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Books > Christianity > Christian institutions & organizations
Share Jesus with Your LDS Friends and Family One of our greatest
challenges as Christians is sharing the truth with those who
believe they've already found it. When witnessing to current or
former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
it's essential that you can compassionately delineate biblical
teachings from Mormon doctrine while tactfully advocating for
Christ. For every believer who prays for loved ones in the LDS
Church-or loved ones who gave up on religion after leaving
Mormonism-Introducing Christianity to Mormons is the guidebook you
need to witness to them. Inside, you'll find real-life
conversations that give you helpful ideas for what to say in your
discussions contrast points between Mormonism and Christianity that
illuminate God's truth biblical apologetics that allow you to
minister to former LDS members wounded by their experience with the
Church Get ready to present the case for Christianity with
confidence and grace. This book will empower you to share your
faith and give you the language to do so effectively with people in
the Mormon community.
It's time to leave behind the discontent of comparison and discover
a free and joyful life. Join Pastor Nona Jones--who was recently
featured on GMA3--as she gives you the tools you need to kill
comparison once and for all. Nearly all of us deal with the
struggle of comparison and finding ourselves lacking. But there is
a way to break free from internal and external messages
communicating a lack of self-worth. It starts with identifying the
basis of your urge to compare and ends with securing your identity
to the unchanging confidence of God's love for you. Nona Jones
knows this journey all too well. Throughout her life and in her
career--most recently as an executive for the world's largest
social media company--Nona discovered that despite professional
success, true confidence can only be achieved by defeating toxic
comparison and securing our identity to God's approval alone.
Killing Comparison provides a fresh, biblically rooted perspective
on an age-old human dilemma--the pressure to compare oneself to
others--that the era of social media has exacerbated and
heightened. This timely and necessary guide will help you:
Determine your true source of self-worth Develop practical ways to
conquer daily comparison Learn how to control social media instead
of letting it control you Discover how to accomplish your dreams
without comparing yourself at every turn Identify the root cause
leading you to compare your life to others Through practical
insight and down-to-earth encouragement, Nona helps you avoid the
despair of comparison and pursue a free, joyful life.
The Best Leaders Rely on God No matter where you lead, the
qualities that make a great leader are the same: you should be
humble, selfless, honest, collaborative, and teachable. Most of
all, you should recognize Jesus as the gold standard of leadership
and make your relationship with God your top priority. In The
Spiritual Life of a Leader, bestselling author Boyd Bailey will
help you develop the habits and goals of an effective leader. As
you orient your heart toward serving God, you'll grow in your
ability to bear spiritual fruit in your workplace, serve your
colleagues, and raise up other leaders. Learn how you can... use
honest self-assessment to improve your weaknesses and hone your
spiritual strengths make spirituality a central part of your
management style, even in a secular environment avoid the
temptations common to leaders and ensure your unique spiritual
needs are met Get ready to grow as a leader and a follower of
Christ. The Spiritual Life of a Leader will help you adopt God's
priorities as your own and enable you to shine for Him as you
follow Jesus' footsteps.
Publishers Weekly starred review "A superior volume on Christian
antiracism."--Publishers Weekly Racism is omnipresent in American
life, both public and private. We are immersed in what prominent
faith leader Willie Dwayne Francois III calls white noise--the
racist speech, ideas, and policies that lull us into inaction on
racial justice. White noise masks racial realities and prevents
constructive responses to microaggressions, structural inequality,
and overt interpersonal racism. In this book, Francois calls people
of all racial backgrounds to take up practices that overcome
silence and inaction on race and that advance racial repair.
Drawing from his anti-racism curriculum, the Public Love Organizing
and Training (PLOT) Project, Francois encourages us to move from a
"colorblind" stance of mythic innocence to one that takes an honest
account of our national history and acknowledges our complicity in
racism as a prelude to anti-racist interventions. Weaving together
personal narrative, theology, and history, this book invites us to
engage 6 "rhythms of reparative intercession." These are six
practices of anti-racism that aim to repair harm by speaking up and
"acting up" on behalf of others. Silencing White Noise offers
concrete ways to help people wrest free from the dangers of racism
and to develop lifelong Christian anti-racist practices.
This book provides a comprehensive foundation for those working in
the increasingly complex and diverse area of ministry with
families. The Essential Guide to Family Ministry presents an
overview of contemporary family life, sets out the principles that
underpin this work and offers strategic and practical approaches to
working with families. An essential read for all who are involved
in this field and passionate about seeing God's kingdom come in
families, churches and communities. Never before has the church
sought to invest so much in caring, supporting and sharing faith
with those living on their doorstep. Across the land, families are
being welcomed in churches to an exciting array of groups,
activities and worship services. This offers an impetus to be
better equipped and informed for ministry that successfully meets
the needs of people of all ages and stages in life. Growing our
understanding of families in the 21st century is paramount if we're
going to effectively minister to them.
A practical, road-tested vision and process to equip church leaders
to reinvigorate their church How can churches stay healthy and
dynamic over the long-term? What's needed to avoid or reverse
church stagnation and decline? While some churches are vibrant and
growing, many more are struggling, especially after Covid. The
congregation might be declining and ageing, there's little success
in reaching out to with the gospel, and more time is spent on
inward facing problems than loving God and loving others. But the
potential that could be released is huge. David Brown draws on his
experience revitalising a church in central Paris to offer a vision
and a process for church revitalisation, with a focus on UK and
European contexts. Whether you are church planting, in a
well-established and thriving church, or looking to turn around a
church in decline, Brown provides biblically grounded wisdom along
with change management principles for long-term health. When we
reapply God's priorities to the church, we unleash new life and
energy in following Christ in community.
One outcome of the Second World War, Dawsey writes in his foreword,
was the proposition that all human beings should enjoy certain
fundamental freedoms. These were enshrined by the United Nations
General Assembly in 1948 in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. Since the book was first published in 1971 this endorsement
has led to greater recognition of human rights in Russia, China,
and many other parts of the world. In the West, Andelson argued,
human rights have been an issue that are often invoked but seldom
intelligently considered. Thus there have been pressure groups
pushing for this, that and the other right to be recognised without
considering how such a right might impinge on the freedom of
others; for example the right to free expression versus the right
to privacy, the right to life of the unborn child versus the
mother's choice. Seeking to establish the ground for rights,
Andelson exposed the inadequacy of the radical-humanist,
utilitarian and self-realisation approaches as well as many widely
held Christian approaches, and developed an original thesis.
In 1993, Andrew Brunson was asked to travel to Turkey, the largest
unevangelized country in the world, to serve as a missionary.
Though hesitant because of the daunting and dangerous task that lay
ahead, Andrew and his wife, Norine, believed this was God's plan
for them. What followed was a string of threats and attacks, but
also successes in starting new churches in a place where many
people had never met a Christian. As their work with refugees from
Syria, including Kurds, gained attention and suspicion, Andrew and
Norine acknowledged the threat but accepted the risk, determining
to stay unless God told them to leave. In 2016, they were arrested.
Though the State eventually released Norine, who remained in
Turkey, Andrew was imprisoned. Accused of being a spy and being
among the plotters of the attempted coup, he became a political
pawn whose story soon became known around the world. God's Hostage
is the incredible true story of his imprisonment, his brokenness,
and his eventual freedom. Anyone with a heart for missions,
especially to the Muslim world, will love this tension-laden and
faith-laced book.
This resource offers a treasure trove of ideas for opening up a
Bible story (the way in), telling the story (the way through) and
exploring the meaning of the story (the way out), including
suggestions for reflecting on how to apply the story to our lives
today. Also included are over 30 key words and phrases providing
ways in which connecting threads might be explored, and a suggested
year's programme using the Bible stories explored in the book. A
comprehensive index makes it easy to find material for a particular
children's session, special event, workshop or all-age church
service 'Engaging, interactive and reflective methods and ideas to
bring Christianity to life with children and young people.' Jane
Butcher, former Barnabas in Schools team leader
What signals are you sending when you share the gospel? The
importance of signs for communicating truth has been recognized
throughout the ages. Crystal L. Downing traces this awareness from
biblical texts, through figures from church history like John
Wycliffe and William Tyndale, to more recent writers Samuel Taylor
Coleridge and C. S. Lewis. In the nineteenth century, this legacy
of interest in the activity of signs brought about a new field of
academic study. In this book, Downing puts the discipline of
semiotics within reach for beginners through analysis of the
movement's key theorists, Ferdinand de Saussure, Charles Sanders
Peirce, Mikhail Bakhtin and others. She then draws out the
implications for effective communication of the gospel of Jesus
Christ within our shifting cultural landscape. Her fundamental
thesis is that "Failure to understand how signs work--as effects of
the cultures we seek to affect--inevitably undermines not just our
political and moral agendas but, worse, the gospel of Jesus
Christ." Writing with humor, clarity and flare, Downing lucidly
explains the sophisticated thinking of leaders in semiotics for
nonexperts. Of value to all those interested in communication in
any context, this work will be of special interest to students
majoring in communications or English or to students in evangelism
and preaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate level.
'You don't honestly believe all that stuff in the Bible!'
Challenged by her friends, and later as a student by theological
teachers, Amy Orr-Ewing was determined to leave no stone unturned
in her eagerness to prove that the Bible was unique and wholly
reliable. Her passion drove her to complete an in-depth study of
the answers to ten of the most frequently raised objections she
encountered, including: * Isn't it all a matter of interpretation?
* Can we know anything about history? * Are the original
manuscripts reliable? * What about the canon? * What about other
holy books? * Isn't the Bible sexist? * What about all the wars? *
Isn't the Bible out of date on sex? * How can I know? Sensitively
yet convincingly, the author addresses the issues and the
arguments, showing that we have every reason to trust the Bible
today.
As a parent of a missionary you may feel that missing your child
and your grandchildren signals a lack of faith. Please realize your
conflicting emotions have real causes that can and should be talked
about. It is possible to stay connected with your missionary and
your grandchildren in meaningful ways and you can sustain and build
those relationships despite the miles that separate. Not only can
you survive as a POM--you can thrive. Whether you're the parent of
a missionary recruit or a parent of an experienced missionary,
you'll benefit from the authors' research and personal experience
as they present a comprehensive plan for understanding missionary
life, navigating the holidays, grandparenting long-distance and
saying good-bye well. Parents of Missionaries equips you with the
understanding, attitudes and skills you need to forge a vibrant new
identity as a POM. Combining a counselor's professional insight and
a parent's personal journey, plus ideas and stories from dozens of
missionaries and POMs, Parents of Missionaries is a valuable tool
for missions mobilizers and educators as well as parents. The
authors contend that proclaiming the gospel and making disciples
was not meant to eclipse the loving family bonds God ordained.The
POM experience amounts to a journey through change, pain and
adjustment. Wherever you are on that journey, Parents of
Missionaries will encourage you and help you thrive and stay
connected with your children and grandchildren serving
cross-culturally.
BEING UNOFFENDABLE IS A CHOICE It's a provocative idea: We are not
entitled to get offended or stay angry at other people. The idea of
our own "righteous anger" is a myth. Instead, the Bible calls every
follower of Christ to do something radical and countercultural: Let
go of our anger and forgive. As it turns out, giving up our right
to be offended is one of the most freeing, healthy, relaxing,
refreshing, stress-relieving, and encouraging things we can do. It
allows us to recognize that people are broken and stop being
scandalized by their actions. It enables us to accept people and
stop judging them. It creates a way for us to not just love others
but to actually like them. In this six-session Bible study, based
on the bestselling book of the same name, Brant Hansen shares
practical ways to live life with less stress and more care by
becoming unoffendable. In his highly entertaining style, he seeks
to lift the religious burdens from our backs and allow us to
experience the joy of gratitude every day of our lives-flourishing
the way God intended. This study guide includes: Individual access
to six streaming video sessions A "how to use this guide" section
Video notes and a comprehensive structure for group discussion time
Personal study for deeper reflection between sessions Sessions and
video run times: The Myth of Righteous Anger (18:00) What Humans
Are Like (18:00) The Physiological Effects of Anger (18:00) What
About Injustice? (18:00) How to Actually Do This (17:30) The
Difference It Makes (18:00) This study guide has everything you
need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide
itself-with discussion and reflection questions, video notes, and a
leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all video
sessions online. (You don't need to buy a DVD!) Streaming video
access code included. Access code subject to expiration after
12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this
package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this
package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited,
taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.
Outreach Resource of the Year Something is not right. The witness
of the church in North America is eroding. Many Christians are
alarmed by the decline in church attendance and seek a culprit. Too
often, we point the finger away from the church, make culture the
enemy, and build walls between us and others. But our antagonism
and enemy-making are toxins that further eat away at our witness.
Is there a better way? Tara Beth Leach could easily be one of those
millennials giving up on the church. Instead, she is a pastor who
loves the church and is paradoxically hopeful for its future. In an
era where the church has lost much of its credibility, Leach casts
a radiant vision for Christians to rediscover a robust, attractive
witness. We need to name the toxic soil we've grown in, repent for
past wrongs, and lean into a better way to become the church that
Jesus proclaimed we would be. Leach casts down idolatrous false
images of God to recover a winsome picture of a kingdom of
abundance and goodness. We can be sustained by practices that will
tune our hearts to God's and form us into the radiant communities
God intends for us and those around us.
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