A while back I posted an enthusiastic review of Francis Chan's second book Forgotten God. A couple of months ago, someone at David C Cook happened to see my review. I received an email from Angela asking for my address so she could send me a copy of the DVD Study Resource for Forgotten God to also review. (So full disclosure - yes, I received this DVD for free in exchange for this review.)
My wife and I happily used a couple of our weekly date nights to watch these videos since both of us were equally impacted by Francis' book. Unfortunately, we didn't have a physical copy of Forgotten God with us as we watched, but we had my wife's notes she had jotted as she read the book. Based on our personal recollections and my wife's journaling, we both felt the videos truly were an excellent companion to the book.I have not seen the workbook that groups use alongside this DVD resource, but even without the workbook, these videos have worth. Thankfully, the videos do not replace or duplicate the content of the book. Instead, it seems they were filmed with the goal of complimenting and enhancing the content of the book. And it is my opinion they met that goal superbly.The videos themselves have a Nooma-esque feel to them. Several times the music (which was wonderfully composed for this DVD) would be playing as the camera panned or zoomed, and I half-expected Rob Bell to appear in his iconic glasses. While the films weren't as "original" as I would have preferred, Francis thankfully isn't trying to be a surfer-Rob, rather he is completely comfortable being himself in front of a camera. (Don't get me wrong, the quality of these films are excellent - they just mimicked the style of the Nooma films a little too much.)Throughout each film, Francis didn't sound like he was using a script. The content felt like he was just talking (much as he sounds in his preaching). While this approach has surprised me in the few Sunday sermons I have heard from Cornerstone Church's podcast, I found myself appreciating this aspect in the videos. This indicated to me that these ideas are coming from deep within Francis due to his passion and study of God's Word. He truly believes this stuff. It felt as if Francis was talking from his heart, off script, straight at you or your small group. His pastoral heart definitely comes through, just as it does in his books.The DVD chapters match the book's chapters. My wife and I watched the first 4 chapters on one date night, and finished the last 3 a few weeks later. The difference between those nights was that three days before we watched the last videos, Francis had announced he was stepping down from his church as senior pastor. His reason? He feels like the Holy Spirit is calling him to something new. He doesn't know what it is yet, but he felt that it was time to step out in faith and obey the Spirit's prompting. It's refreshing to see a pastor and author truly living out the words he has written in a book and spoke into a camera.If you are part of a small group that is looking for some material to study this summer, I highly recommend Forgotten God. Again, I haven't seen the workbooks. But if they are half as good as the book and the complimenting videos, I think your group will have fantastic discussions, be challenged as disciples of Jesus, and stop ignoring the forgotten person of the Trinity. I'll warn you, though: some of what Francis says will challenge you, especially if you are living a comfortable Christian existence. But if you desire a deeper walk with Christ and a better understanding of the Holy Spirit's work in the life of a Jesus-follower, you won't be disappointed with this material.Rating: 4.5 out of 5 doves (I'll use doves again since I used that image for the book review rating)
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