Ron Lavin
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Eagle (Student/Study Guide)
$13.95Add to cartIt’s a lovely thought that through one’s congregation we can gain, and also give to each other, help in times of despair. Paul wrote to his Thessalonian Christians: “Therefore encourage one another i 3/4 encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11). Ron Lavin illustrates this principle elegantly in the following chapters as he examines the passages in John’s gospel concerning the admonition not to despair.
The Bible contains some of the most comforting, reassuring words in history. Many of these timeless passages can be found in a single book: the gospel of John. Ron Lavin begins his series on the gospels by exploring John’s words of encouragement and how they still speak to us through the ages. The Eagle can be utilized in a Bible study or support group setting. It can also be used simply as a lifeline for people who need a ray of light to shine in their own personal darkness, carrying them on eagles’ wings to the light of God’s presence.
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Witness
$17.95Add to cartIn this book, Ron Lavin explores in great depth exactly what witnessing is as well as what it is not. Whether the witness comes from an unnamed high school math teacher or a person one is hoping to marry, a pastor or a priest, it is always the same thing–it is simply the planting of a seed. The author reminds us that we are not necessarily responsible for the way people react to our witnessing or for the end result. That part is God’s work. We, like the apostles, are only called to speak about what we have seen and heard. We are called to Witness.
This book is designed to be used in many different settings, from individual reading to Sunday School classes to church membership training. Based largely on the book of Acts, Witness leads members of a missional church through:
The priority of witnessing,
The difficulty of witnessing, and
The results of witnessing.From establishing the need for the missional church, we are led through learning about prayer, repentance, hospitality, koinonia, hope and encouragement, and ultimately to exactly what it means to Witness both inside and outside the confines of the missional church today.
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People Who Met Jesus
$14.95Add to cartIn the latest installment of his popular series examining the basics of the Christian faith, Ron Lavin takes another look at the final days of Jesus’ life on earth through the eyes of the people whose lives were changed by their encounters with the Lord. Lavin examines their stories, both familiar and little-known, and highlights how their experiences intersect our lives. By telling the story of Jesus, they point us toward God.
People Who Met Jesus is an ideal Lenten group study resource — each chapter includes questions for stimulating discussion. It’s also excellent for adult Sunday school or new member classes throughout the year, as well as for sermon preparation or personal meditation.
Other titles in the Another Look series:
* I Believe; Help My Unbelief (on the Apostles’ Creed)
* Stories To Remember (on the Parables of Jesus)
* Abba (on the Lord’s Prayer)
* Saving Grace (on the Word and Sacraments)
* The Big Ten (on the Ten Commandments) -
Sermons On The First Readings Series 2 Cycle B
$36.95Add to cartThe Old Testament details the epic faith story of ancient people who, just like us today, seek God’s answers to complex problems. Yet because pastors sometimes overlook this rich source of preaching texts, many people in the pews are not as knowledgeable as they could be of the Hebrew scriptures and their profound lessons for modern living. In this inspiring collection of spiritually enlightening messages based on the First Readings from Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary, four master preachers demonstrate the continuing relevance of passages from the Old Testament and the Book of Acts. Building on stories in which God moves ordinary people to extraordinary heights, these sermons for each Sunday and major celebration throughout the entire church year powerfully proclaim timeless themes of justice and righteousness while reminding us that God’s grace is the model for the Christian community’s core values of self-giving love and forgiveness. Each thought-provoking message is filled with compelling stories and illustrations from everyday life, and challenges readers to love and serve the Lord, trusting in divine providence even in the midst of a world that sometimes seems cruel and senseless.
This essential resource is useful for:
? Fresh homiletical approaches to the lectionary texts
? Preaching illustrations
? Understanding scripture passages
? Bible study and discussion groups
? Personal devotions and inspirational reading -
Big 10 : Another Look At The 10 Commandments
$16.95Add to cartThe Ten Commandments are universally acknowledged as God’s blueprint for human behavior – yet they seem to be a major focus of controversy in today’s headlines. Should these commands from God be prominently featured in classrooms and courtrooms? What difference do God’s laws make for multitudes of people who can’t even repeat them from memory, much less integrate them into everyday behavior?
In the latest installment of his popular series examining the basics of the Christian faith, Ron Lavin takes another look at the Ten Commandments and suggests they offer a powerful biblical corrective for a society filled with ethical relativism and moral decay. But they are much more than just a list of do’s and don’ts – they are also the foundation for God’s invitation to a full and abundant life.
The Big Ten is an ideal group study resource – each chapter includes a “digging deeper” section plus stimulating discussion questions, and there are tips to assist small group leaders. The Big Ten is also great for new members, adult Sunday school, and confirmation classes, as well as for personal meditation or sermon preparation.
Other titles in the Another Look series:
? I Believe; Help My Unbelief (on the Apostles’ Creed)
? Stories To Remember (on the Parables of Jesus)
? Abba (on the Lord’s Prayer)
? Saving Grace (on the Word and Sacraments)
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Saving Grace
$14.95Add to cartRon Lavin says that we desperately need to re-examine and return to the basics of the Christian faith — and what better source of inspiration is there than the word of God and the sacraments, God’s holy pipelines from heaven?
In the latest installment of his popular Another Look series, Lavin explores God’s Word, baptism, and communion, and demonstrates that far from being meaningless rituals, they are extremely relevant for modern living. Weaving together time-tested biblical truths with a series of vignettes about Grace Livingstone, a fictional character who is a typical church “outsider,” Lavin illustrates how faithful proclamation of the Word and celebration of the sacraments can be effective tools for evangelism and outreach. The ups and downs of Grace’s life, and her need for the Word and sacraments, are sure to resonate with you.
Structured in three four-session sets, Saving Grace is an ideal group study resource — each chapter includes a “digging deeper” section plus stimulating discussion questions, and there are tips to assist small group leaders. Saving Grace is also great for new member or adult Sunday school classes, personal meditation, and sermon preparation.
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Abba (Student/Study Guide)
$12.95Add to cartThe Lord’s Prayer is undoubtedly the world’s most well-known litany of petition and praise — yet it is precisely because of its familiarity that we often recite it by rote and lose the power and depth of its spiritual yearnings. In this latest installment of the popular Another Look series, Ron Lavin brings the prayer to life with a fresh approach which reminds us that Jesus was teaching his disciples (and us) how to pray and how to live. The first word of the prayer in Luke 11:1-2 — the Aramaic word Abba, loosely translated as “Daddy” — clearly indicates the true nature of the kingdom of God. Jesus’ use of this term tells us that the Ruler of the universe is not only our strong, dependable Father… but He is also a compassionate and loving Daddy with whom we can have an affectionate, intimate relationship.
Structured in eight sessions, Abba is an ideal group study resource. Each chapter is filled with humor and anecdotes, and includes questions for stimulating discussion. There are tips to assist small group leaders, along with two fascinating appendixes that share a personal viewpoint on the Lord’s Prayer.
Abba is the third title in the Another Look series on the basics of Christianity. Stories To Remember studied the parables of Jesus; I Believe; Help My Unbelief examined the Apostles’ Creed; upcoming titles will explore the Ten Commandments and the sacraments. These books are excellent for personal meditation, use with new member or adult Sunday school classes, small group studies, and sermon preparation.
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Stories To Remember (Student/Study Guide)
$17.95Add to cartUsing the concept of the kingdom of God as a touchstone, Stories To Remember analyzes the parables and emphasizes how we can apply their lessons to our modern lives. Like Jesus, Lavin cuts through theological code words to get to the heart of their message in easy-to-understand ways. Structured in two eight-session groupings, Stories To Remember is an ideal group study resource. Each chapter includes “points to ponder” and questions for stimulating discussion. There’s also a study guide for digging deeper into the biblical and historical background and tips to assist small group leaders. This is the second book in the Another Look series: other titles examine the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments. These books are excellent for personal inspiration, use with new member or adult Sunday school classes, small group studies, and sermon preparation.
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I Believe Help My Unbelief
$19.95Add to cartHas the Apostles’ Creed become such a routine part of worship that you recite it with all the passion of reading items on a grocery list? If so, this book will help you recapture the heartfelt conviction of a historic article of faith! There is a fire in Ron Lavin’s belly about the time-tested truths of the Apostles’ Creed, which have reassured many Christians in life’s travails. He says we need to study this often misunderstood and generally neglected resource more than ever, because it encapsulates what so many people seem to be searching for. Sprinkled with humor and anecdotes, each chapter analyzes a statement from the creed, and includes discussion questions, ideas for digging deeper into the biblical and historical background, and possibilities for further application. And there’s a special bonus – in a fascinating appendix, former missionary Mel Kieschnick shares the remarkable story of how the Apostles’ Creed sustained him when he found himself in the midst of the 1989 massacre at Beijing’s Tienanmen Square.
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Empty Spaces Empty Places
$7.95Add to cartWhile we often try to fill the empty spaces in our lives with family, work, and material things, a lingering sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction seems to remain. The connections between biblical characters and these empty spaces in our lives are the focus of three dramatic sketches. By revisiting the stories of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection through interviews with the innkeeper’s wife, the centurion, and Mary Magdalene, Empty Spaces, Empty Places shows us the lives Jesus touched then (and continues to touch today). The centurion who witnessed the crucifixion tells how he became convinced that Jesus was the Son of God in the monologue Filling In The Empty Spaces: The Soldier. And the Apostle Paul’s life and Christian witness is depicted in Filling In The Empty Spaces: Saint Paul. Each presentation confronts audiences with the same question: “What do you fill your empty spaces with?”
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Great I Am
$13.95Add to cartWho is Jesus Christ? These fourteen chapters answer that question in his own words: I AM the light of the world … I AM the way, the truth and the life … I AM the Good Shepherd … I AM the alpha and the omega…, Why a book on the I AM sayings of Jesus? Because so much of our religious emphasis today focuses on “feeling more fulfilled …” or “improving our relationships with others.” While these are important and have their place in our discussions, this book puts the emphasis on the place of God in our lives.
The questions are practical: What shall I believe? What shall I do? And so Lavin writes for the people in the pews as well as for their pastors.
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Turning Griping Into Gratitude
$20.95Add to cartRon Lavin provides an ideal resource for small groups who want to explore the Psalms, or for preachers who want to present an inspirational series of sermons. Discussion questions are provided at the end of each chapter, as well as a guide for leaders.
Says Lavin: “Griping is one of the most insidious and divisive things into which we easily fall, while gratitude is the most productive of attitudes. The Psalms are filled with the battle between griping and gratitude, a battle we all fight. The psalmists knew both attitudes, including the self-defeating nature of griping and the wonder and majesty of gratitude.”
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Dont Forget The Child
$13.95Add to cartAlex Gondola says that in our modern culture we sometimes “experience Christmas at its worst: overcommercialized, expensive, exhausting, nearly devoid of spiritual significance.” In this collection of twenty cogent and inspiring sermons for Advent and Christmas, he reminds us of the key to putting the season in its proper perspective — “Don’t forget the child!” For it is only when we are drawn nearer to the child of Bethlehem, celebrating the simple beauties of the stable, that we can escape from the rush of the season into the divine light of saving grace heralded by the birth of God’s Son. This volume is an exceptional source of inspiration for sermon preparation, but it’s also excellent for personal devotions exploring the meaning of Advent and Christmas. It’s a great Christmas gift!