Pastor Calvin's Book Recommendations October 2024

DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAY: SIMPLICITY| SEEDING | SEEKING | SHARING

Simplifying Our Lives

Corrie ten Boom once said that if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy. Both sin and busyness have the exact same effect—they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul.

Study
Discover a case against hurry in favour of a slower, simpler way of life through The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Also available through our church library, Calgary Public Library and as a 5 Part Video Series on Right Now Media. Do this as a personal study or with your life group. To hear John Mark Comer speak on the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry click HERE!

Practicing the Way and The Ruthless Elimation of Hurry by John Mark Comer.

Silence, Solitude & Prayer
So to know how to meditate on and delight in the Bible is the secret to a relationship with God and to life itself. - Timothy Keller

Wondering where to start with your quiet time and daily meditations connecting with God? Our Christian Education class is studying the book of Psalms and referencing Timothy Keller’s The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms. Join our class to learn more or use Timothy Keller's daily devotions in your own quiet time!

Worship Time Change & Discipleship Pathway

Effective September 1, 2024, our English Sunday Service will begin at 11:15 AM in the SANCTUARY.

Discipleship: the process of becoming more like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This new start time allows our congregation a more “unrushed” Sunday morning experience.  This adjustment is the first phase in a series of focused changes on a Discipleship Pathway we are planning across all our ministries of Simplicity, Seeding, Sharing and Seeking. Here’s an example of how this journey could potentially look like as ministry leaders are starting to have conversations on each area:

For the Sunday worship portion it is a sacred time to come before the Almighty God in praise and awe. It’s a moment where we are shaped to be more like Jesus through our worship and the Word of God. We aim to create a space that impacts your walk with Jesus, offering time for conversations, connection, and prayer.

As we make these changes, we seek to cultivate a non-anxious, breathable environment for worship. We hope this will help you grow in your identity as a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20) and inspire you to worship God in every aspect of your life throughout the week.

More on the Discipleship Journey

Matthew 28:19-20

Definition:

Disciple: A disciple is someone who knows and obeys Jesus and his teachings.
Discipleship: A disciple’s journey to be with Jesus, be more like Him, and do as He did. 
Journey: A disciple-maker coming alongside someone where they are at with mutual intentionality, time sensitivity, measurable goals and an accountable learning journey to grow as a disciple. 
Disciple-maker: An individual who has been discipled and is on a journey to follow the example of Christ. As such, this disciple helps others start and continue their journey as well. (1 Cor. 11:1)

How:

Be with Jesus — Learning to live in faith

Be more like Jesus — Building a life of faith

Do as Jesus did — Sharing a life of faith

Discipleship journeys are usually done one-on-one or in small pods of 3-4. At the beginning, a set goal/learning outcome and duration are usually outlined. The goal and learning outcome should be achievable in less than six months. Once the goals are complete, the pod can choose to continue to grow in another area/goal or disband the pod. An expectation as a disciple is to one day become a disciple-maker, whether it is in their family, church, peer group, or community.

Building Blocks of a Discipleship Journey

Tools and resources to guide an individual to become a disciple and a disciple-maker.

Discipleship Assessment

“Who am I becoming? Immortal horrors or everlasting splendours?”

An individual’s growth in their love for God and others should also produce tangible growth in these areas:

  • Spiritual Disciplines: 

    • Sabbath, Prayer, Fasting, Solitude, Generosity, Scripture, Community, Service, Witness. (PTW: My Spiritual Health survey online)

  • Character Traits (Christlike identity): 

    • Are they growing to be more Christlike? How do the people around them experience their presence?

    • Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)

    • Humility, Mercy, Compassion, Peacemaker, Integrity, Simplicity, Justice, Hospitality. (Matthew 5:3-12)

  • Missional Involvement: 

    • Understanding and application of their spiritual gifts.

    • Where and how do they invest their time/presence, at home, at church, in their community/neighbourhood?

    • How do they express their love to their family, the church, and their community?

    • How do they participate in making disciples? 

    • What is their level of passion for bringing others into a relationship with Jesus?

  • The Gospel:

    • What is the Gospel? [How do they explain the Gospel? Can they explain the gospel?]

If you would like to know how to get started on this discipleship journey or would like to have a further conversation on discipleship contact: [email protected].

Appendix A: Building Blocks 

Practicing the Way Outline: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y9srVILCXLPW2Zqzz_I15vOLZs2ULX6CiYtQacDiy5g/edit?usp=sharing

Simple Discipleship Outline: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BPOd_WlghqrIhXTM1bb9xCGTKb94NMi37xyaOzs5gTE/edit?usp=sharing

30x60x100 curriculum:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N5tyWXa4NpDpNCWg9m6vhBciddTjp-Rh/view?usp=drive_link

Alpha / Marriage + Premarital Course:

https://alphacanada.org/

https://www.themarriagecourse.org/

The Bible Project:

https://bibleproject.com/

(Eng SCCEFC) Baptism Class:

https://sccefc.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1013052

Bible Study: How to read through the gospel template (Let’s Read):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o7teFR2VckG_Glfqa5ymQVibUV8ycjuuizoGd0I6K1M/edit?usp=drive_link

Following Jesus: A 30-Day Guide Exploring Christian Disciplines:

(photocopy version atm)

Appendix B: Other Resources

Gospel-Saturated Life

  • The Prodigal God

  • The Reason for God

  • Crazy Love

  • Follow Me

  • The Jesus I Never Knew

  • Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine

Connected to God

  • The Knowledge of the Holy

  • The Deeply Formed Life

  • The Pursuit of God

  • A long obedience in the same direction

  • Sacred Rhythms

  • Surrender to Love

  • The Life You’ve Always Wanted

  • God in my everything

  • Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

Exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit

  • Celebration of Discipline

  • Good and Beautiful and Kind: Becoming Whole in a Fractured World

  • The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

Understanding the Bible and Christian Theology

Missional Living

  • Helping without Hurting

  • Radical

  • Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples

  • The Marketspace: Essential Relationships Between the Sending Church, Marketplace Worker, and Missionary Team

  • Something Needs to Change: An Urgent Call to Make Your Life Count

  • Work as Worship series (RNM)

  • No shortcut to success (Mission ministry focus)

  • Missionary Bios

Engaging Others Toward Discipleship

  • Simple Discipleship

  • Emotionally Healthy Discipleship

  • What if Jesus was serious?

Community

  • I am a church member

  • Life Together

  • Rediscover Church

  • Center Church

  • A Church Called Tov

Fulfilling God’s Call on their Life

  • Courage & Calling

  • Crafting a rule of life

  • Every good endeavour

  • Your Calling Here and Now: Making Sense of Vocation

Leadership

  • Wisdom from Babylon: Leadership for the Church in a Secular Age

  • Strengthening the soul of your leadership

  • People of a certain character

Appendix C: Further Readings

Strawser, Eun Kyong. Centering Discipleship : A Pathway for Multiplying Spectators into Mature Disciples. Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2023.

Guindon, Brandon. Disciple Making Culture : Cultivate Thriving Disciple-Makers throughout Your Church. HIM Publication, 2020.

Comer, John Mark. Practicing the Way : Be with Jesus, Become like Him, Do as He Did. Colorado Springs, Colo.: WaterBrook, 2024.

Allin, Dana. Simple Discipleship : Grow Your Faith, Transform Your Community. Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 2019.

Miller, Tim E. 30x60x100 : Making Disciples and Developing Discipleship Curriculum. DTN Inc., 2022.

Davis, Charles A. Making Disciples Across Cultures: Missional Principles for a Diverse World. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2015.

Breen, Mike. Building a Discipling Culture : How to Release a Missional Movement by Discipling People like Jesus Did. Greenville, SC: 3DM Publishing, 2017.

Rhodes, Matt. No Shortcut to Success : A Manifesto for Modern Missions. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2022.

 Discipleship.org

Beyond the Rainbow Conference

Beyond the Rainbow | June 7-9 2024
Hosted by South Calgary Chinese Evangelical Free Church
340 39th Ave SE Calgary
Contact:  [email protected] | 403 243 2770

You’re invited to our Beyond the Rainbow weekend conference June 7-9. This 3-day event is for anyone wanting to engage in conversations and discover ways to care for our LGBTQ+ friends and community.

Learn about gender issues concerning families and youth with keynote speaker, Dr. Melvin Wong, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist. Other guest speakers are Christian apologist Mr JoJo Ruba and and Ms. Gloria Keung, a former-lesbian whose passion is in helping families have conversations around LGBTQ.

The Development of Sexual Identity
June 7 | 7:00pm-9:30pm | Sanctuary & Online | Dr. Melvin Wong | Register
Confidence and a sense of security in one's innate gender—gender confidence—are significantly influenced by parental upbringing during infancy. Dr. Wong will delve into the developmental model of gender identity in this lecture.
Language: Cantonese with English translation

The Conversion Therapy Ban vs. Freedom of Association 
June 8 | 10:00am-12:00pm | Sanctuary | Jojo Ruba | Register
Since January 2022, Canada has enacted legislation to restrict conversion therapy. What kind of threat does this pose to religious organizations or institutions that do not align with LGBTQ+ values, which they previously enjoyed under freedom of association?
Language: English

The Implications of Sexual Fluidity
June 8 | 2:30pm-5:00pm | Sanctuary | Dr. Melvin Wong
Advocates of the LGBTQ+ movement suggest that human gender identity and sexual orientation are fluid. Is there any empirical basis for this assertion? If so, how should society perceive individuals who fluctuate between identifying as male and female?
Language: Cantonese with English translation

Pastoring LGBTQ+
June 8 | 7:00pm-9:30pm | N2o1 | Gloria Keung
Ms. Gloria Keung lived as a lesbian for many years, but underwent a transformative journey guided by her faith, leading her to dedicate herself full-time ministering to the LGBTQ+ community.
Language: Cantonese

Mission for the Gender Confused Generation
June 9 | 9:30am-10:45am | Sanctuary | Dr. Melvin Wong
Some churches perceive the LGBTQ community as adversaries to the Christian faith while others fully embrace them. Have we considered another viewpoint of seeing the LGBTQ+ community as an unreached group awaiting redemption and transformation? 
Language: Cantonese

Speaker Line Up