Harbor, Pepperdine Bible Lectures

The Next Generation Speaks - Jeff Walling, NextGen Ambassadors

Teachers:
Jeff Walling, NextGen Ambassadors

Worship Leader:
Won by One

Spurring One Another on in Every Conversation Toward Love and Good Deeds - Kim and Scott Lambert

Did you know that there are four simple elements that make a good conversation great? Join Scott and Kim Lambert as they explore Hebrews 10:24 and share Heather Hollerman’s four mindsets that everyone should consider when having a conversation. This class will have a practical hands-on element so come ready to participate!

Teachers:
Kim and Scott Lambert

Why Being Last in a World Trying to be First is the Way of Jesus. - Jeff Hubbard

Trophies. Promotions. Raises. Power. Authority. Honor. Credit... These are all things that the world around us values, pursues, and covets. This year we have yet another election cycle where individuals will be jockeying for votes, offices, and power. We can’t turn on the TV, listen to a podcast, get on a website, or even walk out our front door without being bombarded with the temptation to seek after the same type things. And yet… rather than grasp worldly power, fame, or authority Jesus actually shunned them. Instead he used words like humility, sacrifice, service, and submission. So how do we as Christians in the 21st century, follow the way of Jesus that teaches that an upside down ethic that teaches other first and us second? And how in the world do we get our churches to turn off the political pundits and spend more time living out the Greatest Commands and the Great Commission?

Teacher:
Jeff Hubbard

Preparing for Conversations About Sex with Young Adults - Dori Lansbach

Hosted by the Boone Center for the Family. Sex is a pervasive topic in our society and a very relevant issue for young adults. Statistics show dishearteningly high rates of unmarried young adults and teens are sexually active. Young adults need a safe place to talk about sexual issues, and they need adults in their lives who are willing to talk, listen, understand, and guide. There is so much in our culture that is untrue about sex. God has given us a beautiful gift in our sexuality, and we need to talk about how He does want us to use this gift. Join us as we discuss helpful ways to talk about sex in a way that young adults are likely to hear and understand.

Teacher:
Dori Lansbach

To Fear or Not to Fear? - Kindy DeLong

Jesus' teaching on fear and worry in Luke 12

Teacher:
Kindy DeLong

A Beautiful Resistance: Resilient Discipleship in a Secular Age - Jonathan Storment

Teacher:
Jonathan Storment

Spiritual Blind Spots - Brad Cox

How to be a leader in a valley of dry bones.

Teacher:
Brad Cox

Carrying Weariness - Ben Fike

Have the past few years left you not just tired, but weary? Me too! Let’s talk about it.

Teacher:
Ben Fike

Suffer Well... Hebrews 5:7-10 - Alvin Edington

"We must learn to suffer what we cannot evade; our life, like the harmony of the world, is composed of contrary things, and one part is no less necessary than the other." ~Michel de Montaigne In a world filled with suffering, one may feel it unfair or unnecessary to go through life's turmoils. Maybe it's a terminally ill loved one. Perhaps you feel that systemic conditions have unfairly burdened your life. Why did your marriage dissolve? How is it that your beautiful kids have turned to substance abuse? When will this grief stop? Is there a purpose in our pain? As believers, we must allow the Word to inform our worldview when the world around us makes no sense. In this session, we will look at what it means to Suffer Well.

Teacher:
Alvin Edington

Perspective for Those Who Wonder if They’ve Wasted Their Life - Jason Pagel

In a letter addressed to Robert Hooker in 1675, Isaac Newton wrote what became one of his most famous statements, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Whether we care to admit it or not, we are who we are due in large part to those who have come before us. Some of them we can picture. Others we can name, though having never seen their faces, even in a photograph. Then there are the rest, the majority, whose names and faces we never knew. Their impact endures in us even when we can’t remember them. It's humbling to think that one day we will be just like them…forgotten. But there is a name that will never be lost to the turning pages of history. It is the name that is above every other name.

Teacher:
Jason Pagel

Don’t Give Up: How COVID, a Flood, and a Family Trauma Nearly Took Me Out and how the Lord Held Me Together - Summer Morris

If you feel you have been put through the wringer and nearly given up and you would like to know you are not alone, join me as I share my story of falling and getting back up again.

Teacher:
Summer Morris

Love Your Enemies: Christian Faith and Political Violence (Part 2) - Victor McCracken

Is it possible for followers of Jesus to reconcile faith with the violence of war? In this class, Dr. Vic McCracken will lead attendees through an exploration of the Christian tradition, exploring the church's nonviolent witness as well as the development of the Christian just war tradition.

Teacher:
Victor McCracken

Knowing What You Are Getting Into: An Effective Pre-Membership Class - Buddy Bell

Come explore the benefits of having a required class before membership and how to conduct it.

Teacher:
Buddy Bell

A Word About Disgrace: Heb. 13:9-13 - Jenn Gash

Teacher:
Jenn Gash

Can Old News Be Good News? - David Ayres

Every week, preachers face the pressure of coming up with something new to say about a book that has been talked about for 2000 years. Originality is an essential element for effective communication – but what can we possibly say that hasn’t already been said before? In this class, we will explore how and why good preaching endeavors to gain a fresh hearing for an old, old story.

Teacher:
David Ayres

Sharp Sword: Psalms as the Voice of the Spirit in Hebrews (Part 2) - Bobby Valentine

The Sermon to the Hebrews begins by telling us that God spoke in the prophets and today speaks in the Son. The Son, and the Spirit, continue to speak. The sermon claims that Jesus, and the Spirit, is speaking in the Psalms. We will explore Hebrews “sharp sword” which is none other than Jesus and the Spirit speaking in the Psalms, Today.

Teacher:
Bobby Valentine

Helping Marriages Flourish - Dee Dee Mayer

Hosted by the Boone Center for the Family. One of the most powerful and transformative relationships we will ever have is the covenant relationship of marriage. God designed something special and sacred in marriage as a gift, and yet marriage can be difficult and painful. As human beings, it is easy to grow apart rather than together as we work through the struggles of life, family, and ministry. Research shows that marriage enhances economic wellbeing, improves health, and increases longevity. So how can we build our marriages to be places of deep connection and peace? Join Dee Dee Mayer, DMin, LCSW in this powerful workshop designed to restore your vision of healthy marriage with practical steps to build intimacy and connection.

Teacher:
Dee Dee Mayer

The Best Story They’ve (N)ever Heard: Rediscovering the Beauty of Basic Christian Beliefs - Josh Strahan

Over the last several years working with college students and teaching adult Sunday School classes, I’ve been saddened by the large number of Christians who cannot articulate the basics of their faith. They may know several Bible stories and carry around a generic ethic of “love others,” but they don't know what the essentials of the Christian faith are. Because of this, they are unaware of how these basic beliefs should inform their daily lives; they don't realize how these essential beliefs offer a distinct perspective on the world; and they find themselves unable to share with others why Christianity is so incredibly compelling. In this session, I hope we can see anew the unique hope and beauty and life found in core Christian convictions.

Teacher:
Josh Strahan

From “This I Know” to “You Are My All in All”: Jesus and Children Together - Shannon Rains

The relationship between Jesus and children is the topic of sermons and deep theological papers. It’s been imagined through art and is joyfully described in time-worn songs. While our society clamors for the attention of our children, this workshop will provide practical ways of leading children into life with Christ.

Teacher:
Shannon Rains

Seeking Leaders With Christlike Hearts - Bryan Fojtasek

What does it take to be an effective leader in a local church, nonprofit, or ministry environment? This is a question that countless churches have wrestled with, whether it's in the context of recruiting volunteers to serve in existing ministries, installing elders to shepherd the congregation, or searching for new ministers to love and lead the church. This class will explore a simple but essential truth from God’s Word: The best leaders strive to have a heart like Jesus did, because who we are on the inside will always be more important than what we do on the outside. The goal of this class will be to give existing leaders a roadmap on how to love and lead like Jesus did, as well as give churches some important principles to keep in mind as they think about recruiting new leaders to serve their congregations. We’ll be incorporating some key passages from the Bible and recommending some great resources that explain why churches sometimes gravitate towards toxic leaders—and how to avoid making that same mistake in your congregations.

Teacher:
Bryan Fojtasek

IMAGE - Carlos Isaziga

Humanity is captivated by the aesthetics of our world. What captures the eyes usually captures the heart. Images flood our minds and hearts through multiple channels. So what do we do when the IMAGE of God has been distorted? Why have we opted for creation rather than the creator? This distorted image of God forms an image of ourselves, others and the way we see the world. Can we recapture & repaint the beauty of who God is?

Teacher:
Carlos Isaziga

Ministering Away from Fundamentalism - Adam Matthews

Fundamentalism is a reactionary phenomenon informing believers of every religion around the world. So, what is it? What fruit has it borne? And how should an understanding of fundamentalism change our ministry, especially preaching? In this session we’ll briefly discuss fundamentalism, what it is, where it comes from, how it has shaped Christian’s interpretation of the Bible, behavior, and rhetoric, and what should change in the future.

Teacher:
Adam Matthews

Raising Resilience: A Framework for Ministers for Themselves and their Congregations - Connie Horton

Ministry is tough! It's critical that ministers attend to their own resilience as well as have a framework and tools that can help them support their congregations in being resilient in challenging times. Pepperdine's RISE program will be shared and possible applications from parenting workshops, youth ministry, adult classes, sermons, and pastoral conversations will be suggested.

Teacher:
Connie Horton

Love Requires Words: Sharing Faith in 21st Century America (Part 2) - Neil Reynolds

This class includes a hybrid of teaching and panel discussion exploring the virtue of sharing Christ with our neighbors.

Teacher:
Neil Reynolds

Panelists:

A Leadership for the Ages of the Church (Part 2) - John Boyles

Part 2 of this class considers how the historical lives of Christians and the leadership can inform our own consideration about leadership in the church today. After a brief review of the results from part one and surveying some exemplary trends in church history, we will focus our attention on the particular context of the Church in the US to consider how the past provides wisdom for our present leadership needs.

Teacher:
John Boyles