The prophet Amos describes a terrible famine in the land due to injustice and idolatry, devastating many. But there is another famine, even more devastating, a famine of truth which starves the soul. Our postmodern culture today is amidst this famine, unwilling to accept facts and viewing truth as a social construct. As we examine the effects of this lack of truth alongside the recovery of truth in a Christian context, the need for God's Word becomes clear and profound.

The Bible is a rich, vast wealth of knowledge, and we should strive to experience the life-changing power of God's Word. This presentation begins with recent scientific discovery about teeth remains at Carnage that stuns skepticism against an inerrant Bible. God's Word rises above skepticism. Beyond that, God's Word truly has life changing capabilities, laced with a power that is fueled by the Spirit. Through providing solutions to challenges in reading the Bible and recognizing incentives for becoming readers of the Word, we can begin knowing the Bible for its true worth.

Creation was not an unguided phenomenon. In the account of creation in Genesis 1, we repeatedly see the words, "And God said." This tells us that God is distinct from the universe and existed before it and that He was the author of creation. This is echoed throughout Scripture, and there is much science to back up the Biblical view of creation as well.

Many would believe humans are merely material beings. But by looking at the account of how humans are made in the image of God in Genesis 2 and 3, we can see humans are far more than just material. Humans have 1) an esthetic sense, 2) a curiosity about their environment giving them the ability to do research, 3) the ability to work, 4) a spiritual and moral dimension, 5) the ability to classify, 6) marriage, 7) the ability to sin, and 8) the ability to have eternal life.

As we develop and cultivate our relationship with God we can find delight in His Word. We are in a spiritual battle - and the enemy wants us to not advance in this area. We should fight for this and advance intentionally. We can do this as we expand our understanding of the word - seeing it as our theology, wisdom, a gift, a weapon, a stewardship, and a revelation of relationship.

How do we interpret and appropriate biblical truths in our lives and ministry? We can do this through understanding the relationship between imperatives and indicatives in the Biblical text, and through understanding the themes of substitution, our new identity, and eternal life.

Fouad Masri, from the Crescent Project's women's ministry "Without Borders", delivers an insightful talk on understanding Islam and how to bridge the gap and share the love of Christ with those of others faiths.

Fouad Masri, from the Crescent Project's women's ministry "Without Borders", delivers a talk about the credibility of the New Testament. The evidence for the reliability of the New Testament texts is a powerful tool in witnessing to people of other faiths. Fouad offers advice on how to engage in conversations about this topic with others, specifically those with a background in Islam..

If we want to have good friendships, we need to choose to be a good friend! Through studying the deep friendship between Jonathan and David in 1 Samuel we see many elements of true friendship. Good friends are faithful to promises, willing to warn of danger, speak well of others, and ultimately pursue a friendship that is centered on God and advancing his purposes! \r\n

Spiritual decline is a common thing in the life of a Christian. Through studying God's interactions with Ephraim in the book of Hosea we see that there are three key elements in this: 1) partial sanctification, 2) incomplete separation, and 3) unconscious deterioration. However God doesn't just leave us in this state, when we turn back towards Him, He provides the remedy and ultimately provides blessing!

Providing a firm foundation for kids in God's Word is of the utmost importance! Learning about God, the Bible, and their identity in Christ at a young age will effect the entire trajectory of their lives. When teaching kids there are some things to consider: How can we help ideas stick, and how best will that information be processed? Also, how do we account for gender differences when teaching them? Hear practical suggestions to show kids how exciting, useful, and rewarding it is to study God's Word. \r\n\r\n

In an age where we are constantly distracted, it is very difficult to give our undivided attention to anything, let alone God's Word. Here's an alternative Bible study method that prioritizes quality over quantity. Through doing "small" studies of a single clause or idea, we can meditate on that and pull a lot of truth and application from it with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is especially helpful when studying the psalms, Jesus's teachings in the gospels, and the epistles. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Knowledge comes in more than one form, as opposed to reductionistic thinking, which professes that knowledge only comes from a single source. But in fact, there are numerous ways of knowing as we see expressed throughout the Bible. There is propositional, personal, and practical knowing. Through these means, we can grow to learn who God is and how we can relate with Him.

God calls every one of his followers to evangelize, including people who may not be gifted in this area. Therefore, we must strive to lead this practice in our home groups, making sure that we are utilizing God's Word to do so. From there we can begin approaching our group by first making a clear biblical case for evangelism. We should communicate how the group is doing, demonstrate how God's grace empowers believers to do this, develop an action plan for both the inner attitudes and outwards actions, and present vision for where God will lead the group.

This workshop explores what the Bible has to say about the role of women in the church. Based on two specific passages of scripture, many believers holding a traditional view have disqualified women from leading in the church, understanding that this is God's will. But as we explore the context and the other scriptures speaking about women's involvement in the church, a different picture emerges. A proper interpretation of these passages amongst others gives us confidence that God is behind women leading for him.

Understanding and following God's calling for our lives can be a difficult experience. Scripture teaches that we are called by God and that each of our individual callings were all foreknown and predestined by our sovereign God. God has predestined each of us to be conformed to the likeness of Christ and called us to bring his presence into every aspect of our lives. As we focus on our own intimacy with Christ and address hindrances to our calling, we will begin finding ourselves in the center of God's will.

The Bible teaches that all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for a variety of things. Thus, it is imperative that we work to teach the Bible in a clear way to young people, without skipping over difficult subjects. We want to aim high with students and stretch their minds but also communicate in a relatable and engaging manner. During this workshop, we see an example of a Bible teaching for students and examine strategies that are helpful for making passages clear and impactful.

Co-author of "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" and "How to Read the Bible Book-By-Book" delivers a talk on the importance of interpreting the Bible. Using a variety of verses to provide examples, Stuart breaks down the interpretative steps of examining words, content, format, support, and application.

D. A. Carson examines Psalm 119 in a deeper study of its form and structure. Ultimately this psalm is a meditation about God cycling through various themes. As we study this passage, and other Scripture, we can meditate on God's truths and grow in our understanding and love. \r\n

Associate Pastor Pat Lessard from Real Life Ministries in Couer d'Alene, Idaho shares his own story as well as offering biblical advice for the journey of recovery and spiritual growth.

Dietrich Bonheoffer, a leading figure in the Christian church in Nazi Germany, became the director of the Confessing Church's underground seminary. During his time there, he lived with a dozen or more Christian men in community, something that resembles Xenos' ministry house model today in some ways. From Bonheoffer, we can learn keys to rich community, including being wary of romanticizing community and being watchful that we are living under the word in this area. This means that in the context of community we are practicing confession, thankfulness, self-control, and humility.

Many parents don't have a specific goal for their children to shape their parenting. As Christian parents, however, our goal should be to have our children grow to love the Lord wholeheartedly. This means we need to address our relationship with God, with our spouse, and with our kids. In order to give to our family amidst our own imperfections and anxieties, we need to be receiving from God ourselves. Through prioritizing our marriage, spending ample time getting quality time with our children and raising them according to God's priorities, we can build a successful family around the word of God.

Creativity is producing something new and valuable, and it has a vital role in Christian leadership. It helps us fight fatalism and frustration, utilizes our limited resources better, and is charismatic to others. This workshop outlines five main steps for becoming more creative. We must recognize the problem, research it, rack our brains, rest and relax, and rationally assess the solution. Through becoming more creative leaders, we can experience positive change in our groups and teams.

Through the Psalmist we learn that while his condition is full of suffering, pain, and persecution he draws near to God through God's word. God wants to enlarge our hearts with His word. The outcome is determined by what we affirm, ask for, hope in, and obey. Pain, suffering, sin, and failure can shrink our hearts. A growing heart acknowledges circumstances but affirms God's truth. Live in the reality of pain and suffering but land on the reality of what God's word says about it.\r\n

As we seek to fan the flame, igniting other's time with God, we should seek to understand three main concepts: our role in motivating people, actions through which we can help motivate, and areas in which we should seek to motivate. When we understand what is our role apart from God's, we can imperfectly but effectively motivate others without falling into manipulation. To ignite a fire in others, modeling is important as well as persuading, instructing, encouraging and vision-setting. With these tools, we can help others develop a consistent and faithful time with God that is still centered around grace.

Learning to ask good questions unlocks new potential to more effectively share our faith, develop deep relationships, and help others move toward Christ. This workshop helps describe what good questions consist of and explains how to actually ask these questions while talking with others. Before asking our questions, we should prepare ahead of time and be willing to adjust our approach during the conversation. As we listen wisely in conversations, we can walk away more prepared to ask further questions later that may go deeper. The workshop ends with several case studies to practice asking good questions in specific contexts.

While holding and presenting a positive outlook is scientifically shown to cause others to thrive, spewing negativity just further feeds our negative attitude. The difference is between effective, motivational leadership and defeatism, which leads to unbelief. If we remain with our negative outlook, we are at risk of becoming cold towards the very people God calls us to love. Thus, we should seek a positive outlook in ministry without running to the other extreme of being overly positive. Finally, we can cultivate a positive outlook through several key steps outlined in this presentation.

Typically when we hear the word covet, we think of the envy of others and their possessions that God calls us to avoid. But Psalm 19 introduces a new way to think about coveting; it presents an invitation to covet God's Word, to cultivate a deep desire for it. From this psalm, we see that creation declares God's glory, crediting the glory to God and not itself. We also see that God speaks to us personally in His Word. His written word is truth and truth is simultaneously good because it has been spoken by God. God not only knows us personally, but He knows us in a redemptive sense, another truth presented in this psalm.

In a culture where many religions are not only present but tolerated and viewed as equally true, we must ensure we understand why we are called to share our faith. Jesus is clear that he is the only way to salvation, and out of concern for others and gratitude for our own salvation, we are called to share this with others. As we do this, we should consider our audience and start on their terms with their current beliefs. We also should balance the call for us to share with the reality of God's sovereignty and his general revelation. God is faithful to reveal himself to all people, but he gives each individual a choice to truth in him personally.

Leading a corporate prayer meeting effectively takes strategy and planning. It requires thought in building both the agenda and atmosphere of the meeting. Good prayer meetings include focusing on our mission, a vision, and gratitude.

Jesus tells a parable showing the differences between building a house on rock and on sand. In the end, the effect of building on sand is collapse and ruin. When we look into our culture, there is plenty of evidence that supports the idea that if we base our lives on things other than biblical morals, the outcome is not good. By looking into the specific areas of pornography use, sexual "liberation," and divorce, we can easily see the damage that follows these paths.

Jesus called us to both be disciples and make disciples, meaning this is a key aspect of following Christ. Discipleship, however, is not something that is necessary just at one point in our lives. While the focus of discipleship changes over time, there are dimensions to it that are present in every stage of our spiritual lives.

Pain is a universal truth, yet one that still catches us off guard. However, as Christians, we are able to shift our focus from the pain itself to trusting God with our lives. This requires examining and changing our expectations and our perspective on pain, putting our hope in the Lord, and learning to see and open ourselves up to the joy God gives us even in the midst of suffering.

The Bible is truth and it was written to persuade people of it's truth. It is a powerful tool to use scripture while sharing the gospel with people. God promises that His word wont return empty and is powerful enough to convict the hearts of people. Jesus and His apostles used scripture for several different purposes while sharing the gospel. They used scripture with people to show fulfilled prophecy, challenge thinking and to clarify the gospel.

The scriptures lead us to Christ. It is in the scriptures that Jesus Christ is revealed. If people want to be effective leaders for Christ, they must be devoted to God's Word. God's Word can offer grace and correction daily. Time spent in His Word can lead to character transformation. We see this transformation from the Word in the life of Timothy.

It is because of the great commission that we share the good news of Jesus with our family. Not only does God want to reach our family, but he wants to transform us through the process. It is important to remember God's role as we love our families and pursue the biblical love that God wants to produce in us as we step out in faith. Some practical ways we can be effective in sharing our faith include: praying; practicing gratitude; remembering it's a spiritual battle; listening; learning love languages; initiating spiritual conversation; practicing forgiveness. \r\n

When we communicate God's Word to others we need to prepare beforehand. We do this through having gratitude to God for what He has done and all He has given us.

We are called to show others mercy because of what God has done for us, and this is especially true in the context of marriage. We can sympathize, advocate, help, and stay truth-centered in our marriages and other relationships because of how God has done all of that for us. \r\n\r\n

Why is maintaining and protecting scripture's authority so important? There are ten pitfalls that we can run into that subtly undermine scripture. Carson explains each of these and offers practical advice on navigating them.

There is a tension between mission-focused verse pastoral-focused mindsets in ministry, we tend to lean towards either task or relationship. In scripture we can see that Jesus has called the church to do both, to have our focus on a mission but to care for others as well. Leaders need to both invest in people and keep the ultimate mission in focus. \r\n

God wants to use His people to reach the lost by spreading His Good News as He opens doors of opportunity. We need to examine our motivation and attitudes that may block our participation in evangelism. There are many things that can cause fear in sharing the Good News. To overcome those obstacles we need to start with our identity and mission from God. There are endless tools God has given us to be effective; His Holy Spirit, prayer, His Gospel, and creativity, to name a few.\r\n

Two practical ideas for small group study are simplified inductive study and bible memorization. All members can become confident and equipped to lead a small group Bible study through practicing this method. Members also become comfortable at handling the word of God on their own. Bible memorization also helps develop workers in the group. Members take turns sharing what verse they chose to memorize, how it was applicable, why, how memorizing it impacted them, and what helped them memorize the verse.\r\n

We can relate to God through His Word, a unique revelation. The living Word creates, heals, liberates, illuminates, and nourishes the believer. We should learn to meditate on it. \r\n

Using a passage laying out guidelines for ancient kings from Deuteronomy, Carson draws parallels between those original instructions and Christian leadership today.

Teaching biblical narratives is rewarding yet often underutilized. Not only is there a vast array of stories to choose from in the Bible, but they are also enjoyable and memorable, allowing truth to seek in deeply when taught well. This workshop presents several key tips for interpreting narratives. These include setting the scene, identifying the plot, describing characters, utilizing dialogue and repetition, offering summaries or conclusions, emphasizing irony, and understanding background knowledge. Through practicing these suggestions and avoiding common pitfalls, we can learn to effectively teach biblical narratives.

Biblical gratitude is closely related to understanding God's righteousness and His grace. God desires us to be thankful because it leads to many benefits for us. Science shows that gratitude impacts our emotional, physical and relational health. God however will not make us more grateful; it is our role to cultivate gratitude.

In order to approach God's ministry from the way He wants you to, you must know who you are and why you matter. What God says about you and your identity will guide you in how to love. There are many signs and symptoms that arise when you minister from your own self effort. They are all self-focused and fear based. When you minister from your identity, you come from a place of humility and gratitude. The result is bearing fruit for God and experiencing His love.