Paul Jones offers a fundamental and comprehensive approach to spiritual direction. He describes the eight major types of spiritual direction and indicates basic characteristics expected of a spiritual director. In addition to providing insights for personal spiritual direction, Jones advances a chapter for doing communal spiritual direction based on John Wesley's model of covenant groups.

While examining foundational principles of spiritual direction, Jones's book rests in concrete clarity. He concerns himself with teaching people how to do spiritual direction. Jones explores Christian faith as a process of redemption, detailing how spiritual direction particularizes healing for each unique person.

This comprehensive manual employs case studies. The book includes appendixes that include Group Consensus Discernment, Myers-Briggs usages, the Enneagram, TDF Inventory, Family Systems, and the Jo-Hari Window. Jones's approach makes this book an exceptional textbook for colleges and seminaries as well as for those who seek understanding of spiritual direction.

This book is a collection of eleven essays about the practice of mission. The first section, titled "Feet First," is about the way in which Christian practices, many of them taken for granted, shape mission. The next section deals with the issue of transformation in mission work and the related concerns of mutuality, solidarity, and marginality. The third section takes up the situation of the relation of Christianity to other religions. Finally, the last four essays take up spirituality as an inward and outward event, doing mission in the context of North America, and finally the development of a new theological identity based on the image of God as a missionary God.

This historical narrative of Protestantism in India records the views of the Tamil-speaking peoples among whom German Pietists worked beginning in 1706. The views recorded here include those of Hindus, Muslims, and Catholics, but special attention is given to Tamils who became Evangelicals. Drawing on concrete historical analysis, Tamil writings, and archival materials, D. Dennis Hudson's work not only illumines a little-known period of religious history but also raises significant questions about the relationship between faith and culture.

A first approach to understanding humility is to see it as that total self-acceptance typical of untarnished humanity. Those who are humble experience no shame. They do not need lies and evasions to inflate their importance in the eyes of their associates or to buttress their self-esteem. They have overcome the tendency to regard others as competitors or rivals, and so they work with whatever they have, and waste no time envying those who possess different qualities. The humble are equally content with both the gifts and the limitations that come from their nature or their personal history. Humility brings with it a fundamental happiness that is able to cope with external difficulties and sorrows.

A new and expansive official history of the USPG commissioned to mark the tercentenary in 2001. The first half tells a compelling global story from the mission to the Americas in the 18th century, through the North China Mission in the late 19th century to today's Social Development Programme in Bangladesh. There is a particular focus on the post-1945 period of decolonization, development and dialogue with other religions. The second half is a collection of essays that give a wide range of themes and perspective from a history of missionary wives by Deborah Kirkwood to a discussion of the evolving role of the church in Zambia by Musonda Mwamba.Three Centuries of Mission emphasizes the key instrumentality of the USPG in the emergence of a worldwide network of Churches in the Anglican Communion and their significance in the world at the beginning of the new century.>

This is a newly typeset edition of a nineteenth century history of the Waldensian movement which the authors credit with guarding the flame of primitive Christianity against corruptions instituted by Papal authority.

Helps readers understand the dynamics of biblical worship in our changing culture. Includes discussion of contemporary forces affecting worship, as well as the theology and dynamics of worship. Also includes discussion questions and suggestions for using this report with worship committees and consistories, or as an adult education course.

As cities expand, Christ calls the church to bring the gospel to centers of population, culture, and political power.

Based on hitherto untapped primary sources, including diocesan records and vernacular oral histories expressed in both stories and songs, this volume not only provides the first critical study of Bishop Azariah's life but also offers important - at times challenging - insights for those interested in modern India and the place of Christianity within it.

Religious conversion has always been and remains today a controversial issue in many of the world's reigions. It has been promoted, condoned, banned but almost never ignored. Although it normally appears in a religious context, the language of conversion can be discerned at the heart of the new religious pluralism that is increasingly present at least in many Western societies. This volume explains the practices of various world religions and highlights some of the issues that cut across traditions and emerge in distinctive ways in different ways in different religions and cultural settings. The first three chapters offer students some theoretical perspectives, and are followed by accounts of the history of conversion in Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Chinese religion and Zoroastrianism, as well as descriptions of contemporary practice. Additonal chapters look in depth at personal stories of conversion, both within Christianity and from Christianity Eastern and New Age forms of religion. The book will be of interest to undergraduates as well as the general reader interested in gaining an insight into an enduring controversy that affects all religions.Christopher Lamb is Head of the Centre for Inter-Faith Dialogue at Middlesex University, London. M. Darrol Bryant is Professor of Religion and Culture at Renison College, University of Waterloo, Ontario.

Prepare everyone in the congregation for a meaningful Lenten season with this worship guide for Reconciliation. Designed to be used each weekday during the season of Lent, it encourages individuals to read short sections from the Bible, then reflect on the meaning of the readings in their own lives.
Six study guides for group discussion enable small groups to discuss how reconciliation is working in their own lives. Stimulating questions will lead to a shared experience and closer ties among church members.
A Companion volume of sermon outlines and program ideas is available.
Karen Helsel has served as a missionary in Bangkok, Thailand, an associate pastor of outreach and youth, and a case manager for a women's shelter for the homeless. She attended Warner Pacific College in Portland and Gulf Coast Bible College in Houston, and received her B.A. degree in Psychology from Anderson University in Indiana.

The Sundays of Lent don't have to be boring! Follow the lectionary and provide your congregation with exciting worship experiences by using these positive yet sensitive dialogue sermons based on Cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary. Wit and scripture are combined to encourage Christian growth and prod listeners into making a personal commitment. In addition to six sermon dialogues, worship planning aids are included for each Sunday, along with an Ash Wednesday worship service. In addition to six sermon dialogues, worship planning aids are included for each Sunday, plus an Ash Wednesday worship service with the theme-setting sermon, "Onward! Through The Fog!" Subsequent to a position as Business Administrator of the New York State Grange, E. Morris-Pierce began studies to become a pastor in the United Methodist Church. She served as an officer in the Salvation Army for five years, and her various church positions have included church secretary, choir director, organist, handbell choir director, and Sunday school teacher. She and her husband, Rev. Norman Morris, were foster parents to sixteen children before adopting their daughter. Her own unusual childhood experiences at an orphanage and various boarding homes contributed much to her background and character.

Gain clear 'snapshots' into what God expects of us in living the Kingdom life. Snapshots of the Kingdom is a book that seeks to demonstrate how a church can become a relevant expression of the Kingdom of God through having a heart for compassionate ministries. In light of the 1997 General Assembly decision to make North America a mission field, this book will be especially appealing to readers who are seeking to impact not only world wide missionary work, but that of their local community and/or inner-city as well. Paper.

In this book, Pat Williams, senior executive vice president of the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association, gives five secrets he has discovered that lead to a magical, miraculous way of life.

In recent years the term "religious pluralism" has come to be used not only in a descriptive sociological sense but also as theologically prescriptive. Within this new paradigm traditional Christian understandings of Christ, conversion, evangelism, and mission have been radically reinterpreted. The Recovery of Mission explores the pluralist paradigm through the work of three of its most influential Asian exponents - Stanley Samartha, Aloysius Pieris, and Raimundo Panikkar - subjecting each to a theological and philosophical critique. On the basis of biblical, patristic, and contemporary theological writings Vinoth Ramachandra argues for the uniqueness and decisiveness of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Ramachandra seeks to show that many of the valid concerns of pluralist theologians can best be met by reappropriating the missionary thrust at the heart of the gospel. The book ends with suggestions, challenging to pluralists and conservatives alike, as to how the gospel needs to be communicated in a multifaith world.

Founded by free people of color in Philadelphia in the aftermath of the American Revolution, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church emerged in the nineteenth century as the preeminent black institution in the United States. In 1896, the church opened mission work in South Africa, absorbing an independent ""Ethiopian"" church founded by dissident African Christians a few years earlier. In the process, the church helped ignite one of the most influential popular movements in South African history. Songs of Zion examines this remarkable historical convergence from both sides of the Atlantic. James Campbell charts the origins and evolution of black American independent churches, arguing that the very act of becoming Christian forced African Americans to reflect on their relationship to their ancestral continent. He then turns to South Africa, exploring the AME Church's entrance and evolution in a series of specific South African contexts. Throughout the book, Campbell focuses on the comparisons that Africans and African Americans themselves drew between their situations. Their transatlantic encounter, he argues, enabled both groups to understand and act upon their worlds in new ways. |Discusses the interaction between the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States and in South Africa, arguing that each group influenced the other to understand and act on their worlds in new ways.

The Psalms are wonderful sources of encouragement, enlightenment, and strength. This series explores the Psalms for Cycle A of the Common Lectionary using New Revised Standard Version of the Bible texts.
Each meditation is in three parts. First is the Psalm itself. Second is the alternate image, offering readers new insights to stimulate their vision of the Psalms. Third is the reflection section, offering a short analysis and comment on the passage.
"Aids to the Psalms" is appropriate for liturgical aids, sermon starters, personal and group meditation, and Christian education.
Among the Psalms of Cycle A are:
- Christmas Eve -- O sing to the Lord a new song.
- Good Friday -- My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
- Thanksgiving -- Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion.
- Ascension -- Clap your hands, all you peoples.
This is part of a three-book set on exploring the message of the Psalms.
Hugh H. Drennan is a Presbyterian minister serving in the Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian church in Cambridge, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, Dubuque. Iowa.

Four complete Christmas services:
- Christmas Play With Drama And Service Of Lights
- Christmas Service Based On Traditions And Carols From Around The World
- Christmas Service In Monologues And Carols
- Christmas Service Of Scriptures, Traditions, And Carols
These inspiring services are easy for any size church to prepare and present. Each one offers a unique and different approach.
Gail Gaymer Martin has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, majoring in English and Speech Performance, and a Masters degree in Educational Guidance and Counseling from Wayne State University in Detroit. She is a high school guidance counselor. She has written news and feature articles for professional publications and has been active for many years in worship planning and choral music. Gail sings with two professional choral ensembles. She is a script writer for puppet ministries and has written and directed numerous successful musical comedy productions used in fund-raising programs. Her poetry has been widely published.

-- An exposition of the meaning of the Trinity for worship, baptism, the Lord's supper and language for God.
-- Firmly rooted in Scripture and warm-heartedly pastoral while masterfully theological.
-- Points to the "who" of worship, not the "how".

Here Is a Book That Sets Our Worship, sacraments, communion and language of God back on track. In a day when refinement of method and quality of experience are the guiding lights for many Christians, James Torrance points us to the indispensable "who" of worship, the triune God of grace. "Worship is the gift of participating through the Spirit in the incarnate Son's communion with the Father", writes Torrance.

This book explodes the notion that the doctrine of the Trinity may be indispensable for the creed but remote from life and worship. Firmly rooted in Scripture and theology, alive with pastoral counsel and anecdote, Torrance's work shows us just why real trinitarian theology is the very fiber of Christian confession.