of the study both in your group and in applying what you learn to your life.
Includes 6 volumes: The Life of Jesus, The Forgiveness of Jesus, the Last Days of Jesus, the Parables of Jesus, The Prayers of Jesus, and the Miracles of Jesus.
Discovery Place provides DVD and study guide.  Participant’s guides may be ordered from www.zondervan.com

June Pick of the Month

Living the Good Life Together: A Study of Christian Character in Community is a unique series of 12-week video-and-book studies in which you will explore key features of Christian character and apply those learnings in daily life. Kits include DVD, and leader/study guides.
Attentiveness: Being Present: Are you too busy for God? Examine our busy lives and learn how to be present with ourselves, with each other, and with God.
Discernment: Acting Wisely: How does God work in the world? How do I choose to respond? Seeking God’s presence in all that we say and do.
Forgiveness: Letting Go: Why is it so hard to forgive? Christians talk a lot about forgiveness, but our actions don’t always measure up to our words.
Hospitality: Risking Welcome: What does it mean to give and receive welcome? What   can we learn from it? Why is it risky? Come to understand why hospitality is basic to our lives as Christians.
Intimacy: Pursuing Love: Do you wish you were closer to God? Many of us feel that way and long to do something about it. Explore how, as Christians, we can experience intimacy with God, with ourselves, and with others.

For more information, go to www.livingthegoodlifetogether.com.

May Pick of the Month
36 Parables
36 Parables helps you communicate Jesus’ words powerfully and creatively. Authentic, accurate, simply stated and profoundly moving, these short films connect in ways words alone cannot. Whether used as a part of a sermon or as a catalyst for discussion in study groups 36 Parables’ films are a cutting-edge teaching tool designed to illuminate understanding and provide fresh insight by presenting Jesus’ parables in modern settings. Clips may be seen at http://www.illuminatingunderstanding.com/Check our website for descriptions of the five 36 Parables DVD’s: Yellow, Blue, Purple, Cyan, and Amber. Includes modern day dramatization of parables such as: The Two Sons, The Rich Fool, The Good Samaritan, The Hidden Treasure, the Two Debtors, and others.

April Pick of the Month
Opening Ourselves to Grace:
A Four Session Small Group Study
on the Means of Grace in the Wesleyan Tradition.
Opening Ourselves to Grace explores the basic practices of Christian faith and life from a Wesleyan perspective. The four-segment video presents a clear and contemporary understanding of Wesleyan spiritual practices. Can be used as four-chapter video presentation on Wesley's understanding of spiritual practice and a six-week Bible study based on the video.
Includes 1 DVD and 1 leader guide, one six-week study guide, one four chapter study book.

March Pick of the Month
Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity
Adam Hamilton
Our nation is experiencing what many have described as the “American Nightmare.” Increasing consumer debt, declines in savings, lower income growth, rising housing costs and a volatile stock market are all contributing to economic insecurity. We live in a society that tells us “you deserve it now,” whether or not we can afford it or really even need it. Simplicity, Generosity and Joy lead participants to examine their own values and habits around wealth, spending, discipline, giving and contentment. Includes a Leader's Guide. This Six session video study features Rev. Adam Hamilton presenting:

1. Introduction: Faith in the Midst of Financial Crisis
2. When Dreams Become Nightmares
3. Wisdom and Finance
4. Cultivating Contentment
5. Defined By Generosity
6. Bonus video: To Be A Blessing

February Pick of the Month
Servant or Sucker?:
Wise and Compassionate Ways to Help the Poor
We’ve all been there. Someone, obviously poor or homeless, approaches you and asks for money. What do you do? Do you give money, knowing it may be used on drugs or alcohol or do you say “no” or even ignore the person as you walk by? No one wants to be a sucker in these situations but at the same time Jesus’ call to help the poor echoes in our hearts and minds. This DVD helps viewers discern appropriate, Christ-centered actions when it comes to addressing poverty on a personal or organizational level. Included are realities of poverty such as the concepts of time, relationships, money and values; a “poverty tour”; interviews with those who are homeless or poor; interviews with those who have helped and/or have been suckered; and steps viewers can take to be an effective servant without getting suckered.
A viewer’s guide is included on the DVD. Can be done in 3- 5 sessions, 1 -1 1/2 hours.

January Pick of the Month
The Jesus Creed: What was spiritual formation like during the time of Jesus? As Scot McKnight points out, the early Christians didn’t sing in the choir or go to weekly Bible studies, and yet they matured inwardly in relationship with God as well as outwardly in their relationships with each other. How did this happen? In The Jesus Creed DVD, explore with Scot how the great Shema of the Old Testament was transformed by our Lord into the focal point for spiritual maturity. According to the Jesus Creed (found in Mark 12:29-31), loving God and loving others are the greatest commandments. Includes a study guide. This DVD provides a seven-week study for any high school or adult spiritual formation process.
The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others: In the Jesus Creed, Scot has given a great gift to any follower of Jesus as he invites us back into the world in which Jesus lived. We learn, a step at a time, what it meant to be a Jewish rabbi in the 1st century Galilee. In these pages the identities, hopes and struggles of Joseph and Mary, or John the Baptist and of Simon Peter are portrayed in ways that are both fresh and deeply illuminating.
The Jesus Creed Companion Guide: Designed for group or individual use, this companion guide is perfect for bible study groups, classes, or personal devotions. Each of the thirty sessions begins with reciting the Jesus Creed and ends with the Lord's Prayer.
40 Days Living The Jesus Creed: 40 Day guide to be used along with "The Jesus Creed" study. Includes 40 short daily readings to help in living out the Jesus Creed.