In the culture of today’s church, successful leadership is often judged by what works, while persistent faithfulness takes a back seat. If a ministry doesn’t produce results, it is dropped. If people don’t respond, we move on. This pursuit of “greatness” exerts a crushing pressure on the local church and creates a consuming anxiety in its leaders. In their pursuit of this warped vision of greatness, church leaders end up embracing a leadership narrative that runs counter to the sacrificial call of the gospel story.When church leaders focus on faithfulness to God and the gospel, however, it’s always a kingdom-win—regardless of the visible results of their ministry. John the Baptist modeled this kind of leadership. As John’s disciples crossed the Jordan River to follow after Jesus, John freely released them to a greater calling than following him. Speaking of Jesus, John said: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Joyfully satisfied to have been faithful to his calling, John knew that the size and scope of his ministry would be determined by the will of the Father, not his own will. Following the example of John the Baptist and with a careful look at the teaching of Scripture, Tim Suttle dares church leaders to risk failure by chasing the vision God has given them—no matter how small it might seem—instead of pursuing the broad path of pragmatism that leads to fame and numerical success.

    Gain assurance of God's provision for parenting success and discover ways to seize the countless opportunities to deepen communication, learn, and grow with your teens.

    And it seems no one knows what to do. While it is good for women to expose their pain, what often happens is that they immediately blame the person at the other end of it, which sets up a never-ending cycle of accusations, denial, avoidance, and ultimately devastation for everyone involved.This moment of discovery should not signal the end but instead become an opportunity to create a different world where men and women are better together.Better Together is a beacon of hope in a challenging storm. It’s where thoughts can be rechanneled and hope rekindled as author Danielle Strickland offers steps toward a real and workable solution. Her premise is that two things are needed for change:1) imagine a better world, and2) understand oppression.Understanding how oppression works is an important part of undoing it.Danielle says, “I refuse to believe that all men are bad. I also refuse to believe that all women are victims. I don’t want to be just hopeful, I want to be strategically hopeful. I want to work toward a better world with a shared view of the future that looks like equality, freedom, and flourishing.”

    D. Greear. He struggled for many years to gain an assurance of salvation and eventually learned he was not alone. “Lack of assurance” is epidemic among evangelical Christians.In Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart, J. D. shows that faulty ways of presenting the gospel are a leading source of the confusion. Our presentations may not be heretical, but they are sometimes misleading. The idea of “asking Jesus into your heart” or “giving your life to Jesus” often gives false assurance to those who are not saved—and keeps those who genuinely are saved from fully embracing that reality.Greear unpacks the doctrine of assurance, showing that salvation is a posture we take to the promise of God in Christ, a posture that begins at a certain point and is maintained for the rest of our lives. He also answers the tough questions about assurance: What exactly is faith? What is repentance? Why are there so many warnings that seem to imply we can lose our salvation?Such issues are handled with respect to the theological rigors they require, but Greear never loses his pastoral sensitivity or a communication technique that makes this message teachable to a wide audience from teens to adults.

    And you just don't know if you'll ever get past it. In this six-session Bible study (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), Lysa TerKeurst has walked this journey, wrestling with deep wounds that feel impassible and struggling to move forward. And she's discovered that, to find life-giving freedom, we have to let go of our bound-up resentment and resistance to forgiving people who've hurt us. With deep empathy, therapeutic insight, and rich Bible teaching coming out of 1,000 hours of study, Lysa helps us:learn how to move on when the other person refuses to change and never says they're sorry; walk through a step-by-step process to free ourselves from the hurt of our past and feel less offended today; discover what the Bible really says about forgiveness and the peace that comes from living it out right now; identify what's stealing trust and vulnerability from our relationships so we can believe there is still good ahead; and disempower the triggers hijacking our emotions by embracing the two necessary parts of forgiveness. Designed for use with the Forgiving What You Can't Forget Video Study (sold separately).

    The themes we'll explore are the timeless, foundational, core questions that people return to century after century. Delving into these topics will help fill holes in our spiritual foundations so that we have something firm to stand on when life gets shaky. A DVD series, Priorities complements the course. Immensely practical and encouraging, Opening Your Heart is the perfect starting point as you seek to grow closer to God.

    Jennifer Dukes Lee has written this Bible study workbook especially for you. Over the course of this study, you'llUncover surprising truths from the life of Jesus about busy-ness, obedience, and asking for helpDiscover five major reasons that keep us from trusting God--and how to overcome themMake healthier, wiser decisions about how to spend your time and energyFind practical exercises and Scriptural truths to guide you in living a life of surrender to God.This isn't a journey to "doing less;" it's about becoming more of who God has truly created you to be. This workbook, for small groups or individual study, is a companion resource to the book It's All under Control (sold separately).

    The difficult circumstances unique to leading a church can cause young pastors to question their calling and quickly burn out. But quitting or failing are not the only options--a fact proven by the faithful track records of veteran pastors throughout church history. Featuring contributions by a diverse team of experienced pastors such as Tim Keller, D. A Carson, Bryan Chapell, Dave Harvey, and Juan Sanchez, this book offers young pastors a realistic view of issues that could potentially undermine their ministry--issues such as family life, personal devotions, criticism, and financial strain. Each chapter includes a letter written by a young pastor setting up a dilemma, followed by an answer filled with wisdom gleaned from the Bible, history, and years of personal experience, to encourage pastors to keep the future in view as they press on in ministry.

    Demonstrates the why and the how of consistently biblical, gospel-centric counseling, whether in the pastor's study or over coffee with a friend.

    I knew my purpose. I just didn't understand how I was going to get there in this small cubical doing data entry work at a dead end job in business casual clothes. " - Heather Lindsey We live in a society that makes it easy to compare your life to everyone else's social media "highlight" reels. If you feel "behind," I have written this book to remind you that you're exactly where you're supposed to be. You have God-given purpose. You have a plan. You don't need to copy or imitate anyone but Jesus Christ! He has assigned you with a specific purpose, and called you to solve a problem on this earth, for this generation! If you've struggled greatly with your purpose, Heather Lindsey can relate to you as she shares her years of living purposeless without Jesus, to becoming a first generation pastor, and best selling author to a worldwide ministry. She candidly shares her peaks, pitfalls, and what she has learned along the way as the Lord has revealed His purpose to her. If you've ever struggled with identifying, being afraid of, or walking in your purpose, this book is for you. The Purpose Room seeks to create a comfortable atmosphere for you to be honest about your talents, gifts, or insecurities, in order to confidently walk the path God has called you to. Regardless of where you are in life, The Purpose Room will help you to discover, accomplish and birth your God-given purpose.

    In fourteen powerful chapters, the authors explore such topics as How Jesus managed power. The intentional decisions necessary to move down. The uplifting nature of true humility. Abundant life through dying to self. The ambush of joy. Moving down is never an easy matter that can be reduced to a formula. It involves a life committed to discipleship. Descending into Greatness introduces you to the touching stories of modern men and women committed to advancing the kingdom of God: from the pro football player, to the medical missionary, to a businessman wrestling with the priorities in the world of finance. Descending into Greatness asks tough questions and gives hopeful answers. Now, this powerful, urgent message also includes a discussion guide so that you can follow through, too. "Like Christ, we must descend-into self-abandonment, unconditional giving, sacrifice, and death to self. And, like Christ, we will then ascend-into fulfillment, blessing, joy, and purpose."

    Drama followers her everywhere and her sister, Stacey and Randi are fed up with her short temper and untamed tongue. Their relationship with Sasha seems toxic due to her unbearable irresponsible lifestyle. She faces many trails but relies on her good looks to get her out of trouble. Until she finally gets a wake up call.

    This collection of mature gems from the writings of Watchman Nee has found wide spread acceptance as a devotional book for each day of the year.

    

    Joining his movement will mean coming to terms with the real Jesus, the rebel Jesus.Jesus didn't come to start a religion. The rebel Jesus came with a renegade gospel to start a revolution. You and I are invited to be a part. In Renegade Gospel, pastor and author Mike Slaughter presents Jesus and his challenging message to inspire us during Lent, Easter, and through the year. Read the red letters and discover Jesus all over again.Renegade Gospel is a multi-component, all-church series and group study with six sessions. Topics include:Discovering the Rebel Jesus Revolutionary Lifestyle The Most Important Question You Will Ever Have to Answer Seeing Jesus Today The Way of the CrossResurrectionWho better than Mike, renegade pastor that he is, to present Jesus in all of his unmanageable, demanding, troublemaking glory?Will Willimon, United Methodist Bishop, retired; Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry, Duke Divinity SchoolRenegade Gospel is Mike's life and message distilled into one pure, powerful, delicious, nourishing jolt.Brian D. McLaren, Author/speakerThis isn't your grandma's Sunday school curriculum... this is a call to a holy uprising. Shane Claiborne, Author/activist