Attitudes and behaviors of the adolescent can be unhealthy for him and for the family. However, good boundaries are the bedrock of not only better relationships, but also maturity, safety, and growth - especially for teens and their parents. In order to help teenagers grow into healthy adults, parents and youth workers need to help them experience how to take responsibility for their behavior, their values, and their lives. Dr. John Townsend, co-author of the Gold Medallion Award-winning book Boundaries, is a parent of two teenagers himself. With wisdom and empathy, he applies his biblically based principles to bear on the challenging task of the teen years, showing parents: how to deal with disrespectful attitudes and irresponsible behaviors in your teen; how to set healthy limits and realistic consequences; how to be loving and caring while establishing rules; and how to determine specific strategies to deal with problems both big and small.

     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.

    Prayer is simple. Prayer seems like it should be so simple. Yet when it comes to actually praying, it often feels awkward and complicated.I mean, what should you actually pray about? What do you say? Is there anything you should or shouldn't say? Do you have to speak out loud? Where do you even start?To make matters worse, we've heard about prayer for so long that we feel awkward asking about it. It's like having to ask a person's name after knowing them for years. We're embarrassed to ask because we really should know their name by now.Then comes the reality and craziness of life. Between work, parenting, walking the dog, a full inbox, keeping up on social media--who has time to pray?The truth is, prayer is simple. It's like talking; talking with a good friend. Here's the best part: No matter where we are in life, God can't wait to talk with us.What does it look like to pray in the midst of your life? What do you say when you don't know how to pray? I'm asking the same questions. Let's talk.

    She underscores the importance of forgiveness--for ourselves and others--in the process of spiritual completion in Christ. The place of waging spiritual warfare in this process is the culmination of the process, and Payne examines correct and incorrect ways to be spiritually armed.

    Great falls from ministry don't just happen either. A complex mix of factors both internal and external test the limits of your ability to minister wholeheartedly over the long haul. Senior pastor Brad Hoffmann and licensed professional counselor Michael Todd Wilson work with pastors removed from their place of service. The common experiences of these pastors revealed patterns that consistently contributed to burnout, ineffectiveness and moral failure. If such patterns can be predicted, the authors reasoned, can they be prevented?Preventing Ministry Failure is a personal guidebook for pastors and other caregivers to prepare them to withstand common pressures and to flourish in the ministry God has called them to. Work through the exercises and reflections individually or in conversation with your peers, and you'll find yourself better equipped for the challenges of vocational ministry, and more conscious of the presence of God leading you on and restoring your soul.

    For every pained believer, for each child of God unjustly treated, for everyone who has been crucified by other Christians, comes this monumental literary work that will touch the heart as its very wellsprings. Formally titled "Crucified by Christians."

    

    Sexual impurity creates a vicious circle, one that springs from misconceptions about Christ and further taints our understanding of Him. Yet another circle is available to men and women trapped in sexual sin, a circle of sexual redemption.When practiced as God intends, spirituality and sexuality both draw us closer to Christ. Spiritual maturity and sexual maturity go hand-in-hand, and together they hold out the promise of redemption and restoration needed by everyone who has been damaged by sexual sin.There is hope. Real change is possible; true intimacy is available. To the person who has failed time and time again sexually, God’s message is simple: You, too, can be undefiled.

    When God puts you in the right place at the right time, you can't help but get blessed!

    This book is for Christians who have reached the end of their own strength and are ready to take God's hand. As you read it, you'll get a closer look at the heart of GodHis love, His mercy, His faithfulness, and His power to help those who are suffering. This book is adapted from the Quieting a Noisy Soul Counseling Program. This book is based upon Parts One and Two of Quieting a Noisy Soul. Visit www.quietinganoisysoul.com for more information.Counselor and author Jim Berg serves as Dean of Students at Bob Jones University.

    In 2009, ONE PRAYER campaign attracted over 2,000 churches and over 1,000,000 church members. Many of these churches are high-profile evangelical churches with pastors who are also successful authors and speakers. The campaign continues to attract interest from more and more churches and ministries. The 2010 campaign, scheduled for June, is expected to grow by 50 percent. This compilation book features chapters by seventeen passionate church leaders, including Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Jentezen Franklin, Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, and others.Contents:God is strong / Francis Chan --God is here / Dino Rizzo --God is incomparable / Mark Batterson --God is reconciler / Clark Mitchell --God is certain / Andy Stanley --God is encouraging / Rick Bezet --God is for you / John Burke --God is present / Perry Noble --God is able / Jentezen Franklin --God is in control / Greg Surratt --God is merciful / Stovall Weems --God is close / Wayne Cordiero --God is not / Steven Furtick --God is big / Gary Shiohama --God is not like me / Toby Slough --God is more / Chris Hodges --God is father / Craig Groeschel.

    But Jesus commands it. Paul practiced it. And churches benefit from it. Why practice church discipline? It shows love for the individual caught in sin, love for the whole church, love for non-Christian neighbors, and love for the glory of Christ. In the Church Basics Series, trusted church experts write practical, trustworthy resources on issues like Church Discipline, the Lord's Supper, and Baptism that every pastor can hand every church member.

    The details of this proven model of pastoral counseling are described in this practical guide. This second edition of Strategic Pastoral Counseling has been thoroughly revised and includes two new chapters. Benner includes helpful case studies, a new appendix on contemporary ethical issues, and updated chapter bibliographies. His study will continue to serve clergy and students well as a valued practical handbook on pastoral care and counseling.

    And if that was the only thing salvation in Christ brought you, it would be the greatest gift of all. But there is much more to this agreement with Almighty God. This agreement is a sacred covenant between you and the Father God that entails more than most believers have ever imagined. It's time to discover the depth and power of God's eternal oath with you.This secret strength hidden within the heart of the Christian life reveals the profound depth of God's unconditional love and is bound by the blood covenant. Those who realize and embrace this strength live in a realm of faith and victory that others only dream of.Throughout these pages, you will journey through the Scriptures to unearth this reality that contains the basis of all God's wondrous miracles and mighty works--a place of marvelous blessings and promises.Discover the power of the blood covenant that not only seals your eternal destiny, but can open up a new world of faith and adventure like you've never known!

    Written in semi-interactive workbook format, it guides couples toward a Christ-centered and Christ-exalting paradigm for marriage. It attempts to lay a biblical foundation for marriage and help couples better understand what God desires for them and from them in marriage.