Pastoral Helps
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Vulnerable Pastor : How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry
$22.99Add to cartForeword
Introduction: God Is An Odd LeaderPart I: Getting Over Ourselves: Vulnerability With God
1. Filled With Emptiness
2. What Makes Us Feel Weak. And What Doesn’t: A Confession
3. Save Me! Vulnerability And Salvation
4. Feeling Exposed: How Vulnerable Pastors Handle Emotions
5. I Need You! How Vulnerable Pastors Pray
6. Letting The Bible Read Us: How Vulnerable Pastors Read The BiblePart II: Being True To Ourselves: Vulnerability Behind The Scenes
7. Learning To Like The Mess: How Vulnerable Pastors Create Culture
8. Changing The Mold: How Vulnerable Pastors Recognize And Develop Leaders
9. Taking Our Own Sweet Time: How Vulnerable Pastors Use Their Time And Energy
10. Thriving For Others: How Vulnerable Pastors Measure SuccessPart III: Practicing In Public: Vulnerability With An Audience
11. Welcome To The Process: How Vulnerable Pastors Teach And Preach
12. The Right Kind Of Desperate: How Vulnerable Pastors Engage With The WorldEpilogue: Unfading Treasure In Jars Of Clay
Discussion Guide
Acknowledgments
NotesAdditional Info
Often pastors feel like we need to project strength and competency in order to minister effectively. That’s why we go to conferences and emulate the latest superstars. But we know we can never live up to those images. Deep down, we know our own limitations, our weaknesses, our faults. We fear that if people knew who we really are, we’d be disqualified from ministry. Not so. Mandy Smith unpacks the biblical paradox that God’s strength is revealed through our human weakness. Transparently describing her pastoral journey, Smith shows how vulnerability shapes ministry, through our spiritual practices and relationships, influencing our preaching, teaching and even the nuts and bolts of the daily schedule. Understanding our human constraints makes our ministry more sustainable and guards us against disillusionment and burnout. We don’t have to have it all together. Recognizing our weakness makes us rely on God, so our weakness can become a ministry resource. God has called you to lead not as a demigod, but as a human, so the world can see that the church is a place for humans like them. -
Saving Your Second Marriage Before It Starts Workbook For Women Updated (Workboo
$12.99Add to cartComplete with twenty-eight self-tests-two of them brand-new-and a new group discussion guide, the expanded and updated Saving Your Second Marriage Before It Starts workbooks for men and women will help couples uncover and understand the unique shaping factors they bring into their second marriage both as men and women and as individuals.
Exercises and assignments will help couples identify and meld their love styles, face the myths of remarriage honestly, become soul mates, identify each person’s “hot topics,” and much more.The discussion guide in each workbook integrates with the Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts DVD (sold separately and includes seven pre-marriage sessions plus two additional sessions specifically designed to help prepare couples for remarriage) to facilitate lively and eye-opening interaction. Each session links with the workbook exercises and concludes with exercises each couple can do together between each lesson.
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Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Workbook For Men Updated (Student/Study Gu
$14.99Add to cartThe Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Workbook for Men will help you uncover and understand the unique shaping factors you bring into your marriage both as a woman/man and as an individual. Prepare for some surprising and helpful insights, for honest, intimate, and enjoyable relationship-strengthening conversations with you and your fiance, and for engaging discussions with a small group.
EXERCISES AND ASSESSMENTS
Twenty-four exercises will shed amazing new light on the way you are put together, how that affects specific aspects of how you and your loved one relate, and how you can improve those areas to build a better relationship. You will gain unprecedented insights into – your personal “Ten Commandments” – making your roles conscious – getting your sex life off to a great start – identifying your “hot topics” – your spiritual journey … and much, much more
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Les and Leslie will help both of you enjoy lively and eye-opening interaction through seven sessions and bonus sessions on the DVD. For small groups, individual couples, and pastors and marriage counselors, each session links with the workbook exercises and concludes with an exercise each couple can do together over the next week. -
Spiritual Companioning : A Guide To Protestant Theology And Practice
$27.00Add to cartAmong the smiling faces in church on Sunday mornings are those who long for deeper, more genuine relationships within their local congregations–active, intentional relationships that nurture the soul and encourage personal encounters with God. Drawing on decades of experience in spiritual direction, congregational ministry, and seminary teaching, this book offers a clear and rich introduction to the theology and practice of spiritual companioning in the Protestant tradition. The authors explore the topic in a biblically based and historically informed manner and give practical help for cultivating spiritual relationships in congregations and beyond, using stories throughout to illustrate key ideas. Discussion questions are included.
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Servants And Fools
$22.99Add to cartLeadership is much discussed these days in politics, media, films, and church. Yet many are unclear about what leadership actually means, and there is too little careful reflection on whether Christian leadership has its own distinctive shape and character. Arthur Boers reveals the peculiar reversals of Christian leadership and ministry, and shows how in our tendency to focus on big bold heroes we often miss the point. Leadership modeled after Jesus practices service and sacrifice, is cautious about power and hierarchies, and prioritizes the vulnerable. In other words, it reverses what many expect of leadership. Servants and Fools explores leadership as we see it lived out in the biblical narrative, and gives the reader a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian leader. This book will redefine leadership for many Christians, in a most helpful way.
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Developing A Vision For Ministry
$23.00Add to cartStrong leaders have vision that is both far-reaching and focused on the details. Having that vision is what separates the church with a hodge-podge of ineffective programs and activities from churches that reach people effectively, efficiently, and consistently with the Good News. Now in its third edition, this groundbreaking book continues to offer church planters, pastors, and ministry leaders concrete help with crafting vision statements, encouraging buy-in from the influencers in the church, turning up the energy level, and ultimately growing the church.
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Not A Silent Night Youth Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartImagine Jesus from Mary’s point of view-proud of her son, in awe of his gifts and mission, guided by love for him as a person and so much more. In this book, Adam Hamilton begins at the end, with Mary at the crucifixion and resurrection; travels back in time as she witnesses his life and ministry; and ends at the beginning, with the Christ child born in a stable, Mary’s beautiful baby. This year, experience Advent and Christmas with Mary. Contains everything needed to conduct a five-session study geared to youth, including current examples that have meaning to young people ages 13-18. Can be used with the adult-level DVD.
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Not A Silent Night Youth Study Book (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartImagine Jesus from Mary’s point of view-proud of her son, in awe of his gifts and mission, guided by love for him as a person and so much more. In this book, Adam Hamilton begins at the end, with Mary at the crucifixion and resurrection; travels back in time as she witnesses his life and ministry; and ends at the beginning, with the Christ child born in a stable, Mary’s beautiful baby. This year, experience Advent and Christmas with Mary. This five-week Youth Study Edition helps teens experience Advent and Christmas through the eyes of Mary. You will need one copy for each participant.
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Generous Community : Being The Church In A New Missionary Age
$20.95Add to cartBishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and author of Unabashedly Episcopalian; has the authority to call for change to hierarchical structures
* Practical ideas for connecting and building communities of serviceBishop Andy Doyle understands that the church must change. Every day, he presides over parishes that are no longer vital, that have not adapted to the “VUCA” (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world of today – the world in which the church exists. The church still looks to hierarchies when it needs to build networks, and stays mired in arguments when it needs to find unity. With the experience of a bishop and the insight of a deep learner, Doyle points the way to the future with a vision for how we can learn, serve, and communicate with each other.
For clergy, vestries, seminaries, commissions, and, ultimately, parishioners.
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New Pastors Handbook (Reprinted)
$18.00Add to cartMost seminary graduates will begin their ministries with plenty of important head knowledge to share–but with a deficit of some of the most practical aspects of doing ministry, such as:
*which ministry role most suits them
*how to start out strong at a new church
*persevering during difficult seasons of ministry
*leading meetings and delegating tasks
*safeguarding their family
*fighting discouragement, pastor envy, and a lack of contentment
*navigating special ministry needs, such as hospitals, weddings, and funerals
*and much moreThrough his hard-won wisdom, Jason Helopoulos comes alongside new pastors as a trusted friend and mentor, ready to guide them through their first years of ministry with intelligence and compassion.
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Faithful Presence : Working Together For The Common Good
$20.99Add to cartTogether for the Common Good is a network of scholars, church leaders and activists engaged in matters of social justice. Its first major event was a conference in Liverpool in 2013. Since then the network has developed and grown and its website and e-newsletters have a wide reach. Research undertaken prior to the conference showed that the importance of churches, clergy and lay people being involved in working for social justice on the ground and for this activism to be rooted in the Christian tradition. Therefore it is time for a popular, accessible short book aimed at practitioners.
It is written in non- technical, accessible language and designed to be of interest to clerical and lay audiences across denominations, including those who create, manage and implement social justice initiatives.
It contains lots of illustrative examples of the ways that churches work together and of the range of social action undertaken by churches locally and nationally – pastoral, advocacy, campaigning.
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Arts Camp : A Creative Customizable Alternative To Vacation Bible School An
$34.95Add to cartLess packaged, more theologically and pedagogically appropriate, thoughtful, and community-based alternative toVacation Bible School
* A way for churches to conduct an artful exploration of faithArts Camp provides practical, concrete instruction that a church needs to plan, organize, staff, and conduct an annual five-day Arts Camp, including guidance on logistics, funding, finding art instructors (within both the local church and the broader community), ideas for structuring and scheduling the five days of camp, and a celebration on the Sunday following camp. Each chapter includes details on art projects, programming, music, drama, games, and resources.
For Episcopal and other mainline churches looking for alternatives to pre-packaged VBS programs, directors of Christian education and children’s ministry, camps and retreat centers
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Radical Sending : Go To Love And Serve
$24.95Add to cartForeword by Stephanie Spellers
* Core resource for discernment in living out baptismal promises
* Empowers the laity for their ministries beyond the church doors
* Study questions for small group discussion or individual reflectionAs congregations explore their emerging visions, they need support in “equipping the saints” for their day-to-day lives and ministries beyond the doors of the building. The Dismissal – “go in peace, to love and serve the Lord” – becomes as important as the Eucharist in feeding the people for the journey. But churches often fail to focus on this baptismal calling to “go” into the worlds of work, family, and community. This book fills that void, focusing on how the baptized become “go-ers,” providing practical and tested ways of fulfilling that calling.
Go to Love and Serve builds on and complements the work of Stephanie Spellers’ Radical Welcome, which called congregations to move beyond diversity and inclusion to be places where the transforming gifts, voices, and power of marginalized cultures and groups bring new life to the mainline church. Each chapter is followed by discussion questions for use with small groups or for personal reflection.
For lay and ordained church leaders, adult formation groups.
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Character Formation In Online Education
$16.99Add to cartThe unfortunate reputation of online education today is one of little or no effort on the professor’s part and little or no learning on the student’s part. A missing element in much online education is the kind of mutual engagement between student and instructor that provides not only a higher level of learning but also lasting character formation within the student. Character Formation in Online Education stems from author Joanne Jung’s years of experience teaching online courses with the aim of improving the teaching environment for professors and the learning environment for students. By replicating, customizing, and incorporating the best and most effective practices of what a great professor does in on-campus classes, reimagined for an online delivery system, Jung shows how a higher level of learning and transformation can be achieved through online learning communities. Handy and practical, this user-friendly book provides guidance, helpful tools, and effective suggestions for growing learning communities in online courses that are marked by character growth in students-the kind of growth that is central to the mission of Christian higher education.
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Prophetic Lament : A Call For Justice In Troubled Times
$22.99Add to cartWhen Soong-Chan Rah planted an urban church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his first full sermon series was a six-week exposition of the book of Lamentations. Preaching on an obscure, depressing Old Testament book was probably not the most seeker-sensitive way to launch a church. But it shaped their community with a radically countercultural perspective. The American church avoids lament. But lament is a missing, essential component of Christian faith. Lament recognizes struggles and suffering, that the world is not as it ought to be. Lament challenges the status quo and cries out for justice against existing injustices. Soong-Chan Rah’s prophetic exposition of the book of Lamentations provides a biblical and theological lens for examining the church’s relationship with a suffering world. It critiques our success-centered triumphalism and calls us to repent of our hubris. And it opens up new ways to encounter the other. Hear the prophet’s lament as the necessary corrective for Christianity’s future. The Resonate series recovers the ancient wisdom of Scripture and helps us understand how it resonates with our complex world. The stories and insights of a book of the Bible are brought into conversation with contemporary voices of hope and lament–the cultural messages we interact with on a daily basis. The Scriptures become a meeting ground where God speaks to the pressing concerns of our day, and we are confronted in turn with a fresh experience of God’s truth.
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Pastoral Theology For Public Ministry
$22.95Add to cartFor seminaries, those involved in lay and ordained ministries
* Part of a growing conversation about the roles of ordained ministry
* Taps into an increasing interest in the Church’s public presence in ministries like Ashes to GoWhat does it mean to be engaged in Christian ministry in a shifting spiritual and religious landscape? Stephen Burns invites readers to think anew about the distinctiveness of public practices of pastoral presence. Rather than narrowly defining pastoral care and pastoral theology (pastoral counseling, preaching, youth groups, visits to elders, etc.) and theological academic categories (history, pastoral theology, liturgy, ethics, and contemporary sociology), he argues for a new imagination and practice of pastoral presence – a presence that is representative, public, integrated, and expansive.
For seminary introductory pastoral care and pastoral theology courses; those practicing Christian ministry; those seeking to understand more about what clergy and lay ministers do
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If Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartIf is a powerful little word. Some people are stuck in “if only,” trudging through lives marked with regret. But God wants us to live lives marked with possibilities, with the “what if” attitude that looks forward to the future with confidence. Why? Because the answer to “If God is for us, who can be against us?” is “No one.” God is always on our side. Every day, in every way.
With his trademark enthusiasm and contagious joy, Mark Batterson helps readers overcome feelings of guilt, fear, and doubt because in Christ there is no condemnation. Unpacking the promises of Romans 8, he shows readers that they are more than conquerors–right now and forever. And because of that, the possibilities for their lives are limitless.
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Gospel Conversations : How To Care Like Christ
$26.99Add to cartHow does a person learn to counsel others with the truth of God’s Word? Bob Kellemen believes that the best way to learn counseling is by doing it-by giving and receiving biblical counseling in the context of real, raw Christian community.
Gospel Conversations explores the four compass-points of biblical counseling:
*Sustaining: “It’s Normal to Hurt.”
*Healing: “It’s Possible to Hope.”
*Reconciling: “It’s Horrible to Sin, but Wonderful to Be Forgiven.”
*Guiding: “It’s Supernatural to Mature.”These four compass points combine to equip readers to develop twenty-two ministry relational competencies-the “how to” of caring like Christ. This book serves as a practical training manual that can be used for lab and small group interaction.
Gospel Conversations is the second volume in The Equipping Biblical Counselors Series, a comprehensive relational training curriculum for the local church that provides a model for equipping God’s people to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. This two-volume series weaves together comprehensive biblical insight with compassionate Christian engagement.
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Why In The World Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99Add to cartIn this four-session video Bible study, bestselling author and pastor Andy Stanley takes a closer look at one of the unique things Christians believe: God became one of us. Why in the world would God do that?
Why would God leave the comfort and recognition of heaven to live on this ball of dirt in a time before morphine and indoor plumbing when the best of conditions barely paralleled the worst of modern-day conditions? Why?
We think we know why He died. But what compelled him to live as one of us?
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Faith Of A Mockingbird (Student/Study Guide)
$16.99Add to cartIn The Faith of a Mockingbird, based on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, pastor and author Matt Rawle uses Lee’s beloved characters to explore Christian faith, theology, and ethics. Join Scout, Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson in this four-week study considering God’s world and what it all means. A DVD featuring four sessions with the author, a full Leader Guide, and Worship Resource Flash Drive also are available for group study.
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Discovering And Developing Your Deacons
$13.95Add to cartWhether you are in a new church or a more established one, if you have a congregation, you have a growing need for more servants. You need others to help you. Yet you may not know where to start or how to proceed with identifying, enlisting, equipping, and engaging servant-leaders for your church. In Discovering and Developing Your Deacons, you will find the help you need.
If you are wondering whether or not you even need the ministry of Deacons, or if you’d like to know more about the process of discovering the right way to find them, this book is for you. You may have questions about the characteristics of men who can serve and how you can identify those qualities. This book answers clearly and concisely ten of the most often asked questions related to starting or restarting an effective Deacon ministry.
It is not God’s intention that a Pastor and one or two other leaders perform all needed ministry. This is akin to what God intended for the Apostles in Acts 6, when they had become overwhelmed with the ministry needs of a multiplying church. This book details how to find the kind of men described in Acts 6-not only find them but identify them by their reputation, character qualities, and servant hearts. This is a process that can be undertaken by any church that sees the need and has a desire to follow clear, scripturally-based guidelines.
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You Lost Me (Reprinted)
$17.99Add to cartClose to 60 percent of young people who went to church as teens drop out after high school. Now the bestselling author of unChristian trains his researcher’s eye on these young believers. Where Kinnaman’s first book unChristian showed the world what outsiders aged 16-29 think of Christianity, You Lost Me shows why younger Christians aged 16-29 are leaving the church and rethinking their faith.Based on new research, You Lost Me shows pastors, church leaders, and parents how we have failed to equip young people to live “in but not of” the world and how this has serious long-term consequences. More importantly, Kinnaman offers ideas on how to help young people develop and maintain a vibrant faith that they embrace over a lifetime.
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Prophets And Kings Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$18.99Add to cartThis six-session small group Bible study, Prophets & Kings, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume two of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. In this volume, Vander Laan explores the turbulent history of Israel’s prophets and kings, and draws lessons from their stories that can help build our devotion to and trust in God today.
Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
The Prophets & Kings Discovery Guide (200 pages) includes six sessions. Each lesson: *Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 30 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study.
This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the Faith Lessons Prophets & Kings DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*Innocent Blood Part 1 – Filmed in Megiddo
*Innocent Blood Part 2 – Filmed in Megiddo
*Who Is God? – Filmed in Mount Carmel
*The Wages of Sin – Filmed in Lachish
*The Lord Is My Shepherd – Filmed in Negev
*God with Us – Filmed in Arad -
Feasting On The Word Childrens Sermons For Year C
$24.00Add to cartMany pastors are confused about what to say during children’s time in churches. Feasting on the Word Children’s Sermons for Year C offers practical suggestions for preparing and delivering the children’s sermon. After explaining the purpose of the children’s sermon, noted Christian educator Carol Wehrheim provides a story for each Sunday of the church year based on the Revised Common Lectionary. In addition, a few stories are provided for special moments in the church’s life, such as when a mission group is commissioned, church leaders ordained, a death occurs. This resource provides pastors and other church leaders with fresh, engaging stories that children will understand and enjoy.
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Walking With God In The Desert Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$18.99Add to cartThis seven-session small group Bible study, Walking with God in the Desert, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume twelve of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. Are you going through a difficult period of life? The loss of a loved one? Unemployment? A crisis of faith? During these desert times, it’s easy to think God has disappeared. In Walking with God in the Desert you’ll discover that it’s only when we are totally dependent on him that we find God is closer than ever and can experience his amazing grace and provision. Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.The companion DVD for Walking with God in the Desert was filmed on location in the Sinai Desert, Wadi Nasb, Judea Wilderness, Mount Sinai, Negev and En Gedi. These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study. This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the Walking with God in the Desert DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*Join the Journey – Filmed in the Sinai Desert
*It’s Hot Here and There’s No Way Out – Filmed in Wabi Nasb
*Help is Here – Filmed in Wadi Nasb
*When Your Heart Cries Out – Filmed in the Judea Wilderness
*They Were Not Wandering – Filmed on Mount Sinai
*Ears to Hear – Filmed in Negev
*There’s Hope in the Desert – Filmed in En Gedi -
Fire On The Mountain Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$18.99Add to cartThis six-session small group Bible study, Fire On The Mountain, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume nine of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. When the Israelites left Egypt, they were finally free. Free from persecution, free from oppression, and free to worship their God. But with that freedom comes a new challenge – learning how to live together the way God intends. In this ninth volume of Faith Lessons, discover how God teaches the Israelites what it means to be part of a community that loves him and what that means for us today. Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.The companion DVD for Fire On The Mountain was filmed on location at the Red Sea, Sinai, Serabit al Khadim, and Jebel Katarina. These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study.
This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the Fire On The Mountain DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*The Lord Who Heals You – Filmed at the Red Sea and Sinai
*Not By Bread Alone – Filmed in Sinai
*Their Blood Cried Out – Filmed at Serabit al Khadim
*The Mountain of God – Filmed at Jebel Katarina
*I Led You Like a Bride – Filmed at Jebel Katarina
*The Whisper of God – Filmed at Jebel Katarina -
Death And Resurrection Of The Messiah Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$18.99Add to cartThis ten-session small group Bible study, Death and Resurrection of the Messiah, from noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume four of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. In it, Vander Laan illustrates how Jesus’ call to follow him turned the world upside down, and learn how confronting evil can be loudly proclaiming the name of Jesus or quietly caring for someone in need.
Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
The Death and Resurrection of the Messiah (336 pages) includes ten sessions. Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 30 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study.
This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the Death and Resurrection of the Messiah DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*When Storms Come – Sea of Galilee
*Piercing the Darkness – Kursi
*Gates of Hell- Caesarea Philippi
*City of the Great King Part 1 – The Temple
*City of the Great King Part 1 – Jerusalem
*The Lamb of God – Mount of Olives
*The Weight of the World – Capernaum/Gethsemane
*Roll Away the Stone – Garden Tomb
*Power to the People – Southern Stairs
*Total Commitment – Caesarea -
Life And Ministry Of The Messiah Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThis eight-session small group Bible study, Life & Ministry of the Messiah, from noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume three of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. In it, Vander Laan illustrates how Jesus’ call to follow him turned the world upside down.
Journey back to the time of Jesus. Marvel at the magnificence of Herod’s palace. Scramble among the ruins of Qumran. And wonder at the simplicity and wisdom of Jesus’ parables. In the Life & Ministry of the Messiah, you and your group will discover how the events of Jesus’ day impacted his life, ministry and communication…and then you’ll learn how it affects yours.
Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
The Life & Ministry of the Messiah Discovery Guide (296 pages) includes eight sessions. Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 30 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study.
This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the Life & Ministry of the Messiah DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*In the Shadow of Herod – Herodion
*My Rock and My Fortress – Masada
*The Time Had Fully Come – Filmed in Qumran
*No Greater Love – Filmed in Korazin/Mount of Beatitudes
*The Rabbi – Filmed in Gamla
*Language of Culture – Filmed in Sepphoris
*Misguided Faith – Filmed in Belvoir
*Living Water – Filmed in En Gedi -
Promised Land Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThis five-session small group Bible study, Promised Land, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume one of the 12-part Faith Lessons series.
In Promised Land, Vander Laan illustrates how God guided his people to a specific place – the Promised Land – to impact the world both in ancient times and today. Just like the time and place of our birth shapes our journey, so the land and culture of the Hebrew people shaped their story. Promised Land provides wonderful context to the stories of that time.
Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.This Discovery Guide includes five sessions. Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Include 30 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study.
This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the Faith Lessons Promised Land DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*Standing at the Crossroads -Tel Gezer
*Wet Feet – Jordan River
*First Fruits – Tel Jericho Confronting Evil – Tel Beth Shemesh
*Iron of Culture – Tel Azekah -
Early Church Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThis five-session small group Bible study, Early Church, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume five of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. In this volume, Vander Laan uncovers the passion and commitment early believers displayed as they claimed Jesus in the face of fierce consequences and powerful adversaries.
Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
The sessions on this DVD were filmed on location in Caesarea Philippi, Sardis, Pergamum, Ephesus, and Laodicea.
These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study.
This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the Early Church DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*Everything to Lose, Nothing to Gain – Filmed in Caesarea Philippi
*The Salt of the Earth – Filmed in Sardis
*Where Satan Lives – Filmed in Pergamum
*The Mark of the Beast – Filmed in Ephesus
*Hot or Cold – Filmed in Laodicea -
High Definition Leader
$19.99Add to cartThe United States is know as the “Great Melting Pot,” yet a survey of our churches on Sunday Morning would reveal a noticeably different portrait of our ethnic make-up. Every facet of American culture is multi-ethnic. Yet, the Church is not. The church is segregated. Drawing from scripture, Derwin shows how the modern church is suffering from being homogenous and how we are not fulfilling our calling as effectively as we should be.
The High-Definition Leader is a call for churches and their leaders to grow out of ignorance, class-ism, racism, and greed into a flourishing and vibrant community of believers united in their devotion to serving God and sharing His love with the world.
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Prayer Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartPrayer is more than just telling God what we think, feel, and want. It is also about hearing what God has to say to us. Prayer: Sharing Intimate Space with God explores the many dimensions of prayer and how we can incorporate those into our everyday lives.
In this study small groups will gain hope and inspiration for communing with our Heavenly Father in prayer.
Topics in this 7-week study include:
Session 1: Prayer Expresses Relationship
Session 2: Prayer Expresses God’s Character and Mission
Session 3: Prayer Expresses All of Our Life
Session 4: A Model Prayer
Session 5: Prayer Involves Listening
Session 6: Prayer Involves Speaking
Session 7: Prayer Involves DifficultiesThe Dialog Series offers topical and biblical small group studies that generate meaningful conversations. Each 7-week study explores a subject significant to the Church and to the story of God. Dialog creates community. So let’s talk.
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Path To The Cross Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThis five-session small group Bible study, The Path to the Cross, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume eleven of the 12-part Faith Lessons filmed-on-location DVD and Discovery Guide series. In The Path to the Cross, God’s story continues with the intense devotion of his people. Discover how their passionate faith prepares the way for Jesus and his ultimate act of obedience and sacrifice at the cross. Then, be challenged in your life to live as they did – by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.The companion DVD was filmed on location in Qumran, Machaerus, En Gedi, Jerusalem and Gethsemane. These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study.
This Discovery Guide is designed for use with The Path to the Cross DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*The Way of the Essenes – Filmed in Quamran
*The Way of John the Baptist – Filmed in Machaerus
*Into the Desert to Be Tested – Filmed in En Gedi
*The Last Passover – Filmed in Jerusalem
*The Fifth Cup: Our Way of Hope – Filmed at Gethsemane -
With All Your Heart Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThis six-session small group Bible study, With All Your Heart, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume ten of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. Do you remember where your blessing comes from? In Exodus, God warned Israel to remember him when they left the dry desert and reached the fertile fields of the Promised Land. But in this tenth volume of Faith Lessons, you’ll discover how quickly they forgot God and began to rely on themselves. Find out what it means to remember the Lord in your own life on this one-of-a-kind spiritual pilgrimage. Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.The companion DVD for With All Your Heart was filmed on location in Timnah, Negev, and Jerusalem. These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study. This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the With All Your Heart DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*Build Me a Sanctuary – Filmed in Timnah
*Making Space for God – Filmed in Timnah
*He Led Them Like a Shepherd – Filmed in Negev
*By Every Word – Striking the Rock – Filmed in Negev
*With All Your Might: The Final Test – Filmed in Jerusalem
*A Well-Watered Garden – Filmed in Jerusalem -
God Heard Their Cry Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$18.99Add to cartThis five-session small group Bible study, God Heard Their Cry, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume eight of the 12-part Faith Lessons filmed-on-location DVD and Discovery Guide series. Vander Laan illustrates how, in ancient times, nothing was bigger than Egypt… powerful pharaohs, strong armies, and a multitude of gods. God’s people were no match against the Egyptians. In this volume of Faith Lessons, discover how God answers the cry of his persecuted people and proclaims himself Lord to them and their oppressors. Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.The companion DVD for God Heard Their Cry was filmed on location in Luxor, Egypt; Deir al Medina, Ramesseum, and the Red Sea. These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study. This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the God Heard Their Cry DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*How Big Is our God? – Filmed in Luxor, Egypt
*Israel in Bondage: God Heard Their Cry – Filmed at Dier al Medina
*Finger of God: The Plagues – Filmed at Ramesseum
*Watch with Me: Israel Leaves Egypt – Filmed at the Red Sea
*The Lord Reigns: The Red Sea – Filmed at the Red Sea -
Walk As Jesus Walked Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThis five-session, video-based small group bible study, Walked As Jesus Walked, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume seven of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. In this volume, Vander Laan helps you experience how the disciples translated Jesus’ call to passionate discipleship into language and imagery the Roman culture already understood. Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.The companion DVD for Walked As Jesus Walked was filmed on location in Aphrodisias, Antioch Pisidia, Lystra, and Cappadocia. These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study. This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the Walk As Jesus Walked DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*Run! The Passion of Elijah – Filmed in Aphrodisias
*Learning to Walk Like Jesus – Filmed in Antioch Pisidia
*An Unlikely Disciple – Filmed in Lystra
*Why Christians Suffer: The Weight of Gesthemane – filmed in Cappadocia
*Don’t Forget Us – filmed on location in Cappadocia -
In The Dust Of The Rabbi Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThis five-session small group Bible study, In the Dust of the Rabbi, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume six of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. In this volume, Vander Laan helps you experience Jesus’ life up close and personal.
Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God’s Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible’s fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures’ significance for modern believers.
The In the Dust of the Rabbi Discovery Guide includes five sessions.
Each lesson:
*Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD
*Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools
*Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection
*Includes 25 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today.The companion DVD for In the Dust of the Rabbi was filmed on location in Galilee, Priene, and Didyma.
These illuminating “faith lessons” afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study.
This Discovery Guide is designed for use with the In the Dust of the Rabbi DVD (sold separately).
Lessons include:
*When the Rabbi Says, “Come” – Filmed in Galilee
*When the Rabbi Says, “Go” – Filmed in Galilee
*The Presence of God: A Countercultural Community – Filmed in Priene
*Living Stones – Filmed in Priene
*The Very Words of God – Filmed in Didyma -
Meaning Of Marriage Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartModern culture would have you believe that everyone has a soul mate; that romance is the most important part of a successful marriage; that marriage does not mean ’til death do us part, but merely for as long as my needs are being met; and that when serious differences arise, divorce is the best solution.
According to the Bible, all of these modern-day assumptions miss what marriage is all about. In The Meaning of Marriage-a six-session video-based Bible study-Timothy Keller, along with Kathy, his wife of forty years, draws a profound portrait of marriage from the pages of Scripture that neither idealizes nor rejects the institution but points us back to the relationship between God and man. The result is a vision for marriage that is refreshingly frank and unsentimental, yet hopeful and beautiful. This six-session video Bible study is for anyone from singles to couples considering marriage to those who have been married recently or for a long time.
The six sessions are:
*The Secret of Marriage
*The Essence of Marriage
*The Mission of Marriage
*Embracing the Other
*Singleness and Marriage
*Sex and Marriage -
Pray For The Flock
$12.99Add to cartBrothers, pray for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:25). The Apostle Paul s letters are filled with references to prayer requests for prayer from the churches, prayers for them, and teaching and encouragement that God was working through these prayers. Pastors and church leaders know that prayer is powerful and it must be a priority in any ministry, yet many pastors struggle to maintain an active prayer life. Ever more difficult is the challenge of praying for the flock, lifting up the needs of the people God has placed in your care.
The Practical Shepherding series of guides provides pastors and ministry leaders with practical help to do the work of pastoral ministry in a local church. In Pray for the Flock, pastors Brian Croft and Ryan Fullerton provide biblical encouragement, practical advice, and helpful suggestions that will help busy pastors effectively pray for their people and care for their church through the ministry of intercession.”
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Counterfeit Christianity : The Persistence Of Errors In The Church
$21.99Add to cartHistoric heresies didn’t die or fade away. Each generation boasts its own. Even while these counterfeit teachings remain outside the accepted bounds of Christianity, modern-day versions plague churches.So how does a church leader or pastor understand and deal with these age-old controversies when they pop up in the congregation? In this book, Roger Olson describes the curses but also gifts that heresies bring the Church. While heresies can occasionally correct a version of orthodoxy, they are not simple confusions or misunderstandings about impenetrable mysteries of divine revelation. Instead they undermine the faith and are dangerous distortions. The author describes major heresies and how the church dealt with them, the players, and what pastors can do to address these faith issues in order to educate congregations about Jesus, God, and salvation. Also included are questions for individual or group study.
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Gratitude Path : Leadng Your Church To Generosity
$17.99Add to cartFinancial giving is down in local Protestant churches across the nation, and small to medium size churches especially feel the impact of this decline. The Gratitude Path provides practical, no-nonsense help for pastors and church leaders, equipping them to teach about finance and stewardship from a Biblical perspective. This book demonstrates a proven, step-by-step, achievable approach. It helps churches move away from complex stewardship models that can overwhelm church leadership, and outdated, budget-centric stewardship models, which no longer resonate with people, and offers a fresh alternative: A simpler, Christ-centered model that promotes spiritual health for the congregant and for the local church.
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Oversee Gods People
$12.99Add to cartThe Bible gives instruction to those called to church leadership, challenging them to shepherd God s people by exercising oversight. But what does that mean? And how is it done in a way that is faithful to God and effective in enabling growth, individually and corporately?
The Practical Shepherding series of guides provides pastors and ministry leaders with practical help to do the work of pastoral ministry in a local church. In Oversee God s People, pastors Brian Croft and Bryce Butler unpack what the Bible teaches about administration and the necessity of delegation in congregational leadership, offering practical suggestions to improve the structures, process, and relationships among leaders in your church.”
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Voices From The Hospice
$27.00Add to cartHospice chaplain Bob Whorton takes us deep into the human experience of suffering and waiting. Framed as a train journey, we are invited to travel through various stations and stop for a while in many different station waiting rooms. The counter-cultural message is that there are difficult situations in our lives which we cannot escape from and must be lived; there are no short-cuts, and the stations must be travelled through one by one. However, in following this path we will find a new orientation to life, and we will find ourselves mirroring the way of Christ. In these pages we listen to the voices of patients and family members in a hospice; they become our teachers. And we listen also to the ancient voice of the psalmist who was well versed in the ways of suffering love.
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Pauls Theology Of Preaching
$44.99Add to cartList Of Excurses
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part One: Greco-Roman Rhetoric
1 The Beginnings
2 The Goal Of Rhetoric
3 The Power Of Rhetoric
4 The Reach Of Rhetoric
5 The Genius Of Rhetoric
6 The Appraisal Of Rhetoric
7 The Hazards Of Rhetoric
8 The Rewards Of Rhetoric
9 The Grand Equation Of RhetoricPart Two: 1 Corinthians 1-4
10 Paul And Rhetoric In Corinth
11 The Setting Of 1 Corinthians 1-4
12 Paul’s Argument Introduced: 1 Corinthians 1:1-17
13 Paul’s Argument Begun: 1 Corinthians 1:17-20
14 Paul’s Argument Encapsulated: 1 Corinthians 1:21
15 Paul’s Argument Continued: 1 Corinthians 1:22-2:5
16 Paul’s Argument Completed: 1 Corinthians 2:6-4:21Part Three: Summary And Analysis
17 Paul’s Ministry Model
18 Final Questions
19 Appropriate StrategiesConclusion: The Pauline Model
Appendix One: Paul, Apollos And Philo
Appendix Two: The Book Of Acts
Appendix Three: Paul’s Epistemology
Appendix Four: Implications For Preaching
Appendix Five: Broader Implications
Works Cited
Author Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
Duane Litfin, former president of Wheaton College, explores how Paul’s theology of preaching can inform the church’s preaching today. Through a detailed study of 1 Corinthians 1-4, Litfin shows how Paul’s method of proclamation differed from Greco-Roman rhetoric and how Pauline preaching can be a model for the contemporary preaching task. -
Volunteer Church : Mobilizing Your Congregation For Growth And Effectivenes
$24.99Add to cartWorking with volunteers can be a rewarding and exciting experience-for them as well as for those who recruit, train, and maintain their services. However, if church leaders are honest, they know there are times that it can be frustrating. They know that volunteers are essential, vital to creating growth and new ministries, and are the key to introducing youth and children to Jesus Christ. They have the welcoming smiles at the door, they serve the food, pray for needs, stuff bulletins, organize missions trips, and on and on. If they want to see their church grow, it must be a volunteering church, a church that runs on volunteers. The Volunteer Church was developed out of the ministry of Leith Anderson at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where a vital and vibrant volunteer program boasting 4,000 participants grew under the leadership of Jill Fox. The principles and training have been applied in churches of all sizes and denominations in seminar settings across the country as well as at Wooddale Church. In The Volunteer Church, leaders will Learn how to effectively recruit and train volunteers Discover how to build sustainable, long-lasting ministries led by volunteers Find methods for encouraging and maintaining your volunteers for success Know how to build teams of volunteers Understand how to find the right service that fits a willing volunteer If you lead a church and are exhausted by the lack of volunteer help, or if you are a volunteer and dream of adding numbers to your team, this book is for you. If you are on a church staff and know that a new ministry is needed but volunteers and training are required to make it happen, here you will find the resources to recruit, inspire, train, and maintain the church’s most vital workforce.
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Ferguson And Faith
$19.99Add to cart1. Just Protest This By Prayer!
2. Praying With Their Feet
3. Not Looking Away
4. Jesus Is In The Streets!
5. Where Have All The Leaders Gone?
6. This Is What Theology Looks Like
7. Why Are Your Doors Open To Us?
8. There Is A Ferguson Near You
9. Standing On The Side Of Love
10. #staywokeAdditional Info
The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, reignited a long-smoldering movement for justice, with many St. Louis-area clergy stepping up to support the emerging young leaders of today’s Civil Rights Movement. Seminary professor Leah Gunning Francis was among the activists, and her interviews with more than two dozen faith leaders and with the new movement’s organizers take us behind the scenes of the continuing protests. Ferguson and Faith demonstrates that being called to lead a faithful life can take us to places we never expected to go, with people who never expected us to join hands with them. Ferguson and Faith: Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community is the first book from the partnership of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and Chalice Press. -
Focusing Your Church Board
$11.99Add to cartChurch boards are often the scene of confusion, conflict, and chaos. What’s the job of a board? What’s the role of the pastor in relation to the board? Should there be an elder board and an administrative board? Ted Hull’s use of illustrations and analogies bring these questions-and answers-into focus.
Ted first looks at the foundation of governance, both from a biblical and historic perspective. Then he introduces Policy Governance(R), often referred to as the Carver model, and confronts questions regarding whether this secular model can work in the church, or if it should even be allowed. He even argues for why a church board may not want to use Policy Governance.
When you’re done reading, you’ll never look at the role of a church board in the same way again. In fact, whether you’re a member of your church board or the board of any charity, you’ll find yourself reaching for this book more than once.
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Youth Ministry In The 21st Century (Reprinted)
$25.00Add to cartThere are many philosophies and strategies that drive today’s youth ministry. To most people, they are variations on a single goal: to make faithful disciples of young people. However, digging deeper into various programs, books, and concepts reveals substantive differences among approaches.
Bestselling author Chap Clark is one of the leading voices in youth ministry today. In this multiview work, he brings together a diverse group of leaders to present major views on youth ministry. Chapters are written in essay/response fashion by Fernando Arzola Jr., Greg Stier, Ron Hunter Jr., Brian Cosby, and Chap Clark. As the contributors present their views and respond to each of the other views, they discuss their task and calling, giving readers the resources they need to develop their own approach to youth ministry. Offering a model of critical thinking and respectful dialogue, this volume provides a balanced, irenic approach to a topic with which every church wrestles.
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Espiritualidad Emocionalmente (Student/Study Guide) – (Spanish) (Student/Study G
$12.99Add to cartPara quienes desean tomar los pasos en su fe cristiana y discipulado, para liberarse de las ataduras del pasado y experimentar la sanidad, Espiritualidad emocionalmente sana es un estudio biblico de ocho sesiones con video sobre la integracion de la salud emocional y la espiritualidad contemplativa. Muchos seguidores honestos de Cristo, seguidores que estan realmente apasionados sobre Dios, se unen a una iglesia, participan semanalmente en un grupo pequeno, sirven con sus dones, y quienes son considerados -maduros-, permanecen estancado a un nivel de inmadurez espiritual, especialmente cuando enfrentan conflictos y crisis interpersonales. El estudio en video Espiritualidad emocionalmente sana y la guia de estudio que lo acompana, ofrecen una estrategia para que el discipulado aborde este vacio, ofreciendo poderosos caminos hacia la transformacion que ayudara a las personas maduran a llegar a una fe llena de autenticidad y un profundo amor a Dios. Las ocho sesiones incluyen: 1.El problema de la espiritualidad emocionalmente no sana. 2.Saber que puedes conocer a Dios. 3.Retroceder para avanzar hacia adelante. 4.Viaje a traves de la pared. 5.Expandir tu alma a traves del dolor y la perdida. 6.Descubrir el ritmo de las Oficina diarias y el Sabbat. 7.Crecer en un adulto emocionalmente sano. 8.Tomar el siguiente paso para desarrollar una -regla de vida-.”
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God Of Justice
$20.99Add to cartThe level of injustice in the world is staggering. The church needs to respond. International Justice Mission (IJM) has worked with thousands of churches to help them live out the mandate of Isaiah 1:17: to seek justice, rescue the oppressed and care for orphans and widows. Christians need to be equipped and mobilized to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who are vulnerable and oppressed. The God of Justice is a twelve-sesson, discussion-based curriculum that explores the biblical narrative of justice throughout the whole of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. Through the participatory study of Scripture, Christians can explore God’s call to engage in bringing about justice on earth. Throughout the course of study, participants will come to a deeper knowledge and understanding of biblical justice and will draw personal application for the pursuit of justice ministry in their individual lives and the wider church. Prepare to have your heart and mind engaged, to be instructed by Scripture and challenged by real-life stories of people freed by the God of justice. This curriculum can help you and your church bring freedom, restoration and reconciliation to those in need. Discover how God reveals himself to those who join him on his justice journey!
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Modelo Coach Para Lideres Juve – (Spanish)
$14.99Add to cartEl modelo coach es un enfoque poderoso e innovador para personas que lideran. En lugar de proveer respuestas, los buenos lideres hacen preguntas para descubrir lo que Dios ya ha depositado en otros. Aprende como crear conversaciones poderosas para asistir a otros a resolver sus problemas, alcanzar metas, y desarrollar herramientas de liderazgo en el proceso. El Coaching es el arte y practica que permite que los grupos e individuos se muevan de donde estan a donde desean estar y esta caracteristica le convierte en una herramienta poderosa para quienes trabajan con las nuevas generaciones.
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Psalm 2 KJV Preacher Edition
$39.99Add to cartThis eagerly anticipated volume of The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible(R) covers chapters 42-106 of the Psalms and is part two of a three-part series.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible(R) is much more than a commentary – it’s a comprehensive resource for expository and topical preaching.
Each volume organizes key points of Scripture passages in a systematic outline form, along with content synthesized from 200+ Bible commentaries, language sources, and reference works.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible(R) includes inspirational sermon points, practical life applications and dozens of supporting scriptures in every section.
This volume includes Psalms chapters 42-106 and contains Scripture printed in King James Version (KJV).
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Sacred Marriage Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$16.99Add to cartIn this six-session small group Bible study, Sacred Marriage, writer and speaker Gary Thomas invites you to see how God can use marriage as a discipline and a motivation to reflect more of the character of Jesus.
Your marriage is much more than a union between you and your spouse. It is a spiritual discipline ideally suited to help you know God more fully and intimately. Sacred Marriage shifts the focus from marital enrichment to spiritual enrichment in ways that can help you love your mate more. Whether it is delightful or difficult, your marriage can become a doorway to a closer walk with God.
Everything about your marriage-from the history you and your spouse create, to the love you share, to the forgiveness you both offer and seek by turn-is filled with the capacity to help you grow in Christ’s character.
In addition to life-changing insights, you’ll find a wealth of discussion questions in this Participant’s Guide that will spark meaningful conversation in your group, between you and your spouse, or to simply ponder by yourself. You’ll also find self-assessments, activities, and highlights all created to help you engage deeply and prayerfully with the content of this study. Designed for use with the Sacred Marriage DVD (sold separately).
Sessions include:
*God’s Purpose for Marriage
*The Refining Power of Marriage
*The God-Centered Spouse
*Sacred History
*Sexual Saints
*Marriage: The Love Laboratory -
Spent Matches : Igniting The Signal Fire For The Spiritually Dissatisfied
$22.99Add to cartSpent Matches explores the possibility that a few small paradigm shifts within the church might make the difference between extinction and effectiveness. In fact, taking a clue from the automobile industry, the church might be able to not only halt the rapid decay in attendance but also become an effective tool in achieving Jesus’ final command. For instance, the Hybrid car has become the answer to Detroit’s environmental and oil crisis issues. Finding the synergy between two technologies, gas and electric has created a new day for the auto industry. Likewise, Spent Matchesexplores how the church can find synergy between two seemingly competing thoughts: an invitation to come and a command to go. The Hybrid metaphor brings energy to the church’s mission and an explanation to the age-old argument of Missional versus Attractional methods.
Features include:
*Innovative ideas for growing the church
*Methods to reach those who may never have attended church
*Scripture passages that touch on the subject of church growth -
Understanding Gender Dysphoria
$25.99Add to cartIntroduction
1 Gender Identity, Gender Dysphoria And Appreciating Complexity
2 A Christian Perspective On Gender Dysphoria
3 What Causes Gender Dysphoria?
4 Phenomenology And Prevalence
5 Prevention And Treatment Of Gender Dysphoria
6 Toward A Christian Response: At The Level Of The Individual
7 Toward A Christian Response: At The Level Of The Institution
Notes
Author Index
Subject IndexAdditional Info
Few topics are more contested today than gender identity. In the fog of the culture war, complex issues like gender dysphoria are reduced to slogans and sound bites. And while the war rages over language, institutions and political allegiances, transgender individuals are the ones who end up being the casualties. Mark Yarhouse, an expert in sexual identity and therapy, challenges the church to rise above the political hostilities and listen to people’s stories. In Understanding Gender Dysphoria, Yarhouse offers a Christian perspective on transgender issues that eschews simplistic answers and appreciates the psychological and theological complexity. The result is a book that engages the latest research while remaining pastorally sensitive to the experiences of each person. In the midst of a tense political climate, Yarhouse calls Christians to come alongside those on the margins and stand with them as they resolve their questions and concerns about gender identity. Understanding Gender Dysphoria is the book we need to navigate these stormy cultural waters. -
What Makes Churches Grow
$27.00Add to cartExplores a variety of growing churches to identify what is making the difference between them and churches which are static or declining. In addition to numerical growth, it asks how we measure spiritual growth and identifies the signs of spiritual vitality, laying a practical and theological foundation for continued growth into the future.
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Israels Mission Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartJoin renowned teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan as he travels through the land of the Bible. In each lesson, Vander Laan illuminates the historical, geographical, and cultural context of the sacred Scriptures. Filmed on location in Israel, the That the World May Know DVD series transforms participants’ understanding of God and challenges them to be a true follower of Jesus.
The That the World May Know video Bible study series is ideal for use by pastors and small group leaders, as well as anyone interested in deeper, biblical learning.
The Israel’s Mission Study Guide is designed for use with the Israel’s Mission DVD (sold separately).
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4 Portraits One Jesus Workbook (Workbook)
$19.99Add to cartThis workbook accompanies Mark L. Strauss’s Four Portraits, One Jesus. Following the textbook’s structure, it offers readings from the Gospels, activities, and exercises designed to support the students’ learning experience and enhance their comprehension of what can be known from the Gospels about the central defining subject of Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth. Four Portraits, One Jesus is a thorough yet accessible introduction to the four biblical Gospels and their subject, the life and person of Jesus. Like different artists rendering the same subject using different styles and points of view, the Gospels paint four highly distinctive portraits of the same remarkable Jesus. With clarity and insight, Mark Strauss illuminates these four books, first addressing their nature, origin, methods for study, and historical, religious, and cultural backgrounds. He then moves on to closer study of each narrative and its contribution to our understanding of Jesus, investigating things such as plot, characters, and theme. Finally, he pulls it all together with a detailed examination of what the Gospels teach about Jesus’ ministry, message, death, and resurrection, with excursions into the quest for the historical Jesus and the historical reliability of the Gospels.
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Psalm 2 NIV Preacher Edition
$39.99Add to cartThis volume is part two of a three-volume series. Psalms Vol. 3 (ch. 107-150) is currently in progress and will be available late 2016.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible(R) is much more than a commentary – it’s a comprehensive resource for expository and topical preaching.
Each volume organizes key points of Scripture passages in a systematic outline form, along with content synthesized from 200+ Bible commentaries, language sources, and reference works.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible(R) includes inspirational sermon points, practical life applications and dozens of supporting scriptures in every section.
This volume includes Psalms chapters 42-106 and contains Scripture printed in New International Version (NIV).
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Circle Maker Student Edition (Student/Study Guide)
$16.99Add to cartPray Circles Around Your Greatest Dreams and Biggest Fears
Prayer can sometimes be a frightening thing-how do you approach the maker of the world, and what exactly can you pray for? In this student adaptation of The Circle Maker, Pastor Mark Batterson uses the true legend of Honi the circle maker, a first-century Jewish sage whose bold prayer saved a generation, to uncover the boldness God asks of us at times, and what powerful prayer can mean in your life. Drawing inspiration from his own experiences as a circle maker, as well as sharing stories of young people who have experienced God’s blessings, Batterson explores how you can approach God in a new way by drawing prayer circles around your dreams, your problems, and, most importantly, God’s promises. In the process, you’ll discover this simple yet life-changing truth: God honors bold prayers; bold prayers honor God. And you’re never too young for God to use you for amazing things.
Updated with discussion questions that tie to the Circle Maker video curriculum.
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Creer Guia De Estudio (Student/Study Guide) – (Spanish) (Student/Study Guide)
$15.99Add to cartCreer Guia de estudio les facilita a los grupos, cualquiera que sea su tamano, la oportunidad de aprender, analizar y aplicar lo que van experimentando en este recorrido de treinta sesiones a lo largo de la Biblia, a base de explorar treinta creencias, practicas y virtudes esenciales que todo cristiano necesita conocer y vivir. El pastor y autor Randy Frazee presenta treinta ensenanzas de diez minutos cada una sobre la forma en que las Escrituras nos ayudan a pensar como Jesus, actuar como El y ser como El. En cada sesion podras explorar una pregunta clave, un texto biblico, un concepto y su aplicacion, con el fin de ayudarte a comprender las treinta creencias, practicas y virtudes esenciales que te ayudaran a convertirte en un seguidor de Jesus totalmente comprometido con El. Esta guia de estudio ira acompanando a los miembros de los grupos a lo largo de las treinta sesiones por medio del analisis del video, ademas de ayudarlos de manera individual a crecer por medio de tareas a realizar entre una y otra sesion.
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Disaster Ministry Handbook
$30.99Add to cartWhen disasters happen, people turn to local churches as centers for response and assistance. When floods or tornadoes devastate an area, or when shootings and violence shock a community, knowing what to do can be the difference between calm and chaos, courage and fear, life and death. But few churches plan in advance for what they should do – until the storm hits.
Don’t get caught unprepared. If a natural disaster or human tragedy strikes your community, your church can minister to the hurting. Jamie Aten and David Boan, codirectors of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, provide a practical guide for disaster preparedness. Disaster ministry is a critically important work of the church, preparing for the unthinkable, providing relief to survivors, caring for the vulnerable, helping communities recover. Filled with resources for emergency planning and crisis management, this book provides best practices for local congregations. By taking action in advance, your church can help prevent harm and save lives during a disaster.
The time to plan is now. Be prepared.
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Making Disciples Across Cultures
$24.99Add to cartCulture affects how we make disciples. We often unconsciously bring our own cultural assumptions into ministry and mission, not realizing that how we think and operate is not necessarily the best or only way to do things. In today’s global environment, disciplemaking requires the cultural humility and flexibility to adapt between different cultural approaches.
Charles Davis, former director of TEAM, provides a framework for missional disciplemaking across diverse cultural contexts. He shows how we can recalibrate our ministry efforts, like adjusting sound levels on a mixer board, to accommodate different cultural assumptions. With on-the-ground stories from a lifetime of mission experience, Davis navigates such tensions as knowledge and behavior, individualism and collectivism, and truth and works to help Christian workers minister more effectively.
Ministry teams, church planters, pastors and missionaries working interculturally at home or overseas can be part of God’s movement of making disciples. Discover how the body of Christ grows in the unity and diversity of the global church.
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Envisioning The Congregation Practicing The Gospel
$26.99Add to cartThis accessible and instructive book is designed to equip lay leaders of Protestant churches to better envision and practice gospel-driven ministry and mission in contemporary society.Seasoned pastor and practical theologian John Stewart presents and explains five biblically mandated, foundational practices for being and nurturing the church: fellowship, discipleship, witness, service, and worship. Stewart argues that these five practices are normative, indispensable, and doable for congregations that seek to remain faithful to their risen Lord, and he offers memorable, achievable models of ways they are already being used in current mainline congregations.
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Call Participant Book (Large Type)
$20.99Add to cartWalk Beside the Great Apostle
With Adam Hamilton, we have traced the life of Jesus from his birth The Journey, through his ministry The Way, to his death and resurrection 24 Hours That Changed the World. What happened next?
Follow the journeys of Paul, beginning with his dramatic conversion, as he spread the Gospel through modern-day Greece and Turkey. Travel to the early church sites and explore Paul’s conversations with the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. In this six-week study, you are invited to experience faith through Christ’s greatest teacher and missionary.
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Sermon Sucking Black Hole
$39.99Add to cartVery little communication takes place between most pastors/priests and their congregants regarding the weekly sermon/homily. This lack of constructive dialogue has resulted in Sunday messages that are not only out-of-touch with where parishioners are living, but for the most part what’s said isn’t remembered much beyond the church parking lot.
Dr. Mains contends that people in the pew can best judge when a sermon is helpful to them and when it isn’t. So why not include them in the process of both preparing and evaluating sermons? Not preaching the sermons. . . . .but again, preparing and evaluating them. He makes these changes sound so simple and practical that you can’t help but wonder, “Why weren’t these ideas implemented years ago?”
Most people in the pew don’t realize how integral they are to finding a solution to this problem. But the pulpit/pew combination can be an incredibly powerful team, so let’s begin to work together to help solve this mystery of what’s happening to sermons.
This is not a negative book or one that only points out problems. Instead, it’s a positive, practical and encouraging read that should fill you with hope for not only your local congregation, but churches everywhere.
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Digital Cathedral : Networked Ministry In A Wireless World
$36.95Add to cartExpands on author’s popular work in Click 2 Save
* Provides both practical and theological perspectives on using media appropriately
and pastorallyRapid cultural and technological changes through the last two decades have changed the
context for ministry. The development of digital social media and advances in affordable,
mobile technologies have dramatically changed the way most people interact with others,
communicate, organize, and participate in communities.The Digital Cathedral is a warm embrace of the rich traditions of Christianity, especially
the recovery of the premodern sense of cathedral, which encompassed the depth and
breadth of daily life within the physical and imaginative landscape of the church. It is for
anyone who seeks to effectively minister in a digitally-integrated world, and who wishes
to embody the networked, relational, and incarnational characteristics of that ministry.For lay and professional ministry leaders, congregations, judicatories, and partner
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Just Mission : Practical Politics For Local Churches
$35.99Add to cartThe last decade has seen a resurgence of the social action of the local church -responses to social need have included street pastors, cold weather shelters, debt advice centres and latterly food banks. The last decade has also seen a greater experimentation in forms of evangelism, most prominently in the fresh expressions movement. The intention has been to bring the Church into contact with people who would not otherwise cross its threshold. All these changes have led to new pastoral relationships being formed and a greater awareness of how social change affects real people’s lives. Just Mission draws upon the increased activism of local churches and links it to effective use of democratic processes to achieve justice for the people with whom they have a pastoral relationship. It seeks to explain in a straight forward and theologically-based way, how they can undertake that task based upon the pastoral work that arises from their social action and evangelism. Helen Cameron introduces the political and public theology that is currently being produced to local church leaders so they can see that theology has a genuine interest in the dilemmas they currently face.
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Leading In DisOrienting Times
$26.99Add to cartJack Mezirow, a leader in education theory, suggests that all transformative learning begins with a ‘disorienting dilemma’: an idea or experience that challenges or shifts fundamental values and assumptions. Gary Nelson and Peter Dickens, pastors and teachers with vast experience working with congregations and organizations, believe it is time for Christian leaders to be ‘disoriented,’ for the fundamental values and assumptions of Christian leadership to be reframed and broken down so they can see the leadership task in new ways. Blending current literature from both Christian and secular scholarship with individual and organizational examples, Leading in DisOrienting Times provides support for the concept of servant leadership that may be initially disorienting, but is ultimately liberating.
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Preaching In Pictures
$20.99Add to cartHow often do poets, advertisers, and movie makers influence Sunday sermons? Perhaps these image experts have much to offer pastors. Author Peter Jonker looks to these professionals as he examines the importance of having a controlling, vivid, dominant image that repeats throughout sermons. In Preaching in Pictures, Jonker details how a controlling image helps to unify the sermon and to communicate the sermon’s central thought. The best sermons center around a compelling image that embodies either the trouble present in the Biblical text, or the trouble destroying grace of God that the text proclaims. Jonker offers exercises designed to help pastors find strong, controlling images for their sermons. Preaching in Pictures is the third book in the Artistry of Preaching Series.
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Coming Home : Ministry That Matters With Veterans And Military Families
$16.99Add to cartComing home from military service is a process of reconnection and reintegration that is best engaged within a compassionate community.
There are almost 20 million veterans and service members living in the United States, including more than one million Americans deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001. Post-war life can be challenging unless there are communities responding with compassion and hospitality. How churches welcome and respond will be critical to the well-being of our nation’s veterans, their families, our local communities, and our nation.
Zachary Moon, a commissioned military chaplain, has seen the unique challenges for those adjusting to post-war life. In this book, he prepares congregations to mobilize a receptive and restorative ministry with military service members and their families. Designed to be accessible to both clergy and laypersons, this is an ideal resource for individuals or small groups interested in addressing the opportunities and challenges facing veterans and their families. Discussion questions and other resources included will help support small-group dialogue and community building.
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101 Ideas Creativas Para Grupo – (Spanish)
$12.99Add to cartEn 101 ideas creativas para grupos pequenos, existe un enfasis en unir a los diferentes miembros que conforman un grupo y crear actividades que permitan una relacion de confianza entre ellos. Todas las actividades propuestas, incluso las mas divertidas, contienen lecciones profundas de afecto, respeto, companerismo y confianza. El objetivo principal es suplir la falta de tiempo que los miembros del grupo tienen para conocerse, ademas de romper las barreras que muchas veces separan las personas bajo un mismo grupo. 101 ideas creativas para grupos pequenos muestra como rescatar la alegria y la comunicacion en nuestros diferentes grupos, ya sea en la iglesia como en otras areas educativas o profesionales.
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Life Youve Always Wanted Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIn the six-session small group Bible study, The Life You’ve Always Wanted, John Ortberg guides you and your group through the spiritual disciplines and teaches you how they can transform your spiritual life. What does true spiritual life really look like? And what keeps you from living it? What can you do to pursue it? If you’re tired of the status quo-if you suspect there’s more to Christianity than what you’ve experienced-John Ortberg invites you to join him on a road to transformation and spiritual vigor that anyone can take. Cultivate new intimacy and confidence in prayer. Discover the freedom of secrecy. Taste the benefits of slowing life’s frenetic pace. Learn how to be guided by the Holy Spirit – and much more. As in a marathon, the secret lies not in trying hard, but in training consistently. Proven by followers of Jesus over the centuries, the spiritual disciplines are exercises that strengthen your endurance race on the road to growth. This study guide is designed for use with The Life You’ve Always Wanted: A DVD Study (sold separately). When used together, they provide you with a practical tool that can grow your faith.
Sessions include:
*It’s Morphing
*Time Slowing Down and Celebrating
*Praying and Confessing
*Meditating on Scripture and Seeking Guidance
*Practicing Servanthood, Finding Freedom
*Going the Distance with a Well-Ordered Heart -
Earn Save Give Participant Book (Large Type)
$16.99Add to cartJohn Wesley believed money was important as a way of expressing and living out Christian faith. To Wesley, the task was simple: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. In this essential little book, pastor and author James A. Harnish presents Wesley’s concepts and beliefs in plain, useful language, suitable for individuals to grapple with and groups to discuss and act upon.
The four chapters of this book form the basis for a four-week churchwide stewardship program, along with the DVD, Leader Guide, Youth Study Book, Children’s Leader Guide, and the Program Guide on flash drive.
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Earn Save Give Childrens Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$18.99Add to cartJohn Wesley believed money was important as a way of expressing and living out Christian faith. To Wesley, the task was simple: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. In this essential little book, pastor and author James A. Harnish presents Wesley’s concepts and beliefs in plain, useful language, suitable for individuals to grapple with and groups to discuss and act upon.
The four chapters of this book form the basis for a four-week churchwide stewardship program, along with the DVD, Leader Guide, Youth Study Book, Children’s Leader Guide, and the Program Guide on flash drive.
The Children’s Leader Guide contains session ideas for younger and older children, including reproducible handouts. Consists of four sessions as part of the churchwide stewardship program.
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Earn Save Give Youth Study (Teacher’s Guide)
$10.99Add to cartJohn Wesley believed money was important as a way of expressing and living out Christian faith. To Wesley, the task was simple: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. In this essential little book, pastor and author James A. Harnish presents Wesley’s concepts and beliefs in plain, useful language, suitable for individuals to grapple with and groups to discuss and act upon.
The four chapters of this book form the basis for a four-week churchwide stewardship program, along with the DVD, Leader Guide, Youth Study Book, Children’s Leader Guide, and the Program Guide on flash drive.
Everything needed to conduct a 4-week youth study for ages 13-18, as part of the churchwide stewardship program. The Youth Study Book includes participant content as well as leader helps.
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Teaching Biblical Faith
$18.99Add to cartBiblical faith is a lens for viewing life, and Jack Seymour refreshingly illustrates how the reading of scripture is a resource for ongoing theological reflection connecting experience, vocation, daily life, and faith. Teaching has concrete consequences affecting the very ways people of faith view the world and make decisions for living. It matters; it makes a difference in how people think and act.
Written in an accessible style, the book provides a manageable way to inspire conversation about the many ways the Bible can be taught, the purposes and outcomes of each approach, and how biblical wisdom shapes personal and corporate decision-making. Useful strategies for leading group Bible study help congregations respond faithfully to the Biblical witness and cultivate a whole congregation approach to Bible study.
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Time Management For The Christian Leader
$17.99Add to cartGod gives each of us the same 168 hours a week. Why is it that some of us seem to spend our time more effectively and more efficiently than others? Our time is too short and our ministries too important for us to waste any of the hours God has entrusted to us.
Author Ken Willard outlines some best practices, time wasters to avoid, and examples designed to apply in your life and ministry. How do we plan for the long-term, the short-term, and the daily? What are the connections between our tasks and our goals? Is there space between your load and your limit?
Time Management for Christian Leaders challenges readers to identify why they are interested in improving their time management skills, where they currently struggle, and where they want to spend more time.
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Earn Save Give Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartJohn Wesley believed money was important as a way of expressing and living out Christian faith. To Wesley, the task was simple: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. In this essential little book, pastor and author James A. Harnish presents Wesley’s concepts and beliefs in plain, useful language, suitable for individuals to grapple with and groups to discuss and act upon.
The four chapters of this book form the basis for a four-week churchwide stewardship program, along with the DVD, Leader Guide, Youth Study Book, Children’s Leader Guide, and the Program Guide on flash drive.
This 64-page Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the small group study as part of the stewardship program. Includes session plans, discussion questions, and activities based on the book and DVD, as well as multiple format options.
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Earn Save Give Participant Book (Student/Study Guide)
$15.99Add to cartJohn Wesley believed money was important as a way of expressing and living out Christian faith. To Wesley, the task was simple: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. In this essential little book, pastor and author James A. Harnish presents Wesley’s concepts and beliefs in plain, useful language, suitable for individuals to grapple with and groups to discuss and act upon.
The four chapters of this book form the basis for a four-week churchwide stewardship program, along with the DVD, Leader Guide, Youth Study Book, Children’s Leader Guide, and the Program Guide on flash drive.
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Sermon Sucking Black Hole
$16.99Add to cartVery little communication takes place between most pastors/priests and their congregants regarding the weekly sermon/homily. This lack of constructive dialogue has resulted in Sunday messages that are not only out-of-touch with where parishioners are living, but for the most part what’s said isn’t remembered much beyond the church parking lot.
Dr. Mains contends that people in the pew can best judge when a sermon is helpful to them and when it isn’t. So why not include them in the process of both preparing and evaluating sermons? Not preaching the sermons. . . . .but again, preparing and evaluating them. He makes these changes sound so simple and practical that you can’t help but wonder, “Why weren’t these ideas implemented years ago?”
Most people in the pew don’t realize how integral they are to finding a solution to this problem. But the pulpit/pew combination can be an incredibly powerful team, so let’s begin to work together to help solve this mystery of what’s happening to sermons.
This is not a negative book or one that only points out problems. Instead, it’s a positive, practical and encouraging read that should fill you with hope for not only your local congregation, but churches everywhere.
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Brain Savvy Leaders
$27.99Add to cartLeadership is tough. Church leadership can be even tougher. Leadership demands constant reframing and reappraisal of the situation, focus, objectivity, honest appraisal of yourself and others, and astute evaluation of available resources. Church leadership is all that and more. To be an effective church leader, you also have to love and have others’ best interest at heart. You have to align yourself and your church with God’s desire to transform lives for the better, both within and beyond your reach.
Using up-to-date research from brain science in easy-to-understand language, author Charles Stone will help you increase your personal productivity, handle stress and your emotions in constructive ways, create and sustain collaborative teams, and manage change in your church. Using illustrations and acronyms, Dr. Stone will show you how brain science can complement and reinforce what the Bible says about life and leadership. He will show you how basic brain processes affect leadership and your team’s ability to follow while becoming more cohesive and collaborative.
Each chapter gives practical tips and actionable steps to help leaders improve personal and organizational skills.
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Preaching The Gospels Without Blaming The Jews
$44.00Add to cartRonald Allen and Clark Williamson provide a commentary on the Revised Common Lectionary Gospel readings, demonstrating how the lections are continuous with the theology, values, and practices of Judaism and also identifying and reflecting on points at which the lections caricature Jewish people, practices, and institutions.
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2nd Intercessions Handbook
$16.99Add to cartContaining completely new material, this user-friendly sequel to the bestselling Intercessions Handbook is for individuals and groups involved in the vital task of leading prayers in public worship. Easy to adapt to particular situations and with a wealth of creative suggestions for enlivening the prayers, The Second Intercessions Handbook covers:* mainstream public worship* festivals and special events. informal worship and worship for small groups. intercessions with children and young people . personal intercession
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Discussing Mere Christianity Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIn this 8-session video group study, you will discover why Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is one of the most read and beloved Christian books of all time. But seventy years later from when it was first delivered on radio, what relevance does it have to our world today? Host Eric Metaxas and a variety of Christian leaders (e.g. N.T. Wright, Tim Keller, Lauren Winner, Devin Brown, Paul McCusker, Douglas Gresham) help us understand the timeless message of C.S. Lewis in fresh ways for a new generation. The first purpose of this video study is to explore the positive ideas that C.S. Lewis has so eloquently written about in Mere Christianity for those who already call themselves Christian. The second purpose is to explain in an engaging, winsome and non-threatening way the basic tenants of the Christian faith as illustrated by C.S. Lewis to those who do not claim to be Christian. This study aims to fulfill the vision of C.S. Lewis of reaching people from all faith backgrounds.
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En Contacto – (Spanish)
$15.00Add to cartConvencida de que la forma en que hemos preparado y educado al liderato de la escuela dominical no est dando los resultados que la mayora de las Iglesias desean, Carol Krau ofrece una nueva perspectiva en En contacto! La formacion cristiana y la enseanza. Esta libro est comprometido con el papel vital que la educacon juega en la formacin de discpulos y discpulas cristianos. El mismo describe los siguientes cinco procesos cruciales para los educadores en el proceso de enseanza-aprendizaje:
En contacto con Dios
En contacto con el pueblo de Dios
En contacto con su experiencia
En contacto con el mundo
En contacto con la enseanza -
Who Is My Neighbor Teacher Manual (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartWho Is My Neighbor? (Quien es mi vecino?) is a field-tested resource through which English speakers of any church and congregation can learn basic Spanish-speaking skills to be able to communicate and provide a welcoming atmosphere to the Hispanic communities surrounding them. The six-session resource developed by the Northern Illinois Conference covers basic conversational Spanish, and simple and easy to follow Spanish-language worship material. The program encourages openness toward Spanish-speaking neighbors, understanding of different cultures, and compassion for those who struggle to learn English. This resource is easily implemented by congregations of any size, and it results in a program of hospitality that will help include Hispanic communities in your church congregation.
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Minister As Entrepreneur
$20.99Add to cartBuilding on his own experiences as a priest and an entrepreneur, Volland argues that the concept of entrepreneurship offers churches a helpful lens through which to view Christian ministry and mission, and an understanding and approach to ministry that is well fitted for the mission task in a rapidly changing world. He shows how an entrepreneurial approach is consistent with understandings of leadership in the major denominations and in the new churches. He also argues that such an approach is consistent both with the nature of God and with human collaboration with God’s activity in the world. “To be a minister is to face the everyday challenge of finding new ways to express the faith, and to refresh the life of the Church. This is the call to be an entrepreneur. Michael Volland sets out the case for the minister as an agent of change and as the one who looks for new ways to do things . . . This is an important and a timely book which will help us to see entrepreneurship as gift of God and a delight for the Church.’Pete Ward, Professorial Fellow in Ecclesiology and Ethnography, Durham University
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Dreams And Spirituality
$40.00Add to cartA comprehensive overview of the nature of dreams as understood from a range of diverse perspectives, and their relevance for pastoral care. Its approach is both systematic and practical, enabling ministers, spiritual directors and counsellors to understand the nature of dreams and the role they play in the lives of those in their pastoral care.
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God With Skin On
$16.95Add to cartIn these nineteen Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany gospel sermons, pastors can find ways to help expose to their congregations the truth that can transform the world: living a life that serves as light and hope.
Rev. Andrews says “it is a privilege and joy to reveal a God with skin on — a fleshy word that gets up off the pages of the Bible and walks into our lives.”
God With Skin On for Cycle C by Susan Andrews will help any pastor looking
for:
* fresh homiletical approaches to the lectionary texts
* preaching illustrations
* a clearer understanding of scripture passages
* adult study and discussion groups
* personal devotions and Bible study on each Sunday’s readings.Some of the sermon titles in this book are:
* The Future Present (Luke 1:39-45 [46-55])
* How Intelligent Is God’s Design? (Matthew 2:1-12)
* Holy Happiness (Luke 6:17-26) -
Life Is Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartSimple Truths to Find Love, Enjoyment, Trust, and Peace with GodWhat is life? What are we here for? What is truly important? What will bring authentic satisfaction and lasting happiness? We all ask these questions, and we all have a right to come to our own conclusions. In this follow-up to his New York Times and USA Today bestseller Jesus Is ____, Judah completes this sentence as to what “life is,” revealing how it is to be loved and to love, to enjoy God to the fullest, to trust God in every moment, and to be at peace with God, others, and ourselves. Judah writes as a friend, welcoming to the discussion new believers, lifelong followers of Jesus, and even the merely curious. In Life Is _____, Judah shows us the irrational love of God and the life that he intends for us to have in the here and now. With excitement and humor, he looks at the stories in the Bible from a different angle and shows how life is all about loving God and loving others. This study guide is designed for use with Life Is _____: A DVD Study (sold separately) and includes leader helps, discussion questions, conversation starters, and between-session activities to enhance application of Judah’s teaching.
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Collected Sermons Of Walter Brueggemann 2
$44.00Add to cartThis collection presents over fifty powerful sermons from one of the most trusted preachers today, Walter Brueggemann. In it, Brueggemann continues his task of making the biblical text available to the church. He sees preaching as a performance of God’s good rule that, in an act of utterance and receptive listening, mediates the truthful, joyous reality of that rule. The sermons are organized according to the church year, starting with sermons for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany and followed by sermons for Lent and Easter and then Pentecost and Ordinary Time. Sermons for other occasions, such as ordinations, weddings, and graduations, are also included, along with a Scripture index. Whether a pastor or a person in the pew, the reader will find inspiration, reflection, and wisdom in Brueggemann’s powerful words.
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Me To We
$20.99Add to cartChurches with front doors that open up mission fields rather than buildings.When Christians answer the clarion call to be missional, too often it is primarily to feel good or to grow in their own faith. But ultimately we remain unsatisfied because, in the end, it’s still about “me”-my church, my faith, my salvation. Then sometimes inspiration dries up.
We forget that Jesus is the head of the Church, which exists at God’s pleasure and disposal. God is birthing a new Social Gospel, meant to reclaim mission and justice ministries as prime directives for the Church, and not with the naive thinking of the 19th or 20th centuries.
What are the characteristics of this new Social Gospel? There is an expectation that mission is “with” and not “for” others. There is an acknowledgement that tolerance is not a dirty word and we have to find a peaceable way to live in our intercultural world. It carries the Wesleyan impulse to change the world by working to build God’s kingdom in this world. It offers the grace and salvation of Christ to those in need, believing that none are free unless all are free. It means that we feed the hungry, educate to poor, and equip the powerless in tangible ways.
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Pastors Ministry : Biblical Priorities For Faithful Shepherds
$24.99Add to cartEvery pastor struggles with demands for his time, and how to determine priorities in ministry. Some choose to respond to the most urgent needs, while others seek a more balanced and intentional approach. But what determines these priorities? Where should a busy pastor look for wisdom in making decisions?
In the Pastor’s Ministry, pastor and author Brian Croft looks to the Scriptures to determine the top ten priorities for a faithful pastoral ministry. These biblically rooted responsibilities help pastors determine how to spend their time and with greater discernment respond to the demands of the church. Each of these priorities is rooted in a direct command of God’s Word, including:
*Guarding the Truth
*Preaching and Teaching the Word
*Praying for the Flock
*Setting an Example
*Visiting the Sick
*Comforting the Grieving
*Caring for Widows
*Confronting Sin
*Encouraging the Faint-Hearted
*Identifying and Training Other LeadersTo be successful and faithful in pastoral ministry, every pastor needs to understand these core callings and make them part of his regular practice. These ten responsibilities guide how a pastor schedules his time, helping him to lay the foundation for a biblically faithful ministry in his church.
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Psychology Of Christian Character Formation
$44.99Add to cartThe Psychology of Christian Character Formation offers clergy and those preparing for ministry some of the potential riches provided by rapidly developing branches of contemporary scientific psychology of which they might otherwise be unaware. Joanna Collicutt, an experienced psychologist and theological educator, focuses on the psychology of character, virtue and spirituality. Furthermore, the psychology is not used to support training in pastoral ministry to others, but rather to support the reader’s own self-awareness and spiritual growth.
Joanna Collicutt understands Christian formation as Christian communities and their members growing up into conformity with the character of Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit. This is explored in the three parts of the book: first, an exploration of the process of Christian formation that includes a detailed analysis of the character of Jesus of Nazareth; secondly some focused psychology aimed at supporting an informed self-awareness in the reader; finally – and the most lengthy section – a series of chapters devoted to using psychological insights to help cultivate the Christ-like characteristics identified in the first section. -
Embracing The Passion
$35.99Add to cartConvention suggests it is best not to talk about faith and politics: this book talks about both! It argues that Jesus was a political figure who championed the rights of the marginalised, the oppressed and voiceless. In this challenging and accessible book, Nigel Pimlott argues young people are often marginalised, oppressed and rarely heard in a world favouring the rich and powerful. Young people are opinionated, passionate about what they think is right and wrong, and are concerned about the world they live in. Yet research indicates young people are disengaged from mainstream political processes where they can express their views – young adults have stopped voting in elections in unprecedented numbers. This is something of a paradox.
Nigel contends that by more effectively equipping Christian youth workers and ministers to do politicking, they will be able to better equip and disciple young people to be more politically engaged in their own contexts. This unique research-based book provides a concise overview of how youth workers might best help young people flourish and realise the common good. It engages those interested in politics – and more importantly – encourages those not interested to get interested and make a difference in the world!
