A recent interview where the authors (George Barna and Frank Viola) answer objections and challenges: http://frankviola.org/2012/06/04/geor...This book isn't to be read alone, but is to be read with the constructive sequel, REIMAGINING CHURCH. The official website with author Q & A is http://www.PaganChristianity.org

    Equally harmful, the praise of man is also a snare, capable of disqualifying God's servants from their highest inheritance. Bob Sorge reveals in this brief book how the truths that set us free from both extremes are amazingly similar.This book answers some crucial questions which grip virtually every believer: What do I do when others demean or hurt me? And how should I respond when others honor or compliment me?Rejection and praise are like twin gullies that flank the narrow highway of holiness. Every step counts. For Jesus, man's opinions were meaningless in light of the exuberant affection and passionate approval of His Father.Let God's truth set you free from the power of rejection's woundings and from the entrapment of man's praises. Learn how to hold your heart before God in a way that pleases Him in the midst of both rejection and praise from people.

    H. C. Fritz and C. F. W. Walther of fine works on practical ministry- Shows pastors how to carry out ministry on the basis of confessionally Lutheran theological principles- Stories and personal experience lend immediacy to the discussion- Unique in its presentation and content

    God always has a better idea. And it most often requires us to move in the opposite direction.In The Opposite Life, pastor and author Alex Seeley explains the secret to living a powerful and abundant life through the upside-down kingdom of God. Each chapter unpacks the opposite-life principles that begin with our way of thinking and yield miraculous results. They includedeath vs. lifefear vs. faithlast vs. firstlove vs. hateworry vs. worshipgive vs. receiveimpossible vs. possibleWe all want the blessed life but sometimes go about it in the wrong way. God’s promises are conditional. He says follow Me, and I will change your weakness into strength, your foolishness into wisdom, and your nothing into everything.

    Jonathan and Wynter Pitts did. Until the reality of married life spilled into their expectations.Jonathan and Wynter invite you on a journey to explore a different approach to your happily-ever-after marriage. Join them for an honest look at the lessons learned as they navigated the ups and downs of early marriage while raising four daughters.Here you will...be encouraged to remove the pressure of a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses marriagelearn to let go of assumptions and embrace your role as servant-leader to your spouseexperience how God can pour His purpose, passion, and fullness into your relationshipEmptied is a way of life. It’s not about trying harder, it’s about thinking differently. Only when you are emptied of your own self-focused motivations can God pour new life into you for the abundant marriage and satisfying relationship you long for. Are you ready to approach your marriage poured out, ready to be filled up?

    --TobyMac, hip hop recording artist; music producer; songwriterMornings can be tough. Sometimes, a hearty breakfast and strong cup of coffee just aren't enough. Offering more than a rush of caffeine, best-selling author Paul David Tripp wants to energize you with the most potent encouragement imaginable: the gospel.Forget "behavior modification" or feel-good aphorisms. Tripp knows that what we really need is an encounter with the living God. Then we'll be prepared to trust in God's goodness, rely on his grace, and live for his glory each and every day.

    Why is this? Partly because we don’t know how. In Unwrapping the Names of Jesus, Asheritah Ciuciu leads readers through the four weeks of Advent (Hope, Preparation, Joy, and Love). Each week: Begins with an interactive family devotional that equips readers to celebrate Advent together Offers five daily reflections that focus on that week's name of Jesus Includes suggestions for fun-filled family activities or service projects  This devotional can be used by readers in their own personal worship times or as a tool to engage in family worship during the busy holiday season. Either way, participants will gain a greater sense of awe and wonder at who Jesus is. By focusing on the person and character of Jesus throughout the Advent season, readers will prepare their hearts so that when they admire the live nativity, sit in the candlelight service, or wake up on Christian morning, they can join the faithful who sing from the bottom of their hearts, "O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!"

    They're always trying hard to be good: a good friend, mom, wife, Christian, employee, or ministry leader, hoping for that "atta-girl" from God. With compelling illustrations from her own life, Christine Hoover leads readers to the understanding that they're living by a lesser gospel, the gospel of goodness, one without Christ's grace. Relying on Scripture, they can start asking, "What does God want for me?" before asking, "What does God want from me?" Women will breathe a sigh of relief at this powerful message of freedom and hope. Rather than serving God out of obligation or duty, they'll be compelled to love and serve God with great joy.

    The feminine virtues described in Titus 2 have transformed her life and the lives of countless other women. This book will show you the appeal of being a woman who lives for God and helps others do the same.

    His touch extended grace to the sick and sinful of ancient Palestine and left a miracle in its wake. And his ministry hasn't ceased. Today, he looks for willing hearts and hands through which he can heal a needy world.Dr. David Stevens knows. His eleven years at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya have shown him more than the drama and sacrifice of missionary medicine. In Jesus, M.D. Dr. Stevens shares the insights he has gained into the character, power, and purposes of the Great Physician and what it means for you to follow in his footsteps.This is more than a book of dramatic, true-life stories. It is an inspiring and challenging invitation to partner with Jesus in his "practice," accompanying him on his rounds to people whose lives he wants to make whole. Discover how to participate with him in bringing his healing touch to your corner of the world. You don't need a medical education--just determination to trust God as your "attending physician," your mentor, your source of guidance, discipline, and encouragement.Dr. Stevens takes you inside stories from the Bible to obtain challenging perspectives and life-changing truths. You'll also get an inside look at life-or-death surgeries; the tense, powerful relationship between resident and attending physicians; the overcrowded patient quarters of a missionary hospital; what it's like to improvise an emergency facial reconstruction; and much more. Best of all, you'll gain surprising insights from the life and methods of Jesus, the ultimate doctor, in his ministry to desperately needy people two thousand years ago . . . and today.Electrifying, moving, and thought-provoking, Jesus, M.D. will help you see your relationship with God and your world in a brand-new light. Your life is filled with incredible possibilities waiting to unfold one by one as you walk in the presence and provision of Dr. Jesus.

    We wait, without understanding why. We want to know God's plan so that we can trust it--but God so often hides his plan so that we will trust "him." What can we do in the meantime as we are waiting for an answer, a change, or a miracle? With deep compassion, Wayne Stiles helps readers understand why God makes them wait. Unpacking the Old Testament story of Joseph, Stiles shows readers how to find comfort and opportunity in the time between God's promises and his answers, revealing the perspective-altering truth that sometimes when we think we are waiting on God, he is actually waiting on us. Anyone who has felt a disconnect between God's promises and their reality, who doesn't know what God wants them to do next, or who struggles with the brokenness of their world will find in Wayne Stiles a wise and trustworthy guide to finding peace in the pauses.

     We live like slaves to our fast-paced, suffocating schedules.  We spend our energy and time in triviality, relegating God to the background.  He seems distant to us, and we resist the idea that God wants to give, say, and show us more; we dismiss it as rumor.  But Jesus calls us to a better way.  Another dream- an unimagined future.  Close the gap between what you hear about and what you see.Rumors is filled with the same forward-thinking spirit that defines its authors, Jon Tyson and Darren Whitehead. ?Louie Giglio, pastor, Passion City ChurchBoth challenging and encouraging, Rumors of God will reintroduce you to a God worth talking about. ?Gabe Lyons, author, The Next Christians, founder, Q, coauthor, UnChristianThis book invites us to find the rumors of God all around us.  Read it, but be ready to be changed. ?Scot McKnight, author, One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow and Jesus Creed for StudentsFor those who are jaded by the church, or have become cynical about the power of the Gospel in our time, Rumors of God is a great antidote. ?Alan Hirsch, author, dreamer, activist (www.theforgottenways.org)Foreword by Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., and chairman of the board for the Willow Creek Association. The irony: two upstart Aussies from tiny towns half a world away wind up leading high impact churches in two of the most significant cities in North America.  Only God.Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson are deep thinking Christ followers with a bias for action in the world.  A rare combination these days.  They are both leaders and communicators, visionaries and "get stuff done for God" guys.  Extremely rare.I have had the privilege of working closely with Darren at Willow Creek Community Church for over 7 years.  He is thoughtful, relationally intelligent and one of the hardest working young leaders I know.In Rumors of God, Darren and Jon have some how succeeded in slipping 3D glasses over our eyes.  The results are that passages from scripture come alive in ways that will impact readers for a long time. I salute the efforts of these young mates and pray that readers will be as stretched in their minds and hearts as I have been.

    This title lays out the scriptural basis for this doctrine.

    If you did not fear death. If you did not fear life and what it might bring. If you did not fear any man, or woman, or any living creature. How would you go about your days differently?In Life Without Lack, Dallas Willard revolutionizes our understanding of Psalm 23 by taking this comfortably familiar passage and revealing its extraordinary promises: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. . . . I will fear no evil." The psalmist claims to live without any need and without any fear. How is that possible?Written with Willard's characteristic gentle wisdom, Life Without Lack helps readers experienceGod's presence,his abundant generosity, andpeace and freedom from worry.Based on a series of talks by the late author and edited by his friend Larry Burtoft and by his daughter, Rebecca Willard Heatley, Life Without Lack will forever change the way you understand and apply the most well-known passage in all Scripture.

     When Nate Wilson looks at the world around him, he asks "What is this place? Why is this place? Who approved it? Am I supposed to take it seriously?" What could such an outlandish, fantastical world say about its Creator? In these sparkling chapters, Wilson gives an aesthetic examination of the ways in which humanity has tried to make sense of this overwhelming carnival ride of a world. He takes a whimsical, thought-provoking look at everything from the "magic" of quantum physics, to nature's absurdities, to the problem of evil, evolution and hell. These frequently humorous, and uniquely beautiful portraits express reality unknown to many Christians-the reality of God's story unfolding around and among us. As the author says, "Welcome to His poem. His play. His novel. His comedy. Let the pages flick your thumbs."