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Books > Christianity > Christian institutions & organizations > Christian ministry & pastoral activity
For those who have a friend that has been devastated by the loss of
a loved one. When others care enough to rub shoulders with grieving
friends and are willing to be inconvenienced. It requires someone
to care enough to put aside cliche condolences and stick close
through a long grieving process. An individual's grief can never be
'fixed'. But friends can wash a sink full of dishes, listen, go
along on a cemetery visit. Sharing another's grief is not about
'fixing-it'- it's about showing up.Harold Ivan Smith, popular
speaker and grief educator, guides others to respond with their
heart. He shows tangible, meaningful ways to make a significant
difference as one journeys through grief with someone they care
about.
From time to time in the study of theology it becomes necessary to
evaluate what Scripture has to say on certain crucial doctrines of
the faith. Leon Morris, one of this generation's most respected
evangelical scholars, here offers a survey of the vast subject of
atonement as it is presented in the New Testament. The Cross in the
New Testament explores in turn Matthew and Mark, and Lukan
writings, John, the Pauline epistles, Hebrews, the catholic
epistles, and Revelation, showing what each New Testament scripture
contributes to our understanding of atonement. Atonement for Morris
is not merely expiation i.e. a covering over of sins but
propitiation i.e. also a turning aside of wrath, this was the
contention he had with his doctoral supervisor C.H.Dodd. While
Morris emphasizes the need to appreciate the many strands woven
into this doctrine, he criticizes the views of modern scholars that
do not square with the biblical teaching. At the heart of the
doctrine of atonement is the idea of substitution, Morris believes,
and his thorough examination and defense of substitutionary
atonement make this volume a theological apologetic of great
significance. Trusted as an exhaustive and reliable work of
scholarship for the past thirty-five years and available now in
this new paperback edition, The Cross in the New Testament remains
an invaluable text for serious students of the Bible.
In our world, stories matter. Methods and systems are beneficial
because they provide structure and help keep us on the right road;
but the motivation and courage to keep walking the road, come from
the stories we hear and see and experience-stories that inspire
hope and bring us face-to-face with God. For ministers, the call to
preach is a call into a story that forms and shapes us. It's about
stumbling into revelation as life unwinds and scripture unfolds.
It's about listening to God's voice and then sharing it with
others. It's about recognizing that when people gather to hear a
sermon, God speaks. And it's about understanding that when He
speaks, He speaks through you. Preaching the Story That Shapes Us
is more than a textbook on preaching. It's an empowering call for
preachers to present a picture of the kingdom of God already at
work among us, recognizing that the work of preaching is not just
about arranging words--it's about people. With elegant prose and
crafted reason, Dan Boone weaves together scripture, personal
narrative, structure, and theological reflection to provide a
satisfying, efficient guide to narrative preaching. From exploring
the importance of biography to walking readers through creative
processes that shape the sermon, Boone shows preachers how to
awaken lives and share the stories of God that reveal who we are
and lead us to who we will be.
'Let me say to Mr Botha: apartheid is doomed! It has been condemned in the
Councils of God, rejected by every nation on the planet and is no longer believed
in by the people who gave it birth. Apartheid is the god that has failed.' So
preached Bishop Peter Storey in 1986. Challenging apartheid wherever he could,
he led the SA Methodist Church into what many whites saw as uncomfortable
'political' territory.
Join him in his inspiring journey from sailor-turned-minister to the South African
Council of Churches leadership in its darkest hour, from tending to Robert
Sobukwe and Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, through the forced removals of
District Six and the storm surrounding Stompie Seipei's murder. I Beg to Differ
spans a parish minister’s sorrows and joys, founding Life Line SA, the bombing
of Khotso House and a close shave with death with Desmond Tutu. Storey
shares the convictions that inspired him to minister amid the teargas, violence
and intimidation of the apartheid regime.
First published in 1918 Whizzbangs and Woodbines presents a candid
portrait of life behind the lines on the Western Front by Reverend
Durell, then Rector of Rotherhithe, and Chief Commissioner of the
Church Army in France.The Church Army, along with its counterparts
the YMCA, TOC-H and Salvation Army played an important part in the
support and morale of soldiers in war. In addition to providing
spiritual support,the Church Army welcomed more than 200,000 men
each day to their recreation huts and provided visits and gifts to
the wounded, tents and hostels near the front lines, drove
ambulances, mobile canteens and kitchen cars.In addition to
voluntary Church services, for those who wished to attend, a simple
salvation from trench life was offered; music, singing, concerts,
card games,billiards and refreshments, all small measures of joy in
the midst of dangers and hardships and as vital to the continued
war effort as bullets and shells. For a packet of woodbines and a
cup of tea was restorative ammunition enough for the average
British Tommy.
Did you know that today is a special day? It may be an occasion
you've been waiting for all year. Or it may seem like just another
ordinary day. But whatever is on your schedule, this is God's gift
to you--a 24-hour present from your Creator filled with his divine
opportunities. Today, God has opened a new chapter in your life.
Yesterday is history. Today is yours now. So let's celebrate! Let's
start enjoying God's goodness now. He delights in showering us with
his blessings: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17). Isn't
it wonderful that God freely offers us his best gifts to enjoy? Did
you know that Jesus is God's ultimate gift to humankind? Without
the life, death, and resurrection of God's only Son, we would
remain in our sin with no way of escape. God gives us a beautiful
creation and the promise of spending eternity with him. But, his
richest gift to us is the salvation and grace through his Son,
Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I came that they may have life and have
it abundantly" (John 10:10). Through Jesus, God freely gives us his
peace, happiness, and hope both now and forever. If you haven't yet
confessed your sin and placed your belief and trust in Jesus for
forgiveness, there is no better time than the present. Seek to grow
your faith with help from a local Christian church or from a friend
who will pray and read the Bible with you. This could be the start
of a wonderful new life as a child of God!
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