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April 2010...PBT Announces a February 15-27 Study Program in Israel on "The Life and Land of Jesus."
PBT is partnering with Christian Travel Study Programs CTSP) to offer a thirteen-day “The Life and Land of Jesus” Study Program in Israel, February 15-27, 2011. Dr. Randall Smith of CTSP, who has lived in Israel for over 20 years and has advanced degrees in Archaeology and Comparative Religions (with an emphasis on Judaism), with be team-teaching this program along with Doug Greenwold, PBT’s Senior Teaching Fellow. We’ve customized this program to not only visit the usual sites, e.g. Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum, but other rich teaching sites as well, e.g. Corizin (multi-room housing), Kersi (rescue of the demoniac), Cana (John 2), a Judean vineyard (John 15).
Some of the distinctives of this study program approach include: · An integrated, thematic, contextual approach with a devotional emphasis. · It is a study program, not a tourist trip. · Three and four star hotels · A catch-your-breath day on day nine so we don’t wear ourselves out. · A team approach with two teachers of similar visions and compatible gifts – a stereo experience! · An ideal time - the end of February can offer ideal conditions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Temperatures are usually in the 50‘s and 60‘s depending on the elevation (this year the last two weeks of February were all in the 70 degree range). Everything is green from the winter rains and the air quality is excellent, all of which makes for pleasant walking and great photography. The all-inclusive cost of this Study Program is $3895 per person (double occupancy).This is based on a departure from JFK, Newark or Atlanta.Call PBT at 410-953-0557 if you would like a brochure and itinerary.
February 2010...A new monthly contextual Reflection series on "Two Lost Sons and Their Father's Heart" is being added to the NEWSLETTERS section of the website.
It is known as the story of “The Prodigal Son;” yet Jesus never used that term. Who came up with that title, and why? I suspect no one knows. But one thing does seem to be self-evident. It had to have been a Westerner who came up with that title. No one conversant with first-century Middle Eastern village culture would ever have characterized this parable in that manner. The story is about a father and two sons; and as it contextually unfolds, we begin to see that the narrative is really a story about the heart of the father towards his two lost sons. And that is how we will title the new series of contextual reflections on this remarkable short story – “Two Lost Sons and Their Father’s Heart.” For most of 2010 we will be examining this parable of Jesus verse by verse from an integrated contextual perspective. Despite everything that has been written about his parable, I think you will be surprised at what there is still yet to be discovered in “this greatest short story ever told.”
January 2010…”Two Very Different Worlds: Western Evangelicalism and the Gospels” Reflection Archive will soon be available in the NEWSLETTERS section of the website.
If you missed any of this five-part series last year, or joined our Reflections distribution list after it started, you can now complete the series.
December 2009…A new presentation “Zechariah and Elizabeth: Waiting on the Lord with Unfulfilled Longings” was presented at the Fourth Presbyterian Church during Advent.
A CD recording of this new 75-minute presentation is expected to be available in February of 2010.
November 15, 2009…The latest version of PBT’s “Making Disciples Jesus’ Way: First-Century Wisdom for Today” Seminar will be available of CD shortly.
This five hours of teaching on four CD’s comes complete the a 24-page handout and includes the following topics: Revisiting the Great Commission, What is a Disciple Like?, Co-Disciples and Learning Partners, Contextual Perspectives on How Jesus (Re)Made Disciples, Frameworks for Making Biblical Disciples, Prerequisites for Mentoring and Co-Discipling, A Framework for Influencing Discipling in Others, Getting Underway as a Co-Disciple, Co-Discipling and Mentoring Wisdom and Helpful Discipling Resources. To order, go to AUDIO PRODUCTS.
November 7, 2009…PBT to participate in the Nyack Christian College Saturday Symposia Series.
Over the next 13 months, PBT will be bringing “Bible Alive,” (November 7, 2009 and September 25, 2010) “Making Disciples Jesus Way,” (January 23, 2010), “The Last Days of Jesus: The Greatest Story Never Told” (March 6, 2010), “The Bible and the Land” (May 8, 2010) and “Advent and Christmas in Context” (December 11, 2010) to Nyack Christian College’s DC Campus located in the Hall of States Building in downtown Washington, DC, one block from Union Station and the Capital. Details can be found on Nyack’s website.
August 2009...Great Bible Times Geography Images Coming...
We've getting ready to share with God's Kingdom several hundred of our favorite photographic images from the Israel collection of our Preserving Bible Times archives. It will be a set of five CD's organized alphabetically from A (Aijalon Valley, Arad, Arbel, Azekah, etc.) to Z (Zin, Wilderness of). These are many of our favorite geography images for helping the Bible come alive and will be PowerPoint compatible. The cost of the CD set is anticipated to be $79 and availability is expected to be late fall of 2009.
July 2009…PBT will be launching a new series of monthly contextual “Reflections” on “Two Very Different Worlds: Western Evangelicalism and the Gospels” in July.
It goes without saying that Jesus is Jewish. His given name, Yeshua, is Hebrew. He spoke in a Semitic language, mostly to other Hebrews. He was a Jewish rabbi, albeit a rabbi like no other, and was well versed in the Jewish sages and the oral tradition of His culture. He chose twelve other Jews to become His first disciples and remade them in the rabbinic pedagogy of His day. He participated in the Jewish feasts and festivals. And in the thirty-three years He walked this earth, no one ever referred to Him as a “Christian.” If we don’t get the Jewish world of Jesus right, we are not going to get Jesus right. And if we don’t get Jesus right, we are not going to get what it means to be His disciple right. So if we want to more fully understand Jesus and His Kingdom, we need to better understand the Jewish world He lived in. That’s the rationale for this new contextual series on the Jewish world (mindset) of Jesus’ day because Christianity’s roots are Jewish. If you would like to receive these monthly “Reflections,” just sign up to receive them in the NEWSLETTER section of our website.
April 2009...PBT's newest contextual Lenten presentation, "The Last Days of Jesus; The Greatest Story Never Told," will be available on a set of five CDs. Focusing on the last 40 days of Jesus' life, this five and one-half hours of teaching contextually explores the Temple Aristocracy, the raising of Lazarus, the calling of Zacchaeus, Palm Sunday, the teaching days, the Upper Room discourse, Gethsemane, Pontius Pilate, Barabbas and much more.
February 2009...New "The Bible and the Land" Teaching Series Coming
PBT's New Residential Learning Center Opens October 15, 2008
An ideal learning environment in a B&B-type setting, PBT’s Residential Learning Center (RLC) is the perfect venue for 1-3 people/couples (three bedrooms available) to come for 1-3 days to learn/dialogue/process/immerse themselves in desired aspects of biblical context. The objective of this yeshiva (“learning community”) experience is to equip pastors, Bible teachers, seminarians and serious students of the Bible to engage the Bible in its integrated context -- fusing the geographic, cultural, literary and historical context of the Bible together so as to discern the full Middle Eastern original understanding of the text. This multi-media tutorial program allows for a very personal, customized contextual learning experience tailored to the desired outcomes of those who come.
The RLC is located in Columbia, Maryland, 15 minutes from Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport. BWI is served by Southwest Airlines which make for economical air transportation to the RLC from anywhere in the United States. Arrangements can be made to pick up learners and bring them back to BWI.
Specific outcomes for each individual depends on the learning objectives established. Typical RLC outcomes can include how to · Learn to contextually restore a passage from a Middle Eastern villager perspective, e.g., build a message/teaching in context, connect your audience to a contextually developed passage, get more mileage from our teaching/preaching, develop resources to use in digging for contextual clues · Become a Spiritual Director of others as well as yourself.· Teach and evangelize by asking good questions (the rabbinic method) · Make Disciples Jesus’ Way (Essential Attributes of a First-Century Disciple, A Biblical Framework for Making Disciples, Rabbi/Disciple yeshiva Dynamics) · Integrate biblical geography and biblical interpretation.· Align a whole church, e.g., Sunday School, Youth, ACE, small group leaders to engage the Bible in context. · Understand the various Jewish worldviews of Jesus’ day.· Essential frameworks for teaching/preaching the Bible in context. PBT’s RLC approaches the learning of how to engage the Bible in context in a very distinctive way including: · Information is imparted together with dialogue for comprehension and integration.· Using unique frameworks to organize and integrate contextual facts in a coherent manner.· Taking an integrated approach to contextual restoration, not a piecemeal or partial contextual approach. This involves integrating the geographical, cultural, literary and historical context into a unitized whole. · Multi-media, multi-screen learning featuring aerial video and still photography of Israel, PowerPoint presentations and other visual contextual resources.
The customized learning experience of the RLC is helpful for different kinds of people:
· Those who would like to learn more about how to “correctly handle the word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15), e.g., pastors, Bible teachers, authors and writers, small group leaders, Bible curriculum developers, Christian Educators, Home Schoolers, seminary students.· Those wondering if there is something more I should be getting out of my Bible study. · Those who feels their time in the Word could use a jump start. · Those whose discipleship journey has become tiring and unfruitful.· Those who long to be reproducing healthy disciples through their life – making disciples Jesus’ way. Doug Greenwold, PBT’s Senior Teaching Fellow, will be your rabbi for this yeshiva learning experience at PBT’s RLC. Doug first went to Israel on a study program in 1988 with The Jerusalem Institute of Biblical Studies and has been a student of biblical context every since. Doug has been called a “master teacher” and “the teacher’s teacher” and is the author of dozens of articles (“Reflections”) and four books: Encounters with Jesus: The Rest of Their Stories (2008), The Rest of The Story: A Closer Look at Familiar Passages (2007), Making Disciples Jesus’ Way: Wisdom We Have Missed (2005), Zechariah and Elizabeth: Persistent Faith in a Faithful God (2004).
Doug is a frequent speaker at conferences, seminars, workshops and retreats for pastors, Bible teachers and churches. Doug’s spiritual gift mix includes teaching, wisdom and knowledge which allows him to distinctively teach the Scriptures with implication and application. A frequent response to Doug’s development of a passage is “I’ve read that passage a 1,000 times and never saw half of what you found in that passage.” In the 1980’s Doug headed the Adult Education Committee at a large church in suburban Washington, DC that taught a dozen courses every Sunday as part of a curriculum of 120 courses organized into eight tracks. Doug also taught a dozen courses and workshops in that curriculum. People who have sat under Doug’s teaching have responded to his integrated contextual approach and unique teaching style in various ways:
Inspiring Challenging Paradigm shattering Thought provoking Always refreshing Stimulating Enriching Renewing A unique opportunity Profound Delightful A life-changer Words jump off the page Brings fresh, previously ignored insight A unique ability to bring the Bible to life
PBT’s Teacher in Residence Program (TRP) Coming October 1, 2008
Preserving Bible Times Teacher in Residence Program (TRP) is an ideal one or two-week intensive learning environment held at your church offering the opportunity to learn/dialogue/process/immerse in desired aspects of biblical context. The objective of this yeshiva (“learning community”) experience is to equip pastors, Bible teachers, Sunday School teachers, small group leaders, youth leaders, and serious students of the Bible in the church to engage the Bible in its integrated context -- fusing the geographic, cultural, literary and historical context of the Bible together so as to discern the full Middle Eastern original understanding of a passage. This multi-media tutorial program allows for a very personal, customized contextual learning experience tailored to the unique desired outcomes of the church.
Typical Learning/Teaching Venues would include breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings with staff, leadership and congregants. Doug can also be utilized for Sunday morning messages and Christian Education instruction. Likewise, Doug relishes meeting with small groups and home fellowships, local ministerial associations, para-church teaching ministries, e.g. Precepts, BSF and CBS Bible studies as well as church based mid-week teaching programs. Churches are encouraged to creatively find as many ways to utilize Doug’s teaching and equipping gifts on a daily basis within the church as well as the community.
Doug Greenwold, PBT’s Senior Teaching Fellow, will be your rabbi for this TRP yeshiva learning experience. Doug first went to Israel on a study program in 1988 with The Jerusalem Institute of Biblical Studies and has been a student of biblical context every since. Doug has been called a “master teacher” and “the teacher’s teacher” and is the author of dozens of articles (“Reflections”) and four books on biblical context. Doug is a frequent speaker at conferences, seminars, workshops and retreats for pastors, Bible teachers and churches. Doug’s spiritual gift mix includes teaching, wisdom and knowledge that allows him to distinctively teach the Scriptures with implication and application. A frequent response to Doug’s development of a passage is “I’ve read that passage a 1,000 times and never saw half of what you found in that passage.”
PBT’s TRP approaches the learning of how to engage the Bible in context in a very distinctive way where a) information is imparted together with dialogue for comprehension and integration, b) using unique frameworks to organize and integrate contextual facts in a coherent manner, c) taking an integrated approach to contextual restoration, not a piecemeal contextual approach, which involves integrating the geographical, cultural, literary and historical context into a unitized whole, and d) multi-media, multi-screen learning featuring aerial video and still photography of Israel, PowerPoint presentations and other visual contextual resources.
NEW BOOK COMING IN JULY 2008
 Encounters With Jesus: The Rest of Their Stories restores Jesus’ compelling encounters with people back into their Middle Eastern context to engage the curious, the broken, the skeptic and the intelligent. One reviewer deemed the book “rich...thought-provoking...sometimes startling...always refreshing…a whole new way of looking at Jesus.”
The book contextually restores twelve “familiar” Lukan passages, e.g., return to Nazareth, Simon, the leper, the paralytic, calling of Levi, the demoniac, Jairus, the bleeding woman, etc., in an engaging narrative story-telling format. In doing so, paradigm challenging insights (with pastoral applications) reveal themselves from passages we thought we knew and understood. Each chapter challenges the reader with open-ended, probing, rabbinic-type questions to draw out appropriate heart, mind and soul issues for transformational reflection and journaling. Ideal for small groups, home fellowship and Adult Education classes, the book’s 8 ½ X 11 inch workbook format encourages transformational journaling and pondering. In doing so, it creates a sense of discovery and excitement by digging more deeply into God’s Word through the use of historical, cultural, literary and geographical context.
Single copies are available for $24.95 with $4.95 shipping and handling. Order before July 15 and received free shipping. International orders will be charged actual shipping cost. To order, call 410-953-0557 , fax 410-312-1677, mail to POB 83357, Gaithersburg, MD 20883-3357, or email us at info@preservingbibletimes.org.
COMING IN THE SUMMER OF 2008
A truly distinctive “Digging Deeper” radio broadcast series that teaches scriptural truths in light of the historical, cultural, literary and geographical context of Bible Times. Brimming with “ahaa!” moments, “Digging Deeper” reveals long-missed teachings of Scripture with all the relevance and power originally intended by the writers themselves. Teacher and author Doug Greenwold of Preserving Bible Times brings a Middle Eastern village perspective to Bible passages and of both the actions and words of Jesus.
Listen to several of these new radio broadcast messages in our TEACHING section and experience “Digging Deeper” for yourself. Being a First-Century Disciple is available on CD for those who would like to hear the complete series of twenty messages. A second series, The Jewish Mind of Jesus’ Day, will be available in July. See “Digging Deeper” under TEACHINGS for more information and to listen to these innovative broadcasts.
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