Gospel.com Blog

Turning water to wine… walking on water… healing the sick and raising the dead. All are activities attributed to Jesus during his ministry—but did they really happen? Isn’t it more likely that these are myths invented (or at least embellished) by his followers?

A new blog post at Faith Facts presents ten reasons to take those miraculous stories seriously, rather than chalking them up to the imaginations of Jesus’ disciples. Lots of links and Scripture references to explore there—and if you’re interested in reading more about Jesus’ miracles, see their more thorough page about the importance of Jesus’ miracles.

Over the years, Comix35 has run a variety of contests showcasing the best in evangelistic comics. Their newest competition, however, branches into new territory: online video! The 2008 Manga Messiah video competition challenges both amateur and professional video creators to make their own video interpretations of the Manga Messiah graphic novel.

Entering the contest is easy; head over to the competition website to fill out the entry form and read the contest rules. Once you’ve registered, you can download official imagery from the manga to use in your video—and be sure to check out other free resources you can use with your creation, such as these Japanese praise and worship songs.

The contest deadline is December 31, 2008. The grand prize is a limited-edition hardcover version of the manga and an original sketch by the artist. So go find out more, and see what you can come up with!

Earlier this year, Global Mapping International completed an unusual multi-year research project: FlightPlan, an ambitious effort started in 2004 to document the status and explore the future of Christian mission aviation ministry. They’ve released a PDF summary of their findings. This excerpt from the document makes the case for missionary aviation in brief:

The global need for mission aviation is undiminished. Rural populations are growing rather than declining, and most rural peoples are not increasing their mobility. Hundreds of millions of people lack access to an all-weather road. Physical access remains a leading challenge for missions focused on remote peoples. And remote peoples are unlikely to be reached by trickle-down from urban-oriented strategies.

They’ve released the full findings on CD-ROM, which you can request (although note that GMI is limiting distribution of the full report to people who are involved in missions aviation).

Is student ministry worth the immense amount of time, energy, and money that churches and dedicated ministries put into it? Aren’t many young people apathetic toward spiritual issues, or inclined to abandon the faith once they leave their family and church community?

While there’s a grain of truth to these conceptions, student ministry nevertheless remains a crucial part of the church’s call to evangelism. Making the case for student ministries are five articles over at the Lausanne World Pulse’s recently redesigned website:

• Why Bother with Student Ministry? Five reasons why Christian ministry among students is so important.
• The Strategic Importance of Student Ministry: What Are You Living For? There are things common to university students that make ministry among them a valuable use of time.
• Is Student Ministry Important? Student ministry is most strategic for the mission of God. It has always been so.
• Claiming Back Our Campuses for Christ: An Example from South Africa: In order to turn the tide of moral decay South Africa is rapidly heading toward, the Church should invest in children, youth, and young adults.
• Reaching Future Leaders through Word and Deed: One international church is reaching out to graduate students who are highly intellectual and skeptical of faith issues.

The LWP site is full of other excellent articles about church and ministry topics, and they’re regularly adding new content. If the above articles are useful to you, look through their online archives and stop back periodically to see what’s new!

Your best bet for family entertainment on DVD this week is a collection of Big Idea’s new made-for-TV episodes of 3-2-1 Penguins! The collection is titled Save the Planets! and features three of the most recent episodes aired on NBC and Qubo. Says Greg Wright, “If you’re a fan… have no fear. If anything, the pace is quicker, the jokes come faster, and the laughs follow right behind. Honestly, this is some of the funniest stuff I’ve seen on DVD in a long, long time.”

Also new on DVD this week:

• The Genius Club
• Reprise
• The Promotion
• Then She Found Me
• Married Life
• Outsourced
• Hidden Secrets

Visit the DVD releases page at Past the Popcorn for details on these and other titles.