An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible study

With a patented reference system beloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This easy-to-learn, easy-to-use system enables you to see the breadth of Scripture’s teachings on thousands of topics. With over 100,000 references listed in the Bible’s margins, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. You can also expand your Bible study with even more tools, including biographical sketches, an archeological supplement, and outlines of each book of the Bible. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible allows Scripture to interpret itself without commentaries.

Features:

• Full text of the English Standard Version (ESV)
• Easy to understand Chain-Reference System with over 100,000 references in the margins
• References cover over 8,000 topics, each with its own pilot number for exhaustive topical study
• Complete alphabetical and numerical indices listing all 8,000 topics with corresponding pilot numbers and Bible references for comprehensive topical study
• Bible study aids such as biographical sketches of the most prominent people in the Bible, an archeological supplement, glossary, concordance, Bible harmonies, and outlines of each book of the Bible
• Key Verses and Key Thoughts provide basic information you can use to develop your own study
• Verse Analysis shows the topics and themes of every verse and provides easy reference to other verses with the same topics or themes
• 16-page full-color map section
• Words of Christ in red
• Presentation page for gift-giving
• Satin ribbon marker
• 8.3-point type size

What is the purpose of Christian ministry? Is it about upholding traditional standards? Is it about meeting organizational goals? Or is it a mixture of meanings and roles? With numerous ways of understanding ministry, getting a grasp on it can

be a difficult task.

Discovering Christian Ministry not only gives a concise yet comprehensive definition of ministry but it also offers a ministerial vision that encompasses the personal, interpersonal and social spheres of your life.

The tyranny of the urgent is a by-product of our fast-paced world. It affects many people, but when it impacts pastors they are often tempted to ignore the critical needs of the pastoral disciplines that ensure the effectiveness of ministry.

In Thinking, Listening, and Being: Wesleyan Pastoral Disciplines, Jeren Rowell offers theological reflections on what it means to live and work as a pastor. He examines different aspects of

pastoral thinking, practice, and work, and challenges pastors to continually pursue prayer, the study of Scriptures, and theological reflection. "Working in this way," he writes, "could not only be a gift of love for the church but also an important model for parish pastors who are tempted to surrender first things to the urgencies and temptations of contemporary life."

Many parents have taken a defeatist approach toward understanding their teens, and not without good reason; it does often seem hopeless, after all. But that's where you, the volunteer youth worker, come in. Mark Oestreicher shows that Understanding Today's Teenager is both possible and rewarding, if one has the right tools. Marko explores the dimensions of nature vs. nurture, brain activity, culture, biology, and emotional development, all of which lead teenagers to do the wacky things they do that adults don't understand and often can't remember having done themselves. Marko also reminds us that adolescent development doesn't end at the age of 18 just because United States law says it does. A Volunteer Youth Worker's Guide to Understanding Today's Teenager uses a combination of science, logic, and compassion to help bring us back from the cliff edge and remember why we started working with teens in the first place. Use this book as a jumping-off point to re-ignite your passion for teens.

“I have read no book that more carefully, thoroughly, and tenderly displays Christ’s heart.” — Paul David Tripp, President, Paul Tripp Ministries; author, New Morning Mercies and My Heart Cries Out

Christians know what Jesus Christ has done—but who is he? What is his deepest heart for his people, weary and faltering on their journey toward heaven? Jesus said he is “gentle and lowly in heart.” This book reflects on these words, opening up a neglected yet central truth about who he is for sinners and sufferers today.

A lot of churches and youth ministries have given up on the idea of small groups, writing them off as too tedious, too difficult to manage, too hard to find volunteers for, too expensive to provide materials or curriculum for, or any other number of reasons. In A Volunteer Youth Worker's Guide to Leading a Small Group, Mark Oestreicher argues a different perspective. Marko insists that small groups promote safe spaces to grow, consistency in teenagers' emotionally tumultuous lives, and repetition that instills in them the importance of trust and tradition. The Guide to Leading a Small Group is perfect for anyone feeling disenchanted with the concept of small groups, and after Marko succeeds in changing your mind in the first few pages, he'll use the rest of the book to help you restructure and rethink your small-group programming so you don't get burned out again. Marko is leading the charge in reviving small groups, and you can join him today.