In one of his most famous parables, he sets up as a model of Christian behavior a man who, unlike some religious folks, actually gets down off his donkey and helps a person in dire need.With energy and enthusiasm, Reggie McNeal calls believers to dismount, get down and dirty, and live a life that makes a difference. He shows readers how to recalibrate their spiritual efforts to move from church-centric service to greater community engagement in order to do their essential part in creating a world worth living in. McNeal also shows readers that helping others actually helps the one doing the service just as much as the one being served. In fact, serving is the very best way to learn about yourself and grow spiritually. Anyone who longs to have the impact on the world that Jesus did will love this provocative and inspirational message.

    Fasting may even be a frequent part of your prayer life. But have you ever fasted from words? The truth is that even if you consider yourself to be a positive person, you still use damaging words that plague your life and rob you of the spiritual growth you desire.Change your words. Change your life.The Forty-Day Word Fast focuses on several biblically sound mechanisms to help you change your words and your life. Not only will your vocabulary change, your heart also will be transformed in just forty days. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34 nkjv). With this guaranteed effective form of fasting you will be challenged to eradicate from your speech all words of... Judgment Criticism or sarcasm Negativity Complaining Gossip

    What makes the difference when one person responds with joy and the other responds with bitterness? Perspective--the way they think about things. Right thinking matters and, thankfully, it's something we can all learn to employ.In this insightful unpacking of Philippians 4:8, pastor Jamie Rasmussen shows readers how to focus their thoughts and attention on the things in life that God has declared will make a meaningful impact on both a person's outlook and experience. It's the kind of thinking that has the power to change us, pointing us away from self-pity, anger, and resentment and toward contentment and personal peace, which helps us get the most out of life.Anyone who yearns to live a life characterized by joy no matter what the circumstance will benefit from this thoughtful, practical, and inspiring book.

    Take a deep whiff of what Bill, his wife Beni, and their friends Danny Silk, Kevin Dedmon, Banning Liebscher, Chris Overstreet, Judy Franklin, Eric Johnson and Paul Manwaring have brewed specially for you. The cappuccino-sized stories are guaranteed to lift your spirit and sooth your mind. Flavorful chapter titles include:Taking Captive Every Scary Thought Lifeguards Must Be Swimmers Too Stupid to be Loved Post-Katrina Miracles Faith Is Spelled R-I-S-K Are You a Chevette or a Lamborghini? As you sip through each chapter, relax in God’s presence, learn to listen to His voice, and follow His directions. God will take you into exciting new territory, and your explorations will not end with the final page of this enjoyable book.

    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.

    We’ve got plenty of churches without them!” “The church brought another one of their campuses near us. It’s totally unethical what they are doing.” “We can’t reach young families. They all go to the big church that has all the children’s and student stuff.” “We don’t have the money or the people the other churches have.”   Bestselling author Thom S. Rainer (I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church) has heard comments like these hundreds, if not thousands, of times. They are statements of hopelessness. They are statements of despair. They are statements of defeat.   Church leaders don’t want to feel this way. They desire to break out of the mediocrity of the same, lame, and tame existence of their churches. They want their churches to make a difference.   There is hope. God’s hope. God’s possibilities.  What does a scrappy church look like? Let’s take a look together.

    What would life be like with no fear? If you could feel completely at home and at rest in the intimate love of God? We all face two choices in life: to live life as if we

    Goll uncovers ancient and nearly forgotten keys to deeper intimacy with Christ Jesus while revealing the ease of working with Christ instead of for Him. Through this book you will rediscover the lost precepts of Biblical meditation, contemplative prayer, and waiting on the Lord and learn how to apply them in your own life. Most importantly, you will gain inspiration for your own intimate walk and the courage to spread the fire His presence to everyone around you! The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence also includes a modern-language translation of The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. An inspiration to James Goll, this 15th-century believer has inspired generations of Christians with his simple life and profound writings on the nature and presence of the Lord.

    He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)Spend the year following Jesus, reflecting on daily devotions that show us His unchanging love and faithfulness.In Mornings with Jesus 2020, you can read one all-new devotion each day that will encourage you to embrace Jesus's love, to lay down your worries and abide in Him, and to focus on Him as Redeemer, Friend, and Faithful One. Lifting up their voices in heartfelt gratitude, thirteen writers consider the character and teachings of Jesus and share how He enriches and empowers them daily and how He wants to do the same for you. Every day you will enjoy a Scripture verse, reflection on Jesus's words, and a faith step that inspires and challenges you in your daily walk of living a Christ-like life.In just five minutes a day, Mornings with Jesus 2020 will help readers experience a closer relationship with Jesus. It’s full of inspiring and lasting motivation and spiritual nourishment that fill readers with hope and direction.

    Have you ever had a dream in which you think God was speaking to you? Here is a practical guide, from the Christian perspective, for understanding the symbolic language of dreams.

    Who is the real Jesus? Do we remake him in our own image and then wonder why our spirituality is less than life-changing and exciting? Steve Chalke—a high-profile visionary in the United Kingdom and an evangelical recognized not only by Christians but by the general public as well—believes that the real Jesus is deeply challenging. And each new generation must grapple with the question of who he is, because only through a constant study of Jesus are we able to discover God himself. The Lost Message of Jesus is written to stir thoughtful debate and pose fresh questions that will help create a deeper understanding of Jesus and his message. It is an encounter with the real Jesus of his world—not the Jesus we try to mold to ours. Themes include: •The Kingdom of God—shalom—is available to everyone now, through Jesus •The world outside your own church needs to hear of the depth of God’s love and suffering •Jesus was a radical and a revolutionary! •Jesus offers immediate forgiveness, without cost, to anyone •Jesus shows us repentance isn’t a guilt-laden list of dos and don’ts, but an inspirational vision of a new way to live Focusing on some of the key episodes, events, and issues of Jesus’ life, we will see how too often the message we preach today has been influenced more by the culture we live in than the radical, life-changing, world-shaping message Jesus shared two thousand years ago.

    Today, at nearly 50 years old, Sheri Rose is healthy and free. More than a half a million women have been set free through this life changing teaching.You can win this diet war once and for all! Sheri Rose Shepherd walks through each day with you, supporting you with 30 days of life changing devotions, heartwarming stories, creative cooking, and a daily dose of Scripture to keep you on track. The treasures of truth found in these pages will transform the way you see yourself forever.It's time to get your girlfriends together and become the best version of you! God loves you and will be with you every step of the way.

    In his signature style, he shares this expertise with pastors, lay leaders, and people in the pew who want to see their churches become more vibrant. The 12 practical steps include ways to help people become part of a community, develop a culture of serving, turn visitors into regular attenders, and much more. This short, easy-to-read book is one pastors will want to share with their leadership team.

    In The Soul of a Pilgrim, Paintner identifies eight stages of the pilgrims way and shows how to follow these steps to make an intentional, transformative journey to the readers inner wild edges. Each phase of the exploration requires a distinct practice such as packing lightly, being uncomfortable, or embracing the unknown. Paintner shows how to cultivate attentiveness to the divine through deep listening, patience, and opening oneself to the gifts that arise in the midst of discomfort.

    We pray and watch the sky, crossing our spiritual fingers for hardcore proof of God's nearness. And in the silence, we sense something more sinister: perceived abandonment.But what if we could collect evidence that God hasn't left us? What if we could be absolutely certain of God's presence and affection, strengthening our faith against any assault?Woven throughout Scripture sits a single, extraordinary theme: God is with us. Ours is a God who speaks through burning bushes and leads through pillars of fire, who responds to a broken world by giving himself.Like the Old Testament story of Joshua's altar of twelve stones, Relentless delivers twelve key biblical stories that demonstrate God's unfailing presence. Each chapter offers an invitation to identify a "stone" in your own life as tangible evidence of God's nearness. With the turn of the last page, you will have discovered twelve markers of your own, an altar of memory to carry you through questions and losses, even ones yet to come.For the truth-seekers, those drowning in impossible questions, and those who find themselves swallowed up by the dark, Relentless is an invitation to search for divine presence in our everyday stories. With Michele Cushatt's engaging narrative style, this transformational journey reassures us that God, indeed, is with us.