Book picks similar to
The United Methodist Clergy Book of Firsts by F Belton Joyner Jr
church
churches-and-church-leadership
religion-theology
The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life: Connecting Christ to Human Experience
Jeremy Pierre - 2016
They are living, complex things that grow and change. Sometimes they fly so high we scrape the top of heaven. Sometimes they barely make it off the ground. Sometimes they feel buried under the ground. What hope do we have of understanding ourselves when we are so changeable? And what hope do we have for lasting change when our response to life is so different from one day to the next? But God designed our hearts to be both varied and varying, and he delights in his craftsmanship. He made our hearts to respond to life in a wide, beautiful spectrum of thought, desire, and choice. This spectrum bends, adapts, expands, and contracts as it dynamically responds to changing situations. The goal of change is not to flatten this variety, but to guide our responses so they reflect who we are in Christ. Jesus perfectly lived his humanity out as a dynamic being. Now as our risen Savior, he redeems all of human experience for his purposes. Without a holistic understanding of people, our approach to those in need of help will be lopsided, focusing on just one aspect of human experienceperhaps simply trying to correct faulty thinking, to stir different emotions, or to correct wrong actions. Focusing on one of these aspects of human experience to the exclusion of the others does not do justice to Gods design. Jeremy Pierre, in this ground-breaking book, lays out a holistic understanding of who we are and how we change through a dynamic relationship with Christ. Every day our dynamic hearts need help from our dynamic Savior. As Dr. Pierre connects the realities of our changing and complex thoughts, desires, emotions, and actions to who we are in Christ, readers will gain a more complete understanding of who we are, who God is, and how change happens in
Moving in the Apostolic: God's Plan to Lead His Church to the Final Victory
John Eckhardt - 1998
We are now experiencing the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit the world has ever known, and we should expect to see multitudes swept into the Kingdom as a result. In this book, John Eckhardt reveals how the apostolic demension affects the preaching, teaching, worship, prayer and giving of the local church--and how apostolic leadership will point the way toward fulfillment of the Great Commission.
Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church
Ron Moseley - 1996
Illuminates the Jewish background of Yeshua and the Church. Shows "Jesus was a Jew. who was born. lived, and died. within first-century Judaism."
Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship
John F. MacArthur Jr. - 2013
As a movement, it is clearly headed the wrong direction. And it is growing at an unprecedented rate.From the Word of Faith to the New Apostolic Reformation, the Charismatic movement is being consumed by the empty promises of the prosperity gospel. Too many charismatic celebrities promote a “Christianity” without Christ, a Holy Spirit without holiness. And their teaching is having a disastrous influence on a grand scale, as large television networks broadcast their heresies to every part of the world.In Strange Fire, MacArthur lays out a chilling case against the modern Charismatic movement that includes:Rejecting its false prophets.Speaking out against their errors.Showing true reverence to the Holy Spirit.Clinging to the Bible as the inerrant, authoritative Word of God and the one true standard by which all truth claims must be tested.
The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For and Believe
Richard Rohr - 2019
In this radical message of hope, Rohr shows how "Jesus" + "Christ" reveal the divine wholeness at the heart of things--and what that means for every one of us.In his decades as a globally recognized teacher, Richard Rohr has helped hundreds of thousands realize what is at stake in matters of faith--and it is not religion as usual. Yet Fr. Rohr has never written on the most perennially talked about topic in Christianity: Jesus Christ. Most know who Jesus was, but who was Christ? Is the word simply Jesus' last name? Too often, declares Rohr, our understandings have been held captive by culture, nationalism, and Christianity itself. Drawing on history, theology, and psychology, Rohr articulates an exhilarating and ultimately more sensible view of Jesus Christ as a portrait, so to speak, of how God works. "The whole of creation is the beloved community--the child of God--not just Jesus," he writes. In a world where religion too often divides, Rohr's understanding of the Incarnation changes not just the significance of Christmas, but how we read history, relate to nature and each other, and find our highest purpose each day. Fans of Rohr's earlier works will find here a synthesis that reveals the broadest, most hopeful vision for humanity imaginable. Newcomers will be drawn to a science-friendly spirituality that feels both modern and timeless. All will value Rohr's practical insights on mindfulness, prayer, and enlightened social action.
The Weight of Glory
C.S. Lewis - 1949
Lewis, the most important Christian writer of the 20th century, contains nine sermons delivered by Lewis during World War Two. The nine addresses in Weight of Glory offer guidance, inspiration, and a compassionate apologetic for the Christian faith during a time of great doubt.
Undiluted: Rediscovering the Radical Message of Jesus
Benjamin L. Corey - 2014
This radical Jesus and His message... • Invites us to reorient our lives not on Christian religion, but on the person of Jesus • Calls us to live out faith in the context of authentic community with others, instead of isolation • Includes the excluded and invites the outcast to have a seat at the table • Responds to enemies with a radical, unexplainable love Undiluted will invite you to step out of your comfort zone and into a process of rediscovering the radical, counter cultural, and life-changing message of Jesus. As you do, you’ll discover a more vibrant faith as you embrace an undiluted Jesus and His radical message!***“ Benjamin L. Corey is the fresh voice that will guide the next generation of Jesus followers into a more beautiful expression of Christianity. This book may just save Christianity from us Christians.”– Frank Schaeffer, author of Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes in God.“Benjamin L. Corey has a way of capturing the heart of Jesus and his message… You’ll find in this book a jolt of full-strength gospel and high-test challenge – along with undiluted encouragement.”- Brian D. McLaren, author/speaker/activist (brianmclaren.net)
Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe: Are Urban Legends & Sunday School Myths Ruining Your Faith?
Larry Osborne - 2009
But somehow such falsehoods keep showing up in the way that many Christians think about life and God. These goofy ideas and beliefs are assumed by millions to be rock-solid truth . . . until life proves they’re not. The sad result is often a spiritual disaster–confusion, feelings of betrayal, a distrust of Scripture, loss of faith, anger toward both the church and God. But it doesn’t have to be so. In this delightfully personal and practical book, respected Bible teacher Larry Osborne confronts ten widely held beliefs that are both dumb and dangerous. Beliefs like these:• Faith can fix anything• God brings good luck• Forgiving means forgetting• Everything happens for a reason• A godly home guarantees good kids…and more.Get ready to be shocked, relieved, and inspired in the pages of Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe. Because the truth is meant to set us free . . . not hurt us.
The Worship Architect
Constance M. Cherry - 2010
Constance M. Cherry, a worship professor and practitioner, provides worship leaders with credible blueprint plans for successfully designing worship services that foster meaningful conversation with God and the gathered community. Readers will learn how to create services that are faithful to Scripture, historically conscious, relevant to God, Christ-centered, and engaging for worshipers of all ages in the twenty-first century. The book sets forth basic principles concerning worship design and demonstrates how these principles are conducive to virtually any style of worship practiced today in a myriad of Christian communities. It will also work well as a guide for worship-planning teams in local churches and provide insight for worship students, pastors, and church leaders involved in congregational worship.
Life of Christ
Fulton J. Sheen - 1958
Filled with compassion and brilliant scholarship, Fulton Sheen's recounting of the Birth, Life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ is as dramatic and moving as the subject Himself.
Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters
N.T. Wright - 2011
Wright summarizes 200 years of modern Biblical scholarship and models how Christians can best retell the story of Jesus today. In a style similar to C.S. Lewis’s popular works, Wright breaks down the barriers that prevent Christians from fully engaging with the story of Jesus. For believers confronting the challenge of connecting with their faith today, and for readers of Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God, Wright’s Simply Jesus offers a provocative new picture of how to understand who Jesus was and how Christians should relate to him today.
The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem
Marcus J. Borg - 2006
Borg & John Dominic Crossan reveal a radical & little-known Jesus. As both authors reacted to & responded to questions about Mel Gibson's blockbuster The Passion of the Christ, they discovered that many Christians are unclear on the details of events during the week leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. Using Mark's gospel as a guide, they present a day-by-day account of Jesus' final week of life. They begin their story on Palm Sunday with two triumphal entries into Jerusalem. The 1st entry, that of Roman governor Pontius Pilate leading Roman soldiers into the city, symbolized military strength. The 2nd heralded a new kind of moral hero who was praised by the people as he rode in on a humble donkey. The Jesus introduced herein is this new moral hero, a more dangerous Jesus than the one enshrined in the church's traditional teachings. The Last Week depicts Jesus giving up his life to protest power without justice & to condemn the rich who lack concern for the poor. In this vein, at the end of the week Jesus marches up Calvary, offering himself as a model for others to do the same when confronted by similar issues. Informed, challenged & inspired, we not only meet the historical Jesus, but meet a new Jesus who engages & invites us to follow him.
God Is My CEO: Following God's Principles in a Bottom-Line World
Larry Julian - 2001
Often, it seems like the conflict between short-term business strategies and their desire to "do the right thing" pull them in opposite directions.In God Is My CEO, readers will learn how to:Develop their God-given talents and skills, while developing a spiritual centerGain ideas and encouragement through real-life stories of successful business leaders who have faced the same challengesLearn to apply a practical daily plan to overcome the toughest business issuesFocus their energies and thoughts on moving forward with a sense of purposeMany business leaders struggle with the dilemma of being successful and living a life with purpose. God Is My CEO offers a practical and inspirational source of guidance for achieving a balanced and accomplished life.
I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church!
Paul Nixon - 2007
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.
God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God
Gregory A. Boyd - 2000
Examining God's foreknowledge of our future decisions, this survey of Scripture's teaching affirms what has been termed as the open view of God.