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.

Why Bishops? What's so special about Bishops? What are Bishops called to and how best can they do it? This book is the single resource of answers to all the questions one could conceivably have about what a Bishop is and their function and purpose in the Church. Paul Avis offers a fascinating account of the ministerial identity of the bishop, and in particular the tasks and roles of episcopal ministry. Placing the Bishop within his wider ecclesiological framework, Avis illuminates the role of the individual in episcopal ministry. The book sets the vital work of a Bishop within an ecclesiological framework: the Bishop in the Anglican Communion, within the Church of Christ, within the purposes of God.

Making your Tithing Count for your Growth in Christ Your Tithing to Grow in Christ is more than a book. It is your devotional guide designed to practically assist you in spiritually relating to God personally in your tithing. As you use this devotional guide, you will soon find yourself experiencing seven things. These seven things are as follows: Getting you closer to God Thinking about God Praying to God Reading about God Honoring God Giving to God Hearing from God Next to the Bible, the Tithing to Grow in Christ is what you and every local church member must have. It is the devotional guide book that you need in order to tithe by the principle of knowing and relating to God personally. That was the principle of tithing God established with Abraham when he was made to tithe to Melchizedek in Genesis chapter 14. Your spiritual growth in Christ in the areas of trusting, loving, and being holy to God is guaranteed with your use of the Tithing to Grow in Christ. It situates you into building a strong personal relationship with God and to nurture the integrity of the personal presence of God in your life. The integrity of the personal presence of God is what you need to be certain about the personal influence of God in your life. Having the certainty concerning the personal influence of God in your life puts you above, calms your anxieties, reduces your stress, and gives you the peace and boldness to face any challenging situation, as it was the case with David in going out to fight with Goliath. A Groundbreaking Devotional Guide for A Strong Personal Relationship with God

Are you looking for fresh ideas to energize your small group? Here are hundreds of activities contributed by small group experts from across the United States. Tested in the field and drawn from the front lines of small group ministry, these creative ideas will help you evaluate the state of your group and enhance the five components of healthy group life. Community activities for the four stages of a group's life help you to get acquainted, go deeper with one another, process conflict, make memories and prepare for your group's ending. Whether charismatic, liturgical or somewhere in between, you'll find ideas for worship and prayer that stretch group members in these vital areas of spiritual growth. Your group will grow closer to one another as you draw near to God together. Ideas for study offer you some creative methods for Bible study and life application as well as ideas for learning through books, videos and other resources. A section on outreach helps your group to look beyond its borders and serve the needs of others. You'll find ideas for inviting others into your group and for working together in evangelism, social action and world mission. Edited by Cindy Bunch, this edition features new ideas gathered from The Small Group Network (www.SmallGroups.com) founded by Michael Mack and now directed by Dan Lentz. Whether you are a small group leader, a group coordinator or a pastor, you will return to this valuable resource again and again.

Features & Benefits- Examines the faith of John and Charles Wesley- Organized around four themes: message, community, discipline and servanthood- Concise but comprehensive- Highlights the unique strengths of Wesleyan theology- Draws on John Wesley's writings and Charles Wesley's hymns- Written by a scholar and teacher specializing on the Wesleys

What is at the root of the problem of humanity? Is it pride or lack of self-esteem? Do we love ourselves too much or too little? The debate about the human condition has often been framed this way in both theological and psychological circles. Convictions about preaching, teaching, marriage and child rearing, as well as politics, social welfare, business management and the helping professions, more often than not, fall on one side or the other of this divide. With theological and psychological insight Terry D. Cooper provides trenchant analysis of this centuries-long debate and leads us beyond the usual impasse. Humanistic psychology has often regarded traditional Christianity as its archrival in assessing the human condition. Cooper demonstrates how the Christian doctrine of a sinful and fallen humanity sheds light on the human condition which exhibits both pride and self-denigration. Bringing theological insights ranging from Augustine and John Calvin to Reinhold Niebuhr together with the psychological theories of Freud, Jung, Carl Rogers, Gerald May and Karen Horney, Cooper guides readers through the maze of competing claims to a resolution which affirms Christian conviction while critically engaging modern psychological theory. A model of the proper integration of Christian theology and the discipline of psychology, Sin, Pride & Self-Acceptance will be of special help to students and practitioners of psychology, pastoral counseling and clinical psychology.

There is a place God longs to take each of us. Only He can lead us there. We spend our lives looking to fill the chasm within us. We wonder from mountain top to hillside in search of anything that might satisfy. We wake from each expedition feeling disillusioned. Many times we are left shattered by what our own efforts have cost us. Step inside and discover who you are. Each word is a whisper from the heart of God, raining down from the heavens for all who will hear. Listen with your whole heart as He utters words of unfathomable love. Take the hand of God as He leads you to a Place Called Knowing.