1. Art and Diseño

February 2015
"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man
who built his house upon the rock; and the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew
and beat against that house, but it did not fall; for it had been founded upon the rock. But everyone
who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house
upon the sand; and the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and beat against
that house, and it fell; and great was its fall!"
--Jesus (Matthew 7:24-27)
Dear Friends of Crossways International,
First-year students of New Testament Greek encounter the word akouo (a-KOO-oh) early in their
vocabulary studies. This word, which appears over 400 times in the Greek New Testament, has a
range of meaning that permits a translator to equate it with one of several English words. Arranging
four of these English equivalents into a certain order reveals a progressive path for growing in wisdom
(or understanding) in today's world of information overload. These four words, in order, include hear
(the most common equivalent), learn, obey, and understand. Here they are again in diagrammed form:
Hear --> Learn --> Obey --> Understand
While it is self-evident that hearing and learning are necessary for gaining understanding, it may not
seem to be the case for obedience. Why is obedience necessary for gaining understanding? The fact
is, Jesus urged His followers to obey Him in ways that at first may appear to be unnatural, counterintuitive, and even foolish. One of His most difficult commands to His followers then and now is, "Love
your enemies" (Matthew 5:44)! But it is only after we trust and obey Jesus (even when we do not
understand beforehand) that we begin to understand and appreciate His otherworldly wisdom that can
transform our world. For instance, through obedience we can experience and therefore more deeply
understand the profound truth that hatred can never be overcome by hatred (which is so natural for a
fallen world), but by God's selfless love alone.
To the praise of our all-wise God Who is worthy of our lifelong trust and obedience,
Rich Bosshardt
Editor, Crossways International
Dr. Wendt's Biblical Nugget
Here is an excerpt from the February 2015 Revised Common Lectionary
study guide from the Rev. Dr. Harry Wendt:
Happenings
Upcoming Training
Workshops
Are you interested in
attending or hosting a
That Jews submitted to John's baptism is
Crossways
International
remarkable, for traditionally only Gentiles were
(CI)
workshop?
Please
baptized when they converted to Judaism.
contact
our
training
Furthermore, it would seem that John baptized
coordinator at
people in the vicinity where the Israelites first
[email protected],
crossed the Jordan and entered the land
go to the CI website,
under Joshua--suggesting that John's baptism
or call 1-800-257-7308.
constituted a new beginning, a new entry into
the Promised Land for the people of God.
To learn more or to register
--An excerpt from Dr. Wendt's comments on Mark 1:9-15
For the rest of this sermon preparation resource, click here.
February 2015 Biblical Insights and Sermon Helps
Dr. Harry Wendt's study guide for the Revised Common Lectionary is now
available for the month of February and the first week of March. Simply click
on the link above.
These insights are offered free of charge. We pray that they will be a
blessing to you personally and to those whom you serve. Donations to the
ministry of Crossways International enable us to promote biblical literacy
around the world and to help people know, believe in, and follow Jesus, our
forgiving Savior and Servant Lord.
for a webinar or workshop,
click on the link within each
entry below.
Upcoming Webinars
February 19, 2015
1 to 3 pm CST
In-depth training webinar
on
The Parables of Jesus
March 17, 2015
10 am to Noon CST
In-depth training webinar
on
An Apostles' Creed for the
New Millennium
Dr. Wendt's Pick of the Month
During the past few months, Chloris and I have
attended a Bible study group, which is working its
way through Joining Jesus on His Mission. The
author, Greg Finke, did not focus merely on being
forgiven and going to heaven. The subtitle of this
book is How to Be an Everyday Missionary--and
that is its focus throughout.
This book contains 19 short chapters, and each
chapter focuses on key sections of the biblical
narrative and how they relate to the breaking in of
the true kingdom of God in the mission of Jesus the
Messiah.
The book is incredible! Greg's revelation on reaching the world for Christ is
refreshing, relieving, and invigorating. He shows us how to follow Jesus and
get beyond all the thinking that can paralyze us and suck the joy out of our
calling.
--Sarah Guldalian, Producer of Evangelism Training, Lutheran Hour
Ministries
If I were to recommend one book that invites people into the mission of
God, this would be it! Practical! Playful! Powerful! Greg is a master at
helping people simply start!
--Dr. Jock Ficken, Executive Leader, Pastoral Leadership Institute
The Divine Plan App Is Now Available!
Winter Sale!
Check out our winter sale
items here!
The Divine Plan is now available as an app
through the App Store! This eight-frame
witnessing tool comes to life as you move
through the key points of God's plan of salvation
for humanity. Notes explaining each section and
the corresponding scriptural references are
available with each frame. The Divine Plan is an
engaging conversation starter, an exceptionally
clear and easy-to-use witnessing resource to use that crosses over cultural
and literacy barriers. The app is free and is available for iPad and iPhones.
Go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-divine-plan/id953569591?mt=8.
An Update on the Wendts
We are very thankful to report on the miracle of Dr. Harry Wendt's recovery
from a severe infection of the knee reported in a previous edition of CI's
emailed monthly newsletter. He and his wife, Chloris, thank you deeply for
your expressions of concern, prayers, and assistance. "At a time of
downsizing from a multilevel town house of over 25 years to an independent
living space of 900 square feet, the demands of the period would have been
impossible without the assistance of staff, neighbors, friends, and the
prayers of so many of our partners. The services of the attending surgeon,
hospital, rehabilitation and homecare staff, were superb--God given in fact.
Harry's recovery has been nothing short of a miracle!" says Chloris. Thanks
be to God!
Dear Diary
By Chloris Wendt
Sorry that I have neglected you for so long. Since my last installment, I
could write a book on the recent events in our lives. And as for miracles,
they occurred every day! When my husband Harry became confined to a
supine position, his attendants, after hearing his Australian accent, would
ask, "What brought you here (apart from the bacterial infection in the left
". . . it seemed that
knee!) to Minnesota?" Well, what an opportunity! As soon as he felt well
people
would make an
enough to respond, the questioner got more than he or she expected! (And,
excuse
to come to his
usually,The Divine Plan.)
room either to ask the
question or continue the
Soon after, it seemed that people would make an excuse to come to his
discussion."
room either to ask the question or continue the discussion. Many of them
were the voice, hands, and feet of Jesus. We have been surrounded with
these radiant faces and gestures of beyond-the-call-of-duty service all
through his medical care and now at Friendship Village (indeed, it is
friendly), our Life Space community. Now we have had company during
most of our provided dinners in the evenings--fellow residents wishing to
become engaged with us while we are served by radiant-faced young
Millennials! Why, even our relatively new CEO was "waiting tables" recently
so that he could identify with his staff and relate to the residents. Can you
imagine the impression that made on all of us? We use the CI table-card
grace as a gift for our new companions. Most of them are very moved by its
message. You know the one--when we remember that Jesus is our Host
and we are His guests!
Get Them Fired up for Bible Study with The Parables of
Jesus!
The Parables of Jesus is a ten-unit study that
takes a fresh, close look at 11 parables that
Jesus taught in the book of Luke. Historical and
cultural insights makes the parables come
alive! Manuals for leaders and students are
available.
Click here to learn how a pastor in North
Carolina used The Parables of Jesus to fire up
people in Bible Study!
"This study helps us understand the original
context and meaning of Jesus' words and to
discover how they apply to us today It is an in-depth study of the Gospel
period, and it gives us greater insight and understanding about the points
Jesus was making in His parables."
--Pastor Mike Stangeland, Old Westbrook Lutheran Church, Westbook,
Minnesota
Mission News
For years, I have kept in touch with fellow Australian Neville Mirtschin, who
studied in the same seminary that I did in Australia and at the same
graduate school in St. Louis, Missouri, too. He has served in parishes in the
United States and Canada, using CI's materials in all his teaching ministry.
Next month, he will travel to Southeast Asia to train pastors and teachers in
Vietnam and the Philippines to understand and use some of CI's basic
materials, especially See Through the Scriptures®. While in Vietnam, he will
conduct training events in 10 of that nation's major cities. Also, he will
conduct a training event in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.
Recently, I received an email from another college, Dr. Barry Kolb, who is
now based in Texas. During the past five years, Dr. Kolb and his associate,
Cheryl Gieseke, have been training inmates at the largest maximum
security prison in the US (Angola, Louisiana) to understand God's Word
using CI's materials. Twice each year, they take a week to teach 100 men
using See Through the Scriptures, The Divine Drama®, The Biblical TellTale Time-Line, and most of CI's short courses. In addition to CI's material,
each student receives a new hardcover study Bible. Their ministry is
supported by churches in Michigan, Illinois, and Texas. Dr. Kolb has been
teaching at Angola for nearly 13 years.
Upcoming Webinars
In-depth training webinars on the following short courses will be presented
by CI founder Dr. Harry Wendt and/or a guest presenter:
February 19, 2015, 1 to 3 pm CST: The Parables of Jesus
March 17, 2015, 10 am to Noon CST: An Apostles' Creed for the
New Millennium
Note: Each of the in-depth training webinars listed above is $10.
To get the most out of these sessions, we suggest that you have in hand a
copy of the course materials to be discussed during the webinar. We also
have recordings of past webinars and course overview webinars; go to
http://www.crossways.org/index.cfm/category/96/webinar.cfm to view.
To register, you may go to www.crossways.org and click on workshops and
seminars; email us at [email protected]; or call us at 1-800-257-7308.
Help Crossways International Carry Out Its Mission While
You Carry Your Stuff
The Crossways International tote bag is made of
heavy-duty canvas that you can use again and
again to carry such things such as groceries, a
laptop, books, papers, workout gear, and items
for the baby. The attractive logo design on its
side is a discreet witness that you can use to
share Jesus, the Servant Messiah, and the
mission of Crossways International with others.
Tote bags are only $9.50 each. Order item
#7007.
Our classic black tote with adjustable shoulder
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Made of durable polyester, it carries our Servant
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A Prayer to Share
Dear Lord Jesus, we thank and praise
You for healing our wounds and for
assuring us that You will care for us
eternally. Empower us at all times to
show You to others--You, our
compassionate Lord, in whom we
believe and trust. Inspire us to care for
those who need healing in body and
spirit. Sustain us in the sure hope that
when we have completed our journey
through the dark valleys of this troubled world, You have an Eternal Home
prepared and waiting for us. Enlighten us to bear witness to You so that
many will share that Eternal Home with You and us. In Your loving, caring,
and forgiving name we pray. Amen.
---From the prayer on page 10 of The Parables of Jesus: Leader's
Manual by Dr. Harry Wendt
Contact Information
Crossways International
7930 Computer Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55435
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.crossways.org
1-800-257-7308 (toll free)
952-832-5454 (local)
952-832-5553 (fax)
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