Engaging Church

This Week: Follow the Insights on John Blog Tour

by Andrew Rogers

16 Responses to “This Week: Follow the Insights on John Blog Tour”

1. 
   Joshua Simpson
   26 July, 2010 at 5:16 pm

   I just uploaded my review at my blog http://indefenseoforthodoxy.blogspot.com/. Awesome resource!

   Reply
2. 
   Andrew Rogers
   26 July, 2010 at 5:29 pm

   Great! I’m glad you liked it. I used it in my small group Bible study and it was really helpful.

   Reply
3. 
   Andrea Schultz
   26 July, 2010 at 8:30 pm

   My review is at:

   http://andrealschultz.blogspot.com/2010/07/swindolls-new-testament-insights.html

   I also have a giveaway of ‘Insights on Romans’!

   Love this series!

   Reply
   • 
     Andrew Rogers
     26 July, 2010 at 8:48 pm

     Thanks so much for that review. Wow! That was doozie! Thanks for your thoughtfulness and all the time you put into it. Hope the giveaway goes well for you.

     Reply
4. 
   Andrew
   28 July, 2010 at 8:48 pm

   Mine is up as well: http://thelogo.blogspot.com/2010/07/insights-on-john-by-charles-swindoll.html

   Reply
   • 
     Andrew Rogers
     29 July, 2010 at 1:05 pm

     Awesome, Andrew. I’ve got it in the list and will be tweeting the URL with the others. Thanks again for the review. See my comments on your post for more.

     Reply
5. 
   Paul A. Nierengarten
   29 July, 2010 at 7:09 am

   I’ve posted my review at http://yourdailystrength.com/wordpress/insights-on-john-blog-tour. Great resource! Thanks to Zondervan and Swindoll.

   Reply
   • 
     Andrew Rogers
     29 July, 2010 at 1:05 pm

     I added yours to the list, Paul. I’m glad you liked the book! I also thought the quotes from other bloggers included at the end of your review was pretty cool. Good idea.

     Random question: Do you think this is a book small group leaders would benefit from?

     Reply
     • 
       Paul A. Nierengarten
       29 July, 2010 at 2:45 pm

       Yes. I think it is especially helpful in that situation. This resource will easily equip leaders to navigate a small group through the gospel of John. It will also prepare them to give answers to to questions that could come up surrounding the background to John’s writing.

       There’s enough information to dig deeper and it is concise enough not to spend a lot of time doing so. The application sections work as excellent food for thought and ministry reflection.
6. 
   Andrew Rogers
   29 July, 2010 at 2:51 pm

   I agree, Paul. I actually used this book in a Bible study group that I lead.

   Here’s another random question: Have you had much success getting your small group leaders to use Bible reference resources? I’m not a pastor, but I’ve heard many express how difficult it can be to get small group leaders to use quality resources.

   Reply
7. 
   Paul A. Nierengarten
   29 July, 2010 at 4:05 pm

   Yes. I’m not a pastor either, but I’ve led Bible study at our church and lead a small study group that meets biweekly. There is an art/science to facilitating a discussion, which I’m sure you can attest to. The problem, even from my own growth experience, is that leaders need to learn the ropes in keeping the discussion from floating away, and also realize that preparation plays an important role

   Those components can be intimidating. Some study guides are a little rigid for these dynamics in my opinion. Whereas Swindoll’s resource allows a leader to cut a customized path. The key seems to be mentorship of small group leaders.

   The AND book that toured last week spoke toward apprenticeship to, in part, equip small group leaders in this area. Not sure what resources Halter and Smay use as far as references, but that was one of my critiques. It would have been nice to read a little about those specifics.

   What has your experience been?

   Reply
   • 
     Paul A. Nierengarten
     29 July, 2010 at 5:15 pm

     Sorry. A little longwinded on that one.

     Reply
     • 
       Andrew Rogers
       29 July, 2010 at 7:10 pm

       My experience has been that preparation makes the meeting. The more prepared I can be on a topic before leading a discussion said topic the better. Digging up answers ahead of time to likely questions, or even just knowing which questions I don’t have an answer to allows me to lead a discussion with confidence.

       Obviously, you can’t be prepared for everything. Discussions are organic, and depending on what’s happening in the lives of the people in your group, they can be winding and jumbled too. But that’s not a bad thing. I don’t mind tangents in Bible study discussions at all (they seem natural, and even foster strong relationships within the group), but whenever we’re discussing the actual text I try to be able to say either: 1) I don’t know the answer to that question, or 2) Here’s an answer I’ve picked up from ______ (pastor/author/resource).

       (I’m long winded too.)

Trackbacks

1. Insights on John Blog Tour – Your Daily Strength
   29 July, 2010 at 7:07 am
2. Chuck Swindoll’s Insights on John review « Epistles of Thomas
   29 July, 2010 at 4:02 pm
3. Book review: INSIGHTS ON JOHN by Charles R. Swindoll « theTHEfamily.com
   24 January, 2011 at 1:08 am