Old Testament Challenge: Creating a New Community (v. 1) [Paperback]

John Ortberg (Author), Kevin G. Harney (Contributor), Sherry Harney (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Discover the Life-Changing Relevance of the Old Testament Creating a New Community Our hearts hunger for order and a sense of belonging in the chaos of life. We long for community. Deep inside us, we yearn to connect with God and with those around us. That's not surprising---it's a reflection of God's own longing. Guiding you through the Pentateuch, this small group study reveals God's passionate desire for intimacy with his people and among his people. The Old Testament Challenge small group series is a high-impact tool for discovering the power and relevance of the Old Testament. This innovative series combines Bible study with an enjoyable, interactive format to help you and your group experience God's Word as it really is: energetic, immediate, and life-transforming. Other Old Testament Challenge Small Group Discussion Guides -Guide 2---Stepping Out in Faith: Life-Changing Examples from the History of Israel (7 Sessions) -Guide 3---Developing a Heart for God: Life-Changing Lessons from the Wisdom Books (8 Sessions) -Guide 4---Pursuing Spiritual Authenticity: Life-Changing Words from the Prophets (8 Sessions)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Discover the Life-Changing Relevance of the Old Testament

Creating a New Community

Our hearts hunger for order and a sense of belonging in the chaos of life. We long for community. Deep inside us, we yearn to connect with God and with those around us. That’s not surprising—it’s a reflection of God’s own longing. Guiding you through the Pentateuch, this small group study reveals God’s passionate desire for intimacy with his people and among his people.

The Old Testament Challenge small group series is a high-impact tool for discovering the power and relevance of the Old Testament. This innovative series combines Bible study with an enjoyable, interactive format to help you and your group experience God’s Word as it really is: energetic, immediate, and life-transforming.

Other Old Testament Challenge Small Group Discussion Guides

· Guide 2—Stepping Out in Faith: Life-Changing Examples from the History of Israel (7 Sessions) · Guide 3—Developing a Heart for God: Life-Changing Lessons from the Wisdom Books (8 Sessions) · Guide 4—Pursuing Spiritual Authenticity: Life-Changing Words from the Prophets (8 Sessions)

About the Author

John Ortberg is a pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California. He is the bestselling author of When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box; The Life You've Always Wanted; and If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. He and his wife Nancy, have three children. SPANISH BIO: John Ortberg es pastor de la iglesia Presbiteriana de Menlo Park en la ciudad de Menlo Park, California. Es el autor de los exitos de venta: Dios esta mas cerca de lo que crees, La vida que siempre has querido, Todos son normales hasta que los conoces, Si quieres caminar sobre las aguas, tienes que salir de la barca, y Un amor mas alla de la razon. el y su esposa, Nancy, tienen tres hijos.

Kevin G. Harney serves at Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, California. Harney is the author of Organic Outreach for Ordinary People, Leadership from the Inside Out; Seismic Shifts; Finding a Church You Can Love and Loving the Church You've Found; and more than sixty small-group Bible studies. SPANISH BIO: Kevin G. Harney es pastor de ensenanza en Faith Church en Dyer, Indiana. Es autor de Seismic Shifts: the Little Changes that make a BIG difference in your life y coautor de varios libros.

Sherry Harney (B.A., Calvin College; M.A. in Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary) has worked on church staff ministries for over two decades in the area of children's ministry and staff leadership. She has also worked as a school teacher and she is presently a free lance writer and editor for Zondervan. . She also does speaking for women's conferences as well as teaching on topics such as home-based evangelism, leadership, small group ministry and marriage.andnbsp; Visit Sherry's website: http://sherryharney.com/index2.php#/home/

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 125 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 1st edition (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310248930
• ISBN-13: 978-0310248934
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,538,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Combination of Bible Exposition & Life Challenge, April 4, 2007

By 

T. Johnson (Northern Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Old Testament Challenge Volume 1: Creating a New Community: Life-Changing Stories from the Pentateuch (Paperback)

I used this to lead a small group study of the Old Testament (still on-going but we finished Volume 1). There are many pluses to using this material.
- The lectures are prepared and polished so that part of the weekly preparation is not a huge burden.
- John Ortberg is a very engaging teacher.
- The three books, taken together, provide a wide range of discussion materials ranging from "truth" to "life" so as to allow the leader to select where on this spectrum discussion needs to go. (Three books are the Reading Guide, Teaching guide, and Discussion Guide.)
- Although this is a whirlwind tour of the Old Testament, the lectures make a point of emphasizing the important issues. Many of the lectures focus on the aspects of daily life today (e.g., raising children, telling the truth to people around us, the events of Sept 11, 2001) that the Old Testament speaks directly to.

There are only a few minor annoyances:
- The Complete Track reading guide is not synchronized with the weekly lectures, so it really almost forces the reader to use the fast track reading guide.
- The lectures include occasional references to things projected at the time the lectures were given, but whatever was projected is not available on the included CD, leaving the listener wondering what was so funny.

All things considered, I highly recommend this as a small group study.

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointed, November 3, 2009

By 

Education Director - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Old Testament Challenge Volume 1: Creating a New Community (DVD)

I have used other products by John Ortberg in the past and have been very impressed with the delivery and the level of teaching. The DVD for this series disappointed me. It does not contain any footage by John Ortberg. In addition to that, it seems to have a difficult time defining its audience. It goes from a video montage that seems like something I would receive as a chain email to a lecture type tensional and finally a segment that would hold the attention of Middle Schoolers. I did not feel that the video added the content I felt was needed to enhance the book study.