VCG-800 HEALING YOUR GRIEF WOUND- (Y/A); 2 videos, 30 min. ea.; guide; UMCOM Productions. Videos offer practical guidance and wise counsel from a variety of persons who know the pain of grief personally. Dr. Howard Clinebell, an expert in pastoral psychology, leads a grief group who share their struggle and learning in the recovery process.

.1 THE EARLY WEEKS- three important tasks of the early stages of grief are highlighted.

.2 THE LATTER STAGES- Dr. Clinebell and the grief group offer insights and suggestions for three other tasks of grieving after the first 3 months.

VCG-801 KNOWING GOD, BECOMING GOD'S PEOPLE- by Ken Bailey- (A); 2 videos, 9 25-min. segments; Reproducible study sheets, Essential Media Services, 1997. Ken Bailey introduces the viewer to three major images of Christian discipleship: servants of Christ, shepherds of the flock, and stewards of the mysteries of God. He shows how true Christian discipleship involves understanding God and Jesus. This series is more technical than some of his other studies.

. .1 PROLOGUE THROUGH CLASS FOUR-

Lecture I The Christian Leader as Servant.

A. Servant in the Old Testament

B. Jesus as Servant and Example

Lecture II - The Christian Leader as a Shepherd

A. God as the Good Shepherd (Old Testament)

.2 CLASSES FIVE THROUGH NINE

B. Jesus as the Good Shepherd

C. The Church Leader as a Good Shepherd

Lecture III - The Christian Leader as a Good Shepherd

A. Steward of the Mysteries of God

B. Paul the Steward of the Mysteries

C. Christian Leadership and the Cross

VCG-802 EXPLORING THE SACRED IN DEATH AND DYING with Ron DelBene- (A); 6 videos, 18-27 min. ea.; Guide; EcuFilm, 1997.

A series for anyone who has had to deal with the death of a loved one or had to relate to someone whose loved one is dying. It is for those who have taken on the responsibility to be there for persons who are dying, their families, loved ones, and friends.

.1 SAYING GOOD-BYE- (24 min.) This program shows ways people have said "Good-bye" and looks at some rituals that have been helpful in the closure process.

.2 LIVING THROUGH GRIEF- (19 min.) This program emphasizes the importance of accepting our feelings and shows how grieving mends the spirit and heals the heart.

.3 TELLING THE STORIES- (23 min.) As people tell their stories, the viewer experiences the many faces of death.

.4 RECOGNIZING THE SACRED- (18 min.) The viewer learns how being present and attentive to the dying person can provide great opportunity to see a deeper level of experiencing life and death. The video stresses the importance of recognizing and trusting instincts.

.5 COMMUNICATING- (25 min.) This episode explores ways to open up or improve meaningful communication in families and with friends.

.6 ONE FAMILY'S STORY- (27 min.) This episode shows that there is diversity of feelings and thoughts within a family and illustrates the importance of recognizing and embracing sacred moments.

VCG-803 TALKING ABOUT GOD- (A); 7 videos, 20-25 min. ea.; Guide; EcuFilm, 1999.

Contemporary Christian and Jewish people of faith--professional theologians, pastors, a rabbi, a teacher of disabled children, and others were asked to respond, on camera, to a series of questions about God. The responses were then edited to create in each program a montage of reflections on the questions. Persons of many cultural backgrounds are interviewed. The key topics for each video are listed.

.1 WHAT'S YOUR EXPERIENCE OF GOD?- (22 min.); God Unexpected and A Tin Ear for God.

.2 HOW DO YOU TALK ABOUT GOD?- (24 min.);

The Problem of Language, What Does Prayer Do? and Theology and Story.

.3 WHO ARE YOU TO GOD?- (24 min.); Are you Good Enough?, Does God Need You?, and Does God Have a Plan for your Life?.

.4 WHERE IS GOD IN YOUR LIFE:- (25 min.); God in Suffering, A Sense of God's Presence, and Yearning for God.

.5 WHAT IS GOD DOING?- (21 min.); Does God Intervene?, What Does God Want from the Church? and Are We Content?

.6 WHOSE SIDE IS GOD ON?- (22 min.); What about WWII?, Does God Prefer the Poor?, Is God Gonna Even the Score?.

.7 HOW CAN BELIEVERS LIVE TOGETHER?- (25 min.); Sheep in Other Folds and Putting Together Community.

VCG-804 GOD AT 2000: HOW DO YOU SEE GOD?- (A) 8 videos, 80 min. ea.; Trinity Institute, 2000.

God at 2000 is a video series from a teleconference symposium sponsored by Trinity Institute. Seven internationally known scholars from the worlds of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity reveal how they personally view the sacred.

.1 SEEING GOD AGAIN - WHAT'S AT STAKE? with Marcus Borg

.2 HONEST TO GOD: THE UNIVERSE OF FAITH with Diana Eck

.3 AN OCEAN OF GOD: THE INNER-CONNECTEDNESS OF ALL BEING with Lawrence Kushner

.4 THE GOD THEY NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT with Joan Chittister

.5 GOD: THE REALITY TO SERVE, LOVE, AND KNOW with Seyyed Hossein Nasr

.6 THE GOD OF ALL FAITHS with Karen Armstrong

.7 THE PRODIGAL GOD with Desmond Tutu

.8 A CONVERSATION WITH THE SPEAKERS with all seven panelists

VCG-805 MOVING THROUGH YOUR PROBLEMS TOWARD FINDING GOD with Dr. Larry Crabb- (A); 2 videos, 6 - 45-min. lessons; Guide and book; Zondervan, 1993. (Gift)

Dr. Crabb uses a variety of stories and experiences from his own life to demonstrate that our deepest problem and worst sin is doubting God. He believes that pursuing God, not trying to solve our problems, is a person's highest priority. Finding God leads the way to real freedom and joy.

.1 Sessions 1 - 3

Session 1 - A New Passion: I Must Find God

Session 2 - Competing Agendas: What Is God Up to? versus What Am I After?

Session 3 - Cheapened Appetites: Learning to Desire a God Who Won't Answer Questions

.2 Sessions 4 - 6

Session 4 - Our Fallen Structure: How Mishandled Assaults Strengthen Our Doubt

Session 5 - Telling Our Stories: Disrupting What's Bad and Releasing What's Good

Session 6: Coming Home: Wanting God More Than Anything Else

DVG-806 SISTERS: BIBLE STUDY FOR WOMEN- (A); 6 sessions, 15 min. ea.; Guide, Participant’s Guide and DVD; Cokesbury, 2003. (May be updated).

"Sisters" is a 6-session Bible study for women. As women in "Sisters" groups journey together, they will connect and apply the Scriptures to their daily lives, mature in their faith, and grow closer to God and each other.

.1 KNOWING GOD: MAKING GOD THE MAIN THING IN MY LIFE by Kimberly Dunnam Reisman- The first study sessions are entitled: (1) The Clues We Need (2) What Faith We Have (3) Shaping the Invisible (Praying the Bible) (4) A Life of Moral Excellence (5) Divine Destiny (Kingdom of God) (6) The Big Picture (Our Part in God’s Plan)

.2 FINDING BALANCE: LOVING GOD WITH HEART AND SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH with Becca Stevens- 6 sessions, 15 min. ea.

This 6-week study helps women consider the question of balance in their lives--between service and worship, duty and devotion, doing and being. Author Becca Stevens guides the study, examining the lives of New Testament women such as Mary and Martha, Lydia, Mary the Mother of Jesus, the Canaanite woman, and Mary Magdalene. On the sixth week the class explore "The Anointings of Jesus Christ," in which Mary played a vital role.

.3 UNFAILING LOVE: GROWING CLOSER TO JESUS CHRIST with Rebecca Laird- 6 sessions, 95 min.

Rebecca Laird speaks to women's hearts and introduces them to Jesus as friend.

Week 1 - A Child Born to High Expectations

Week 2 - You Are the Beloved

Week 3 - Made for a Mission

Week 4 - A Journey of Faithfulness

Week 5 - God's Unfailing Love in Dark Times

Week 6 - Hope Does Not Disappoint Us

.4 A MILE IN HER SHOES: LESSONS FROM THE LIVES OF OLD TESTAMENT WOMEN - 6 sessions, guide, (also in DVD format).

DVG-807 GOD IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK- (A); 1 DVD, 1 CD, 6 sessions; 70 min.; Leader’s Guide and Participant’s Guide; Zondervan, 2004.

               John Ortberg, pastor and author, helps the group experience the intimacy you long for with God and that He longs to have with you.  Sessions are:

               1. God’s Great Desire for People 
2. Where’s God in My World: 
3. Partnering with God Today 
4. Listening to the voice of God 
5. God Wants a Relationship with You
6. Heaven Breaking Through.

 

DVG-808 LISTENING FOR GOD:  CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE AND THE LIFE OF FAITH- (A); 1 DVD; 16 sessions; 200 min. Guide; Augsburg Fortress, 1996.

               In this collection of contemporary stories and essays, readers investigate how life and faith merge in new ways and places.  This program includes 8 selections, brief author profiles, and reflection questions.

         .1   Authors included are:  Flannery O’Connor, Frederick Buechner, Patricia Hampl, Raymond Carver, Annie Dillard, Alice Walker, Garrison Keillor, and Richard Rodriguez.

         .2   Authors included are:  John Updike, Anne Tyler, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Tobias Wolff, Carol Bly, Gail Godwin, Kathleen Norris, and Andre Dubois.

 

DVG-809    LIVING FULLY, DYING WELL- (A); 8 sessions, ca. 10 min. ea;. Leader’s guide and participant’s Guide; EcuFilm,
        2006.

This DVD is designed to assist us in making careful, wise, and prayerful preparation for meeting life’s most important moments.  In this program, participants will learn how to face openly and unafraid the benefits and limitations of aging and end-of-life decisions.  The sessions are:
        1.    LIVING FULLY
        2.    THEOLOGY OF AGING
        3.    OUR CULTURE’S VIEW OF AGING
        4.    FINDING PURPOSE AND MEANING
        5.    GETTING IT ALL TOGETHER
        6.    DYING WELL
        7.    WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE
        8.    HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE?
               A. Service  B.  Making Changes  C.  A Son’s Story  D.  Staying Active  E.  Dying Well.

DVG-810    COMING FULLY ALIVE AS YOU AGE - (A); 4 sessions, 105 min. total DVD; Leader’s guide  Senior New Ways, 2008.

This program explores the positives of aging and ways to have a healthier, happier life in later years.  The four programs cover the following topics:
        Finding Meaning in Life
        Being Fully alive:  Mind, Body, and Spirit
        Aging as a Spiritual Journey
        Uplifting Power of Humor
        Each session is intended to be about 1.5 hours long with a facilitator leading the group exercises included on the DVD.

DVG-811    WHO IS GOD? BASIC SERIES with Frances Chan - (Y/A); 3+DVDs; Leader’s Guide; Flannel Productions, 2010.

Frances Chan, Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, leads small group discussions to help youth and adults understand God.  The series is designed for a small group discussion on understanding  God in God’s three aspects: God, Jesus, Holy Spirit.  The series includes a choice of many foreign subtitles on each DVD.
    .1    FEAR GOD?- Pastor Chan leads a discussion of what it means to truly fear God.  Could it be that a healthy fear of God truly is the beginning of wisdom? (15 min.)
    .2    FOLLOW JESUS- What does Jesus mean when He tells us to follow Him?  Once we understand how to follow Jesus,
        we see the hard life that might be in store for us, and then the real question becomes not how, but why, we would want to follow Him in the first place. (15 min.)
    .3    HOLY SPIRIT- This DVD is a discussion of the Holy Spirit, the source of supernatural power.  Today the church acts neither “super” nor “natural.”  Maybe once we        
         understand who the Holy Spirit is, the church can stop being so ordinary and be the agent of change God designed us to be. (15 min.)
    .4    FELLOWSHIP- Is church a specific place where individuals gather once a week to sing a few songs and listen to someone talk about God, or does church refer to the    
        people themselves who share a common mission in the world?  Chan suggests that if we start to view church in the way God designed it, as a family loving each other and living
        and sharing all of life together, we might begin to impact the world as God intended us to do. (15 min.)
    .5    TEACHING-  If we begin to see the Bible for what it is, a holy book that contains vast riches and the key to understanding how Jesus lived and how He wants us to live, we         will begin to crave God’s Word. (15 min.)
    .6    PRAYER-   Is it possible that our prayers go unanswered because we are praying out of a sense of obligation or maybe for the wrong thing?  Are our prayers supposed to be         a list of things we want or are they really intended to be an ongoing dialogue with God about the things He wants?  Chan suggests that if we aligned our prayers with God’s        
        mission, we would see God answer our prayers in unimaginable ways. (15 min.)

DVG-812    CRAZY LOVE:  OVERWHELMED BY A RELENTLESS GOD with Francis Chan - (Y/A); 10 sessions, 5 to 9 min. ea.; Guide on DVD; David C. Cook, 2009.

The “Crazy Love” DVD is a companion to the best-selling book “Crazy Love.”  It follows a day-in-the-life-of Francis Chan in the form of 10 teaching segments.  These thought-provoking teachings are designed to initiate discussion, interaction, and practical application of the “Crazy Love” message.  Francis Chan emphasizes the importance of an intimate relationship with God—falling in love with God.

DVG-813  THREE SIMPLE QUESTIONS:  KNOWING THE GOD OF LOVE, HOPE, AND PURPOSE -
(C/A); 6 sess. 7 – 13 min.. ea.; 55 min. total; Abingdon Press, 2011.

Who is God?  Who Am I? Who Are We Together?  How we answer these 3 simple questions has a big impact on what we believe, how

           we live, and how we relate to other people.  Each of the sessions leads naturally into discussion and sharing through the use of stories,

               Sess. 1          INTRODUCTION

               Sess. 2          WHO IS GOD?

               Sess. 3          WHO AM I?

               Sess. 4          WHO ARE WE TOGETHER?

               Sess. 5          PRAYING THE QUESTIONS

               Sess. 6          LIVING THE QUESTIONS

DVG-814    WHY?:  MAKING SENSE OF GOD’S WILL with Adam Hamilton - (A); 4 sessions, ca. 7 min. per session; ca. 28 min. total; Leader’s Guide; Abingdon Press, 2011.
       
The four sessions of the DVD are:
        1.  Why Do the Innocent Suffer?
        2.  Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?
        3.  Why Can’t I See God’s Will for My Life?
        4.  Why Does God Love Prevail?

DVG-815    THROUGH A LENS DARKLY - (A); 56 min.; Guide; Vision Video,
       
This DVD will uplift the soul with the moving stories of individuals and families touched by a significant loss who have begun their journey to recovery.  They also share their thoughts on the timeless wisdom of C.S. Lewis’s reflective book, A Grief Observed.  Viewers begin to recognize and cope with the many emotions of their own grief and to identify the best approaches to help others through the grieving process.

DVG-816    GROWING THROUGH GRIEF with Dr. Howard Clinebell - (A); 6 sessions, 30 min. ea.; Guide; EcuFilm, Classic, 1984.

In this grief classic Dr. Howard Clinebell shows how people can heal and grow from their grief wounds.  The series is designed to help hurting and grieving people find personal healing and learn how to reach out more effectively to other victims of grief.  The six sessions are:
        1.    The Five Tasks of Grief Work
        2.    Healing Guilt
        3.    Fear and Anger
        4.    Growth from Divorce
        5.    Infections of the Grief Wound
        6.    Saying “Goodbye” to our Losses