This unique time of social distancing may leave many of us feeling isolated, bored, and spiritually or relationally stagnant. Fortunately, many resources are available to equip us for the coming weeks! Here are a handful of our favorite tools to help us grow in the Lord and connect well with one another.
Tools for Growing:
The Dwell Bible App has graciously given churches a free 60-day subscription so that church members can listen to the Word of God. Join LBC’s Dwell group here to listen to any of Dwell’s bible plans (like The Psalms in 30 Days) or playlists (like Faith Over Fear), and be encouraged by listening to God’s Word throughout the day.
The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors has compiled several resources that may be helpful for those struggling due to the crisis. Their Pandemic Resources page provides links to a number of conference videos, podcasts, and blog articles to help us remember truths from God’s Word during difficult seasons.
Ligonier Ministries has temporarily made all of their teaching series free to stream online. If you enjoy hearing good teaching, read their post to find the best way for you to listen to their content. Some of our favorites are The Holiness of God and A Time for Confidence! You can also check out Ligonier’s RefNet Internet Radio, to access teaching, scripture readings, and audiobooks.
LBC will begin utilizing MinistryGrid in the coming months to train volunteers for our ministry teams, but MinistryGrid also provides courses for different topics such as understanding the Old and New Testament, memorizing Scripture, engaging in gospel conversations, discipleship, theology, or missions. Check out the MinistryGrid Course Catalog here and email Whitney to gain access to the topics of your choice!
Desiring God provides a number of articles, podcasts, and sermons, but our favorite resource they provide is their online book selection, where you can download and read books for free! Check out Charles Spurgeon: Preaching Through Adversity, Designed for Joy, Habits of Grace, Mom Enough, The Pilgrim’s Progress, or Reading the Bible Supernaturally.
LifeWay Kids has made the resources LifeWay Kids at Home and LifeWay Preschool at Homeavailable to “equip families to conduct weekly media-driven kids Bible studies from home.” Check out the link here for more information, and sign up for a free account at LifeWay Digital Pass to access the materials.
If you enjoy listening to songs and meditating on Scripture at the same time, Poor Bishop Hooper is putting music to one Psalm each week. Listen and be edified by the singing of the psalms!
The Bible Project provides helpful resources year-round to equip Christians to know and understand the Bible. Check out any of their blogs, podcasts, or videos to learn more about the book of the Bible you are reading for your personal or family devotions!
Pastor C.J. made a YouTube Playlist of the songs we sing at LBC! Take this opportunity to listen, learn the words, and worship the Lord in song throughout the day. This may be a particularly helpful resource during times of family worship!
The Gospel Coalition made a list of several edifying movies and documentaries to watch while stuck at home. Utilize extra screen time to watch helpful and uplifting content, and discuss it with your family or other church members!
Baptist Press has produced a list of kids’ discipleship resources and ideas that parents can utilize to help their children grow. Check out the ideas they provide, and make a plan to implement one or two!
The WMU will continue to provide kids’ mission activities and downloadable resources here and through their GA Facebook page and RA Facebook page. Tune in to Facebook Live on either page at 2pm every Wednesday for their weekly missions discipleship lessons!
Crossway has provided free access to many of their resources during this time, including Bible study resources such as the Knowing the Bible material. Check out their books, printable Bible verse cards, podcasts, and more!
Tools for Connecting:
In this day and age, we use our phones for just about everything except making phone calls. The pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to reclaim this function from our phones! No links needed: just pick up the phone, make a call, and enjoy sweet conversation, particularly with a church member who may not utilize newer forms of technology!
Use an app like MarcoPolo to send video messages to a friend or group of friends. If you hate texting and wish you could record yourself speaking a greeting, you can sign up online or download the app to do exactly that!
Find a way to video chat! There are so many tools available for this, but some of our favorites are Zoom, FaceTime, Google Duo, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger Video Chats. Find a video chat system you like, and connect regularly with church family and friends virtually.
Mail hand-written notes to each other! You can leave notes in your mailbox for the mail carrier to collect, so that you can maintain social distance, and consider sending a letter or two each week to encourage one another towards faithfulness.
The Lord is not surprised by this time in history, and though it is a difficult season for many of us, we should not waste it. Instead, let’s use the resources available to us to grow closer to the Lord and to one another!
*If you need assistance utilizing any of these resources or technologies, please connect with one of our staff members, who would be happy to help!