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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Christian religious experience > General
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.
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