In this year's BRF Lent book Sally Welch explores two questions: What is the Easter story really about, and how do we share it? Through each week of Lent, a different aspect of the Easter story is examined: repenting, changing, hoping, trusting, forgiving, loving and sacrificing. Within each week, the days are focused on what we need to do in order to share the story: listening, understanding, reflecting, living, telling, sharing and becoming. Each day offers a Bible passage, followed by a reflection and prayer activity. Suggestions for group study and group study questions are also included.

Every Christian is called to and gifted for ministry. The church canaand mustaengage all of its members if it is to flourish fully. Far too often, persons with intellectual disabilities are excluded. While members with disability areoften recipients of the church's ministry, they are seldom given the opportunity to reciprocate: persons with disability are not always fully empowered to minister. In Pastoral Care and Intellectual Disability , Anna Katherine Shurley asserts the church's need for mutuality in pastoral care. While the shape of each person's vocation is unique, all members of the body of Christ are created for ministry with one another as partners in spiritual care. In a quest for pastoral care that is fundamentally collaborative and fully inclusive, Shurley turns to the psychology of D. W. Winnicott and to Karl Barth's theology of Christian vocation. From this combination, she crafts person-centered pastoral care for the body of Christ and all its members, with or without intellectual disabilities. Person-centered pastoral care recognizes that people with intellectual disabilities can and must participate as partners in the church. Faith communities, Shurley suggests, can foster collaborative ministry by nurturing pastoral friendships among its membership. These sacred friendships are spaces in which people share their lives with one another as a truly collaborative practice of care. Through these pastoral friendships mediated by the presence of the Holy Spirit, all of God's children can livetheir particular vocations. By engaging person-centered practices of pastoral care, the church strengthens its witness and truly becomes a place of belonging for all people.

What does it mean to live as a confident woman of faith? Lisa Bevere leads women to find their strength, not from trying harder or doing more, but through a deep and devoted relationship with God, from knowing and following Him.

Covering topics such as relational healing, contentment, redeeming regret, the strength of rest, and how to be both powerful and gentle, Strong will inspire women to grow deeper in their relationship with God, strengthen their time studying His Word, and experience the joy of living in harmony with God, others, and themselves.

Each of the 90 devotions includes Scripture, reflections and teaching from Lisa, a prayer, and an anthem of strength.

With its gorgeous two-color design, Strong is a beautiful gift for sisters, friends, prayer partners, mothers, or any woman who loves God. Lisa's heartfelt and straightforward approach, in addition to her biblical knowledge mixed with personal insight, makes this a wonderful devotional experience.

While praying for his community on the Island of Iona, the Celtic monk St. Columba described his experience as a thin place- a location where heaven and earth seemed only thinly separated.In the same way, God's kingdom is being realized here on earth with stories of restoration and redemption. Our God moved into the neighborhood, seeking to invite us into his story of reconciliation, and commission us to missionally engage our neighborhoods with the good news of the kingdom.Joining the concepts of monasticism and mission, author Jon Huckins will walk you through six postures of missional formation: listening, submerging, inviting, contending, imagining, and entrusting. As you begin to employ these postures, become apprentices of Jesus who are committed to living in and experiencing the thin places.Through Thin Places, create a fertile soil to commune with God, live in deep community with others, and extend the good news of the kingdom in your local contexts.

2012 Christianity Today Book Award winner 2011 Leadership Journal Top Book of the Year Copastors Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken tell the story of how God took their thriving, consumer-oriented church and transformed it into a modest congregation of unformed believers committed to the growth of the spirit--even when it meant a decline in numbers. As Kent and Mike found out, a decade of major change is not easy on a church. Oak Hills Church, from the pastoral staff to the congregation, had to confront addiction to personal ambition, resist consumerism and reorient their lives around the teachings of Jesus. Their renewed focus on spiritual formation over numerical growth triggered major changes in the content of their sermons, the tenor of their worship services, and the reason for their outreach. They lost members. But the health and spiritual depth of their church today is a testimony of God's transforming work and enduring faithfulness to the people he loves. Honest and humble, this is Kent and Mike's story of a church they love, written to inspire and challenge other churches to let God rewrite their stories as well. Read it for the church you love.

This inspirational book takes the reader through the 40 days of Lent to the celebration of Easter through the eyes and beliefs of Celtic Christianity. Drawing on primary sources of pastoral letters, monastic rules and the theological teaching of the Celtic church, the author presents a different perspective on the cross of Christ and draws us to see our own life journeys with a new and transforming vision.

Is daar 'n absolute waarheid wat ons lewe beheer? Wereldwyd raak al meer mense in hulle denke volwasse. Hulle aanvaar nie sake onkrities vir 'n "tweedehandse" lewe nie. Die dans met God vra reguit vrae en sny diep deur tradisionele antwoorde om by die sin van die lewe uit te kom. Moderne mense fokus net op dinge wat hulle kan bewys - maar verloor die misterie. Is daar 'n ander pad? Hoe kan ons nuut dink oor God en die geloof, sonder om die innerlike belewing prys te gee? Hierdie oopkop en rustige (soms vrolike) boek neem die leser op 'n lewensreis waar elkeen self kan soek - en vind. Jy leef die oomblik, want dis heilig.

This inspirational book takes the reader through Advent to the celebration of Christmas through the eyes and beliefs of Celtic Christianity. Starting in November and reflecting on Jesus' coming at his birth as well as into our lives by the Holy Spirit and at the world's end, the author offers a unique approach to the season to help you gain a new sense of wonder in the birth of Jesus, the Saviour of the world.

Do you sometimes feel as if you are in a spiritual desert? Let Mike Pilavachi introduce you to some Bible characters who had the same experience. Learn from them when they explain what they did during those times in their lives. You too can come out of a dry season as a stronger, more mature believer.

Feeling like you've blown it? Reached the point of no return? That your life hasn't gone as planned? If so, you are not alone. We all know what it feels like to have life disappoint us and not work out as we'd hoped. We all know what it's like to long for something different, something better, and something more. Drawing on his own experiences and pivotal Bible stories, author Louie Giglio shows how God is all about comebacks. Samson had blown it repeatedly; nevertheless, he experiences tremendous triumph at the end of his life. The prodigal son, as Jesus describes him, returns home in disgrace only to be welcomed by his father with open arms-no questions asked. The list goes on: Joseph, Moses and Peter all experienced comebacks. Jesus himself performed the greatest comeback of all by rising from the dead. God is in the business of giving fresh starts to people. He gives hope to the hopeless. Direction to the directionless. Help to those who need help. God is always good, all the time, and His plans will always prevail, even when our plans don't. He already knows what the solutions are. No matter what kind of disappointment or grief or pain or trouble or heartache we encounter, God always offers a new beginning, a change of heart, and a powerful spiritual turnaround. God offers the way forward, and his pathways are always good. This six-session video study (DVD/digital video sold separately) proves God can use our mess and still make a masterpiece-and that our current circumstances will not get the final say in our lives. Sessions include: A Deeper Kind of Comeback Story Paradise in a Garbage Dump When Dreams Are Dashed Never Too Late Get Up Jesus Is Enough Designed for use with The Comeback Video Study (sold separately).

In this study, bestselling author and pastor Louie Giglio relates how several years ago he experiencing one of his toughest seasons as a leader. He was feeling attacked, and in a moment of weakness, he fired off an angry text to a friend. It took him five minutes to compose the message—paragraphs of woe about the one causing harm. The nine-word text back from his friend simply said, "Don't give the enemy a seat at your table."

Louie relates how this simple text led him to realize that he had been allowing his adversary—the devil—into the conversation going on in his mind. He had, in fact, been giving his enemy a seat at his table. In turn, this led Louie to Psalm 23, one of the most loved texts in all of Scripture that has comforted God's people throughout the ages.

As group members go through this study, they will see they have the power, through Christ, to take back control of their thoughts and emotions. As they uncover the meaning behind the words of Psalm 23, they will discover that God is saying they do not have to give a place to fear, envy, or despair in their lives. Ultimately, they will walk away with practical ways to defeat the enemy's lies and know how to experience peace and security in the midst of any situation as they learn to listen to voice of their Shepherd.

Designed for use with Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table Video Study (sold separately).

A Fun-Filled Way to Draw Near to God As believers, we have God as our Father, and fathers love the sound of their children's laughter. So why not try something a little different for your daily devotions? If you want to lighten your mood while drawing near to God, or if you know someone who could use a laugh and a spiritual pick-me-up, this is just what you've been looking for. It's quick, easy, enjoyable--and thought-provoking too! Every day features the humorous cartoon artwork of Dennis Fletcher plus a short, powerful message that will uplift hearts and position minds to look for God in the day ahead. 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect is built on the ministry of Jesus, whose teachings were often brief, created great word pictures, and were sometimes punctuated with humor. This is a fun, low-key approach to daily devotions that promises to stay with you and encourage your faith.