Miracles: Fiction or Fact?

Just saw this on Kickstarter and got instantly excited! Elijah is making a documentary about miracles. This is what he has to say:

“My name is Elijah. I believe miracles can happen. Also, I have a degree in philosophy as well as psychology, so when I hear claims of people being healed, I naturally have lots of questions. I’m convinced that if they’re true, and God is doing this, then there should be a trail of evidence that corroborates some of those stories. ”

— Elijah Stephens

As of this writing, he's got 14 days to reach his kickstarter goal. Let's throw some money his way to make a difference and get this movie made!

Brain Science Resources

This week at SOSL I taught on brain science. I used a number of books, videos and research articles in generating the teaching and some of the students asked for links to the videos and books. Figuring this may be of interest to a wider audience, I've posted those resources here!

Books

There are a ton of books about the brain, here are the ones I referenced this week (links are to iBookstore).

Videos

I showed clips from several of the videos below.

The brain uses a quarter of the body's entire energy supply, yet only accounts for about two percent of the body's mass. So how does this unique organ receive and, perhaps more importantly, rid itself of vital nutrients? New research suggests it has to do with sleep. Link to YouTube.

Stress isn't always a bad thing; it can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you're playing a competitive sport or have to speak in public. But when it's continuous, it actually begins to change your brain. (Great intro to epigenetics.) Link to YouTube.

Video that demonstrates the son's basil ganglia works just fine. Link to YouTube.

Buddy (Will Ferrell) insults the diminutive Miles (Peter Dinklage) when he calls him an elf. Over and over again. Thus demonstrating poor prefrontal cortex function. Link to YouTube.

Your brain on social media. Link to YouTube.

Ever wonder how your brain processes information? These brain tricks and illusions help to demonstrate the two main systems of Fast and Slow Thinking in your brain. Link to YouTube.

Video on perception and visual processing. Link to YouTube.

We don't know much about the human brain on music. Do people instinctively know the sound patterns of the pentatonic scale? Is there a base level of musical knowledge in all of us, just waiting to be tapped? Link to YouTube.

What happened to her emotions when she went through this? What happens to your emotions when you watch this? Your temporal lobes are doing their job! Link to YouTube.

Barbara Arrowsmith-Young is the author of the international best-selling book The Woman Who Changed Her Brain. Link to YouTube.

Here's a good summary of some of the SPECT brain scanning. I didn't get to show this video, but it's a good overview nevertheless. Link to YouTube.

Update (11/7/17): Not mentioned in my teaching, but interesting never the less, is this video about making your brain happy.

Become a Communication Ninja

This week we talked about Life Languages on our podcast. Taking a Life Language profile will give you in-depth insight into your communication styles. This, coupled with the additional information in the document, will help you understand yourself and others and increase your communication skills.

All of our staff at Grace Center take a Life Language profile and it's been one of the most helpful things we've done to boost productivity and reduce communication conflict. If you haven't taken a profile before (or it's been a while since you last did) we've partnered with our friend Allison Hendrickson who is a certified Life Language trainer. If you head over to her site and use the KLLP code jones (all lower case) you can save $5 on a profile. And bonus: if you take your profile before the end of this week, we've invited Allison to share on next week's podcast about Life Languages and answer your questions.

So here's what to do:

1. Go get your profile (use the code jones in the KLLP code box to save $5)
2. Listen to this week's podcast on Life Languages to give yourself an introduction to the concepts
3. Ask Allison a question about Life Languages
4. Listen to next week's podcast to hear her answers

Have a great week!

75 Episodes In

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For episode 75 of Keeping Up With The Joneses we had the wonderful privilege of sitting down with two men with incredible stories. Pastor Surprise has seen eight people raised from the dead; Pastor Franci was raised from the dead. On this episode they talk about their experiences with Jesus. We hope this episode fills you with awe at what Jesus is doing on the earth. Photo credit: Becky Pendergrass.

Heaven Declares 2015

We just wrapped up an incredible conference at Heaven Declares. The presence of God was just wonderful, worship was incredible and the teaching outstanding. If you'd like to catch any of the sessions head over to the conference website to download the MP3s or watch the session videos.

Creativity

I spoke at emanate on creativity. If you were there and want copies of the notes including the godly beliefs you declared, download them below. If you missed it and want to get rid of things that keep you from being creative, watch the message below.

UGB 1 - I'm not creative

GB: I am creative because I was born creative. I have been created in the image of a creator. As a child of God, filled with the Spirit of God, I am just like my daddy, creator God.

UGB 2 - I'm not original

GB: The work I do is inspired by God. As I partner with the favor of God on my life I will produce increasingly inspiring, incredible and creative work. Lord I ask you to establish the work of my hands for me.

UGB 3 - This won't take me anywhere

GB: As I give myself to the diligent practice of my creative work, I encounter the joy of God. I choose not to despise small beginnings for I know that as I practice I will grow in skill. As I grow in skill, I will grow in influence. As I grow in influence I step into my destiny.

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Download the notes

Here's a PDF of my notes from this message.

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Helpful Links

I showed some parts of the (excellent) Everything is a Remix videos (which itself has recently been remixed) and also recommended you check out seanwes.com for inspiration. Additionally I suggested you listen to the interview we did with Chris McClarney earlier this year. 

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Bonus Video

The very wonderful Jessie Early (who is very much a creative genius) tweeted a link to this fantastic video which pretty much sums up my third point, but in a much better way. Essential viewing for everyone.

Free Shipping

Hello America! We're pleased to announce that we now offer free shipping on all our products. No coupon codes needed. So long as your delivery address is in the USA, you'll be offered free shipping at checkout.

Remembering Ben

Yesterday, marked one year since our friend Ben Farley went to heaven. If you didn't know Ben, it would probably be worth your while listening to our podcast about him, or reading Alyn's thoughts he shared at his funeral. Either way, we miss Ben and remain amazed by the legacy of faith he left behind.

Halloween Update

We get lots of requests for our halloween talk around this time of year. We updated it recently with a cleaned up version of the audio and a video of the talk. If you've been looking for it, you can find it here.

Wonder

Alyn spoke this morning at Grace Center on wonder vs. cynicism. If you missed it, here's the video to catch yourself up.