Pastoral Helps
Showing 2101–2200 of 2246 results
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PastorPower
$22.99Add to cartPower is a persistent topic of conversation in circles both sacred and secular. Yet, how are those who follow a crucified Christ, one “whose strength was made perfect in weakness,” to think about power?
Martha Ellen Stortz presents an important volume for all those who lead or would lead in the ministry of the church. She lays an ecumenical groundwork for understanding ministry and authority, then systematically examines the different dimensions of power inherent in both: power over — or coercive power; power within — or charismatic power; and power with — or coactive power. Through case studies and in-depth discussions, Stortz offers guidance for balancing these three dimensions of power in one’s own ministry, enabling readers to recognize their own gifts or liabilities and shape their leadership styles to reflect the image of Christ.
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Ripe Life : Sermons On The Fruit Of The Spirit
$20.99Add to cartThese sermons on “the fruit of the Spirit” are developed out of Galatians 5: 22-23. This theme is often selected by pastors who preach because it is an excellent vehicle into understanding the characteristics of personal integrity at home and on the job.
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Teaching The Bible To Adults And Youth (Revised)
$20.99Add to cartTeaching the Bible to Adults and Youth shows how to make the “transparent” – with God evident throughout. Dick Murray offers suggestions for teaching, provides different approaches and perspectives from which to teach and conduct activities for learning, and examines such Bible study series as Kerygma, Trinity, Bethel, and Disciple.
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How To Build An Exciting Singles Ministry
$19.99Add to cartSeventy million single adults make up the largest minority in the United States–almost 40% of the adult population. With these figures in mind, the need for single adult groups should go without saying. But the need for single adult ministry in our churches is often overlooked. Now, however, Don Davidson provides a thorough, practical guide to single adult ministry and how to establish an effective one in your church. Davidson outlines the necessary steps for creating a unique singles group for new college grads, career people, widowed or divorced persons.
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Taking The Word To Heart A Print On Demand Title
$35.99Add to cartChristians today are besieged by ideas about personhood – what it means to be a whole person, a happy person, a fulfilled person, a healthy person. In fact, Robert C. Roberts says, psychology has invaded the Christian church – and while modern psychologies offer insights and practices that can be helpfully adapted for Christian use, they sometimes contradict and can even displace true Christianity.
Roberts examines several psychologies that tend to function as alternative spiritualities – Rogerian therapy, rational emotive therapy, assertiveness training, contextual family therapy, the psychology of Carl Jung, and the psychology of Hienz Kohut – and offers a critical evaluation of each in light of the Christian view of the self.
But just what is the Christian interpretation of selfhood? It has a great deal to do with community, with our relationships to others and to God, explains Roberts. “Christians are people of God’s Word,” Roberts says, “called daily to take it to heart, and thus be formed, as persons, by the sound of his voice. This book is all about becoming persons who dwell, in a variety of ways, among other persons.”
With this idea of personhood in mind, Roberts explores a variety of relationships important to the Christian personality, then sets forth the parameters of a distinctively Christian psychology.
Based on impressive scholarship yet highly readable, Taking the Word to Heart is a thoughtful study that will be of interest to laypeople as well as pastors, Christian counselors, theologians, and students.
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Using New Testament Greek In Ministry
$21.00Add to cartOne of the most practical guides you’ll find for preaching sermons faithful to the biblical text. Black prepares you to transform exegesis into exposition by explaining how to use the Greek text and linguistic resources to study the New Testament. Moreover, he recommends a basic library of reference books to help you with the process.
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In Others Words
$12.95Add to cartThis collection of 12 short stories tells the parables of Jesus again in other words.
The intent highlights the same point or moral carried by the scriptural version of the parable.
Merle G. Franke places each story in a 1990s setting with characters and situations familiar to all. Each parable has a contemporary title. Each has a scriptural reference for easy identification.
Four stories are based on parables from Matthew and eight from Luke. This collection is useful for sermon preparation, group Bible study or for reading enjoyment.
Parables include:
Impatient Planter — Matthew 13:1-23
The Contractor’s Choice — Matthew 20:1-16
Which Ones Were Lost? — Luke 15:1-10
Blind In One Eye … — Luke 16:19-31 -
Beginning Of Wisdom Cycle B
$12.95Add to cart“Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” writes Sue Anne Steffey Morrow. “As we … deepen our understanding of wisdom’s ways, it is my hope that our knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures will be deepened, and our awe for the one God be magnified.”
The 10 sermons in this book are based on First Lesson texts primarily from 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and Proverbs. The sermons follow the Revised Common Lectionary.
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Power To Change Cycle B
$14.95Add to cart“Christians today need to hear more about the possibility that we don’t have to stay the way we are,” writes Durwood L. Buchheim. “God is not finished with us or with our world. So, Christians can live hopefully, expectantly and boldly. There is power to change. The Lent-Easter texts point in that direction.”
The 15 sermons in this book are based on First Lesson texts. Lenten season sermons are based on six Old Testament books. Except for Easter Sunday, Easter season sermons are based on The book of Acts. The sermons follow the Revised Common Lectionary.
Christianity is about caring and sharing … We are the people of God’s future. We are to be signs of hope to those around us. Under the power of God’s great grace, we can begin to live that way now. (from the Easter 2 sermon)
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Bumper Sticker Religion
$12.95Add to cartA few years ago I saw a bumper sticker on a car that said, “Let Our Kids Pray.” I had an immediate reaction…. I went to my car and got a pen and paper and wrote on the paper, “Who’s stopping them?” and put it under the windshield wiper. (from “Let Our Kids Pray”)
Carl B. Rife found sermon themes on bumper stickers. With the help of his congregation, he identified seven familiar themes and crafted sermons from them.
The sermons in this book are sometimes an elaboration, sometimes a correction, sometimes an argument, and sometimes a discussion of the particular sentiment found on the bumper sticker.
This book touches a number of basic Christian themes including:
Creation
Forgiveness
The second coming
God’s Word
Prayer
Grace
Discipleship -
Pastoral Care And The Means Of Grace
$20.00Add to cartIn Underwood’s resulting spirituality, the soul of pastoral care is prayer. The substance is Scripture, studied in both liturgical and personal settings. The evangelical principle is reconciliation. Baptism lays the foundation for pastoral care by providing the paradigm for all transformations. Eucharist constitutes the eschatological horizon for pastoral care as ministry in the human encounter of God’s presence. This book stands at the forefront of a broad movement among scholars and clergy in nonliturgical traditions that aim at retrieving explicitly religious resources, the means of grace. The result is a rare, truly ecumenical contribution to pastoral care, which deepens practice by providing a vision and a spirituality.
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Church Confident
$21.99Add to cartKeck shows how the church is suffering from malaise brought on by oversecularization in aspects of church life including worship, theology, ethos, and communication.
This penetrating clarion call to renewal cuts through the conventional ideological labels of “liberal” and “conservative.” Keck argues with passion that mainline churches today must neither pretend to be culturally triumphant nor whimper in fear. Rather, the church has grounds to be confident about its proper nature and mission.
Keck envisions a renewed church that has recovered a sense of what is basic to its nature and purpose–restoring the praise of God to the center of worship.
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Daring To Hope Cycle B
$12.95Add to cart“Faith, hope and love are the abiding attributes of the Christian life. Most of us proclaim faith and love consistently,” writes John P. Rossing. “But … we may be guilty of neglecting the third great gift God has given us. During the closing Sundays of the church year we have an opportunity to declare our hope boldly.”
The 10 sermons in this book are based on First Lesson texts primarily from Job and Ruth. The sermons follow the Revised Common Lectionary.
We experience the same doubts, the same nagging absences of God that Job did. But we have some advantages. We know that God came into the world to redeem suffering through the suffering of his Son His presence among us in word and sacrament probes that he is neither distant nor uncaring. (from the Proper 23 sermon)
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Spirits Tether Cycle B
$12.95Add to cart“One of the mysteries of life is how God’s spirit can take hold of us, and change us.” Writes Leonard H. Budd. “Think of this force in your life as the Spirit’s tether. In my mind, a tether is the image of the Counselor that Jesus promised. It is the experience of God’s spirit that has been part of my living: The Holy Spirit’s tether.”
The 14 sermons in this book are based on Gospel texts, primarily from Mark. Sermons follow the Revised Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionaries.
Our confrontation with Jesus Christ opens to each of us the blessed opportunity of forgiveness, and in that unburdening, the opportunity for a new start in our relationship to God and to one another. (from the Proper 5 sermon)
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This Is The King
$7.95Add to cartPilate: Are you the king of the Jews?
Jesus: Do you say this on your own or did others tell you this about me?
Narrator: Pilate was startled to hear the authority and depth of the man’s voice.
— from “This Is the King! “dramatic reading
“This Is the King!” is a complete resource for congregations wanting a special Palm/Passion Sunday celebration.
Worshipers will find:
– An order of service with a blessing of the palms
– Scriptures for the day
– A children’s sermon
– Hymn selections
– A dramatic reading
– A service of communion
The children’s sermon title is “Churning Up the Waves.” The dramatic reading, “This Is the King!” is offered in place of a sermon. It uses a narrator, Pilate, and Jesus. -
Jesus The Servant King
$7.95Add to cartGood morning boys and girls. How would you like to use your imaginations and visit some of the places that Jesus visited during the last week of his life? If you look closely, you will see, with my help, the streets, the palaces, the gardens, the dining room, the church and even the place where Jesus died and was buried. (from the lesson “The Temple”)
Jesus, The Servant King offers six object lessons for Lent. Each lesson focuses on a place where Jesus visited during the critical final week of his life. Each lesson includes a drawing, which you may use to show children while telling your story.
The lesson themes are:
The temple
The upper room
The garden
Calvary
The streets of Jerusalem
The empty tomb -
Symbols Of Sacrifice Year 3
$7.95Add to cartThe sacrificial life of Christ is a major focus of Lent. Symbols Of Sacrifice provides the congregations with opportunities to create visual worship aids representing Christ’s life during worship.
Each weekly presentation builds a growing reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for the congregation.
This series offers a list of symbols and explanation of the symbols. These are provided for the Sundays of Lent and Easter Sunday.
Symbols are:
Sandals
A globe of the world
Money
A lantern
A grain of wheat
A cloak
A white robeThis is one book in a three-part series of Symbols Of Sacrifices. Other books in this series are Year 1 and Year 2.
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Reading Between Texts
$50.00Add to cartIntertexuality (the reading of one text in terms of another) is a diverse practice. It is a central and prevalent subject in post-structuralist literary theory. This is the first book to address intertexuality as it relates specifically to interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. The contributors bring together lucid theoretical discussions and sophisticated interpretations from a variety of backgrounds, offering biblical scholars and students a helpful and thorough introduction to the issues and possibilities of tertexuality. This volume encourages the bringing together of texts in new and creative ways and lends greater clarity as discussions of intertextuality and biblical studies proceed
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Time With Our Children
$13.00Add to cartWith simple props-glitter, blocks, candles, and cookies-Dianne Deming brings Scripture and theology into the world and understanding of children. She speaks their language-to them as equals, not at them or down to them-and God’s love for children and her love for them shine through with every word. She recognizes the dignity of children, their worth as unique individuals and to the church, and creates stories that respect how children view the world and their place in it. A TIME WITH OUR CHILDREN is a collection of stories designed for the pastor or teacher to help children share in the faith of the congregation-not as a separate part of the worship service but integrated into the seamless whole of the people of God worshiping together. Deming believes that the most important benefit children receive from their special time in worship is the underlying message that they are valued and loved by God and their church. Her gentle, charming stories do that with grace and aplomb. The stories are keyed to the New Revised Common Lectionary (NRCL) and indexed by topic for non-lectionary use.
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Trouble At The Table
$23.99Add to cartHow can we resolve the crsis and revitalize the worship in our church? Too often we evaluate worship as a matter of taste without examinging the presuppositions that inform worship in a given congregation. Exploring and developing techniques for handling resistance to change, the authors help church leaders see that worship is a public event, which must be continually renewed and revitalized.
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Aids To The Psalms Cycle A
$16.95Add to cartThe Psalms are wonderful sources of encouragement, enlightenment, and strength. This series explores the Psalms for Cycle A of the Common Lectionary using New Revised Standard Version of the Bible texts.
Each meditation is in three parts. First is the Psalm itself. Second is the alternate image, offering readers new insights to stimulate their vision of the Psalms. Third is the reflection section, offering a short analysis and comment on the passage.
“Aids to the Psalms” is appropriate for liturgical aids, sermon starters, personal and group meditation, and Christian education.
Among the Psalms of Cycle A are:
– Christmas Eve — O sing to the Lord a new song.
– Good Friday — My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
– Thanksgiving — Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion.
– Ascension — Clap your hands, all you peoples.
This is part of a three-book set on exploring the message of the Psalms. -
Freedom For Ministry A Print On Demand Title (Revised)
$29.99Add to cartA compelling, insightful account of ministry arising out of the author’s wealth of personal experience. Neuhaus addresses the awkwardness (both necessary and liberating) of Christian ministry, discusses the minister as worship leader and as preacher, and deals with some of the more common moral dilemmas of ministry (with particular reference to ambition, sexuality, and money).
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Wrestlings Wonders And Wanderers
$12.95Add to cartGod always has been the Great Provider. He provides for us in the midst of our abundance. He provides for us in the midst of our agony, our time of temptation, our hour of despair. He celebrates with us when our jogs triumph over our tears. So when trials come, when agony appears, when temptation knocks, remember the words of Abraham “God will provide.” (from the sermon “The Agonizing Provider”)
The 10 sermons in this book are based on First Lesson texts, primarily from Genesis and Exodus. They follow the Common Lectionary.
“(These texts) are as relevant as today’s newspaper and markedly more hopeful and helpful. Their stories and images are overflowing with insights into human nature and the mysterious workings of God in our world,” writes Justin W. Tull. “The stories reflect a myriad of human struggles, the wonders of God’s presence and power and the adventuresome journey required of the people of God.”
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Grace Words From The Cross
$12.95Add to cart“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they are doing.” –Luke 23:34
As in Luke 23:34, John R. Brokhoff offers “words of grace” in this series of sermons for Lent, Holy Week, or Good Friday. The messages are based on passages from Luke, John, and Matthew.
This book offers four options: as a series of six messages for Lent and one for Holy Week; a series of sermons for each day of Holy Week; a three-hour Good Friday service; for personal meditation and reflection.
Themes are:
The first word — mercy.
The second word — promise.
The third word — concern.
The fourth word — fidelity.
The fifth word — need.
The sixth word — completion.
The seventh word — commitment.Scriptures are from, the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
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My Worship Planner And Organizer
$15.95Add to cartMy Worship Planner And Organizer is the best friend of the pastor, organist, church secretary, choir director, and worship committee when it comes to keeping worship records and reference.
Its focus is Sunday worship. Each Sunday has two pages available for taking notes and reference.
You will find Sunday by Sunday:
Cycle A, B, and C, gospel, first and second lesson lectionary text listings for Revised Common, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic.
Countless hymn possibilities based on the lectionary.
Invaluable liturgical information, at your fingertips.
You may record Sunday by Sunday (for three years):
Hymns used
Special music
Sermon titles
Attendance
Special notations for any Sunday -
Called To Jerusalem Sent To The World Cycle A
$21.95Add to cartIn the broken places of our lives, when hope is lost and courage falters … in that moment God comes to those who will listen. Always he meets us in our desolation, offering us an alternative to our defeat. (from the sermon “A Chance To Live Again”
The 17 sermons in this book are based on First Lesson texts, from six Old Testament books and the book of Acts. They follow the Revised Common Lectionary.
“In a culture increasingly driven to receive more than it gives, self-sacrifice is less and less popular,” writes Theodore F. Schneider. “We want much, but we are willing to risk little…. We are called to join with God for good, taking the risks, carrying the cross.”
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Preparation And Manifestation Cycle A
$16.95Add to cartThere really is good new! God is still eager to save. Prepare yourself for his coming into your life. He is already present. It is all here; the secret to the good and happy life is already manifest and present. (from the sermon “We Must Be Blind!”)
The 21 sermons in this book are based on Gospel texts, primarily from Matthew and John. Sermons follow the Revised Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionaries.
In his messages, Mark Ellingsen connects preparation through penitence and the new life given in baptism. “The gospel lessons assigned for the season provide excellent occasions to practice such liturgical proclamation,” writes Ellingsen. “Penitence and preparation happen in the presence of Christ and the new life he gives. Thus they are Gods work.”
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Times Up Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartLoving people and caring for them isn’t enough to change the way the world works overnight…. Our caring isn’t enough to change all “bad” into “good.” But it is all we are asked to do. And it is enough. (from the sermon “Enough”)
The 17 sermons in this book are based on Gospel texts from Matthew. Sermons follow the Revised Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionaries.
“The church is the place of greatest hope in our society,” writes John Jamison. “What happens when God’s people gather together and hear God’s word can happen no place else! Lives are changed. They are made whole, unbroken and hopeful. That is, and must be our task.”
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Your King Comes
$7.95Add to cartYour King Comes! Is a complete Palm Sunday service. It includes a dramatic celebration of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem led by the children and youth of the church school.
This resource captured the spirit of Palm Sunday with songs, words, and gestures. It will involve as many as 47 persons of all ages from your congregation. Minimum rehearsal is needed.
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Vine And The Branches
$12.95Add to cartI am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. — John 15:5
Schmalenberger takes Easter season texts from Mark, Luke and John and weaves them into eight sermons with applications for today’s Christian. Sermons cover Easter through Ascension Of Our Lord.
In the chapter for Easter 5, the author speaks of Christ as the vine. He states that the vine and the branches’ relationship teaches us something of what our relationship to Christ is like. Whenever we forget that Christ is the heart of everything, everything goes crooked. This is true of preaching, teaching; family life, vocation — everything.
Sermon titles include:
* When Thomas Doubted
* One Flock, One Shepherd
* Chosen For Good News
* A Prayer For Disciples -
Up And Down Mountain
$12.95Add to cart“Don’s sermons provide enlightenment for this neglected ministry of healing in congregations. This guide illumines areas of evil and suffering, prayer, isolation of illness, therapy of forgiveness, faith and the power of immortality and the risen Christ. It is a call to be healed and to heal.”
George W. Bashore, Resident Bishop
United Methodist Church
The Pittsburgh Area“I recommend this book to those who are ready to begin more intentional healing ministries, as well as to those who are looking for ways to be more effective in the church: God’s healing community.”
James K. Wagner
Director, Prayer And Healing Ministries
The Upper Room, Nashville, TennesseeUp And Down The Mountain is about healing. It includes seven sermons on healing, a chapter on how to begin a healing ministry, a suggested order of worship service with hymns and a valuable bibliography.
Foreword by J. Robert Nelson, director, Institute of Religion, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas. -
Come And See Cycle C
$12.95Add to cartAs a Cycle C Lenten-based resource, Come And See provides many opportunities for congregations.
It offers a pre-Lenten Mission Fair, which may be held during the second Sunday of Epiphany. The Fair is an invitation to deeper discipleship during Lent.
It offers mid-week Lenten programs. These are playlets and inductive Bible studies. Each playlet has parts for three adults. Each Bible study follows Scriptures from Mark with helpful study questions. Playlets and Bible studies focus on evangelism worship, education, social concerns and stewardship.
It offers six sermons to be used for Ash Wednesday and the five Sundays of Lent.
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Services For Occasions Of Pastoral Care
$25.00Add to cartServices for Occasions of Pastoral Care – Prepared by the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), this liturgical resource is designed to supplement the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship. It provides full liturgies for many services not included in the BCW, including the rites of ordination of ministers, elders, and deacons; the dedication of a church building; the laying of cornerstone; the comissioning of missionaries; and various other services for local congregations and presbyteries. All ministers and other worship leaders in the Presbyterian Church will need this volume as a resource for worship planning and to complement the BCW.
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Abuse Of Power
$27.99Add to cartChapter Titles Are:
1. Hearing The Silenced Voices
2. Power And Abuse Of Power
3. “Karen”: Survivor Of Sexual Violence
4. Stories Of Recovering Perpetrators
5. The Schreber Case: Methods Of Analysis
6. The Search For Self
7. The Search For Community
8. The Search For God
9. Ministry Practice And Practical TheologyAdditional Info
Pastoral care instruction and observation from a therapist of survivors of sexual abuse.“The Abuse of Power is ‘must’ reading for clergy and denominational officials…. Weaving case stories with theory, Poling demonstrates that sexual abuse of children is not a private matter, but very much a matter for society and church–a question of structure and ideology, not just of individual character. He is not afraid to tackle the tough question: Does the image of God sacrificing Jesus on the cross contribute to abusive parent-child relationships?…If pastors and church officials read this book the church will change.” –Karen Lebacqz, Pacific School of Religion
“For the exploitation of women and children to stop, men must be willing to break ranks with all forms of privilege that sanction male dominance. James Poling does so by deconstructing his own sense of male entitlement, by refusing to distance himself from perpetrators, by allowing survivors of sexual and domestic violence to speak with their own voices, by giving us profound words of hope, and by articulating a powerfully healing theology wrought through the depths of his own struggle with one of the worst evils in our society. His courageous and compassionate work reveals the love and hope that is born of solidarity across the boundaries of gender, sexual orientation, race, and economics….The psychological, political, spiritual, and theological power of this book is such that all educators, ministers, therapists, and Christians must read it.” –Rita Nakashima Brock, Hamline University
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Helpmates
$24.00Add to cartIn this excellent book written by a caregiving spouse for other caregivers, author Harry Cole recognizes that caregivers who provide hlep for dependent loved ones are often unprepared to cope with the physical and emotional effects that accompany long term illness. they are frequently overwhelmed by their responsibilities and often need help themselves.
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Handbook Of Themes For Preaching
$45.00Add to cartSo you want to preach on stewardship. Or on the Ten Commandments. Or on jealousy, education, war, abortion, the incarnation, decision-making, or any of 90 other topics. Turn first to this Handbook! You’ll find concise definitions, analyses, and discussions of every topic, all ably presented by experts. Contributors include Glenn Asquith, Reginald Fuller, E. Glenn Hinson, Basil Pennington, Timothy George, Wayne Oates, and many others.
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Skilled Pastor : Counseling As The Practice Of Theology
$26.00Add to cartPreface
Introduction: Becoming A Skilled Pastor
PART ONE: PRESENCE
1.Attending
2.Responding
3.AssessingPART TWO: INTERVENTIONS
4.Theological Assessment
5.Proclamation
6.Resources For Change
7.GuidanceConclusion: The Metanoia Model
Bibliography
Additional Info
A splendid volume detailing the specific skills necessary for sound pastoral guidance in various situations. The author integrates theological reflection with practice, while incorporating religious resources with counseling technique. -
Transitions Through Adult Life
$26.99Add to cart26 Chapters
Additional Info
Transitions Through Adult Life is a summary of what is known about adults and how they develop. More than a book describing life’ crises, it portrays the potential of life’s transitions. It seeks to offer answers to the problems it analyzes. This book provides an overview of the various stages of adult life, what is typical in those stages, and how the church needs to be responsive to adults as they traverse the stages. The twenty-six chapters deal with young adulthood, middle adulthood, and older adulthood and most of the major events and challenges that one may encounter in those stages. Some of the specific topics include courtship, singleness, faith development, career, child-rearing, loss of loved ones, divorce, physical decline, etc. The chapters are succinct summaries of the significant dimensions of the topic calling upon existing research and the author’s own keen powers of synthesis. -
Prophets Pioneers And Possibilities
$12.95Add to cart“We have been called to travel lightly. We are on a journey of faith. None of us has arrived. We may remember a thrilling moment of decision when we first responded to the awakening of God’s love for us… We never know in advance where submission to the kingship of Christ will lead us.”
— from the sermon for Christ the King Sunday
Richard A. Hasler draws upon countless incidents from contemporary settings to bring the words of the Minor Prophets and 2 Samuel to contemporary Christian believers.
Using scriptures from nine texts on the Old Testament, this book provides as many sermons for use in the Common Lectionary.
Sermon titles include:
– The Dreamer Within You — Joel 2:23-30
– When God’s “No” Means “Yes” — Habakkuk 1:1-3; 2:1-10
– Leaping for Joy — Malachi 4:1-6
– No One Enters into the Kingdom… Save with Empty Hands — 2 Samuel 5:1-5 -
Blow The Silver Trumpets
$13.95Add to cart“Larry Powell breathes life into scripture with a preacher’s imagination, a poet’s turn of the phrase, and a writer’s craftsmanship. He gathers vibrant illustrations from everywhere… but most of all, as you ponder these pages, you will look at Jesus Christ. You will listen to him, meditate on his messages, watch him in action.”
— Bishop Richard B. Wilke
The United Methodist Church
The Arkansas Area
Here are eleven sermons from John and Luke offering close inspection of texts and providing many modern illustrations. This book offers sermons for use in the Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionaries.
Sermon titles include:
Show Us the Holy Father (John 14:8-17, 25-27)
Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:19-23)
Just Speak the Word (Luke 7:1-10)
Fleshing Out the Word (Luke 10:1-12) -
Called To Care
$18.00Add to cartTreating the whole of Scripture, Robert Kysar forges the connections between the practice of social ministry and the biblical images undergirding and motivating that ministry. Social ministry is more than charity: It wrestles with the very structures and systems that deprive and oppress. This book examines not only the usual “justice” texts but also those that seem to counter this position and shows how the Bible addresses practical, contemporary concerns and fears.
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From Bondage To Bonding
$16.99Add to cart1. Codependency: A Self-Focused Way Of Life
2. Self-Forfeiture: Resigned To Helplessness
3. Self-Contempt: Inclined To Feet Worthless
4. Self-Aggrandizement: Desperate To Control
5. Self-Sufficiency: Determined To Stay Safe
6. Self-Deception: Committed To Denial
7. Fervent Longings
8. Painful Losses
9. Self-Protective Pretense
10. Autonomous Independence
11. The Healing Of Grief
12. The Wonder Of Grace
13. The Freedom Of Surrender
14. Reciprocal Grace: Free To Love And Forgive
15. Courageous Vulnerability: Free To Abandon Denial
206 Pages
16. Mutual Freedom: Free To Relinquish Control
17. Spiritual Vitality: Free To Trust And Obey
18. Sacrificial Love: Free To Risk And SufferAdditional Info
Codependency is a hot topic these days; dozens of new books about it appear each month. Trouble is, many of them deal only with escaping damaging codependent relationships—not with healing and rebuilding them. Groom (author of Married Without Masks) takes a more biblical approach. In uncomplicated language, she helps you see how codependency is actually bondage to sin and how the Gospel can restore you to healthy biblical bonding with God and others. -
Homiletics
$30.00Add to cartTo Barth, one of this century’s most influential theologians, theology should never be an end in itself. Instead, it should be ”nothing other than sermon preparation.” Now, in this new translation by Geoffrey Bromiley and Donald Daniels, students can meet and wrestle with Barth’s homiletical definitions and ideas on sermon preparation, including his understanding of the ways preachers should interpret Scripture. Barth presented this material as seminar lectures in Bonn in 1932-33.
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Greatest Wonder Of All Cycle C
$14.95Add to cartohn Braaten takes biblical passages from the Lent and Easter season and weaves them into messages for today’s Christians. This book of sermons follows Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Lectionaries. The 17 messages include texts from Matthew, Luke, and John.
Sermon titles include:
The Pitfalls Of Practicing Piety — Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Our Christian I.D. — Luke 4:1-13
The King Who Came To Die — John 19:16b-22
A Strange Kind Of Glory — John 13:31-35 -
Embodied Word : Preaching As Art And Liturgy
$16.00Add to cartLiturgy as the work of God’s people gives the preacher a place to stand-an organic connection with an intentional sacramental community, says Rice. The place of preaching is the community, Christ’s body, and the hermeneutic that governs homiletical exegesis, style, and presentation comes from the liturgical situation of the sermon.
The Embodied Word puts preaching in its proper place-in the presence of the baptistry and close to the table. As Rice explores the implications of that placement for the specific concerns of homiletics, the use of Scripture, and the appropriation of the arts, he concludes that the movement of the sermon is from text to table and that the action of the liturgy both depends upon and empowers the word.
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Teaching Minister
$28.00Add to cartThe authors says the clergy, regardless of their appointment (as parish clergy or judicatory executives, for example), should understand themselves primary as teachers of the Christian faith. They claim it is both wrong and disadvantageous to mainline churches when clergy act as administrators or psychotherapists or in any other way that is fundamentally different from acting as a teacher. The first half of the book shows the urgency of recovering the understanding of ministry and demonstrates that the church has always witnessed to the importance of teaching as an indispensable component of ministry and of the life of faith itself. The latter half of the book provides examples of how the primary role of teaching can be used in the church.
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Preaching In And Out Of Season
$23.00Add to cartThis excellent resource provides help for ministers who must plan their sermons not only according to the liturgical church year but also in response to the secular calendar of national holidays and public ceremonies, and in response to the program calendar of local and denominational emphases. Individual chapters discuss preaching about racial relations; family, church, and nation; the global witness of the church; work; evangelism; stewardship; and giving thanks. Suggestions for sermons on each theme are provided as well.
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Ministry Of Nurture
$24.99Add to cartDiscipling teenagers means building a real-life faith into them. Which is exactly what youth ministry veteran Duffy Robbins explains how to do — definitively — in this sensitive, in-depth, and practical look at leading your kids into discipleship. No stranger to the challenge of discipling young people, Duffy draws from his decades of youth ministry experience as he describes a thorough, flexible discipleship program you can use with your students. In The Ministry of Nurture you’ll find– How to make faith practical in everyday life – How to help your kids develop their own faith – Seven keys to effective discipleship – How to help your kids build a faith that lasts – How you can help your kids apply their real-life faith in three key areas of the Christian life: outreach, nurture, and service – An important look at the two sides of peer pressure in the lives of young people — Whether you’re new to youth work or a veteran, The Ministry of Nurture is an indispensable addition to your youth ministry library.
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Spurgeons Sermon Notes
$22.99Add to cartManufactured On Demand Title
Charles H. Spurgeon was a master preacher whose passionate and powerful sermons are still pertinent and applicable to contemporary society. What preacher wouldn’t want Spurgeon’s thoughts on Sunday’s text!
More than 190 of Spurgeon’s finest sermons have been broken down into comprehensive outlines by David Otis Fuller. Covering texts from Genesis through Revelation, pastors, teachers, and Bible students can easily locate on-target, ready-to-use outlines for their sermon series or Sunday school class.
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Studying Interpreting And Applying The Bible (Student/Study Guide)
$24.99Add to cartStudying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible combines into one volume the popular trilogy by Walter Henrichsen and Gayle Jackson: – A Layman’s Guide to Studying the Bible – A Layman’s Guide to Interpreting the Bible – A Layman’s Guide to Applying the Bible This book will help students as well as ministers, young people and old alike, as they learn to study Scripture more easily and conveniently. The chapters on studying the Bible help the beginning or experienced Bible student mine God’s Word for its riches through verse analysis, chapter analysis, the overview of a book, the study of a topic, and the study of Bible characters (including charts, diagrams, and other helpful illustrations). The unit on interpreting the Bible explains Bible interpretation based on grammar, history, and theology. The section on applying the Bible moves beyond study to life applications, enabling a person to – be motivated to make personal application – move beyond a “to do” list to an internal desire to obey – consider the risks involved in obeying – use specific application principles.
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Imagining A Sermon
$19.99Add to cartHere is the remedy for trite, boring sermons! Thomas H. Troeger shows how to breathe fresh life into your sermons by harnessing your imaginative powers in a new way. In scores of dynamic workshops, Troeger has shown preachers and seminarians how to create powerful sermons by seizing moments when the heart and mind catch fire. Now, in Imagining a Sermon Troeger share the secrets of capturing the imaginative spirit within you.
You will discover:
How to observe daily events that can energize the preaching event
How to fine-tune your visual and listening skills to fuse televised, scriptural, and remembered images into new truths for your congregation. -
Preaching The Miracles Cycle B
$14.95Add to cartour partner in intelligent, meaningful sermon preparation Cycle B
Exegesis
The Situation
The Setting
Cultural and Historical Contexts
Other Lectionary Texts For the Day
Meanings and Derivations of Key WordsHomiletics
Suggested Sermon Themes
Sermon Outlines
Preaching IllustrationsNine Miracles Include
Cleansing a Leper — Mark 1:40-45
Calming a Sea Storm — Mark 4:35-41
Healing a Blind Man — Mark 10:46-52 -
Places Of The Promise
$12.95Add to cart“The Advent/Christmas story is one that identifies specific places as the font of the rich interactions between God and humanity. The names of such locales are as familiar to us as our own homes.”
Here are six sermons with accompanying children’s sermons. The series covers Advent 1 through Christmas 1. Each sermon focuses on the particular sphere God used to prepare creation for the gift of Jesus.
The sermons offer:
* Texts from Lectionary Cycle B
* Other suggested texts
* Suggestions for congregational activitiesThe children’s sermons follow an advent wreath-lighting series. Following Christmas, these sermons use the Christmas tree and the creche scene as themes. Each children’s sermon offers at least three objects to use as illustrations.
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Palms And Thorns Cycle B
$12.95Add to cart“Liturgy,” which literally means “the work of the people,” sums up all the ways people have responded to God, including hymns, prayers, laments, invocations and confessions of faith.
14 Worship Services The Liturgical Witness Of The New Testament contemporizes and brings to life these various forms of worship as the author draws unique canticles, prayers, hymns and responsive petitions from the books of the New Testament. Each New Testament book is allowed to speak with its own voice. For example, the service based on Luke gives voice to the Gospel by the use of four canticles (psalms), and Luke’s own version of the Words of Institution and his truncated version of the Lord’s Prayer are included.
Also included are a helpful index listing the worship services according to their use in the lectionary and ten sermons for use with these liturgies.
Contents include:
Through The Desert Clear A Highway! — The Liturgical Witness Of Luke
One Lord, One Body — The Liturgical Witness Of The Corinthian Letters
Lordship And Unity — The Liturgical Witness Of Colossians
God Is Love — The Liturgical Witness Of First John
Worthy The Lamb — The Liturgical Witness Of Revelatio -
Pastor : Readings From The Patristic Period
$26.00Add to cartPatristic theology is primarily pastoral. Yet often the study of writings from the first six centuries of the church is pursued in ways that make the polemical, philosophical, and political aspects stand out. But if one reads around those texts that are profiled in these ways, the pastoral concerns will emerge. Even contemporary interests in social, economic, and deconstructionist approaches locate much of the data for their questions within or near texts that also can be looked at for the descriptions of shepherding the flock. Thus it is likely that any who read ancient Christian literature will find this volume helpful. The introduction is masterful. No other volume known to me does that so well through the translated words of ancient leaders. Whatever historical surveys one finds helpful, they cannot replace this guide. It is done with such competence and flair that specialists who are historians with no particular interest in ministry other than its being a feature of the early church will need to consult it. Those, however, who as believers and ministers are attempting to serve contemporary congregations will devour this book. No seminarian should be without it
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Servant : Simple Story About The True Essence Of Leadership
$26.00Add to cart1. The Definitions
2. The Old Paradigm
3. The Model
4. The Verb
5. The Environment
6. The Choice
7. The Payoff
187 PagesAdditional Info
In this absorbing tale, you watch the timeless principles of servant leadership unfold through the story of John Daily, a businessman whose outwardly successful life is spiraliing out of control. He is failing miserably in each of his leadership roles as boss, husband, father, and coach. To get his life back on track, he reluctantly attends a weeklong leadership retreat at a remote Benedictine monastery.
To John’s suprise, the monk leading the seminar is a former business executive and Wall Street legend. Taking John under his wing, the monk guides him to a realization that is simple yet profound: The true foundation of leadership is not power, but authority, which is built upon relationships, love, service, and sacrifice.
Along with John, you will learn that the principles in this book are neither new nor complex. They don’t demand special talents; they are simply based on strengthening the bonds of respect, responsibility, and caring with the people around you. Perhaps this is why The Servant has touched readers from all walks of life-because its message can be applied by anyone, anywhere-at home or at work.
If you are tired of books that lecture instead of teach; if you are searching for ways to improve your leadership skills; if you want to understand the timeless virtures that lead to lasting and meaningful success, then this book is one you cannot afford to miss. -
Cowherding Christians Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartIf you and your parishioners don’t know much about sheep, you might find a shepherding Savior difficult to fathom; but if you grew up on a family farm anywhere in rural America, you might know something about cows. And you just might find it easier to relate to a cowherding Savior. It is this type of familiar, experiential approach to God’s word that makes this collection of model homilies so unique — and so meaningful.
Messages include:
– Where Are the Lilies Now?
– Jesus’ Hospital
– Cowherding Christians
– A House for God
and seven more!
For use with Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionary texts -
Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 3 Cycle A
$42.95Add to cartPractical preaching strategies to help the over-burdened parish pastor communicate God’s Word in vital, meaningful ways.
This is the first volume in CSS’s third series of popular preaching workbooks — Designed to help you get the most out of every moment you spend in sermon preparation.
Special Features Include:
– Commentary on Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Common lectionary texts
– Sermon Starters for First Lesson, Second Lesson, and Gospel texts for every Sunday in Cycle A
– “Theological Clues” to help you explore the relationships among all the texts for each Sunday
– Wide Margins and Stay-flat binding for ease of use
– Overviews of preaching challenges and possibilities for each liturgical season
– Extensive Bibliography of exegetical and homiletic resources for Cycle A preaching
– And All-new Insights from one of CSS’s most well-respected and successful authors
This workbook is an exercise in liturgical, as well as lectionary preaching. It springs from the rationale that most lectionary helps ignore the liturgical setting of the lessons assigned to the various Sundays. It is this author’s contention that the exegetical/homiletical process begins with the church year. The year, cycles, seasons, Sundays, and festivals establish the themes and provide theological clues for worship and, particularly, preaching, especially in the first half of the church year. This approach is the outgrowth of the author’s doctoral dissertation and two of his books, “The Renewal Of Liturgical Preaching” and “The Song And The Story.” Both deal with preaching from the lectionary texts in the context of the worship, work, and lives of the people of God. -
New Testament Exposition
$22.99Add to cartExpository preaching is an elusive ideal. Many preachers aspire to it, few are acknowledged masters. For most a gap exists between the sermon that addresses the needs of the hearers and one that methodically plumbs the depths of Scripture. New Testament Exposition is written to bridge this gap and bring together the disciplines of preaching and exegesis. In this book Liefeld addresses the three main concerns of expository preaching: What is the text saying? How can its message be communicated in ways that are appropriate to the passage, the seeing, and the goals of the sermon? How can the message meet the real needs of the congregation in a way that is consistent with the purpose and function of the text? This book demonstrates how these concerns can be brought together in a sermon, and it is this thoughtful, practical approach that makes the book so valuable to preachers and seminarians. The book is divided into three parts. Part I explores the characteristics of expository preaching. Part II deals with preparing the text and addresses such areas as practical exegesis, exegetical outlines, narratives and compositional patterns, semantic patterns, and underlying assumptions of the text. Part III discusses application of the text by asking, What is the function of the text? What are the needs of the congregation? How can one preach to inner heart needs as well as to the external circumstances facing the congregation? New Testament Exposition is not vague theory, nor is it esoteric study beyond the grasp and time of the busy pastor. Throughout the book Dr. Liefeld reflects his experience in the classroom and pulpit, and his concerns as scholar and pastor are clearly seen in the final chapters of this volume. Chapter 9 examines preaching from difficult texts: How might one handle parables, miracle stories, obscure passages, culturally related texts? The final chapter provides a demonstration of all that is discussed throughout the book by walking the road through the actual preparation for a sermon.
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From Anticipation To Transfiguration Cycle A
$14.95Add to cartThe Advent season is one of expenctancy and anticipation. But it is not fulfilled completely in the Nativity. For it is not until the Transfiguration that God’s people can even begin to really understand what the fulfillment of God’s promise might mean.
Joe E. Pennel Jr. takes his reader on that journey “From Anticipation to Transfiguration” with the sensitive insight that Christmas is not the end but the beginning of God’s promise to his people.
Messages include:
– Shaped by the Future
– Away with the Stable
– The Called Ones
– Fog-Cleared Moments
and thirteen more!
For use with Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Lectionaries. -
Prophets Bread Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartFrom the author of the vastly popular “Gospel Horizons” series, comes this new collection of deeply thoughtful, personal; yet, universal responses to First Lesson lectionary texts for the Advent season.
Drawn from the author’s own searching questions and sensitive insights, these model homilies will deepen your understanding of the proclaimers and prophets who were sustained by the word of the Lord.
Messages include:
– God as Woodcutter
– The Glance of God
– What God Sees
– Six Cloudy Days
and thirteen more!
For use with Common Lectionary texts. -
Taking On The Gods
$25.99Add to cart“Taking on the gods is a significant responsibility of pastoral counseling. Confronting those psychic structures, forces, and images which masquerade as God; bringing love, faith, and hope into the lives of persons; and being an extension ministry of Jesus Christ walking in the hells of human existence are all ways of expressing the true evangelistic purposes of pastoral counseling. The thought of taking on the gods in one’s clients and in oneself may seem like arrogance or a humbling and awesome challenge. Nevertheless, taking on the gods is at the heart and soul of pastoral counseling.” –from the author’s Introduction
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Channeling Grace : Sermons For Lent And Easter Sundays In Ordinary Time Cyc
$12.95Add to cartWILL THE REAL JESUS CHRIST ARISE? WHO WAS JESUS CHRIST? AND WHAT IS THE REAL SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS RESURRECTION? IF YOU FIND YOURSELF WISHING YOU HAD MORE TIME…IDEAS…ENERGY FOR SHARING THIS CRUCIAL MESSAGE WITH YOUR CONGREGATION, YOU WILL APPRECIATE THESE NINETEEN FRESHLY INSIGHTFUL SERMONS BY CARL L. JECH. WITHIN ARE SERMONS FOR EVERY CYCLE C GOSPEL TEXT DURING LENT AND EASTER FROM THE COMMON, LUTHERAN, AND ROMAN CATHOLIC LECTIONARIES, INCLUDING: THE PIETY THAT ISN’T LOVE IS DOWN TO EARTH SOME WOMEN’S STORIES WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO? COLORIZING JESUS BECOMING WHAT YOU ARE AND THIRTEEN MORE USE THESE COMPLETE SERMONS AS PRESENTED — OR AS INSPIRATION FOR YOUR OWN ORIGINAL MESSAGES.
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Senses Of Preaching
$24.00Add to cartWritten in conversational style, The Senses of Preaching is a thought-provoking book using anecdotes to take a careful look at the relationship between preachers and congregations. Thomas Long provides insight into faith and life as well as preaching and homiletics. He offers preachers a better understanding of the whole concept of their craft and complements it with sermon-starter ideas. This compact volume shows preachers how to develop and implement a preaching experience that encourages the hearing of the gospel.
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Christian Education : Seeking To Become Like Jesus Christ
$24.99Add to cartThis is a book that relentlessly pursues defining the goams of Christian education and then offers a plan in keeping with those goals. So many books in the field assume the goals and simply describe the methods. Not so Larry Richards. His biblical and theological analysis conveys an excitement that makes Christian education a mission, not just a responsibility. And still his approach is eminently practical, insightful, and motivational.
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David Lion And Lamb
$12.95Add to cartFew biblical characters are as popular as David, and this set of 27 complete messages covers all Cycle B texts in the Common Lectionary — as well as several others — dealing with this popular Bible personality.
Each message incorporates thorough biblical scholarship with popular reference points and concerns, and addresses the reader in a comfortable, personable style — making this versatile resource appropriate for Cycle B lectionary preaching, independent sermon series preparation, and individual or group Bible study. -
6 Presents From God
$12.95Add to cartAdvent is a time to think about gifts. Who should receive them? How much should they cost? What do the people on our list “need” most of all? We scramble every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, trying to “take care of our gift list.”
Here is a refreshing second look at the whole area of giving and receiving gifts. When all is said and done, it is not us but God who is the gift-giver. By his rich giving we are graced for life and for eternity. Throughout the season of Advent and Christmas, share with members of your congregation the good news of God’s enormous generosity. Look together at the “gift list ” God assembled for us once where shepherds watched and angels sang.
These six sermons are each supplemented with simple object lessons for young children. The author focuses on God’s gifts to us of:
Angels
Mary
Shepherds
Wisemen
The baby Jesus
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Call In The Clowns
$12.95Add to cartChildren love stories. (So do their parents.) The Sunday morning worship hour is a perfect time to take five minutes to gather the children and share a story with them. When the youngest in the congregation understand what is being shared, all who are older will as well.
These fifty object lessons are based on gospel texts. Many but not all are from the gospel of Luke, including familiar parables of Jesus such as the prodigal son and the good Samaritan. Each story makes use of a familiar household object, such as a paper bag, a candle, some construction paper, or a balloon, in order to make a simple teaching memorable to young learners.
Anyone who loves children and can tell a story can share the stories in this book. It may be the pastor, a Sunday church school teacher, a gifted (or simply dedicated) lay person, or a parent of younger children. The stories can also be used effectively in the church school classroom or in the Christian home. -
Reading The Signs Cycle C
$12.95Add to cartIf you are like many parish pastors, you find the Christmas season to be the most frustrating season of the church year — so much to do, so much to celebrate, so much to say — and so little time to prepare it all!
That is why J. Ellsworth Kalas has prepared these twelve thoughtful sermons — to help you present the meaningful and coherent messages you want your congregation to hear during this busiest of seasons.
Within are sermons for every Cycle C gospel text during the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seasons from the Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionaries, including:
– The Signs of Summer
– The Hinge of History
– Songs of the Season
– Return to the New
– From Empty Nets to Full Lives
– Awake to GloryUse these complete sermons as presented — or as jumping-off points for your own meaningful messages.
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Death
$30.00Add to cartA compelling handbook for pastors, counselors, adult discussion groups. It encourages personal reflection. William Phipps deals honestly and openly with the cultural and human issues surrounding death. His comprehensive resource covers definitions of life and death, life expectancy and quality of life, terminal illness, suicide, grief, funeral practices, body disposal, violent death, nuclear war, handgun control, the death penalty, how to explain death to children, and theories of life after death.
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Homiletic : Moves And Structures
$39.00Add to cart”This is the most encyclopedic work of the modern period. Preachers really serious about the challenge of effective preaching will reap the rewards of serious interaction with a model master craftsperson,”—Preaching. Relates preaching to all human discourse.
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New Hearing : Living Options In Homiletic Method
$23.99Add to cartPreaching is in crisis. Why? Because the traditional, conceptual approach no longer works, says Richard L. Eslinger. It fails to capture the interest of listeners and is not sufficiently Scripture-based. The time has come to listen to new voices, new methods. And that is what A New Hearing provides.
Eslinger offers as “living options” the work of five preeminent–though quite different–preachers who represent the “cutting edge” of preaching in the 1980s: Charles Rice and the storytelling method; Henry Mitchell and the black narrative method; Eugene Lowry, who bridges the narrative and inductive methods; Fred Craddock and the inductive method; and David Buttrick, who emphasizes the structure and movement of biblical material.
Eslinger devotes an entire section to each preacher. He explicates each man’s technique, shows how it differs from the traditional “three points and a poem” approach, and presents one sample sermon from each. Eslinger then critiques these “new homileticians,” delineating the strengths and weaknesses of their respective methods.
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Co Creating : A Feminist Vision Of Ministry
$28.00Add to cartExamining the thought of prominent feminist theologians and the views of practicing clergywomen, Lynn N. Rhodes articulates a vision of ministry that can enrich the whole church. She focuses on the feminist approach to the vital questions of authority, salvation, mission, and vocation
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Draw Us Nearer To You Lord
$12.95Add to cartOver one-hundred responsive prayers are included in this useful resource. They may be used either as beginning “Calls to Worship” or at another place within the service. The author has organized the material in eight categories:
Christ’s Life
The Holy Spirit
Christian Values
Consecration
The Christian Life
Gratitude and Praise
The Church
Special OccasionsBy using one prayer each week, a congregation will have a new prayer for each worship service for two entire years.
