Book picks similar to
A Maze of Grace by Paul Chappell
christian-walk
biblical
ministry
pre18
The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times
Robert J. Morgan - 2001
But God delivered the Israelites, and He will deliver us too.The Red Sea Rules reveals, even in the midst of seemingly impossible situations, God's promise to make a way for us. His loving guidance will protect us through danger, illness, marital strife, financial problems--whatever challenges Satan places in our path.Using the Israelites' story as an example, Robert Morgan offers ten sound strategies for moving from fear to faith. Among them: Realize that God means for you to be where you are. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord. Pray.Life is hard, especially for Christians. It is certain that we will face difficulties, and that God will allow them, as He allowed the Israelites to become trapped between Pharaoh's rushing armies and the uncrossable Red Sea. But just as certain is the fact that the same God who led us in will lead us out. As The Red Sea Rules makes comforingly clear, He is in control.
The Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down: The Lord's Prayer as a Manifesto for Revolution
R. Albert Mohler Jr. - 2018
But to the disciples who first heard these words from Jesus, the prayer was a thunderbolt, a radical new way to pray that changed them and the course of history.Far from a safe series of comforting words, the Lord’s Prayer makes extraordinary claims, topples every earthly power, and announces God’s reign over all things in heaven and on earth. In this groundbreaking new book, R. Albert Mohler Jr. recaptures the urgency and transformational nature of the prayer, revealing once again its remarkable, world-upending power. Step by step, phrase by phrase, The Prayer that Turns the World Upside Down explains what these words mean and how we are to pray them.The Lord’s Prayer is the most powerful prayer in the Bible, taught by Jesus to those closest to him. We desperately need to relearn its power and practice. The Prayer that Turns the World Upside Down shows us how.
Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
Shane Claiborne - 2007
In what can be termed lyrical theology, Jesus for President poetically weaves together words and images to sing (rather than dictate) its message. It is a collaboration of Shane Claiborne's writing and stories, Chris Haw's reflections and research, and Chico Fajardo-Heflin's art and design. Drawing upon the work of biblical theologians, the lessons of church history, and the examples of modern-day saints and ordinary radicals, Jesus for President stirs the imagination of what the Church could look like if it placed its faith in Jesus instead of Caesar. A fresh look at Christianity and empire, Jesus for President transcends questions of "Should I vote or not?" and "Which candidate?" by thinking creatively about the fundamental issues of faith and allegiance. It's written for those who seek to follow Jesus, rediscover the spirit of the early church, and incarnate the kingdom of God.
Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by New Church Starts
Jim Griffith - 2008
They have condensed their vast experiences down to ten points that account for the great majority of failures among church planters. For each point, the authors provide examples of the particular mistake and ways to avoid it. They speak in special sections to coaches and supervisors, showing them how to work with church planters to avoid the mistakes. The ten mistakes point in most cases to plans made on the basis of past experiences or unrealistic models that do not fit either the particular church planter or the mission field where the church is planned. The church planter must take the initiative to do God's work as directed by the Holy Spirit, not copy a religious superstar's methods or approach the works as defined by outside sources.
The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity
Skye Jethani - 2009
A growing number of people are disturbed by the values exhibited by the contemporary church. Worship has become entertainment, the church has become a shopping mall, and God has become a consumable product. Many sense that something is wrong, but they cannot imagine an alternative way. The Divine Commodity finally articulates what so many have been feeling and offers hope for the future of a post-consumer Christianity. Through Scripture, history, engaging narrative, and the inspiring art of Vincent van Gogh, The Divine Commodity explores spiritual practices that liberate our imaginations to live as Christ's people in a consumer culture opposed to the values of his kingdom. Each chapter shows how our formation as consumers has distorted an element of our faith. For example, the way churches have become corporations and how branding makes us more focused on image than reality. It then energizes an alternative vision for those seeking a more meaningful faith. Before we can hope to live differently, we must have our minds released from consumerism's grip and captivated once again by Christ.
According to Plan
Graeme Goldsworthy - 1991
Concise, pithy chapters with dozens of charts, highlighted summaries and study questions make Graeme Goldsworthy's introductory text enormously useful for understanding how the Bible fits together as the unfolding story of God's plan for salvation.
Love Idol: Letting Go of Your Need for Approval - and Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes
Jennifer Dukes Lee - 2014
We desire to be recognized, to be valued, to be respected . . . to be loved. Yet this natural yearning too often turns into an idol of one of God's most precious gifts: love itself. If you, like so many of us, spend your time and energy trying to earn brownie points--at work, home, and church--all the while fearing that, at any moment, the facade will drop, and everyone will see your hidden mess . . . then love may have become an idol in your life. In this poignant and hope-filled book, Jennifer Dukes Lee shares her own lifelong journey of learning to rely on the unconditional love of God. She gently invites us to make peace with our imperfections and to stop working overtime for a love that is already ours. "The Love Idol" will help us dismantle what's separating us from true connection with God and rediscover the astonishing joy of a life full of freedom in Christ.
Making Neighborhoods Whole: A Handbook for Christian Community Development
Wayne Gordon - 2013
And so the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) was born, with Wayne Gordon an immediate and enthusiastic participant. Nearly thirty years later CCDA's eight key components of community development still set the bar for how churches, parachurches and nonprofits engage cities with the whole gospel.Relocation Reconciliation Redistribution Leadership Development Listening to the Community Church-Based Development A Wholistic Approach to Ministry Empowerment In Making Neighborhoods Whole Perkins and Gordon revisit these eight commitments and how they've played out in real communities, even as they scan the horizon of urban ministry to set a new tone. With profiles of longstanding and emerging community development ministries, they guide a new conversation and empower disciples of Jesus to seek the welfare of their cities to the glory of God.
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible
E. Randolph Richards - 2012
Because of the cultural distance between the biblical world and our contemporary setting, we often bring modern Western biases to the text. For example:When Western readers hear Paul exhorting women to "dress modestly," we automatically think in terms of sexual modesty. But most women in that culture would never wear racy clothing. The context suggests that Paul is likely more concerned about economic modesty--that Christian women not flaunt their wealth through expensive clothes, braided hair and gold jewelry.Some readers might assume that Moses married "below himself" because his wife was a dark-skinned Cushite. Actually, Hebrews were the slave race, not the Cushites, who were highly respected. Aaron and Miriam probably thought Moses was being presumptuous by marrying "above himselfWestern individualism leads us to assume that Mary and Joseph traveled alone to Bethlehem. What went without saying was that they were likely accompanied by a large entourage of extended family.Biblical scholars Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text. Drawing on their own crosscultural experience in global mission, O'Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways. Getting beyond our own cultural assumptions is increasingly important for being Christians in our interconnected and globalized world. Learn to read Scripture as a member of the global body of Christ.
The Shinar Directive: Preparing the Way for the Son of Perdition's Return
Michael Lake - 2014
In Babylon, the Son of Perdition devised the Shinar Directive: the enslaving of humanity and the war against the God of Heaven. God's intervention at the Tower of Babel only delayed his hellish plans. The Luciferian Elite now control three key circles of influence in the world: financial, political, and religious. However, controlling these three systems was not enough. The laborers of Mystery Babylon have been quietly planning and waiting for thousands of years for the releasing of the Watchers of Genesis 6.Now armed with developing Watcher technologies, the Elite will use transhumanism and mind control to build the Joel chapter 2 army: the army of the Antichrist. We are beginning to realize that the mark of the Beast and the image of the Beast are much more than we could have ever imagined; beyond an implant and beyond a physical mark, they will affect DNA and who we are at a molecular level!As the powers of Mystery Babylon gather to create the new Tower of Babel and prepare for the Son of Perdition's return, Heaven is issuing a clarion call to the Remnant: Know the strategies of the enemy, untangle yourself from it, and become the victorious Church! Heaven's Jewish Apostle of Love, John, reveals the coming conflict in his book of Revelation and provides the ancient Hebraic wisdom encoded in 1 John to equip the bondservants of Messiah with the tools of the kingdom to overcome the Shinar Directive!
The Chamberlain Key: Decoding Startling Messages from God, Hidden for Centuries in an Ancient Biblical Manuscript
Timothy P. Smith - 2017
The Chamberlain Keytells how Timothy Smith, an appraiser and conservator of artifacts and antiquities, discovered and decoded a complex message in an ancient Hebrew manuscript of the Bible--a message that applied startlingly and unmistakably tohim!The book relates the painstaking process Smith undertook to verify and authenticate this "contact"--a quest filled with adventure and mystery. But instead of using old maps to find buried treasure, this hunt uses the data calculation power of modern technology. The author's remarkable discovery shows how the Bible is even more amazing than we ever dreamed... layered with meaning and insight, a book like no other, prepared by a brilliant Creator who wants to explain his loving plans, as well as issue serious warnings that may apply to the generations alive today."
God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible
Vaughan Roberts - 2002
A worldwide bestseller published in countless sizes and bindings, translations and languages. Sworn by in court, fought over by religious people, quoted in arguments. The Bible is clearly no ordinary book. How can you begin to read and understand it as a whole? In this excellent overview, Vaughan Roberts gives you the big picture—showing how the different parts of the Bible fit together under the theme of the kingdom of God. He provides both the encouragement and the tools to help you read the Bible with confidence and understanding. And he points you to the Bible's supreme subject, Jesus Christ, and the salvation God offers through him.
Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life
Brian S. Borgman - 2009
But often our emotions confuse and mislead us. So what is the proper place for emotions in a Christian's walk of faith?In Feelings and Faith Brian Borgman draws from his extensive biblical knowledge and his pastoral experience to help readers understand both divine and human emotions. After laying a biblical foundation he moves on to practical application, focusing on how Christians can put to death ungodly emotional displays and also cultivate godly emotions.This biblically informed, practical volume is helpful for pastors, counselors, and serious-minded Christians who wish to develop a full-orbed faith that encompasses their emotional life.
God Stories: Inspiring Encounters with the Divine
Jennifer Skiff - 2008
. . . I did have stories. I hadn’t dared to tell many people about them, but I definitely had had what I believed to be encounters with the Divine. I wondered if many other people had stories too. What happened next surprised me most. I realized that a Divine intelligence that many people call God is connecting with millions of people every day. These are their stories.” —from the IntroductionIn God Stories, Jennifer Skiff shares the extraordinary experiences of people who have felt the power of God’s presence in their lives and been forever changed. A doctor opens the chest of a dying heart patient to discover her heart is healed; Marines watch as a fellow soldier in Iraq is hit by a powerful explosion only to discover, when the dust settles, that he is still standing and has no injuries; a struggling couple receive an answer to a prayer and are prevented from making a mistake that could cost them their children; a young woman loses her boyfriend on 9/11 and receives a message that brings her peace.Reassuring, hopeful, and unforgettable, these amazing confirmations of divine intervention will lift your spirit and leave you wondering—and even remembering—when your life was touched by a miracle.
The Discipline of Grace: God's Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness
Jerry Bridges - 1994
In learning more about grace, you also will learn about God's character, His forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit.