Ask the same crowd whether they live like Jesus, and most of those same hands will come down. Why is this? Why is it so hard to bridge the gap between belief and real life?Respected author, professor, and psychologist Gary W. Moon thinks it has to do with our hyper-intellectual but non-experiential method of living the Christian life. In this winsome book Moon provides a thirty-day apprenticeship with Jesus, whereby readers will actively practice being with Jesus day in and day out. Each day's reading uses compelling stories and scripture to illustrate a point and closes with a suggested apprenticeship activity.

    Ecclesiastes is gloomy, skeptical, and irreverent. It is caustic and drolly splenetic. It is unapologetically human. It refuses to abet our hunger for clean narratives and happy endings. It is a hopeless book. Insisting on life’s futility, the world’s capriciousness, and God’s inscrutability, it deliberately cultivates despair. It sees such bone-deep hopelessness as the only cure for what ails us. Ecclesiastes is a hard book full of hard sayings. It is an anvil against which our hearts must be hammered. No wonder we avoid it. But the cost of avoidance is high. As Paul insists, in order to become Christian, we must first learn to be hopeless. Hopelessness is the door to Zion. Hopelessness is crucial to a consecrated life. Before we can find hope in Christ, we must give up hope in everything else." In "Nothing New Under the Sun," Adam S. Miller provides a sharp, contemporary paraphrase of Ecclesiastes, continuing to work in the same vein as the popular "Grace is Not God's Backup Plan: An Urgent Paraphrase of Paul's Letter to the Romans" (2015).

    It's an approach that can truly transform the spiritual lives of young people by applying the same one-to-one personal method that Jesus Himself used to form his twelve original disciples . . . only one of whom was lost!Fritz has worked with countless parishes, helping them make the shift to a small-group discipleship structure. You'll learn to avoid the many pitfalls and common mistakes parishes make, as well as ways you can easily build the volunteer base needed for a successful transition.He will help you create a comfortable environment that leads young people into self-reflection, as well as the critical role parents and the parish community play in youth formation.Finally, Fritz shares various resources that can help you accomplish your goal. But he warns: you're not running a program that has been pre-developed. Relationships and mentoring make disciples; programs do not.If you're troubled by the number of young people in your parish who leave the Faith year after year, then open these illuminating pages and learn the art of forming young disciples.

    Life keeps us busy, and the poor and disenfranchised of our world are invisible as we go from our garage to our workplace and back again. But suburbanites can be a force for social justice in the world. In this unique book, readers will take a journey with a young couple from the 'burbs as they learn to notice and act on the issues of justice that abound no matter where you live. This engaging narrative helps readers kiss apathy and ignorance goodbye in favor of a life of concern and action in order to help our fellow human beings.

    In each chapter, she names a different identity issue, such as: “I am invisible,” “I am worn out,” “I am undisciplined,” “I am ordinary,” and “I am afraid to dream.” With each honest admission, Angela teaches that God lovingly replies, “Yes, I know your heart. I see your struggle. Now…do you know who I AM?”Ultimately Angela reveals that the secret to being known and loved lies in an intimate understanding of who God is. Each identity struggle is answered with a short biblical study on the character of God that assures readers that their personal, spiritual, and eternal fulfillment is not dependent on getting themselves together. Rather, God has a purpose for them just as they are—broken, afraid, disappointed, disillusioned. Through vivid storytelling, biblical teaching, and practical application, readers will find the heartfelt answers they seek.

    Instead of an awkward experience, sharing your faith can be a simple, everyday part of life. As you grow in your love for Jesus, sharing him with others will overflow into every conversation. Casual interactions will turn into significant moments that bring the gospel into all your relationships.