Is your small group boring? (It's okay to be honest.) Do you sometimes have to force yourself to attend the meetings (even the meetings you lead )? Do you wonder if small groups are doing anything for your spiritual growth? Kim Engelmann, a pastor and small group leader, describes how she felt about one small group she attended: "It is Thursday evening--small group night. I . . . hesitate before getting out of the car. Do I really want to do this? I am not the sort of person that likes weeknight meetings. I am tired from a long day's work, but I push my car door open and crunch on up the gravel driveway. . . I convince myself that this is for my own good. I tell myself that I ought to be grateful that I live in a free country where small groups that talk about Jesus and the Bible are allowed. But I am not grateful--not one little bit." As a result Kim asked herself a hard question about groups: Is it small groups that are the problem or the way we do small groups? In this book she shares her answers, offering a new format for groups that gives authentic spiritual community a chance. She challenges the compartmentalization of Bible study, prayer and even fun (only laugh during icebreaker time ), and offers creative, practical suggestions that can serve to integrate these aspects into an experiential framework. Whether you are a pastor, a group leader or a member, if you find yourself dragging when it's time for small group, then this is the book for you.

Jesus' impact on our world is highly unlikely, widely inescapable, largely unknown, and decidedly double-edged.

It is unlikely in light of the severe limitations of his earthly life; it is inescapable because of the range of impact; it is unknown because history doesn't connect dots; and it is doubled-edged because his followers have wreaked so much havoc, often in his name. He is history's most familiar figure, yet he is the man no one knows. His impact on the world is immense and non-accidental.

From the Dark Ages to Post-Modernity he is the Man who won't go away. And yet . . .you can miss him in historical lists for many reasons, maybe the most obvious being the way he lived his life. He did not loudly and demonstrably defend his movement in the spirit of a rising political or military leader. He did not lay out a case that history would judge his brand of belief superior in all future books.

His life and teaching simply drew people to follow him. He made history by starting in a humble place, in a spirit of love and acceptance, and allowing each person space to respond. His vision of life continues to haunt and challenge humanity. His influence has swept over history bringing inspiration to what has happened in art, science, government, medicine, and education; he has taught humans about dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and hope.

Today is the day you choose . . . which game you want to win, which prize you want to collect, which priorities you want to set. It's a thrill to win at checkers or Clue or Trivial Pursuit. You sweep aside the other players and you "own" the board. It's also a thrill to win a promotion at work ... the new house you wanted ... that sports car you've always eyed. But just like the game cards, the tokens, and the timer, those prizes are temporary. When the game is over, they all go back in the box. Games can cast a powerful spell, says bestselling author John Ortberg. But the wisest player remembers that the game is always going to end. So what can we take with us to the kingdom of God? Only the love we have for Christ, the love we have for each other, and our own souls. While it's not bad to be good at chess or Risk-or the game of life on Earth-we can't allow it to get in the way of what really matters. Using his humor and his genius for storytelling, Ortberg helps you focus on the real rules of the game and how to set your priorities. When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box Participant's Guide helps explain how, left to our own devices, we tend to seek out worldly things, mistakenly thinking they will bring us fulfillment. But everything on Earth belongs to God. Everything we "own" is just on loan. And what pleases God is often 180 degrees from what we may think is important. In the six sessions you will learn how to: Live passionately and boldly Learn how to be active players in the game that pleases God Find your true mission and offer your best Fill each square on the board with what matters most Seek the richness of being instead of the richness of having You can't beat the house, notes Ortberg. We're playing our game of life on a giant board called a calendar. Time will always run out, so it's a good thing to live a life that delights your Creator. When everything goes back in the box, you'll have made what is temporary a servant to what is eternal, and you'll leave this life knowing you've achieved the only victory that matters. Sessions include: When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back in the Box Keeping Score Where It Really Counts Resign as Master of the Board Calling or Comfort? Choose Your Move Wisely Playing the Game with Greatness and Grace The Kingdom Has One More Move Designed for use with When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back in the Box DVD 9780310808244 (sold separately).

When God pours out his love, our parched lives are revived and our thirsty souls satisfied. What is the secret of receiving more of God's love and of giving it freely to others? The book of I John calls us back to the basics of loving God and one another. Do you long to experience God's mercy and goodness in deeper ways and extend them to others? Would you like his love to fill you up to the point where it overflows naturally into the lives of others? This study of I John will help you and your small group experience the refreshing rain of God's love in ways you have always wanted. New Community Series -- a high-impact tool for experiencing the transforming power of God's Word. This cutting-edge series lets you explore life-changing topics from a biblical perspective in community with others in your small group. Challenging questions encourage you to reflect on Scripture and its impact on your life, both as an individual and as part of a community of Christ followers.

Using popular games as a metaphor for our temporal lives, this six-session small group Bible study, When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box, by John Ortberg, neatly sorts out what s fleeting and what s permanent in God s kingdom.

Today is the day you choose which game you want to win which prize you want to collect which priorities you want to set. It s a thrill to win at checkers or Clue or Trivial Pursuit. You sweep aside the other players and you own the board. It s also a thrill to win a promotion at work the new house you wanted that sports car you ve always eyed.

But just like the game cards, the tokens, and the timer, those prizes are temporary. When the game is over, they all go back in the box. Games can cast a powerful spell, says bestselling author John Ortberg. But the wisest player remembers that the game is always going to end. So when everything goes back in the box, you ll have made what is temporary a servant to what is eternal, and you ll leave this life knowing you ve achieved the only victory that matters.

When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box will teach you to:
Live passionately and boldly
Learn how to be active players in the game that pleases God
Find your true mission and offer your best
Fill each square on the board with what matters most
Seek the richness of being instead of the richness of having

This Participant Guide is designed for use with the companion DVD (sold separately). When used together, they work as a powerful catalyst for spiritual growth.

Sessions include:
1. When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box
2. Keeping Score Where It Really Counts
3. Resign as Master of the Board
4. Calling or Comfort? Choose Your Moves Wisely
5. Playing the Game with Greatness and Grace
6. The King Has One More Move"

What would your life be like if Jesus lived it? Imagine the change you would experience in your thoughts, actions, and relationships. Think of the joy and freedom that could transform every area of your life. That s exactly what God has in mind for you You ll find out how in Growth. Through personal study and small group interaction, this study sets you on a path to live out the character of Jesus in this world as only you can. It happens not by trying hard, but by training. By cultivating spiritual disciplines--Scripture meditation, prayer, solitude, endurance, loving others--you ll discover the joy of being transformed by Christ and the freedom of living each day sustained by his power. Leader s guide included Growth group sessions are: Training to Live Like Jesus The Practice of Scripture Meditation The Practice of Solitude Simple Prayer Three Transforming Prayers The Roundabout Way And the Greatest of These Is Love"

Interweaving biblical insights and personal narratives, this eloquently written book shows how God often uses suffering and desert experiences to form us into Christ's image. Marlena Graves shares her experiences of growing up poor in a house plagued by mental illness as a means to explore the forces God uses to shape us into beautiful people in the midst of brokenness.
This book offers a window into suffering through the motif of desert spirituality, revealing how God can use our painful experiences to show himself faithful. While no one welcomes suffering, God often uses desert experiences--those we initially despise and wouldn't wish on anyone--to transform us into beautiful souls who better resemble Jesus. Graves shows how God can bring life out of circumstances reeking of death and destruction, whether those circumstances are crises or daily doses of quiet desperation.
Readers who have experienced suffering and question God's purpose for it will benefit from this book, as will counselors, pastors, professors, and mentors. It includes a foreword by John Ortberg and Laura Ortberg Turner.

Christianity Today 2019 Book of the Year Award, The Church/Pastoral Leadership We know of the preacher's roles as both teacher and proclaimer, but Jeffrey Arthurs adds another assignment: the Lord's remembrancer. The remembrancer stirs the memory of Christ-followers, reminding them of the truths they once heard and fanning the flames of faith. We live in an age of forgetfulness, so when knowledge fades and conviction cools, the church needs to be reminded of the great truths of the faith. When done well, preaching as reminding is not empty, perfunctory repetition. Rather, it is the work of soul-watchers. Preaching as Reminding describes the dynamic role of the remembrancer, who prompts thankfulness and repentance, raises hope, fosters humility and wisdom, exhorts obedience, and encourages community. With decades of preaching experience, Arthurs explains how to stir memory through vivid language, story, delivery, and ceremony. He urges preachers to take up this task with buoyancy and hope because the Lord God has commissioned and equipped them to serve as the Lord's remembrancers.

For the past forty years, Jim Stump could be found sitting in a cafe on the Stanford University campus chatting with some of the most talented athletes in the world, walking with them, getting to know them, sharing his life with them, and loving them. He understands that the best way to have an eternal impact on the world is to develop deep and meaningful relationships with a handful of people. When Jesus walked the earth, he focused his energies not on filling stadiums but on twelve handpicked disciples whom he mentored and equipped to carry out ministries of their own.
With engaging personal stories of the famous athletes he has mentored, along with examples from the life of Jesus, Jim Stump shows how to develop rich mentoring relationships with the people in our lives. He answers the question so many of us have--"How can I help to bring my friends to faith?"--by providing simple steps toward developing those relationships, living life authentically, and sharing faith with those we care about.
Pastors, youth pastors, small group leaders, and individual believers will find "The Power of One-on-One "inspirational, encouraging, and practical.

When is the last time you thought about the state of your soul? The health of your soul isn't just a matter of saved or unsaved. It's the hinge on which the rest of your life hangs. It's the difference between deep, satisfied spirituality and a restless, dispassionate faith. In an age of materialism and consumerism that tries to buy its way to happiness, many souls are starved and unhealthy, unsatisfied by false promises of status and wealth. We've neglected this eternal part of ourselves, focusing instead on the temporal concerns of the world-and not without consequence. Bestselling author John Ortberg presents another classic that will help you discover your soul-the most important connection to God there is-and find your way out of the spiritual shallow-lands to true divine depth. With characteristic insight and an accessible story-filled approach, Ortberg brings practicality and relevance to one of Christianity's most mysterious and neglected topics.

For the new small group leader, the seasoned leader who feels their small group lacks purpose, or the leader who is itching to move their small group to the next level, Leading Small Groups with Purpose is the road map to follow. Steve Gladen, author of Small Groups with Purpose and pastor of small groups at Saddleback Church for more than a decade, takes small group leaders step-by-step toward a healthy, dynamic group with focus and purpose.

Every chapter includes ideas that small group leaders can implement immediately as well as ways to shape their small groups over time. Gladen helps leaders define success clearly, develop a personal leadership plan, invite members into the group, and shepherd members through fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and worship. He also includes a chapter devoted to addressing problems proactively and using them as opportunities for growth. Includes a foreword by John Ortberg and a free small group assessment tool ($12.50 value).

In this five-session small group Bible study, The Me I Want to Be, John Ortberg reveals how you can become the unique, fully alive person God intended you to be.

There is a me each of one of us wants to be someone who s more kind and generous, patient, and loving. But there is a gap between the me I am and the me I want to be. Oftentimes we find it easy to trust God to bridge the gap between and us and him, but we struggle to really live by grace and trust God to close the gap between the me I am and the me I want to be. Becoming God s best version of you is both God s desire and the greatest task of your life. And here s the good news he s already working on it. Your life is God s project, not yours.

The Me I Want to Be small group Bible study is a powerful look at becoming the unique, fully alive, flourishing person God intended. Pastor and author John Ortberg teaches through fives sessions how you can move toward becoming God s best version of you in four specific areas: your mind, your time, your relationships, and your experiences.

Spiritual growth can seem difficult or intimidating, but John Ortberg s humor and innovative thinking in The Me I Want to Be will leave you challenged, inspired, and hopeful about true spiritual growth happening in you and your small group.

This Participant Guide is designed for use with The Me I Want to Be DVD (sold separately) and includes discussion questions for individuals and groups. When used together they provide you with a practical tool than can transform your faith.

Sessions include:

1. Discovering the Spirit
2. Renewing My Mind
3. Redeeming My Time
4. Deeping My Relationships
5. Transforming My Experience

Every leader functions on two stages--the front stage or public world, and the back stage or private world. One cannot lead successfully front stage when one is completely depleted back stage. In a time when pastors are leaving the ministry in record numbers due to cynicism, disillusionment, weariness, and personal scandals, there is an urgent need for soul care in the private lives of leaders.

Replenish helps leaders focus on the back stage, the interior life, in order to remain spiritually healthy. In a caring, encouraging tone, it will show pastors how to:

• prioritize matters of the soul
• develop healthy spiritual practices
• address problems that lead to burnout
• create a healthy rhythm in their lives
• improve their people skills and the spiritual climate of their team
• develop better systems in their churches
• discover how to lead an unhurried life

For the many ministry leaders who feel alone, in over their heads, or simply worn out, this book will offer welcome relief and a healthy way forward.

Winner of the 2002 Christianity Today Book Award!

Deep within you lies the same faith and longing that sent Peter walking across the wind-swept Sea of Galilee toward Jesus. In what ways is the Lord telling you, as he did Peter, "Come"? John Ortberg invites you to consider the incredible potential that awaits you outside your comfort zone. Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways that will change you forever, deepening your character and your trust in God. The experience is terrifying. It's thrilling beyond belief. It's everything you'd expect of someone worthy to be called Lord.

The choice is yours to know him as only a water-walker can, aligning yourself with God's purpose for your life in the process. There's just one requirement: If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat.

The day after Jesus' death, whatever small mark he made on the world seemed destined to disappear. Instead, his impact on human history has been unparalleled, leading believers and nonbelievers alike to ask, Who Is This Man? In Who Is This Man, bestselling author John Ortberg explores the paradox of Jesus, history's most familiar figure while simultaneously the man no one knows. Who Is This Man traces Jesus' incredible life and legacy from his days on Earth to the present moment, showing us: How his vision of life continues to haunt and challenge humanity The ways his influence has inspired movements in art, science, government, medicine, and education How his lessons about dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and hope continue to influence humanity Join John Ortberg as he shares how Jesus' influence has swept over history and how his vision of life continues to impact us today. Praise for Who Is This Man?: "Sometimes in the clutter and noise of 'religion,' we lose sight of who Jesus is. Once again, John Ortberg helps us do what he does best: he helps us see God as he really is and connect with him amid all the noise. This book is a gift." --Dr. Henry Cloud, psychologist, coauthor of the bestselling Boundaries books "We live in a period where the divide between the secular and the sacred has never been greater. Who Is This Man? bridges this gap by sharing in his inimitable and entertaining style the undeniable and profound impact of Jesus Christ on our world. His impact, over two thousand years later, is more profound on the day-to-day lives of people--believers or not--than the impact of any other person at any point in history. John shows how Christ came to teach us how to live and in the process changed the world forever and for good." --Ron Johnson, CEO, J. C. Penney

No mistake was made in heaven when God gave you the gift of leadership or teaching. Every gift you have-your instincts to lead and your passion to make a difference-came from the hand of a loving Father who crafted you. In this practical and inspiring book, Willow Creek Executive vice president and teaching pastor Nancy Beach speaks to women with God-given gifts of leading and teaching. Sharing from her thirty-year journey in a local church, Nancy offers guidance on such issues as: Developing character Earning respect Finding your voice for leadership and teaching Managing work and personal life Forming an intentional support network She also challenges church leaders to wrestle with the issue of women in leadership, and to be advocates for women as they seek to reach their full ministry potential. Nancy desires that women will fully engage in the dangerous and thrilling adventure of using their leadership gifts to advance the kingdom of God. The path won't be easy... but God will never leave you alone.

Maybe you ve gone to church and just not felt like you were connecting to the service like everyone else. Perhaps you have been trying to get closer to God but simply hit block after block and feel more frustrated than faith-filled each time you sit down to pray or worship. Or maybe you feel like you are doing okay spiritually, but feel you re missing something you can t quite define. And on top of everything else, you re simply trying to figure out who you really are inside and what you re supposed to be doing with your life.

The good news is you re not alone, and you don t have to feel discouraged. Though in the pages of The Me I Want to Be Teen Edition, bestselling author John Ortberg focuses on what makes you who you are, looking at how you spend your time, your unique experiences, your relationships, and your overall world to help you see where you are now, as well as providing exercises and quizzes that help uncover God s plan for you and the positive directions you can now go. Find out what it can look like when you discover what the best version of you looks like, as well as the life God has always desired you to have."

What does it mean to do everything "in Jesus name"? Is that an ideal attainable only by a few "super Christians"--or is it a way of life we can all experience? Leader s guide included Fully Devoted group sessions are: What Is True Spirituality? Grace Growth Groups Gifts Giving "We Know Him Well . . . "

Many Christians have an easier time being saved by grace than they do living in grace every day. But grace is at the center of the life God calls us to--and reflects the heart of the One who calls. These studies in Grace will help you make the connection between grace as a remote biblical concept and grace as a lifestyle--a reality you experience day in, day out. Through an unfolding study of Psalm 23, you ll learn how God--our Good Shepherd--is for you, how he longs to walk with you through temptation, sorrow, and even deep regret. You ll discover God s desire to make his joy your joy. Throughout, you ll learn how enduring, powerful, and life-affirming God s work in your life can be and rediscover why it s called amazing grace. Leader s guide included Grace group sessions are: Living in Grace Grace for Regrets Sustaining Grace Delighting in Grace A Legacy of Grace Grace Forever Grace to Share"

This comprehensive textbook on pastoral ministry for pastors, church leaders, and students articulates a biblical model for shepherding God's people. Written by a leading psychologist and seminary professor who has served as a pastor for more than two decades, the book covers twelve major areas of pastoral ministry, highlights the essential work of the Holy Spirit, and focuses on the personal and family life of the pastor. It includes cross-cultural perspectives of special interest in our diverse world and a foreword by John Ortberg.

Learn to Pray with the Master If you could ask the first disciples, "What was the Savior's secret to living in alignment with the Father's will and with power to face life's challenges," they would have answered with one word, "Prayer!" As we learn to talk with the Father, we grow strong in faith and obedience. The Lord's Prayer is much more than a collection of words to be recited from memory. It is a Jesus-given springboard to launch us into the refreshing waters of God's wisdom and strength. When we learn to pray with Jesus, we become like him. Will you dare to echo the plea of the first disciples, "Teach us to pray"?

Stand Strong in Life s Furnaces How do you respond when the bottom drops out? What happens to your character quotient when things don t go the way you planned? How do you react when the temperature is rising, you are under attack, and God seems far away? Daniel discovered that the furnace experiences of life refine and define us. Spiritual integrity rarely grows when everything goes our way. Instead, God uses things like a furnace, a lion s den, a mad king, and exile in a foreign country to forge character in a soul. If you long to meet God in the challenging times and come through the fire stronger and more faithful, Daniel is ready to show the way."

What Are You Waiting For?

Intimacy with God can happen right now if you want it. A closeness you can feel, a goodness you can taste, a reality you can experience for yourself. That s what the Bible promises, so why settle for less? God is closer than you think, and connecting with him isn t just for monks and ascetics. It s for business people, high school students, busy moms, single men, single women and most important, it s for YOU.

God Is Closer Than You Think shows how you can enjoy a vibrant, moment-by-moment relationship with your heavenly Father. Bestselling author John Ortberg reveals the face of God waiting to be discovered in the complex mosaic of your life. He shows you God s hand stretching toward you. And, with his gift for storytelling, Ortberg illustrates the ways you can reach toward God and complete the connection to your joy and his."