Mark's gospel has an urgency to it that's hard to ignore. It's as if he is breathless, trying to get the information out as quickly as he can. A few decades have passed since Jesus' ministry, and with persecution intensifying, some believers were tempted to compromise or simply give up on being a follower of the Messiah. So, Mark needed to take the early Christians back to the basics and get them ready to move! In this six-session study (video streaming code included), pastor Jeff Manion takes you and your group through the gospel of Mark to answer such urgent questions about the Christian faith as: Who is this Jesus? What does he expect of me? Is suffering a normal part of the Christian life? What will encourage and strengthen my trust in Jesus? These questions are not born of a lack of faith but serve to strengthen and stabilize our relationship with the Savior. So, lace up your running shoes. Open your heart and mind. And come with your questions! Get ready to move as Mark's Gospel reveals what it means to follow Jesus. This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself-a 40 Day reading plan through Mark with discussion and personal reflection questions, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!). 40 Days Through the Book series: Each of the studies in this series, taught by a different pastor or Bible teacher on a specific book of the Bible, is designed to help you more actively engage with God's Word by understanding its background and culture and applying it in a fresh way to your life. Throughout each study, you'll be encouraged to read through the corresponding book in the New Testament at least once during the course of 40 days. Watch on any device! Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

This book challenges its audience to become so equipped with God's Word as to be able to neutralize unbiblical dogmas that today's children are learning and explores the existence and nature of God, creation, sin, Old Testament heroes, the life of Christ, salvation, and the Christian's eventual grand becoming, like our glorious Lord. Joyce May Neverson is an evangelical Christian of Afro-West Indian descent who has devoted most of her life (from 1960 to the present) to Christian education via Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and AWANA children and youth ministries. Apart from her being a life-long student of the Bible, over the years Ms. Neverson has taken several teacher training courses offered by Child Evangelism Fellowship and other such training entities offering programs geared to honing the skills needed for the effective communication of God's word to children and youth. She studied nonfiction with Longridge Writing Group between 1998 and 2001 (she also holds a Poet Laureate certificate, received in September 2003 from The International Library of Poetry). From 1983 to the present, Ms. Neverson has served as editor for Now - God's Time - a quarterly periodical published under the auspices of The Good Tidings Gospel Chapel here in Brooklyn, New York, where she, along with her husband Daril and family, have fellowshipped since 1972. She is the mother of three married children - Lois, a nurse coordinator, Stephen, a music school teacher, and Warren, a seminary student - who, along with their spouses are all committed Christians Ms. Neverson's education, training, and 36 years' experience as a registered nurse (now retired) allow her to bring unique perspectives to bear on some of the topics she discusses in her book, The Grand Becoming, topics such as: evolution and intelligent design.

If there is ever a chance to understand fasting once and for all and incorporated it into your spiritual life, Fasting Outside the Box will exceed your expectations and revolutionize your walk with God. The differentiation of fasting "inside" or "outside" the box is very thought-provoking as it reveals the contrast between one's motives and the condition of the heart. Fasting was commonplace with the early leaders of the Church and it is still one of the most impactful disciplines that draws us into a closer intimacy with God. Pastor Bankas maintains that fasting not only ignites the "fire" of our devotion and commitment to God but also intensifies and strengthens our prayer life. With great insight, he shows you how to... Hang out with God Purify your heart Come near to God Receive the secret pearls of fasting Know why you should fast "John Bankas leaves footprints wherever he goes. I see Fasting Outside the Box as a written expression and extension of this pastor's love for everyone he meets. Here is a book that will definitely leave indelible footprints on your heart." - Bruce D. Johnson, Superintendent of Redwood Christian Schools, Castro Valley, California. "Fasting Outside the Box is born out of a consistent life of prayer and fasting led by Pastor John. He is not theorizing about fasting or writing about a vicarious experience he has had with it. This book describes a firsthand experience." - Dada A. Daodu, Special Education Teacher; Technical Assistant, Kogi State, Nigeria. "Fasting Outside the Box takes the fear and mystery out of fasting and gives a clear, step-by-step understanding of how fasting can benefit you, especially in developing an intimacy with God." - Joy J. Zandona, final-year MAT student at Fuller Theological Seminary, California.

Abuse in the church is real. The place where one expects to find love, inspiration, and healing can become the very place where harm and destruction occur. Sadly, pastors and church leaders can bring abuse to their people through the use of a rigid and harsh approach to leadership. Other leaders are indifferent about what happens at church. When legalism and self-righteousness dominate or permissiveness is pervasive, the church that God intended is destroyed.

In "Understanding Abusive Church Leadership: What It Looks Like and How It Debilitates the Life and Spirit of Church Members," author Judy R. De Wit presents a challenge to you to identify what kind of leadership your church uses. Once you determine its approach, you can determine what changes your church should make to enhance a healthier church environment-one that leads to a better church for everyone.

Christ's mandate for His Church is for it to be a place of healing, restoration, and recovery. Everyone should feel safe to be a member. "Understanding Abusive Church Leadership" seeks to equip you to help your church to serve God as He intended.

How many programs does it take to change a youth group? That question has bothered youth workers for decades, and the cracks in its logic are beginning to show. In place of the contrived, artificial mechanisms employed so widely in modern youth outreach and discipleship, Mike King proposes a ministry centered in the presence of God. Young people encounter Christ not in the flash and pop of arena ministry, but in the sacred shadow of his presence. They learn what it is to love and follow Christ by observing others loving and following Christ--letting Christ shape their worldviews, their habits, their virtues. Presence-Centered Youth Ministry gives shape to such ministry through the classic disciplines and potent symbols and practices that have sustained the church over the centuries. The sound and fury that has characterized youth ministry for so long has left too many youth workers tired and too many young people disillusioned. Come explore the deeper terrain; your students are sure to follow.