Resources Books

I am a Christian Educator and director of Christian Education for my local church and organization. I found Creative Bible Teaching a most important book to add to my library. It is a resource that cannot be matched.

This book takes the reader through a five step process of biblical lesson preparation. It begins with Studying the Bible. This step assists the lay person, Bible college student or seminarian in the study of the Bible for the purpose of teaching the Bible. The second step is entitled "Focusing the Message". The reader is instructed in how to take the message of the passage and make it relevant to the modern day learner. Teachers are given practical help in assessing student needs and in designing the class to targe those needs. The third step involves Structuring the Lesson. Here readers are taught how to structure a lesson for maximum impact and student involvement. The fourth step is the teaching step. Here the actual teaching process is explored. The final step is the evaluating step. Effective teaching depends on evaluation and imporvement. This section of the book helps teachers gain insights into their teaching and assists in developing ways to improve. All in all the book is designed to be a systematic presentation of the lesson preparation process.

Creative Bible Teaching has shown me many dimensions I had not known, regarding teaching. I think it to be of tremendous assistance especially to those who are just beginning as teachers and to those who are using it as part of an independent or online study course.

The book is divided into five sections: (1) "Studying the Bible," (2) "Focusing the Message," (3) "Structuring the Lesson," (4) "Teaching the Class," and (5) "Evaluating the Results." The question that is posed is, "How is it that a book (the Bible), given by God to transform, seems so unproductive when taught in the very churches where it is most honored and best known?"(29). It is that particular inquiry that drives the authors to find an answer. Their findings showed the lack of an effective teaching method. Through this book, the authors hope to educate ministry leaders and teachers the "hook, book, look, and took" technique of Bible teaching. The foundation of any Bible teaching starts with a clear understanding of who God is (that He is the Creator) (28) and how He speaks (that God used people to write the Bible) (38). The Bible provides the human race with God's plan for salvation and reconciliation. Richards and Bredfeldt discusses various ways to read and understand the Bible. For example, they suggest that while reading the Bible, one should ask probing questions like "Are there any repeated words or phrases?" (79). When teaching the Bible, it is imperative that the age of students is factored into the lesson. The authors point out that the task for teaching adults is different than teaching preschoolers. For instance, adults desire a challenge and an emotional supportive learning environment (245), while preschoolers learn best in an active, participatory play setting (296). The inclusion of the "summary of developmental characteristics" and "spiritual developmental tasks" for students from preschool to adulthood is helpful, but the student's needs assessment seems too complicated for the average Sunday school teacher to complete (106). The section entitled, "Questions for Discussion and Further Study" facilitates the application of the information read (333).

great service, excellent book

This book is a great place to start when creating or updating an employee orientation. The nice thing about it is you can use some or all of the information provided to suit your needs. It is organized well and is easy to find what you're looking for.

This is a compendium of almost everything that one might need to create or improve existing orientation programs. From best practices in orientation videos, small businesses, intern & buddy programs to case studies from companies like Ford and Alcatel.

The book also includes numerous useful lists, tools and aids that can be reproduced or used as a basic template for planning new orientation as well as evaluating and improving existent programs. In other words, this is a practical book filled with implementable ideas and suggestions guaranteed to make your new hires feel 'special' and at the same time, taking them through all the knowledge and information bits that they need to learn in a fun and engaging manner.

I found the case studies chapters very informative and particularly enjoyed Part 5 of the book: Orientation Games & Activities which includes 18 very useful and effective games like the hunt for company policies which turns a normally boring part of any orientation program into a really fun activity.

Also quite useful was the Part 6: Orientation Checklists & Surveys covering such areas as 'Before the Employee's First Day'; 'I'm New Here - What Should I Learn?'; and 'A 90-day New Employee Survey'.

I have often been asked how new employee orientation programs can be both lively and informative. I have recommended Doris Sim's terrific book to several people. Routinely, I am thanked for passing along this title. It has helped many companies.

This book is an asset to teachers. It provides a way to reach the students without confusion

The book is great and arrived in wonderful condition--no scratches or creases at all!!

LeFever covers it all: the creative process, drama in the classroom, mime, simulation games, storytelling, discussion, case studies, creative writing ... and more-a myriad of methods to mobilize and motivate students of all types.

Brimming with concrete examples and explanations, this book is all you need as a teacher to revitalize your classroom approaches-and see results.

This is a very good teching tool. It is the best that I have every used. Methods work for all age groups.

Having been a trainer for over 20 years, I always add to my resource library with the hope of "something really new". I can honestly say that I found it! This book is loaded with value. It has so much information that at first glance, its large size was a bit intimidating, but the writer's comfortable tone makes it easy to read and the content made it well worth it. It is comprehensive and covers everything a new or experienced facilitator could want to know about the mechanics of training and it provides numerous ideas for exercises (something you normally have to buy in a separate book). As an experienced trainer, I was able to find many tips and pearls that will help me be better. Love this book so much I have given it to several people starting out in the field of training, and even to a veteran. Don't let the size intimidate you - simply read the sections you need if you can go through it cover to cover - it's definitely worth adding to your training library.

Lucas does indeed give lots of creative ideas on how to be a more effective trainer by engaging trainees in more imaginative ways. There are tips here you won't see in other manuals.

Despite the prevalance of e-learning, the classroom remains the preferred training platform, both by students and trainers. Most classroom experiences would benefit immeasureably through the well-researched, practical techniques in the Creative Training Idea Book.

Beginning with the right foundation - how the adult brain learns - the book offers hundreds of ideas most trainers learn only through long trial and error (if at all). As the author discussed bread and butter subjects such as the multiple ways the classroom can be set up, how to use flipcharts effectively, how to tell stories, ideas for class evaluations or the best questioning techniques, I found myself agreeing with nearly every suggestion.

This book would have helped me become a seasoned presenter much earlier in my career. And although I'm now a seasoned facilitator with thousands of presentations under my belt, I still picked up some new ideas. Highly recommended for all stand-up trainers and presenters committed to delivering boredom-free, professional sessions.

I just read this book and all I can say is WOW! I got so many ideas for setting up classrooms that will enhance my training, engaging participants, stimulating learning and delivering training in a way that is effective and FUN, that I am not sure which strategy I want to use first. This book has terrific information and ideas for generating learner enthusiasm, rewarding participants, gaining learner involvement and rewarding positive behavior. The author really sets the tone for the entire boiok in the first chapter where he discusses research on brain-based learning, multiple intelligences, adult learning principles and much more. Throughout the book, he's also provided something he calls "bright ideas" and "Interim Reviews" for applying the information provided.
This is going to be a book I reference often and would encourage anyone involved in T&D to own.

The author has put together a working guide and reference resource that anyone can understand and use on a daily basis. Ms. Shurtleff takes the somewhat intangible topic of trust and provides information and tools to actually build trust between people and departments. We made all our managers read it!

I found this particular book to be on-target and to the point. It is a pleasure not to have to wade through verbosity in order to understand the message. Ms. Shurtleff writes with an obvious first-hand, real world knowledge of her subject as opposed to a pedantic or lecturing posture. Very clean style, just the right touch of warmth and humor, effective and well-focused.

Building Trust is an excellent tool to help managers and trainers create an optimum work environment by building trust and enhancing team work. The practical, how-to structure provides an easy-to-use format for the managers wanting to guide their work team, or for trainers wanting a guide for enhancing trust in work teams. Highly recommended!

Refreshingly easy to read packed with valuable tips

im best friend with his niece, annie palmer, and she gave me the book as a gift and i didnt even stop to thank her till i finished the whole book, it was an amazing story and proved that sequels can be just as good as the original, if you are a sports lover, or just a lover of good literature than you should read this book, rick norman has an amazing way of painting a picture in your mind, i have read it several times and recommend it often

I thout this book was very funny. I did not like the ending. I thought it was a little fake

THERE ARE VERY FEW FOOTBALL NOVELS WORTH READING. THERE ARE EVEN FEWER THAT YOU WOULD LET YOUR KIDS READ. THIS NOVEL IS BOTH. IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING.

BEFORE I BOUGHT CROSS BODY BLOCK I WAS CONVINCED I WOULD NEVER LIKE THE SEQUEL TO FIELDER'S CHOICE AS MUCH AS THE ORIGINAL. AFTER ALL, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A DECENT FOOTBALL NOVEL....UNTIL NOW. I LAUGHED UNTIL I FINALLY FIGURED OUT THAT I WAS LAUGHING BECAUSE I WAS AND AM UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE ESCALATING VOLENCE IN OUR SOCIETY.

Hello everybody.I think this book is very good because it's pretty cool and the author did a good job writing this book.This book is about Nat and her bike.Nat and the gang were riding a trail and a tree fell over and Nat got hurt.It was pretty cool in the middle.You got to read the book to find out the whole story!

this was one of the best books in the 8 book seires i really liked it because it had a very hard mystery to try to solve and when they would describe when they where riding the trails was reall tight (i think that is one of the things that laban does best) but i think there are two better books in this series those are the first book deep powder deep trouble and the last book in the series total whiteout but this was one of my favorites.

Hello everybody.I think this book is very good because it's pretty cool and the author did a good job writing this book.This book is about Nat and her bike.Nat and the gang were riding a trail and a tree fell over and Nat got hurt.It was pretty cool in the middle.You got to read the book to find out the whole story!

this book was a action and adventure that was fun to read

Contrary to what the recent University of Chicago found about clergy satisfaction being so unrealistically high, this book tells the real truth of how clergy are doing and what to do about it.

Crushed is the kind of book you don't enjoy reading, because it hits home and brings out the realities of things pastor have to go through. Gary has done an excellent job sharing experiences and heartaches, and even gives solutions to the problems.

Every church leader should read this book, from pastors, deacons, elders to the layman sitting in the pew!

Dr. Pinion's experiences and research come through in his book. He has pinpointed significant reasons why pastors leave the ministry. An especially good read for the lay leader in the church

Crushed is a book about pastors of American churches in this generation. It is filled with stunning statistics and heart wrenching stories. The author is a seasoned veteran of pastoral ministry for three decades and is now the founder/president of a ministry to people in ministry called, Encouragement Dynamics.

The prime directive of Encouragement Dynamics comes from the heart of a pastor and his wife who love other pastors and their wives now laboring in God's harvest. Gary and Georgia Pinion have dedicated themselves to care for the shepherds and their families of today's churches.

The heart of the book is wrapped around the experiences of pastors interviewed by the author who have been "crushed" by cruel circumstances and unrealized expectations. Citing from no less than three dozen published sources and from numerous personal accounts derived from correspondence, Dr. Pinion takes the reader into a quiet corner of silent sorrows and private pain. It is no wonder that he has picked up the cause to expose the crisis and encourage the survivors. It is not an easy journey to serve with a calling from on high but most are unaware of the losses incurred in the pastoral ministry until books like this confront those issues.

I think you should read The Cut-Ups by James Marshall because when Mary Frances puts them in Mr. Spurgle's yard and Mr. Spurgle gets mad at them and they try to run away, but Mr. Spurgle's battery died down so they got away. I am in 2nd grade.

because they are really funny and silly. They do silly things. My favorite part of the book was when Mr. Spurgle was the principal again. I am a 2nd grader.

I think you should read The Cut-Ups by James Marshall because it's a good book for me and it's funny, too. I like the book a lot. When they're being so funny because of that girl in the car, that's the best part of all for me. I am a 2nd grader.

The Cut Ups is one of the best children's books that I've ever read. It has a moral, but it is not heavy handed. It's something that my kids and I have read repeatedly - laughing every time.

Dr, Mccorry offers a very foundational insight in this wonderful book: People of faith often look to their Church as a rock in times of change. But, what happens when their Church, their rock, changes? An easy read, Dancing with Change invites one to pause, reflect and pray with its many provoking questions and thoughts. Whether it is personal, familial, workplace or Church changes, Dancing with Change is, no doubt, an invaluable resource and practical guide for times of change.

With 39 years of priestly ministry, "change" has been my "constant" experience as a leader within the church. Yet, while reading Dr. Richard Mc Corry's new book, "Dancing With Change - A Spiritual Response to Change in the Church," I still found personal nurture, additional insight, and new respect for the power of change in our experience as believers.
The imaginative title, "Dancing with Change," invites the reader to explore and embrace an engaging, personal response to inevitable change, which can be chosen to enhance life and relationships. The author explains a practical process accessable to any adult to facilitate such a choice. I highly recommend the book to all adults who experience inner struggle when confronted with change in their church.

The opening chapter contains this very nicely-turned analogy, which sums up the concept of the book perfectly: "What is it about the nature of change - including change in the Church - that causes us almost instinctively to rebel against it, to insist on marching or standing still when, in fact, we are invited to dance?"

It sets the stage for what is to come, and is a strong way to begin. (It's also nice to see that the author is comfortable enough in his subject to even quote Buddha as part of his narrative! That alone shows that the author is open to positive change.)

The opening chapter and the narrative flow in a perfectly organized fashion until the strong and upbeat conclusion. Readers will find the subject of change discussed from a variety of viewpoints, which all add up to a cogent argument that has the potential of changing lives-both of church leaders and of those people they serve.

It's all done in an even-handed way, so there should be no one who feels under attack for being uncomfortable with change. Instead, the positive approach may help some of those folks consider taking a few tentative steps toward embracing the inevitable changes in the church-and in society as a whole.

The organization of the book makes perfect sense, with the focus always being on various aspects of change, and coming at the subject from a variety of viewpoints, which makes for an interesting read and should prove especially intriguing for the target audience, within the Roman Catholic Church itself.

The chapter headings are catchy and descriptive enough to offer meaningful clues as to what each chapter will discuss, which is nice, since it's possible that readers will want to refer back to specific sections after the first read through.

There is an impressive array of additional materials and supporting documentation in this work, all of which service to back up the author's contentions, chapter and verse, throughout the manuscript. The arguments are always supported by authentication, and the Bibliography itself comprises more than 10% of the book's pages, which demonstrates the remarkable amount of thought and research that was put into the book.

Yet the text itself isn't ponderous and scholarly, which will make it more accessible to a greater number of potential readers-those who would have been turned off by a drier type of approach. This more readable style doesn't mean that the research is slipshod, however. The book is filled with bible verse information, footnotes, and the amazing information at the end of the book, for those who want to delve even more deeply into the subject matter.

The subject itself-change-is, of course, both timeless and timely, but with the changes that are swirling around the church, and especially the Roman Catholic Church, this book is quite timely, indeed, and may fill a need for many readers who are trying to get a handle on those changes.

The Conclusion is equally strong, perfectly summarizing the material, yet offering positive encouragement, even for those readers who have been gritting their teeth throughout the manuscript, but were brave enough to stick it out to the end. It's meaningful, positive, enlightening, and satisfying, offering a genuine sense of both closure and hope for the reader.

All in all, this is a strong effort, filled with rock-solid research, presented in a positive, loving way, which should enjoy significant appeal to its audience, and the author is to be congratulated on a worthwhile effort., summed up in the final sentences: "Change and transitions in the Church offer us much. They offer us the possibility of building up the perfect body of Christ right here on earth; dancing our way gracefully and joyfully into a future filled with exciting change, bringing us ever closer to the kingdom of God."

Dr. Richard J. McCorry in DANCING WITH CHANGE, A Spiritual Response to Change in the Church, invites readers to transform change from a dragon that must be slain, into a dance partner to be embrace. The embrace of change that is discussed and tools provided encourage the persons going through change in the church to understand the dynamics of change, to recognize normal/healthy responses to change; and to make the choice to dance with change, rather than view change as a force to battle.

DANCING WITH CHANGE, is a refreshing, transformative, approach to responding to the reality to change in the church. The insights offered and the "LEAP of Faith" spiritual approach to change, which is outlined in the book, is sure to keep readers from getting their toes step on as they "dance with change."