In January 2024, I published ​What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus? A Clear, Biblical Picture of Discipleship. A few people have asked for a bit more info on the book, so I'm creating this post as a sort of "landing page" for book info, any video(s) I create related to it, etc. Scroll through the headings below and check it out. (And help spread the word!) 

One of our core values at Brookside Church is Biblical Authority — looking to the Bible for truth, direction, and inspiration. On Sunday mornings we preach from the Bible. Our small groups (all ages) are tethered to God's Word. We have been encouraging personal Bible reading for YEARS through our 365 Bible Reading Plan. The bottom line? We believe the Bible is uniquely authoritative as God's Word, and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training for right living (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

But we don't only care THAT people read God's Word. (Though of course we never want to minimize this either!) We also care HOW people read God's Word. Or stated another way, we want to help people get into the Bible in such a way that they get the most out of the Bible (in a way that is consistent with how the Bible itself wants to be read!).

Our goal is that our teaching models this and certain classes we offer facilitate this (think: Bible Basics). And we also want to point people toward helpful resources that contribute to this goal as well.

With that in mind, here are six resources I encourage others toward, when I hear they want help with understanding how to read the Bible on their own, or with interpreting certain kinds of Scripture, etc. I hope these help you get into God's Word, in such a way that God's Word gets into you! 

(Note: These are listed in no particular order. [Other than the Study Bibles at the beginning — start there if you don't have a study Bible yet.] Choose the one or two of these that you find more interesting, and dig in!)

Graduate-level theological training is coming to Omaha! This training is local and it’s live — so this about more than just consuming content. You can participate in a way that forms you, builds community, and serves others. 
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Oh yeah — and you’ll see that this training is SO AFFORDABLE. (Which is of course always good!)
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Below you'll find a few brief videos orienting you to what's coming: 

• an overview video introducing this training and the subsequent videos
• a tutorial video explaining the accredited, graduate-level certificates that are offered through Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 
• a video explaining the unaccredited track that's available, if for whatever reason the accredited option isn't a fit for you
• a video where I share my heart for this training, and the goals that I hope this serves

One more thing before you scroll to the videos: I've included the links here that I mention in the videos, so you have easy access to them: 

• The Theology Training page overview and FAQs
• The certificates page of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (the Systematic Theology classes that we'll teach live pair well with the Certificate of Christian Tradition or the Certificate of Theological Studies)
• A link to the registration page that we ask everyone who's participating to fill out — both accredited and unaccredited students. (And remember that accredited students also need to apply and be accepted into Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. You can access that application page here.) 

​Now, on to the videos: 

I'm a big fan of discipleship pathways. It's good for churches to have intentional ways forward (e.g. programs, resources, etc.), helping people grow as disciples (and disciple-makers). I'm encouraged that I anecdotally hear more and more churches uses the language of "discipleship pathway." 

But I also want to paint the picture of a discipleship pathway as a four-lane road, rather than a one-lane bridge. Allow me to explain what I mean: 

A one-lane bridge is narrow and rigid. There's only one way forward, and it usually slows down traffic. There's only one way to get to your destination, whether you like bridges or not. When some people see a one-lane bridge, they do a U-turn and head the other direction. For "one-lane bridge" discipleship pathways, every next step along the path of discipleship (and every tool that's part of that next step) is planned out and mandated. I'm concerned that it can feel too rigid, and may even impede progress.

But gladly, there's another way.