Bøger af Jonathan Brink

Is your heart craving authentic community? Have you been looking for a deeper understanding of the Christian faith and what it means to follow in the footsteps of Jesus? Thrive just might be the answer. Thrive is an emerging process for planting churches and missional communities that engages God's mission in the Way of Jesus. Based on the Jesus Model, Thrive provides a three year structured process for gathering together as a tribe for the sake of restoration and discovering what it means to be human. It's a simple means for participating in what God is already doing. The Jesus Model invites us to begin with a tribe of twelve intentional participants gathered together to create a space where intentional grace is true. It creates a context for creating a wholistic structure for restoration, spiritual formation, and growth. The Leadership Manual provides the basic understanding for creating and leading a tribe. The first part of this manual will explore the Thrive process, how to create a tribe, the specific protocols and support elements, and frequently asked questions. It also includes the six elements, or conversations that support the development of mission, the process and the tribe. These elements include: cultivate a tribe, engage the mission, follow the way, seek the kingdom, explore the story, and go and make disciples

In this second retreat manual, we've provided everything needed to lead the second weekend retreat for your tribe in the seventh quarter. It includes conversations and exercises on the exploring posture of listening, walking with God, stepping into trust, imagining wholeness, letting go, our wounds, and more. It include leadership instructions, meals, planning, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the retreat.

A Leadership Manual for Thrive Ministries and produced by Jonathan Brink. Is your heart craving authentic community? Have you been looking for a deeper understanding of the Christian faith and what it means to follow in the footsteps of Jesus? Thrive just might be the answer. Thrive is an emerging process for planting churches and missional communities that engages God's mission in the Way of Jesus. Based on the Jesus Model, Thrive provides a three year structured process for gathering together as a tribe for the sake of restoration and discovering what it means to be human. It's a simple means for participating in what God is already doing. The Jesus Model invites us to begin with a tribe of twelve intentional participants gathered together to create a space where intentional grace is true. It creates a context for creating a wholistic structure for restoration, spiritual formation, and growth. The Leadership Manual provides the basic understanding for creating and leading a tribe. The first part of this manual will explore the Thrive process, how to create a tribe, the specific protocols and support elements, and frequently asked questions. It also includes the six elements, or conversations that support the development of mission, the process and the tribe. These elements include: cultivate a tribe, engage the mission, follow the way, seek the kingdom, explore the story, and go and make disciples.

In this second workbook, tribes begins the process of exploring the God imagination, a way of seeing reality from God's perspective. It explore includes conversations and exercises on the basic framework for seeing life, dignity, identity, and purpose, Sabbath, the purpose and design of love, and more. It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

Come Follow Me: An Orientation To The Journey is the first in a series of 12 workbooks for Thrive Ministries and produced by Jonathan Brink. In this quarter (Q1) workbook, tribes begin an orientation process, exploring the following ideas: * God is engaged in a mission of restoration and reconciliation. * To fully engage the mission the tribe is working towards a deeper form of intentional community called communitas. * Truth is remarkably simple, does not change and is based on God's declarations. What changes is our perception of truth, specifically dignity, identity, and purpose. * The root problem is a single, false judgment humanity makes about the one's dignity in light of the evidence of evil. We continue to get the original question wrong. * The root problem leads to a functional blindness, which produces pain and suffering. We have no way of solving it unless we address the problem creating it. * The Way of Jesus is addresses the root problem through love, which is the judgment of good. It directly addresses the root problem allowing us to restore dignity, identity and purpose. * Restoration requires a process of reconstitution, which is stepping back into our embedded stories and removing the false judgments that captivate us. * Conflict is based on the tension between two different judgments about what is true and can only be reconciled through true justice, which is both truth and grace. * Prayer is central to the process of dis-covering the God image within us. It is a developed conversation that is both heard and seen. * We must practice the Way in order to realize our own restoration.

In this eighth workbook, groups explore what it means to live in the kingdom of God and what it means to live outside of it. It includes conversations and exercises on the inheritance, wisdom, God's appointed leaders, control, atonement, and more. It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

In this ninth workbook, groups explore the arrival of Jesus into the world and what it means. It includes conversations and exercises on the repentance, the purpose of Jesus, the mission, following Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, being born again, and more. It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

In this eleventh workbook, groups explore the concept of the cross as the place of redemption and answer to suffering. It includes conversations and exercises on the nature of suffering, the cross, redemption, anger, the atonement, expectations, creating a new story, and more. It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

In this twelfth workbook, groups explore what life looks like on the other side of the cross. It includes conversations and exercises on the grace, persecution, license, responsible freedom, want, judgment, the end of the story, and more. It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

In this tenth workbook, groups explore the relationships at the center of Missio Dei. These include our relationship with God, the self, our neighbor and the world around us. It includes conversations and exercises on relationships, the disciples, the pharisees, reconciliation, authority, women, the poor and the oppressed, and more. It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

Deep inside you always knew it was there, that image of God drawing you in to healing, restoration, hope and even love. You wanted it to be true. You couldn't ignore it, even though you weren't sure it was true. Yet finding that image in Scripture is often hard. It's easy to see God as angry and bent on catching us when we fail. What if the story the Bible could actually reinforce what your heart longed to be true? What if the story was actually about God's relentless pursuit of the restoration of all creation, of you? You just needed help seeing it. In this re-examination of the story of Christianity, author Jonathan Brink offers a compelling look into the remarkable dissonance between our historical understanding of Gospel, and what the story in Scripture actually reveals. It offers a compelling possibility for those looking to reconstruct their faith in a whole new way. Discovering The God Imagination examines the details of the story that shapes our understanding of the Gospel, in light of our emerging understanding of cognitive development. It suggests a profoundly simple but provocative assessment of why we misunderstand God, ourselves and each other. Listening to the story once again allows us to unravel the mystery of suffering, justice, and reconciliation, and actually participate with God in our own restoration. It suggests that at the deepest levels, life is really about wrestling with and answering a single root question, symbolized in the Tree of Knowledge? How can God love me when I'm broken? Finally, it offers new insights that suggest the cross is God saying, "This is how far I will go to show you that you that I love you." It suggests the Way of love espoused by Jesus is actually a return to reality, to God's original, objective structure for what it means to be human.

In this seventh workbook, groups explore the what it means to tear down our obstacles. It includes conversations and exercises on stepping into His kingdom, the liminal space, signs and symbols, religion, justice and mercy, and more. It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

In this sixth workbook, groups explore the journey towards maturity. It includes conversations and exercises on needs, the priesthood of all believers, the law, love, the rhythms of life, and more. It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

In this fifth workbook, groups explore the emotions of trust. It includes conversations and exercises on the being tested by God, generational sin, the fool, the oppressive kingdom, crying out to God, and more. It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

What happens when people begin to practice love? This collection of stories explores a remarkably simple idea. What would it look like to practice love? What would happen if we actively chose to engage a deep sense of love even in hard places? The possibilities include a love for God, a love for the self, a love for a neighbor, and even a love for an enemy. What emerges will inspire and challenge the reader to reconsider what it means to live out the practice of love in our lives. Jesus invited people to engage love as a way of living. It was the defining act of what it meant to live. And in doing so, he opened up a world that revealed something extraordinary: the Kingdom of God. To live a life based on the practice of love requires courage and conviction. It often means facing fears that are not easily overcome. But in the end, the practice of love invites us to discover something deeper about what it means to be human.

In this third retreat manual, we've provided everything needed to lead the third weekend retreat for your group in the eleventh quarter. It includes conversations and exercises on the what it means to participate with God in his mission of restoration and reconciliation as a leader. It explores what it means to dream in the kingdom of God. It include leadership instructions, meals, planning, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the retreat.

In this third workbook, groups explore the origins of our brokenness. It includes conversations and exercises on the other kingdom, shame, the Tree of Knowledge, separation, lies, walking with God, and more. (155 pages) It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.

In this first retreat manual, we've provided everything needed to lead the first weekend retreat for your group in the third quarter. It includes conversations and exercises on the exploring identity, God as Father, our wounds, what it means to step into trust and relationship, and more. It include leadership instructions, meals, planning, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the retreat.

In this fourth workbook, groups explore how God is working to restore humanity. It includes conversations and exercises on restoration, history, covenant, trusting God, God's relationship with Abraham, and more. (139 pages) It include leadership instructions, reflection questions, teachings, group discussion questions, exercises, assignments, and suggested materials to use during the quarter.