Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Spotlight on Spring 2012 classes

Posted on by TimDoubleU
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New Adult Ed. classes start for the Spring on January 29!  And for those of you that’ve talked with me at any length recently, you know that I’m itchin’ to get classes started again.  What gets me so excited for classes each semester isn’t just the fact that I often get the chance to teach (and if I go long enough without teaching, my face starts to twitch and my sentences get increasingly incoherent).  What gets me so excited about classes is knowing the potential they have for igniting changed lives in all of the following ways (and more):

  • …as peoples’ eyes are opened to the beauty of God’s Word & its message
  • …as people are formed theologically and given good “lenses” through which to look at life
  • …as people are equipped with tools & practices that will help them grow personally and serve the church meaningfully

All of our classes have been on the adult ed page of our website for a couple of weeks, so you may already know what’s coming.  To get the details on any of our classes (meeting time & location, costs involved) please visit that adult ed page, as they won’t be duplicated in this post.  However, there are other “things” (since I couldn’t think of a better word) about each class that can be tough to put on our website, but that nevertheless may help you (1) know more about the individual classes and (2) discern which class might be the right fit for you.

With this in mind, here are a few of these other “things” for each class that you may be interested in:

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What “Learning Overload” has taught me: Learning to learn well

Posted on by TimDoubleU
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Talk with most people who know me, and they’ll probably agree that I’m a learner.  My top two “strengthsfinder” strengths are “learner” and “input” (a third is “intellection” which kinda goes along with this as well).  I love to ask questions.  My office walls (and a few walls in my home) are lined with bookshelves.  The one piece of artwork in my office is a picture of a guy reading.  I constantly invite “referrals” to good sources of information and each week get a few emails with websites I can visit and where I can soak in learning.  My iTunes downloads a number of podcasts that “re-fill” each day or week with yet more chances to learn.

There’s just one problem:  I don’t have time to spend sitting and learning for 40-50 hours each week (or even a fraction of that).  And even if I did, that probably wouldn’t be enough time to satisfy my love of learning.  In fact, the time I have to devote to learning seems to be shrinking as my kids get older and other responsibilities (understandably) demand my attention.  What’s a philomath (“lover of learning”) to do in this situation?  Here are some of the ways I’m learning (pun intended) to answer that question:

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Worth-a-Watch: John Piper interviews Rick Warren

Posted on by TimDoubleU
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Earlier today I took some time to listen to/watch an interview between John Piper and Rick Warren.  I appreciated so many things about this interview: the chance to see two well-known pastors interact and seem to enjoy each other’s company, the theological clarity, and more.

These two men represent two “evangelical subcultures” that, when stereotyped, are often pitted against each other.  But this interview is conducted (by design) in a way that is respectful, seeking-to-learn-and-listen, and clarifying.  And this is what I appreciate most about this interview, and why I’d encourage you to take 90 minutes of time over this long Memorial Day weekend (or whenever you run across this) and follow the link below and give it a-listen or a-watch.  May we see more of this respectful dialogue, while at the same time pursuing and clarifying truth, in the future.

Click here to be taken to John Piper’s interview of Rick Warren.

Ask Anything: “What is the biblical doctrine of election?”

Posted on by TimDoubleU
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A few weeks ago after a church service in which the sermon referenced Ephesians 1, I was asked the following question (this is a paraphrase): “How are we to understand the biblical doctrine of election?”  (Most simply stated, the New Testament doctrine of election states that God has specially chosen certain people to salvation.) This is a great question, because “the question behind the question” so often deals with other important issues, such as God’s character (“Is an electing God fair?”) and motivation for evangelism (“Why should I share the Gospel if the individual may not be one of the elect?”).

I lobbed out an answer and had some good discussion with the individual who asked the question in our church lobby, but later that week I was reading through Ephesians 1 in my own time with God and journaled some additional thoughts related to this question.  These journaled thoughts, with some additional editing, have morphed into this blog:

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Orientation: Book Recommendations by Category

Posted on by TimDoubleU
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As part of the fresh facelift on our blog, be sure and notice that we’ve added a “Recommend” tab along the top bar of the page – this will direct you to a page where you can access dozens and dozens (and dozens) of books we recommend, organized topically.  Because we’ve chosen to include a large number of books categorized under certain headings, we’re using this post to serve as a sort of orientation to this “Recommend” page and its categorization; our hope is that once you’ve read through the material included here you’ll be set up to navigate our “recommend” tab comfortably.

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Welcome to Our New Home

Posted on by James Pruch
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If you haven’t visited our blog for a while (or ever), you are in for a treat.  We have remodeled a bit. First of all, things are a bit easier to see. Secondly, we have a static menu at the bottom of the page with a bit about who we are, ways to follow us, and links you might find helpful. Also, we’ve added a conversation widget on the side bar so you can keep track of what’s being talked about here.

We hope to see you around more often. Thanks for stopping by.

Class Spotlight: Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University

Posted on by TimDoubleU
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Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University” (FPU) offers some of the best financial advice available – financial wisdom that is consistent with God’s Word, practical, and immediately useful.  The best place to learn about FPU is from Dave Ramsey himself, so click here to be taken to Dave’s website where you can watch a 23 minute preview of Dave explaining this 13 week course.  Or, copy and paste the following website into your browser to be directed to the same FPU preview:

http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/preview/

The registration deadline for FPU is approaching fast, so be sure to sign up soon.  If you’re ready to sign up, click here to be taken directly to the page where you can get all the details about Brookside’s next FPU class and sign up on our website.

We know many of you reading this may have already taken FPU through Brookside.  If that’s the case, please comment on this blog with how you were impacted by the course (it may help convince others to take it), or simply encourage someone else you know to sign up, and use the power of the personal invite.