Tag: giveaway

  • GIVEAWAY: As for Me and My [Crazy] House

    What is it…

    It’s a book by my friend Brian Berry. Brian has been in youth ministry for 20 years. Literally, his kids know no other life than being the youth pastor’s kids. Speaking of kids– Brian has 5 of them! My kids LOVE going over to their house and seeing them at church. Somehow they managed to have 3 kids between Megan and Paul’s age. (OK, so 2 of them are adopted!) Somehow– not accidentally– Shannon and Brian have figured out how to keep their sanity while serving in ministry. I’m not saying the Berry family is perfect or problem free. But they have figured some things out and are worth learning from.

    Who is Brian…

    Brian is my compatriot, high school guys co-small group leader, and generations pastor at my church. He’s got a great big job, a great big family, and the biggest pick-up truck you’ve ever seen. Seriously, I drove it and it was as big as a short bus. More important than all that stuff– Brian and Shannon have great big hearts. They’re the kind of people you meet and want to hang out with more. If you’ve been to NYWC, SYMC, YS Palooza… or read a youth ministry magazine in the past 3-4 years than you’ve probably met Brian. (Read between the lines: I think Brian is legit. Does it show?)

    Why I like it…

    It’s a shame that this book has mostly been marketed to youth ministry people. Sure, Brian is a youth ministry dude. BUT this book is important for any Christian family trying to figure out how to balance life. Brian is an excellent communicator. I call his style “staccato.” When he’s got something to say it comes quick, in bite size, highly comprehendible bursts.

    There’s a ton of books in the “Christian family” category at any Christian bookstore. There is a lot of crap on the market in this category, we all know it. Everything Brian does is “anti-crap.” This book is no exception.

    You get the idea, I like this book because I like Brian.

    How to get it…

    BUY IT… Head over to Simply Youth Ministry and buy a copy. You can either download it in your favorite eReader format or pay $2 more to get a printed version.

    WIN IT… Leave a comment on this post by midnight tonight and you’ll be entered to win a free copy. Check back on this post tomorrow, I’ll edit the post to announce the winner.

    WINNER... James Hauptman – hey James, email me your address and we’ll ship it out!

  • GIVEAWAY: Teaching Through the Art of Storytelling by Jon Huckins

    What is it…

    It’s the first book by my friend and co-author, Jon Huckins. If you’ve ever thought of integrating fictional storytelling into your teaching this is the book you need. (You realize this is what Jesus did with the whole parable thing, right? Yeah, totally biblical.) It’s a great resource– it flew under the radar a bit because he was a first-time author.

    Who is Jon…

    I first met Jon a couple years ago when I was in Berkeley, CA promoting NYWC. He came to a lunch we hosted and we met briefly. Then a few months later he moved down to San Diego to work with Nieucommunities in Golden Hill. Since August he and I have shared office space, done some life together, and worked our tails off on the Good News in the Neighborhood curriculum. Later this summer I’m fully stepping into Jon’s world by going on his trip to the West Bank. (More on this later.)

    Why I like it…

    1. I think fictional storytelling is a vastly under-developed communication skill. Even if you don’t use it as a primary teaching tool you need to have this in your bag.
    2. This is right out of his ministry. This isn’t an idea that Jon had and he built content around it to support the idea. This started as something he refined in his ministry and then became a book. He’s sharing his secret weapon for capturing the hearts of hard-to-reach teenagers. You need this.

    How you can get it…

    BUY IT. Head over to Jon’s site and pick up a copy. (Also available on Amazon)

    WIN IN. Leave a comment to this post by midnight tonight (May 22nd) and you’ll be entered to win a free copy of Jon’s book.