Description: A fresh look at a timeless promise. COVENANT IS A 24-WEEK, IN-DEPTH GROUP BIBLE STUDY in which people read and discuss the Bible together. COVENANT is based on the understanding that we can best discover the Bible's transformative power through shared study, reflection and engagement. THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF COVENANT, which serves as the study's unifying theme, speaks to an enduring commitment between God and God's people. This comprehensive study covers both the Old and New Testaments. COVENANT is organized in three 8-week modules, each dealing with a different aspect of covenant-Creating, Living, and Trusting the covenant-thereby underscoring the unique relationship that God chooses with us as God's people. The goal of COVENANT BIBLE STUDY is to deepen understanding of scripture, build community, and develop church leaders through small group study. It embraces a learning experience that builds trust in others and confidence in scripture for each participant-leveraging not just scriptural examples but also personal memories of God's faithful love. It helps participants apply the Bible to their personal story, cultivating a life-long trust in God and a love of scripture. The Covenant Bible Study Kit contains everything a leader needs. - Leader Guide: Contains comprehensive and detailed direction for the group leader to use in each meeting experience. Options are provided so that leaders can adapt to a group's unique characteristics. - Participant Guides: Walk participants through daily Bible readings and offer space to interact personally with the prayers, the group experience, and the weekly Covenant meditations. - Meditations: Contains 66 meditations to supplement those in the participant guides because many participants find great personal benefit and contentment in an intimate connection with God through "praying scripture." - DVD Videos (Set of 3): Feature two pastor cohosts who engage 23 prominent biblical scholars in the 24 video episodes. The cohosts meet around the Covenant table with the scholars, asking questions about the week's scripture readings that participants would likely ask the scholars. The conversations serve as a model for the kind of learning dynamic that is central to this study. There is one DVD for each Covenant module.
Brief description: Shane Stanford (MA, Duke University; Doctorate, Asbury Theological Seminary) is Senior Pastor of a 5,000+ member church in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Stanford is the author of numerous books, including The Seven Next Words of Christ, The Cure for the Chronic Life, and The Eight Blessings: Rediscovering the Beatitudes. His memoir, A Positive Life, details his life as an HIV+ and HepC+ hemophiliac, husband, father, and pastor. He is the co-host of the Covenant Bible Study program, now used in over one thousand churches. Dr. Stanford married Dr. Pokey Stanford, and they have three daughters.