Heidi and I do a variety of events and speak on numerous topics. Below are some examples of the events we have done. Notes for these talks are available if you would like a better idea of what they cover. We love doing camp speaking, weekend retreats, or day seminars. If you would like us to speak in your area please contact us!

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Extreme Romance weekend

Download: Extreme Romance weekend notes (These are just an overview, for a more detailed look, download our book that this weekend is based on) :ExtremeRomance

FRIDAY NIGHT

Session 1: God’s design for love and romance.

Session covers: Our story, and God’s word on love, romance, and commitment; romance: The permanence of the glue and the power of the flame; the importance of being faithful to your spouse even before you meet.

SATURDAY MORNING

Session 2: A closer look at compatibility, soul-mates, maintaining emotional purity.

Session covers: How to discover if a person is right for you without doing long term damage; managing long distance relationships; the truth about chemistry and soul-mates; dealing with crushes; making your parents your greatest allies.

Session 3: Finding and becoming the right one.

Session covers: Non-negotiable qualities you need in a spouse; qualities you need to develop before you are ready to say “I do”; developing healthy non-romantic relationships; the importance of modesty.

LUNCH

ROMANCE JEOPARDY GAME

Session 4: Escaping the devastation of lust.

Session covers: Practical battle strategies for conquering lust; evaluating the long- term consequences. From Heidi: True beauty and body image, and a woman’s perspective on dealing with lust.

Session 5: Communication 101

Session covers: The limitations of our perception; shaping the message for the listener; how to listen effectively; dealing with conflict; why communication breaks down and how to deal with it.

Session 6: Discovering God’s purpose for your life.

Session covers: Discovering your calling and God’s will for your life; making the most of the single years; learning to rest in God’s love, wisdom and sovereignty.

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Weekend on Evangelism

Download: Evangelism Notes

Session outlines

Session 1: The AtonementTopics: Why did Jesus have to die? What did his death accomplish? How could God’s justice be satisfied by the worst crime in human history? Did Jesus save us from our sins, or the penalty of our sins, or both? Will cover different views on the atonement that have been held throughout church history.

Session 2 “What is the Gospel message?”

Topics include: What must I do to be saved? Can you lose your Salvation? How can I know for sure I am going to heaven? What is required on our part? Illustrations that will communicate the gospel ideas in fresh ways.

Session 3 “What do they hear?”

Topics: The importance of listening in evangelism. Overcoming the language barrier. How worldviews and past experiences affect how our message is perceived. Communication skills that are critical to evangelism.

Session 4 “The Ambassadors methods.”

Topics: How questions can move people farther along than answers will. Questions that can turn conversations toward spiritual ideas. Conversation starters.

Session 5 “Dealing with objections”

Topics: Strategies for dealing with common objections. Concise apologetics arguments that work in real life conversations. Objections covered, “There is no God.” “How can there be a God when there is so much evil in the world?” “Jesus was just a myth.” “The Bible is a man-made book full of contradictions.” “God won’t send anyone to hell.” “The church is full of hypocrites.”

Session 6 “How to memorize Scripture”

Topics: New techniques that are guaranteed to make scripture memory easier, and help with longer retention.

Session 7 “The Plight of the Lost.”

Topics: Why evangelize? How does the Bible tell us to witness? The emptiness of those who are outside of Christ. How does God see the non-believer?

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Weekend on Introduction to Apologetics

Download: Apologetics Notes

Session 1: “Introduction to Apologetics”: Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. What is the biblical relationship between faith and reason? How do I know Christianity to be true? Can’t we just share the gospel? What are some valid criteria for belief? Does God want blind faith or are we supposed to test everything?

Session 2: “Does God Exist?”: Is there any logical proof for God’s existence? Is our world a product of design or blind natural chance? How can a good God allow evil and suffering? Is atheism rational? Can man live without God?

Session 3: “Is the Bible Divine or Human in Origin?”: Is the Bible riddled with errors? Can we show that the Bible is God’s word without using circular reasoning? Seven easy-to-remember divine fingerprints that set the Bible apart.

Session 4: “Are the New Testament Documents Reliable?” : Do we have accurate copies of the originals? Were the original writers eyewitnesses or second- and third-century forgers? Can we trust that the NT writers are telling the truth? Can we know for sure what happened two thousand years ago?

Session 5: “The Deity of Christ – Fact or Fiction” : Did Jesus really claim to be God? Was his deity a third-century revision? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Is the Resurrection the greatest hoax of all time?

Session 6: “Strategies for the Modern Apologist.” : Tactics for conversations. How to use questions effectively. Dealing with objections. The importance of relying on the Holy Spirit and maintaining a Christ-centered apologetic.

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Weekend  on  Critical Thinking

Download: Critical Thinking Notes

Friday Evening

Session 1: “The Virtue of a Disciplined Mind: Why it Matters”

Saturday Morning

Sessions 2 & 3: “Formal Logic” (It’s not as scary as it sounds…)

Saturday 12:00: Lunch

Session 3 & 4: “Informal Fallacies”

Session 6 “Thinking Critically about Culture: Abortion and Homosexuality”

Sunday

11:00AM Session 7 “Judging God – Thinking critically in a time of doubt”

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Teen Camp

Download the audio of my 2015 camp talks

Download  Teen Camp Notes (Note the order of these notes differs slightly from the order I gave them in 2015)

Session 1 “Does Truth Matter?”

Session 2: Does God exist? and Dealing with Doubt: God and the Problem of Evil

Session 3:  Is the Bible God’s Word?: The Handbook of Proofs for Divine Inspiration

Session 4: Who is Jesus…God or Fraud?

Session 5: What Is the Gospel Message?

Session 6: Our Story: Love Comes Loudly

Session 7: Understand God’s Design for Lifelong Romance

Session 8: God’s R-O-M-A-N-C-E for singles

Session 9: How Shall We Escape if We Neglect So Great a Salvation?

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Weekend Overview of Church History Part 1: AD 30-1500

Notes to be posted later.

There seems to be an epidemic of historical amnesia in today’s church. To some, it’s as if true Christianity disappeared for 1900 years and suddenly resurfaced with their modern denomination. This ignorance of history is dangerous. An old Russian proverb states, “Dwell on the past and you will lose an eye; forget the past and you will lose both eyes.” For many, history is nothing more than by-gone eras, dusty facts, and long-since-departed souls. However, history is not only a fascinating study of our ancestors – it is also a treasure chest full of wisdom, which Jesus and the apostles repeatedly drew from to teach valuable lessons. Because Christ entered His-story, all history has been infused with purpose. It is the profound story being written by the greatest Author of all time. God sits as Lord of the Universe. He laughs at empires and dynasties, but loves to change the world through the weak and simple. A trip through the colorful centuries of the Church reveals a God who is holy and awesome, His purposes that are beyond comprehension, and His reality that shatters man’s small-minded notions of Him.

When you study history, you will glimpse that plan, buried and concealed by our foolish choices, but there for those with open eyes. History is moving toward a thrilling conclusion in which every enemy of God will be soundly defeated. In the meantime, we would be wise to glean from the past and learn from the mistakes and victories of godly men and women who walked this path before us. Come on this life-changing journey to the first century, and follow the halting progress that the church, with all it warts and wildness, has made through the centuries.

Session 1

Last Days, Tumultuous times. Persecution from the Jews. Persecution from Nero. Justin Martyr and the Apologists. What was early Christianity like? Why did the Gospel spread so rapidly? Ignatius, Polycarp, and Perpetua.

Session 2

Gnostism and Marcion. Montanists and Celsus. Creed, Canon, and Apostolic sucession. Persecution of Diocletian. Impact Constantine had on official theology, great apostasy, monasticism, and worship in ways that are still felt today.

Session 3

Donatism. Great apostasy in N. Africa. Council of Nicea. Emperor succession after Constantine and pagan Julian. Cappodocian Fathers, Basil, Gregory, and Gregory and the Final Victory. Augustine, Donatists, and Pelagius. The fall of Rome the Arian Goths.

Session 4

Chalecedon in the East. Justinian I and Theodora I. East Vs West. The barbaric Nations. Leo and the Rise of the popes. Benedict and western Monastiscm. Gregory the Great . Conversion of the barabaric tribes. Columba and Scotland/Britain. Clovis and the Merovingian line. Muslim Expansion.

Session 5

Crusades and the Changing times. The Scolastic Universities. Anselm, Peter Abelard, and Thomas Aquinas. The high point of papal power, Innocent III. Excommunication and the interdict. The Mendicant Friars. Failures of the golden age. Heresies and the Inquisition. The Rise of Nationalism and wealth of the middle class.

Session 6

The High point and Boniface. The Collapse. Popes in Avignon. Black Plague and Flagellants. The Hundred years war. Joan of Arc, Thomas a Kempis, and  Catherine of Sienna. The Papal Schism. John Wycliffe and John Huss

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Weekend Overview of Church History Part 2 (1500AD-1800AD)

At the end of the 15^th century, the Church was in shambles, superstition and ignorance was rampant, the clergy were better known for their immorality than their knowledge of the Bible. Several attempts at reform had failed miserably. But just when things looked most bleak, lightning struck. In a few short decades, the landscape of Christianity changed forever. In this Weekend in the Word, we will look at the Holy Spirit’s moving in the Church from 1500 AD to 1800 AD. This period is filled with men and women who make tremendous sacrifices to bring the light of God’s Word to a crumbling society and advance Christ’s Kingdom in earth-trembling ways. Their example inspires us to continue their mission to shine the glory of God into every corner of our lives.

Notes to be posted later.

Friday

7:30 Session 1:“The Life and Times of Martin Luther”

Saturday

9:30 Session 2: “John Calvin and the Reformation in Europe”

10:45 Session 3: “The English Bible and the Reformation in England”

2:30 Session 4: “The Age of Exploration and Exploitation”

3:30 Session 5: “Puritans and the Kingdom of God on Earth”

4:30 Session 6: “Revivalists: Whitefield and the Wesleys”

Sunday

11:40 Session 7: “Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening”

(Please note: all times subject to reformation)

  

To download free audio recordings of Part 1 and 2 click here

 

 

 

Weekend in the Word: Church History part 3: 1800-to the Present

Two hundred years ago life was drastically different. Nothing, including information, traveled faster than a horse. Most of the world was held by a few powerful empires ruled by age-old monarchies. Fights for independence and stunning breakthroughs in technology led to dramatic upheaval and transformation. In the past two hundred years we earthlings have experimented with just about every type of government possible, from radical democracy to communist tyranny. Some of the results have been catastrophic as tens of millions of people starved to death in the 1900s alone. WW2 led to the premature death of almost 70 million people and resulted in mounds of rubble, shattered economic structures, and the ominous descending cloud of a godless and ruthless government.

For the church, this period included a incredible worldwide dispersion of selfless, passionate missionaries and saw Christianity take root in almost every corner of the globe. There have been countless revivals that revitalized communities and reformed governments. Sadly, we have also seen the church fall deeper into disunity and schism as the number of denominations grows almost yearly. The church has gone toe to toe with communist dictators, alcohol, godless science, and rampant immorality. It has won some major victories, but has also faced colossal embarrassment.

Two hundred years of religious freedom and prosperity have given groups of people time to philosophize and experiment with new ideas and church constructs. From communal utopias, to seeker-friendly mega churches, to non-denominational house churches, the church has taken many colourful forms, all in an attempt to reach the radically changing young people.

Traditional churches and denominations are losing people at an alarming rate. Our pluralistic culture and instant internet communications have given people and un-paralleled opportunity to learn about and experience other worldviews and religions. The sexual revolution, among other factors, has led to the demise of the family worldwide, leaving young people feeling lost and hungry for a spiritual connection. They don’t want to be a part of bigoted religion that they feel is behind so much of world strife, but they are searching. The foundations of western civilization and freedom are crumbling. We in the church need a wake-up call to reclaim what we had before it is lost.

While the scene in the West looks bleak, there is an incredible work of God’s Spirit in places like South America, China, and Africa. Until Jesus returns, God cares about this planet and the 7 billion people who are currently on its stage. What is the role God is calling you to in the advancing of His Kingdom? What can you learn from the mistakes and successes of those who have faithfully gone before you? These are exciting times full of opportunity. Hopefully this study of the recent past will inspire you to action and guide your vision as you put your trust in King Jesus who rules supreme over every inch of this universe.  

The audio downloads of the sessions from the final instalment of my church history series are now available below.

Please note: m4a files are designed for quicktime or iTunes, but later versions of Windows Media Players should also be able to play them. You will have to download the files to a computer before you can listen to them and add them to itunes before you can play them on your mobile device. Each session is about an hour long and the files are between 80 and 140 mb each so make sure you are on wifi.

Download Sessions: Here:

Download the Syllabus: Church History part 3 syllabus

To hear the first two parts of the series click here.

Friday 7:30 PM – Session 1 “Freedom’s Turmoil” (p. 8)

Historical background to 1800s: Decline of religion, common sense, French Revolution, the Great Awakenings, War of 1812, the birth of Canada, rise of nationalism and political freedom, technological revolutions, the train, the telegraph, industrialization, the telephone.

Saturday 9:30 AM – Session 2 “Imperialism and the explosion of missions.” (p. 10)

Colonialism, William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Hudson Taylor.

Saturday 10:45 AM – Session 3 “Revival and Strife” (p. 16)

Revival to revivalism, Charles Finney, abolitionism and the Civil War,

communes, Millerites, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventism.

Saturday 2:00 PM – Session 4 “Holiness and Reform”  (p.24)

DL Moody, Billy Sunday. The Holiness movement and the birth of Penecostalism: Phoebe Palmer, Asuza, Darwinism, higher criticism, and the rise of fundamentalism ( J Gresham Machen, changing eschatologies).The dark side of industrialization and the Christian response: progressives, the social gospel, Tommy Douglas. Capitalism, Socialism, communism, prohibition

Saturday 3:15 PM – Session 5: “The World at War” (p.38)

World War 1, the Great Depression, the rise of fascism and World War 2.

Saturday 4:30 PM – Session 6: “Social Upheaval and the Cold War” (p. 48)

The demise of the family. The pill, the sexual revolution, global tensions. Social change, the influence of movies, radio, the car, and television. The baby boom, the counter-culture revolution, the civil rights movement, the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Sunday 10:30 AM – Session 7: “New Awakenings” (p. 53)

The explosion of the church in Asia and Africa. The church in China. Persecution. The Evangelical Awakening. Truth and transformation. The power of the gospel to overcome the darkest times.