Pastoral Helps
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Neighboring : Spiritual Practices For Building A Life Of Faith
$14.99Add to cart“While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come.” ~ 1 Timothy 4:8
Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Spiritual disciplines are activities and practices that guide you in your daily walk through life bringing you closer to Christ. They also help you to make a difference in our world. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens you to God’s transforming love and help you experience Holy Living.Both the Old and New Testaments call the people of God to love God completely as well as love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus gave his followers this commandment as well. What if by loving your neighbor, Jesus literally meant the precious people who live in your neighborhoods? What if by loving your neighbors Jesus meant all your neighbors regardless of age, socioeconomics, education or any other potentially divisive status? This book first defines what is meant by “neighboring”; and then looks at some ways that you live into and out of that spiritual practice. It further helps you cultivate the habit of being neighboring Christ-followers and suggests ways your church can be neighboring churches.
This is one of series of eight books. Each book in this series introduces a spiritual practice, suggests way of living the practice daily, and provides opportunities to grow personally and in a faith community with others who engage with the practice. Each book consists of an introduction and four chapters and includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion.
Other disciplines studied: Celebration, Confession, Discernment, Neighboring, Simplicity, Study, and Worship.
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Prayer : Spiritual Practices For Building A Life Of Faith
$14.99Add to cart“While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come.” ~ 1 Timothy 4:8
Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Spiritual disciplines are activities and practices that guide you in your daily walk through life bringing you closer to Christ. They also help you to make a difference in our world. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens you to God’s transforming love and help you experience Holy Living.
We know we should pray, and for many people prayer is as natural as breathing. Yet however comfortable you feel with prayer, it can always take you deeper into your lives with God. This book explores the purpose of prayer, why you need to pray, the nature of prayer, and the results of prayer. It leads you to be open to the transformations prayer can bring in your life, and helps you better understand how to pray both individually and with others.
This is one of series of eight books. Each book in this series introduces a spiritual practice, suggests way of living the practice daily, and provides opportunities to grow personally and in a faith community with others who engage with the practice. Each book consists of an introduction and four chapters and includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion.
Other disciplines studied: Celebration, Confession, Discernment, Neighboring, Simplicity, Study, and Worship.
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Worship : Spiritual Practices For Building A Life Of Faith
$14.99Add to cart“While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come.” ~ 1 Timothy 4:8
Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Spiritual disciplines are activities and practices that guide you in your daily walk through life bringing you closer to Christ. They also help you to make a difference in our world. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens you to God’s transforming love and help you experience Holy Living.
Deepen your understanding of worship so that you can worship more fully. First by defining the practice of worship. To define it gives you clarity and richness. Along with defining worship you explore the concept of a Godward life, a life of turning toward God for guidance moment by moment, day by day. Such a life is fuel for genuine worship. Next you focus on the way worship shapes you. Look at your formation as a disciple of Jesus with Jesus’ primary focus, which was the kingdom of God. As you are being formed into Christlikeness, you point to God’s action in the world and you grow in desiring what God desires. Finally, you explore the idea that worship can happen in unexpected places. As worship breaks out, your life becomes an increasingly joyful walk with God.This is one of series of eight books. Each book in this series introduces a spiritual practice, suggests way of living the practice daily, and provides opportunities to grow personally and in a faith community with others who engage with the practice. Each book consists of an introduction and four chapters and includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion.
Other disciplines studied: Celebration, Confession, Discernment, Neighboring, Simplicity, Study, and Worship.
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Sustainable Young Adult Ministry
$22.99Add to cartYoung adult ministry scares us.
Young adults seem like the elusive Holy Grail demographic in Christian ministry. We often treat them like another species, with an inscrutable culture all their own. To have a thriving ministry to young adults, we’re told, we’ll need to be up-to-date on all the latest trends. We’ll need to change up our worship style. We’ll need to make programs. But what if young adult ministry isn’t actually as enigmatic as we’ve been led to believe? What if it actually looks an awful lot like . . . faithful Christian ministry? Scott Pontier and Mark DeVries know firsthand the challenges of young adult ministry. In Sustainable Young Adult Ministry, they explore six common mistakes churches make in their efforts to reach this demographic–mistakes they themselves have made–and offer six paradoxes that upend our presuppositions and return us to a simpler, more biblical ministry model. Full of practical advice and complete with a wealth of additional resources, this book offers a fresh perspective on young adult ministry that is grounded in long ministry experience and in the timeless gospel of Jesus.
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Romans Womens Bible Study Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$15.99Add to cartWe live in a world full of bad news. The media recounts stories of natural disasters, violence, and conflict. In the midst of all this heartbreak, we can’t lose sight of the fact that God has given us good news. We call it the gospel. It reminds us that God loves us and longs to redeem our suffering. He stepped out of eternity and into time to send us His one and only Son. The gospel truths shared with the early church at Rome echo into our day, reminding us that we still have good news to embrace personally and to share with others.
In this six-week study of the Book of Romans, we will be highlighting significant concepts regarding the good news about faith, grace, daily life, God’s plan, relationships, and eternity. Whatever bad news we may receive, in Romans we will find good news to encourage and transform us.
Join Melissa in taking a posture of listening and learning as we approach this powerful book packed with good news? Let’s ask God to do a mighty work in and through us as we study so that we might be inspired with a spiritual renewal that spreads to those around us!
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Drawing From The Wells 2
$9.95Add to cartToday, many young ministers feel the need to minister to thousands of individuals to be successful. In truth, most of the churches within the United States have congregations of 125 parishioners or less. In the Church of God in Christ, ninety percent of congregations are less than one hundred members. In Drawing from the Well, author Bishop Nathaniel Wells offers a self-help guide on building a strong church and mega ministry, without mass numbers and in small communities.
Through scriptural examples and personal experiences, Wells discusses the key elements-for which Jesus has provided the insight and instructions-for creating a strong church foundation. He includes the importance of relying on the word of God, empowering parishioners, and keeping the personal and spiritual connection to people.
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Preaching With All Ages
$23.99Add to cartThe all-age talk is a task guaranteed to give preachers sleepless nights! Very few people feel they have a gift for it, and most lack confidence. This reflective and practical guide addresses these concerns, and aims to build a sure theological understanding, develop skills and grow confidence.
Twelve chapters explore different kinds of engagement – with the senses, with one another, with oneself, with scripture, with liturgy, with the church, with God, with challenging situations, and more to enable preachers make real connections with their listeners, whatever the age.
Each chapter is followed by a practical case study illustrating key principles and providing down-to-earth, tried and tested wisdom for all kinds of contexts and occasions.
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Traveling Home : Tracking Your Way Through The Spiritual Wilderness
$21.95Add to cartOffers readers a way to find their place in God’s story
A creative invitation to those who are on the margins of the church Recent research in the sociology of religion indicates that around one in five Americans are religiously “liminal,” that is, they are on the fence about affiliating with a faith or a congregation. Traveling Home is an invitation to those people who are standing on the edges or just coming into the Church. It makes a case for why Christianity can make a difference by taking the reader on a spiritual journey through the story and ancient wisdom of the Bible. It shows the reader how to find a place within this great cosmic adventure. Why Christianity at all? How do we understand where we fit into a bigger picture? Anyone asking these questions, including people exploring other liturgical traditions, will find this book of interest. It is also a tool for clergy teaching newcomer/inquirer classes.
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EveryWORD John : Scipture – Outline – Commentary
$39.99Add to cartFrom LMW, the publishers of The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible comes everyWORD, a starting point for pastors, teachers, and students of the Bible who are seeking a better understanding of every Word of scripture. Outlined verse-by-verse in the popular ESV translation, and including a comprehensive, easy-to-understand commentary drawn from hundreds of sources, everyWORD equips you to preach your best.
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Romans Womens Bible Study Participant Workbook (Student/Study Guide)
$17.99Add to cartWe live in a world full of bad news. The media recounts stories of natural disasters, violence, and conflict. In the midst of all this heartbreak, we can’t lose sight of the fact that God has given us good news. We call it the gospel. It reminds us that God loves us and longs to redeem our suffering. He stepped out of eternity and into time to send us His one and only Son. The gospel truths shared with the early church at Rome echo into our day, reminding us that we still have good news to embrace personally and to share with others.
In this six-week study of the Book of Romans, we will be highlighting significant concepts regarding the good news about faith, grace, daily life, God’s plan, relationships, and eternity. Whatever bad news we may receive, in Romans we will find good news to encourage and transform us.
Join Melissa in taking a posture of listening and learning as we approach this powerful book packed with good news? Let’s ask God to do a mighty work in and through us as we study so that we might be inspired with a spiritual renewal that spreads to those around us!
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Kingdom Single Group Video Experience Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartThis participant’s guide for the video-based group study explores the message in the book Kingdom Single. It encourages singles to see themselves as complete in Christ and free to serve Him, and empowers them to live as Kingdom men and women in a morally corrupt culture.
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Shepherding Gods People
$27.00Add to cartThis comprehensive textbook on pastoral ministry for pastors, church leaders, and students articulates a biblical model for shepherding God’s people. Written by a leading psychologist and seminary professor who has served as a pastor for more than two decades, the book covers twelve major areas of pastoral ministry, highlights the essential work of the Holy Spirit, and focuses on the personal and family life of the pastor. It includes cross-cultural perspectives of special interest in our diverse world and a foreword by John Ortberg.
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Planning For Rites And Rituals Year A 2019-2020
$39.95Add to cartAll-in-one liturgical season planner for worship
Advent 1 2019 through Christ the King Sunday 2020 Planning for Rites and Rituals is the indispensable companion for worship planning for the Episcopal Church, following the three-year Revised Common Lectionary cycle and the church calendar. Presiders and preachers, worship team leaders, musicians, Christian educators, sacristans, and altar guilds will find this to be the perfect resource, putting all the elements for planning worship and seasonal observances in one handy volume. SEASONAL HELPS for each season of the Christian year:
– Introductions and approaches to preparing liturgies for the season
– Ideas for creating an environment appropriate to the season
– Rites, blessings, prayers, and litanies for the season
– Pageants and festivals for notable days
– Seasonal checklist WEEKLY HELPS for every Sunday and feast day of the church year:
– Introductions to the day: overview, color, preface, collect
– Summary of the readings and psalm, including both lectionary tracks
– Inclusive intercessions for the Prayers of the People
-Ideas for the day for worship and formation
– Hymn suggestions for the day from The Hymnal 1982; Wonder, Love, and Praise; and Lift Every Voice and Sing II -
Rooting For Rivals
$18.00Add to cartFaith-based organizations are sometimes known for what we’re against–and all too often that includes being against each other. But amid growing distrust of religious institutions, Christ-centered nonprofits have a unique opportunity to link arms and collectively pursue a calling higher than any one organization’s agenda.
Rooting for Rivals reveals how your ministry can multiply its impact by cooperating, rather than competing. Peter Greer and Chris Horst explore case studies illustrating the power of collaborative ministry. They also vulnerably share their own failures and successes in pursuing a kingdom mind-set. Discover the power of openhanded leadership to make a greater impact on the world
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Smart Stepfamily Participants Guide Revised And Updated (Student/Study Guide)
$14.00Add to cartGet the Most out of The Smart Stepfamily
Discover the key steps to building a healthy family with stepfamily expert Ron L. Deal. This interactive workbook is guaranteed to help you benefit from The Smart Stepfamily book and DVD. It includes:
– discussion questions for before and after each DVD session
– space to take notes
– bonus question and answer section
– group leader instructions
– guidelines for facilitating effective groupsThrough eight engaging sessions, you’ll learn useable solutions for everyday living and glean valuable insight and practical tips for becoming a smart stepfamily.
Ideal for small groups, premarital counseling, or personal study. Use with The Smart Stepfamily book (Revised and Expanded Edition) and Small-Group DVD Resource (Revised and Expanded Edition).
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Escaping The Maze Of Spiritual Abuse
$15.99Add to cart‘Every time he wanted me to do something, he would quote scripture… I couldn’t argue with scripture, it was like arguing with God.’?The term ‘spiritual abuse’ is widely used across the Christian community. But what is it? ?Sometimes spiritual abuse involves leaders misusing their position, but ministers can also be the victims. Common factors include control through misuse of scripture, claims to divine authority, pressure to conform, and enforced accountability. Individuals may be isolated, and compelled to secrecy and silence. Drawing on a combination of extensive research, individual testimonies, and years of hands-on experience, Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys describe clearly the nature of spiritual abuse, and the best ways of countering it. Recovery is possible. But – how do we prevent spiritual abuse in the first place? What can leaders do to create safer places? Is there a link between theological ideas and harmful behaviors? How can leaders create opportunities for spiritual and emotional flourishing?
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Pastor In A Secular Age
$28.99Add to cartIn Faith Formation in a Secular Age, the first book in his Ministry in a Secular Age trilogy, Andrew Root offered an alternative take on the issue of youth drifting away from the church and articulated how faith can be formed in our secular age. In The Pastor in a Secular Age, Root explores how this secular age has impacted the identity and practice of the pastor, obscuring his or her core vocation: to call and assist others into the experience of ministry.
Using examples of pastors throughout history–from Augustine and Jonathan Edwards to Martin Luther King Jr. and Nadia Bolz-Weber–Root shows how pastors have both perpetuated and responded to our secular age. Root turns to Old Testament texts and to the theology of Robert Jenson to explain how pastors can regain the important role of attending to people’s experiences of divine action, offering a new vision for pastoral ministry today.
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Wedding Sermons And Marriage Ceremonies Volume 2
$16.95Add to cartWhen a pragmatic planner like Rev. Derl Keefer and skilled homily writer like Dr. Randall Hartman collaborate, the effect is a resource that provides all the nuts and bolts of a wedding ceremony with the power and beauty of meaningful scripture woven throughout.
For ministers working with couples who desire a high degree of direction, Wedding Sermons and Marriage Ceremonies, Volume 2 is ideal as each ceremony includes top-to-bottom instructions, from processional music to the sermon, vows, prayer and recessional. It is also a treasure trove of ideas for couples who need a spark of inspiration to develop a unique ceremony of their own.
Each of the 12 ceremonies in this volume is centered on a unique theme based in scripture.
Titles include:
*God’s Law of Love (Ceremony 1)
*Establishing a Lifetime of Value (Ceremony 2)
*Prescription for a Successful Marriage (Ceremony 7)
*Marriage Is More Than a Dream – It Is Love (Ceremony 8)
*God: The Foundation of Marriage (Ceremony 9) -
Study Of The Gospel Of Matthew
$24.99Add to cartMatthew is the only gospel to mention the word church, which by the time the gospel was written, had become the dominant factor in the lives of Christians. From the arrival of the Messiah to the healing of the devil-possessed man, The Study of the Gospel of Matthew is a verse-by-verse study that church and small-group members will be able to apply to their lives.
In Matthew’s version of the gospel, Jesus is presented as the suffering Servant and the only qualified representative of the kingdom of God. Readers will understand how Jesus came as the Son of God to pay the sin debt, served on earth as the suffering Servant, and fulfilled God’s plan for redemption. Designed as a practical and simple overview, readers and ministry leaders will appreciate the study’s enlightening, alliterative style.
Pastor Wesley has compiled a dozen other biblical verse-by-verse studies using the same alliterative style to help believers grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Study of the Gospel of Matthew is volume 1 of a three-volume series.
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Your Companion After Divorce
$5.99Add to cartThe Out of the Depths series addresses common pastoral crises in a faithful, encouraging, and factual manner that provides support to parishioners in crisis beyond the initial pastoral conversation. These inexpensive booklets can be given out to parishioners when they bring their recent diagnosis, crisis, or trauma to the pastor as a way to continue to provide care throughout the difficult season. Each booklet begins with a thoughtful consideration of the topic at hand, which is followed up by 30 brief devotions. These devotions are designed to be manageable in an overwhelming time, encouraging, and honest. The Out of the Depths booklets are essential care resources to be given out by pastors, Stephen Ministers, and congregational care teams. Key Features: Written by metal health professionals and pastors to help the reader process their trauma both psychologically and theologically. Includes accessible material describing the dynamics of the crisis situation and typical reactions, which provides the reader with a sense of grounding and direction through increased knowledge. The thirty short devotions creates a sense of companionship and hope in a difficult and lonely time. Knowing they are sharing a resource written by mental health professionals and pastors with personal experience provides pastors a trustworthy source of information. Easy for pastors/churches to keep in stock and distribute as needed, serves as a tangible reminder of the faith community’s care.
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How To Pioneer Single Copy
$7.50Add to cartA Church House Publishing Title
This five-part group study booklet is designed to encourage and equip local church communities who are contemplating setting up a pioneering church community, but are unsure how to get going or what will be involved.
It opens up the wise insights and practical know-how of Dave Male’s book ‘How to Pioneer’ to the wider church, introducing the basics of pioneer ministry to PCCs and congregations while encouraging their supportive participation. The booklet consists of five group sessions based on chapters of the original book:
1. You can do this
2. Focusing on your mission
3. Adapting to your context
4. Creating Jesus-centred communities
5. Enabling disciples of JesusAll pioneer enterprises depend on the active support of the home church team. This booklet will help generate essential backing for local mission projects.
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Taking It To The Streets
$17.99Add to cartReverend Harry “OG Rev.” Williams from Oakland, California, is called to the streets: to the hungry, homeless, addicted, incarcerated, and vulnerable. Bringing us face-to-face with both the injustices that plague our cities and the gospel of compassion that offers hope to the downtrodden, this introduction to urban ministry will inspire and equip a new generation to bring the life-giving good news of Jesus to our cities.
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Who Cares About HIV
$18.99Add to cartThis timely book gives a voice to those living with HIV who are too often ignored or misunderstood by the Church and other religious institutions – including those in positions of care who may have thought they were helping but have ended up doing more harm than good. The book exposes and challenges attitudes of institutional blindness and abuse and suggests some positive means of remedy, all of which have been formed and tested with the help of clients at the London HIV Chaplaincy. With its powerful combination of moving personal testimony and honest pastoral reflection, this book will encourage a more informed, sensitive and effective interaction with many who, for whatever reason, feel marginalized by our society and alienated by those who most want to help. As Rowan Williams says in his foreword, ‘This book is a proclaiming of the gospel as well as a call to judgement. It is necessary material for the self-examination and self-awareness of any Christian minister or community, if the Church’s claim to be what it is supposed to be is not to go on being so hollow for so many who need to hear that their agency and dignity are understood and honored.’
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Evidence That Demands A Verdict Study Guide
$12.99Add to cartFor more than forty years, Evidence That Demands a Verdict has encouraged and strengthened millions of people around the world. It has convinced skeptics of the Bible’s reliability, helped believers articulate their faith, and given them the vital facts they need to defend God’s Word and lead others to faith in Jesus. The book has now been revised and updated to include newly uncovered historical documentation, recent scholarship, and new and expanded chapters to address recent attacks on Christianity.
In this new eight-session video study (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), Josh and his son, Sean, help believers in Christ understand how the books of the New Testament came into being, how they differ from “Gnostic” and non-biblical texts, and why they can be sure that the New Testament books are historically reliable. They also examine how believers can know that Jesus existed, why the claims he made about himself are true, how he fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about himself, and how believers can know the resurrection took place.
This study is for anyone who has ever been stumped by someone’s arguments against Christianity or the Bible-or has wondered for themselves if the Bible’s depiction of Jesus is true and not just a made-up fairy tale. It has been specifically created to help Christians know what they believe, why it is true, and how they communicate biblical truth to a skeptical world.
This study guide is designed for use with the Evidence That Demands a Verdict Video Study (sold separately).
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Creative Ideas For The Family Eucharist
$40.00Add to cartFind everything you need to lead a Family Eucharist in this comprehensive and versatile all-age resource. Building on the new Eucharistic Prayers for use in services with children, it balances formality and informality to help you create engaging worship for all. Easily adaptable for large and small all-age congregations, it offers ready-to-use worship ideas and service outlines for themed occasions throughout the year. Imaginatively-planned and well-structured Family Eucharists are a key part of growing churches, and this resource will give you both the structure and the confidence to lead all-age worship well.
It includes:
-advice on recruiting and training leaders
-ways of getting children involved
-a guide to creating a basic structure
-suggestions for using music and props creatively
-themed services for different seasons
-imaginative service outlines for a variety of occasions, including a baptism in the context of a Eucharist
-downloadable scripts and illustrations for use throughout the year -
Bridgebuilding : Making Peace With Conflict In The Church
$27.00Add to cartThere is a prevailing culture of ‘niceness’ within churches which can lead to conflict avoidance, suppression and denial. Consequently, ministers and church leaders often struggle to handle tensions, difference and competing demands within their congregations.
Drawing on practical theology, conflict theory, family systems theory and experience, Bridgebuilding will help church ministers and church members find more fruitful ways of engaging with tensions and conflicts in the life of the Church. It offers numerous practical tools for transforming conflict into opportunities for personal and corporate growth.
It complements the ‘Growing Bridgebuilders’ training course developed by Bridge Builders with CPAS.
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Power Of Jesus Names (DVD)
$19.99Add to cartGet to Know Jesus Even More
In his insightful follow-up to the bestselling book, The Power of God’s Names, Dr. Tony Evans introduces you to Jesus in a new light. In this insightful DVD series based on the book The Power of Jesus’ Names, Dr. Evans uncovers what the different names of Jesus reveal about His character.
With the help of in-depth scriptural studies and relatable storytelling, you will go one-by-one through the names of Jesus–and get to know Him wholly and completely just as He is.
As you better know the one whose names you call upon, you will gain a more intimate understanding of who He is and what He came to do for–and in–your life.
Complete your DVD experience with The Power of Jesus’ Names Interactive Workbook.
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Power Of Jesus Names Interactive Workbook (Workbook)
$9.99Add to cartWhat’s in a Name?
His name holds the power to heal and lift up. It comforts the brokenhearted. Jesus is a powerful name, but it’s not the only one the Son of God is known by.
This companion to Dr. Tony Evan’s The Power of Jesus’ Names DVD introduces you to many new facets of Jesus and His nature that are revealed by each of His names. Full of in-depth scriptural research and enriched by Dr. Evan’s relatable storytelling and practical application, you’ll find valuable insights through…
*questions that promote reflection and conversation
*relevant Scripture passages for reflection and discussion
*activities for further personal study and growthWhether in a group or on your own, you will come to a more intimate understanding of who Jesus is and what He came to do for you as you journey through The Power of Jesus’ Names.
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Sunday Comes Every Week
$23.99Add to cartSeasoned advice for pastors facing the weekly challenge of preparing sermonsFor pastors, a new sermon comes every week. Conventional wisdom says that pastors need to sequester themselves to prepare their weekly sermon without distraction. But veteran preacher Frank Honeycutt suggests just the opposite: prepare your sermons as part of a daily, lived experience in the community.Using the days of the week as a framework, Honeycutt describes practical and essential tasks leading up to the writing and delivery of the Sunday sermon-habits that will provide lasting spiritual nourishment for pastors who plan for a long career in parish ministry. With humor and candid acknowledgment of his own mistakes and doubts, Honeycutt reflects on the joys and hazards of ministry and explains how a faithful process of preaching shapes pastors for a lifetime of healthy ministry.Monday: ListeningTuesday: HearingWednesday: ExegetingThursday: NamingReflecting: A Pastor Looks BackFriday: WritingSaturday: RehearsingSunday: Offering
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Whats Next Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIn this six-week video Bible study (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), bestselling author and pastor Chris Hodges reveals the critical steps that every Christian needs to take to deepen his or her walk with God.
As Chris explains, the journey toward deeper faith and spiritual maturity is a lifelong pursuit, with plenty of stops, obstacles, and bumps along the way. Inevitably, there comes a point when we find ourselves asking, “What do I do next? How do I stay motivated to grow deeper in my relationship with God when I feel complacent, intimidated, or confused? What can I do to get back on track when I hit a spiritual rut?”
In What’s Next?, Chris encourages believers to take the next step in their spiritual maturity to know God, find freedom, discover their purpose, and make a difference in the world. This begins by recognizing where we are in our spiritual journey so we can heed God’s instruction, listen to his voice, and follow his guidance. As we identify our present spiritual state–no matter where we may be on the spectrum–it enables us to hear from God and understand the next steps he wants us to take toward growth, health, and maturity.
What’s Next? is a field guide for both new believers and veterans in the faith on how to have a deeper and more intimate relationship with God and find the joy that comes from the journey.
Designed for use with the What’s Next? Video Study (sold separately).
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Nehemiah Code Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartWho is not in need of a new beginning? Whether it be broken relationships, integrity missteps, or loss, most of us will spend some or much of the next year trying to restore something. The good news is . . . it’s never too late for a new beginning.
Nehemiah was a civil servant from 2,500 years ago who applied principles found in the Bible for insight during hard times, help to start again, and encouragement to rebuild a life.
This enabled him to rebuild a broken city wall and, in the process, a lot of broken hopes. He has left us some secrets, a sort of hidden “code” that, if applied to our own experience, can enable us to rebuild broken walls in our own lives. His message to us across the centuries is plain and powerful . . . it is never too late for a new beginning!
The Nehemiah Code dives into a theme that will resonate deeply with a wide variety of readers-insight during hard times, help to start again, and encouragement to rebuild a life.
Topics include:
*Taking personal responsibility
*Moving out of your comfort zone
*Rebuilding team spirit
*Holding those around you accountable
*Doing what is right
*Finishing strongDesigned for use with the Nehemiah Code Video Study (sold separately).
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Seasoned Speech : Rhetoric In The Life Of The Church
$25.99Add to cartBeing a faithful disciple of Christ means having seasoned speech: practicing a rhetoric that beneficially and persuasively imparts the surprising truth of the gospel. James Beitler seeks to renew interest in and hunger for an effective Christian rhetoric by closely considering the work of five beloved Christian communicators: C. S. Lewis, Dorothy L. Sayers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Desmond Tutu, and Marilynne Robinson.
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Always On : Practicing Faith In A New Media Landscape
$25.00Add to cartMany of us are “always on”–scrolling through social media, checking email, or searching the web. New media spaces can be sites and instruments of God’s unconditional love, but they can also nurture harmful conditions and become a source of anxiety, jealousy, and despondency. Always On provides useful tools for helping students and congregants understand the world of social media and engage it faithfully, enabling Christian communities to address its use in constructive, pastoral ways. The book includes discussion questions and sample exercises for each chapter.
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Find Your Way Discussion Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartNo matter where you are in life, you are not yet all you can be . . .
At some point, virtually everyone finds themselves struggling to find their way in life. Perhaps you’re just starting out and haven’t yet found your personal or professional path. Maybe you’ve been plugging away for years, trying to live someone else’s dream. Maybe you’re outwardly successful but plagued by a nagging, soul-level sense of dissatisfaction.
Carly Fiorina, who started as a secretary and later became the first female CEO of a Fortune 50 company, can help. Drawing on her own remarkable journey, Carly will show you how to:
*choose a path over a plan,
*use problems to propel yourself and your organization forward,
*overcome fear and procrastination,
*make smart decisions, and
*reclaim your power and use it for good.Carly Fiorina believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that your potential can be unleashed. In the Find Your Way Discussion Guide, she will show you the path to getting there.
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Tecnicas Para Una Consejeria E – (Spanish)
$39.99Add to cartEste innovador libro de texto llenara un espacio en los recursos educativos para el asesoramiento y la comunicacion, utilizando un enfoque de microtecnicas para ensear las competencias de ayuda fundamentales para los cristianos y las relaciones de ayuda espiritualmente armonizadas. Se enfocara en ensear tecnicas especificas y proporcionar ejercicios practicos para establecer una base solida de habilidades de ayuda. Usando conceptos de Escritura, reflexion teologica y formacion espiritual, este texto ilustrara los principios importantes de empatia, autenticidad y confrontacion.
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Redeemed Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartIn this five-session video Bible study (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), Will Graham, the grandson of renowned preacher Billy Graham, shares stories and teachings from his life about what it means to be redeemed in Christ–to experience God’s love and have a hope that transcends the daily struggles of this world. As Will has traveled the globe to share the good news of Christ, he has seen many “longing souls” from every background and walk of life. Yet regardless of whether he has spoken to people in the affluent cities or in the back alleys of third-world nations, a common trait has stood out: people are desperate for hope and goodness.
Deep inside our souls, we are all hungering for something, though we may not know what it is. Some of us try to satisfy that hunger by throwing ourselves into relationships, jobs, or hobbies. Some try to fill the hunger by engaging in destructive vices. Others try to fill the hunger by pursuing good deeds, positive social work, mentoring, or donating money to worthy causes. But as the psalmist writes, only God “satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9 nkjv).
The apostle Paul wrote, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we have “been justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ” (Romans 3:23-24 nkjv). When we accept God’s salvation, he sends the Holy Spirit to reside in our hearts and satisfies the longing we have in our souls.
As we experience this redemption and begin to walk in God’s ways, we find that he leads us to new places in our lives:
*A New Understanding of God’s Love
*A New Sense of Freedom from the Past
*A New Heart and Character
*A New Outlook on Difficulties
*A New Longing to Share Christ with OthersRedeemed will inspire and challenge group members to let go of their past, embrace the new future God has for them, surrender to the work he wants to do in their lives, confront their trials with prayer, and open their eyes to see the eternal needs of those around them in their world.
Designed for use with the Redeemed Video Study (sold separately).
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Pastoral Rule For Today
$25.99Add to cartHow can pastors thrive amid the demands of being preacher, therapist, administrator, and CEO? We need a contemporary pastoral rule: a pattern for ministry that encourages and enables pastors to focus on what is most important in their pastoral task. Written by three veteran pastors, this book gives examples of pastoral rules in communities throughout the church’s history, providing concrete advice on how pastors can develop and keep a pastoral rule today.
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Always On : Practicing Faith In A New Media Landscape
$29.99Add to cartMany of us are “always on”–scrolling through social media, checking email, or searching the web. New media spaces can be sites and instruments of God’s unconditional love, but they can also nurture harmful conditions and become a source of anxiety, jealousy, and despondency. Always On provides useful tools for helping students and congregants understand the world of social media and engage it faithfully, enabling Christian communities to address its use in constructive, pastoral ways. The book includes discussion questions and sample exercises for each chapter.
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Fruitful Boughs Broken
$23.99Add to cartResponding to failure in ministry is painful for all touched by it.
The journey toward failure is unchosen, undesired, and unplanned. When it occurs, we all ask ourselves this one question: why? The result of failure is the loss of many well-trained and adequately equipped men and women from churches. Often, they disappear into oblivion.
This has been true throughout history. It’s not a new problem. Witness the experiences of Abraham, David, Elijah, and Peter in Scripture. They served well, but they also failed, disappointing God and their associates. Modern pastors, too, become entrapped in situations of fear, loneliness, depression, and failure.
We must address ways to prevent failure and learn about possibilities for intervention in order to be the witnessing church that God intends us to be.
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Becoming A Makeover Congregation
$16.95Add to cart“There can be no resurrection without a death.”
This quote from H. George Anderson, former presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), speaks to the makeover approach to ministry that evolved during the course of more than nine years at a small, struggling congregation in Janesville, Iowa called Messiah Lutheran Church.
When Pastor Beth Olson arrived, members told her they weren’t sure from week to week if they would see each other in worship or if the church would even be open the following Sunday.
How did that same congregation, then, end up building the first new church and education unit in the Northwest Iowa Synod? How did it come to host an ELCA Division for Outreach regional workshop on ministry in action? How did this congregation, which had looked death in the eye, experience a resurrection few might have expected?
The answers are in Becoming a Makeover Congregation, a story that shows how things as diverse as glow sticks for Christmas Eve worship, jumper cables as an image for transformational ministry and a makeover scene from the Disney movie The Princess Diaries can bring about resurrection and renewal. Pastor Olson’s story will equip you to assemble your own makeover for mission and ministry toolkit so you too can celebrate the power of resurrection in your church.
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Ministry Of Care
$13.99Add to cartChurches tend to focus rightly so on spiritual care for parishioners, but what if your church also had a healthcare ministry? Health-related concerns affect the majority of individuals at some point in their lives. Whether it s facilitating healthcare clinics, hosting seminars by medical professionals, or helping congregants navigate the complex healthcare system, A Ministry of Care explores a variety of ways for any church to become a place where people can be ministered to in spirit, mind, and body. Advanced practice nurses Cynthia Russell and Kristen Mauk guide you through the steps toward starting and sustaining a health-oriented ministry in your church. Pastors, church board members, or motivated lay members can take advantage of the professional tips and advice shared in this handbook in order to better care for the physical well-being of the members in their church and the community beyond.
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Transforming Vestries
$25.95Add to cartDrawing on the resources of five other volumes in the series, “Transforming Vestries” creates a single source designed specifically for this governing body. The chapters will highlight the nature – and the needs – of vestry membership: stewardship, leadership, evangelism, discipleship, and vital congregational life.
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Word To Fellow Pastors And Other Christian Leaders
$13.99Add to cartThe objective of the Christian ministry is to convert sinners and to edify the body of Christ. No faithful minister can possibly rest short of this. Applause, fame, popularity, honor, and wealth – all these are vain. If souls are not won, and if saints are not matured, our ministry itself is futile.
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Following King Jesus Workbook
$19.99Add to cartAuthor and scholar Scot McKnight helps us learn what it means to follow King Jesus through 24 lessons of discipleship essentials that will help develop a proper framework for the Christian life. Designed for small groups of two or three, McKnight helps you discover what it means to embrace a biblical gospel, learn how to properly read the Bible, live a kingdom vision for life, and show the world God’s design for life together.
Each lesson contains a discipleship reading, an in-depth Bible study, discussion questions, and going-deeper sections for journaling and reflecting. This workbook will help you explore what it means to be a disciple and what are the choices/practices that a disciple must employ in order to effectively follow King Jesus and to understand what it means to be a disciple in your relationship to God, yourself, and others (both inside and outside the Church).
The 24 lessons include:
Part 1: Gospel
*What Is the Gospel?
*The Apostolic Gospel of Paul
*The Gospel of Jesus
*The Gospel of Peter
*What Is Gospeling Today?
*How Do We Create a Gospel Culture?Part 2: Bible
*What Is the Bible?
*How Are We to Live the Bible?
*How Should We Read the Bible?
*How Do We Listen to the Bible?
*How Do We Read the Bible as Story?
*Now What?Part 3: Life
*Kingdom Life
*Love Life
*Wisdom Life
*Relational Life
*Vocational Life
*Eternal LifePart 4: Church
*Grace
*Love
*Table
*Holiness
*Newness
*Flourishing -
Connecting For A Change
$16.99Add to cartAt its simplest, Mission Strategy is about aligning the what, who, how and when with God’s why. Learn to implement Mission Strategy in your community of faith! Church and community relevance and vitality depends on leaders who see their situation through the lens of mission strategy. At its simplest, mission strategy is about aligning the what, who, how and when with God’s why. The authors have lived Mission Strategy in a variety of bold ways and have helped others do the same. In doing so, they have created vitality in existing congregations and in newly formed clusters of churches. They have helped create zones of innovation and new ministry development. The sky is the limit when pastors, church leaders and laity in local churches begin emphasizing mission strategy in their conferences, regions, neighborhoods and churches.
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Budgeting For A Healthy Church
$18.99Add to cartMany pastors conceive of the church budget as primarily a financial tool, but in fact it is primarily a pastoral tool. A church’s philosophy of ministry is locked into its budget, and so the budget will either stifle or accelerate any attempts to move a congregation toward a biblical model of church health. As such, the church budget is a far more potent pastoral tool than many church leaders realize. Budgeting for a Healthy Church examines each section of the budget in light of Biblical principles to show how a church budget can lock in healthy approaches to ministry. Whereas most books on church budgeting are “how” books, explaining how the budgeting process should work, this is a “what” book, helping church leaders determine the pastoral implications of what they choose to fund in their budgets.
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Contemplation And Counseling
$24.99Add to cartCan contemplative prayer be integrated into therapeutic work? Building an alliance between science, theology, and Christian contemplative thought, Gregg Blanton presents a new paradigm for integrating contemplative prayer with counseling practice. This practical resource offers eleven fundamental interventions to fit the needs of clients and a practical four-stage process for helping clients change.
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Raising Giant Killers Leaders Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$17.00Add to cartWith honesty, humor, and keen biblical insight, bestselling authors Bill and Beni Johnson help you discover the keys to successful parenting in God’s kingdom. “Parents, we rule for the purpose of protection, but we also serve with the purpose of empowering,” they write. “We want to release our children into their destiny–that’s the privilege of parenting.”
In these pages you will gain the wisdom, kingdom concepts, and practical tools you need to help raise your children to their best.
You’ll discover how to parent to their uniqueness, gifts, and strengths, as well as how you can demonstrate and reveal who God is to your kids. The authors also address pressing issues parents face today, including how to:
*be fully engaged in hearing what the Lord is saying over each child
*maintain relationship and discipline
*develop character
*train your children for worship
*fan the flame of what God has put in their hearts
*and moreNo matter what age your kids are, you have an incredible opportunity to shape their hearts, minds, and values. Here is everything you need to help your children walk into the destiny of their lives and see them become the awesome people they were created to be.
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Relaciones Emocionalmente Sana – (Spanish)
$15.99Add to cartPete y Geri Scazzero desarrollaron el Curso de Relaciones emocionalmente sanas durante un periodo de veintiun aos, en el que abordan de manera directa los principios biblicos centrales para guiarlo a una experiencia de discipulado que cambiara radicalmente su vida. En el Curso de Relaciones emocionalmente sanas, aprendera ocho habilidades practicas de las relaciones, para desarrollar relaciones maduras y amorosas con otras personas, tales como:
*Dejar de leer la mente de los demas y esclarecer sus expectativas
*Escuchar con empatia
*Subir la cuesta de la integridad
*Jugar limpioY como no se puede separar el amar a los demas y el amar a Dios, cada persona tambien crecera en su relacion personal con Jesus, incorporando la quietud, el silencio y las Escrituras como ritmos diarios.
Esta Guia de ejercicios incluye introducciones para cada sesion, preguntas de discusion grupal, pasos de accion personal y un estudio personal para realizar entre cada sesion. El mismo es parte del Curso de Relaciones emocionalmente sanas, que tambien incluye los videos y devocionales.
Unase a nosotros en un camino poderoso que lo llevara a atravesar una puerta que cambiara para siempre la manera en que ama a Dios, a los demas y a usted mismo.
Las sesiones incluyen:
*Tomar su temperatura comunitaria
*Dejar de leer la mente de los demas y esclarecer sus expectativas
*Trazar el arbol genealogico de su familia
*Explorar el iceberg
*Escuchar con empatia
*Subir la cuesta de la integridad
*Jugar limpio
*Desarrollar una “regla de vida” para implementar habilidades emocionalmente sanas
*Diseado para usar con el video-estudio de Relaciones emocionalmente sanas (se vende por separado). -
Re Membering God
$21.95Add to cart* Reflections on tradition and change for the twenty-first-century church * Something for both newcomers and those familiar with liturgy and spirituality Like the scribe and master of the household cited by Jesus in Matthew 13, Re-membering God “brings out of treasure what is new and what is old,” and empowers us to go and do likewise. As both critique and encouragement for the church in the early part of the twenty-first century, it seeks to reclaim the foundational riches of the church’s liturgy and spirituality in the face of cul-tural change. These resources, some lost or neglected and others under-utilized, can help rebuild the church, raising up what has been cast down and renewing what has grown old. This series of reflections explore with discernment what is “fashionable,” and acknowledge the deepest and most endur-ing human needs and hopes, which only God can answer. Re-membering God puts liturgical and spiritual practice into terms easily understood by both newcomers and seasoned devotees, for the benefit of this and future generations. Understanding the value of the past and with an eye to the future, this book will inform our next conversations about evangelism and church growth.
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Raising Giant Killers Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$18.99Add to cartWith honesty, humor, and keen biblical insight, bestselling authors Bill and Beni Johnson help you discover the keys to successful parenting in God’s kingdom. “Parents, we rule for the purpose of protection, but we also serve with the purpose of empowering,” they write. “We want to release our children into their destiny–that’s the privilege of parenting.”
In these pages you will gain the wisdom, kingdom concepts, and practical tools you need to help raise your children to their best.
You’ll discover how to parent to their uniqueness, gifts, and strengths, as well as how you can demonstrate and reveal who God is to your kids. The authors also address pressing issues parents face today, including how to:
*be fully engaged in hearing what the Lord is saying over each child
*maintain relationship and discipline
*develop character
*train your children for worship
*fan the flame of what God has put in their hearts
*and moreNo matter what age your kids are, you have an incredible opportunity to shape their hearts, minds, and values. Here is everything you need to help your children walk into the destiny of their lives and see them become the awesome people they were created to be.
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Connections Year C Volume 3 Season After Pentecost
$55.00Add to cartDesigned to empower preachers as they lead their congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary.
For each worship day within the three-year lectionary cycle, the commentaries in Connections link the individual lection reading with Scripture as a whole as well as to the larger world. In addition, Connections places each Psalm reading in conversation with the other lections for the day to highlight the themes of the liturgical season. Finally, sidebars offer additional connections to Scripture for each Sunday or worship day.
This nine-volume series is a practical, constructive, and valuable resource for preachers who seek to help congregations connect more closely with Scripture.
This volume covers Year C for the season after Pentecost.
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Roots And Routes
$31.99Add to cartRandy Litchfield’s fresh look at the perennial question of vocation combines theological reflection on the development of personal spiritual identity with a thoughtful look at the significant dimension of place – how the realities of our contexts call for particular responses to vocation in specific times and places. Roots and Routes helps pastors and leaders claim a rich vocational imagination for recognizing God’s ongoing call to partnership in the specific, concrete locales of ministry. The Carnegie Institute’s rich ethnographic studies of graduate education in the professions reveal that guiding experiences of risk are at the heart of professional development – combining call with experiences in the actual realities of professional life. Hence the emphasis on field education and internships. But how can we help pastors and leaders see calling as a life-long process of discernment and response? With ministerial burnout (and confusion) at an all-time high, connecting the dots between the ongoing call of God and the specific locales of ministry is an interpretive life-skill necessary for pastors, leaders, and disciples of Jesus Christ. Failed vocational imagination obstructs the effectiveness of individuals and the church as a whole in fulfilling their mission of partnership with God’s creating, redeeming, and sustaining work in the world. The primary audience for the book is seminary educators and students and pastors. It also has congregational leaders in mind.
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Sermones Actuales Sobre La Mue – (Spanish)
$14.99Add to cartUn libro de sermones para predicar de forma tematica, sobre la muerte y el luto en la Biblia. El proposito del libro es ayudar al predicador a tratar un tema delicado como es la muerte. Para los creyentes ha sido tema de ensayo. Desde el pulpito, el pastor nos recuerda que debemos estar preparados para ese dia, cuando la muerte sera una cita con la eternidad. Obra escrita con un lenguaje y estilo actual que nos ayuda a aprender, educarnos e inspirarnos con la Palabra de Dios.
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2 Steps Forward Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartThe women of Sensible Shoes encounter new adventures and roadblocks in their spiritual journeys in Two Steps Forward. With this study guide, you can explore your own next steps as you dive into the book’s spiritual formation themes along with Mara, Meg, Hannah, and Charissa. In this eight-week study guide you’ll find daily Scripture readings, reflection questions, and spiritual practices designed to help you be attentive to the invitations of the Holy Spirit. Each week concludes with discussion questions and suggested practices for reading groups to do together. Individually or with a group, you are invited to meet with God and find encouragement for the path ahead.
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Barefoot Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.00Add to cartThe journeys of Hannah, Meg, Charissa, and Mara take unexpected turns in Barefoot, the third book of the Sensible Shoes series. In this study guide author Sharon Garlough Brown has crafted a practical resource to help you process the characters’ stories and explore the novel’s spiritual formation themes more deeply. You’ll find twelve weeks of daily Scripture readings, reflection questions, and invitations to prayer, with weekly discussion questions and practices for groups to do together. Each week also features a list of spiritual disciplines used by the characters that you can incorporate into your own life with God. Individually or with a group, as you walk with the women of Sensible Shoes on holy ground, you’ll be invited to encounter God in significant new ways.
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Healing The Wounds Of Sexual Abuse
$20.00Add to cartThis accessibly written book illuminates the good news of healing and liberation the Bible offers survivors of sexual abuse. As an expert in pastoral ministry and a survivor of abuse herself, Elaine Heath handles this sensitive topic with compassion and grace. The book is illustrated with stories and insights from survivors, and each chapter ends with reflection questions and recommended activities. Previously published as We Were the Least of These, this repackaged edition includes a new contextualized introduction that explores how the book speaks into a vital cultural conversation (#MeToo).
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Practicing The Preaching Life
$31.99Add to cartPreaching is a way of life that can be beautiful and good; however, It can also be anxious, self-focused, and destructive. Preachers and teachers of preaching need a holistic view of preaching that not only paints the way to good preaching, but also to good living. They need a comprehensive practical theology of preaching that combines the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ with the ‘how’ and ‘whom’ of preaching. Practicing the Preaching Life unites Christian practices, contextual virtues, and the best of homiletical pedagogy to pave the way to a beautiful preaching life. Preaching is best learned as a formative Christian practice embedded within a web of other Christian practices that form a way of life from which great sermons emerge. Therefore, preaching requires not only a way of speaking well, but also a way of living well. This embedded nature of preaching requires the enrollment of Christian practices in the formation of the preacher and the pursuit of contextual virtues for preaching that avoid cultural relativism on the one hand and cultural imperialism on the other. These requirements lead to a new vision for the preaching classroom, the rhythms of the preaching life, and the definition of what it means to be a good preacher.
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Written To Be Heard
$34.99Add to cartRecovers the lost messages of Mark, Matthew, Luke-Acts, and John for people today
The words of the gospels were meant to be heard. While we can still appreciate the construction and grasp some understanding when we read, we miss much of the message because we’re working in the wrong medium. In Written to Be Heard Paul Borgman and Kelly James Clark offer the keys to recovering the radical, relevant messages of each gospel as they were first heard.
The shaping of the gospels for oral performances, which would have been obvious to ancient (mostly preliterate) listeners, is lost on even the best contemporary reader. With careful analysis of the gospel writers’ particular voices within their own ancient literary context, Borgman and Clark equip readers to read as if hearing, focusing on overlapping patterns of hearing cues that shape each text and embed theological perspective.
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Extra Mile Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartWhat next steps is God calling you to take? Join the characters of An Extra Mile, the final book in the Sensible Shoes series, as they journey through the seasons of Lent and Easter. In this eight-week study guide you’ll dive deeper into key spiritual practices from the book, using daily Scripture readings and reflection questions designed to help you be attentive to the invitations of the Holy Spirit. Each week concludes with discussion questions and suggested practices for groups to do together. This guide offers the perfect tools for individuals and groups to explore and apply the spiritual formation themes of An Extra Mile along with Mara, Hannah, Charissa, and Becca.
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Assessment For Counseling In Christian Perspective
$50.00Add to cartAssessment in counseling?like its biblical counterpart, discernment?is an ongoing and dynamic routine to encourage movement in a productive direction toward what is truly best. In Assessment for Counseling in Christian Perspective, Stephen P. Greggo equips counselors to put assessment techniques into practical use, particularly with clients who are looking to grow in their identity with Jesus Christ. As a Christian perspective on assessment, this book is designed to supplement standard resources and help counselors navigate challenges at the intersection of psychotherapy and Christian ministry. Greggo charts a course for care that brings best practices of the profession together with practices of Christian discipleship. Key topics include:
Does a Christian worldview offer distinguishing parameters for assessment practice?
Can clinical proficiency in assessment bring glory to God?
How can the crucial psychometric construct of validity be translated into our Christian faith?
In what ways can the inclusion of objective procedures be transformed into a message of hospitality and affirmation?
How can counselors maximize the benefits of a therapeutic alliance to attend to immediate concerns and foster spiritual formation?
How can formal personality measures add depth and substance to the counseling experience?
How can assessment contribute to client retention, treatment completion, and aftercare planning?With Assessment for Counseling in Christian Perspective, clinical and pastoral counselors can bring the best of assessment into counseling that reflects the essence of the Christian faith.
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Developing Female Leaders
$19.99Add to cartKadi Cole, world-class creative thinker and 30-year veteran in leadership and people development, offers a practical strategy to help church and organizational leaders intentionally craft work and volunteer cultures that facilitate the development of women leaders.
Christian leaders use only a small portion of their female volunteer potential for several reasons. Some don’t know how to intentionally and professionally develop and deploy women’s talents and abilities. Others don’t have the staff or resources. Then there are those who can’t get past unfortunate cultural traditions and organizational systems that commonly leave women with the choice to either limit their potential or go outside their church or volunteer organization for training and then invest their skills elsewhere. Developing Female Leaders by Kadi Cole is the book for leaders who face these challenges.
Using contemporary interviews with and about women in key church and organizational roles combined with more than 30 years of research on the development of professional women leaders, the author has created eight easy to implement “best practices” that help accelerate a woman’s organizational contribution. Thorough appendices and references make this book a one-of-kind publishing event.
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Wonder Of The Word
$12.99Add to cartEverything you need to know about Scripture
The Wonder of the Word gives you a complete survey of the Bible and shows you how Scripture produces power in someone’s life. It is the second book in the Kingdom Pastor’s Library from Tony Evans and will reinvigorate your love for Scripture. Dr. Evans explores the nature and benefits of God’s Word, as well as how to sow and grow the seed. It will also cover important topic such as:
*The revelation of Scripture
*The inspiration of Scripture
*The illumination of Scripture
*The interpretation of Scripture
*The canonicity of ScriptureLearn the essentials of Scripture from the gifted, veteran pastor, Tony Evans.
The Kingdom Pastor’s Library is a series of books that brings you a concise, complete pastoral philosophy and training from Tony Evans.
Faithful. Powerful. Practical. Become a Kingdom Pastor today.
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Foolish Church : Messy, Raw, Real, And Making Room
$42.00Add to cartMessy, raw, and real aren’t the words most of us use when we say what’s good about our churches. But what if they were? Author Lee Schott found out, serving a beautiful church inside the Iowa women’s prison. A lifelong church person, she discovered more church, and greater faithfulness, in this most unlikely setting, with room for people the church has often overlooked. She shares the lessons she has learned there, with the hope that church leaders outside of prison might be inspired, equipped, and encouraged to loosen the fetters that keep our churches so closed off. We’ll explore church characterized by honest relationship, protection of the vulnerable, radical welcome, and healthy boundaries. Practical application for the local church context and discussion questions for group study are included throughout.
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God Is : Meditations On The Mystery Of Life, The Purity Of Grace, The Bliss
$36.00Add to cartYour God is too small-way too small! What if God is not a human-like personal being but the God Beyond God of the Christian mystical traditions? What if God is the ultimate reality beyond all beings, including beyond all divine beings, indeed beyond all Being? It’s a mind-bending idea. Speaking of God as a human-like personal being is much easier but people who care about the deepest mystical understandings of God within our traditions need to make the effort to speak about the God Beyond God, despite the difficulties. This book makes the attempt to speak of the God Beyond God in the language of the sermon, using metaphor and potent imagery tuned to the existential intensities of human life. The God Beyond God is closer to us than our jugular veins, vividly present in every moment of our lives. These sermons are practical and moving, and they also resonate with the most rigorous theological understandings of ultimate reality. Their deconstruction of our convenient fantasies about a divine being make these sermons emotionally intense and perhaps not suitable for beginners in the journey of faith. But veteran believers can breathe deeply in the air of these meditations, relaxing into the bliss of engaging ultimate reality without delusions, without deflections, and without controlling the object of our worship.
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Preaching The New Testament Again
$39.00Add to cartThis book combines critical New Testament scholarship with homiletic concerns. Kim unravels complexities of the most prominent themes in the New Testament such as faith, freedom, and transformation, and brings them into dialogue with modern preaching contexts, ranging from personal identity to social justice to global issues. This book invites readers to reinterpret the most familiar themes that have not been thoroughly explored in scholarship and to make an informed choice about what to preach to whom in what context.
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Foolish Church : Messy, Raw, Real, And Making Room
$22.00Add to cartMessy, raw, and real aren’t the words most of us use when we say what’s good about our churches. But what if they were? Author Lee Schott found out, serving a beautiful church inside the Iowa women’s prison. A lifelong church person, she discovered more church, and greater faithfulness, in this most unlikely setting, with room for people the church has often overlooked. She shares the lessons she has learned there, with the hope that church leaders outside of prison might be inspired, equipped, and encouraged to loosen the fetters that keep our churches so closed off. We’ll explore church characterized by honest relationship, protection of the vulnerable, radical welcome, and healthy boundaries. Practical application for the local church context and discussion questions for group study are included throughout.
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Learning To Use My Bible Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartLearning to Use My Bible provides opportunities for kids ages 7-9 to acquire and practice skills that will help them understand how to use the Bible, feel comfortable using the Bible, and build a foundation for studying the Bible.
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Learning To Use My Bible Student Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$7.99Add to cartLearning to Use My Bible provides opportunities for kids ages 7-9 to acquire and practice skills that will help them understand how to use the Bible, feel comfortable using the Bible, and build a foundation for studying the Bible.
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Millenial Narrative: Participant Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartA good education will land you a good job, “Be an entrepreneur/Start something in a garage or dorm room” and even “Jesus saves” are narratives that collapsed for the millennial generation (born 1982-2002). These narratives, amongst many similar social and religious ones, have lost their meaning and power as millennials question all authorities and struggle to flourish in a world come of age. With their needs for community and success, a strong spirituality, and believing that their gifts should be recognized and can make a difference, millennials increasingly find meaning and purpose outside the church. As they face economic uncertainty, reduced career prospects, unceasing change, as well as civic, global, and ecological uncertainties, however, a large number of millennials are overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety and depression. Caught between hope and fear, millennials leave the church with their values of personal transformation, purpose, community, spirituality, social transformation and ecological awareness. Ironically the church often holds the same values. Reaching the Millennial Generation is written for pastoral leaders who want to welcome millennials, both inside and outside their congregation. The book draws on the wisdom of the prophetic Book of Joel as a narrative worth living into. Drawing on Joel’s three chapters, Reaching the Millennial Generation empowers pastoral leaders to: – Facilitate the work of mourning Millennials are facing; – Envision a spiritual community that can welcome millennials; – Introduce a compassionate God that restores and indwells as the Spirit; – Reflect on God’s judgment through the lens of accountability; and, – Support and encourage millennials to be a blessing to others.
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Addiction And Pastoral Care
$28.99Add to cartA timely resource treating addiction holistically as both a spiritual and a pathological condition
Substance addictions present a unique set of challenges for pastoral care. In this book Sonia Waters weaves together personal stories, research, and theological reflection to offer helpful tools for ministers, counselors, chaplains, and anyone else called to care pastorally for those struggling with addiction.
Waters uses the story of the Gerasene demoniac in Mark’s Gospel to reframe addiction as a “soul-sickness” that arises from a legion of individual and social vulnerabilities. She includes pastoral reflections on oppression, the War on Drugs, trauma, guilt, discipleship, and identity. The final chapters focus on practical-care skills that address the challenges of recovery, especially ambivalence and resistance to change.
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God Is : Meditations On The Mystery Of Life, The Purity Of Grace, The Bliss
$16.00Add to cartYour God is too small-way too small! What if God is not a human-like personal being but the God Beyond God of the Christian mystical traditions? What if God is the ultimate reality beyond all beings, including beyond all divine beings, indeed beyond all Being? It’s a mind-bending idea. Speaking of God as a human-like personal being is much easier but people who care about the deepest mystical understandings of God within our traditions need to make the effort to speak about the God Beyond God, despite the difficulties. This book makes the attempt to speak of the God Beyond God in the language of the sermon, using metaphor and potent imagery tuned to the existential intensities of human life. The God Beyond God is closer to us than our jugular veins, vividly present in every moment of our lives. These sermons are practical and moving, and they also resonate with the most rigorous theological understandings of ultimate reality. Their deconstruction of our convenient fantasies about a divine being make these sermons emotionally intense and perhaps not suitable for beginners in the journey of faith. But veteran believers can breathe deeply in the air of these meditations, relaxing into the bliss of engaging ultimate reality without delusions, without deflections, and without controlling the object of our worship.
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Millenial Narrative : Sharing A Good Life With The Next Generation
$20.99Add to cartA good education will land you a good job, “Be an entrepreneur/Start something in a garage or dorm room” and even “Jesus saves” are narratives that collapsed for the millennial generation (born 1982-2002). These narratives, amongst many similar social and religious ones, have lost their meaning and power as millennials question all authorities and struggle to flourish in a world come of age. With their needs for community and success, a strong spirituality, and believing that their gifts should be recognized and can make a difference, millennials increasingly find meaning and purpose outside the church. As they face economic uncertainty, reduced career prospects, unceasing change, as well as civic, global, and ecological uncertainties, however, a large number of millennials are overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety and depression. Caught between hope and fear, millennials leave the church with their values of personal transformation, purpose, community, spirituality, social transformation and ecological awareness. Ironically the church often holds the same values. Reaching the Millennial Generation is written for pastoral leaders who want to welcome millennials, both inside and outside their congregation. The book draws on the wisdom of the prophetic Book of Joel as a narrative worth living into. Drawing on Joel’s three chapters, Reaching the Millennial Generation empowers pastoral leaders to: – Facilitate the work of mourning Millennials are facing; – Envision a spiritual community that can welcome millennials; – Introduce a compassionate God that restores and indwells as the Spirit; – Reflect on God’s judgment through the lens of accountability; and, – Support and encourage millennials to be a blessing to others.
In addition, pastoral leaders will receive a sermon outline and material for adult education. -
Family Systems And Congregational Life
$29.99Add to cartExperienced pastor and seminary teacher R. Robert Creech helps pastoral leaders increase their effectiveness by applying family systems theory to congregational life and ministry. Creech introduces readers to the basic concepts of Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, applies family theory to the work of ministry in church settings, and connects systems thinking to the everyday aspects of congregational ministry, such as preaching, pastoral care, leadership, spiritual formation, and interpreting biblical texts. Each chapter contains discussion questions, and there are five helpful appendixes with supplemental information about Bowen theory. Professors and students in clinical pastoral education, family ministry, pastoral care, and family systems theory classes; pastors in local church ministry; and Christian counselors and therapists will all value this work.
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Preaching The New Testament Again
$19.00Add to cartThis book combines critical New Testament scholarship with homiletic concerns. Kim unravels complexities of the most prominent themes in the New Testament such as faith, freedom, and transformation, and brings them into dialogue with modern preaching contexts, ranging from personal identity to social justice to global issues. This book invites readers to reinterpret the most familiar themes that have not been thoroughly explored in scholarship and to make an informed choice about what to preach to whom in what context.
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Finding Your Way Through The Bible CEB
$9.99Add to cartThis self-instruction book was written to help middle and older elementary children become familiar with their Bibles and learn how to use them at their own speed. Finding Your Way Through the Bible is intended to be used with the Children’s Common English Bible at home or in the classroom. Students completing this book will be able to: -Find any book in the Old or New Testaments using the Table of Contents -Find any chapter in any book and any verse in any chapter -Find parts of verses when the Bible reference uses the letters a, b, and c with a verse number -Tell the difference between books with similar names such as 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel and John and 1 John -Recognize the additional helps in a Bible and be able to use them
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Free Of Me Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartOur me-centered culture affects every area of our lives–our friendships, our marriages, even our faith. The self-focused life robs our joy, shrinks our souls, and is the reason we never quite break free of insecurity.
Now churches and small groups can together heed the call to a bigger, Jesus-centered vision of life–one that restores our freedom and inspires us to live for more. Free of Me helps participants:
*identify the secret source of insecurity
*understand how self-focus sabotages seven areas of our lives
*learn four practical steps for focusing on God and others
*experience freedom from the burden of self-focusAnyone yearning for a purpose bigger than “project me” will cherish this paradigm-shifting message of true fulfillment.
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New Testament You Never Knew Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartThe New Testament You Never Knew Study Guide by N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird is the definitive introduction to the New Testament.
In this 8-session video-based study (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), leading New Testament scholars, N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, hope to take you on a tour of the New Testament Story, from Galilee to Golgotha, from Jerusalem to Rome. They will look at who Jesus is, the real meaning of his death and resurrection, the expansion of the church in the Greco-Roman world, examine the debates and setbacks that they had along the way, and show how Christians can live out the story of New Testament in their own lives today.
Sessions include:
*The Story of the New Testament
*The World of Jesus
*Life and Death of Jesus
*The Resurrection of Jesus
*The Apostle Paul
*The Early Christians
*The Mission of the Church
*How the NT Came to BeDesigned for use with The New Testament You Never Knew Video Study (sold separately).
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Power Of Preaching
$14.99Add to cartThe No-Nonsense Preaching Manual Every Pastor Needs
The first book in the Kingdom Pastor’s Library from Tony Evans, The Power of Preaching will help you be faithful to the Word of God and preach with power and conviction. From the practice of preparation to learning to choose subjects wisely, this book offers brings you a preaching education from one of the most trusted and effective voices in ministry. It also includes important lessons on:
*Bible study methods & expository preaching
*The development and use of illustrations
*The cadence of deliveryLearn the essentials of preaching a powerful message from the gifted, veteran pastor, Tony Evans.
The Kingdom Pastor’s Library is a series of books that brings you a concise, complete pastoral philosophy and training from Tony Evans.
Faithful. Powerful. Practical. Become a Kingdom Pastor today.
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Holy Roar Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIn this four-session video Bible study (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), Chris Tomlin and Darren Whitehead share a fresh perspective from the worship practices of the ancient world to show what it really means to praise God. They explain that in the Jewish culture, something extraordinary happened when God’s people gathered to worship him. It was more than just singing-it was a declaration, a proclamation, and a time for the people to fully embody praise to God for who he is and what he has done.
In the book of Psalms, the writers used seven distinct words that are translated into English as praise. However, as Chris and Darren point out in this study, each of these Hebrew words actually represents a different aspect of what it means to truly worship God:
*Yadah: to revere or worship with extended hands
*Halal: to boast, celebrate, and be clamorously foolish
*Zamar: to celebrate in song and in music
*Towdah: to give thanksgiving for things not yet received
*Barak: to kneel before God and bless him
*Tehillah: to sing a spontaneous song to God
*Shabach: to commend, glory, and triumphHoly Roar will provide insights and encouragement for group members to deepen their practice of praise and they learn about the deeper meanings of these words and put them into practice.
Sessions include:
1. The Shout of Praise
2. The Posture of Praise
3. The Music of Praise
4. The Expectation of Praise -
Irresistible Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartOnce upon a time there existed a version of our faith worth living and dying for, something the world found irresistible. Men and women pursued it at the risk of persecution, job loss, and eviction from their homes, temples, and society.
What if we actually followed their lead? Perhaps it would change how we read the Bible? Perhaps it would help us understand our own faith and what we believe? Perhaps we would change the world again?
In this six-session video study (DVD/video downloads sold separately), pastor and author Andy Stanley shows how Jesus’ arrival signaled that the Old Testament was fulfilled and its laws reduced to a single verb–love–to be applied to God, neighbor, and enemy. So, what is required if we want to follow Jesus’s example and radically love the people around us? We almost always know the answer. The hard part is actually doing what love requires.
Rather than working harder to make Christianity more interesting, we need to recover what once made faith in Jesus irresistible to the world.
Sessions include:
*Simply Resistible
*Brand New Agreement
*The Bible According to Jesus
*The Irresistible Ethic
*What Love Requires of Me
*A New ApproachDesigned for use with the Irresistible Video Study (9780310100515), sold separately.
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Neighborhood Church : Transforming Your Congregation Into A Powerhouse For
$22.00Add to cartHow can we embody the values of love, grace, and justice? As faith communities, how can our collective embodiment of these values shine even brighter? The answers to these questions must always unfold right here, right now, exactly where God has planted us. Neighborhood Churchacts as a resource to inspire churches to become a vibrant and engaging community partner with the families and neighborhoods living around them. The need for transformation is acute. Congregational decline continues across all mainline denominations. The abandonment of the church by the millennial generation is ubiquitous; no denomination is escaping it. This is, in part, a consequence of disconnection from our communities. Van Tatenhove and Mueller believe that, parish by parish, we can reverse this trend. They dare to have an audacious hope for local congregations not only as signs of God’s kingdom but as life-giving institutions that anchor their neighborhoods. Drawing on their combined sixty years of parish experience, wisdom from Asset-Based Community Development, and compelling case stories, Van Tatenhove and Mueller do more than just call us to incarnational ministry. They give practical, essential tools that lead to communal conversion, develop the DNA of listening, spur fruitful partnerships, promote integrated space, and sustain long-term visions. They believe these tools will spark true revival and unleash the power of incarnational ministry.
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Preaching About Racism
$24.99Add to cartHelping pastors preach about racism to white congregations.
Of all the activities that come with being a minister, sermon preparation can loom largest – especially when racism is the subject. You’ve got to address racism with your white congregation from the pulpit. But, truthfully, you can’t wrap your head around how to preach about this topic thoughtfully and sensitively.
In Preaching about Racism, preaching professor and pastor Carolyn Helsel speaks directly to other white preachers about how to address racism from the pulpit. In her first book, Anxious to Talk about It: Helping White Christians Talk Faithfully about Racism, Helsel addressed the anxiety white Christians experience around conversations about race. In this follow-up, Helsel provides strategies and a theoretical framework for crafting biblical and theological sermons that incorporate insights from social sciences and psychology, gleaned from more than a decade of writing and teaching about racism.
Written for the busy pastor, several chapters are quick reads – helpful reminders as you prepare a thoughtful and sensitive sermon – while others dig deeper on the theory behind the crucial work of dismantling racism.
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Homiletics And Hermeneutics
$25.00Add to cartScott Gibson and Matthew Kim, both experienced preachers and teachers, have brought together four preaching experts–Bryan Chapell, Kenneth Langley, Abraham Kuruvilla, and Paul Scott Wilson–to present and defend their approach to homiletics. Reflecting current streams of thought in homiletics, the book offers a robust discussion of theological and hermeneutical approaches to preaching and encourages pastors and ministry students to learn about preaching from other theological traditions. It also includes discussion questions for direct application to one’s preaching.
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Simon Peter Large Print (Large Type)
$20.99Add to cartSimon Peter was an ordinary fisherman who heard an extraordinary call. He was not rich or educated, but he was familiar with hard work. He was quick-tempered and impetuous but possessed a passion that would change the world. He left everything to follow his teacher, yet struggled with doubt and fear. Join pastor and author Adam Hamilton in this six-week Lenten journey, and take an in-depth dive into the life, faith, and character of Simon Peter. Additional components for a six-week adult study include a comprehensive Leader Guide and a DVD featuring author and pastor Adam Hamilton filmed in Israel and Italy. Also available are resources for children and youth. Chapters Includes: The Call of Simon the Fisherman Walking with Jesus in the Storm Bedrock or Stumbling Block? “I Will Not Deny You” From Cowardice to Courage The Rest of the Story
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Biblical Grandparenting : Exploring Gods Design For Disciple Making And Pas
$17.00Add to cartMany powerful voices are influencing our grandchildren, from those at home and in their schools to those in the world of entertainment and media. What can you as a grandparent do to speak wisdom and godliness into their lives?
Grandparenting gives you a biblical foundation for investing spiritually in your grandkids, walking you through the principles of influencing them for Christ–from sharing with unbelieving grandkids to discipling them into a mature faith. This book is perfect for individual use, small groups, or Sunday school classes. A Grandparenting DVD is available that features eight family ministry experts with over six hours of video content.
Two other resources are also available:
Biblical Grandparenting is a full-length leadership book that places grandparenting
ministry on a firm scriptural foundation. It is ideal for pastors and church leaders as
well as for use in the classroom at seminaries.Equipping Grandparents is a brief book to teach pastors how to begin a grandparenting ministry in their church.
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Simon Peter : Flawed But Faithful Disciple
$19.99Add to cart1. The Call Of Simon The Fisherman
2. Walking With Jesus In The Storm
3. Bedrock Or Stumbling Block?
4. ” I Will Not Deny You”
5. From Cowardice To Courage
6. The Rest Of The StoryAdditional Info
He was not rich or educated, but was familiar with hard work. He was quick-tempered and impetuous, but possessed a passion that would change the world. He left everything to follow his teacher, yet struggled with doubt and fear. Join pastor and author Adam Hamilton in this six-week Lenten journey, and take an in-depth dive into the life, faith, and character of Simon Peter. Additional components for a six-week adult study include a comprehensive Leader Guide and a DVD featuring author and pastor Adam Hamilton teaching on site in Israel and Italy. Also available are resources for children and youth. Chapters Include: The Call of Simon the Fisherman Walking with Jesus in the Storm Bedrock or Stumbling Block? “I Will Not Deny You” From Cowardice to Courage The Rest of the Story -
Politics Of Ministry
$24.99Add to cartForeword By Steven Garber
Introduction
1. Three Ministry Stories
2. The Four Dynamics Of Politics
3. Power In Ministry Politics
4. The Branches And Roots Of Interests
5. Personality Interests
6. Organizational Interests
7. Societal Interests
8. Negotiation With Power For Interests
9. Negotiation In Cell Four
10. Ethical Issues In The Politics Of Ministry
11. Tom Moves Into A Political Swamp
Postscript: How People Learn The Politics Of Ministry
Acknowledgments
Appendix 1: Emotions Checklist
Appendix 2: Constructing And Exploring A Family Diagram
NotesAdditional Info
We all need help navigating the politics of ministry.Politics is often considered a dirty word. It brings to mind lies and manipulation, accusations and scandals. But at its most basic level, politics is simply the everyday activity of getting things done with other people: understanding their interests, recognizing the power dynamics at play, and learning how to negotiate relationships and institutions to achieve a common goal.These realities are as true in ministry settings as anywhere else. In The Politics of Ministry, Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, and Donald Guthrie combine their long ministry experience with sociological research on the topic. Filled with real-life stories taken from a variety of ministry settings, this book sets out wise principles and practices that help us see more clearly the political dynamics at play in our churches and parachurch ministries.
All ministry is political. As servants of Christ’s kingdom, we are called to navigate the politics of ministry with grace, wisdom, and charity. This book shows us how the gospel of Jesus changes the way we work with those around us toward our common goal.
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Connections Year C Volume 2 Lent Through Pentecost
$55.00Add to cartDesigned to empower preachers as they lead their congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary.
For each worship day within the three-year lectionary cycle, the commentaries in Connections link the individual lection reading with Scripture as a whole as well as to the larger world. In addition, Connections places each Psalm reading in conversation with the other lections for the day to highlight the themes of the liturgical season. Finally, sidebars offer additional connections to Scripture for each Sunday or worship day.
This nine-volume series is a practical, constructive, and valuable resource for preachers who seek to help congregations connect more closely with Scripture.
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Grandparenting : Strengthening Your Family And Passing On Your Faith
$18.00Add to cartMany powerful voices are influencing our grandchildren, from those at home and in their schools to those in the world of entertainment and media. What can you as a grandparent do to speak wisdom and godliness into their lives? Grandparenting gives you a biblical foundation for investing spiritually in your grandkids, walking you through the principles of influencing them for Christ–from sharing with unbelieving grandkids to discipling them into a mature faith. This book is perfect for individual use, small groups, or Sunday school classes. A Grandparenting DVD is available that features eight family ministry experts with over six hours of video content.
Two other resources are also available:
Biblical Grandparenting is a full-length leadership book that places grandparenting ministry on a firm scriptural foundation. It is ideal for pastors and church leaders as well as for use in the classroom at seminaries.Equipping Grandparents is a brief book to teach pastors how to begin a grandparenting ministry in their church.
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Your Church At Its Best
$14.99Add to cartBroken into four parts, Your Church at Its Best examines sixteen crucial components of a healthy church, along with best practices for keeping a ministry running smoothly. This comprehensive and practical resource helps leaders see that we are not victims of the past, of location, or of present conditions.
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Storyline The Parables Of Jesus The Leaders Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$30.00Add to cartA Soulwithaview Media Limited Title
Dotted throughout the complex storyline of Jesus lies a wealth of simple stories. Tales of lost sheep, praying widows and self-important Pharisees. To comprehend their meaning, you will require open eyes, listening ears and a heart ready to understand.
Storyline is a six-session teaching series, set out in the form of a menu with starters, main courses (divided into three spice levels) and a range of sides and desserts to explore. Due to the flexibility of the material, Storyline works as a whole church programme, content for a retreat, within small groups or as a youth series.
The session outlines are as follows:
Lub Dub – the condition of the heart
Jesus looked out at the expansive crowd gathered before Him. Why had they come to listen?
Each heart came with a different need, question, and willingness to listen. We will never know the backstory of the crowd that gathered there that day, or the impact the words of Jesus would have on their heart. Some would never think of Jesus again, others would dedicate their lives to Him. The only difference was the condition of their heart.
Blot – the power of grace and forgiveness
Holding on tightly to the jar of perfume, she made her way across the room to Jesus. She must have known what they thought of her. As her tears mingled with the expensive scent and she dried the feet of Jesus with her hair, she must have sensed the looks of disgust from Simon the Pharisee. He had barely offered Jesus a drink let alone washed His feet.
As she washed away the dirt from Jesus’ feet, her faith and His forgiveness blotted out every stain.
Kerching – the cost of discipleship
Surrounded by blueprints, bank statements and spreadsheets the entrepreneur scanned the plans for the biggest building project he had ever undertaken. Every possible calculation had been made and every financial option explored. Despite the meticulous planning this was going to take every single penny he had, but he knew it would be worth it.
A life of discipleship costs us everything but it leads to a lifelong investment in a building project that is beyond anything we could dream or imagine.
Tic Toc – the way we invest our time and talents.
The bags of silver had been handed out, the time had passed and now the three servants stood before their master. After a long and tiring trip, he was keen to see the return on his investment. God’s love for us is not dependent on the things w
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Case For Christmas Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIn his bestselling book The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel retraced his spiritual journey from atheism to faith by showing how the evidence he obtained from experts in the field of history, archaeology, and ancient manuscripts led him to the verdict that Jesus truly was the Son of God. Now, in this four-week study for Christmas (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), Lee investigates the story surrounding the birth of Jesus-and how we can know that it is true.
In each session, he will explore the following aspects of the Christmas story:
*What the Gospel accounts actually say, what other stories about Jesus’ birth emerged in the first through third centuries, and how we can know the biblical accounts are accurate
*The Bible’s claim that Jesus was born of a virgin and whether that idea-and other aspects of the Christmas story-developed from the pagan religions of the day
*Some aspects of the Christmas story that don’t seem to match with the historical or archaeological record, such as the census, the existence of Nazareth, and the slaughter of the innocents
*The great mystery of the incarnation-how Jesus could be both fully God and fully human at the same time-and how we can know he is truly the promised MessiahThe Case for Christmas invites participants to examine the evidence for themselves and consider why Christmas matters in the first place. It will point them to the inescapable conclusion that Jesus truly was who he said he was: the divine Son of God.
Designed for use with The Case for Christmas Video Study/The Case for Easter Video Study (sold separately).
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Making A Scene In The Pulpit
$30.00Add to cartHow can preachers ensure that their sermons continue to engage listeners in a world defined by visual media and the short, segmented delivery of information? Alyce McKenzie harnesses the element of drama and the human fascination with scenes to offer ministers a modern means of sermon development and delivery.
McKenzie’s core strategy is to invite listeners into scenes-whether from Scripture or contemporary life-and, once they are there, to point them toward the larger story of God’s relationship with humankind. Creating such scenes unifies the whole process of preaching, she says, from the preacher’s daily life observations to interpretation of scenes from Scripture, to sermon shaping, sequencing, and delivery. The process culminates in a specific understanding of the purpose of the sermon: to send listeners out into the scenes they’ll play in their lives for the next week, equipped to act out their parts in ways that are kinder, more just, and more courageous than last week.
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Living In The Gaze Of God
$35.00Add to cart“Living in the Gaze of God” offers an accessible exploration of the theme of ministerial accountability through the lens of one reflective tool – that of formal supervision of ministerial practice. Bold and far-reaching, the book addresses the key presenting issues around a need for a change of culture in the church as regards accountability for ministerial practice. It outlines a theological and practical model of 1-to-1 supervision, arguing that such an approach enables the development of greater attentiveness to God, the self and others and thus enhances accountability.
Laying aside the need to offer a ‘how-to’ approach, Helen Cameron instead brings us a rigorous and dynamic consideration of the interface between supervision, accountability and ministerial practice, and offers a theological underpinning for the issues.
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New Elders Handbook
$15.00Add to cartPastors and church leaders are in need of mature, godly elders to ensure church health, but the training of elders is often entirely missing or badly neglected. What if there were a process to proactively call and train elders? The New Elder’s Handbook is designed to equip elders with the knowledge, character, and skills the office calls for. It takes church leaders through the development of a vision for ministry, recruitment of elders to carry out that vision, and specific, biblical training, providing a way to be intentional about developing elders.
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Ingenuity : Preaching As An Outsider
$31.99Add to cartIngenuity introduces a theology and practice of preaching within the simultaneous existence of being Black and woman. This approach opens up new avenues to understand sermon development and design for every student and practitioner of the proclaimed word. Preaching is a creative expression forged at the intersections of tradition, life experience, and theological conviction. Every preacher negotiates these converging entities in an attempt to make way for sacred speech. Likewise, every pursuit of this process is textured by the particulars of culture and personhood. Ingenuity equips readers to navigate this complex task. This approach is helpful for black women who are learning to preach or are serving as preachers, because there is a vast gap in the literature available for them. Preaching is resourced and taught from a primarily white/male perspective. Black women are left to pioneer their own way, to ‘figure it out’ with very little help from the established academic sources. This book – finally – fills that gap. Ingenuity is also helpful for students and preachers who are not black women, because it enlarges their understanding, their language, their sense of shared experience. The best preachers are not just good at mimicking their (predominately white/male) teachers; they understand their own voices, and the voices of others. They stretch and grow, and this enables them to preach more effectively.
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Case For Easter Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99Add to cartIn his bestselling book The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel retraced his spiritual journey from atheism to faith by showing how the evidence he obtained from experts in the field of history, archaeology, and ancient manuscripts led him to the verdict that Jesus truly was the Son of God. Now, in this four-week study for Easter (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), Lee investigates the story surrounding the resurrection of Jesus-and how we can know that it is true.
In each session, he will explore the following aspects of the Easter story:
*What the Gospel accounts actually say about Jesus’ death and resurrection, how we can reconcile the discrepancies between the accounts, and how we can know the biblical accounts are accurate
*How we can use a technique known as “five minimal facts”-facts on which even skeptical scholars agree are true-and medical evidence to build a strong case for Jesus’ resurrection
*What the evidence in the Gospels reveals about the Jesus’ tomb being empty, why the Gospel writers are credible when they make this claim, and what this evidence leads us to conclude
*Who the Bible states witnessed Jesus being alive after the crucifixion, how early creeds emerged that stated Jesus was alive, and how it’s clear the early church carried on this teachingThe Case for Easter invites participants to examine the evidence for themselves and consider whether the story of Jesus’ resurrection makes sense. It will point them to the inescapable conclusion that led Lee from atheism to Christianity: Jesus was the Son of God who conquered the grave.
Designed for use with The Case for Christmas Video Study/The Case for Easter Video Study (sold separately). This DVD is a set of two videos to accompany The Case for Christmas Study Guide and The Case for Easter Study Guide (each guide sold separately).
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99 Prayers Your Church Needs But Doesnt Know It Yet
$9.99Add to cartWhen the unexpected comes and you can’t find the words to pray, 99 Prayers Your Church Needs (But Doesn’t Know It Yet) will provide the starting point that will help lead you to the prayer your congregation or pastor needs. From prayers for a family who has lost a loved one to addiction, to a prayer for the new pastor in a new congregation, these 99 prayers will help you respond to a multitude of unexpected prayer requests? whether celebratory or grieving, or somewhere in between?in the course of your congregation’s life.
