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Prayer is not easy, yet learning to pray can be learned. The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray is a…
brief but probing guide into the life of prayer. James Howell examines the many barriers to prayer (such as our busyness, how uncomfortable with silence we are, our doubts and fears) and invites the reader to take a fresh approach to the devotional life. Each lesson begins with a scripture passage and the author draws comfortably and appropriately from a rich array of other sources (Annie Dillard, St. Augustine, Henri Nowen, Kathy Mattea, Madeleine L’Engle, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, St. Francis, Oscar Romero, and the movie Good Will Hunting are a sampling.) The author’s own engaging writing style, including his ability to illumine his ideas with the shared wisdom of others, is a major strength of this book. While each “lesson” is only two book pages long, the author draws from a deep well of wisdom about prayer. Howell leads the reader through the “subjects” of prayer (e.g. praise, confession, giving thanks), and digs deeply into theological issues such as whether prayer works, prayer and suffering, and forgiveness. According to the author, “In the end, prayer draws us into community with others-- out of our “curved in” lives and into the world in service.” The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray will be helpful to the novice in spiritual life as well as long-time Christians who are striving for a more profound relationship with God. Includes Study Guide, List of Sources, and Scripture Index.
Since the beginning, every age has produced apologists who defend and define the Christian faith against current ideas and trends…
that threaten it. Today’s defenses come while congregations are dwindling, God is removed from schools, and those still looking for answers to faith questions are being labeled with words that are no longer accurate as soon as they exist—the seekers, the Nones, the spiritual but not religious, the neither spiritual nor religious. While America believes we live in a post-Christian world, a world where anything goes, Leslie Williams explores why Jesus Christ is still the answer for a culture that outlaws public prayer, lives in the fast food lane, and tweets and twitters to communicate. In a lively, personal, and humorous style, Williams shares experiences and debunks criticisms in search of a clear explanation of why we believe what we believe. Along the way, she invites you to disagree with ideas, to counter the rhetoric, to refute the conclusions—but to wrestle with the questions and experiences, enter your own journey, and discover for yourself why being Christian still makes sense.
Enjoying life (zoe) in Christ comes in the choices we make moment-by-moment. Transparently sharing her struggles with anxiety, fear, and…
insecurity, Ginger Harrington invites women to discover how intentional choices made in the moment can become holy habits that open the door to healing and freedom. With a refreshing perspective, she shows that holiness isn’t a rigid standard to keep but a gift to receive through a vital relationship with God, who makes us whole.Holy in the Moment explores the practical power of choices to grow in holiness without the pressure of perfectionism. Through gentle encouragement, biblical insights, and applicable ideas learn to discern feelings and overcome distractions and shame, adapt God’s equation for obedience, live a praying life, discover methods for practicing holiness in parenting and the importance of rest, embrace biblical love and forgiveness, and understand how work becomes holy.Find healing and wholeness with simple choices to love God, embrace truth, and enjoy every moment of life with practical ways to be holy by choosing to trust God, rely on his wisdom, and live from his resources.
In this eight-week study, Michael E. Williams explores James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, and Jude…
not only with a keen theological eye and a pastor's heart, but also with the imagination of a poet and master storyteller. The Bible stories come alive and are connected to everyday life in a ways that help us see the workings of God in our lives. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step suggestions for leading a group are provided, as well as questions to facilitate class discussion. Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation--the Common English Bible--stands firmly on Scripture and helps readers explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of their personal faith. More importantly, they’ll be able to discover God’s revelation through readings and reflections.
Money Management from a Wesleyan PerspectiveA 40-day devotional offers spiritual support for a new approach to financial health. The short…
devotional essays bring reassurance, encouragement, faith, and prayer to complement the work of finding strength in faith to make life changes.Saving Grace is a program to help people of faith create healthy relationships with money and possessions and how to manage their personal finances. Participants will move through six sessions covering such topics as saving, earning, giving, spending, and debt, along with helpful strategies for achieving a sustainable financial life. Adapted from the best-selling Freed Up Financial Living from the Good Sense Movement, this study is based on Wesleyan values and provides text and tools to help participants address life concerns and reach personal financial goals.Components for a six-week study include video content (DVD/Streaming), particiapant workbook, clergy workbook, leader guide, and a 40-day devotional.
Where is God when tragedy and suffering strike?When the ground shakes, and a poor nation's economy is destroyed; when the…
waters rise, washing away a community's hopes and dreams; when a child suffers neglect and abuse; when violence tears apart nations; where is God; If God is all powerful, and if each one of us is a beloved child of God, then how can God allow tragedy and suffering to infest his creation?In Why?, best-selling author Adam Hamilton brings fresh insight to the age-old question of how to understand the will of God. Rejecting simplistic answers and unexamined assumptions, he lays out core ideas for comprehending God's plan for the world, including: God will not take away our free will, even when we use it to grieve him.God will never abandon us, especially in the midst of our suffering.While God is not the author of suffering, God will bring blessing out of tragedy.
Making Disciples is a 13-session mentor-based confirmation program that pairs confirmands with adult mentors and guides them through a variety…
of learning experiences that will strengthen the student's understanding of the faith while connecting him or her with the community of believers in a personal way. It can be used as a stand-alone program, or in conjunction with your current curriculum as a special experiential unit. This is a confirmation program that is more like a process and less like a reading assignment, more engaging and congruent with the nature of the Christian faith than existing programs. Using an "apprenticeship" approach to confirmation Will Willimon produced a series of learning experiences where adult mentors and confirmands are both teachers and learners at the same time.This time-tested approach has been extensively revised and updated for usage in today’s churches that take seriously Christ’s command to be engaged in disciple making The bulk of the Mentor Guide is exactly the same as the Confirmand's Journal. You are encouraged to work through the activities right along with the confirmands and to complete the activities and writing assignments just as he or she does. By working along with your confirmand you will demonstrate the need to keep learning and growing.Topics explore the basics of Christian faith: •God •Jesus •the Holy Spirit •worship •the Bible •gifts •ministry •baptism •spiritual life •death and resurrection •the church
This memoir of life in the American desert by the author of The Monkey Wrench Gang is a nature writing…
classic on par with Rachel Carson&’s Silent Spring. In Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey recounts his many escapades, adventures, and epiphanies as an Arches National Park ranger outside Moab, Utah. Brimming with arresting insights, impassioned arguments for wilderness conservation, and a raconteur&’s wit, it is one of Abbey&’s most critically acclaimed works. Through stories and philosophical musings, Abbey reflects on the condition of our remaining wilderness, the future of a civilization, and his own internal struggle with morality. As the world continues its rapid development, Abbey&’s cry to maintain the natural beauty of the West remains just as relevant today as when this book first appeared in 1968.
Few services are more important in the life of the congregation than the service of baptism. Part of the Just…
in Time! series, Baptism Services, Sermons, and Prayers provides prayers, litanies, sermon ideas, and other resources designed to render baptism meaningful to the entire congregation. It also includes ideas for special baptismal services, such as those associated with confirmation and youth retreats.
Sometimes the happiest and holiest time of the year is also the hardest for people to enjoy. These daily readings…
offer the skeptic, the over-committed the opportunity to make room-perhaps just enough room-for God to show up.The weeks leading up to Christmas can spark a strong spiritual longing for more. Although it may never be articulated, we sense beneath those longings is a yearning for an experience of God. These brief writings address the challenges and realities of the season and include a simple action, ritual or meditation designed to gently steer the reader toward the deeper meaning that underlies the season. Smart, witty, edgy—and always hopeful—readings by Quinn Caldwell include a brief prayer for each morning and evening during the entire Christmas season. This book takes seriously the modern person’s hunger for meaning and import in a season that feels increasingly frivolous. Includes a calendar with one easy task to do each day.
We live in a skeptical age. People—especially young people—expressdoubts about Christian faith. In this thoughtful eight week study BishopScott Jones,…
author of The Wesleyan Way, partners with his sonRev. Arthur Jones, to address hard questions that all of us face whenconsidering faith, religion, and the church. The questions include:Can only one religion be true? Why is there suffering and evil? How can I believe in science and creation? How can I believe in a God I can’t prove? Can I trust the Old Testament? Are marriage, sex, and family life religious issues? Was Jesus' resurrection real? Why do Christians disagree about so many things? The message is strong and clear: Don't let your questions stop youfrom accepting God's invitation to faith. Engage your doubt, and you mayfind you are closer to God on the other side.
Includes Discussion Questions We hear a lot about what Jesus said. But what did he do? How did he live?…
During the days of his ministry, how did he care for his own body, heart, mind, and soul? In this compelling book, Mary Jane Gorman looks behind and between the words of Jesus to discover his humanity, painting a vivid portrait of the life he called us all to live.Chapter titles:Tending the Body includes sections on food, exercise, rest, healing touchTending the Heart--anger, grief, compassion, passion, priorities, relationshipsTending the Mind--exercise, rest, wit, reflection, opennessTending the Soul--nature, wilderness, forgiveness, prayer, obedienceTending Toward Wholeness: Interconnections“Gentle, practical, and wise, Mary Jane Gorman issues an invitation to look closely at Jesus’ humanity and in particular the way he cared for his entire being: body, heart, mind, and soul.” -Patricia D. Brown, Author of Spirit Gifts“If you're earnestly seeking guidance in development of a spirituality which touches every aspect of your life, you will want to let this skilled spiritual guide lead you to the Master himself.” -E. Glenn Hinson, Author of Companions in Christ: Feeding on the WordMary Jane Gorman is a writer, teacher, and retreat leader living in Greenville, South Carolina. Formerly professor of economics at Furman University, she has served on the board of United Ministries, a nonprofit community organization, and is a leader in First Baptist Church, Greenville.
Explore together how congregations can change to become more fruitful for the purposes of Christ. Remember the Future: Praying for…
the Church and Change prepares leaders of congregations and conferences for courageous new conversations with readings that draw us toward renewed vision, cultivate hope and keep us attentive to the mission of Christ. Read together as leadership teams, boards and covenant groups to understand more clearly the “why” of congregational ministry and the internal resistances and external challenges to the mission of the church.
You are the Christ; we are your church.Christ and Community:The Gospel Witness to Jesus casts new light on how Jesus’s…
followers sought to faithfully live into the reign of God as recorded in the Gospels. Dr.Henderson traces the contours of Jesus’s messiahship found in thefour Gospels, but rather than taking each Gospel in turn, she worksthematically, treating different aspects of Jesus’s mission and identityfound across the four accounts. Rather than assuming Jesus’s exclusivestatus, the author exposes Gospel evidence for the clear communalimplications of his messiahship. It turns out that the Gospels do morethan simply affirm that Jesus is the Christ; they cast a vision ofmessianic community for those who would call him Lord, in the firstcentury and beyond. This accessible introduction offers a case forChrist and community that answers perplexing questions that have longplagued NT study. "Christ and Community: The Gospel Witness to Jesus, by SuzanneWatts Henderson. One approach to understanding the Gospels as scriptureis to consider their functions—specifically, how these writings describeand reinforce essential connections between Jesus’ followers and theirLord. Written as an introductory textbook, Christ and Communitycan help even seasoned exegetes grasp the means by which the Gospels’stories depict Jesus’ work and identity in ways that equip Christiancommunities to make sense of their own work and identity." The Christian Century - Oct 07, 2015
These are not ten simple rules that God gives us to follow so that God can love us and reward…
us with eternal life so much as they are a design for response to God's call for obedience and the formation of community. Here are reminders of what must exist in a nation if that nation is to endure.
To grow and remain vital, churches need to attract families. But the cultural landscape has changed and any church may…
have two-parent families with children, blended families, boomerang families, adult children of divorce and their families or lack of families, single adults whose family is the church, grandparents parenting again, childless families, co-habitation families, and children with three legal parents.What ministries are helpful in attracting and keeping families active and engaged in the life and mission of the church?This book will help church pastors and leaders navigate the changing tides in ministry to become the kind of church that families want to attend, where the church’s dynamic faith invites families who may then bring their friends.This means reaching out to all kinds of families, some with needs that only a church family can fulfill.With practical helps and suggestions for ministries, worship, small groups, and even facilities, author and family expert Linda Ranson Jacobs will help you create a welcoming place for everyone.
For use by couples for marriage preparation, either during pre-wedding counseling or with a mentor couple. The Couple's Edition is…
built upon four vital marriage themes; "Faith Through Covenantal Commitment,", the foundations, what the couple brings to their marriage; "Power Through Shared Communication, " the basics and skills of communication in marriage; "Love Through Caring Relationships, " the couple, their larger families, and their work; and "Hope Through Life's Journey, " a sneak preview of the years ahead of the couple. Each person will need his or her own copy of the eBook.
When Christians answer the clarion call to be missional, too often it is primarily to feel good or to grow…
in their own faith. But ultimately we remain unsatisfied because, in the end, it’s still about "me"—my church, my faith, my salvation. Then sometimes inspiration dries up. We forget that Jesus is the head of the Church, which exists at God’s pleasure and disposal. God is birthing a new Social Gospel, meant to reclaim mission and justice ministries as prime directives for the Church, and not with the naive thinking of the 19th or 20th centuries. What are the characteristics of this new Social Gospel? There is an expectation that mission is "with" and not "for" others. There is an acknowledgement that tolerance is not a dirty word and we have to find a peaceable way to live in our intercultural world. It carries the Wesleyan impulse to change the world by working to build God’s kingdom in this world. It offers the grace and salvation of Christ to those in need, believing that none are free unless all are free. It means that we feed the hungry, educate to poor, and equip the powerless in tangible ways.
How does the heart understand grief when it is broken by the death of a husband or wife? To survive…
and live forward, those who grieve must find answers. Inside the Broken Heart is for anyone who has ever grieved the death of a spouse and asked 'why?' The book meets the reader at a spiritual place reserved specifically for widows and widowers. Author Julie Yarbrough survived the sudden and untimely death of her beloved husband, a prominent United Methodist minister. As a lay grief facilitator, she believes that those who seek comfort and inspiration in grief best identify with an authentic point of view. We grieve because we love, in direct proportion to the depth of our love. Spousal love is a sacred gift ordained by God, the death of husband or wife unlike any other experience of loss. The marriage vow moment 'until death do us part' forever changes those who survive. Grief cannot be understood until it is experienced. Grief is not a crisis of faith, it is a crisis of the heart. Inside the Broken Heart uses topical references from the Bible to illuminate the unfamiliar emotions and questions of grief for the surviving spouse. Because we must grieve in order to live, the book explains spiritual and practical issues of grief and suggests specific coping strategies for widows and widowers. As journey through 'the valley of the shadow of death,' Inside the Broken Heart guides the way back to fullness of life. Through rediscovery of hope, pain and sorrow are vanquished, death is rendered powerless, and grief is no more. We are healed by God's triumphant adequacy, 'He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds' (Psalm 147:3).
Congregations say they want to reach new and younger people, many of whom are simply turned off by church. The…
big idea is that congregations must be willing to embrace radical ways to connect with new generations. Re-thinking old assumptions is a starting place but more is needed. To really connect congregations have to move beyond and start doing new things that are out of their comfort zones.These authors give ten ways to help you move from just saying what you intend to actually doing it. This book provides tools to help churches re-frame the Good News in non-traditional ways and study questions for church leadership teams.