What happens when we truly put God first in all aspects of our lives? In "First: Putting God First in Living and Giving, "pastor and author Mike Slaughter conducts a four-week all-church stewardship program to help participants reassess priorities and create a culture and a lifestyle of faithful living and giving and make a meaningful contribution to the world. To help parents educate and model generosity for their kids, " First" includes components for children and youth that help families explore financial decisions together. This book of devotional readings is a companion resource for program participants and is designed to draw families into closer fellowship with God as they explore financial decisions together. Includes short readings, Scripture, prayer, and stories.

In "First: Putting God First in Living and Giving, "pastor and author Mike Slaughter conducts a four-week all-church stewardship program to help participants reassess priorities and create a culture and a lifestyle of faithful living and giving and make a meaningful contribution to the world. Sessions include: Naming Our Idols; Money, Work, and Debt; Earn Save Give; and Heart Giving. To help teachers and parents educate and model generosity for their kids, the Children s Leader Guide contains session ideas for younger and older children, including reproducible handouts."

"Conscientious and compassionate use of our money in a world where people spend $310 million on costumes for their pets and $5 billion on entertaining ringtones for their phones is not an easy task. The temptation to spend now and think later (or never!) is ever-present, but with good intentions and prayerful hearts, we can slow down and reflect on what we earn, how we spend it, who is affected by it, and who we can share it with." -from the introduction Every Christian knows that we are called to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. But what about our wallet? We are asked to open it every Sunday when the offering basket comes by and are told that giving is a way of being a "good steward," but what about spending money at a restaurant or grocery store? Best-selling author Mike Slaughter offers a comprehensive look at how Christians use their money in The Christian Wallet. Slaughter explores today's culture of consumerism and the impact of what we buy, asking difficult questions about morality and money while acknowledging that there are no easy answers. Throughout the book, profiles of real people inspire thoughtful reflection about the true value of money and the rewards of conscious spending. Questions for individual or group study are also included with each chapter. The Christian Wallet helps Christians grapple with important questions about using money: how we spend, how we live, how we save, how we give, and what it all means.

Jesus called us to follow him, to live a life of active faith, feeding the poor, healing the sick, welcoming the alien, and rescuing the desperate. It s easy to get stuck in our religious habits of just going to church, tossing a few bucks in the offering plate, and occasionally reading our Bible but Jesus has bigger plans for us. We are called to be his hands and feet in the world. He wants to use us to change the world. Change the World: A Study for Small Groups links Bible study to global mission and local service project. This six-session small group resource enables congregations to discuss and act on the imperatives of scripture. Each week, participants will read and discuss a gospel story, watch a video profiling an inspiring, world-changing mission effort, and envision together how they can change the world locally and globally. Participants won t just read about Jesus feeding the 5000 or healing the lepers, but will be inspired by contemporary hunger-relief and medical missions. Participants will be challenged to take a leading role in the congregation s missional efforts, serving in a homeless shelter as a group, raising funds for disaster relief, or planning a church-wide day of service. "

Everybody wants to change the world, and it all starts with a changed heart. As we grow closer to the heart of Christ, we learn to love others the way he did. Passion for justice and desire to serve flows naturally from a faith centered on the message and mission of Jesus: to bring good news to the poor, release to the captive, and sight to the blind.

Grow in world-changing faith with six weeks of inspiring, challenging meditations by Mike Slaughter.

Weekly themes: 1.Hearing Christ s Call 2.Loving God s People 3.Becoming a Disciple 4.Living Simply 5.Spreading the Word 6.Serving Courageously "

Dare to Dream is a startling and inspiring new program by popular author and pastor Mike Slaughter that draws on the Bible and a lifetime of ministry to help us discern God s dream for us and learn to live it out, prayerfully and enthusiastically. The Leader Guide contains six session plan outlines, complete with discussion points and questions, activities, prayers, and more plus leader helps for facilitating a group."

Are your goals too small? Are you living the just get by plan? Or is there a greater God dream for you that, if lived to the fullest, could permeate and inform every move you make?

Dare to Dream is a startling and inspiring new program by popular author and pastor Mike Slaughter that draws on the Bible and a lifetime of ministry to help us discern God s dream for us and learn to live it out, prayerfully and enthusiastically. Participants will learn how to develop a life mission statement that helps them fully commit to a God-directed lifestyle.

Chapters include:

Dare to Dream Wake up to God s dream inside you. Discover Your Identity You were created with a purpose. Your Burning Bush Be aware of those illuminating God moments in your life. Lose Your Big Buts Allow God s strength to be displayed in your weakness. What s in Your Hand Identify and utilize the ordinary gifts God has given you. God s Dream Discover a dream for your life far greater than your own."

A Different Kind of Christmas is a practical and inspirational study for the Advent season. Based on Mike Slaughter s popular book Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, this five-week study will empower your family and your church to reclaim the broader missional meaning of Jesus birth and experience a Christmas season with more peace and joy than any toy or gadget could ever bring. This comprehensive resource includes a 64-page Leader Guide containing everything needed to guide your group through the study. Inside you ll find five full session plans, discussion questions, and activities, as well as multiple format options and suggestions of ways to make the study a meaningful experience for any group. Sessions include: 1. Expect a Miracle 2. Giving Up on Perfect 3. Scandalous Love 4. Jesus Wish List 5. By a Different Road Help your church cast a vision for how Christians can experience the true joy of living and giving like Jesus beginning with the Christmas season and continuing as a lifestyle. Thisfive-week study helps participants see the traps and discontentment of consumerism and the call of God to live generously to fulfill God s mission in the world."

A Different Kind of Christmas is a fun and inspiring study for children during the Advent season. Based on Mike Slaughter s popular book Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, this engaging study will help children discover the broader meaning of Jesus birth and experience a Christmas season with more peace and joy than any toy could ever bring. This Children s Studycontains session ideas for younger and older children, including reproducible handouts."

Every year, we say we re going to cut back, simplify, and have a family Christmas that focuses on the real reason for the season Jesus. But every year, advertisements beckon, the children plead, and it seems easier just to indulge our wants and whims. Overspending, overeating, materialism, and busyness rob us of our peace and joy and rob Jesus of his rightful role as the center of our celebration. This book of devotional readings is designed to draw your entire family into closer fellowship with God as you respond to this Christmas season and the call of God to live generously all year around. The devotional includes thirty short readings, Scripture, prayer, and stories about helping others at Christmas. A Different Kind of Christmas: Devotional Readings for the Season is a great gift idea for family, friends, teachers, and ministry leaders."

During difficult economic times, it's tough not to focus on getting by with less andwaiting for the nextbit of bad news. But, as Christians, howdo we to respond to what's happening on Wall Street? In Upside Living in a Downside Economy, pastor and author Mike Slaughter offersinsight into seeking God's perspective in our daily money concerns. With clarity and a servant's heart, Slaughter addresses vital topics such asfinancial and spiritual investments, personal motivation and God's will, money and marriage, and determining priorities. Written for individualand small-group study, Upside Living in a Downside Economy will guide participants in strengthening their spiritual connection while making economic corrections and, most importantly, responding according to God's plan. Click here to view a clip of Mike Slaughter! "

How many things does your church do just because that's the way it's always been done? Does your congregation value tradition over passion and stability over creativity? If so, it's time to unLearn. Leading congregations into a dynamic and prophetic future requires unLearning what you thought you knew about the church, leadership, and life. Pastor Michael Slaughter casts a vision for innovative and authentic congregations, and for the kind of leadership that can bring congregations to greater vitality and impact in today's postmodern culture. Readers will be challenged to gaze boldly beyond franchised church models to a dynamic embodiment of God's unique vision for each leader and each congregation. UnLearning congregations embrace new media and cultural trends, value transformation over information, and create a safe space for the tough and unanswerable questions of life. These are churches that lovingly dare to shoulder spiritual and prophetic leadership in our rapidly changing culture, re-articulating God's ancient purposes to create high-tech, high-touch environments in which people can become radical followers of Jesus Christ. Informed by Slaughter's thirty years of leadership at the innovative and mission-driven Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church, UnLearning Church offers readers guidance and insight into setting aside old identities, old expectations, and old ways of doing church, and inspires readers with examples of congregations already living out their mission to be creative and outwardly-focused communities of faith. Michael Slaughter is Lead Pastor and Chief Dreamer of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio. Appointed to the small country church in 1979, Mike saw the potential for a teaching church that would transform its community and the lives of people across the globe. Ginghamsburg has grown under his three decades of leadership from 90 worshippers a week to over 5,000. His other books include Spiritual Entrepreneurs, Out On the Edge, Real Followers, UnLearning Church, and Money Matters."

Every year, we say we re going to cut back, simplify, and have a family Christmas that focuses on the real reason for the season Jesus. But every year, advertisements beckon, the children plead, and it seems easier just to indulge our wants and whims. Overspending, overeating, materialism, and busyness rob us of our peace and joy and rob Jesus of his rightful role as the center of our celebration. This Christmas, cut through the hype that leaves you exhausted and broke at the end of the year. Instead, experience the peace of knowing that God is truly with us, the joy of giving sacrificially, and the love of a Savior who gave everything he had for us. In five short, engaging chapters, Pastor Mike Slaughterinspires readers to approach Christmas differently, and be transformed in the process. "