Note: You might want to show some of the shorter video clips at the end of a lesson for the following week, to whet their appetite for the upcoming chapter!
Chapter one
Adopting God’s Heart for the Nations
Watch the first video compliments of the online training course PathWays to Global Understanding: A Series of Twelve Videos. In a little over twenty minutes, the session builds on Chapter One for the rest of Across the Street and Around the World. It shows how God created us to be a light and blessing to the nations in a story threaded through the Bible. (This free video series will be available live streaming for now if you give your email address to get access.)
Chapter Two
Entering Other Cultures Well
Watch an eleven-minute talk from graduate students at Stanford on inter-cultural communication tips. I found these right on—and helpful to get us thinking about the different ways in which we communicate, and how important it is to be mindful of our speech, body language, and translation as we speak to people in other cultures.
Chapter Three
Engaging International Students and Welcoming Refugees
This heart-stirring video clip about a resettled refugee finding a new life in America brought tears to my eyes. Watch it while you read Chapter Three of Across the Street and Around the World to understand the situation for refugees right now. You might get motivated to make a friend like Al.
CHapter Four
Cultivating Intentional Cross-Cultural Disciples
I love this simple series of four-minute videos that show how a student asks another international student to read the Bible with them. It takes all the guesses out, and makes it seem like you can do it. Watch all five clips along with reading Chapter Four of Across the Street and Around the World. Or just start with the first one that shows how to ask an international friend to read the Bible with you, from the video series called Leading Bible Studies by InterVarsity.
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CHapter Five
Offering Jesus in a Winsome Way to Other Cultures
Watch The Bible Project explain in five minutes the good news of the Kingdom of God that Chapter Five in Across the Street and Around the World touches on. It’s so important! (Just keep on watching all kinds of Bible Project videos here to get really deep and clear explanations of many complex topics and books of the Bible).
Then take another eight minutes to see a whiteboard description of how our worldview shapes how we share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Increasing Your Missional Intelligence (MQ)
This four-minute clip is a great description of the spiritual state of the world in strategic terms, produced by Reality Church in Santa Barbara, California. It’ll set the stage for why Chapter Six in Across the Street and Around the World is so important, in easy to understand language. It’s even short enough to share on social media or show it in your church services.
CHapter Six
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This seven-minute is the best illustration of the remaining missions task and the spiritual state of the world I’ve ever seen, produced by Frontier Missions.
CHapter Seven
Planning and Participating in Effective Short-Term Trips
Use this five-minute vlog-type video clip to get a dose of reality about short trips overseas from a young vlogger going viral Gret Glyer. It resonates with Chapter Five in Across the Street and Around the World.
Then watch the Reflection Vlog made by two brothers from Twinsauce who traveled on a short survey trip with me, to see what they came away with from the survey trip. Hey, if you want to watch the whole series of our survey trip through southern Bangladesh will come to life!
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CHapter Eight
Mobilizing Inspirationally, Giving Extravently, and Praying Passionately
Look up a people group’s country or religious block by Joshua Project and Prayer Cast by clicking on the button after you read through Chapter Eight of Across the Street and Around the World. As you watch a few of the videos, pray for them, dream about how you can inspire people to get involved there, and how you could support people working with them. You might want to subscribe to get a prayer video every day!
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CHapter Nine
Wrestling with Calling, Gifting, and Personalities
Take the What Kind of Goer Are You? Quiz for fun, and to talk about whether you are a Bleeding Heart, a Strategic Thinker, a Meaning and Purpose Person, an Adventure Traveler or an Obedient Disciples. You can read about it in Chapter Nine of Across the Street and Around the World. There’s no right answer. It’s just to know yourself a bit better! Then watch this clip of Luke’s Journey from the UK, as he explores a calling and how he discerned God’s will for his life to move overseas.
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CHapter ten
Dreaming About Overseas Professions and Earthly Impact
Get a feel for kingdom businesses running well in other countries as you read Chapter Ten in Across the Street and Around the World: An artisan company that employs at-risk women, a media company that shapes culture, and a high-end coffee chain that employs hundreds. In this second episode of a nine-vlog series surveying Bangladesh, follow TwinSauce brothers as they experience identities in country that could be just who they already are!
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CHapter eleven
Surrendering the American Dream
Listen to this thirty-five minute session by David Platt how living a radically surrendered life, after you read through Chapter Eleven of Across the Street and Around the World. He unpacks and digs deep into the cost that Jesus requires for those who follow him.
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Getting Healthy and Hearing From God
Honestly, it was hard to find high quality, current videos on these topics. You could suggest your group watch my hour-long webinar on Getting Emotionally Healthy, based on Chapter Twelve.
I love Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God series, but they’re fairly dated, low quality videos. For a quick intro to listening prayer as you discuss Chapter Twelve in Across the Street and Around the World, show this clip from NavPress and Rusty Rustenbach on Listening Prayer.
CHapter twelve
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To set up the idea the high cost of taking emotional baggage with us, check out this thoughtful video clip from Kensington Church.