An experienced pastor sounds the alarm about dangers that threaten the soul of a leader, offering hope for a sustainable and enjoyable life.

    Confident that seminary equipped them with the tools they need for the journey ahead, they find themselves discouraged when the realities of their first call don't line up with what they came to expect from assigned readings and classroom discussions. This book, with contributions from fifteen veteran pastors, including Daniel L. Akin, Juan Sanchez, Phil A. Newton, Scott Sauls, offers real-world advice about the joys and challenges of the first five years of pastoral ministry--bridging the gap between seminary training and life in a local church. Armed with wisdom from those who have gone before them, young pastors will find encouragement to stand firm in the thick of the realities and rigors of pastoral ministry.

    FergusonIn our world, we use the word heart to refer to our emotions. But the Bible uses the word heart to refer to the governing center of life. We need to grasp the true meaning of the heart in order to better understand ourselves, our sin, and our need for redemption. As we rediscover the heart as the source of all our thoughts, fears, words, and actions, we will discover principles and practices for orienting our hearts to truly love and obey God with all that we are.

    In this volume, popular author Walter Brueggemann writes that the Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about becoming a whole person and restoring a whole society. Importantly, Brueggemann speaks to a 24/7 society of consumption, a society in which we live to achieve, accomplish, perform, and possess. We want more, own more, use more, eat more, and drink more. Keeping the Sabbath allows us to break this restless cycle and focus on what is truly important: God, other people, all life. Brueggemann offers a transformative vision of the wholeness God intends, giving world-weary Christians a glimpse of a more fulfilling and simpler life through Sabbath observance.

    And it's not just happening on the nominal fringe; it's happening at the core of the Faith. What are the factors that could cause the next generation to be lost from the local church? Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis commissioned Britt Beamer from America's Research Group to find out. In the first scientific study of its kind, Beamer surveyed a thousand 20-30 year olds who used to go to Evangelical churches on a regular basis but have since left it behind. The results are not just surprising, they are shocking: Those who faithfully attended Sunday school are more likely to leave the church than those who do not! Those who regularly attended Sunday school are more likely to believe that the Bible is less true! Over half of those who faithfully attended church feel that the church is not relevant to real life today. Statistic by statistic, Ham and Beamer blow the lid off basic assumptions and implications regarding faith, the age of the earth, the inerrancy of the Bible and the great disconnect that is taking place between our children and their church experience. The trends are frightening, but Already Gone shows how to fight back in our families, our churches and our world. We can make a difference today that will affect the statistics of tomorrow!"

    Owen is very insistent that believers cannot hope to succeed in this battle in their own strength. He sees clearly that the fight can be won only through faith in Christ, and in the power of the Spirit. Fighting sin with human strength will produce only self-righteousness, superstition and anxiety of conscience. But with faith in Christ, and with the power of the Spirit, victory is certain. The temptations in times like Owen's and ours are obvious on every side; the remedy to them is clearly pointed out in this practical and helpful book.

    6:6).Today we see a culture that is increasingly hostile to Christians, and Christians are increasingly aware that they need to form strong communities to do for them what the culture no longer can. This is a good thing, but it will only work if like Nehemiah and his men we are committed to resisting the dictates of our culture. If we are at all afraid of looking like the crazy fundamentalists that our culture loves to hate, then our communities will be as easily led by the culture as anybody else.In this short book, Pastor Douglas Wilson describes some of the most important ways to create and maintain counter-cultural Christian communities. Whether he is talking about the need for kids to get calluses or for love and loyalty within churches, Douglas Wilson brings decades of on-the-ground wisdom and experience to the topic.A city without walls is not really a city; neither is a city without a church at the center. Get busy. Build the walls, fight sin, love your family and church, and live out the Gospel.

    Best-selling author Os Guinness goes beyond our surface understanding of God's call and addresses the fact that God has a specific calling for our individual lives.Why am I here? What is God's call in my life? How do I fit God's call with my own individuality? How should God's calling affect my career, my plans for the future, my concepts of success? Guinness now helps the reader discover answers to these questions, and more, through a corresponding workbook - perfect for individual or group study.According to Guinness, "No idea short of God's call can ground and fulfill the truest human desire for purpose and fulfillment." With tens of thousands of readers to date, The Call is for all who desire a purposeful, intentional life of faith.Also availbale in audio format, narrated by Os Guinness.

    As the leader of an evangelical theological seminary that trains men and women as leaders for the church and society, Mark Labberton writes: "People ask many questions about how their lives relate to the world. What are our lives in this world about? What are we to make of being human? Why are we here? Is there a reason we are alive, and, if so, how would we know what that is? These questions are brought on at times by beauty and joy, but also by the daunting facts of our own lives or of the world around us. We look around in doubt, in pain, in suffering. These are human questions asked throughout history by those inside and outside the church."We long to renew our hope for a world broken and hurting. And it is we, Gods people living in the power of the Holy Spirit, who are called to become this hope and flourish while in exile. Here is the crisis: we are made and redeemed for this calling, but it slides through our fingers. Here is the promise: living and practicing who and why we are is our Christian vocation whenever and wherever we may be.Will you answer the call?

    Made in the image of God and called to follow a risen Lord through the world God made--we're anything but normal. Given all that, it should not be surprising to us when miraculous things happen in our midst. Still, many of us are intimidated at the thought of it, and we stop short of trying so we won't disappoint God with our lack of faith, or--if we're being honest--so we won't be disappointed when God fails to deliver. InMiracle Work Jordan Seng tells remarkable stories of physical healings and prophetic messages. He reflects on the possibility and limitations of a contemporary ministry that believes in the power of God, and helps us train and prepare ourselves for when God works through us in the lives of others. Read Miracle Work for a better understanding of what it means to be agents of grace, healing and even miracles in a world that desperately needs the good news of God's loving, healing touch.

    Used wisely, it is one key to accomplishing our goals, providing for our needs, and fulfilling our life purpose. In recent years, many of us ignored the wisdom of the past when it came to managing and spending our money. Credit card debt soared, savings rates plummeted, and our home equity became something to be tapped into and spent rather than a source of security in retirement. We felt an insatiable desire for more. And we found ourselves spending tomorrow's money today in order to have what we hoped would satisfy. The result of all of this was not greater happiness and satisfaction, but greater stress and anxiety. Enough is an invitation to rediscover the Bible's wisdom when it comes to prudent financial practices. In these pages are found the keys to experiencing contentment, overcoming fear, and discovering joy through simplicity and generosity. This book could change your life, by changing your relationship with money. "We Americans love our stuff. We're living in a fast-paced, me-first, instant-gratification world, and it's finally catching up to us. Debt is out of control, homes are in foreclosure ... even banks are going out of business. What the world needs today is the message of contentment and simplicity, and that's exactly what Pastor Adam Hamilton delivers in Enough." Dave Ramsey, New York Times Best-Selling Author and Nationally Syndicated Radio Talk Show Host "Once again, Adam Hamilton is leading the church; 'Enough is enough' was once a Wesleyan watchword. Adam breathes new life into the Wesleyan commitment to simplicity. Amid a culture of greed and conspicuous consumption Adam calls us to a biblically based, evangelical joy of having the faith to say 'enough is enough.'" Bishop Will Willimon United Methodist Church, Birmingham Area "I pay close attention to whatever Adam Hamilton writes. His books are marked by extraordinary pastoral insight, biblical and theological depth, courage to speak the truth, and down-to-earth practicality. Enough comes like an antidote in the middle of a pandemic. I hope that classes, groups, couples, and individuals will use this book--and the economic crisis it addresses--as a challenge to get healthy again by deepening our discipleship in the vital area of money and possessions." Brian McLaren, Author/Networker (brianmclaren.net)

    In this classic volume, Charles Swindoll uniquely shows the important aspects of authentic servanthood, such as:What it takes to serve unselfishlyWhy a servant has such a powerful influenceWhat challenges and rewards a servant can expectHe offers clear guidelines on developing a servant's heart and challenges you to realize the rich rewards promised in a life of authentic Christian servanthood.

    This bold book is an urgent call to parents--and the church--to return to biblical discipleship in and through the home.

    One will learn communion's origin deepen his relationship with God and be challenged in discipleship.

    He lifts up the enduring character of each tradition and shows how a variety of practices, from individual study and retreat to disciplines of service and community, are all essential elements of growth and maturity. Foster examines the unique contributions of each of these traditions and offers as examples the inspiring stories of faithful people whose lives defined each of these "streams."