Courses and Materials

Discovering a courageous and peaceful way forward.

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Get to know Thrive's resources

THRIVE courses are cross-culturally relevant. The lessons provide information that leads to understanding and creativity. Truths that connect to current life events are presented clearly and simply. Students are challenged to use logic and reasoning in order to apply those truths in practical ways in everyday life.

The lessons are written with insight to the students’ living situations and their everyday experiences. Illustrations are relevant to the world in which they live.

This cultural relevance makes Thrive courses an excellent tool for:

Short-term missions. At times, we are unsure of what to teach when in a location for a few days or weeks. With Thrive lessons, instructors can teach with confidence in schools, in community groups, in churches, or one-on-one in a home. The teaching is valuable and the resource books can be left behind for further instruction and to be used by the nationals in many venues.
Ministries who are engaging national instructors. The lessons are user-friendly. The “personality” of the lessons is conversational. The wording and flow of the lesson enables many national instructors to learn new information and then teach it.

Thrive Life Skills courses are not a program. The lessons provide guidance, a "jumping off point" for the needs and goals of every group or individual. They are a tool to help move beyond rescue to rebuilding. We ask that you use them with integrity to the message while adding your own personality and vision.

Discovering Our Identity

This study opens the door to a conversation that is both intriguing and unsettling. We have questions that don’t seem to have answers. We see injustice that has no hope of being made “right.” We are unsure of what we should expect from ourselves and from others. At times, we struggle to express our identity. Other times, we desperately want to blend in with the crowd.

There is a need to assist women and men who are suffering, have been abused, or at the very least, are making unwise choices that affect the rest of their lives. The suffering often comes at the hand of intentional evil. The suffering also comes at the hand of untruthful information and wrong perspective.

This is the call of Discovering Our True Identity & Living That Identity With Courage & Peace. Through these lessons, we begin to discover the goodness of God’s creation - humanity - woman and man. The vision of this study is help women and men travel life’s journey: With Wisdom, With Safety, With Courage, With awareness of God, & With Truth

Moving Forward From Trauma

Life is a series of events, a “story.” Many people have experienced trauma of some kind. Deep inside, confusion and unrest have changed everything. Many feel that their “life story” has stopped. A common response is to put the suffering in a box and try to put life back together the way it was "before."

The purpose of this course is to help participants “suffer” in a healthy way and then begin the process of moving forward. This includes coming to resolution or “peace” with that suffering. This is not a licensed counseling course. It is a useful tool to give confidence and assistance as you come alongside those who are struggling through pain. A mentor training manual focuses on how to interact with respect and compassion.

We cannot erase trauma. We cannot “fix” it. We can walk with people as they face the trauma that has happened. We can give a safe place for them to tell their stories. We can encourage those who are suffering to discover how to move forward with hope and confidence.

Ministry Enterprise Handbook

Ministry Enterprise is a handbook to provide the necessary foundation for a viable business that is part of the ministry, a business that will run smoothly grow, and be self-sustaining. When coming alongside, the need for income opens the door to business, enterprise. Most ministries begin with some type of craft business. The difficulty is that the business venture is often set up quickly without proper business structure. The craft business is not healthy and cannot grow with the ministry.

Training, choosing a product, marketing, business structure, finances - these are just a few of the topics included in this handbook. We will talk about the product, marketing and all the details of business that are often ignored. You will find simple instructions and templates for inventory, budget, finances - and much more! It is important in business to keep good records and stay organized. Yet, most people avoid this, hoping that everything will “be ok.” This handbook gives the tools necessary to establish good business practices so that your business and your ministry will grow strong.

This handbook is intended to be studied from beginning to end, moving through each lesson at your own pace. Each lesson builds on the one before. It will also become a reference and reminder as you have questions along the way. You will use the form templates to create your own that meet the needs of your particular ministry. This handbook will answer many of the questions you are asking and bring to your attention some that you didn’t know were important.

Learning To Teach

One of the great privileges and responsibilities of “learning” is to share with others. To accept the responsibility of teaching others is a great joy! But “learning” and “teaching” are two very different skills. Many people are asked to teach or lead others without proper training. This can be frustrating and end in disappointment and failure, no matter how committed we are.

If we are going to teach, we want to do it in such a way that the students understand the information well enough to use it. We want the students to learn in such a way that they can one day teach others. This kind of teaching requires planning and attention to detail.

This courses provides a foundation for teaching effectively. What are the characteristics of an effective teacher? What do we want the students to learn? How do we create a lesson plan? How do we prepare for the classroom experience? Confident prepared teachers can impact a community for good.

Attitudes & Choices

This course helps students recognize how our attitudes and choices impact our relationships and our accomplishments. How do our experiences and emotions help to form our attitudes? How do we identify our attitudes? How do we change our attitudes? How do we choose correctly between self control and self gratification? Integrity and pretense? Hope and despair? Many events in our lives are out of our control; but our attitudes and choices are decisions that we make for ourselves. We can make those choices wisely.

Relationships

Three current studies are available:

EVERYDAY RELATIONSHIPS:

Relationships are part of our daily lives. This course helps students understand how they affect life, in positive ways and in harmful ways. The students will consider their own expectations of the relationships in their lives. How are family relationships different from business and social relationships? What is conflict? How do we respond to enemies? The goal is to have healthy relationships and appropriate expectations of those relationships.

FOUNDATIONS IN PARENTING:

Children do not arrive carrying an instruction booklet titled “How To Care For Me And Make Me A Responsible Adult.” Children also do not sit and wait for us to get training. Their needs and demands begin the moment they take their first breath of air. It might seem like everyone else knows what they are doing - but, most parents are struggling.This course discusses the responsibility of parenting. What is my plan? Is there a reliable source for instruction? What is a parent to do? What does it mean to “care” for a child? How do we meet the emotional and spiritual needs of the child? Are there some basic characteristics of successful parenting? Parents can grow in confidence as they discover the truth about their job assignments.

YOUNG ADULTS: FOUNDATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY:

Children. Youth. Young People. Young adults. Teens. Juveniles. Adolescents. These are all terms that are used to describe someone who is in a particular age range, anywhere from 13 to 20. This age is a time of transition. It is during this time that a person moves from dependence to independence, from child to adult. This transition is not an easy process. This time of life presents many challenges. Parents, teachers, friends, their own feelings - this time of life can feel like “constant conflict.” Everyone involved seems to have a different perspective of this “person” and the transition he or she is making. Our study will not answer all questions. But, we will discover that we can build some foundations for this unusual and challenging journey.

Where In The World Am I?

Villages... Cities... Countries... Continents... This course helps the students appreciate their own daily world and also introduces them to the world that is difficult for them to see from their point of view. The basics of reading a map helps them travel beyond their city or village. This skill introduces them to oceans, countries, and continents which they may never visit any other way. How does “my world” influence my perspective of the rest of the world? What is God’s perspective of the world? This course is fun, interactive, and opens the door to more discoveries.

Scripture Studies

Three current studies are available:

BEGINNING WITH TRUTH: Reaction and instinct, rather than logic and critical reasoning, are often the basis for decision-making. This course lays the foundation that all knowledge cannot be valued equally. Is there a source for truth? Where is it? “Truth” is a treasure that is available to anyone, independent of age, education, or position. How do we use this truth for guidance? Can truth warn us? Protect us? Truth brings freedom and accountability. Truth lays the foundation for all further study.

KNOWING GOD BY HIS CHARACTERISTICS: If we are to study Scripture correctly, we must have a correct understanding of the author. This course presents some of God’s characteristics - as HE describes them. It is important for us to “know” God as HE says He is, not as others want to describe Him. What does it mean in my life that God is immutable? Self-sufficient? Eternal? Good? Sovereign? Knowing the truth about God will give the foundation needed to face the challenges and uncertainties of life.

JESUS: WHO & WHY?: Who is Jesus? What did He do? Why is He important?

This course challenges students to carefully and logically consider why Jesus’ birth is more than a special event in December. As they begin at the beginning and think about man’s need for redemption, they anticipate the solution with joy. Perhaps the students’ relationships with Jesus will be changed forever.

Sewing

Three current studies are available:

INTRODUCTION TO SEWING:

Sewing is a common source of income in many countries. This course intends to set the student apart in the area of quality and process. This will give them an advantage in the marketplace.

This course is intended as the first step in sewing skills and focuses on hand-sewing along with a correct “philosophy” of sewing: “To create an end product that is beautifully pleasing to the eye and well-sewn to withstand use.” Simple projects give opportunity to practice and strengthen new skills.

PROFICIENCY IN HAND SEWING:

This course strengthens the useful skill of hand-sewing. New stitches are introduced and then practiced through a series of dolls, increasing in difficulty. The students continue to grow in their ability to read patterns, follow instructions, and keep to good quality. Creativity is also encouraged and the resulting hand-made doll is a treasure to the student.

LEARNING TO USE THE SEWING MACHINE:

A sewing machine is a prized possession. This course familiarizes the students with the basics of using that machine correctly and efficiently. A tailor is more capable when he/she knows how the machine works rather than simply pushing buttons and hoping for success. Attention and practice is given to threading, tension, bobbins, stitch length, and of course, “ripping.” Control of the machine is a constant challenge, but a necessary accomplishment.

Health & Well-Being

Three current studies are available:

HOME & COMMUNITY HEALTH:

How do we tackle the difficulties of health in many communities? The first step is to understand that many of our actions do impact our health and the actions of one person affect the community. The condition of the water, the care of living spaces, the care of the open areas, these all affect the personal health of those living in the community.

How is disease transferred? Is clean water important? How can we keep the community clean? When the community works together to improve health, every individual benefits.

PERSONAL HEALTH:

This course focuses on personal hygiene. The lessons considers the five senses, basic care of the skin, hair, eyes, ears, nose, and the mouth. As the students gain understanding of how their bodies work, they are capable to make wise decisions in caring for and protecting themselves and those in their care.

THE SYSTEMS OF THE BODY:

Our incredible bodies serve us every day. The mechanics of how our bodies work can be mysterious and vague. This course introduces the basic systems with simple and relevant explanations of how they do the work. How does blood travel through the body? What happens to our food once we swallow it? How do messages travel from our brain to hands, feet, heart...? What keeps us breathing? Do muscles move our bones - or bones move our muscles?

As students move from one system to the next, they see how the systems interact and support each other - accomplishing a task greater than any one assignment. The lessons challenge the students to use their new understanding to make wise choices about their own bodies.

Intro To Business

Two current studies are available:

INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS:

Introduction to Business builds a foundation for a more detailed study of business. What is business and who is involved in it? What kind of business interests me? Why do we want to be involved in business? Earning an income is important, but is closely followed by the opportunity to contribute in a way that improves the life of the community. Business is not an easy road to profit and power. Business has its benefits and its demands.

BUSINESS AND WORK ETHICS:

All business is built on a system of ethics, the principles of right and wrong by which we make decisions. This course first defines “ethics” and then makes application to business and work in general. The lessons focus on integrity, accountability, and excellence.