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.

Holy days and holidays, special times and ordinary time, the celebration of the church year adds spiritual meaning and depth to our lives as Christians. "Around the Year in Children s" "Church" is a resource created to help children understand and celebrate the entire liturgical year from the first Sunday of Advent through Kingdomtide. "Around the Year in Children s Church" is" "filled with fifty-two active, hands-on programs.Each featuringa simple Christian message related to the season of the church year or a particular holiday; a Bible verse; a story; a prayer; a time for sharing; a snack; and a musical activity, a craft, or a game. The programs are structured to last from thirty-five to forty minutes. An additional activity is included for those who want to extend Children s Church to a full hour. Supplies and set-up are kept to a minimum, and the book s easy-to-use format makes it just right for today s busy teacher."

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

* Activities for celebrating secular and sacred seasons of the year * For use in churches, schools, camps, at home Many of our experiences in life happen when several generations are together- at church, at home, in our communities. Holidays and family events are times for celebration, learning, rituals, food, and fun. This edition of Faithful Celebrations focuses on the months of January and February, when secular holidays can become times to think about how we live out the gospel message in celebrating national holidays with more than a day off from school or sending a greeting card. Each event to be celebrated includes key ideas; a cluster of activities to experience the key ideas; a list of materials needed; full instructions for implementation; background history and information; music; art; recipes; and prayer resources to use in a small, intimate, or large multi-generational group. For children, youth, adults, or any combination of ages, any of these activities can take place in any setting. Faithful Celebrations: Making Time for God in Winter includes New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day, and Snow days.

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).

During times of rapid social and religious change, leadership rooted in tradition and committed to the future is the foundation upon which theological schools stand. Theological education owes itself to countless predecessors who paved the way for a thriving academic culture that holds together faith and learning. Daniel O. Aleshire is one of these forerunners who devoted his career to educating future generations through institutional reforms. In honor of Aleshire's decades of leadership over the Association of Theological Schools, the essays in this book propose methods for schools of various denominational backgrounds to restructure the form and content of their programs by resourcing their own distinctive Christian heritages. Four essayists, former seminary presidents, explore the ideas, doctrines, and ways of life in their schools' traditions to identify the essential characteristics that will carry their institutions into the future. Additionally, two academic leaders focus on the contributions and challenges for Christian schools presented by non-Christian traditions in a rapidly pluralizing landscape. Together, these six essays offer a pattern of authentic, innovative movement for theological institutions to take toward revitalization as they face new trials and possibilities with faithfulness and hope. This volume concludes with closing words by the honoree himself, offering ways to learn from and grow through Aleshire's legacy. Contributors: Barbara G. Wheeler, Richard J. Mouw, Martha J. Horne, Donald Senior, David L. Tiede, Judith A. Berling, Daniel O. Aleshire

God, the Great Storyteller, chose to communicate with us through story - in fact a great library of stories, filled with heroes, villains, sex, violence, intrigue, sacrifice and redemption. The Think Tank gives young people an opportunity to explore their world through stories, and to relate it to the incredible story of the Bible - perhaps for the first time. Here are 100 stories designed to provoke discussion, followed by penetrating questions which relate the stories to biblical bedrock. The stories are in four parts: WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT? - Unbelievable stories, all absolutely true! INSPIRING INDIVIDUALS - Stories of celebrities, public figures and other people of note making a positive difference. WHAT WOULD YOU DO? - Ethics explored through stories, many based on real events. TALKING MOVIES - A major bonus: 25 movie clips that pack a punch with young people, and all the background and questions you'll need to facilitate discussion around them. This updated edition brings refreshed material that will speak to today's young people.

Rudolf Steiner suggested that children in the first Waldorf School who did not belong to a particular denomination could have 'independent Christian religion lessons' and Sunday Services. This book is a comprehensive collection of Rudolf Steiner's thoughts and ideas about teaching religion in Steiner-Waldorf schools and about the Sunday Services for children. Extracts are from his lectures to teachers and faculty meetings. In addition there are chapters by some of the early Waldorf teachers on how the Sunday Services were inaugurated and practiced in the first decades. Previously published as Towards Religious Education.

During his sixty years of ministry, Dr. Charles Stanley has faithfully shared the biblical
principles that have guided him and helped him grow in his knowledge, service, and
love of God. The Charles Stanley Bible Studies captures his many years of teaching
on these principles in twelve lessons and will guide readers on how to apply them in
practical ways to their everyday situations.

Each lesson includes:

• Overview: A brief look at what is covered in the lesson
• Life's Questions: A teaching from Dr. Stanley that unpacks the topic of the lesson
• Living the Principle: Application and Bible study questions based on the key points
• Reflection: Key takeaways to put into practice today and tomorrow
• Notes and Prayer Requests: A closing section to record any insights and needs

Discover the Good Life as you learn from the wise voices of the past. We've lost ourselves. Disconnected from the past and uncertain about the future, we are anxious about what our lives will be and troubled by a nagging sense of meaninglessness. Adrift in the world, many Christians have their identity completely wrapped up in work, and their definition of the "good life" is financial success. Fewer of are staying committed to the Christian faith, finding it difficult to reconcile their experience with their longings and desires. With so much uncertainty, where can we find a true vision of "the Good Life"? Learning the Good Life speaks to this malaise with a curated collection of voices from the past, inviting Christians into an ages-old dialogue with some of history's wisest and most reflective minds. Featuring thought-provoking writings from a diverse lineup of over 35 writers and thinkers: From the classic-including Confucius, Augustine, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Henry David Thoreau, and Frederick Douglass; To the modern-including W.E.B. DuBois, Flannery O'Connor, T.S. Eliot, and Simone Weil; To the contemporary-including Wendell Berry, David Foster Wallace, and Marilynne Robinson. Together these sages, writers, philosophers, and poets address important issues such as virtue, beauty, community, wonder, suffering, and meaning. Each of these texts are introduced by experts from a variety of Christian colleges and universities to help provide a richer narrative in which Christians can participate. Each text is also accompanied by discussion questions to provoke further thought and contemplation and to facilitate discussion when used in groups. Learning the Good Life is ideal for any Christian seeking a deeper connection to the wisdom of the past and wanting a more cohesive vision of the good life. Though not all these writers were themselves Christians, they all have a message for you. All of them are calling you to die to yourself, to your habits of indulgence, to your pride and ambition-and to dedicate your time to learning, thinking, and loving.

This volume in the new Big Theology for Little Hearts series, a board-book series for toddlers that presents broad theological principles in simple, easy-to-understand terms, helps children understand who Jesus Christ is and what he did for us on the cross.

"I have seen and I testify . . ." (John 1:34) The idea of giving one's testimony often evokes summer church camps, evangelistic revivals, mission trips and baptisms. Like an eyewitness called to testify in a courtroom, sharing a testimony of faith is for specific people at special moments. But what if our view of testimony is all wrong? According to Amanda Drury, testimony is not merely about describing something that happened in the past. It is a practice that forms our present and future identity. Testimony changes us, and without it we risk having a stunted and stale faith. Drawing on work in sociology, psychology and theology, Drury develops an understanding of testimony as an essential practice for Christian spiritual formation, especially for adolescents who are in the process of developing their identity. Recent studies reveal a staggering inability for adolescents to articulate their religious beliefs. Now more than ever, churches need to recover the practice of testimony as an integral part of communal worship.

Why does Bible study flourish in some churches and small groups and not in others? In this updated edition of a trusted classic, two Christian education specialists provide readers with the knowledge and methods needed to effectively communicate the message of the Bible. The book offers concrete guidance for mastering a biblical text, interpreting it, and applying its relevance to life. Its methods, which have been field-tested for twenty-five years, help pastors, teachers, and ministry students improve their classroom skills. Readers will learn how to develop the "big idea" of a passage and allow the text itself to suggest creative teaching methods. This new edition has been updated throughout and explores the changed landscape of Bible study over the past two decades. Readable and interdisciplinary in approach, this book will help a new generation of Bible students teach in a purposeful and unified way.

"Erwerbt euch Weisheit, ..." (Sir 51,25). Diese Aufforderung aus dem Buch Jesus Sirach provoziert die Frage, was unter dem Begriff Weisheit zu verstehen ist und wie man Weisheit erwerben kann. Die Beitrage dieser Festschrift zu Ehren Bernd Feiningers widmen sich dieser Thematik aus unterschiedlichen theologischen und padagogischen Blickwinkeln. Sie analysieren Weisheit aus der Perspektive der Bibel und des Koran, untersuchen weisheitliche Aspekte aus historisch-theologischer und systematisch-theologischer Sicht und entfalten weisheitliche Dimensionen in religionspadagogischer und religionsdidaktischer Perspektive.

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.

In Giving Thanks to God, the fifth study in the Jesus Calling (R) Bible Study Series, you will explore what God's Word has to say about the many ways He provides for you-and why you should give thanks to Him for this abundance. Even when you are going through trials, you can have an attitude of thankfulness, for the Bible says that you have been given "every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). When you realize the depth of God's love and the lengths He went to reconcile you to Himself, it naturally causes you to want to praise Him! Each of the Jesus Calling (R) Bible studies includes devotional readings from Jesus Calling (R), selected passages of Scripture for reflection, Bible study questions, and additional questions to help you apply the material. This study can be used for personal reflection and Bible study or in a small-group setting.

Why is there so little agreement on what it means to be a Christian? In this eight-session video-based Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), join pastor and bestselling author Andy Stanley as he examines the characteristics Jesus used to define those who follow him and the implications these characteristics have for believers today. In Christian: It's Not What You Think, you'll learn: The one word that should be descriptive of every Christian. How Jesus' followers should treat those who are outside the faith. Why people love Jesus but can't stand his followers. So, what does it mean to be Christian? Curiously, the term 'Christian' was a label used by outsiders to define Jesus' followers. Jesus simply used 'disciple' to describe his followers and stressed the fact that they would be known by their love-a radical concept not only in their day, but in ours as well. Throughout these eight sessions, Andy Stanley unpacks the qualities Jesus prescribes for his followers that made them unique. What if believers today embodied these traits and put them before all others? Would the non-believing world put aside its derisive definition of 'Christian' and instead know us by our love? Sessions include: Brand Recognition Quitters Insiders, Outsiders Showing Up When Gracie Met Truthy Angry Birds Loopholes Working It Out Designed for use with the Christian Video Study 9780310693352 (sold separately).

A valuable resource for enhancing liturgical understanding. What is the point of the Lectionary? What are the problems and opportunities that it presents to those who use it? What are its strengths and weaknesses as an aid to worship? How can it be used and communicated most effectively today? These are among the key questions Thomas O'Loughlin addresses in this stimulating and much needed liturgical guide to the design, history, theology, and purposes of the Lectionary.

Diese Arbeit leistet durch die wissenschaftliche Erforschung der Theorie der maqasid und durch die Herausstellung ihrer Bedeutung als Wandlungskonzept geistig und padagogisch einen Beitrag in der islamischen Theologie. Aus der wissenschaftlich-kritischen Auseinandersetzung mit der maqasid wurden Loesungsansatze fur eine moderne islamische Theologie in einer neuen maqasid-Konzeption formuliert. Epistemologisch wurde der Ansatz der Kontextualisierung und methodologisch eine systembezogene Annaherungsweise verfolgt, die die islamische Normativitat in eine dynamisch-pragmatische Beziehung zur menschlichen Realitat setzen und die maqasid als System begreifen. Dadurch wird eine Lesart des Quellentextes begunstigt, die seine Intentionalitat und seine Kommunikationsfunktion herausstellt sowie seinem transzendentalen und regenerativen Charakter Rechnung tragt.