External Resources
Sometimes, You Just Need a Helping Hand
These are resources we think might be helpful in different ways. Some of these resources are our own and some are owned by others. We have no intention of passing off the work of others as our own, only to share the great ideas and insights others have shared with us.
Though we believe these to be helpful and trustworthy, please understand you will be directed to their websites for which we have no responsibility or oversight.
We hope these are a blessing to you as you strive to better understand and live the Christian life. Perhaps, these will help as you teach others, as well.
Here are some helpful resources as you seek to study the Bible for yourself or in preparation for a Bible class or other presentation.
An expansive video library (free!) with Bible book overviews, themes, and other very interesting topics. The best part is they are videos with great graphics, succinct and insightful instruction, and most of them are in the 5-7 minute range.
A website with a lot of OLDER video resources (think 1980s-1990s VHS) ranging from Homiletics (how to preach) to Hermeneutics (how to interpret the Bible) to Bible book overviews. These are more in-depth lessons, similar to what used to be taught in older Bible institutes. While the quality is dated, the material is still sound.
Various Commentaries
Remember, commentaries are a lot like talking to a friend and asking their opinion on the Bible. These "friends" are often very educated, but they won't always get everything exactly right, so be sure to check the text for their conclusions. The best time to check in with these "friends" is when you are studying and have a question you cannot readily discern from the text. Maybe some of these scholars and researchers can help:
A wealth of free tools can be found in this website for Bible study. From encyclopedias, to charts, to language assistance, you have the full tool box many preachers would have at their disposal. A great place to find free translations of the Bible (the mainstream, like NASB, NIV, ESV and other more obscure translations, too), as well as quick references to lexicon type dictionaries (Strong's definitions, etc.).
World Bible school is a site with several good studies about the church and God's plan to save humanity from their sin. You can sign up for free self-paced courses.
There is a plethora of video resources from sermons, to topical explanations, and everything in between. Tour the lands of Jerusalem, hear gospel sermons, explore Christian evidences, hear about controversial topics, explore wisdom about parenting, and many other great videos.
Whether you are preparing for a children's class or an adult Bible study, there can be helpful resources that are free to make the presentation a bit easier. These resources range from stock imagery (free to use) to lesson plans and craft ideas (don't forget to check out ideas on Pintrest, too!).
Imagery
Remember to use images that are free of license to present so as not to infringe on copyright laws.
From photos of reenactments to cartoons there are many Bible stories in this repository.
Not many options, but the cartoons are well made.
Provided by the Mormon church, they give some helpful visuals of some New Testament locations.
Themes, holidays, characters, all free for presentations or announcements.
Make your own professional grade graphics with tons of free options (yes, they have "paid" options, too) that look like graphic artist level quality.
Lesson Plans
They have curriculum you can sign up and pay for access to have a full children's curriculum with craft ideas, songs, questions, reviews, and a lot of other helpful ideas (login is here). There are some useful resources in their free section as well.
Free Bible Images (yes, the same as above)
There are many slide shows that come with explanations on each of the slides and can be used for teaching a class, especially in a younger age category. One example is Sweet Publishing whose slides all have the "story planner" to help explain what is happening in the story.
Children's teaching class material, also with lesson plans, craft ideas, helpful explanations for age appropriate lessons.
How can you help change a person's life both here on earth and into eternity? Study God's word with them. We believe individual Bible studies are one of the most effective ways in our culture we can help change people's lives with the word of God. Here are a few methods or curriculums we think are helpful.
This is a great series designed by Mike Schneider and has led hundreds of people to Christ through Mike's own studies and those who have used his material. Gabe, the preacher in Estes Park, and his wife, Rachael, are two such examples of people who were converted through this material.