Pastoral Helps
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Building The Youth Choir
$10.95Add to cartIntroduction
1. Getting Started
2. Establishing A Sound
3. Practical Application
4. Choosing The Music
5. Studying And Conducting Your Choices
6. Changing Voices
7. Private And Class Voice Instruction
8. Pleasures And Problems Of The Tour
About The Author
Repertoire List
BibliographyAdditional Info
Yarrington provides practical advice on how to get started, offers techniques that work to establish a good sound, suggests music suitable for youth, deals with the challenge of changing voices, and more. -
Get Em Talking
$22.99Add to cartDoes your youth group suffer from the “silent complex”? Need help to get them talking about what’s really important? Would you like to be a more effective discussion leader? Then look no further! Get ‘Em Talking gives you 104 field-tested ideas that will get your kids talking about topics like . . . Rock Music – Dating – Serving God – Death – Friendship – Peer Pressure – Anger – Drugs and Alcohol – Gossip – Family – Parents – The Church – Values – Faith – Cheating – Jesus . . . and many more! Get ‘Em Talking is the perfect resource for anyone who leads discussions. You’ll glean the insights of two of the nation’s most experienced youth professionals on what makes discussion groups tick, how to get a good discussion started, what to do when problems hit, and much more. Learn How to Effectively Use Discussion Techniques Like: – No-risk Discussions – Rug Discussions – “If” Surveys – Yarn-Sharing Experiences – Relay Discussions – Tape Talk – Groupers – Continuum Discussions — Get ‘Em Talking will quickly become an indispensable part of your youth ministry resource library. Whenever you need a great discussion-starting idea, just reach for Get ‘Em Talking!
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Preaching The Miracles Cycle B
$14.95Add to cartour partner in intelligent, meaningful sermon preparation Cycle B
Exegesis
The Situation
The Setting
Cultural and Historical Contexts
Other Lectionary Texts For the Day
Meanings and Derivations of Key WordsHomiletics
Suggested Sermon Themes
Sermon Outlines
Preaching IllustrationsNine Miracles Include
Cleansing a Leper — Mark 1:40-45
Calming a Sea Storm — Mark 4:35-41
Healing a Blind Man — Mark 10:46-52 -
Places Of The Promise
$12.95Add to cart“The Advent/Christmas story is one that identifies specific places as the font of the rich interactions between God and humanity. The names of such locales are as familiar to us as our own homes.”
Here are six sermons with accompanying children’s sermons. The series covers Advent 1 through Christmas 1. Each sermon focuses on the particular sphere God used to prepare creation for the gift of Jesus.
The sermons offer:
* Texts from Lectionary Cycle B
* Other suggested texts
* Suggestions for congregational activitiesThe children’s sermons follow an advent wreath-lighting series. Following Christmas, these sermons use the Christmas tree and the creche scene as themes. Each children’s sermon offers at least three objects to use as illustrations.
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Palms And Thorns Cycle B
$12.95Add to cart“Liturgy,” which literally means “the work of the people,” sums up all the ways people have responded to God, including hymns, prayers, laments, invocations and confessions of faith.
14 Worship Services The Liturgical Witness Of The New Testament contemporizes and brings to life these various forms of worship as the author draws unique canticles, prayers, hymns and responsive petitions from the books of the New Testament. Each New Testament book is allowed to speak with its own voice. For example, the service based on Luke gives voice to the Gospel by the use of four canticles (psalms), and Luke’s own version of the Words of Institution and his truncated version of the Lord’s Prayer are included.
Also included are a helpful index listing the worship services according to their use in the lectionary and ten sermons for use with these liturgies.
Contents include:
Through The Desert Clear A Highway! — The Liturgical Witness Of Luke
One Lord, One Body — The Liturgical Witness Of The Corinthian Letters
Lordship And Unity — The Liturgical Witness Of Colossians
God Is Love — The Liturgical Witness Of First John
Worthy The Lamb — The Liturgical Witness Of Revelatio -
Pastor : Readings From The Patristic Period
$26.00Add to cartPatristic theology is primarily pastoral. Yet often the study of writings from the first six centuries of the church is pursued in ways that make the polemical, philosophical, and political aspects stand out. But if one reads around those texts that are profiled in these ways, the pastoral concerns will emerge. Even contemporary interests in social, economic, and deconstructionist approaches locate much of the data for their questions within or near texts that also can be looked at for the descriptions of shepherding the flock. Thus it is likely that any who read ancient Christian literature will find this volume helpful. The introduction is masterful. No other volume known to me does that so well through the translated words of ancient leaders. Whatever historical surveys one finds helpful, they cannot replace this guide. It is done with such competence and flair that specialists who are historians with no particular interest in ministry other than its being a feature of the early church will need to consult it. Those, however, who as believers and ministers are attempting to serve contemporary congregations will devour this book. No seminarian should be without it
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Christian Spiritual Formation In The Church And Classroom
$25.99Add to cartIn this thought-provoking volume, Johnson counters what she sees as “wrong-thinking” in much contemporary Christian education by offeirng forceful ideas about spiritual formation and faith development. The author challenges the way the entire discipline of Christian education is currently approached.
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Ethics In Ministry
$29.00Add to cart1991 Academy of Parish Clergy Book Award recipient. ”Deserves commendation and a large readership. The authors have touched sensitively on a wide range of issues with a wisdom that is practiced and practical.”—Christian Ministry. Deals with truth-telling, authority, salary, burnout, confidentiality, and more.
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Servant : Simple Story About The True Essence Of Leadership
$27.00Add to cart1. The Definitions
2. The Old Paradigm
3. The Model
4. The Verb
5. The Environment
6. The Choice
7. The Payoff
187 PagesAdditional Info
In this absorbing tale, you watch the timeless principles of servant leadership unfold through the story of John Daily, a businessman whose outwardly successful life is spiraliing out of control. He is failing miserably in each of his leadership roles as boss, husband, father, and coach. To get his life back on track, he reluctantly attends a weeklong leadership retreat at a remote Benedictine monastery.
To John’s suprise, the monk leading the seminar is a former business executive and Wall Street legend. Taking John under his wing, the monk guides him to a realization that is simple yet profound: The true foundation of leadership is not power, but authority, which is built upon relationships, love, service, and sacrifice.
Along with John, you will learn that the principles in this book are neither new nor complex. They don’t demand special talents; they are simply based on strengthening the bonds of respect, responsibility, and caring with the people around you. Perhaps this is why The Servant has touched readers from all walks of life-because its message can be applied by anyone, anywhere-at home or at work.
If you are tired of books that lecture instead of teach; if you are searching for ways to improve your leadership skills; if you want to understand the timeless virtures that lead to lasting and meaningful success, then this book is one you cannot afford to miss. -
How To Preach A Parable
$23.99Add to cartIn this pratical and insightful guide, one of the nation’s most respected preachers shows how to use the structure of Jesus’ parables to preach highly effective sermons. During the past decade, NT scholars have dne fresh and exciting work on the style and function of Jesus’ stories. Now Eugene L. Lowry–in clear, step-by-step fashion–shows how he and other well-known preachers use and develop parables to create lively and interesting sermons.
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Cowherding Christians Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartIf you and your parishioners don’t know much about sheep, you might find a shepherding Savior difficult to fathom; but if you grew up on a family farm anywhere in rural America, you might know something about cows. And you just might find it easier to relate to a cowherding Savior. It is this type of familiar, experiential approach to God’s word that makes this collection of model homilies so unique — and so meaningful.
Messages include:
– Where Are the Lilies Now?
– Jesus’ Hospital
– Cowherding Christians
– A House for God
and seven more!
For use with Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionary texts -
Como Estudiar La Biblia – (Spanish)
$13.99Add to cartJames Braga has written this book using the techniques of the study of the Scripture and has exposed the concepts in a clear and simple style. He presents a variety of methods of biblical study from a wide and careful view, so that the reader doesn’t need a previous knowledge of the Bible. This makes this book an ideal book for a group or individual study.
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Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 3 Cycle A
$42.95Add to cartPractical preaching strategies to help the over-burdened parish pastor communicate God’s Word in vital, meaningful ways.
This is the first volume in CSS’s third series of popular preaching workbooks — Designed to help you get the most out of every moment you spend in sermon preparation.
Special Features Include:
– Commentary on Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Common lectionary texts
– Sermon Starters for First Lesson, Second Lesson, and Gospel texts for every Sunday in Cycle A
– “Theological Clues” to help you explore the relationships among all the texts for each Sunday
– Wide Margins and Stay-flat binding for ease of use
– Overviews of preaching challenges and possibilities for each liturgical season
– Extensive Bibliography of exegetical and homiletic resources for Cycle A preaching
– And All-new Insights from one of CSS’s most well-respected and successful authors
This workbook is an exercise in liturgical, as well as lectionary preaching. It springs from the rationale that most lectionary helps ignore the liturgical setting of the lessons assigned to the various Sundays. It is this author’s contention that the exegetical/homiletical process begins with the church year. The year, cycles, seasons, Sundays, and festivals establish the themes and provide theological clues for worship and, particularly, preaching, especially in the first half of the church year. This approach is the outgrowth of the author’s doctoral dissertation and two of his books, “The Renewal Of Liturgical Preaching” and “The Song And The Story.” Both deal with preaching from the lectionary texts in the context of the worship, work, and lives of the people of God. -
New Testament Exposition
$22.99Add to cartExpository preaching is an elusive ideal. Many preachers aspire to it, few are acknowledged masters. For most a gap exists between the sermon that addresses the needs of the hearers and one that methodically plumbs the depths of Scripture. New Testament Exposition is written to bridge this gap and bring together the disciplines of preaching and exegesis. In this book Liefeld addresses the three main concerns of expository preaching: What is the text saying? How can its message be communicated in ways that are appropriate to the passage, the seeing, and the goals of the sermon? How can the message meet the real needs of the congregation in a way that is consistent with the purpose and function of the text? This book demonstrates how these concerns can be brought together in a sermon, and it is this thoughtful, practical approach that makes the book so valuable to preachers and seminarians. The book is divided into three parts. Part I explores the characteristics of expository preaching. Part II deals with preparing the text and addresses such areas as practical exegesis, exegetical outlines, narratives and compositional patterns, semantic patterns, and underlying assumptions of the text. Part III discusses application of the text by asking, What is the function of the text? What are the needs of the congregation? How can one preach to inner heart needs as well as to the external circumstances facing the congregation? New Testament Exposition is not vague theory, nor is it esoteric study beyond the grasp and time of the busy pastor. Throughout the book Dr. Liefeld reflects his experience in the classroom and pulpit, and his concerns as scholar and pastor are clearly seen in the final chapters of this volume. Chapter 9 examines preaching from difficult texts: How might one handle parables, miracle stories, obscure passages, culturally related texts? The final chapter provides a demonstration of all that is discussed throughout the book by walking the road through the actual preparation for a sermon.
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From Anticipation To Transfiguration Cycle A
$14.95Add to cartThe Advent season is one of expenctancy and anticipation. But it is not fulfilled completely in the Nativity. For it is not until the Transfiguration that God’s people can even begin to really understand what the fulfillment of God’s promise might mean.
Joe E. Pennel Jr. takes his reader on that journey “From Anticipation to Transfiguration” with the sensitive insight that Christmas is not the end but the beginning of God’s promise to his people.
Messages include:
– Shaped by the Future
– Away with the Stable
– The Called Ones
– Fog-Cleared Moments
and thirteen more!
For use with Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Lectionaries. -
Rooted In Remembering Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartOld Testament texts are often neglected by preachers of God’s word, but the writers of this collection have taken the time to contemplate the unity of God’s message to his people from ancient to modern times. That message is explored with warmth and insight in this richly varied collection of First Lesson homilies.
Messages include:
– Pentecost’s Promises
– Expectations of a Vital Faith
– The Cry for God
– A Faith to Live By
and eleven more!
For use with Common Lectionary texts.
Contributing to this cross-generational family effort are James G. Cobb, James K. Cobb, John M. Cobb, John W. Cobb, Judith A. Cobb, John D. Mauney, and W. Dexter Moser, all ordained pastors in the Lutheran Church in America. -
Fashion Me A People
$36.00Add to cart“Curriculum” as described in Maria Harris’s book is an exciting process embracing the entire course of the church’s life. It concerns the creative and educational powers used to “fashion a people.” Encompassing the total teaching mission of the church, it includes community, service, worship, proclamation, and instruction of all the members from birth to death. Contains “Reflection and Practice” exercises at the end of each chapter.
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Prophets Bread Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartFrom the author of the vastly popular “Gospel Horizons” series, comes this new collection of deeply thoughtful, personal; yet, universal responses to First Lesson lectionary texts for the Advent season.
Drawn from the author’s own searching questions and sensitive insights, these model homilies will deepen your understanding of the proclaimers and prophets who were sustained by the word of the Lord.
Messages include:
– God as Woodcutter
– The Glance of God
– What God Sees
– Six Cloudy Days
and thirteen more!
For use with Common Lectionary texts. -
Revelation For Today
$20.99Add to cartRevelation is the Bible’s most puzzling book. Though it has inspired some of the world’s greatest literature and art, to many readers the book remains a total mystery–a hodge-podge of strange, mystical symbolism and obscure references. Now James M. Efird provides a clear, readable look at the meaning of Revelation. Probing the mysterious book to its very core, Efird offers the best of modern scholarship in an accessible way. Efird places Revelation in its historical context (approximately AD 90), and explains its message for us today. Revelation for Today features an appendix on ways to teach the book, designed for pastors and church school teachers.
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Weaving The Sermon
$28.00Add to cartUsing images connected with the art and craft of weaving, Christine Smith discusses the special vision that women bring to the task of preaching. She looks at the significance of feminist theology, psychology, and philosophy in terms of their impact on the preaching of all men and women. Among other topics, she considers the authority of the preacher, God language, and global feminism.
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Master Has Come
$12.95Add to cartJesus and his kindom are the focus of this seven-part preaching series for Lent and Easter Day. Thomas Pilgrim, a seasoned proclaimer and an effective parish pastor, brings the reader and the listener face to face with Jesus and his claims upon Christian disciples. Well illustrated and carefully outlined, Pilgrim’s messages are appropriate for a Lenten Sunday or Lenten mid-week preaching series. Each message is accompanied by an appropriate and easy-to-tell children’s object lesson.
The author develops the theme in this way:
The Master Has Come
To Proclaim God’s Kingdom
And Calls Disciples
And Is Moved With Compassion
To Build His Church
And Is Calling For You
To Face Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)
To Be Lord of Life (Easter Day) -
Finally Comes The Poet
$29.00Add to cartThis manuscript was prepared and presented as the 1989 Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale Divinity School. The Beecher Lectures are by definition addressed to the subject of preaching. In these lectures, the author has sought to address the crisis of interpretation the preacher faces in our culture, which has either dismissed or controlled the text. Preaching as an act of interpretation is in our time, demanding, daring, and dangerous.
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Pastoral Ethics : Professional Responsibilities Of The Clergy
$27.99Add to cartLike most community leaders, clergy are constantly asked to make decisions that have far-reaching effects. For clergy, the matter is particularly complicated because of the many arenas in which they operate–counseling, church management, community affairs, ecumenical relationships, denominational politics, and others.
In Pastoral Ethics, Gaylord Noyce looks at clergy as professionals, and shows what can be learned from the professional ethics of other disciplines. He also demonstrates the special responsibilities (and opportunities) that affect those who are ordained. A book at once practical and prophetic, Pastoral Ethics is the standard for a new generation.
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Taking On The Gods
$25.99Add to cart“Taking on the gods is a significant responsibility of pastoral counseling. Confronting those psychic structures, forces, and images which masquerade as God; bringing love, faith, and hope into the lives of persons; and being an extension ministry of Jesus Christ walking in the hells of human existence are all ways of expressing the true evangelistic purposes of pastoral counseling. The thought of taking on the gods in one’s clients and in oneself may seem like arrogance or a humbling and awesome challenge. Nevertheless, taking on the gods is at the heart and soul of pastoral counseling.” –from the author’s Introduction
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Channeling Grace : Sermons For Lent And Easter Sundays In Ordinary Time Cyc
$12.95Add to cartWILL THE REAL JESUS CHRIST ARISE? WHO WAS JESUS CHRIST? AND WHAT IS THE REAL SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS RESURRECTION? IF YOU FIND YOURSELF WISHING YOU HAD MORE TIME…IDEAS…ENERGY FOR SHARING THIS CRUCIAL MESSAGE WITH YOUR CONGREGATION, YOU WILL APPRECIATE THESE NINETEEN FRESHLY INSIGHTFUL SERMONS BY CARL L. JECH. WITHIN ARE SERMONS FOR EVERY CYCLE C GOSPEL TEXT DURING LENT AND EASTER FROM THE COMMON, LUTHERAN, AND ROMAN CATHOLIC LECTIONARIES, INCLUDING: THE PIETY THAT ISN’T LOVE IS DOWN TO EARTH SOME WOMEN’S STORIES WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO? COLORIZING JESUS BECOMING WHAT YOU ARE AND THIRTEEN MORE USE THESE COMPLETE SERMONS AS PRESENTED — OR AS INSPIRATION FOR YOUR OWN ORIGINAL MESSAGES.
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Senses Of Preaching
$24.00Add to cartWritten in conversational style, The Senses of Preaching is a thought-provoking book using anecdotes to take a careful look at the relationship between preachers and congregations. Thomas Long provides insight into faith and life as well as preaching and homiletics. He offers preachers a better understanding of the whole concept of their craft and complements it with sermon-starter ideas. This compact volume shows preachers how to develop and implement a preaching experience that encourages the hearing of the gospel.
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Christian Education : Seeking To Become Like Jesus Christ
$24.99Add to cartThis is a book that relentlessly pursues defining the goams of Christian education and then offers a plan in keeping with those goals. So many books in the field assume the goals and simply describe the methods. Not so Larry Richards. His biblical and theological analysis conveys an excitement that makes Christian education a mission, not just a responsibility. And still his approach is eminently practical, insightful, and motivational.
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Childrens Ministry : Nurturing Faith Within The Family Of God
$27.99Add to cartA book that integrates a biblical and theological understanding of the child and the most useful insights of developmental psychology. This is a unique volume combining both biblical and theological foundations for children’s ministry with a careful assessment of the other major issues in nurturing children: developmentalism, the context of learning and growth, values, cognitive abilities, and social relationships. In this one comprehensive volume an integrated approach to children’s ministry emerges, compelling the student and practitioner alike to latch on to its theological handles and pull.
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Ministry : A Theological Pastoral Handbook
$12.99Add to cartThis highly praised handbook on ministry is an essential resource for clergy and laity alike–clear, readable, theologically sound, and pastorally wise. Traces the development of ministry from New Testament times through Vatican II to provide pastoral guidance for priests, nuns, teachers, and others who are called to the ministry.
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Congregations
$32.00Add to cartC. Ellis Nelson–noted author, Christian educator, and church leader–collaborated with and collected the works of ten leaders experienced in congregational affairs. The result was CONGREGATIONS: THEIR POWER TO FORM AND TRANSFORM. This book is designed as a resource that helps ministers and lay leaders understand the dynamics of congregations so that they may use that spiritual energy to invigorate their own congregations.
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Reformed Imperative
$25.00Add to cartOne of the most articulate interpreters of the Reformed tradition, John H. Leith is concerned about the reliance of mainline churches on such approaches as better management techniques and a quest for relevance as the means to halt membership decline. He reaffirms the Reformed tradition and calls upon the church to say what no one else can say. Leith writes that too often sermons are moral exhortations which can be delivered more effectively at Rotary or Kiwanis clubs. Many are political and economic judgments on society presented with greater wisdom and passion at political conventions. Other sermons offer therapies better provided by competent psychiatrists. He urges the church to use its only unique skill-the ability to interpret and apply the Word of God through sermons, teaching, and pastoral care.
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Fundamentos Para El Educador E – (Spanish)
$12.99Add to cartIn response to a need of Sunday school teachers, William Martin has condensed the most important principles from the series Fundamentals for Sunday School Workers, and so building a brief but efficient program for the formation of teachers.
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Counsel For Pastors Wives
$22.99Add to cartDr. Diane Langberg, a licensed psychologist, offers sympathetic and realistic answers to fourteen questions from pastors’ wives, questions that are often asked. In answering the questions Dr. Langberg addresses not only the particular women who asked them, but also those who are looking in over the shoulders of these women. Some of the answers are simpler than others. All of the answers require acts of faith, renewed patience, and wisdom that must come from God. With these divine resources come healing and possible solutions. Counsel for Pastors’ Wives is a good prescription for people who want to be helped and healed and for people who want to help the healing. It is not merely for pastor’s wives, it is for concerned laypeople as well
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6 Presents From God
$12.95Add to cartAdvent is a time to think about gifts. Who should receive them? How much should they cost? What do the people on our list “need” most of all? We scramble every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, trying to “take care of our gift list.”
Here is a refreshing second look at the whole area of giving and receiving gifts. When all is said and done, it is not us but God who is the gift-giver. By his rich giving we are graced for life and for eternity. Throughout the season of Advent and Christmas, share with members of your congregation the good news of God’s enormous generosity. Look together at the “gift list ” God assembled for us once where shepherds watched and angels sang.
These six sermons are each supplemented with simple object lessons for young children. The author focuses on God’s gifts to us of:
Angels
Mary
Shepherds
Wisemen
The baby Jesus
Joseph -
Call In The Clowns
$12.95Add to cartChildren love stories. (So do their parents.) The Sunday morning worship hour is a perfect time to take five minutes to gather the children and share a story with them. When the youngest in the congregation understand what is being shared, all who are older will as well.
These fifty object lessons are based on gospel texts. Many but not all are from the gospel of Luke, including familiar parables of Jesus such as the prodigal son and the good Samaritan. Each story makes use of a familiar household object, such as a paper bag, a candle, some construction paper, or a balloon, in order to make a simple teaching memorable to young learners.
Anyone who loves children and can tell a story can share the stories in this book. It may be the pastor, a Sunday church school teacher, a gifted (or simply dedicated) lay person, or a parent of younger children. The stories can also be used effectively in the church school classroom or in the Christian home. -
Reading The Signs Cycle C
$12.95Add to cartIf you are like many parish pastors, you find the Christmas season to be the most frustrating season of the church year — so much to do, so much to celebrate, so much to say — and so little time to prepare it all!
That is why J. Ellsworth Kalas has prepared these twelve thoughtful sermons — to help you present the meaningful and coherent messages you want your congregation to hear during this busiest of seasons.
Within are sermons for every Cycle C gospel text during the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seasons from the Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionaries, including:
– The Signs of Summer
– The Hinge of History
– Songs of the Season
– Return to the New
– From Empty Nets to Full Lives
– Awake to GloryUse these complete sermons as presented — or as jumping-off points for your own meaningful messages.
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44 Ways To Increase Church Attendance
$21.99Add to cartAre you still suffering over the sight of empty pews? Have your efforts been more than exhaustive in expanding your congregation? Have you maximized your brainstorming potential for bringing in new members?
If you have reached what appears to be your limit, then no longer fret, 44 Ways To Increase Church Attendance can open the doors of both your church and mind. With proven techniques for building a body for Christ, church leaders can increase their membership and then free themselves to focus on other important missions for God. Schaller’s suggestions will energize leaders and put their churches on the road of abundance.
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Ministerial Ethics And Etiquette (Revised)
$22.99Add to cartNow revised, Ministerial Ethics and Etiquette has been hailed as “an authoritative standard,” the book that “answers almost every question of ministerial ethics which may arise.” Nolan Harmon, who has authored each successful edition since 1928, studied the ethical codes of conduct of five major denominations and secured the expert opinions of eighty-six leading pastors, Harmon uses this wisdom to show ministers how to conduct themselves etically in virtually every phase of ministry.
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Faith Development And Pastoral Care
$22.00Add to cartJames Fowler’s work as the originator of faith development research – his use of the theories of Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson for theology – has been widely acclaimed for it’s profound impact on the field of religious education, and for it’s promise for other fields.
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Preaching Through A Storm
$24.99Add to cart1. I’ve Been In The Storm So Long
2. Predicting A Storm
3. Maintaining Relationships
4. The Eye Of The Storm
5. The Identity Of Evil
6. If It Had Not Been For The Lord
7. The Preacher’s Friend
8. Tragedy Or Triumph?
9. The Storm Is Passing Over
10. Preparing For The Next Storm
11. Storms Keep Coming224 Pages
Additional Info
The context was a building program for an urban congregation. The beginning bore no omens of controversy. But before long, both the pastor (the author) and the congregation found themselves in a storm that threatened the church’s very existence and the pastor’s future in ministry. It is common in this kind of storm that neither the preacher nor his flock will expect to hear from God. But the arresting message of this book is that it is often through the preaching itself that God speaks to the issues of conflict. It is through preaching that the issues are resolved, and neither the pastor nor the people are left unchanged. By example and by precept this book shows how to weather a storm in the only successful way — by preaching through it under the guiding hand of a compassionate God who knows our human anguish. This is a book you cannot afford to ignore. For, as one preacher puts it, you’re either “coming out of a storm, in a storm, or heading for a storm.” -
Death
$30.00Add to cartA compelling handbook for pastors, counselors, adult discussion groups. It encourages personal reflection. William Phipps deals honestly and openly with the cultural and human issues surrounding death. His comprehensive resource covers definitions of life and death, life expectancy and quality of life, terminal illness, suicide, grief, funeral practices, body disposal, violent death, nuclear war, handgun control, the death penalty, how to explain death to children, and theories of life after death.
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Homiletic : Moves And Structures
$39.00Add to cart”This is the most encyclopedic work of the modern period. Preachers really serious about the challenge of effective preaching will reap the rewards of serious interaction with a model master craftsperson,”—Preaching. Relates preaching to all human discourse.
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New Hearing : Living Options In Homiletic Method
$23.99Add to cartPreaching is in crisis. Why? Because the traditional, conceptual approach no longer works, says Richard L. Eslinger. It fails to capture the interest of listeners and is not sufficiently Scripture-based. The time has come to listen to new voices, new methods. And that is what A New Hearing provides.
Eslinger offers as “living options” the work of five preeminent–though quite different–preachers who represent the “cutting edge” of preaching in the 1980s: Charles Rice and the storytelling method; Henry Mitchell and the black narrative method; Eugene Lowry, who bridges the narrative and inductive methods; Fred Craddock and the inductive method; and David Buttrick, who emphasizes the structure and movement of biblical material.
Eslinger devotes an entire section to each preacher. He explicates each man’s technique, shows how it differs from the traditional “three points and a poem” approach, and presents one sample sermon from each. Eslinger then critiques these “new homileticians,” delineating the strengths and weaknesses of their respective methods.
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Resurrection Promises
$12.95Add to cartJesus’ resurrection is a time for setting earthquakes shaking in the soul. The seven excellent Easter messages in this book will help to make that happen in your congregation. Leonard Budd and Roger Talbott have combined well-crafted stories, most of them imaginative fiction pieces, with solid exposition of texts from Old and New Testaments. These messages will provide preaching resources for the entire Easter season.
Two additional resources expand the usefulness of this volume:
* Prayers and readings for each Sunday follow each message.
* There are study/discussion questions for an adult forum group which can assemble following worship, or in the week following, to discuss the message. Each set of questions is preceded by “group-builder” get-acquainted and growth exercises. -
Co Creating : A Feminist Vision Of Ministry
$28.00Add to cartExamining the thought of prominent feminist theologians and the views of practicing clergywomen, Lynn N. Rhodes articulates a vision of ministry that can enrich the whole church. She focuses on the feminist approach to the vital questions of authority, salvation, mission, and vocation
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Draw Us Nearer To You Lord
$12.95Add to cartOver one-hundred responsive prayers are included in this useful resource. They may be used either as beginning “Calls to Worship” or at another place within the service. The author has organized the material in eight categories:
Christ’s Life
The Holy Spirit
Christian Values
Consecration
The Christian Life
Gratitude and Praise
The Church
Special OccasionsBy using one prayer each week, a congregation will have a new prayer for each worship service for two entire years.
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Handbook Of Church Discipline
$14.99Add to cart11 Chapters
Additional Info
This is a handbook for pastors, elders, and all Christians who want to see how Scripture presents the process of discipline that should operate in the Christian community. It was written in response to an urgent need. In order to help church leaders deal with the sorts of problems that require the church to respond with discipline, the author has developed the book around the five steps of corrective discipline found especially in Matthew 18:15 — 17. Because there is not merely one kind or one stage of discipline, church leaders must learn how to discern. And once the right discernment has been made, then the right action can follow. This is a simple and very readable little handbook. The influence it can and should have on the church is, however, quite profound -
How To Help People Change
$12.99Add to cart“While touching on many aspects of counseling, this book . . . is specifically designed to elucidate the process of counseling. I have often mentioned and illustrated that process, but not in the focused and systematic way that the four-step biblical process is set forth here . . . . This book presents a fresh perspective not only on how to counsel, but also on what measures to take at what stages of counseling.” (from the Preface) Change is the essential goal of the counseling process. And Christian counselors recognize, as the author is so concerned to remind us, “Substantial change requires the alteration of the heart.” How does a Christian counselor work in order to bring about this kind of change? The answer is found, of course, in Scripture — in 2 Timothy 3:14–17, to be specific. Jay Adams is well-known as a counselor who bases his whole approach to counseling on Scripture. This book offers the interested reader an unparalleled opportunity to see both how he discovers and applies biblical principles and the way in which Scripture functions as the basis of his approach to counseling. This book answers not only the question “How does a counselor help people change?” but also “How does Scripture operate as the source of a counselor’s method?” It is a book that has much to say about the ongoing discussion of the relationship between theology and psychology in the enterprise of Christian counseling.
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Shepherding Gods Flock
$26.99Add to cartShepherding God’s Flock is both a textbook for students of pastoral ministry and a handbook for pastors. In its three parts most of the tasks of pastoral ministry are outlined, and a practical approach to those tasks is developed. Jay Adams is well-known for his practical and thorough approach to the many issues of Christian counseling. That same practicality and thoroughness is found in this unparalleled handbook on pastoral ministry. Not only does it offer pastors one of the best resources in print; it provides church elders orientation and practical guide to aspects of ministry for which they have responsibility. It is truly a shepherd’s handbook. The book is divided into three parts: Pastoral Life deals with the pastor, his calling, and the general care he provides the flock. Pastoral Counseling provides an overview of the task and a general approach for pastoral counselors. Pastoral Leadership offers a perspective on the ways the pastor can lead the church in its many tasks and responsibilities.
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Solving Marriage Problems
$19.99Add to cart“Counselors unanimously find that marriage and family problems outnumber all other counseling problems combined,” writes Jay Adams. “For that reason alone, counselors should want to learn all they can about marriage counseling.” This is a book to help counselors understand and deal with typical problems that arise in a marriage. The approach is to offer not merely solutions, but biblical solutions. Chapter by chapter, each problem that is brought into focus is addressed by Scripture, and a solution arising from Scripture is developed. Unless one understands what a biblical marriage is supposed to be, it is difficult to solve marriage problems. For that reason, Dr. Adams spends the first few chapters developing a biblical model. Then he treats many of the specific kinds of problems that typically arise: life patterns, priorities, children, sex-roles, in-laws, etc. This is a book that belongs on every pastor’s and every counselor’s shelf.
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Cradle The Cross And The Crown Series A
$13.95Add to cartDesigned for use by pastors who preach on lectionary texts, this set of model sermons focuses primarily on lections from the gospel of Matthew, the gospel appointed for use during Cycle A. Texts on which Dr. Bass’ messages are based include: The preaching of John the Baptist; the Matthew cycle of stories describing Jesus’ birth, including the flight into Egypt and the coming of the wise men; the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry; several texts from the Sermon on the Mount; and the Transfiguration story.
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Theology Of Christian Counseling
$26.99Add to cartA Theology of Christian Counseling is a book that connects biblical doctrine with practical living. Salvation, that central concern of Protestant theology, is often too narrowly defined. It is thought to be “being saved from the consequences of sin.” But God is doing much more. He is making something new out of the old sinful nature. He is, in Christ, making new creatures. “No counseling system that is based on some other foundation can begin to offer what Christian counseling offers . . . No matter what the problem is, no matter how greatly sin has abounded, the Christian counselor’s stance is struck by the far-more-abounding nature of the grace of Jesus Christ in redemption. What a difference this makes in counseling!” In this book the reader will gain an insight into the rich theological framework that supports and directs a biblical approach to counseling. And the connection between solid theology and practical application will become compelling. This is a one-of-a-kind. Don’t ignore it!
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Christian Counselors Casebook
$24.99Add to cartThis companion volume to Competent to Counsel and The Christian Counselor’s Manual is designed to help the user assimilate and apply the principles of nouthetic counseling. It is an excellent tool for any Christian counselor who is striving to develop a scriptural approach to counseling. Because it is a workbook based upon actual counseling experiences, the cases are typical of the variety of problems according to biblical norms, practice in laying out biblical plans of action, and familiarity with a variety of types of problems. By working through the many cases provided, the counselor will be better able to identify and respond to the issues that typically confront Christian counselors. This is not merely a book for the classroom; it is a tool for all sorts of training and personal development programs.
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Preaching With Purpose
$22.99Add to cart“The amazing lack of concern for purpose among homileticians and preachers has spawned a brood of preachers who are dull, lifeless, abstract and impersonal; it has obscured truth, hindered joyous Christian living, destroyed dedication and initiative, and stifled service for Christ.” (from chapter 1) Preaching needs to become purposeful, says Jay Adams, because purposeless preaching is deadly. This book was written to help ministers and students discover the purpose of preaching and the ways that the scriptures inform and direct the preaching task. Preaching with Purpose, like the many other books of Jay Adams, speaks clearly and forcefully to the issue. Having read this book, both students and experienced preachers will be unable to ignore the urgent task of purposeful preaching. And the people of God will be the better for it.
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Marriage Divorce And Remarriage In The Bible
$18.99Add to cart19 Chapters
Additional Info
The book succeeds at being exactly what the author wanted it to be: “a comprehensive, lucid, accurate study presented in a readable and practical style” It is a valuable resource for the pastor, the counselor, and the church leader, as well as other individuals who are struggling to understand and apply scriptural principles to the problems of divorce and remarriage. -
Altar Prayer Workbook Series A
$15.95Add to cart“Altar Prayer Workbook” is a helpful and practical tool for the creative pastor who wishes to localize and personalize the “general” or “day” prayer during the weekly worship service. For each Sunday in Year A of Common (Consensus), Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionaries, Earl Albrecht has provided prayer petitions with congregational responses, themes based on the church season, and the gospel theme for the day. Space for each sunday’s local prayer petitions is provided on the facing page opposite each prayer in the workbook. Additional prayers are included for Ascension Day, Corpus Christi, Reformation Sunday, and All Saints.
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Colors Of Christmas
$7.95Add to cartSis colors which appear on chancel hangings suggest six salient themes for preaching in the Advent and Christmas seasons. H. Michael Nehls has drawn on familiar colors for this series of object lessons and sermons. Each object lesson includes the use of a colored ribbon which is given to the child to wear; those who are present for six messages will have the entire “ribbon rainbow” pinned to their clothing the last time.
The messages to be shared with the congregation include:
Green, the color of Life
Purple, the color of Royalty
Red, the color of Sacrifice
Blue, the color of Eternity
White, the color of Purity and Holiness
Gold, the color of Wealth and Riches -
Minister As Crisis Counselor (Revised)
$27.99Add to cartChapter Titles Include:
The Minister, The Congregation, And Community Crisis Services
Intervening In The Suicidal Crisis
The Minister And Divorce Crises
Intervening In A Pathological Grief Reaction: A Case Study
The Minister’s Role And Functioning In The Crisis Of Grief
Intervening In Family Crises
Intervention Procedures
Methods Of Crisis Counseling
Crisis Theory: Definition, Description, Dynamics
The Minister As Crisis Counselor.Additional Info
Long recognized as the definitive crisis-counseling volume for the active minister, The Minister as Crisis Counselor is now thoroughly modernized to incorporate recent contributions to the field. David K. Switzer offers a comprehensive examination of both the theory and the method of crisis counseling as it relates specifically to active working pastors. -
Sevenfold Path To Peace
$12.95Add to cartJesus made peace by the blood of his cross. What more appropriate theme for a Lenten preaching series could there be than “The Sevenfold Path to Peace”? Here is a sample of this skillful proclaimer’s insight (from the first sermon):
“I saw a sixth grader, on his way up the alley to school, throw a firecracker over the fence of our yard and into the chicken coop. I was as angry as I ever have been in my whole life. The chase was on! Down the alley, a hesitating wonder as to how he had vanished into thin air, spotting him darting from under a bush like a rabbit, over a five-and-a-half foot wall, then over a six-and-a-half foot back wall, I took the gate, across the church parking lot, and finally trapped him under the camper parked in a neighbor’s yard. Winded and outaged, I yelled that I wanted to “kill” him, but instead took him to the school principal to do the disciplining. I didn’t like the feeling that raged in me. I was even frightened by it. I certainly experienced the truth of the words of Eleanor of Aquitaine: “We are the origin of war.””
Messages include:
– Is Peace Attainable?
– Desire Peace
– Peacemaking: Active, not Passive
– Peace as Shalom
– The Gift of Peace
– Peace Through Sacrifice
– Proclaim Peace -
Letter Writing In Greco Roman Antiquity
$35.00Add to cartDo the New Testament epistles follow conventional forms? Stowers analyzed thousands of ancient letters, both formal and personal, and constructed useful classifications based on the letters’ social functions. He quotes hundred of letters, shows how to ”read” them, and illuminates the structure and purpose of New Testament letters.
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Moral World Of The First Christians
$34.00Add to cartHow did the early Christians develop a distinctive morality? Meeks explores the social setting of the early believers, shows how they cultivated their own identity and moral language from contemporary Greek, Roman, and Jewish traditions, and describes the patterns of moral concern and behavior which characterized their community.
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Spiritual Care
$24.00Add to cartIn Bonhoeffer’s book he provides a theological base for pastoral theology, but he offers advice on many familiar ministerial tasks, such as conducting baptisms, funerals and weddings. It is a mine of wisdome and detailed practical advice on how to exercise spiritual care of both kinds.
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Pastoral Care With Children In Crisis
$28.00Add to cartIn this helpful book, Andrew D. Lester, noted teacher and experienced counselor, challenges ministers to take up and often neglected task–caring for the children of the parish. It is the pastor’s role, Lester says, to make “spiritual sense out of the chaos and crisis.” He looks to the ministry of Jesus as the model for faithful, effective ministry and illustrates how a pastor’s relationship with troubled children can have a significant impact on their spiritual and psychological development.
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Presbyterian Creeds : A Guidebook To The Book Of Confessions
$35.00Add to cartThis book provides clergy, laity, and students with a thorough introduction to their faith as set forth in the Book of Confessions. Jack Rogers explains technical terms and places current issues in perspective by examining the meaning of the creeds, confessions, and declarations found in the Book of Confessions. He examines their role in history, their full meaning, and their continued relevance to the Christian community.
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Compassionate Visitor : Resources For Ministering To People Who Are Ill
$19.00Add to cartHere is practical help for anyone involved in congregational visitation ministry. Examples of actual hospital visits illustrate the basic dos and don’ts of caring for patients personal and spiritual needs. Whether you are jusg beginning or are sharpening your visitation skills, this book will be an invaluable resource in your ministry of hope and encouragement.
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Professional Ethics : Power And Paradox
$25.99Add to cartKaren Lebacqz here offers a logical yet eminently human framework for ethical decision making. Quoting and clarifying the thoughts of the field’s top authorities, Dr. Lebacqz summarizes the issues and questions that have, until now, served as the boundaries of debate. Then she moves beyond that; formulating new questions, demonstrating why the answers to those questions are critical, laying the groundwork for what eventually emerges–a new way of perceiving and resolving complex ethical questions.
Professional Ethics: Power and Paradox utilizes the “praxis” method of analysis. An actual ethical dilemma is offered, then treated theoretically throughout the text in order to demonstrate how a professional decision involving the dilemma might be reached.
Central to the ethical framework offered here is the focus on three steps toward a decision: action (what are the available alternatives?); character (what does it mean to be a professional in relation to the question?); and structure (how do structures limit or modify the alternatives?). The resolution of these and related, subordinate questions, Dr. Lebacqz asserts, is the foundation of a new framework for ethical decision making.
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Paster As Person
$24.00Add to cartPastors are persons. Most of the problems pastors experience in the parish are not caused by the pastor forgetting he or she is a pastor. Most difficulties pastors face in the parish arise when the pastor forgets that he or she is a person. This book is about the pastor as a person. It is a book about the experience of people who are pastors – their thoughts and feelings and behaviors. But this is also a reflective book, bringing to bear upon the pastors and their situations the perspectives of anthropology, the behavioral sciences, and philosophy, as well as theology.
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Generation To Generation
$89.00Add to cartThis groundbreaking volume applies the concepts of systemic family therapy to the emotional life of congregations and their leaders. Challenging many of the conventions of pastoral counseling, Edwin H. Friedman shows how family theory points to a less stressful approach to the full range of the clergy’s responsibilities. He also illuminates how congregational dynamicscan be a useful model for the study of any family enmeshed in larger systems, and how such systems can themselves be viewed as “families.”
Friedman compares the emotional processes at work within individual families to those in church and synagogue, suggesting that clergy can often do more to help families by the way they lead their congregations than they can through specific counseling interventions. Specific topics examined in depth include leadership through self-differentiation, managing separations in families and in congregations, and the influence of previous generationsupon life cycle events. The power of the family model is clearly demonstrated in numerous examples drawn from Friedman’s own extensive experience as a rabbi and practicing family therapist and from many other rabbis, priests, nuns, and ministers with whom he worked.
Both clergy and lay leaders will find that this book directly addresses the dilemmas and crises they encounter daily, while family therapists and other helping professionals may wish to recommend it to students and clients as a lucid introduction to family processes.
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Power Of Darkness Series C
$14.95Add to cartThis preaching resource for Lent and Easter, Cycle C, provides model sermons based on nine texts from Luke and nine from John. In addition to the Sundays in these liturgical seasons, messages are also provided for Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Ascension Day (or Ascension Sunday). Included in these pericopes are familiar texts including Jesus’ wilderness temptation; the lament over Jerusalem; parables of the unproductive fig tree, the lost son, and the rebellious stewards; Luke’s narratives of the Passion of Our Lord, the Upper Room, and Jesus’ Ascension; John’s Resurrection account; Thomas’ shaky faith; and Jesus’ prayer of Christian unity.
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New Testament In Its Literary Environment
$40.00Add to cartThis volume in the Library of Early Christianity examines the literary techniques that were common during the development of the New Testament, and how these techniques influenced Scripture.
The Library of Early Christianity is a series of eight outstanding books exploring the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts in which the New Testament developed.
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Preaching Christian Doctrine
$20.00Add to cartWilliam J. Carl III confronts the problem of using theological language in preaching through a combination of serious theological reflection, rhetorical criticism, cultural analysis, and practical homiletical advice. He examines the approaches of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Barth, and Tillich to determine how these theologians brought life to the pulpit and what today’s preachers can learn from them. Preaching Christian Doctrine organizes and describes the various approaches to doctrinal preaching developed throughout the history of the church and across denominational lines, making this volume a unique systematic homiletics text dealing with the problem of preaching Christian doctrine today.
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Hospital Handbook (Revised)
$24.95Add to cartHospital visitation is a vital part of any church’s ministry. Written for the divinity student, the beginning or experienced pastor, and the lay person, this helpful handbook offers comprehensive guidance on many important aspects of pastoral care of the hospitalized.
In The Hospital Handbook, readers will find valuable advice and practical information on how to understand the hospital’s structure, gain access to its systems, and establish a rapport with staff, as well as explanations of hospital protocol and etiquette. The authors also explore the emotional and spiritual aspects of illness, and specific information on the needs of particular kinds of patients, including children, adolescents, substance abusers, plus AIDs, psychiatrics, and terminally ill patients. Resources for prayer, scripture readings, and sacraments are included.
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Church Is You And I
$7.95Add to cart“The Church Is You and I “is a simple but significant Confirmation service and message. The service reflects on the meaning of Confirmation in terms of our relationship to the church. Confirmation is seen as covenant — an affirmation of our new covenant with God and the church. That covenant calls us to service. It is this theme of service and mutual sharing that is found in the message. The church is seen as people — not as buildings. The sermon/message is written in poetic form and may be presented in dialogue fashion using three voices or many voices.
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On The Move With Jesus
$12.95Add to cart“On the Move with Jesus” is a book of epistle lessons come to life through the spoken word and the use of an easy-to-find object that means something to children. Wesley Runk, in the style that has made him famous and brought the gospel to many thousands of children, offers this volume of 52 object lessons from the Bible to help the pastor communicate with God’s little ones.
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Sermons You Can Preach
$24.99Add to cartW. Herschel Ford’s series of Simple Sermons have over the years proved of great help to pastors and Bible students alike. His books have been used by many pastors as preaching aids. Many laymen have also used his books for Bible study and devotions. Here in this compendium we have four books in one — some of the best of Ford, and perhaps some of the most useful. And none of these sermons has been published before. Ford covers the basics in these four books — basics that all of us need to be reminded of periodically: Sin and Salvation, The Cross and the Crown, On Changeless Truths, On Bible Characters. Among his sermon titles are: – The Heavenly Magnet and the Earthly Pull – Saying Good-bye to God – A Christmas Tree for Jesus – The Great Sin of a Great Saint and many more.
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All Our Losses All Our Griefs
$27.00Add to cartGrief as a lifelong human experience is the scope of this absorbing book. Kenneth R. Mitchell and Herbert Anderson explore the multiple dimensions of the problem, including origins of grief, loss throughout life, dynamics of grief, care for those who grieve, and the theology of grieving. This examination of the process of grief is enriched by vivid illustrations and case histories of individuals whose experiences the authors have shared.
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Better Childrens Sermons
$24.00Add to cartThe author of the popular resource, Creating Children’s Sermons, continues his efforts to communicate the message of faith to the youngest members of the church. Believing that adult faith–or lack of faith–is directly linked to childhood experiences, Bucky Dann discusses the importance of reaching children with the word of God, and including them in the church’s worship and sacraments. The lessons in this book are organized around fourteen themes that profoundly affect all human beings.
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Inductive Preaching : Helping People Listen
$25.00Add to cart“I spend hours in my study and on my knees preparing sermons, but when I preach them no one listens. What’s wrong? Why aren’t I getting through? Why do I see blank stares, daydream reveries, nodding heads as soon as I open my mouth to preach? I know my messages are biblically sound. I’m sure I’m preaching what God has laid on my heart. But it’s not being received. What’s wrong? What can I do?”
Sound familiar? If you’re a preacher, you probably know the feeling. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can learn to preach in a way that will be readily, even eagerly, received by your congregation.
It’s all here: what inductive preaching is, how it works, why it’s effective, who’s used it-including Jesus, Peter, Paul, Augustine, St. Francis, Wesley, Edwards, and Moody, to name only a few. Also included are:
* Step-by-step guidelines for constructing an inductive sermon
* Two sample inductive sermons
* A list of 96 inductive preachers from 20 centuries
* A strategy for making traditional sermon structures inductive
* A checklist of inductive characteristics.
The principles in this book can dramatically increase your sermon effectiveness-turn apathy into involvement, make listeners out of the listless. Inductive preaching is preaching that works!
