Locked church doors and tossed rotten eggs greeted the faithful and patient Charles Simeon in his early years as a pastor. But in humility and simple power he was allowed by God to triumph. He became, as John R.W. Stott notes, "one of the greatest and most persuasive preachers the Church of England has ever known." Why did he have such an impact? You'll discover the reasons yourself as you read these clearflowing sermons, rich in content and clean in style. Shining through his words are Simeon's simple devotion to pure biblical truth, his concise and orderly presentation, and his pastor's mind and heart. James Houston's editorial preface is an instructive guide to Simeon's sound homiletical principles, while Stott's introduction is an engaging portrait of Simeon as a servant of God. Surveying his long life (1758-1836) and fruitful ministry, Stott is especially impressed by Simeon's refreshing, unaffected humility, and writes, "Our proud, self-confident, self-congratulatory generation urgently needs to recover this biblical perspective." Dr. James M. Houston, editor of the CLASSICS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION SERIES, is a highly acclaimed scholar and pioneer in the field of evangelical spirituality. He came to North America from England in 1968 to lead Regent College in Vancouver, Canada, an international graduate school of Christian studies.

A revision of a standard resource for classes and seminary courses in Christian education.

A revised edition of the best-selling Teaching Teachers to Teach (1974), this book is a basic, comprehensive manual offering practical guidance that helps teachers learn the art and practice of teaching. Throughout the book, Griggs identifies the basic elements of the teaching process and outlines the essential ingredients needed for effective teaching.

The Walking with God series was developed as the curriculum for small groups at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. Since its release in 1992, it has been used by churches and small groups to help raise up devoted disciples of Christ. Group members who work through the program will lay a solid foundation for a lifelong walk with God. While small groups may be formed for a variety of purposes, the goal of this curriculum is for groups to produce disciples-fully devoted followers of Christ-by studying God's Word in community. To this end, the goal of the study is to produce disciples who walk with God, have a personal relationship with Jesus, and live in step with the Holy Spirit. It is also to produce believers who live the Word in all areas of life and contribute to the work that God is doing in the local church. Ultimately, the goal is to develop believers who impact the world and are prepared and eager to spread the good news of Christ to others. This material will help develop these attributes in group members. Each lesson includes group Bible study and discussion questions in addition to devotions, reflections, and personal study for use by individuals between the group sessions.

The Way of Blessedness, the third resource in the Companions in Christ series, is an invitation for small group members to discover and live in the kingdom of God. Each week is an exploration of one of the Beatitudes from Matthew 5. Unlike other books on the Beatitudes, The Way of Blessedness is threaded throughout with spiritual practices that form participants spiritually while informing them about scripture. This 9-week journey helps participants empty themselves of pride so that they can be filled with God's abundant love. As they are transformed by God's love, they may become people who mourn with and for others and our world, who understand and live out Jesus' example of meekness, who hunger and thirst for holiness, who humbly offer and receive mercy, whose hearts are pure and able to see the imprint of God in all things, who seek peace, and who hold strong in our faith through adversity. The Way of Blessedness guides participants along a path that offers clarity to their way of life and the very life of God's kingdom. Small group sessions: Week 1 Exploring the Blessed Life Week 2 Embracing Our Spiritual Poverty Week 3 Tears as Anguish, Tears as Gift Week 4 The Power of a Clear and Gentle Heart Week 5 A Satisfying Hunger and Thirst Week 6 Embracing the Wisdom of Tenderness Week 7 Receiving the Vision of God Week 8 Making Peace: A Fragrant Offering of Love Week 9 The Deep Gladness of Suffering Love

Written by a team of adults and teens, Way to Live discusses concrete ways youth can practice Christianity in everyday life. This book answers teens' yearning for a meaningful way of life by inviting them into an abundant way of life Jesus offers and challenging them to join others in practicing their faith.

Through teen-friendly language and relevant examples, Way to Live uses stories and ideas that make Christian practice come alive. Practices such as forgiveness, work, play, stuff, justice, prayer, food, and time are discussed as ways to nourish a more meaningful life offered by Jesus Christ.

18 teens and 18 adults joined together to write Way to Live. Their collective wisdom and experience offers things that readers can do -- rather than things not to do. It also presents each practice as a gift and not a task that engages readers in the real world.

Great for youth ministry and small group study, Way to Live is perfect for individual use too.

Helping the next generation live for Christ As Christian adolescents develop into adults, they face unique questions and challenges. But this stage of life also provides unique opportunities for all who care about the spiritual flourishing of the next generation. Created in partnership with the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, Formation for Mission empowers those who interact with teenagers and young adults. Gathering wisdom from a diverse variety of veteran teachers and weaving together research--informed social, theological, and practical insights, each chapter examines essential features in the missional development, formation, and contexts of young people. Questions for reflection and discussion move the conversation forward. Each generation is commissioned to pass the faith on to the next and help them live for Christ, enter congregational life, and engage in Christian mission. With cultural awareness and sensitivity to the challenges of today, Formation for Mission offers hopeful advice to those who are invested in supporting the spiritual thriving of emerging adults.

"We know how to be teenagers. We want [the church] to show us how to be adults." --Kristin, aged 17

Two-thirds of today's teens are interested in having a meaningful relationship with God, yet less than one-third of them are active in a local church. Alvin Reid--an experienced pastor, professor, evangelist, and youth ministry speaker--suggests these statistics are more an indictment of the way the church does youth ministry than of the teens they try to reach.

Today's generation of teens is marked by teamwork, authenticity, and a "can-do" attitude. They are much more than kids finishing childhood--an erroneous perspective of many in the church, and one that drives what often passes for effective youth ministry. Teens are young adults with incredible potential who need to learn how to be Christian adults. This compelling book provides an impassioned plea for the church to set a higher standard; to reinvent the fundamental ways we minister to teens and their families.

"[This book] is not for the faint of heart or those who are intimidated by this culture. It is written for those who are deadly serious about reaching and keeping this Digital generation. . . an unreached people group, 'a tribe apart' with their own language, values, customs and dress." --Jay Strack
President, StudentLeadership.net

Alvin L. Reid (Ph.D., M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of evangelism and the Bailey Smith Chair of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of seven books, including Radically Unchurched, Introduction to Evangelism, and Light the Fire: Raising a Generation to Live Radically for Jesus.

6-8 sessions. The Miracles of Jesus will help learners experience the miracles as part of the redemptive work of Jesus and to understand these miracles as a testimony to Jesus identity, as depicted in the Gospels. Included are: Jesus as a miracle-working figure, Healing as symbolic action, such as rethinking the purpose of the Sabbath, Exorcisms, Portents miracles showing Jesus divine authority and Old Testament predecessors, such as Moses and Elijah, Miracles, or signs, in the Gospel of John, Miracles as signs of the early church, Miracles of healing and touch, and Jesus and miracles beyond the Gospels. DAVID OTTO is an Associate Professor of Religion at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, and a nationally recognized speaker and provocative scholar. Dr. Otto is the author of several books and is a featured workshop leader throughout the church."

" Do you ever wonder why Jeffrey talks all of the time?
Or why Toni can't sit still? Or why Alex loves work sheets?
Or why Jordan is always trying something new?
""
Each chapter is fun to read, stimulating, and immensely practical. This book is valuable to teachers, and for preachers, too.
"DAVID R. MAINS
DIRECTOR
CHAPEL OF THE AIR
"
It's about time. "Creative Teaching Methods "is not just another book on the theory of creativity (which we don't need). Rather, it is a book on the practice of creativity in the classroom (which we desperately need). This is a book you will use over and over again.
"Creative Teaching Methods "is loaded with practical and usable ideas that will make creative teaching a reality in your classroom. Without hesitation, I would recommend this book to anyone who teaches young people or adults.
"MIKE YACONELLI
PRESIDENT
YOUTH SPECIALTIES
"
Marlene LeFever makes the principle of learning through creative participation come alive for Christian education. Creative methods are vividly and invitingly explored for their potential for deepening the spiritual life through new ways of hearing the Word of God and using heretofore untapped personal resources in responding to it. Unique in its assumption that in Christian education creativity is just as essential in work with youth and adults as it is in work with children.
""
"D. CAMPBELL WYCKOFF
PROFESSOR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION EMERITUS
PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Marlene D. LeFever is Manager of Ministry Relations for David C. Cook Church Ministries, holds a master of Christian education and is a frequent speaker at Sunday School conventions, writers' conferences, and professional organizations. Editor of "Teacher Touch, "a quarterly letter of affirmation for Sunday School teachers, Marlene has authored over ten books, including "Creative Teaching Methods "(Cook), "Creative Hospitality "(Tyndale), and Is "Your To Do List About To Do You In? "(NavPress).

This popular, comprehensive Bible-reading program for individuals and group study offers a sweeping introduction to biblical themes and concepts. Complete with a detailed reading schedule for every day of one year,The Year of the Bibleleads participants to a better understanding of Scripture and a greater sense of community within the church. Newcomers to Scripture and longtime Bible readers alike will find their Christian faith enhanced and feel a sense of accomplishment from reading the Bible in its entirety. James E. Davison helps congregations put the program together and keep it going when enthusiasm flags.

The canon for Catholic social teaching spreads to six hundred pages,yet fewer than two pages are devoted to Catholic social learning or pedagogy. In this long-needed book, Roger Bergman begins to correct that gross imbalance. He asks: How do we educate ("lead out") the faith that does justice? How is commitment to social justice provoked and sustained over a lifetime? To address these questions, Bergman weaves what he has learned from thirty years as a faith-that-does-justice educator with the best of current scholarship and historical authorities. He reflects on personal experience; the experience of Church leaders, lay activists, and university students; and the few words the tradition itself has to say about a pedagogy for justice. Catholic Social Learning explores the foundations of this pedagogy, demonstrates its practical applications, and illuminates why and how it is fundamental to Catholic higher education. Part I identifies personal encounters with the poor and marginalized as key to stimulating a hunger and thirst for justice. Part II presents three applications of Catholic social learning: cross-cultural immersion as illustrated by Creighton University's Semestre Dominicano program; community-based service learning; and the teaching of moral exemplars such as Dorothy Day, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Archbishop Oscar Romero. Part III then elucidates how a pedagogy for justice applies to the traditional liberal educational mission of the Catholic university, and how it can be put into action. Catholic Social Learning is both a valuable, practical resource for Christian educators and an important step forward in the development of a transformative pedagogy.

"Do you ever wonder why Jeffrey talks all of the time?
Or why Toni can't sit still? Or why Alex loves work sheets?
Or why Jordan is always trying something new?
""
""Learning Styles "answers these questions and more. Effective learning follows a natural four-step process that answers these four questions:
- WHY DO I NEED THIS?
- WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT MY NEED?
- HOW DOES WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ACTUALLY WORK?
- HOW WILL I USE WHAT I HAVE LEARNED?
By answering each of these questions, we will appeal to the four learning styles: Imaginative, Analytic, Common Sense, and Dynamic. A learning style is the way in which a person sees or perceives things best and then uses that knowledge. When we understand learning styles and adjust our teaching or parenting to those styles, we begin reaching everyone God gives us to teach.
"A wonderful book capable of teaching us how we learn . . . and what to do with all that knowledge once we've learned it. Practical, helpful, and an eye-opening book for all of us in the teaching trade--from mothers to professors! I heartily recommend this be a" "must for your bookshelf. "
JILL BRISCOE, AUTHOR, SPEAKER
Learning Styles "displays Marlene LeFever at her best. Few people see others in terms of their learning capability. Fewer still dedicate themselves to the study of how understanding occurs. Marlene long ago grabbed my attention and admiration with her teaching skills. Her insights deserve thoughtful reading by every teacher and meaningful discussion in every teacher training meeting. Learning should stir up" "pleasure and she shows us how. "
HOWARD G. HENDRICKS, CHAIRMAN
CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
." . . great teachers and preachers throughout the history of the church have realized the importance of answering the why, what, so what, and how questions.... The author has isolated and tied these elements to the teaching context so that their incorporation will be purposeful. Anyone involved in the communication process will be benefitted by "Learning Styles....
DR. TONY EVANS, PASTOR
OAK CLIFF BIBLE FELLOWSHIP DALLAS, TEXAS
"Easy reading, but not simplistic. Many authors ask hard questions; Marlene dares to suggest answers.... We now have no excuse for careless teaching.
"MICHAEL S. LAWSON, PH D., PRESIDENT
PROFESSIONAL ASSOC. OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATORS (PACE)

This exposition, a standard in the field, was written to aid the church in recovering with certainty the rich heritage of the Reformation faith.