Often, though, we go through the motions at Mass without an appreciation for what has really happened. Popular speaker and author Mark Hart helps Catholics move beyond the repetition and ritual to see the Mass for what it really is: a heavenly banquet, a wedding feast, in which heaven and earth meet. In his engaging style, Hart guides readers toward a deeper understanding of the Massits roots in the Jewish Sabbath, its sacrificial character, and its signs and symbols. As we are told to go in peace, he inspires us to see the Mass as a place to be nourished so that we can further Christs mission in the world. In the last part of the book, Hart provides pithy answers to frequently asked questions, such as Why cant I leave right after Communion? or Why did the words change? Finally, Hart offers ten things we can do to get more out of Mass.

    For this very reason, Paul Nixon refused to lead a dying church. Paul invites you to join his commitment in refusing, ever again, to lead a dying church. This commitment entails six choices: choosing life over death; choosing community over isolation; choosing fun over drudgery; choosing bold over mild; choosing frontier over fortress; and choosing now rather than later.

    And you can claim it beginning now. The well know Bible story of David and Goliath is the back drop that Steven A. Cramer uses to show how we can enlist the aid of the Lord in overcoming any of our problems. In our day, we do not have to face nine-foot giants physically, but often our Goliaths come in the form of spiritual giants that will not yield to a stone or sword.

    Webber explains the postures, the Christian year, the colors we use during various seasons, and all the elements in the Service of the Eucharist.As in Webber's very popular Welcome to the Episcopal Church, the tone of the easy-to-read book is conversational, making it useful for parish study.

    With a husband alway traveling, a daughter on the brink and still adjusting to her new ward, she hopes her new visiting teaching route will bring some much needed companionship. Then she finds out she has been given the hardest visiting teaching route ever with the surly inactive Bishop's wife at the top of the list. At least her companion Gwen seemed nice, an older woman in a nursing home who said no one had visited her in years. Using this to her advantage, Cath calls her new sisters and convinces them to cheer Gwen up. Surprisingly most agree but when Cath arrives at the Pleasant Valley Home for the Elderly she is disappointed to find Gwen fast asleep. Apparently Gwen has a sleeping disorder called KSL and no one knows when she will wake up- it could be weeks. Armed with a bucket of crayons and a handful of paper, Cath convinces the sisters to write Gwen notes so when she does wake up, she'll know some cares. What no one guessed is that Gwen would write back and change all of these women's lives forever.

    But what does it mean to always have the Lord's Spirit with us? And how can we recognize the presence and guidance of the Holy Ghost in our lives?Paired with both inspirational and personal photography, this new book brings together some of Elder Ronald A. Rasband's greatest stories and counsel about recognizing the divine hand of the Lord in our lives. Get to know Elder Rasband and his teachings as he draws upon personal experiences from his younger life and his ministry as an Apostle. Through his own experience, he helps us learn first how to seek the Spirit and then how to recognize and respond to divine guidance in our families, with friends and colleagues, in our Church service, and during times of trial.Each of these short quotes, heartfelt stories, and brief messages is an important reminder that the Lord is in the small details of our lives. He is interested in our success and eternal happiness, and He has provided the Holy Ghost to offer divine guidance and lead us back to Him.

    Original.

    To the world around us, this kind of unconditional love makes little sense. The world is really good at loving some people, sometimes. Most of us are. But what about loving people who don't talk like us, think like us, vote like us, or see the world like we do?In this five-session video Bible study (DVD/streaming video sold separately), Bob points the way to embodying love by doing the unexpected, the intimidating, the seemingly impossible--to love everybody the way Jesus loved them--without fear, insecurity, or reservations...Love everybody: Begin by loving people right where you are through serving and helping the neighbors God has placed in your world.  Love always: Love people when they mess up, and help them move past the place of shame to acceptance.  Love God: Be courageous and follow where God leads one step at a time--even if you feel like you're flying blind.  Love now: Don't just agree with Jesus, but actually step out and do what Jesus said. Each session explores a different aspect of unconditional love:Love People Where You Are  Catch People on the Bounce  Don’t Play It Safe  Look at What’s in Your Bucket  Love Even the Difficult PeopleFollowing Christ means more than just putting a toe in the water when it comes to loving others. It means grabbing your knees and doing a cannonball! And, as Jesus revealed, it means loving the difficult ones. The Everybody, Always Study Guide provides practical steps to help you take that journey.Includes video discussion questions, Bible exploration, personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions, and a leader's guide.Designed for use with the Everybody, Always Video Study (9780310095361), sold separately.

    Using a blend of quotes, questions for individual and group reflection, stories, and suggestions for spiritual practices, it provides a wise guide for deepning the spiritual journey--at any time of life.

    Though tragic, it is also a story of triumph that scarcely has an equal. It is one of history's great witnesses of the power of faith and sacrifice. Although this story is one of the most frequently told of all Mormon pioneer accounts, it is also among the least understood. This book provides the most comprehensive and accessible account of these pioneers' epic 1856 journey. In addition to painting a broad perspective of the trek, it includes dozens of personal stories from the pioneers themselves. Woven into the larger story of the journey west, these stories inspire, build faith, recount miracles, and reveal how these pioneers were able to endure such adversity. The book also includes chapters on the lives of many of these pioneers after the handcart trek. Immerse yourself in the challenges and miracles of this astounding odyssey as never before!

    For your study this school year, you will first complete reading assignments from the scripture text for this course—the Book of Mormon—and then you will complete the individual lessons. Once a week you will meet with a seminary teacher to submit your work and participate in a weekly lesson.Seminary is a daily religious education program. Prayerfully studying your scriptures should be a daily practice. You will need to work on your seminary assignments each school day, even though you will not attend a seminary class each day. There are 32 units to be completed during the course. The reading chart on page viii shows what you should study for each unit. Your teacher will help you understand when each unit is due. The lessons in this study guide should each take about 30 minutes to complete, in addition to your daily scripture study.You should have two scripture study journals (or two notebooks), separate from your personal journal, in which you will write the assignments from the study guide activities. Each week that you meet with your teacher, you should turn in the scripture study journal containing the completed assignments from the study guide activities you completed for that week. Your teacher will read and respond to the assignments and return that scripture study journal to you the following week. You could also write your responses on paper in a loose-leaf binder and turn in the pages you did that week. Then, when your teacher returns the pages, you could put them back into the notebook."

    Are you making your first-time guests feel welcome? Or are you driving them away—unintentionally—with bad signage, reserved seating, clunky communication and more? In this practical book, Jonathan Malm examines 50 ways churches make first-time visitors feel unwelcome. The transgressions range from insider lingo to awkward transitions, a cold congregation to the over-eager greeter. With all 50 church faux pas, Jonathan suggests ways to not only fix the problem, but also infuse excellence into the situation so churches can put their best foot forward with first-time guests. A few simple changes can help your church roll out the welcome mat for your guests.

    Morning and evening prayers for each of the four seasons, as well as rituals and contemporary psalms for sacred seasons and a wide variety of occasions.

    Why is Christ called the “Son of God”? Discover an answer so simple you’ll wonder why you never saw it before, and so beautiful it’ll take your breath away.

     Bob Farr asserts that to change the world, we must first change the Church. As Adam Hamilton says in the Foreword, "Read [this book] carefully with other leaders in your church. . . . You'll soon discover both a desire to renovate your church and the tools to effectively lead your church forward." If we want to join Robert Schnase and claim radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity, we must also engage pastors and motivate churches. We must renovate and overhaul our churches and not merely redecorate and tinker with our church structure. With straightforward language and practical tips, this book will inspire and help you organize your church for new life on the mission field. Learn how to grow your church and discover the commitments that denominational leaders must make to guarantee the fruitfulness of local congregations.