Book picks similar to
Love Your Church: 8 Great Things about Being a Church Member by Tony Merida
christian
church
theology
non-fiction
Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? 12 False Christs
Matthew R. Richard - 2017
Like the Elvises who roam the streets of Vegas, these counterfeit christs look and sound like Jesus, but they couldn’t be further from the real deal.In Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? 12 False Christs, author Matthew Richard exposes these false christs for what they are . . . mere impostors. Richard reveals to readers who the real Jesus of the Bible is, but also reveals to us twelve false christs who are embraced, loved, promoted, and revered, even by well-meaning Christians.“My hope is that readers will connect with the different stories in this book, but will do so in a way that they can see how people’s false theology and bad presuppositions lead to taking up false christs,” says Richard. “In other words, this book attempts to combine the art of story and the discipline of theology, so that the reader can see flesh-and-blood examples of how easy false theology can lead someone into idolatry.”
The Faith of Leap: Embracing a Theology of Risk, Adventure & Courage
Michael Frost - 2011
It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."To Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, so much of how we have learned to experience and understand the faith has been divorced from the overarching adventure inherent in our God and in our calling. This book is a corrective to the dull, adventureless, risk-free phenomenon that describes so much of contemporary Christianity. It explores the nature of adventure, risk, and courage and the implications for church, discipleship, spirituality, and leadership.
Meant for Good: The Adventure of Trusting God and His Plans for You
Megan Fate Marshman - 2020
Dynamic Bible teacher Megan Fate Marshman will help you discover how to stop discounting yourself from a hopeful future, start living in active dependence on God, and find your way to the good plan He has for you. With authenticity and revelatory insights into the character of God, Megan shares an engaging and fresh look at the core themes within the well-loved scripture of Jeremiah 29:11-14. Through winsome and inspiring stories, Meant for Good will show you how to trust God in your daily life and, more importantly, how to trust God's definition of good above your own. You will discover:That your not-enoughness is exactly enough for God, and that in fact, you have everything you need to take that first step into the life God has for you.How to stop counting yourself out, because Jesus never has. God is up to something really good, and He's inviting you to join Him.How to hear and respond to God's voice, and intentionally grow a personal, intimate relationship with Him.How to defeat anxiety, trust God with all you're carrying and worrying about, and experience a life of freedom in relying on God daily.God has a good plan for you--a plan to give you a hope and a future. Are you ready to believe it?
The Unbelievable Gospel: Say Something Worth Believing
Jonathan K. Dodson - 2012
Showing readers how to utilize the rich gospel metaphors found in Scripture and how to communicate a gospel worth believing--one that speaks to the heart-felt needs of diverse individuals--Dodson connects the gospel to the real issues people face each day by speaking to both the head and the heart.Filled with stories that reveal the long road of relational evangelism and guidance on how to listen to others well, The Unbelievable Gospel is a much-needed resource that will benefit both individuals and churches. Included are study questions for training and group discussion.
A Shepherd Looks at the Good Shepherd and His Sheep
W. Phillip Keller - 1978
Study of Psalm 23
Praying Together: The Priority and Privilege of Prayer in Our Homes, Communities, and Churches
Megan Hill - 2016
And yet, for many, prayer is often a challenge, requiring intense personal commitment and self-discipline. However, as Megan Hill points out in Praying Together, our normal approach to prayer leaves out a crucial component: other people. While personal prayer is important, God designed the church to be a community of believers who regularly pray together. Exploring the Bible's rich teaching on what it means to gather at God's throne with one voice, Hill lays a theological foundation for corporate prayer and offers practical guidance for making it a reality--in our families, churches, and communities.
Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church Right Where You Are
Tim Soerens - 2020
They're embarrassed at how the church is portrayed in the media and dismayed at what appears to be their options for participation. Is church really necessary anymore in our day? Is it even possible? Tim Soerens sees this unsettled state of affairs as an extraordinary opportunity: the church, he says, is on the edge of a new possibility at the very moment so much of it feels like it's falling apart. In his extensive travels in all kinds of neighborhoods, Soerens has seen the beginnings of this movement firsthand. In Everywhere You Look, he lays out practical, actionable steps for building collaborative communities in any neighborhood. Here is a vision of the church grounded in a grassroots movement of ordinary people living out what it means to be the church in their everyday lives. Read this book--and join the movement.
The Prophetic Warrior: Operating in Your True Prophetic Authority
Emma Stark - 2020
You can expect:To flow with revelation, miracles, signs, and wonders like never before.The fullness and power of God to work through you and your family’s life.To receive new thoughts, plans, ideas, creativity and fresh anointings.To speak into people’s lives with a love and a warrior edge that burns away pain and delivers them into freedom.To prophesy and release a successful and prosperous reality to individuals, cities and nations.Growing up in Northern Ireland, prophet Emma Stark was raised in an environment that cultivated boldness and a no-nonsense approach to the prophetic. Now, through heart-warming, shocking and funny real-life stories and practical activations, she releases an impartation of faith and encouragement that will propel you to go beyond your fears and into your wildest expectations and dreams of being a bold truth-teller.Are you ready to be weaponized by Heaven?
Consumer Detox: Less Stuff, More Life
Mark Powley - 2010
Follow along in a three-part deconstruction of today's full-throttle existence to build the kind of life that Jesus modeled.
Unconditional?: The call of Jesus to radical forgiveness
Brian Zahnd - 2010
Should we always forgive?Is forgiveness always even possible?Does forgiveness enable evil? Does it sacrifice justice?Are there ANY limits? In a world where the ugliness of rage and retaliation are driving the story line, Unconditional? offers the beauty, reconciliation, and total restoration of forgiveness the way Jesus taught us to live it. More than just another biblical exposition, this book begins with the horror of the Holocaust as it explores what forgiveness means—and how far it should go—in the real world of murder, rape, child abuse, genocide, and other atrocities. With unusual honesty, compassion, and depth, Zahnd incorporates some of the most compelling and difficult thoughts on the subject from history’s writers, philosophers, and theologians; always returning to the example Jesus gave us with his life and his death.
Praying the Lord's Prayer for Spiritual Breakthrough
Elmer L. Towns - 1997
Each chapter examines a line from the prayer, revealing power points for every believer desiring a more dynamic prayer life. Towns says: "What would you say if you were ushered into the throne room of God with only one minute to request everything you needed, but didn't know how to put it into words? The Lord's Prayer includes everything you need to ask when you talk to God . . . it is a model prayer that teaches us how to pray."
True Worshipers: Seeking What Matters to God
Bob Kauflin - 2015
Rooted in the gospel of grace and filled with practical application, this book aims to connect Sunday morning to the rest of your life--helping you fulfill your calling to be a true worshiper each and every day.
The Fire and the Staff: Lutheran Theology in Practice
Klemet I. Preus - 2005
H. C. Fritz and C. F. W. Walther of fine works on practical ministry- Shows pastors how to carry out ministry on the basis of confessionally Lutheran theological principles- Stories and personal experience lend immediacy to the discussion- Unique in its presentation and content
Words of Life: Jesus and the Promise of the Ten Commandments Today
Adam Hamilton - 2020
Jesus saw these commandments not as onerous burdens, but as guideposts to help us experience a good and beautiful life. These ten ancient "words" were given to us by a loving God who longed to set safe boundaries, create order out of chaos, help communities live peacefully, and protect us--often from ourselves.In this book of Scripture and inspiration, bestselling author Adam Hamilton brings modern eyes to the most important set of ethics in history. He considers the commandments in their historical context, considering the meaning of each commandment in Hebrew, unpacking how Jesus reinterpreted them, and showing how every thou-shalt-not was intended to point to a life-giving "thou shalt." He also explores how the latest research in science and psychology illuminates these commandments, rightly understood, as a way of ordering one's life beautifully in the present day. In a culture marked by workaholism, materialism, and social media-driven envy, God has given us a time-tested path that leads to gratitude, confidence, and peace.A landmark work from one of our most trusted biblical thinkers, Words of Life is an inspiring, thought-provoking read for anyone seeking to live a meaningful and joyful life.
Prepare Him Room: A Daily Advent Devotional
Susie Larson - 2021
But in the hurriedness of December, sometimes we find ourselves sacrificing a sacred pace for hustle, leaving us feeling more stressed than blessed. What if you approached this Advent more open to the things of God? What if you decided to be expectant that God would move in your midst? What if you made room for the true joy found in the coming of our King? Prepare Him Room invites you to give God sacred space in your holiday season as you ponder the miracle of Christ within you and respond to His work in your life. As you begin your Christmas preparations this year, journey through Luke's account of Jesus' birth, life, death, and ultimate resurrection. God invites you to be still and let Jesus radically transform you this holy season. Let earth receive her King!