Pastoral Helps
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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.
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Lords Prayer
$55.00Add to cartC. Clifton Black provides a thorough analysis of the most famous prayer in the Christian church, the Lord’s Prayer. He begins with an impressionist painting of how the ancients prayed during Jesus’ time in order to set the context for understanding the prayer he taught his disciples. Throughout the book, Black systematically interprets the rich meanings of each part of the Lord’s prayer. Additionally, he includes an overview of Christian thought on the Lord’s Prayer from early church mothers and fathers like Tertullian and Teresa of Avila to modern theologians like Karl Barth. Uniquely, this book is an academic study of the Lord’s Prayer with a focus on the rhetorical culture from which it developed as well as the theological, literary, and historical meanings of the prayer itself.
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Reciprocal Church : Becoming A Community Where Faith Flourishes Beyond High
$20.99Add to cartIntroduction: Reciprocal Church
Part 1: A Theological Vision For The Reciprocal Church
1. Eating Melon On Tuesdays: Young People And Faith
2. Galloping Mares: The Gospel Without Christ’s Church
3. A Vital Identity: God Gathers A People
4. A Vital Purpose: Christ Is Reconciling Relationships
5. A Vital Avenue: The Spirit Transforms You, Me, And UsPart 2: Values And Practices For Flourishing Communities
6. Tetherballs And Floodlights: Valuing Memory
7. The Oxpecker’s Gift: Valuing Mutuality
8. Seeing Beyond The Epidemic: Recognizing Potential
9. Moving Beyond The Epidemic: Valuing Contribution
10. Windmills Of Hope: Valuing MaturityEpilogue: Faith Flourishes With Practice
Acknowledgments
Discussion Questions
NotesAdditional Info
The church faces an unprecedented loss of rising generations. Young adults who were active and engaged in the local church are leaving the community behind after high school. What can we do? Responding to these concerning statistics, Sharon Galgay Ketcham reflects theologically on the church community and its role in forming faith. She exposes problems in the way leaders conceive of and teach about the relationship between individual faith and the local church, and offers fresh solutions in the form of values and practices that can shape a community into a place where faith will flourish in those both young and old. -
Cold Case Christianity Video Series With Facilitators Guide (DVD)
$26.99Add to cartIn this eight-session DVD viewers will learn how to employ ten important detective skills as they watch Detective Wallace test the accuracy and reliability of the New Testament Gospel accounts. They’ll follow along as he investigates the historical evidence and “questions” the witnesses, teaching viewers how to become good Christian case makers.
Designed to accompany the original book and all-new participant’s guide, and facilitator’s guide, these videos are perfect for small groups and leaders. This series will help small groups grow in their confidence as they investigate the accuracy and reliability of the Gospel accounts and learn how to defend the truth.
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Lectionary Stories For Preaching And Teaching Series 3 Cycle C
$24.95Add to cartStorytellers who excel at their craft can draw readers or listeners into the worlds they create, using characters and situations to entertain and enlighten us. Jesus, the Master Storyteller, often spoke using parables — short stories that conveyed spiritual truths. By drawing his listeners into his stories, he unlocked their minds and hearts to hear the truth he was relating to them.
Asked about his style and direction when authoring this book, Keith Hewitt said, “I thought it would be interesting to look at the Biblical passages from a slightly different angle than we might normally see them. Some of the stories are set in the time and place of the passage, others are set in different periods, using different characters–but in all of them I try to humanize the events so that the reader can sense that they’re happening to real people. I think this can help them to connect to the meaning of the story.”
Some of the stories can easily be adapted as vignettes or monologues, to be performed during worship. Depending upon the age of the students, other stories could be used in Sunday School as alternative texts to get students thinking about a particular passage in different ways.
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Luke Alive Volume 2
$15.95Add to cart“Do you feel as though God favors you? That He is on your side? That He is always with you?”
These are the questions Robert Blair asks in the 13 sermons in Luke Alive, Volume 1e Alive, Volume 1. They cut straight to the Christian heart. They address our greatest fear: that we might not be good enough for God. That we might not enjoy his favor.
Blair does not stop short at dismissing our fears with a casual overview of grace. He addresses where they come from, a natural drive to earn favor, to work toward something we can never fully attain ourselves. The Gospel of Luke shows us what we can “earn” with our actions and what we can’t.
In the sinful woman who cries at Jesus’ feet and cleans them, we see the image of genuine gratitude for forgiveness. In the healing of the crippled woman, we discern that it’s always time to do good for other people.
Luke Alivee Alive guides ministers through our deepest of Christian fears and desires, and offers satisfying answers based firmly in scripture. It is a must-have volume for pastors seeking to answer direct questions with plain language, whether from the pulpit or the living room couch.
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Luke Alive Volume 1
$15.95Add to cart“Do you feel as though God favors you? That He is on your side? That He is always with you?”
These are the questions Robert Blair asks in the first of 13 sermons in Luke Alive, Volume 1. They cut straight to the Christian heart. They address our greatest fear: that we might not be good enough for God.That we might not enjoy his favor.
Blair does not stop short at dismissing our fears with a casual overview of grace. He addresses where they come from, a natural drive to earn favor, to work toward something we can never fully attain ourselves. The Gospel of Luke shows us what we can “earn” with our actions and what we can’t.
In Mary, the Mother of Jesus we have an image of what it means to be chosen, to be given the Lord’s favor. In Jesus’ proclamation of the year of the Lord’s favor at Nazareth we see that, favored as we may be, there is a kind of favor we can earn when we seize the opportunity. In the story of Jesus and his disciples picking grain on the Sabbath we learn that we do not earn favor by following rules.
That’s when it gets really exciting.
Luke Alive guides ministers through our deepest of Christian fears and desires, and offers satisfying answers based firmly in scripture. It is a must-have volume for pastors seeking to answer direct questions with plain language, whether from the pulpit or the living room couch.
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Watch This Cycle C
$15.95Add to cartIt is often challenging to discuss with new believers – or even seasoned believers – the meatiest parts of Christian theology. You can’t exactly answer these questions in the course of an elevator ride.
“What is the Holy Spirit? How does it work?”
“What does it mean for God to be in three persons?”
“Are demons really in the world? What are Christians supposed to do about demon possession?”
Dave Zuchelli draws from the Gospels of Luke and John to give you tools to wrestle with these questions. Whether from the pulpit, in a small group or personal conversation, the sermons inWatch This!remind us to enter into discussion with humility. To sit with our guests at the last seat at the table.
The Lord will meet you there.
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Inside The Transformative World Of Childrens Ministry
$14.99Add to cartDoes your church need a shared language to talk about children?
Sometimes children’s ministry leaders and other staff members struggle to relate to one another. Yet all would agree that children are important–not just to the future of the church but to the church now. Inside the Transformative World of Children’s Ministry seeks to provide a shared perspective, offering an inside look at the unique challenges of children’s ministry. Safety procedures, volunteer development, ministry philosophy from kids in diapers to kids in puberty–practitioner Kyle Tyler gets inside the mind, heart, and world of ministry to kids.
This book is for lead pastors.
This book is for church boards.
This book is for children’s leaders.Inside the Transformative World of Children’s Ministry will help you understand, empower, and energize your church staff in their ministry to children.
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Rebooted : Reclaiming Youth Ministry For The Long Haul A Biblical Framework
$15.99Add to cartMost youth ministry is simply too small. Or too time- or fad-bound. Or based on a model of some sort but without solid biblical foundations. The author is passionate about growing youth ministry that can outlive the youth worker. He deplores particularly the call for ‘something’ for youth. Something just won’t do.Tim Gough seeks to redress the balance. He takes us on an expositional journey through the Bible as he sees it relating to youth work, pulling out purposeful themes through key stories and passages. He offers guidelines which can be used by any leader as he casts this strong, healthy biblical vision to inspire us.Here is youth leadership training for the long haul.Introduction – Methods and goals1 Passing it on – Youth work through the Pentateuch (Gen-Deut)2 Walking beside them – Youth work through the history books3 Staying relevant – Youth work through wisdom literature4 Cultivating community – Youth work through the Psalms5 Getting involved – Youth work through the Prophets6 Growing up – Youth work through the Gospels7 Going out – Youth work through the Acts8 Displaying devotion – Youth work through the EpistlesConclusion – Bringing it all together as a facilitator model of youth work
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Rebellious Faith Cycle C
$17.95Add to cart“Go against the grain.”
This is what Mark Ellingsen wants your church to hear in A Rebellious Faith. It isn’t merely odd or contradictory in the eyes of the world to live a Christian life. It is offensive.
To go against the grain – by discounting our accomplishments, carrying no shame in the light of grace, considering no one outside of God’s love – is to sometimes make people who worship hard work, the quest for perfection and exceptionalism deeply uncomfortable.
And that is a very good thing.
Ellingsen begins with the irrevocable truth that the ashes we put on our living bodies at the beginning of the Lenten season represent the death we all deserve. From there, he leads your congregation through the brazenly offensive, un-American ideas presented in the New Testament.
Confession does not shame and isolate us, it liberates us. Bearing the cross of our sin is not a burden, but a blessing in the knowledge the Lord has paid the ultimate price for our sin. The Resurrection does not make anyone exceptional. It unites us all whether or not we are ready to enter Heaven together.
A Rebellious Faith reminds us thatthe war is already won, and we are to live as brave sinners whose Savior cannot be overcome.
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Short Term Missions Workbook (Workbook)
$18.99Add to cartIntroduction
1. The God Of Mission
2. Learning To Delight In Differences
3. Embracing Change
4. Maximizing Personal Growth
5. Working Together As A Team
6. Communicating Clearly
7. Staying Spiritually Fresh
8. Preparing For Risks
9. Anticipating The Return Home
10. Making The Most Of Your Trip Once You’re Home
Acknowledgments
Appendix 1: Leader’s Guide
Appendix 2: Recommended Reading And Additional Resources
Appendix 3: Language Acquisition Phrases And Cultural Research Questions
Appendix 4: A Quick Guide To A Christian Theology Of Suffering
Appendix 5: Bookmark And Journal Insert
Appendix 6: Debriefing Prayer Of Examen
NotesAdditional Info
Going on a short-term missions trip can be a life- and faith-transforming experience. It can enrich the way you view the world. It can cause you to rely on God more fully. It is an opportunity to develop deep relationships with your team and the people you serve.A short-term missions experience can also involve weeks of physical and spiritual challenges. An unprepared team can wreak havoc on each other and the people they intend to serve.
To get the most out of a missions trip, you need to go prepared. Whether you are going on your own or with a team, the keys to preparation are here in this workbook. In this ten-week course, which includes questions for individual reflection and group discussion, you will find
-a concise summary of crosscultural principles
-help in facing spiritual warfare
-tips on avoiding a tourist mentality
-spiritual preparation through individual or group Bible studyThis revised and expanded edition includes updated content throughout and new chapters on facing risks, fears, and suffering, and making the most of the trip after returning home.
If you are planning to go on a short-term missions trip, don’t leave home without working through this book!
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Preaching As Resistance
$19.99Add to cart30 new sermons to empower your prophetic voice for solidarity and justice. As nationalism, patriarchy, and alt-right fear-mongering threaten our troubled nation, the pulpit has again become a subversive space of sacred resistance. In this provocative and powerful collection of sermons from diverse pastors across America, hear the brave and urgent voice of Christians calling for radical change rooted in love, solidarity, and justice. Preaching as Resistance resists, confronts, and troubles the dangerous structures of authoritarianism and oppression crashing in from all sides – and proclaims the transformation, possibility, and hope stirring in the gospel of Christ. From big-steeple churches in big cities to rural congregations in red states, preaching as resistance is practiced in a wide variety of social contexts and preaching styles, inspiring and equipping listeners to respond to the call of justice. Ideal for pastors and church leaders, Preaching as Resistance also provides the opportunity to experience hopeful, welcoming Christian voices rooted in the gospel values of love, solidarity, and justice. In these challenging times when Christianity is so often misrepresented, misunderstood, and misused for unjust agendas, take heart and find your own voice in this collection of resistance sermons from everyday pastors across the country. Contributors: Emily Bowen-Marler, Amy Butler, Jeff Chu, Aric Clark, Wil Gafney, Sarah Tron Garriott, Richard Gehring, Molly Housh Gordon, Cassandra Gould, Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, Anna Holloway, Jesse Jackson, Sandhya Jha, Jin S. Kim, Kenji Kuramitsu, Jose F. Morales, Gary Peluso-Verdend, Alton B. Pollard III, Micki Pulleyking, Susan Russell, Leah D. Schade, Darryl Schafer, Austin Shelley, David Swinton, Laura Jean Truman, Richard Voelz, Alexis James Waggoner, Lori Walke, Michael W. Waters, Erin Wathen, Layton E. Williams, Brian Zahnd
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I Declare War Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIn the New Testament, some the most common analogies used to describe following Jesus are that of a soldier engaged in a good fight and an athlete running to win a prize. In our world today, athletes and soldiers know they must have a mental edge to successfully deal with everything they encounter. They know victory will never occur unless they’ve first won their internal battles.
In I Declare War, author and pastor Levi Lusko shows how the same is true for Christians. God has called each of us to an important assignment-to win the battle and claim the prize-but to fulfill that calling we first have to win the war within. Levi draws from the Bible to show four ways to fight this internal battle:
*Key #1: Discover Your Calling
*Key #2: Prepare for the Trial
*Key #3: Learn Self-Control
*Key #4: Rely on God’s PowerLevi draws on stories from his own life to show how God can help us wage war against issues that rob us of joy such as depression, fear, anxiety, addiction, negative thoughts, pride, jealousy, resentment, anger, self-doubt, and codependent relationships. While Levi does not offer a quick fix or promise the “perfect life” if participants follow all the steps, he does point toward the hope that God provides as we commit to fight the good fight through all the pain, sweat, and tears that each day brings.
Designed for use with the I Declare War Video Study (sold separately).
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Adoptive Church : Creating An Environment Where Emerging Generations Belong
$22.00Add to cartTeens and emerging adults don’t feel at home in the church because they are not fully included in the church body. How can congregations nurture young adults, welcome them as siblings into God’s household, and empower them to become fully embedded contributors within and to their faith community?
Integrating the latest research on adolescent faith and young adult ministry for the local church, this book presents a new way of thinking about youth ministry. Chap Clark makes the principles found in Sticky Faith, Growing Young, and Hurt 2.0 highly practical for today’s youth leaders, showing how they can implement a sustainable youth ministry program in a local church akin to Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry. Clark presents the adoptive youth ministry model as a way to help congregations see youth ministry as a bridge to inclusion, participation, and contribution in the body of Christ. His comprehensive plan for designing and implementing youth ministry shows churches how to intentionally welcome young people and create an environment where they belong.
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Ultimate Reliance : Breakthrough Prayer Practices For Leaders
$18.99Add to cartAdding a Breakthrough Prayer Initiative to the teamwork of your church or ministry’s leadership will change everything-and transform what may have become routine administrative work, into riding the exciting rapids of a God-led spiritual adventure together! Author Sue Nilson Kibbey’s classic church leadership book, Ultimately Responsible, and her most recent release Flood Gates: Holy Momentum for a Fearless Church, are followed by this new resource that will strengthen the “flood gate” of your breakthrough prayer practices both collectively and individually. Each chapter includes discussion questions, application ideas, a breakthrough prayer practice for the week or month-plus a short inspirational video story of a leader like you whose breakthrough prayer practice made all the difference. (Downloadable video stories package sold separately). Ideal for use with your church council, board, leadership team, class, small group or entire congregation-whoever longs to build prayer practices for breakthroughs and new God possibilities as the ultimate foundation for everything else.
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8 Virtues Of Rapidly Growing Churches
$17.99Add to cartLeaders who are interested in planting or revitalizing congregations often feel discouraged and defeated after leadership conferences, or after reading about the ‘heroes’ of church planting and church growth. “They are amazing,” they say. “I can’t be that amazing.” But Jesus’ load is easy and his burden is light. When we examine the practices and characteristics of those ‘heroes’, we see striking trends and commonalities. Aspiring church leaders can learn the practices and develop the characteristics that will lead to successful churches. Instead of feeling defeated, new leaders should have a hope-filled sense of what new thing they can do. Authors Matt Miofsky and Jason Byasse carefully researched, interviewed, and profiled successful church-growers across the U.S., and identified 8 characteristics these leaders and their congregations have in common. These pastors are still learning, still figuring out how to do this work and how to faithfully live into God’s call. But for now, how are they doing what they do? What mistakes have they made & learned from? Where have they paid the stupid tax that others should avoid? Each of these ‘heroes’ is painfully ordinary and up front about their flaws. And each can see slightly farther than the rest of us. What do they see that we can learn from? Discover the 8 characteristics, and learn how to adapt them for your own congregation and calling.
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Hacia Una Mentalidad Misionera – (Spanish)
$17.00Add to cartDouglas Ruffle writes Towards a Missionary Mentality using the timeless principles of E. Stanley Jones and transfers them for their use today. Ruffle teaches us to approach the mission field as if we were from a different country and to learn a new culture, a new form of communication and a new way of connecting people with the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Curating Church : Strategies For Innovative Worship
$31.99Add to cartIf we are willing to shift our approach to church, we will better connect with increasingly heterogeneous cultures. This shifting requires curation. Church leaders must learn to be curators! Churches in modernity were set up to facilitate a particular kind of experience with God. Church was its own (protected) culture. In the wake of postmodernity, facilitated by new forms of (digital) communication, we are entering a new epoch in the history of the church. Curators manage the tasks of connection, preservation, and transformation, in their care for cultural artifacts and communities. When someone serves as a curator, they make connections between different elements in the culture, preserving the best of cultural traditions, and promoting fresh ways of thinking and being in the world. What might this work of curation mean for us? In Curating Church, readers learn how curation can reorient and sharpen the ways and work of the church. Curation can inform how we connect with cultures beyond the church, preserve what is best in the rich history of Christian thought and expression, and nurture spaces where contemporary persons may be transformed by the gospel. This book helps readers to understand with new richness the church and the world, and it equips them to become active in making those connections-as curators-with and for others.
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12 Disciples : Bible Study
$11.99Add to cartJesus called twelve ordinary men–and turned their weaknesses into strengths, their faults into testimonies, and their doubts into faith. Who were these men who walked with Jesus? What can we learn from their lives? Find out with The Twelve Disciples Visual Bible Study.
From John and Peter to Matthew and Mark, enjoy digging deeper into the lives of each of Jesus’ twelve disciples and learn more about:
*Their personalities
*Why Jesus called each of them
*How they served
*The lessons that we can learn from their mishaps and strengths
*And more!All-Inclusive Ready-to-Use Bible Study on the Twelve Disciples Can Be Led By Anyone!
This highly visual and informative introduction to the twelve disciples shows how Jesus called the Twelve individually–and uniquely–for life with him. See how Jesus entrusted them with authority despite all their mishaps and failures. Discover how these men’s lives were radically changed in the midst of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection; and celebrate the global effect they had for generations to come. Features include:
*6-session flexible Bible study
*Optional reading plan for people with more time who want to go deeper
*Leader’s guide is contained within each study guide, so no extra book purchase is required
*Discussion questions for each session and lots of space for writingMost Bible studies on the twelve disciples don’t include visuals. Imagine having one that does!
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Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered
$30.99Add to cartBuilding from a behind-the-scenes case study of Kenya’s Nairobi Chapel and its “daughter” Mavuno Church, Wanjiru M. Gitau expands their story into a narrative that offers analysis of the rise, growth, and place of megachurches worldwide in the new millennium. In contexts experienced as deeply volatile, and in Africa reeling from the structural incoherence imposed by colonial times, megachurches provide a map of reality to navigate by, with the gospel as their primary compass. Gitau shows that recognizing the psychological, spiritual, and social destabilization of modernizing societies is the first step to valuing the place of megachurches in contemporary Christianity.
Through analysis of social demography, theology, philosophy of ministry, leadership development, and strategy, Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered makes integral sense of the historical and social forces that give megachurches their growth opportunity in ministry, and reclaims them as a subject of serious theological conversation.
This lively, engaging account centers on the role of millennials in responding to the need for “a home for new generations” amid the dislocating transitions of globalization and postmodernity in postcolonial Africa and around the world. Gitau gleans practical wisdom for postdenominational churches everywhere (mega- and otherwise) from the lessons learned in Kenya’s remarkable urban, evangelical renewal movement.
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Will Willimons Lectionary Sermon Resource Year C Part 2
$26.99Add to cartWill Willimon is widely acclaimed as one of the top ten preachers in the world. For each Sunday of the Christian year, Will provides just what you need to begin the journey toward a sermon. This guide will stoke, fund, and fuel your imagination while leaving plenty of room to insert your own illustrations, make connections within your congregational context, and speak the Word in your distinctive voice. Guidance from Will Willimon is like sitting down with a trusted clergy friend and asking, “What will you preach next Sunday?” Year C Part 2 is part of a six-volume set that includes years A, B, and C (2 volumes per year) in the Revised Common Lectionary. Each week of sermon resources includes: 1. Readings 2. Theme title 3. Introduction to the Readings 4. Encountering the Text 5. Proclaiming the Text 6. Relating the Text
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Last Days Cycle C
$15.95Add to cartDo you serve people who feel like underdogs?
The story of Jesus’ last days on Earth, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, provide some of the New Testament’s most powerful inspiration for the “underdogs” among us.
Richard A. Hasler draws from a deep well of modern-era stories to illustrate Jesus’ words of comfort and hope to people who seemed foolish, destined to lose in life.
Learn how Albert Schweitzer “wasted” his gifts to become a missionary to equatorial Africa; how Feodor Dostoevsky depended on the grace of God to create beautiful work out of a broken life; how one young believer ministered to a woman living with a family of Satanists in an unlikely place; and more.
These 12 sermons included in The Last Days reminds us we have the strength to serve, persevere and trust in Jesus Christ, even when doing so looks foolish, because we follow the king of underdogs … until the last days and forevermore.
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Find Your Fit (Revised)
$18.00Add to cartGod made you unique and valuable, and he invites you into an incredible future. But it can be hard to think through what that means and what it should look like. How can you figure it all out in the middle of your responsibilities, expectations, and pressures?
Find Your Fit is an incredible resource to help you discover who you are. It assesses your interests, abilities, spiritual gifts, values, and personality so you can understand what makes you tick and how you can become all God designed you to be. But it’s not just a powerful tool–it’s also fun to understand yourself better than you ever have before.
The Find Your Fit Discovery Workbook is also available, and it includes self-assessments, questions for digging deeper, and group exercises. Set yourself free to dream big dreams about what your life can be. God loves you so much and wants you to join him to change the world!
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Overcomer Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartIn this six-session Bible study, bestselling author Dr. David Jeremiah turns his insights to one of the most quoted but least understood passages of the Bible: the apostle Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 6:10-18 to take up the whole armor of God. With his signature depth, wisdom, and compassion, Dr. Jeremiah explores the powerful relevance of spiritual armor as a critical tool in our daily living as we confront the challenges in our lives and of our time. He reveals how God has given us, his followers, the tools we need to live a life defined not by our trials but by our victories.
This study will serve as a practical guide for how we can live each day in the strength that God provides as we equip each piece of spiritual armor. Although we all live in a time of deep uncertainty, the Bible promises we can live the life of freedom that God intended-even in times when the world seems filled with darkness. We were created to be overcomers, conquering the greatest obstacles in our lives.It is time to find renewed strength and claim the promises of God’s Word to overcome life’s greatest threats. It is time to claim our victory in Christ an be an overcomer.
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Taste And See Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartFood has always been something that joins us to one another as we procure, prepare, and share meals. We gather around tables and enter the hallowed belonging and sacred union of fellowship. In this place, we reconnect with our true selves as reconciles and healers of the world who dine with justice and mercy, practice divine hospitality, and restore our bodies with God’s gift of provision. Scripture likens Jesus to bread, an edible and necessary source of life. The Holy Spirit is likened to oil and anointing. The process of produce growth and pruning and harvesting is all through God’s word.
This six-session Bible study (DVD/downloads sold separately) explores those metaphors focusing on a few select, but pointed examples that take us full-circle in the experience of harvesting a relationship with Christ.
Sessions include:
*Come to the Table
*Bread of Life
*Pressed and Anointed
*First Fruit Offerings
*Sacrifice
*Invite and ServeDesigned for use with the Taste and See Video Study (sold separately).
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Meeting God At The Mall Cycle C
$15.95Add to cartAmericans are mired in idolatry. This is perhaps at no time more evident than during the Christmas season.
What idols do we worship? We often point out the consumerism that eclipses the meaning of the holiday, but as Mary Austin points out, there are others that might escape our notice. Perfectionism, that belief that if we can host the perfect holiday party or keep a perfect house, for example;thesefalse gods, we often believe will offer us wholeness. Busy-ness, too, can give us a false sense of worth.
These sermons use the words and actions of Paul to call out these false gods, to reveal our idolatry and its cause: our longing for the true source of peace. Once we have determined the cause of our love/hate relationship with the Christmas season, we can begin to pursue the counter-cultural cure.
Meeting God at the Mallting God at the Mall shows us there is no obstacle too great to prevent us from finding our way back to the peace we can find only in our loving Savior.
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Unwanted : How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way To Healing
$17.99Add to cartUnwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing is a ground-breaking resource that explores the “why” behind self-destructive sexual choices. The book is based on research from over 3,800 men and women seeking freedom from unwanted sexual behavior, be that the use of pornography, an affair, or buying sex.
Jay Stringer’s (M.Div, MA, LMHC) original research found that unwanted sexual behavior can be both shaped by and predicted based on the parts of our story–past and present–that remain unaddressed. When we pay attention to our unwanted sexual desires and identify the unique reasons that trigger them, the path of healing is revealed.
Although many of us feel ashamed and unwanted after years of sexual brokenness, the book invites the reader to see that behavior as the very location God can most powerfully work in their lives. Counselors, pastors, and accountability partners of those who experience sexual shame will also find in this book the deep spiritual and psychological guidance they need to effectively minister to the sexually broken around them.
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Church Creation And The Common Good
$14.95Add to cart* A youth and adult study * Engages participants in how we should now live into this time of climate change crisis It is hard to be hopeful in the face of climate crisis. The problem is on a scale difficult for us to understand. Actions needed to address the crisis require a radical change in way of life. Does the Church have anything unique to offer? Is there something in our life of community, worship, and prayer that suggests a different way through this time? Church, Creation, and the Common Good is a program resource offering a hopeful answer to these challenges. Through scripture, tradition, and Christian practice, it guides church communities into deeper understanding of their role as the Church in the world and how they might be communities for the common good in this time. This curricular resource is sure to foster rich conversations and provide a path toward love of all creation and our particular places as we face the climate crisis together.
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Christianity And World Religions Leader Guide (Revised)
$14.99Add to cartPastor and best-selling author Adam Hamilton returns to one of his most popular topics, Christianity and world religions. This new, fully updated book and Bible study explores four major world religions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism-and compares the beliefs of each with those of Christianity.
He deals openly and honestly with questions people ask about other religions, such as: Why are there so many different religions?
How should Christians view other religions?
How is God at work in other religions?
What is the fate of those who earnestly pursue God through other religions?
In examining these major world religions and the beliefs of their followers, Hamilton urges us as Christians to build bridges with others so that we might grow in our faith, seek peace in our world, love our neighbors, and find positive ways to share the gospel. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the six-week study including session plans, activities, and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options. -
Christianity And World Religions (Revised)
$17.99Add to cartPastor and best-selling author Adam Hamilton returns to one of his most popular topics, Christianity and world religions. This new, fully updated book explores four major world religions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism-and compares the beliefs of each with those of Christianity.
He deals openly and honestly with questions people ask about other religions, such as: Why are there so many different religions?
How should Christians view other religions?
How is God at work in other religions?
What is the fate of those who earnestly pursue God through other religions?
In examining these major world religions and the beliefs of their followers, Hamilton urges us as Christians to build bridges with others so that we might grow in our faith, seek peace in our world, love our neighbors, and find positive ways to share the gospel. Additional components for a six-week study include a new Leader Guide to help facilitate each weekly session and a DVD featuring Hamilton in new 10-15 minute segments, each including an interview with followers from that tradition. -
Your Companion After Sexual Assault
$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. This Sexual Assault edition features devotions from Emily Flemming, United Methodist clergywoman. 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. -
End Of Preaching
$16.99Add to cartThe End of Preaching is equal parts instruction and inspiration, offering practical help for every preacher and seminarian, and providing a new way of thinking about the purpose and craft of preaching. Tom Troeger explores the end–or purpose–of preaching as prayer. He gently reveals layer after layer of meaning for the preacher and the practice of preaching, giving deep insight into the preacher’s approach, the task of preaching itself, and the impact of preaching on the hearers. This is a book to be studied and savored, a wonderful gift for one’s self or any preacher friend. Thomas Troeger delivered the 2016 Beecher Lectures, the nation’s most prestigious and influential series of lectures on the topic of preaching. The series was established at Yale University in 1871.
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4 Pages Of The Sermon (Revised)
$37.99Add to cartDoing justice to the complexity of the preaching task and the questions that underlie it, author Paul Scott Wilson organizes both the preparation and the content of the sermon around its “four pages.” Each “page” addresses a different theological and creative component of what happens in any sermon. Page One presents the trouble or conflict that takes place in or that underscores the biblical text itself. Page Two looks at similar conflict–sin or brokenness–in our own time. Page Three returns to the Bible to identify where God is at work in or behind the text–in other words, to discover the good news. Page Four points to God at work in our world, particularly in relation to the situations described in Page Two. This approach is about preaching the gospel in nearly any sermonic form. Wilson teaches the ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ of sermon construction, all rooted in a theology of the Word. This completely revised edition guides readers through the sermon process step by step, with the aim of composing sermons that challenge and provide hope, by focusing on God more closely than on humans. It has been largely rewritten to include an assessment of where preaching is today in light of propositional preaching, the New Homiletic, African American preaching, the effect of the internet, and use of technology. A chapter on exegesis has been added, plus new focus on the importance of preaching to a felt need, the need for proclamation in addition to teaching, and developing tools to ensure sermon excellence. New sermon examples have been added along with a section that responds to critics and looks to the future.
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Promise Of The Future Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThe story of Jesus doesn’t begin in a manger in Bethlehem. Instead, it first begins hundreds of years before, when God’s prophets begin to preach about the coming of the Messiah who would redeem all of humanity. In this study, we will unpack that message of hope and anticipation as it’s found in the prophets of Isaiah and Micah and the redeeming story of Ruth A Deep Dive into the Story of God Fathom is a Bible study for teens that covers the Old and New Testaments in 18 4-session studies. The lessons are a blend of narrative and traditional theological approaches to understanding the Bible story. Each lesson will focus on one passage that will launch into the larger context of God’s story being studied,and how that story is meant to be theirs. Fathom is suitable for groups with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and any combination of the two. But unlike many other resources, it acknowledges the differences between older and younger youth and the way they learn. It provides activities specific to each age group, as well as activities for mixed groups in which older youth have leadership opportunities. Fathom gives leaders the option to let youth take ownership of their learning through teaching and leading alongside adults. Fathom creates space and tension for teens to wrestle with how to interpret and experience the Bible. Through youthministrypartners.com, leaders will have access to planning and teaching tools, customizable content, and other supplemental content to support their use of Fathom as well as their youth ministries in general.
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Promise Of The Future Student Journal (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartThe story of Jesus doesn’t begin in a manger in Bethlehem. Instead, it first begins hundreds of years before, when God’s prophets begin to preach about the coming of the Messiah who would redeem all of humanity. In this study, we will unpack that message of hope and anticipation as it’s found in the prophets of Isaiah and Micah and the redeeming story of Ruth A Deep Dive into the Story of God Fathom is a Bible study for teens that covers the Old and New Testaments in 18 4-session studies. The lessons are a blend of narrative and traditional theological approaches to understanding the Bible story. Each lesson will focus on one passage that will launch into the larger context of God’s story being studied,and how that story is meant to be theirs. Fathom is suitable for groups with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and any combination of the two. But unlike many other resources, it acknowledges the differences between older and younger youth and the way they learn. It provides activities specific to each age group, as well as activities for mixed groups in which older youth have leadership opportunities. Fathom gives leaders the option to let youth take ownership of their learning through teaching and leading alongside adults. Fathom creates space and tension for teens to wrestle with how to interpret and experience the Bible. Through youthministrypartners.com, leaders will have access to planning and teaching tools, customizable content, and other supplemental content to support their use of Fathom as well as their youth ministries in general.
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Exile And Return Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThis study turns its focus to the prophetic proclamations offered to the people of Israel while they were in exile in foreign lands. These four lessons based on passages found in Hosea, Esther, Ezra and more will explore what it means to be in exile, and how our lives are changed when we follow a God that reminds us that we are not alone and not forgotten and who promises to restore us. A Deep Dive into the Story of God Fathom is a Bible study for teens that covers the Old and New Testaments in 18 4-session studies. The lessons are a blend of narrative and traditional theological approaches to understanding the Bible story. Each lesson will focus on one passage that will launch into the larger context of God’s story being studied,and how that story is meant to be theirs. Fathom is suitable for groups with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and any combination of the two. But unlike many other resources, it acknowledges the differences between older and younger youth and the way they learn. It provides activities specific to each age group, as well as activities for mixed groups in which older youth have leadership opportunities. Fathom gives leaders the option to let youth take ownership of their learning through teaching and leading alongside adults. Fathom creates space and tension for teens to wrestle with how to interpret and experience the Bible. Through youthministrypartners.com, leaders will have access to planning and teaching tools, customizable content, and other supplemental content to support their use of Fathom as well as their youth ministries in general.
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Exile And Return Student Journal (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartThis study turns its focus to the prophetic proclamations offered to the people of Israel while they were in exile in foreign lands. These four lessons based on passages found in Hosea, Esther, Ezra and more will explore what it means to be in exile, and how our lives are changed when we follow a God that reminds us that we are not alone and not forgotten and who promises to restore us. A Deep Dive into the Story of God Fathom is a Bible study for teens that covers the Old and New Testaments in 18 4-session studies. The lessons are a blend of narrative and traditional theological approaches to understanding the Bible story. Each lesson will focus on one passage that will launch into the larger context of God’s story being studied,and how that story is meant to be theirs. Fathom is suitable for groups with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and any combination of the two. But unlike many other resources, it acknowledges the differences between older and younger youth and the way they learn. It provides activities specific to each age group, as well as activities for mixed groups in which older youth have leadership opportunities. Fathom gives leaders the option to let youth take ownership of their learning through teaching and leading alongside adults. Fathom creates space and tension for teens to wrestle with how to interpret and experience the Bible. Through youthministrypartners.com, leaders will have access to planning and teaching tools, customizable content, and other supplemental content to support their use of Fathom as well as their youth ministries in general.
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Your Companion After Addiction
$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. This Addiction edition, co-authored by Jim Hightower and Peter Ferguson, is appropriate for both individuals experiencing addiction and their family and friends. 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. -
True Inclusion : Creating Communities Of Radical Embrace
$14.99Add to cartDiscover how to move your church beyond mere welcome to radical embrace.
So your church website says you’re welcoming, a rainbow flag flies out front, worship uses gender-inclusive language, and you make sure you greet the stranger next to you on Sunday mornings. But is all of that really enough? And what if those welcoming gestures actually keep visitors from returning and exclude dozens of other groups or people in your community?
In True Inclusion, public theologian and pastor Brandan Robertson shares how to move your church from mere welcome to radical embrace. Pointing to a clear biblical imperative for radical inclusivity in the sanctuary and in the public square, Robertson presents a paradigm-shifting vision of community, “where nothing is simple, nothing is easy, but everything is beautiful.” Learn practical, step-by-step approaches to becoming deeply, robustly, and richly inclusive of all people regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and socioeconomic status.
Written for people and communities at every stage of the journey, True Inclusion will challenge and inspire you to embody a gospel of radical embrace for all.
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Return Of Jesus Student Journal (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartThe second coming of Jesus has been a topic of fascination for both scholars and lay people for centuries. The accounts of Jesus’ return found throughout the Bible, especially in Revelation, are put forth with a cinematic quality that is both enrapturing and unnerving. In this study, we’ll explore apocalyptic literature throughout the Bible along with what it does and doesn’t tell us about Jesus’ return, and the key takeaways that these scriptures have for our faith. A Deep Dive into the Story of God Fathom is a Bible study for teens that covers the Old and New Testaments in 18 4-session studies. The lessons are a blend of narrative and traditional theological approaches to understanding the Bible story. Each lesson will focus on one passage that will launch into the larger context of God’s story being studied,and how that story is meant to be theirs. Fathom is suitable for groups with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and any combination of the two. But unlike many other resources, it acknowledges the differences between older and younger youth and the way they learn. It provides activities specific to each age group, as well as activities for mixed groups in which older youth have leadership opportunities. Fathom gives leaders the option to let youth take ownership of their learning through teaching and leading alongside adults. Fathom creates space and tension for teens to wrestle with how to interpret and experience the Bible. Through youthministrypartners.com, leaders will have access to planning and teaching tools, customizable content, and other supplemental content to support their use of Fathom as well as their youth ministries in general.
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Connections Year C Volume 1
$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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Your Companion Through Chronic Illness
$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. This Chronic Illnessedition is authored by Lauren Dunkle Dancey, a United Methodist chaplain and pastor who lives with chronic illness. 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. -
Your Companion Through Depression And Anxiety
$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. This Depression and Anxiety edition is authored by Jim Hightower and features insightful devotions by Harriet Bryan. 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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Return Of Jesus Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThe second coming of Jesus has been a topic of fascination for both scholars and lay people for centuries. The accounts of Jesus’ return found throughout the Bible, especially in Revelation, are put forth with a cinematic quality that is both enrapturing and unnerving. In this study, we’ll explore apocalyptic literature throughout the Bible along with what it does and doesn’t tell us about Jesus’ return, and the key takeaways that these scriptures have for our faith. A Deep Dive into the Story of God Fathom is a Bible study for teens that covers the Old and New Testaments in 18 4-session studies. The lessons are a blend of narrative and traditional theological approaches to understanding the Bible story. Each lesson will focus on one passage that will launch into the larger context of God’s story being studied,and how that story is meant to be theirs. Fathom is suitable for groups with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and any combination of the two. But unlike many other resources, it acknowledges the differences between older and younger youth and the way they learn. It provides activities specific to each age group, as well as activities for mixed groups in which older youth have leadership opportunities. Fathom gives leaders the option to let youth take ownership of their learning through teaching and leading alongside adults. Fathom creates space and tension for teens to wrestle with how to interpret and experience the Bible. Through youthministrypartners.com, leaders will have access to planning and teaching tools, customizable content, and other supplemental content to support their use of Fathom as well as their youth ministries in general.
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Introduction To The New Testament
$70.00Add to cartThis New Testament introduction is different.Many introductions zero in on the historical contexts in which the New Testament literature was written. This introduction goes farther-to give particular attention to the social, cultural, and rhetorical contexts of the New Testament authors and their writings.Few introductions to the New Testament integrate instruction in exegetical and interpretive strategies with the customary considerations of authorship, dating, audience, and message. This introduction capitalizes on the opportunity, introducing students to a relevant facet of interpretation with each portion of New Testament literature.Rarely do introductions to the New Testament approach their task mindful of students preparing for ministry. This introduction is explicit in doing so, recognizing as it does that the New Testament itself-in its parts and as a whole-is a pastoral resource. Each chapter on the New Testament literature closes with a discussion of implications for ministry formation.These integrative features alone would distinguish this introduction from others. But in addition, its pages brim with maps, photos, points of interest, and aids to learning. Separate chapters explore the historical and cultural environment of the New Testament era, the nature of the Gospels and the quest for the historical Jesus, and the life of Paul.First published in 2004, David A. deSilva’s comprehensive and carefully crafted introduction to the New Testament has been long established as an authoritative textbook and resource for students. This beautiful, full-color second edition has been updated throughout with new scholarship and numerous images. It is the first choice for those convinced that a New Testament introduction should integrate scholarship and ministry.
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Surrendering My Ordination
$20.00Add to cartIn May 2017, after sixty years as an ordained United Methodist minister, Rev. J. Philip Wogaman surrendered his ordination, choosing to exit a community of clergy who will not allow an openly gay person to join. By surrendering his ordination, he chose to join the group of devoted Christians outside the clergy who welcomed gay and lesbian individuals.
Beginning with an examination of ordination and what is means theologically, ethically, and pastorally, Wogaman then describes the action itself and its aftermath. Surrendering My Ordination also explores how The United Methodist Church can move forward, beyond the polarized present situation found in many contemporary Christian churches.
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Names Of God (Workbook)
$16.99Add to cartDrawn from the books, Praying the Names of God and Praying the Names of Jesus, this Bible study includes additional questions designed to help individuals and groups explore the most important of God’s names and titles as they are revealed in the Bible. Exploring his names and titles in both the Old and New Testaments allows study participants to begin to realize how utterly great, loving, and powerful God is. By studying such rich and varied names as Adonai, Yahweh, Abba, Yeshua, Lamb of God, and Prince of Peace, we understand more about who God is and how he loves us. Each week’s study provides background information to help readers understand the name, a key Scripture in which the name was either first or most significantly revealed, a series of questions for individual or group study, and a brief list of passages for further study.
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Gender : A Conversation Guide For Parents And Pastors
$6.99Add to cartPART 1:
Foundation 1: Preschool And Young Children
Foundation 2: Elementary (5-10)
Foundation 3: Middle School (11-13)
Foundation 4: Teens And Beyond (14+)
PART 2:
Toolbox Of Resources For Users
GlossaryAdditional Info
The world around us is changing quickly, and it’s difficult to keep up with the debates about some of life’s most important issues. Whether you are a parent, mentor, pastor, or friend, this book will help you get clarity in a world spinning in confusion.This book seeks to help families teach the Bible’s view clearly and consistently throughout a child’s life. It contains two major sections. Part one focuses on what is most critical during three major foundations, or stages, in a child’s life. Part two is a toolbox of resources to help you better understand and articulate various topics surrounding gender.
