Womanist Midrash by Wilda C. Gafney

December 30, 2023 Matthew McNuttLeave a comment

I just finished reading Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne by Rev. Dr. Wilda C. Gafney, and wow, it’s a must for Old Testament libraries. Her scholarship is really strong, the insights are invaluable, and I found myself provoked over and over to rethink passages I’ve glossed over in the past.

Womanist Midrash is essentially a commentary, but it reads much smoother than most commentaries. The purpose of this commentary is to approach passages in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and passages in the Old Testament that deal with women connected to the throne with a womanist perspective and intent. Gafney explains womanism in this way: “Womanism emerged as black women’s intellectual and interpretive response to racism and classism in feminism and its articulation and in response to sexism in black liberationist thought.”

What makes this approach so invaluable is that Gafney notices and expands on nuances in the text often missed by male commentators. It is too easy to fall into just reading white male theologians; yes, they have their place and value, but a more diverse set of voices brings a much fuller picture of what God communicates in His scriptures.

I love this commentary; going forward it will be one of my sources I always consult with in addition to my other commentaries before teaching or preaching on anything from the Old Testament. Normally I don’t read commentaries cover to cover but this one was worth it. Definitely a must for students of the scriptures.

2023 Writing in Review

December 26, 2023 Matthew McNuttLeave a comment

2023 is a wrap! It was a fun year for writing; I got to be a part of the launch for Coleader, the new curriculum resource from the crew behind Download Youth Ministry, as well as continue creating for DYM. 2023 saw ten curriculum resources released on Coleader, as well as two for the Coleader Roadmaps (I wrote HABITS, rewrote Rewind), six curriculum resources released at DYM, 34 games and 17 countdown video resources published on Download Youth Ministry. My youngest, Zach, was the brains behind Adam’s Name Game, Heather cocreated Hashtag Bunny Bounce. It was definitely the year of the Dancing Beast – those countdown videos were downloaded and reviewed waaay more than I ever would have anticipated. Click the images below to check everything out!

Coleader Curriculum Series:

Coleader Roadmaps:

Download Youth Ministry Curriculum:

Download Youth Ministry Games & Media:

Super Short Book Reviews

September 6, 2023 Matthew McNuttLeave a comment

Roadmap to Reconciliation 2.0: Moving Communities into Unity, Wholeness and Justice by Brenda Salter McNeil. I enjoyed this one; Brenda Salter McNeil lays out a powerful case for the need for reconciliation in churches in America and points the reader in the direction of how that might be achieved. The challenge will be seeing enough Christians understand the need to build “reconciling communities of racial, etheric, class and gender diversity.” Far too many white evangelicals are comfortable with how things are now or refuse to even acknowledge that there is still much work to be done.

Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church by Nijay K. Gupta. This is a great introductory book to women in the Bible. Gupta does a great job of surveying scripture and explaining ancient culture and practices, helping the reader to gain insights. I appreciated his process and approach. As he points out, “there is ample evidence inside and outside the New Testament that women were actively involved in ministry, at the frontier of the gospel mission, as respected leaders in the church, and even as primary leaders of household congregations.” Yet as Beth Allison Barr points out in her foreword, the problem too often has been our ability to notice or see these women.

Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier. Awful book. It’s been a while since I’ve been this frustrated with something I’ve read. I read it because of the volume of reviews it has, but I was incredibly disappointed. Her tone is sarcastic and mocking, her primary source seems to be angry parents who have lost their relationships with their trans kids, and she has no significant background or expertise in the subject yet presents her opinions as fact. Yes, there is a trend of “rapid onset gender dysphoria” happening in adolescents that does warrant discussion and study, but this book is not the answer. Adopting her tone will achieve the same result as so many in her book; lost relationships. A far better alternative? Anything by Mark Yarhouse on the topic.

2022 Writing in Review

December 27, 2022December 27, 2022 Matthew McNutt1 Comment

2022 is almost a wrap! I continue to have a lot of fun creating youth ministry resources. 2022 saw ten curriculum resources published and 30 game and/or media resources published, all through Download Youth Ministry. My youngest, Zach, was the brains behind both of the Dare Tag 2 and the Mind Reader games. Heather created the Fire countdown video and co-authored the Caption Challenge games with me. Click the images below to check them out!

Curriculum:

Games & Video Resources:

My Christmas Resources!

December 2, 2022 Matthew McNuttLeave a comment

I have a handful of Christmas resources that I have created – and a couple that Heather created with me – that may be useful during this time of year! The images below are all links to where they are located on the Download Youth Ministry store. Check them out!

God With the Fearful is a one-off Christmas message based on Matthew 1:18-25 focusing on God’s promises to Joseph to save him and be with him in his fear. It includes a message manuscript, handouts, discussion questions, PowerPoint file, and images for social media.

Christmas Movie Trivia the Sequel title image

Hashtag Sleigh Ride, Christmas Movie Trivia, Christmas Movie Trivia The Sequel, Mind Reader Christmas, and Caption Challenge Christmas Edition are all games that can be played in person or online. Hashtag Sleigh Ride and Caption Challenge Christmas Edition both include versions for Instagram as well! Heather and I co-authored Hashtag Sleigh Ride and Caption Challenge Christmas Edition.

Strange Holidays is a fun collection of seasonal social media images and challenges that can be used, one per week, for the months of December, January, and February! The Christmas Scripture Video five pack has five typography videos with Christmas related scripture passages – at $6 for all five videos, it’s an incredible deal! They are all licensed to be used in person and online, so they can be used as worship elements, or even just social media videos in the buildup to Christmas. See the video below to see what they are:

2022 Student Missions Reports

VideoJune 27, 2022 Matthew McNuttLeave a comment

Yesterday was our annual student missions report Sunday! This year we had 91 students and adults participate in our three trips. The highlight for Heather and I, though, was our three sons in the video above. Zach shared about his experience on the Niagara Falls trip (YouthWorks), Noah shared about his experience on the Blue […]

Skit Guys’ Family Camp movie review

May 20, 2022 Matthew McNuttLeave a comment

The Skit Guys’ new movie, Family Camp, is a must see! Such a fun, family friendly film! The concept of the movie, a church family camp, is the perfect story for Tommy Woodard and Eddie James to shine. I’ll be honest, most faith-based movies rub me kind of wrong; they tend to be cheesy, predictable, or overly preachy. Family Camp manages to avoid those traps while still telling a story with a message, one I can’t wait to watch again.

I loved the humor. Great lines, hilarious physical comedy, a story that wasn’t predictable – it kept my family riveted to the screen. I loved that both actors had imperfect characters; at first glance I thought it was going to be black and white, one would be the example, the other the warning. Instead, they both had struggles and both had storylines teaching a powerful lesson about marriage – without being preachy or cheesy.

Our group took over an entire screening and it was a hit with everyone – every generation enjoyed the film. It’s definitely worth checking out. Seeing it on the big screen is the way to go! The Skit Guys’ succeeded in not just making a great faith-based film, they made a great movie.

Check out the free Family Camp movie discussion guide available at DYM!

Lead Them to Jesus: A Handbook for Youthworkers

February 22, 2022 Matthew McNutt1 Comment

Lead Them to Jesus: A Handbook for Youthworkers, by Mike McGarry, is another must read by McGarry. It truly is a handbook, a strong resource for both the professional youthworker and the members of the volunteer team. At only 192 pages, it is an easy read. McGarry divides the book into two sections; the first half walks the reader through 17 critical biblical truths. I love this section; if you’ve ever been caught off guard by a student with questions about why God allows suffering, who is God, what happens when someone commits suicide, and so on, this handbook provides a quick reference point to find answers.

The second half of the book tackles practical help for the youthworker; how to start a youth ministry, handling discipline, planning a calendar, talking about sex – there are 23 short chapters with topics like these. Super helpful for the new youth worker, but also a great refresher for the experienced leader as well.

Throughout the book the reader sees McGarry’s love for the integrity and importance of scripture. I love his admonition, “Patiently teaching good theology to students, however, makes a significant impact because it shapes their view of God. Don’t underestimate what teenagers (yes, even middle school boys) are able to comprehend.” Too many think the Bible needs to be dumbed down or simplified for young people – all this does is teach them to not take it seriously. Young people are hungry for depth, for truth.

Lead Them to Jesus: A Handbook for Youthworkers is an important resource. It’s a great tool for a leader to get for each of their team members, both as a reference guide as issues and needs come up, but also as a training tool to work through together. I highly recommend!

2021 Writing in Review

December 30, 2021 Matthew McNuttLeave a comment

2021 is coming to a close … and it has gone by fast! I continue to have a lot of fun creating youth ministry resources. 2021 saw seven curriculum resources published and 29 game and/or media resources published, all through Download Youth Ministry. I also wrote an update to my chapter in the Youth Cartel’s book, Youth Ministry in This Season of Disruption. Heather and I wrote the Insta Devo resource together, as well as worked together on the Caption Challenge games. My youngest, Zach, was the brains behind both of the Dare Tag games. And I learned that if you make fun of Boomers (Boomer Say What), it will become your most popular game of the year. Click the images below to check them out!

Curriculum

Games & Media

My Christmas Resources!

November 29, 2021 Matthew McNuttLeave a comment

Hashtag Sleigh Ride, Christmas Movie Trivia, and Caption Challenge Christmas Edition are all games that can be played in person or online. Hashtag Sleigh Ride and Caption Challenge Christmas Edition both include versions for Instagram as well! Heather and I co-authored Hashtag Sleigh Ride and Caption Challenge Christmas Edition.