Theological field education, in which a ministry student steps out of the classroom and begins practicing with the supervision of a mentor, is a critical part of accredited ministry programs. Engage equips both students and their supervisor-mentors to engage in this important opportunity with energy and imagination, and it prepares students for the challenging work of integrating theory into real-world practice. Engage provides coaching from recognized experts in the arts of ministry: preaching, administration, evangelism, pastoral care, public ministry, leadership, faith formation, liturgical arts and more. Other chapters address themes such as race, gender, and ministry across faith traditions (or no faith tradition). The book addresses field education in a range of contexts-from churches to non-profits. Engage offers a valuable resource for students making the most of their transition from the classroom into real world ministry with all its joys and many challenges.

With this new lectionary commentary series, Westminster John Knox offers the most extensive resource for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes of the series will cover all the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with movable occasions, such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, Holy Week, and All Saints' Day.

For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays--one each on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. This gives preachers sixteen different approaches to the proclaimation of the Word on any given occasion.

The editors and contributors to this series are world-class scholars, pastors, and writers representing a variety of denominations and traditions. And while the twelve volumes of the series will follow the pattern of the Revised Common Lectionary, each volume will contain an index of biblical passages so that nonlectionary preachers, as well as teachers and students, may make use of its contents.

Year B, Volume 1: Advent through Transfiguration. With this new lectionary commentary series, Westminster John Knox Press offers the most extensive resource for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes of the series will cover all the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with movable occasions, such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, Holy Week, and All Saints Day. For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. They might focus on the Gospel text, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text, or they might explore connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays for each one. Each lectionary year will consist of four volumes, one for the Advent and Christmas season, one for Lent and Easter, and one for each half of Ordinary Time. While the twelve volumes of the series will follow the pattern of the Revised Common Lectionary, each volume will contain an index of biblical passages so that nonlectionary preachers may make use of its contents.

The two volumes of Prayer Book Parallels are aids to the study of the development of the American book from as many points of view as possible. They include liturgical texts and related historical documents. Volume One contains the texts of the public services of the American Church arranged in parallel columns--from the colonial period to the present--to enable comparative study. The two volumes are of great value to seminarians, clergy, church historians, and anyone interested in the development of the present Prayer Book. (702 pp)

The Godly Play(R) approach helps children explore their faith through story, to gain religious language, and to enhance their spiritual experience through wonder and play. Based on Montessori principles and developed using a spiral curriculum, the Godly Play(R) method services children through early, middle, and late childhood and beyond. Revised and expanded, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 4, offers new concepts, new terminology, new illustrations, and a new structure that stem from more than 10 years of using Godly Play(R) with children across the world. Thirty to forty percent of the text is new or revised, including a new lesson, revised Introduction, and a full Appendix.

You don't need to abandon your life to get it back. You can restore it with sustainable practices that are within your reach. And you will never be the same... We live in soul-scorching times. The 24-7 onslaught of contemporary life-with its never-ending feed of global tragedies, demands for our attention, and pressures of work, family, and friends-has left us feeling ragged, wrung-out, and emptied. But if we have no margin in our lives, how do we find room to change anything? In this life-changing video Bible study (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), John Eldredge distills a lifetime of wisdom into five practical and ready-to-implement practices for putting your life back together: The one-minute pause, Benevolent detachment, Practicing kindness, Getting outside, and Stepping back from technology. Together, these simple practices will add up to enable you to begin recovery, care for the neglected places in your soul, and rediscover the hidden life of God in you. Rest assured, the graces offered in this study are within reach of normal life. They're practicable and refreshing. God wants to come to us and restore our lives. We just need to put ourselves in places that allow us to receive his help. Designed for use with Get Your Life Back Video Study (sold separately).

Many of us have felt the temptation to opt for a domesticated version of the gospel. We want enough to make us happy and secure, but not so much that it really affects our lives. We want ecstasy not repentance, security not selfless love and service. We may not like to admit it, but the temptation is there. It is nothing new, but perhaps it is especially strong today. Many changes in society and increasing self-indulgence all put pressure on believers to water down the gospel and its impact on our lives. The apostle Paul saw the insidious evil of similar influences in the Roman Empire of his day, and recognized that these pressures could harm the fledgling Christian community in Philippi. He couldn't visit them, but he wrote to encourage them to maintain basic Christian commitments and to be on guard against an array of dangers: temptations from within and seduction and opposition from without. In 'Basics for Believers', Don Carson opens up the life-transforming lessons of Philippians, showing us how we can put the whole gospel first, learn to live as disciples of Christ, and never give up the Christian walk.

Drawing on examples from British world expressions of Christianity, this collection further greater understanding of religion as a critical element of modern children's and young people's history. It builds on emerging scholarship that challenges the view that religion had a solely negative impact on nineteenth- and twentieth-century children, or that 'secularization' is the only lens to apply to childhood and religion. Putting forth the argument that religion was an abiding influence among British world children throughout the nineteenth and most of the twentieth centuries, this volume places 'religion' at the center of analysis and discussion. At the same time, it positions the religious factor within a broader social and cultural framework. The essays focus on the historical contexts in which religion was formative for children in various 'British' settings denoted as 'Anglo' or 'colonial' during the nineteenth and early- to mid-twentieth centuries. These contexts include mission fields, churches, families, Sunday schools, camps, schools and youth movements. Together they are treated as 'sites' in which religion contributed to identity formation, albeit in different ways relating to such factors as gender, race, disability and denomination. The contributors develop this subject for childhoods that were experienced largely, but not exclusively, outside the 'metropole', in a diversity of geographical settings. By extending the geographic range, even within the British world, it provides a more rounded perspective on children's global engagement with religion.

Add depth and meaning your family's traditions with these basic Christian practices that nurture and enrich everyone's faith at home. Home and parents are the key mechanisms by which religious faith and practice are transmitted inter-generationally. Recent studies indicate that the single most important factor in youth becoming committed and engaged in their religious faith as young adults is that the family talks about religion at home. However, for many parents in the United States, religious language is a foreign language. Faith at Home helps parents learn this "second language" and introduce it to their children in simple, meaningful, concrete ways. Parents often ask: How do we introduce prayer to our children if we do not necessarily believe prayer changes outcomes? How do we approach reading the Bible with our children when our own relationship with it is mixed or complicated? How do we talk about difficult things and where do we find God in the midst of them? How do we teach our children to make a difference in the world? How do we connect what happens at church to what happens at home? These questions and many more are addressed with talking points, practices, and resources provided for each subject.

Christ is the final victor, and he will come again... Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the book of Revelation in a chapter-by-chapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time it was written, and what it means to Christians today. Even in John's day, many Christians wanted to know when Christ would come again-when the plan of salvation would be accomplished. Throughout the book of Revelation, in all of its confusing images and prophecies, God's stunning faithfulness and love is on full display as he offers up every chance for sinners to claim redemption and join him forever. Each of this study's twelve lessons is clearly organized to include: Getting Started: An opening question to introduce you to the lesson. Setting the Stage: A short reflection to explain the context of the study. Exploring the Text: The Scripture reading for the lesson with related study questions. Reviewing the Story: Questions to help you identify key points in the reading. Applying the Message: Questions to help you apply the key ideas to their lives. Reflecting on the Meaning: A closing reflection on the key teachings in the lesson. -ABOUT THE SERIES- The Jeremiah Bible Study Series captures Dr. David Jeremiah's forty-plus years of commitment in teaching the Word of God. In each study, you'll gain insights into the text, identify key stories and themes, and be challenged to apply the truths you uncover to your life. By the end of each study, you'll come away with a clear and memorable understanding of that Bible book. Each study also contains a Leader's Guide.

Sixty-Six Books. One Story. All About One Name. Encounter the living Jesus in all of Scripture. From the Passion movement, The Jesus Bible, ESV Edition, lifts Jesus up as the lead story of the Bible. Profound yet accessible study features help you meet Jesus throughout Scripture. See him in every book so that you may know him more intimately, love him more passionately, and walk with him more faithfully. Features: Introduction by Louie Giglio 66 book introductions highlight the story of Jesus in every book Six compelling essays on the grand narrative of Scripture guide you to treasure Jesus and encourage you to faithfully follow him as you participate in his story Over 300 full-page articles and nearly 700 sidebar articles reveal Jesus throughout all of Scripture Complete English Standard Version (ESV) text of the Bible Beautiful special-edition cover featuring the art of Joshua Noom Room for notes and journaling throughout ESV concordance Thumb indexed to make finding the books of the Bible easier Two ribbon markers 8.7-point type size

An essential course of study for church leaders and candidates for Christian ministry 'Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching' (1 Tim. 4:16) This course is a study of the three New Testament Epistles traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul - The 'Pastoral Epistles' - 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. This course-book will make the student aware of the issues surrounding the authorship, date and purpose of these epistles; and discuss of the principles of early church theology, practice and governance described within them. This course is meant to help the student discover how we can apply these principles to the 21st century Church, and so equip the student for Christian ministry as they lead the church of God in a modern context.

Less like a Bible study, more like a book club, the Community Bible Experience is a proven way to read the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. This program of four 8-week segments includes Scripture reading, video teaching, and guided questions to facilitate meaningful discussion. The perfect companion to each of the four books in The Books of the Bible series-and best way to reinforce your progress in reading through the Bible-this study journal features a 32-week, whole-Bible reading plan, plus space to record reflections, prayers, and goals from the Scripture you are reading each day. Also includes helpful background information, video teaching notes, and reflection questions to guide your weekly small-group discussions for each week of the Community Bible Experience.

Beloved evangelist Billy Graham understood the flurry of modern life and the constant temptation of busyness. In a world in which everyone seems to be rushing to finish their to-do list, answer their emails, and respond to their cell phones, peace is still possible. In Peace for Each Day, a 365-day devotional, Graham shares God's gentle, reassuring promise of spiritual calm. Each daily passage in Peace for Each Day invites you to joyfully engage with Scripture as you meditate on God's peace--peace that can be found whatever the circumstances, whatever the calling, whatever the future holds. This 365-day devotional features: a larger trim and print a beautiful leathersoft cover a ribbon marker and presentation page As Graham wrote, "Millions are searching for [peace], but we Christians have found it! It is ours now and forever." Peace for Each Day makes a beautiful gift book for men and women of all ages for: Birthdays Christmas Mother's and Father's Day Grandparent's Day With words from one of the most popular and respected authors of our time, Peace for Each Day invites you to receive a peace that no one can take away.

Adapting C.S. Lewis's classic allegory, this book is a gathering of 33 instructional letters written between demons. With wit, insight and a fearless honesty, this book shows how alcohol addiction ravages human lives and relationships.

* A sought-after model and guide to a new paradigm for children's ministries * Creative program based on research and personal experience Struggling to offer a children's program that resonates with young families? Finding it difficult to recruit teachers and volunteers for your children's program? Want a children's ministry that is grounded in Christ's foundational teachings and relevant to the experiences of children today? This must-have guide to rethinking your children's ministry is informed and intelligent, with the lighthearted humor so helpful to working with children. Through storytelling, testimonials, and research-based creativity, you'll be inspired and energized to use your church's gifts, your children's interests, and your families' needs to develop a children's ministry that fits your church and the people in it. An appendix includes sample lesson plans, suggested Bible stories and book, and sermons. Colette Potts offers a successful model for a congregation to turn around their children's ministry program to engage the whole congregation in worship, learning, and service while partnering with parents for bridging the formation gap between Sunday morning at church and the rest of the week at home and beyond.

What is evil really? Where does it come from? And if God is really God, why doesn't he do more about it? This world is out of control-so violent, painful, unfair and destructive. Doesn't God care? The Greek philosopher Epicurus is credited with saying: Either God wants to abolish evil and cannot; or he can but does not want to; or he cannot and does not want to. If he wants to but cannot, he is impotent. If he can and does not want to, he is wicked. But if God both can and wants to abolish evil, then how comes evil in the world? This is known as the Epicurean paradox. Obviously, mankind has been wrestling with the problem of evil for some time; Epicurus lived between 340-270 BC. Fast-forward twenty-three hundred years. Eric Jennings is a freshman at the University of Florida. He and his older sister, Libby, have moved in from the mission field to enter the premed program to become medical missionaries. Eric's roommate, Todd Rehnquist, though a baseball teammate and a good friend, is an atheist. And he poses the "problem" to Eric using an interesting quote. This sets in motion a conversation between Eric, Todd, Libby, Ray Cohen, the Jennings' former science teacher, and Mike Murphy, a local youth minister and one of Eric's spiritual mentors. The conversation happens at an area breakfast haunt, the Gator Skillet. Follow them as they wrestle with this most profound of issues and connect the dots. You'll find that the answers are as simple as they are surprising.