Starting Point Conversation Guide


Andy Stanley - 2008
    Whether you are new to the Christian faith, simply curious about it, or reexamining it after time away from church, you’ll appreciate the accepting, conversational, small group environment. Come as you are, be who you are, and build enriching connections with fellow travelers as you explore who God is and what Christianity is really about.Starting Point is a natural, enjoyable, and potentially life-changing experience.Each of the ten sessions consists of three important parts:First, selecting one of the five CDs that come with this Conversation Guide, you’ll listen to a teaching by Andy Stanley.Second, you’ll use this guidebook to help you reflect, and to journal your thoughts on how what you’re discovering connects with your life—with who you are, how you think, what you believe…with the things that matter most to you.Finally, in your weekly group meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to share your thoughts and experiences with fellow travelers in a supportive environment that is designed to enhance sharing and connection.From Creation across history and into the future—from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation—God’s story is a story of relationship, and your name is in it. Welcome to the journey of finding out how the story started…where it ends…and how God’s story and your story unite.

God's Amazing Grace


J. Bennett Collins - 2011
    Collins speaks of what remains to be the most amazing thing that he or anyone else has encountered in a full lifetime. The fact that God would save wicked men and forgive their sins is truly amazing. But the grace of God does not stop there. Our whole life is filled with the manifestation of God's grace to us. Here you will find what grace is and how it affects us who know Christ.

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.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ


Paul David Washer - 2017
    Presenting passage after passage from the Bible, Washer describes the holy character of God, the human problem of sin, and the divine solution found in Jesus’s redemptive life, death, and resurrection for all who repent and believe. If you are interested in knowing the basic claims of the gospel or know someone exploring the truths of Christ, this succinct treatment of the greatest news the world has ever heard is just what you need. Author: Paul Washer ministered as a missionary in Peru for ten years, during which time he founded the HeartCry Missionary Society to support Peruvian church planters. Paul now serves as one of the laborers with the HeartCry Missionary Society (www.heartcrymissionary.com). He and his wife Charo have four children: Ian, Evan, Rowan, and Bronwyn. Endorsement: “Nothing is more beautiful than the gospel, the good news that God saves sinners through Jesus Christ. Nothing is more damning than a false gospel. With the Word of God constantly in view, Paul Washer leads us step by step to know the truth about who God is, who we are, and how we may live with God now and forever. This booklet is medicine for the sinner and food for the saint.” — Dr. Joel R. Beeke, president, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Compassion Without Compromise: How the Gospel Frees Us to Love Our Gay Friends Without Losing the Truth


Adam T. Barr - 2014
    - Your elementary-age child's curriculum will discuss LGBT families.- Your company will talk about building a tolerant workplace for LGBT co-workers.- Your college-age child will tell you your view on homosexuality is bigoted.Are you ready?In their role as pastors, Adam Barr and Ron Citlau have seen how this issue can tear apart families, friendships, and even churches. In this book they combine biblical answers with practical, real-world advice on how to think about and discuss this issue with those you care about. They also tell the story of Ron's personal journey from same-sex attraction and sexual brokenness to healing. Truth does not preclude kindness--and a good dose of humility is necessary to love our neighbors. With sensitivity and winsomeness, this book will offer an honest but inviting message to readers: We are all in need of the healing that can only come from the truth of the gospel.

The Triumph of Zion: Our Personal Quest for the New Jerusalem


John Pontius - 2010
    With so much emphasis on building Zion physically on Earth, we sometimes forget that the best place to build Zion is within our own hearts. John Pontius carefully details the importance of Zion in our own lives, opening our eyes to our oft-overlooked obligations and vast privileges. With hundreds of references from the scriptures and the prophets of our dispensation, The Triumph of Zion Our Personal Quest for the New Jerusalem will guide you in obtaining the blessings of Zion for yourself and your family.

Prayer Shield: How To Intercede for Pastors, Christian Leaders and Others On the Spiritual Frontlines


C. Peter Wagner - 1992
    It's the person out on the front line, leading God's army into the world to proclaim His good news. Pastors, teachers, and all types of leaders are under severe attack from the enemy. And they're depending on the prayers of those who care to help see them through. The enemy knows where our leaders are vulnerable, and he strikes at their weakest points. But the greater power is on our side. Through intercessory prayer you can reinforce your leaders with God's strength and protection.

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution


Carl R. Trueman - 2020
    Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, sexual identity has dominated both public discourse and cultural trends--and yet, no historical phenomenon is its own cause. From Augustine to Marx, various views and perspectives have contributed to the modern understanding of self. In The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Carl Trueman carefully analyzes the roots and development of the sexual revolution as a symptom, rather than the cause, of the human search for identity. This timely exploration of the history of thought behind the sexual revolution teaches readers about the past, brings clarity to the present, and gives guidance for the future as Christians navigate the culture's ever-changing search for identity.

Going Deep: Becoming A Person of Influence


Gordon MacDonald - 2011
     Pastor Gordon MacDonald revisits the fictional New England congregation of his critically acclaimed book Who Stole My Church to deal with a new dilemma: What's his church's story? What is it doing that justifies its existence? The importance of these questions is anything but fiction.Through a series of e-mails and discussions with friends and parishioners, Pastor Gordon's search for their story leads him to realize that the future of the Christian faith, and thus the church, is at risk. As MacDonald says, "We seem to know how to get unchurched people to visit our buildings. We even seem to know how to draw them across the line into a declaration of personal faith in Jesus. But what we do not seem to know is how to cultivate spiritually deep people. Tomorrow's church could be headed for trouble."Deep people. People who possess spiritual awareness and maturity, people with solid, grounded, life-altering faith. MacDonald shows that the church needs people with a passion for God's presence and a desperate hunger to seek him above all things. Join Pastor MacDonald and his congregation on their quest to cultivate spiritual depth and grow into a community of believers whose hearts and minds are truly focused on God.

Show Them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel to Kids


Jack Klumpenhower - 2014
    They listened attentively in Sunday school, made friends, and seemed committed. But one day, they quit. What happened? The Bible says we love God because he first loved us. So if we are not primarily teaching our kids about Gods love for us in Christ, we may miss our opportunity to capture their hearts. But what does it look like to teach a gospel-centered lesson? Show Them Jesus is an instruction manual for teachers of kids and teens written by a lay Bible teacher with 30 years experience

The Undefended Self: Living the Pathwork of Spiritual Wholeness


Susan Thesenga - 1994
    In a schema not unlike the id, ego, and superego, Pathworkn incluidas.

An Emergent Manifesto of Hope (emersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith)


Doug PagittTim Conder - 2007
    Is it a passing fad led by disenfranchised neo-evangelicals? Or is it the future of the church at large? An Emergent Manifesto of Hope represents a coming together of divergent voices into a conversation that pastors, students, and thoughtful Christians can now learn from and engage. This unprecedented collection of writings includes articles by some of the most important voices in the emergent conversation, including Brian McLaren, Dan Kimball, and Sally Morgenthaler. It also introduces some lesser known but integral players representing "who's next" within the emerging church. The articles cover a broad range of topics, such as spirituality, theology, multiculturalism, post-colonialism, sex, evangelism, and many others. Anyone who wants to know what the emerging church is all about needs to start here.

How to be a Christian Without Being Religious: Discover the Joy of Being Free in Your Faith


Fritz Ridenour - 1971
    They end up carrying a burden God never intended them to bear. And what's more, their brand of Christianity ends up looking like any other religion of the world-bound by joyless rules and rituals. Fritz Ridenour's study of the book of Romans provides an antidote to the pharisaical spirit and shows that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. It is not man reaching up, but God reaching down. Every Christian can enjoy his or her birthright when they realize who they are in Christ. The result is a life full of hope, joy, power and potential.

Psalm 82: The Divine Council of the Gods, the Judgment of the Watchers and the Inheritance of the Nations


Brian Godawa - 2018
    Way more.This booklet is author Godawa’s biblical proof for the narrative he follows in his two best-selling series Chronicles of the Nephilim and Chronicles of the Apocalypse. The Divine Council of the Gods First, Godawa examines the amazing Biblical truth that God has a myriad of divine beings that surround his throne, counsel with God, and carry out his decisions. The Judgment of the Watchers But then God gives the Gentile nations over to be ruled by some of these divine beings, who are also called Watchers.The Watchers rule unjustly and become false gods. As a result God promises to punish them by taking away their immortality. The Inheritance of the Nations And all of this will be accomplished through Messiah, who would take back the nations from the Watchers.But when did all this happen? And where?Get this booklet and you’ll find the answers that will open up a storyline in the Bible that will change your life.

Love Is Patient, But I'm Not: Confessions of a Recovering Perfectionist


Christopher West - 2017
    . . but not like this.In this revealing book, renowned speaker and author Christopher West discusses the topic of love and relationships, but he does it through the lens of his own powerful and personal experience. If you've ever wondered what to do with that deep cry of your heart to love and be loved, read on.Love Is Patient, but I'm Not offers West's reflections on Pope Francis book The Joy of Love. It focuses on the heart of the pope's meditations on the famous love is patient and kind passage from 1 Corinthians 13. Its short chapters will take you line by line through the passage, and will also let you in on some intimate aspects of West's faith journey—his wound of perfectionism, his consequent challenges as a husband and father, and the ups and downs he experiences as he struggles to work it all out. As it turns out, we aren't the only ones who find it hard to live out the love St. Paul describes for us.Interspersed throughout the book are short prayers and questions for reflection designed to help you open your heart to God and experience his unconditional, merciful love more fully. Read this book for a dose of spiritual encouragement and for a real-life look at what it means to live the joy of love.