{"id":932,"date":"2009-11-20T03:01:19","date_gmt":"2009-11-20T03:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/11\/three-top-website-recommendations.html"},"modified":"2009-11-20T03:01:19","modified_gmt":"2009-11-20T03:01:19","slug":"three-top-website-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/11\/three-top-website-recommendations.html","title":{"rendered":"Three Top Website Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.
\nHoly Land Photos<\/strong><\/a><\/em>
\n<\/a>
\nThis 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<\/strong><\/em>. (Commercial uses require special permission, as do some website uses.)
\nHoly Land Photos<\/a><\/em> 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.
\nPresbyweb<\/a><\/em>\u00a0 (also, Church and World.com<\/a><\/em>) <\/strong>
\n<\/a>
\nPresbyweb<\/em> collects valuable news stories of interest to Presbyterians. It now includes a United Methodist edition<\/a> as well. There is no better place in the entire world to keep on on what’s happening in the PC(USA). Presbyweb<\/em>, 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.
\nPresbyweb<\/em> and associated websites are the work of Han Cornelder, who is a PC(USA) pastor.\u00a0 He’s been doing this work for over ten years. Now I should mention that Presbyweb<\/em> and the other Church and World<\/em> 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.)
\nThe High Calling of Our Daily Work<\/strong><\/a><\/em>
\n<\/a>
\nIf you read my website very often, you know that Laity Lodge (where I work) and The High Calling.org<\/em> 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<\/em>, 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.
\nBut, I should add that I was a fan of The High Calling.org<\/em> 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<\/em> 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.”
\nThe High Calling.org<\/em> features content that changes weekly, at least. My Daily Reflections change daily. The content includes Bible studies, interviews, thematic articles, etc.\u00a0 And because The High Calling.org<\/em> 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<\/a><\/em>. You’ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. Holy Land Photos This website offers thousands of photos of biblical sites. You name it, they’ll have it, and much, much more. But here’s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recommendations"],"yoast_head":"\nThree Top Website Recommendations - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}