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Money Management from a Wesleyan PerspectiveSaving 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 a DVD, particiapant workbook, clergy workbook, leader guide, and a 40-day devotional.
Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Minor Prophets (Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries)
Par Daniel J. Simundson. 2005
The Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries provide compact, critical commentaries on the books of the Old Testament for the use of…
theological students and pastors. The commentaries are also useful for upper-level college or university students and for those responsible for teaching in congregational settings. In addition to providing basic information and insights into the Old Testament writings, these commentaries exemplify the tasks and procedures of careful interpretation to assist students of the Old Testament in coming to an informed and critical engagement with the biblical texts themselves.The prophetic books gathered together in the book of the Twelve are sometimes called the "minor" prophets because of their relatively small size when compared with Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. They are often neglected, at least partly because their words of judgment make the reader uncomfortable. Yet they have considerable theological and ethical value--for their call for social justice (especially Amos and Micah), their insights about the passionate love of God (in Hosea), God's grace and forgiveness (Jonah, Hosea, and elsewhere), and the finality of hope, even in the face of terrible catastrophes.
Web-Empowered Ministry: Connecting With People through Websites, Social Media, and More
Par Mark Stephenson. 2011
Let Web-Empowered Ministry be your comprehensive guide along your unique journey toward building a powerful internet ministry. You will learn…
the practical steps, techniques, and ideas needed to develop an excellent and effective web ministry. And learn how to apply the many tools the internet has to offer including websites, smart phones, social networking, media, instant messaging, and more to extend and multiply your ministry impact. Mark’s engaging style makes technology accessible as he offers first-hand advice on every aspect of building an internet ministry: from assembling a team to designing and maintaining your website to developing a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and more. People are coming to know Jesus. Lives are being transformed. It comes from God’s power and our use of the internet to share, teach, and connect.
Belonging: 5 Keys to Unlock Your Potential as a Disciple
Par Karoline M. Lewis. 2022
Ministry leaders and other Christians find a deeply personal pathway to discern what discipleship means for them in Belonging by…
Karoline Lewis.What does it look like for you to belong to Jesus Christ? Not your colleague, or your professor, or your neighbor, or the leaders of your denomination, but you? How might your one-and-only life be patterned differently, to more truly align you with Christ? What pretense might you give up? What potential might open up for you as a leader and disciple?Belonging:5 keys to Unlock Your Potential as a Disciple helps readers to understand and live out Christian discipleship in a way that is most deeply authentic for themselves. It’s for the leader who is exhausted from trying to live by other people’s templates, who wants to figure out what it looks like to live & lead as only they can. It’s for the student or layperson desiring to follow Christ with integrity, to be themselves fully as a disciple.This book is scholarly but accessible for pastors, students, ministry leaders, and laypersons. Karoline Lewis structures it around the story of the Samaritan woman and guides the reader to discover deep connection with biblical characters who lead to self-discovery. Questions for reflection throughout the book evoke deep insights about self, theology, and discipleship.Belonging is excellent for clergy development and ministry leader development in any setting and can be read and studied alone or in groups. Pastors and other congregational leaders can work their way through the book together, in order to lead the church with greater integrity.
Platinum Faith: Live Brilliant, Be Resilient, & Know Your Worth
Par Michelle Medlock Adams, Bethany Jett. 2019
Platinum – A gorgeous metal with amazing qualities inspires faith.Platinum, known as a “magic metal” is valuable, rare, unreactive, and…
highly useful in many ways. In Platinum Faith: Live Brilliant, Be Resilient, and Know Your Worth Michelle Medlock Adams and Bethany Jett, best-selling authors and inspirational speakers, examine the unique properties of Platinum and how readers can be inspired by those properties to improve their walk of faith. Properties Explored Include:Valuable: Realize our importance to the Father and His Kingdom in order to accomplish all that God has called us to do. Rare: It is difficult and therefore, rare, to live our lives believing God, trusting His plan, and walking in faith every day. Unreactive: Choose to not react to the negativity in life, but only to the life-giving Word of God. Useful: Each of us in the Body of Christ have different purposes and strengths—all of us are important and useful to the Kingdom.That is Platinum Faith.Includes a forward from best-selling author Victoria Osteen. Product Features Each chapter focuses on one platinum property and how it relates to a woman’s faith walk. Readers learn to understand their worth, believe in God’s plan for them, and believe only in the life-giving Word of God. Book includes leader helps for group study.
REdesigning Churches: Creating Spaces for Connection and Community
Par Kim Miller. 2013
As campus designer for Ginghamsburg Church, in Tipp City, Ohio, Kim Miller has observed that when a church gets serious…
about Jesus' call, there is always a design element to be addressed. Kim asserts that physical space transformation is simply a backdrop for authentic people transformation. Change the space and the opportunity and environment to change the world emerges. This comes as a fresh challenge for churches and ministries struggling to present a new look to match their relevant message. An emphasis on spatial design is an incarnation of Jesus’ call for new wineskins and is emerging as a key means to create community and the opportunity for transformation for a creative generation.This book is a practical guide for church leaders to transform their physical space into a ministry asset. Filled with pictures, tutorials and stories of spaces and lives transformed, Divine Rooms offers close-up snapshots of design-on-a-dime style looks, providing readers with usable ideas and how-tos that are supported by stories of real-life change from Ginghamsburg’s diverse community and the many congregations with which Kim consults.
Forward Leader Guide: A Small Group Journey Toward a Full Life in Christ (Forward)
Par Nick Cunningham. 2017
Designed for use with the Forward Participant Book and video, the leader guide helps leaders facilitate a small group using…
Forward curriculum. It contains instructions on how to use the interactive participant book and video in each session, as well as additional teaching content from the author. Forward is a seven-session small group study based on the virtues lifted up in 2 Peter 1:3-11: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, affection for others, and love. Readers will discover the importance of actively pursuing a godly life, not just resisting sin but fully embracing the life of goodness and love that Christ offers us. In Forward, the first sequel to the One curriculum, author Nick Cunningham leads Christ-centered small groups to take the next step in faith together, pushing one another forward to grow in faith, knowledge, and actions consistent with a Christian life. As a sequel to Cunningham's study One: A Small Group Journey Toward Life-Changing Community, Forward follows the same format, including a participant book with teaching content and interactive elements; a leader guide; and video. Small groups that have not previously used One will enjoy Forward as a guide for developing Christian virtues with the support and partnership of others.
The Promise of Despair: The Way of the Cross as the Way of the Church (Living Theology)
Par Andrew Root. 2010
Where is God present in the world? What hope does the church offer to folks who are struggling with death…
and despair in their many forms, from broken relationships to lost jobs to the seeming lack of meaning in our late-modern context? Some answer these questions by pointing to churches that have had success in growing their worship services and ministries. But Andrew Root invites us to answer the questions from a different angle. Rather than place primary focus on creating a successful church, he asks the church to open its eyes to the suffering and hopelessness of the world, to identify with and embrace it, because it is precisely in the world’s suffering that God is found. Using Luther’s theology of the cross as a lens, Root shows how the church’s willingness to become weak for the world’s sake results in a refocusing of Christian living and ministry, which he examines through the categories of discipleship, authentic hope, community, justice, and resurrection. Thus, as with the other books in the Living Theology series, this book brings theology to bear on life in suggestive and provocative ways, encouraging readers to think theologically about their specific contexts.
By the Goodness of God: An Autobiography of John G. Innis
Par Abingdon, John G. Innis. 2003
This is the life story of John G. Innis, bishop of the Liberia Area of The United Methodist Church. John…
Innis recounts his life from humble beginnings to the apex of spiritual leadership in The United Methodist Church in a vivid, dynamic style and with great spiritual fervor. Throughout the story, the reader finds clear evidence of the way God leads people when they listen to the still, small voice. Bishop Innis is committed to suffering servant leadership, and his vivid accounts--of injustice and righteousness, of violence and peace, of heartache and healing, of fellowship and leadership, of fear and faith--are capped by the experience of the Good News; of faith, hope and love.
The Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries provide compact, critical commentaries on the books of the Old Testament for the use of…
theological students and pastors. The commentaries are also useful for upper-level college or university students and for those responsible for teaching in congregational settings. In addition to providing basic information and insights into the Old Testament writings, these commentaries exemplify the tasks and procedures of careful interpretation, all to assist students of the Old Testament in coming to an informed and critical engagement with the biblical texts themselves.The six books found at the close of the Minor Prophets (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) present distinctive understandings of God, humanity, and the future. This commentary engages those understandings, considers what the books may have meant in the past, and describes how they resonate with contemporary readers. With attention to issues of gender, violence, and inclusivity, O'Brien explores the ethical challenges of the books and asks how faithful readers can both acknowledge the problems these biblical books raise and appreciate their value for contemporary theological reflection.
Signs and Wonders: A Beginner’s Guide to the Miracles of Jesus
Par Amy-Jill Levine. 2022
Explore the miracles of Jesus in Signs and Wonders with Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament studies and Bible study…
author.In Signs and Wonders: A Beginner’s Guide to the Miracles of Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine explores selected miracles of Jesus in historical and theological context. For each miracle, she discusses not only how past witnesses would have understood the events, but also how today’s readers can draw meaning from Jesus’s words and actions. Chapter topics include:Giving sight to the blind: Metaphors of understanding (Mark 8, John 9) “Take up your pallet and walk” (the paralyzed man): On the role of caregivers A bleeding woman and a dead girl: The importance of women’s bodies Walking on water and stilling the storm: Ecological readings of the GospelsThe feeding of the 5,000 (or more): The centrality of bread The raising of Lazarus: Taking death seriouslyComponents for the six-week study include a book, comprehensive Leader Guide, and DVD/Video sessions featuring Amy-Jill Levine.Praise for Signs and WondersAmy-Jill Levine has the rare and wonderful gift of being able to offer solid exegetical work to readers with or without formal theological training as if she is sitting in your living room sharing a cup of tea. Throughout this book she calls us to the interpretive work, reminding us that the big question is not "did this happen?" but "what does it mean?" and ultimately "so what?" How can these old miracle stories speak good news to our lives in this time and place and invite our own healing and transformation along the way?– Rev. Dr. Richard Simpson, Canon to the Ordinary (Assistant to the Bishop), Episcopal Diocese of Western MassachusettsAmy-Jill Levine is herself a sign and wonder, a sign that reading the New Testament through Jewish eyes is not just essential but revelatory, and a wonder, as she always writes with verve, wisdom, humor and rich insight. Her latest is hardly an exception, an accessible, fascinating book we welcome eagerly.– James Howell, Senior Pastor, Myers Park United Methodist Church, Charlotte, North CarolinaWith brilliant insight and trademark wit, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine reveals wondrous details of the most prominent miracles in the gospels. We become more than readers of these stories; we discover how to be recipients and participants in the ongoing, miraculous work of God.– Magrey R. deVega, Senior Pastor of Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, Florida, and author of The Bible Year: A Journey through Scripture in 365 DaysWhat a rich and accessible resource for anyone who wants to grow their understanding of the Gospels and the claims they make about Jesus! AJ Levine teaches us how to learn from the miracle stories, marvel at them, worry about them, and respond to them in our own lives.– Matthew L. Skinner, Professor of New Testament, Luther SeminaryMaking space for the believer and skeptic alike, Levine masterfully connects the miracles of the God of Israel with the miracles of Jesus. From friends who clear the way, to a father who pleads for his daughter, to sisters who stand resolute, Levine invites the reader to cherish the helpers and the healed as much as we cherish the healer. Levine's willingness to authentically share portions of her own story reminds the reader of the ways the miraculous breaks into our own lives.–Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm, Director of Connectional Ministry, Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, The United Methodist ChurchAmy-Jill Levine engages the miracles of Jesus with scholarly acumen and signature wit. Christians who have been confused by these stories will find new clarity in her comprehensive context, including corrective understandings of Judaism. Those who have been intimidated by these texts will be encouraged by her candor. Those who have been inspired by Jesus’ miracles will find even deeper dimensions of meaning in the practical, pastoral, theological, and literary levels she opens and the provocative issues raised, from
Just in Time! Advent Services (Just In Time! (abingdon Press) Ser.)
Par Dr David G. Rogne. 2007
Ready-to-use worship and preaching resources for the four Sundays in Advent including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Includes biblically-based sermon…
briefs, suggested Scriptures, hymns, prayers, and litanies for lighting the Advent Wreath. To help pastors minister more effectively during this important church season. Contents include: Introduction: The Ways We Know Jesus First Sunday in Advent: Emmanuel Second Sunday in Advent: Son of Man Third Sunday in Advent: Example Fourth Sunday in Advent: Lord Christmas Eve: Son of God Christmas Day: Word of God
Holy Living: Spiritual Practices for Building a Life of Faith (Holy Living)
Par Wendy J. Miller. 2019
"While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life…
now and the life to come." ~ 1 Timothy 4:8Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Spiritual disciplines are activities and practices that guide you in your daily walk through life bringing you closer to Christ. They also help you to make a difference in our world. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens you to God's transforming love and help you experience Holy Living.At its core, the spiritual practice of simplicity enables us to eliminate from our lives all the things—both material possessions and thoughts, habits, and attitudes—that distract us from God so that God has complete freedom to work in and through us. Simplicity brings freedom, balance, and perspective to our lives and enables us to align our priorities with the priorities of God. It reorients us and allows us to be open to the present moment. Developing the spiritual practice of simplicity is key to a healthy, vibrant relationship with God and others. This book helps us know how to begin and implement this practice.This is one of series of eight books. Each book in this series introduces a spiritual practice, suggests way of living the practice daily, and provides opportunities to grow personally and in a faith community with others who engage with the practice. Each book consists of an introduction and four chapters and includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion.Other disciplines studied: Celebration, Confession, Discernment, Neighboring, Study, and Worship.
I Was A Stranger: A Christian Theology of Hospitality
Par Arthur Sutherland. 2006
Arthur Sutherland places before us our fear of meeting the "other" and the "stranger" in an increasingly global, and frequently…
dangerous, village. Various social, political, and historical factors have conspired to leave us in a veritable crisis: the decline of hospitality.Why is this a crisis? Why should we practice hospitality? What is it about Christian theology that compels us to think about hospitality in the first place? Sutherland offers a passionate plea to recover and rediscover hospitality, and to respond to the divine appeal to welcome the stranger. Therein lies the central concern of the book: that hospitality is not simply the practice of a virtue but is integral to the very nature of Christianity’s position toward God, self, and the world—it is at the very center of what it means to be a Christian and to think theologically. He offers a challenging definition of hospitality and calls us to a practice that is the virtue by which the church stands or falls. Drawing on modern theologians (including Howard Thurman, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth, Martin Luther King Jr., and Letty Russell) and considering American slavery, the Holocaust, feminism, and prisons, Sutherland eloquently presents a Christian theology of hospitality.
Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Ruth (Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries)
Par Judy Fentress-Williams. 2012
From the Introduction: Described by Goethe as “the most charming little whole” of antiquity, Ruth has long been recognized for…
its literary quality. This beautifully composed narrative continues to attract readers across generations and boundaries of gender, class and ethnicity. In fact, the beauty of the book often distracts from the practical nature of the narrative. For all of its appeal, Ruth is, after all a story about family and survival. The marriage between Ruth and Boaz is a levirate marriage. The goal of this practice is to ensure the continuation and stability of the family line. Thus this “charming little whole” has as its subject preservation of life in the face of death and upholding memory to ward off the loss of identity.This story of survival is short; it consists of four chapters with elements of loss and recovery; famine and harvest, barrenness and fruitfulness, life and death. These elements afford the book a broad appeal as it speaks to various stages and seasons of life, all the while upholding the power of faithfulness against an ever-changing backdrop. Named after one of the major characters, the book of Ruth tells the story of Naomi of Bethlehem and her family “in the days when the judges ruled.”So much of what happens in Ruth happens where no one can see. Ruth binds herself to Naomi in the “in between place” of Moab and Judah. No one is there to witness it. Similarly, Ruth asks Boaz for redemption in the middle of the night when we presume everyone else is asleep. These events allow for the inclusion of Ruth as Boaz’s people, first as a gleaner and then as a wife. The pattern of what happens away from our observation and then bursts forth where we can see it draws on the images of planting and harvest, conception and birth. On a theological level, it suggests that even in the famine times, God is planting seed, preparing for the next harvest, even when we cannot see it. We must assume then, that whatever we know or recognize about the work of God is only a small piece of the larger whole. We cannot know it all. Chapters:Introduction A Dialogue of Determination Terms of Endearment A Cloaked Covenant A Dialogue of IdentityConclusion
United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center
Par Scott J. Jones. 2002
Throughout this ebook, Scott J. Jones insists that for United Methodists the ultimate goal of doctrine is holiness. Importantly, he…
clarifies the nature and the specific claims of ""official"" United Methodist doctrine in a way that moves beyond the current tendency to assume the only alternatives are a rigid dogmatism or an unfettered theological pluralism. In classic Wesleyan form, Jones' driving concern is with recovering the vital role of forming believers in the ""mind of Christ, "" so that they might live more faithfully in their many settings in our world.
A New Dawn in Beloved Community: Stories with the Power to Transform Us
Par Linda Lee. 2012
Faith in Jesus Christ incorporates all Christians into the body of Christ, the invisible communion of all believers. But the…
church, as a human institution, remains broken and unable to embody fully this unity or oneness. Too often, the failure of Christians to manifest God’s love is rooted in differences in culture, traditions, or language that lead to fear and misunderstanding. This book brings together a collection of stories—of songs—that give the reader insight, that provide examples of how to share stories and learn from them, and that ultimately can lead to a new way of understanding the concepts of beloved community and the body of Christ.
To be faithful to the gospel, all ministry must be indigenous; it must participate in the distinctive practices and perspectives…
of the people among whom ministry is taking place. Because our society tends to ignore or deny the reality of class divisions and prejudice, too many congregational leaders know too little about the world of working class whites. Continuing his groundbreaking work on class and American religion, Sample opens up the lives and lifestyles of working class whites in order to engage with them in authentic and transformational ministry.From the Circuit Rider review: "Tex Sample has written one of the most fun books to read on ministry that you will ever come across. Weaving philosophy, theology, country western lyrics, and stories throughout the book Sample at once delights and provokes us to think about the way in which we live out church in this day and age." (Click here to read the whole review.)
Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony (Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition)
Par William H. Willimon, Stanley Hauerwas. 2014
Only when the Church enacts its scandalous Jesus-centered tradition, will it truly be the Body of Christ and transform the…
world. Twenty-five years after its first publishing, Resident Aliens remains a prophetic vision of how the Church can regain its vitality, battle its malaise, reclaim its capacity to nourish souls, and stand firmly against the illusions, pretensions, and eroding values of today's world.Resident Aliens discusses the nature of the church and its relationship to surrounding culture. It argues that churches should focus on developing Christian life and community rather than attempting to reform secular culture. Hauerwas and Willimon reject the idea that America is a Christian nation, instead Christians should see themselves as "residents aliens" in a foreign land. Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon maintain that, instead of attempting to transform government, the role of Christians is to live lives which model the love of Christ. Rather than trying to convince others to change their ethics, Christians should model a new set of ethics which are grounded in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
Who's Coming Out to Play: Disruption and Disorientation in Queer Community Sports
Par Claire Carter. 2021
Queer community sports leagues, by their sheer numbers, are changing the energy and space of school gyms and community recreational…
spaces. Some leagues are well-established – having been in existence for over twenty-five years – whereas others are relatively new, but their collective presence tells stories about the shifting dynamics of queer communities in Canada.Who's Coming Out to Play considers the potential of queer community sports to disrupt notions of the embodiment of gender and community, while maintaining an awareness of numerous factors that limit this potential. Exploring queer teams and leagues of varying sizes and from various locations, this book focuses on leagues that have previously identified as women's or lesbian and are now becoming trans and genderqueer inclusive. Queer community leagues are based in a commitment to community building, prioritizing fun, socializing, and inclusivity over competing or winning. As a result of these commitments, these spaces and the people who come to play in them reflect new ways of being in and with bodies, different ways of embodying gender, and new or different forms of engagement – notably distinct "rules of play" – within sporting arenas.Who's Coming Out to Play paints a vivid picture of the lived experiences of queer bodies in queer sporting spaces, exploring both the possibilities and the continued problems they face.