- Table View
- List View
Family Time with God: Bible Story Activities for Everyday
by Peg AugustineWhat's the number one gift parents want for their children? Their time! Children don't stay children forever, so time spent with them today will become the memories cherished tomorrow. It is indeed a memorable treasure when families come together to learn about God's Word. Family Time With God is an outstanding resource that offers a full year's worth of activities parents can do with their children every day to help them grow spiritually and to build strong family relationships. Each week includes: A Scripture text on which the activities for the week are based, a "talk point" that provides parents with a weekly theme to talk about with their children, a Bible story parents can read to their children, and a variety of activities for every day of the week which provide a basis for personal time spent with children!
He Set His Face to Jerusalem: A Lenten Study for Adults
by Richard B. WilkeAdapting from Luke 9:51, Richard Wilke looks at Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem in order to help us think about how we set our faces in life. What are our goals as people of faith? What are we resolute or determined about in our lives? As we "set our faces" to Jerusalem and to the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus, what difference does it make? What does Jesus’ determination say to us about our commitments and about our need to grow in love of God and neighborThe 40 days of Lent are ideal to use this study and for readers to set their faces toward Easter. Study includes seven sessions, one for each Sunday in Lent and Easter Sunday. Each session features a Scripture reference, a personal reading, questions for personal reflection or group study, and closing prayer.
The Passionate Church: Ignite Your Church and Change the World
by Mike Slaughter Karen Perry SmithIt’s good to talk about ministry. It’s better to do it, and do it passionately. In 2008, the United Methodist Church lifted up "Four Areas of Focus" for ministry, and churches have responded. But at Ginghamsburg Church, in the rust-belt town of Tipp City, Ohio, the church has been doing exciting and effective ministry in those four areas for 35 years and more. Engaging in Ministry with the Poor Improving Global Health Developing Principled Christian Leaders Creating New and Renewed Congregations The work has led to a host of creative ministries and organic growth…because they were meeting the needs of their community and their world as the hands and feet of Christ. The book comes with a built-in facilitator Guide to encourage pastor peer groups and other leadership groups interested in deepening the discussion.
Three Simple Questions: Knowing the God of Love, Hope, and Purpose
by Rueben P. JobRueben P. Job, author of Three Simple Rules, brings us a new insight on how to live a Christ-like life and explores the three most basic and profound questions at the center of our faith—questions that all major religions try to answer and around which there seems to be much confusion:Who is God?Who am I?Who are we together?In three brief and engaging chapters, readers will explore these questions and gain new understanding of the answers:Know that God is greater than you can imagineBelieve that you are God's beloved childBe the love of Christ in the worldThey will also discover the greatness and goodness of God, the value of every beloved child of God, and the impact we can have in the world when we live as Jesus lived.Each chapter concludes with a simple spiritual practice to help readers remember and respond to what they have read, followed by a prayer.Now it is time for you to know, believe and become the answers.In its first paragraphs, Three Simple Questions triggered my hunger for hope. I hung on each word thereafter. By the time I finished my reading, I was filled to overflowing. I was drawn deeper by the notion of a God too small. Prayer as the place where we receive our identity was profound. I cheered with the truth that God loves all. I was intrigued by the imagery of my being a "holy chalice." The three daily practices are refreshing and engaging. In short, the read filled me with grace. —Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher
Guidelines Church Council: Connect Vision and Ministry in Your Church
by CokesburyThe church council exists to create and supervise the strategic plan for your local congregation fulfills its mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. This twofold function includes both leadership and management. This Guideline is designed to help equip you and your ministry team to navigate these two functions.This is one of the twenty-six Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2017-2020 that cover church leadership areas including Church Council and Small Membership Church; the administrative areas of Finance and Trustees; and ministry areas focused on nurture, outreach, and witness including Worship, Evangelism, Stewardship, Christian Education, age-level ministries, Communications, and more.
Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Ezekiel (Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries)
by Nancy R. BowenThe 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.From the book, "The effects of the Judean refugees' trauma would be far reaching. Certainly an individual named Ezekiel might have experienced persistent reactions to trauma for the length of time covered by the book. Moreover, the experience and effects of exile were not limited to Ezekiel, nor even to his generation. The book's existence attests that others in the exilic community, and beyond, found their experiences reflected in its words."
Revival Leader Guide: Faith as Wesley Lived It (Revival)
by Adam HamiltonJoin Adam Hamilton for a six-week journey as he travels to England, following the life of John Wesley and exploring his defining characteristics of a Wesleyan Christian. Wesley’s story is our story. It defines our faith and it challenges us to rediscover our spiritual passion.The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the Revival Bible study program. Includes session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.
Invitation to Psalms: A Short-Term DISCIPLE Bible Study
by Michael JinkinsMake a deeper connection to the world of the Psalms so that these well known scriptures can help you give voice to all aspects of our human experience–joy, faith, uncertainty and sorrow.During two weekly video segments, experience a varied presentation of individual Psalm texts, including dramatic reading, music, dance, and images. Listen to insights into specific Psalms presented by one of two biblical scholars through an informal, roundtable conversation formatIdeal experience for adults who are interested in the practice of prayer and worship and would like to connect prayer practice with Scripture. The study is accessible for adults with little prior Bible experience.Participants for this Invitation to Psalms do not have to have an in-depth knowledge of the Bible to enjoy and benefit from participation. Reading just two chapters of Psalms a week, they will discover the life altering stories that will invite them to follow Christ as true disciples. This ten-week study includes a participant book outlining daily reading assignments for group preparations, a leader guide suggesting discussion activities for use in the 60–90-minute weekly meeting, and a video component providing interpretation and context for the biblical texts. Michael Jinkins is an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He serves as Dean of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where he is also Professor of Pastoral Theology. Michael is the author of eleven books, including In the House of the Lord: Inhabiting the Psalms of Lament, Invitation to Theology, and Letters to New Pastors.Sessions: Word of God, Words of Prayer The Prayer Book of God’s People Praying the Psalms The Language of the Heart A Geography of the Imagination A Theology of the Imagination Lament and Praise Grace and Repentance Love and Wrath Hallelujah and Amen
Dwelling Places: Words to Live in Every Season
by Lucinda Secrest McDowellDo you long for serenity and refuge, peace and hope? Are you seeking adeeper spiritual life through a closer relationship with God?If you're tired of dwelling in busyness and noise, then perhaps one worda day can change your life. Award-winning author Lucinda SecrestMcDowell knows that if you spend time each day turning to God's Word forwisdom and guidance, your faith can flourish and grow.Through short and inspiring readings, McDowell unpacks a single word -such as mercy, beauty, gratitude, or grace - to reveal a biblicalblessing or challenge relevant to where you are. Full of stories andillustrations to empower you to live the word you have just read, eachdevotional ends with a benediction, written as if God were speakingdirectly to you.These "dwelling places" that offer the joy of God's promise and presencecover four seasons: fall, Advent, Lent, and summer. Whether in themidst of busy holiday schedules, holy days, ordinary moments, orchanging seasons, a deeper faith can be as simple as a single word.PRAISE FOR DWELLING PLACES:"As there are seasons of the year so there are seasons in our walk withChrist. In Dwelling Places, Lucinda McDowell takes us on a gentlesojourn through words that inspire, encourage, educate and magnify theLord." ~ Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author "If you’re looking for encouragement based on God’s Word, read DwellingPlaces. Lucinda Secrest McDowell has taken 130 key words from the Bibleand created powerful devotions that will comfort, exhort, and bless youdaily in every season of the year. Her powerful stories and poignantending prayers will capture your heart and point you towards hope andtruth. Buy one copy for yourself and ten more to give away!" ~ CarolKent, speaker and author of Waiting Together and Unquenchable"In Dwelling Places, Lucinda Secrest McDowell elevates devotions to anew level. As always, McDowell uses some of the best quotes you willread this year, but she adds to them her special brand of storytellingas well as teachings that will minister to your soul. A masterfuldevotional, managing to be both short and deep at the same time." ~Tessa Afshar, Christy, award winning author of Land of Silence andFields of Grace"I never miss a new book from Lucinda Secrest McDowell. Her writing isso real and warm and down-to-earth, and at the same timethought-provoking, profound, and theologically grounded. A rarecombination! Dwelling Places offers readers deep moments of reflection,inspiration, and encouragement that will stay with us throughout the dayand throughout the seasons of our lives." ~ Christin Ditchfield,syndicated radio host, speaker, and author of What Women Should KnowAbout Facing Fear "Dwelling Places is balm for the soul, resonate and full of life,bringing the Word to dwell with me as I pondered each of the daily wordslong after I'd finished reading them." ~ Christa Parrish, ChristianityToday award and Christy award winning author of Still Life and Stonesfor Bread
Pastoral Care: Telling the Stories of Our Lives
by Karen D. ScheibChristian pastoral care is a narrative, ecclesial, theological practice (NET). As a narrative practice, pastoral care attends to the inseparable interconnection between our own lifestories, others’ stories, the larger cultural stories, and God’s story. As a ministry of the church, pastoral care is an ecclesial practice that derives its motivation, purpose, and identity from the larger mission of the church to bear witness to and embody God’s mission of love that extends beyond the church for the transformation of the world. As a theological practice, pastoral care is grounded in God’s love story. God’s profound love for humankind heals our brokenness when human love fails and invites us into an ongoing process of growth in love of God, self, and neighbor.Intended for those who provide care with and on behalf of religious communities, author Karen Scheib focuses on listening and "restorying" practices occurring in the context and setting of congregations. By coauthoring narratives that promote healing and growth in love, pastoral caregivers become cocreators and companions who help others revise and construct life-stories reshaped by the grace of God.What Karen Scheib has done in this book is to reposition pastoral care as a theological activity performed in the context of the church. She draws deeply upon her Wesleyan theological heritage, upon an understanding of life in its fullness as growth in love and grace, and upon a "communion ecclesiology" undergirded by a communal understanding of the Trinitarian life of God. Thus grounded, she envisions pastoral care first as a rhythm of the life of the whole church and secondarily as a work of trained pastors.In her vision, pastoral care is rescued from a narrow understanding of it as exceptional acts of intervention performed only in moments of dire crisis. Instead, it becomes a "daily practice of pastoral care," an attending, in love, to the stories of others and a "listening for ways God is already present in a life story." Solidly theological, grounded in the life of the church, and eminently teachable – Karen Scheib has given us a great gift in this book." from the Foreword -Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching, Emeritus, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. "In a wonderfully engaging, reflective, and useful way, Karen Scheib captures something absolutely essential to pastoral care and yet often overlooked—the utter centrality of storytelling/listening, the power of stories to heal, and their vital connection to bigger stories told within religious communities. This book is a real milestone, reclaiming the importance of "narrative knowing" and grounding care not only in community but also within a comprehensive theological framework." --Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture, The Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion, Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Nashville, TN"Implementing narrative personality and therapy theories and anchored in ecclesiology and Wesleyan theology (NET), Karen Scheib’s book advances a long awaited and holistic approach to pastoral care. Her NET approach presents the embodiment of pastoral care by emphasizing both narrative and paradigmatic knowing, proposes the subjectivity of our stories in pastoral care by pointing out the interchangeability between us and our stories as subject and object, and underscores the dynamic process of pastoral care through the interconnection of the storyteller, listener, and context. Scheib’s image of story companion contributes to the field as a new paradigm of pastoral care and promises to be a significant resource in generating hope and growth in love for both pastoral caregiver and receiver." —Angella Son, Associate Professor, Drew University, Madison, NJ"Pastoral theologian Scheib describes a narrative, ecclesial, and theological approach for listening to people’s life stories in such a way as to engender spiritual formation and gro
The Grand Sweep Leader Guide: 365 Days From Genesis Through Revelation
by J. Ellsworth KalasStudy the whole Bible in a year with J. Ellsworth Kalas.The Grand Sweep is designed for personal use. The added component of a Leader Guide enables congregations and study groups to share the experience. It provides an overview of how to use the book as a study, along with specific content for weekly, monthly, or occasional group meetings.The Grand Sweep guides readers through the Bible in a year by having them read three - four chapters daily. The Psalms and Proverbs are scattered throughout the readings as devotional elements. Because the reading plan moves through the Bible in biblical sequence, readers grasp the grand sweep of the Scriptures—something missed in most Bible studies. Daily readings are manageable allowing someone just beginning a serious devotional life to have the positive experience of developing a new spiritual discipline. Individuals can start reading at any time of the year. When the year of reading ends, they will have a grasp of the biblical story from beginning to end and a stronger devotional life. Kalas also provides a faithful daily summary of readings, but with a devotional quality to encourage warmth of spirit as well as knowledge of mind. Includes selected quotations from Kalas's 35 books.
Faith Builders: Bible Crafts For Children Ages 7-10
by Nadia C. HerbertFaith Builders is a children’s ministry resource, containing a whole year of Sunday school teaching in one book. It features fifty exciting craft projects that children will enjoy making while learning about the Bible and building their faith. Each craft has a theme that is linked to a related Bible verse and combined with a complete lesson. For the teacher, there are clear, step-by-step instructions to follow, along with a materials list and an indication of the time needed to complete the project. Crafts include a bird feeder, seashell wind chimes and even a marshmallow caterpillar! Faith Builders utilizes many wonderful mediums through which children can express their creative side and explore their faith in a group setting. This ready-to-use book provides a hands-on, fun way of bringing God’s Word to children that will maintain their enthusiasm for Sunday school.
Guidelines Nominations & Leadership Development: Leaders Are the Key to Church Vitality
by CokesburyThe heart of local church ministry is in its lay leadership. Identifying, developing , deploying, and evaluating Christian spiritual leaders who serve from their strengths and gifts is a key to the life and vitality of the congregation. This Guideline is designed to help implement the work of the ministry area, which is formerly known as Committee on Lay Leadership.This is one of the twenty-six Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2017-2020 that cover church leadership areas including Church Council and Small Membership Church; the administrative areas ofFinance and Trustees; and ministry areas focused on nurture, outreach, and witness including Worship, Evangelism, Stewardship, Christian Education, age-level ministries, Communications, and more.
Guidelines Small Membership Church: Serve with Significance in Your Context
by CokesburyThe vast majority of United Methodist churches are small membership churches that can be and are vital places of ministry that matter. Most are situated in areas where there are people outside any faith community and have great potential for ministry. This Guideline will help you be an effective leader in your smaller church.This is one of the twenty-six Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2017-2020 that cover church leadership areas including Church Council and Small Membership Church; the administrative areas of Finance and Trustees; and ministry areas focused on nurture, outreach, and witness including Worship, Evangelism, Stewardship, Christian Education, age-level ministries, Communications, and more.
Get in the Game: Basics of Christian Service (The Basics)
by Clayton Oliphint Mary Brooke CasadWhat is true Christian discipleship? Living in Christ brings us joy and fulfillment, but what are we called to do? Get in the Game, a book and 4-week study, teaches the basics of Christian discipleship and explores how we are called to serve others through Christian service when we follow the example of Jesus. Part of The Basics Series, the book helps individuals and group members discover the joyful service that results when faith is put into action. A Leader Guide, which includes everything a group leader needs to plan and facilitate the 4-session study, is also available. "Wow! This book is a life changer. It will inspire you to get off the sideline, get in the game, and put your faith into action." –Larry Fedora, Head Football Coach, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Combines solid theology, practical applications, and relevant reflections to help new and seasoned Christians grow in their faith through service. —Matt Miofsky, Lead Pastor, The Gathering United Methodist Church, St. Louis, Missouri
Preaching for the Contemporary Service
by Joseph M. WebbPreaching for the Contemporary Service is a guide to releasing the energy and creativity of the contemporary worship service within the sermon. Is the traditional sermon still relevant in contemporary worship settings or is it hopelessly out of place? Joseph Webb shows how improvisational preaching taps into the spontaneity of today's worship to engage audiences with the good news of Jesus Christ.To read a sample from the book click here"Joe Webb grieves that much contemporary worship yawns at traditional preaching and pleads for a new kind of improvisational preaching that does justice to the biblical story and connects emotionally with today's listeners. Carefully explaining both strengths and dangers of improvisation, he draws on insights from theater and movie-making with much practical advice for planning improvisation. A lively and stimulating book to be taken seriously by any who would preach in contemporary services." --Michael J. Quicke, Professor of Preaching, Northern Seminary, and author of 360-Degree Preaching"Joseph Webb has devoted his lifetime to the craft and mission of preaching. He brings fresh and cutting-edge insight with the wisdom of a sage and the foresight of a prophet to a whole new emerging generation of communicators." --Gene Appel, Lead Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church"Bull's-eye! Joe Webb's theory of improvisational preaching hits the target for effective communication in the digital age. And here's why I love it: Lots of people will tell me what to do; Joe shows me how!" --Tommy Kiedis, Teaching Pastor, Memorial Presbyterian Church, and Director of Leadership Development, Reformed Theological Seminary“This book shows us how to improvise our preaching without compromising the Scripture, a welcome help to those of us working to revitalize the worship of the church.”--Kenton C. Anderson, ACTS Seminaries of Trinity Western UniversityJoseph M. Webb is Dean of the School of Communication & Media and Professor of Global Media and Communications at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He has taught seminary courses in homiletics, and speech and communication classes at colleges and universities. He is the author of Preaching Without Notes, also published by Abingdon Press.
Faith Is the Answer, But What Are the Questions?
by James W. MooreThe Christian gospel says to us, "Here is the One who can deliver you! Here is the One who can save you. Follow him, and you can live. He will lead you to commitment, to love, and to life."I believe that with all of my heart, but I also know that there are still a number of tough questions we grapple with daily in these challenging times. How does faith help us when problems arise? How does the Christian faith strengthen us when suffering or tragedy or heartache explodes into our lives? How does the Holy Spirit help us? Did Jesus really mean for us to love everybody? In this hectic world, with so many things crying out for our allegiance and support, whom can we trust? Faith is the answer, of course, but still…what are the questions? And how do we respond to them honestly, creatively, and redemptively? That is the adventure before us. These, and other questions, we will deal with in this book.—James W. Moore, adapted from the introductionThis book includes a study guide.JAMES W. MOORE, popular speaker and preacher, is the author of Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned, But I Have Several Excellent Excuses; God Was Here, and I Was Out to Lunch; When Grief Breaks Your Heart; There's a Hole in Your Soul That Only God Can Fill; and many other books. He and his wife, June, live in Fairview, Texas.
The Ancient Near East: An Essential Guide (An Essential Guide)
by John L. McLaughlinThe cultures of the great empires of the ancient Near East from Egypt to Mesopotamia influenced Israel's religion, literature, and laws because of Israel's geographic location and political position situation. Anyone who wishes to understand the Old Testament texts and the history of ancient Israel must become familiar with the history, literature, and society of the surrounding kingdoms that at times controlled the region. Brief in presentation yet broad in scope, Ancient Near East will introduce students to the information and ideas essential to understanding the texts of the Old Testament while clarifying difficult issues concerning the relationship between Israel and its neighbors. Abingdon Essential Guides fulfill the need for brief, substantive, yet highly accessible introductions to the core disciplines in biblical, theological, and religious studies.
Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: James (Abingdon New Testament Commentaries)
by C. Freeman SleeperSleeper's lucid exposition of James restores this often neglected work to its rightful place in the Christian canon.Carefully charting the verbal structures and argument of the letter, he demonstrates that it is a coherent piece of moral teaching intended to encourage the development of Christian character, not just a collection of disparate maxims. As he guides the reader through the letter's basic themes, Sleeper is attentive to its echoes in the Old Testament, Hellenistic Jewish wisdom literature, and sayings of Jesus, as well as to its affinities with other Christian writings. Moreover, he shows that the author's understanding of God and of human nature provides a significant theological foundation for practical wisdom about the Christian moral life.
Reset the Heart: Unlearning Violence, Relearning Hope
by Mai-Anh Le TranWhen the #BlackLivesMatter protest movement burst into dynamic action following the shooting death of young Michael Brown in the fall of 2014 in Ferguson, MO, a good number of clergy and lay leaders in greater St. Louis sprang to action and learned anew what it took to "put some feet to their prayers." However, as improvisational efforts continued to rally and organize churches toward the enduring work of confronting the insidious violence of systemic social injustices in their own backyard, these religious leaders ran head-on into a familiar yet perplexing wall: the incapacity and unwillingness of their faith communities to respond. In many cases, the resistance was (and still is) fierce, eerily reminiscent of the stand-offs that divided religious communities and leadership in the 1960s Civil Rights era. If the Church’s teaching, learning, and practice of faith is purportedly transformative, then where was/is that faith when it was/is needed most? If good religious formation had been happening - or had it? - then why the enduring signs of indifference, paralysis, apathy, exasperation, resistance, symptoms of anesthetized moral consciousness and debilitated hope in the face of pervasive social-cultural violence?The answer may come in a searing indictment: that in an emerging cultural-religious era in which religious identity, expression, and experience are increasingly pluralistic, yet also politicized, polarizing, and racialized, Christian faith communities—even those of progressive theological persuasions—are still held under dominant cultural captivity, and fashioned by colonizing teaching strategies of "disimagination" – such that the stories (theologies) and rituals (practices) of the faith have effectively become obstacles that anesthetize moral agency and debilitate courageous action for hope and change.This book addresses the above practical concerns with three paradigmatic questions:1. What does it mean to educate for faith in a world marked by violence?2. How are Christian faith communities complicit in the teaching and learning of violence?3. What renewed practices of faith and educational leadership yield potential for the unlearning and unmaking of violence?An organizing thesis drives the inquiry: Thinking and teaching for violence-resisting action as Christians requires an on-purpose setting of our hearts in a world that violates and harms with impunity. Against violent "disimagination"and its conscience-numbing instruments, Christian religious communities are being challenged to regenerate radical forms of prophetic, protested faith, the skills and instincts of which must be honed deliberately. This occurs through intentional and strategic forms of public consciousness raising for the sake of participation and action - an action that moves toward and is fueled by critical, insurrectional, resurrectional, hope.
The Early Church: Origins to the Dawn of the Middle Ages
by E. Glenn HinsonAn introduction to the history of the Christian church from its inception to approximately 600 C.E., this volume seeks to balance the traditional presentation of notable figures, councils, and controversies with the telling of the story of the ordinary Christian during this era. An important feature of this work is its attendance to the stories of ordinary lay Christians--particularly women--and what Christian faith meant within the overall context of their lives. Other emphases include the church's changing role in society during this period (and the fateful consequences those changes have had for modern Christians) and the development of early Christian spirituality.Employing a socio-institutional approach, Hinson divides his material into five major periods:(1) Beginnings to 70 C.E. (2) 70-180, during which Christianity broadcast itself throughout the Roman Empire and beyond (3) 175-313, wherein the church achieved new status and came under official scrutiny as a threat to the empire (4) 313-400, in which the church faced the major challenge of Christianizing the empire now embracing it (5) 400-600, when the Germanic "invasions" led to a rift between East and West and posed new challenges to the church's survival and growth.
Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring the Return to Narnia
by Devin BrownJoin award-winning author Devin Brown as he takes readers on a fascinating journey to the land of Narnia. Whether you’re a longtime fan of The Chronicles of Narnia or are just discovering them for the first time, you will be amazed and inspired as you undertake your very own chapter-by-chapter guided tour of C. S. Lewis’s beloved classics.If you have only traveled to Narnia through the wardrobe, there is so much more to explore. Join Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy on their second trip to the magical land. But be prepared to find that everything you thought you knew about Narnia is about to change!
Toward the Cross: Heart-Shaping Lessons for Lent and Easter
by Gary Thompson Michelle J. Morris Taylor W. MillsLet Jesus, not the world, set the priorities of your heart in this Lenten season.Toward the Cross challenges each of us to answer the question that lies at the heart of discipleship, at the heart of our priorities: Is following Jesus the most important thing to you? Is it your priority? When you follow Jesus, how does it change the way you think, speak, and act?Jesus told would-be followers to count the cost. The chapters and daily readings in this book help you do that by developing a disciple’s perspective on yourself, others, and things. They encourage you to let go of the past, guilt, and things that weigh you down and cling tightly to Christ in genuine discipleship.This seven-week study guides you through Lent and Easter, helping you explore qualities and characteristics of Christian discipleship that lead you to claim Jesus as your highest priority. Each week includes a group session based on the traditional Gospel texts with supporting daily readings for Ash Wednesday through Easter Monday. Group Sessions have questions to spark discussion as you strengthen your commitment to making Jesus your priority during the Lenten season, Easter, and beyond.
Jesus' Parables of Grace
by James W. MooreParables studied are: The Sower, the Seeds, and the SoilsThe Prodigal SonThe Elder BrotherThe Unjust JudgeThe Good SamaritanThe Least of These
Genesis to Revelation: A Comprehensive Verse-by-Verse Exploration of the Bible (Genesis to Revelation series)
by Linda B. HintonStudy the books of Ezekiel and Daniel, beginning with Ezekiel’s story, and then moving on to tell Daniel’s story. Some of the major ideas explored are: learning of God, obedience to God, false prophecy, cleansing and renewal, Godly wisdom, and the endtime and meantime.More than 3.5 million copies of the series have been sold.This revision of the Abingdon classic Genesis to Revelation Series is a comprehensive, verse-by-verse, book-by-book study of the Bible based on the NIV. These studies help readers strengthen their understanding and appreciation of the Bible by enabling them to engage the Scripture on three levels: What does the Bible say? Questions to consider while reading the passage for each session. What does the passage mean? Unpacks key verses in the selected passage. How does the Scripture relate to my life? Provides three major ideas that have meaning for our lives today. The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words.The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words. The simple format makes the study easy to use. Includes maps and glossary with key pronunciation helps.Updates will include: New cover designs. New interior designs. Leader Guide per matching Participant Book (rather than multiple volumes in one book). Updated to 2011 revision of the New International Version Translation (NIV). Updated references to New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible. Include biblical chapters on the contents page beside session lesson titles for at-a-glance overview of biblical structure. Include larger divisions within the contents page to reflect macro-structure of each biblical book. Ex: Genesis 1-11; Genesis 12-50; Exodus 1-15; Exodus 16-40; Isaiah 1-39; Isaiah 40-66.The simple format makes the study easy to use. Each volume is 13 sessions and has a separate leader guide.