The saying goes "When you marry, you don't just marry an individual, you marry a whole family." But more specifically, you are marrying the influences that family has had on your spouse. Our families have shaped our views on everything from religion to finances to sex, and, whether helpful or harmful, these views are brought to our marriage and can unknowingly affect it. Getting Ready for Marriage Workbook helps engaged couples and newlyweds: learn what "ghosts" they bring to marriage examine their family backgrounds determine guidelines for their own marriage Through interactive exercises, couples discover the roots of their beliefs, sight potential problem areas, and learn how to successfully work through problems. Couples are then encouraged to make their own covenants in specific areas such as financial matters, resolving conflict, religious orientation, and family planning & children-essential in building a strong marriage partnership.

In this six-session small group Bible study, pastor and bestselling author Timothy Keller uses one of Jesus best-loved parables the Prodigal Son to illustrate the depth of God s love and how his grace extends into some very unexpected places.

Taking you beyond the traditional focus on the wayward younger son, Keller helps you glean insights from each of the characters in Jesus' parable: the irreligious younger son, the moralistic elder son, and the Father who lavishes his love on both. Inside this guide, you'll explore questions for group discussion and personal reflection, and exercises that will help you experience the truths of Jesus' parable in your own life. The gospel is neither religion nor irreligion, but something else entirely. Whether you're a devout believer or a skeptic, The Prodigal God will challenge you to see Christianity in a whole new way.

This Prodigal God Discussion Guide will help you uncover, personalize, and apply life-changing insights from The Prodigal God DVD and book. In six captivating sessions, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller opens your eyes to the powerful message of Jesus' best known and least understood parable. The Prodigal God is a revelation of the very heart of the gospel: God's radical love for sinners of every kind.

This Discussion Guide is designed for use together with The Prodigal God DVD and book (both sold separately). Includes discussion questions for groups and individuals, suggested resources for further reading, Scripture references, helpful notes for leaders, and much more. When used together with the DVD this study provides users with practical tools that transform their faith.

Session include:
1. The Parable The People Around Jesus
2. The Two Lost Sons
3. The Elder Brother
4. The True Elder Brother
5. The Feast of the Father"

This hand sized NKJV edition is the perfect travel companion for readers who like to take their Bibles with them throughout the day. Though it fits easily into backpacks and purses, you won’t have to sacrifice readability or study resources.

The exclusive Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print® typeface was designed to be easy to read at any size, so you can experience deeper engagement in God’s Word. This edition also includes over 73,000 cross-references, a concordance, and full-color maps so you have everything you need for serious study at your fingertips.

Features include:

• Presentation page
• Red letter words of Christ
• 73,000+ cross-references trace the connections in Scripture
• Concordance
• Full-color maps
• Satin ribbon marker
• Clear and readable 7-point NKJV Comfort Print

Commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson, 130 international and multi-denominational Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay Christians worked for seven years to create a completely new, modern translation of Scripture that retained the purity and stylistic beauty of the King James Version. The New King James Version is faithful to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic text, and provides transparency to the recent research in archaeology, linguistics, and textual studies in the footnotes. The result is a Bible translation that is both beautiful and uncompromising—perfect for serious study, devotional use, and reading aloud.

The most frequently asked question on homeschool forums is, "How do I do this?" and the number one complaint is, "David won't do (fill in the blank). How can I get him to do it?" God Schooling answers these questions and more. Parents gain the insight and confidence to teach their own children as they learn from experts, Biblical references, and the author's own experiences from nearly fifteen years of homeschooling.

For several decades, "Foundational Issues in Christian Education" has been a key text for many Christian education courses. Its perceptive analysis coupled with clear writing make it a resource without peer. Christian education expert Robert Pazmino guides readers through a comprehensive discussion of the interdisciplinary foundations of Christian education, calling all Christian educators to reevaluate the fundamentals of their discipline. This updated edition includes interactions with professional developments over the past ten years and appendixes that assess the impact of postmodernism as an educational philosophy. In addition, each chapter includes "points to ponder" for personal reflection or classroom use.

Praise for Previous Editions

"In a clear and concise way the author introduces each of the foundational areas by exploring its purpose, current trends, and inherent difficulties. . . . His surveys are accurate and his critiques are pointed, insightful, and fair, consistently calling the educator to examine each of the theories in light of one's biblical and theological framework. . . . An outstanding strength of this work is the way it consistently examines foundational considerations in light of the stated purpose of education."--Darwin K. Glassford, "Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society"

"[A] basic work on the philosophical and theological foundations for education within the church. . . . [It is] certainly worthy of note. . . . Pazmino's work always attempts to integrate insights from social science with a thoroughly biblical worldview. . . . This book is highly recommended for the libraries of professional staff engaged in the educational ministry of thechurch."--Robert C. De Vries, "Calvin Theological Journal"

"A feature . . . that should be appreciated is the application of the content to evangelical concerns. This is usually done in the form of questions. Besides being helpful to evangelical educators, it has the potential of promoting understanding by nonevangelicals of the direction and enthusiasms of the evangelical."--Eugene S. Gibbs, "Religious Education"

"Theology has much to contribute to education and Pazmino has made a valuable contribution in drawing attention to that point."--Kenneth Wilson, "Expository Times"

Featuring beautiful illustrations by Rommel Ruiz, this book invites children ages 6-12 to learn that Jesus is the promised one and invites them to know him personally.

You read it. But do you understand it? While the Bible is the most famous book in history, it can be intimidating. Yet God's word is for us and all people. It is living and active and has the power to save, give life, and heal. Do we read the Bible attuned to the power of God's word? John W. Kleinig opens up the riches found in the Bible. He likens God's word to a lavish meal that nourishes and satisfies our souls. He shows us the centrality of Scripture to Christian faith--the word through which the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit speak with one voice to believers on Earth.

Words--so small, so powerful--engender and enable our very existence. How are we to receive them, use them, hear them, and unite them?

Critically acclaimed author Larry Woiwode explores the mysterious potential of words in this collection of 21 essays on the process and the significance of reading and writing.

Reflect on Woiwode's masterful meditations and you will find yourself inspired not only to write and to read, but also to believe in the transforming power of words.

Ever wonder what it would be like to have guardrails in other areas of your life-areas where culture baits you to the edge of disaster and then chastises you when you step across the line? Your friendships. Your finances. Your marriage. Maybe your greatest regret could have been avoided if you had established guardrails. In this five-session video-based small group Bible study (video sold separately), Andy Stanley challenges us to stop flirting with disaster and establish some personal guardrails. Sessions include: Direct and Protect Proximity Forever Yours Money Matters The Heart of the Matter Designed for use with the Guardrails Video Study (9780310095910), sold separately.

We are told, "Look out for yourself first" and "Nice guys finish last." But following that path leaves us feeling isolated and anxious, and can even take us to a place of ruin. This is not a magnificent journey. There is a road to life in the unshakeable kingdom of God, but it's not an easy journey. "We cannot enter into the kingdom unless we take our cross and die to ourselves," writes author James Bryan Smith. "We often assume that this will be painful. And of course it is. But what is the alternative? I can, for example, choose to navigate my life, choose to live as I want, and aim at fulfilling all of my desires. This will result in that despair Kierkegaard wrote of, the sickness unto death. . . . The wisest choice, then, is to surrender." In The Magnificent Journey, the author shows us the better road, the road less travelled, but the road full of riches. Along the way he introduces us to new spiritual practices that will provide the sustenance we need for the deepest, most joy-filled journey of our lives--the journey into the heart of God.

This six-session small group Bible study, The Reason for God, captures live and unscripted conversations between Tim Keller and a group of people to address their doubts and objections to Christianity. Using literature, philosophy, and Scripture, Keller and the group explore the truth of Christianity.

In his New York Times bestselling book The Reason for God, Timothy Keller established himself as a modern-day C. S. Lewis who brings together faith and intellect, theology and popular culture, modern-day objections and historic Christian beliefs.

Now fans of the New York Times bestseller can find resources to help them engage with those same objections, drawing on recent scholarship and debates. The Reason for God small group Bible study can be used individually, with groups, or by any believer who is engaging with friends who don t share his or her beliefs.

Christians will be challenged to wrestle with their friends and neighbors hardest questions, and to engage those questions in ways that will spark an honest, enriching, and humbling dialogue, as is modeled during the DVD sessions.

While The Reason for God DVD (sold separately) captures a live and unscripted conversation between Timothy Keller and the six panelists discussing their objections to Christianity, this Discussion Guide will help small groups and individuals dig deeper into the objections of the Christian faith and to learn about both sides of the issues.

Sessions include:
1. Isn t the Bible a Myth?
2. How Can You Say There Is Only One Way to God?
3. What Gives You the Right to Tell Me How to Live My Life?
4. Why Does God Allow Suffering?
5. Why Is the Church Responsible for So Much Injustice?
6. How Can God Be Full of Love and Wrath at the Same Time? "

There are many philosophies and strategies that drive today's youth ministry. To most people, they are variations on a single goal: to make faithful disciples of young people. However, digging deeper into various programs, books, and concepts reveals substantive differences among approaches. Bestselling author Chap Clark is one of the leading voices in youth ministry today. In this multiview work, he brings together a diverse group of leaders to present major views on youth ministry. Chapters are written in essay/response fashion by Fernando Arzola, Greg Stier, Ron Hunter, Brian Cosby, and Chap Clark. As the contributors present their views and respond to each of the other views, they discuss their task and calling, giving readers the resources they need to develop their own approach to youth ministry. Offering a model of critical thinking and respectful dialogue, this volume provides a balanced, irenic approach to a topic with which every church wrestles.

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.

Diddy Disciples is a creative and playful new worship and Bible storytelling resource for babies, toddlers and young children. Diddy Disciples aims to encourage participation, discipleship and leadership from children's earliest years, using storytelling, singing, colour, repetition, art and lots and lots of movement! Peer-learning is actively encouraged with many opportunities for young children to learn from each other. Groups are invited to build their own Diddy Disciples sessions, choosing from different options. Leaders can use the material to create a service to follow the pattern of their church's Sunday worship, a simple midweek baby and toddler singing session, or anything in between! Book 1 includes: Over 20 weeks' worth of fully worked-out sessions organized into 4-6 week units from September to December All the information you need to set up and run Diddy Disciples in your group Plenty of opportunities to tailor the material to your own context, resources and tradition All sorts of creative 'starter ideas' for using everyday art and play resources to sparkchildren's imaginations and engagement as they respond to the biblical stories. The Units are: Jesus' wonderful love: six weeks introducing some of Jesus' most famous parables God the maker: six weeks on creation and caring for it, including a Harvest celebration In November we remember: four weeks including All Saints and Remembrance Sunday Getting ready for baby Jesus: five weeks journeying through Advent to Christmas

A Companion WORKBOOK to Help You Discover the Great Story of Scripture and Find Your Place in It Living God's Word is your pathway to read the Bible as it was meant to be read: as God's Great Story. This WORKBOOK is designed for use alongside the second edition of Living God's Word. While the textbook helps you see the big picture of what God is doing throughout the Bible, the WORKBOOK lets you reflect on and internalize what you are reading. Many Christians resolve to study the Bible more fervently, but often struggle to grasp the progression of Scripture as a whole. They encounter various passages each week through unrelated readings, studies, and sermons and it all feels disconnected. But once they see the Bible as God's Great Story, they begin to understand how it all fits together and they start see how their own lives fit into what God has done and is doing in the world. In Living God's Word, Second Edition, New Testament scholar J. Scott Duvall and Old Testament expert J. Daniel Hays help Christians consider how their lives can be integrated into the story of the Bible, thus enabling them to live faithfully in deep and important ways. Living God's Word explores the entire Bible through broad themes that trace the progression of God's redemptive plan. Each section deals with a certain portion of Scripture's story and includes: Reading/listening preparation Explanation Summary Observations about theological significance Connections to the Great Story Written assignments for further study These features--combined with the authors' engaging style--make Living God's Word an ideal book for those who want to understand the Bible better, for introductory college courses, Sunday school electives, or small group study. When used alongside the textbook, this workbook is the ideal resource for anyone looking to better understand how the entire Bible fits together as God's Great Story.