The Celebrate Recovery Participant's Guides are essential tools for the personal recovery journey. In the five lessons in Guide 2: Taking an Honest and Spiritual Inventory, you will experience an in-depth look at the 4th principle in the recovery process: 4 Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to someone I trust. "Happy are the pure in heart" (Matthew 5:8). By working through the lessons and exercises found in each of the four Participant's Guides you will begin to experience the true peace and serenity you have been seeking, restore and develop stronger relationships with others and with God, and find freedom from life's hurts, hang-ups, and habits. All the scriptures have been updated to the new NIV 2011 version.

Western societies today are coming unmoored in the face of earth-shaking ethical and cultural paradigm shift. At its core is the question of what it means to be human and how we are meant to live. The old answers are no longer accepted; a dizzying array of options are offered in their stead. Underpinning this smorgasbord of lifestyles is a thicket of unquestioned assumptions, such as the separation of gender from biological sex, which not so long ago would have been universally rejected as radical notions. In the spring of 2019, a group of Orthodox Christian scholars drawn from a wide variety of academic disciplines met together to offer responses to the moral crisis our generation faces, elaborating upon its various forms and facilitating a fuller understanding of some of its theological and philosophical foundations. In doing so they offer support to all those who question the claims that are so forcefully insisted upon today - a clarity that will aid them in standing up and resisting trends that have already shown to be the cause of great suffering and unhappiness. Among the contributors to this volume are NY Times bestselling author Rod Dreher, Frederica Matthewes-Green, Dr David Bradshaw, Fr Chad Hatfield, and Fr Peter Heers. Collectively, these scholars remind us that it is only through our participation in the life of Christ, God who became man, that we can find the healing of our humanity through the restoration in us of His image, in which we were formed at the beginning of time.

Superb blend of sure-footed Bible teaching and professional teaching on mental illness issues. Especially helps us discern when behaviour cannot be helped due to the sufferer's condition, and when it is wrong and sinful

The Alpha Youth Film Series is a perfect way to create an environment of acceptability where students can bring their friends to explore the Christian faith, ask questions, and share their point of view. Alpha makes it easy to invite friends to have spiritual conversations which explore life's biggest questions in a safe and respectful way. The Alpha Youth Film Series is created for audiences 13-18 years old. Alpha's approach to hospitality, faith, and discussion is designed to welcome everyone, especially those who might not describe themselves as Christians or church-goers. Each session includes time for a large group, short teaching, and small group discussion. The DVD (sold separately) also includes three training sessions for your small group hosts and helpers and the discussion guide. A Note from hosts Jason and Ben: It is such a privilege for us to share the Alpha Youth Film Series with you! Over the past 20 years, Alpha has been used by churches all over the world to facilitate conversations about faith and Jesus. To date, more than 29 million people have participated in Alpha in 112 languages. For the first time ever, Alpha is customized for teenagers on video. Our dream for the Alpha Youth Film Series is to present the gospel in a clear, interactive, and fun way, and to bridge the gap between thousands of unchurched youth and the message of Jesus.

A must-read for church leaders and members alike, this book outlines 9 essential marks that distinguish a healthy, biblical church. This classic book is now revised with a new preface and additional content on prayer and missions. Fourth edition.

You were not meant to walk alone. Many of us struggle to forge deep relationships with God and other people. Modern society has isolated us as rugged individuals, deceiving us into thinking we can make it through life on our own. Individualism has likewise shaped the pattern of Christian discipleship, privatizing faith and separating us from fellow believers. But we come to know God best when others help us on the way. And our friendships develop best when we seek after God together. What would it look like to pursue God not by ourselves but in the company of friends? According to the model of the New Testament, spiritual transformation takes place in the context of Christian community. By unpacking the Gospel narratives of Jesus' ministry with his disciples, Richard Lamb demonstrates how discipleship develops within the shared community life of groups of Christians. He explores a range of topics--such as spiritual friendship, hospitality, leadership, service, conflict, forgiveness and mission--in light of Christian community. Engaging stories from real-life experience show how people can form one another spiritually when their lives are tumbled against one another. If you long for more of God, deeper friendships or both, this book will help you on the journey. Discover the transforming power of discipleship in community. Join the pursuit of God in the company of friends.

The Puritans, though often caricatured in modern days as narrow, gloomy and austere, were those whose high view of the Word of God distinguished them as serious students of the Scriptures. Their preaching was marked by careful exegesis of the great themes of the Bible and the practical application of these doctrines to the life of their hearers. Men like John Owen, William Gough, Thomas Watson, John Flavel, Richard Sibbes, and many others, were used of God to powerfully preach the riches of the Messianic work of Christ, the new birth, repentance, justification, sanctification, assurance, and many other themes. In this volume, Dr. Di Gangi brings together the words of these preachers on the great themes of the Word with the hopes that it might be used to revive in our churches a love for the truth and a desire to see the Scriptures faithfully preached and applied.

So it was that a few years and thousands of baptisms ago this philosophy of action got underway. It is not mere froth spun by a simple dreamer fantasizing spiritual fun-and-games from some ecclesiastical perch. It is the fruitful product of many personal sessions of intercessory prayer, dedicated time, analytical work throughout the preparation and many hours of training his disciples. It is strikingly evident to us that this present work is indeed God's response to His humble servant's search for a methodology that would effectively empower Gospel ministry for the expansion of the Kingdom of God. We give thanks and glory to the Lord for this book which has come into our hands. Pastor J. H. Cortes came to the United States, specifically to New Jersey, from the Euro-African Division. Previously, he ministered in a very difficult corner of the Inter-American Division. As a young pastor and evangelist He faced grave dangers during the most trying times of the Cuban Revolution. Persecuting religious workers seems to have been in that era a favorite pastime for over-zealous security goons. There he had the sacred privilege of bearing the light of the Gospel to hundreds of prisoners. We heartily recommend to our readers his book Never Give Up Hope in which Pastor Cortes shares his moving, painful, yet at the same time Christ-sustaining life experiences from within the entrails of his Communist imprisonment. He has a Doctorate in Psychology, and Masters in Ministry and Family Counseling. His energetic and loving preaching is appreciated and respected internationally. His written work includes several books and hundreds of articles. His most precious treasure is his family. If you wish to use the Power Point Training Presentations for your training sessions contact us at: [email protected]

Leading ethicist and pastoral theologian Brian Brock reflects on the challenge of disability, refuting widely held misconceptions and helping readers respond well to the pastoral implications of disability. Brock, the father of a child with special needs, weaves together theological commentary with narrative reflection, offering rich theological wisdom for shepherding people with disabilities. He shows pastors and ministers-in-training that thinking more closely and theologically about disability is a doorway into a more vibrant and welcoming church life for all Christians.

It's easy to think that emotional pain and feelings of hopelessness are modern issues. But two thousand years ago, Jesus ministered to people who were also longing for peace and happiness. His answer? God's peace--his Shalom, a word so important that it's translated seventy different ways in the Bible. This often-overlooked aspect of the Christian life is the foundation for deep, meaningful happiness. In this uplifting book, Jeremiah Johnston provides a biblical perspective on living a life of Shalom. Johnston reveals: * the peace Jesus offers vs. the peace the world promises but can't deliver * how to apply God's peace to our current situation and combat anxiety, fear, and hopelessness * how to protect this perfect peace in our lives when troubles try to steal it This book is also helpful for lay leaders, pastors, and everyone else who recognizes the church's incredible opportunity today to help individuals and families dealing with anxiety and depression.

Practical theology has outgrown its traditional pastoral paradigm. The articles in this handbook recognize that faith, spirituality, and lived religion, within and beyond institutional communities, refer to realms of cultures, ritual practices, and symbolic orders, whose boundaries are not clearly defined and whose contents are shifting. The International Handbook of Practical Theology offers insightful transcultural conceptions of religion and religious matters gathered from various cultures and traditions of faith. The first section presents 'concepts of religion'. Chapters have to do with considerations of the conceptualizing of religion in the fields of 'anthropology', 'community', 'family', 'institution', 'law', 'media', and 'politics' among others. The second section is dedicated to case studies of 'religious practices' from the perspective of their actors. The third section presents major theoretical discourses that explore the globally significant diversity and multiplicity of religion. Altogether, sixty-one authors from different parts of the world encourage a rethinking of religious practice in an expanded, transcultural, globalized, and postcolonial world.