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Three Top Website Recommendations
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, November 20, 2009
Today, I want to recommend three great websites. I have been visiting these websites for several years with great appreciation. I have recommended them before, but they’re worth another shout out.
This website offers thousands of photos of biblical sites. You name it, they’ll have it, and much, much more. But here’s the best part. For use in ministry or teaching contexts, you can use these fantastic photos for free. (Commercial uses require special permission, as do some website uses.)
Holy Land Photos is the brainchild of Dr. Carl Rasmussen, who is Professor of Biblical Studies at Bethel College, Minnesota. Carl is an expert in biblical archeology. He contributes both photos and commentary on this excellent website.
Presbyweb (also, Church and World.com)
Presbyweb collects valuable news stories of interest to Presbyterians. It now includes a United Methodist edition as well. There is no better place in the entire world to keep on on what’s happening in the PC(USA). Presbyweb, which is updated daily (except Sundays), is truly, literally “fair and balanced.” It includes stories from different sides of the church, treating all with respect.
Presbyweb and associated websites are the work of Han Cornelder, who is a PC(USA) pastor. He’s been doing this work for over ten years. Now I should mention that Presbyweb and the other Church and World sites are subscription sites. After a free trial, you’ll need to make a donation to the work. But, in my opinion, this is some of the best subscription money I pay each year. If you’re a leader in the Presbyterian or United Methdist churches (pastor, minister, elder, deacon, etc.), you need this invaluable service. (By the way, I should mention that I do not receive anything for this promotion. Hans is not a personal friend, though we have exchanged friendly emails and I have a great appreciation for his work. He does link to my website when he thinks I have something worthwhile for his audience, but we have no official quid pro quo.)
The High Calling of Our Daily Work
If you read my website very often, you know that Laity Lodge (where I work) and The High Calling.org are siblings. We share the same parent organization, the Foundations for Laity Renewal (formerly, the H.E. Butt Foundation). Moreover, you may know that I contribute to The High Calling.org, writing the Daily Reflections that appear on the site and are emailed to thousands of people each morning. So I am not fully objective about this website.
But, I should add that I was a fan of The High Calling.org before joined the staff of Laity Lodge. In fact, my excitement for this work was one of the major factors that God used to draw me to Texas. The High Calling.org seeks to use the Internet to encourage Christians to live our their faith in daily life, especially in their workplace. This is “the high calling of our daily work.”
The High Calling.org features content that changes weekly, at least. My Daily Reflections change daily. The content includes Bible studies, interviews, thematic articles, etc. And because The High Calling.org is supported by Foundations for Laity Renewal, it is able to give away its material (almost all of the time). So if you’re looking for some excellent resources, either for yourself, or a small group, or an adult Sunday School class, check out The High Calling.org. You’ll be glad you did.
Topics: Recommendations |
One Response to “Three Top Website Recommendations”
Comments
Thanks for your willingness to make a comment. Note: I do not moderate comments before they are posted, though they are automatically screened for profanities, spam, etc., and sometimes the screening program holds comments for moderation even though they're not offensive. I encourage open dialogue and serious disagreement, and am always willing to learn from my mistakes. I will not delete comments unless they are extraordinarily rude or irrelevant to the topic at hand. You do need to login in order to make a comment, because this cuts down on spam. You are free to use a nickname if you wish. Finally, I will eventually read all comments, but I don't have the time to respond to them on a consistent basis because I've got a few other demands on my time, like my "day job," my family, sleep, etc.
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November 24th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
The Holy Land Photos website provides good quality, free images of Holy Land sites and artefacts. The database contains well over two thousand images, and continues to grow.