Dragging preaching, teaching and communication into the 21st century, this book is for everyone who has to stand up and talk to others, and for those who have to sit and listen. It's packed full of creative ideas, hints, and tips for improving talks and sermons, from voice control to effective sermon planning. The Pages take a humorous look at the development and current state of the sermon, and explore whether the method of preaching and teaching most frequently used - the monologue sermon - is necessarily the best. They question whether the sermon is the only way of teaching, and further, whether it is God's way of doing things.

"God's Dangerous Book" is the dramatic story of the history of the Bible. More, its a book about how the Bible has always been a dangerous, provocative text. The Bible is more than just a piece of literature. It's a challenge, an inspiration, a wild, unsettling mandate for revolutionary behaviour. And that is exactly how people have used it over the years - for good and ill. Uniquely presented, "God's Dangerous Book" draws together story and scholarship with lively accounts of the people, powers and incidents involved in bringing the Bible, in the language of the people, into English. Informative, thought-provoking and very readable, this is a book that will help you discover the story behind the world's bestseller. It tells how the Bible was created, how it became a best-selling book and the effects it had on those who encountered it. Through a discussion of democracy and literacy, learning and communication this book shows how the Bible is, above all, about freedom and why Gandhi described God's book as 'containing enough dynamite to blow all civilisation to pieces.'

The Big Story retells the Bible story, giving a lively overview of what actually happens, witnessing the key events, and meeting the most important characters. It's split into five "acts" - the fathers, the exodus, the kings, the Messiah, and the church. Each of these looks at the story of humans and their relationship with God. The episodes are accompanied by short commentaries, explaining the background, providing information, helping the reader to spot key themes, and simply encouraging people to think about what is happening.

This is a ready-to-use resource for all-age worship services on the theme of Family. Using a wide range of innovative teaching activities, users will be able to simply put on family services. It includes drama, poetry, prayers, activity ideas and lots of humour. It will make life easy - you can either use the ideas straight from the page or adapt them by adding your own ideas. Topics covered include: Mums and Dads, siblings, money, work, conflict and household jobs.

Nick Page's bestselling Tabloid Bible is back by popular demand, and now in full colour and complete with sidebars of shame. The Tabloid Bible tells both well-known and obscure Bible stories as the newspapers and websites of the day might have covered them. ATISHOO! ATISHOO! WALL FALL DOWN! Insurers refuse payouts over Jericho wall collapse. "Aggressive trumpet playing is not covered," they say. ARKING MAD! Nutty Noah builds the world's biggest boat in his garden. "I'm sure he doesn't have planning permission," says irate neighbour. KEEP TAKING THE TABLETS. Moses brings maxims from the mountain! TOWER OF BABEL COLLAPSES. "!ccyshhibothuth mi varg," says suddenly incomprehensible builder. ARMAGEDDON OUT OF HERE! Gigantic explosion splits earth.

Nick Page looks into some of the puzzles, mysteries, curiosities and conundrums of the Bible. This book looks at over 30 mysteries of the Bible. From well known questions like 'where is the Ark of the Covenant?' and 'Where was Jesus born?' to less often asked such as 'Did Jesus own a house?' Light-hearted but thoroughly-researched, fun and informative, entertaining and enlightening, Nick Page combines good humour and good scholarship to create a book of Biblical history that is like no other. So, if you've ever wondered 'just how tall was Zacchaeus?', or 'what was the date of the crucifixion?', or 'was Jesus an only child?', then this is the book for you.

This book is a ready-to-use resource for all-age worship services on the theme of celebrations. Using a wide range of innovative teaching activities, users will be able to simply and easily put on family services. It includes drama, poetry, prayers, activity ideas and lots of humor. It will make life easy for those in charge of planning all-age worship. You can either use the ideas straight from the page or adapt them by adding your own ideas. It includes 8 ready-to-use Services. Celebrations covered: New Years, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Pentecost, Harvest, Advent and Christmas.

A completely revised edition of this best-selling Bible resource with new ideas, diagrams and illustrations Uniquely presented, this handbook uses modern language, humour and ingenious diagrams to bring the Bible to life. The Bible Book is a unique kind of guide to the Bible. Informative, though-provoking and very, very readable, this is a book that will help you explore the most famous book in the world. Informal, but informed, simple but never simplistic, The Bible Book tackles the Bible with honesty, humour and inventiveness. This book won't baffle you with jargon, but it won't insult your intelligence either. Nick Page maps out the way the Bible works, showing you the route through and the places of interest along the way. With its illuminating graphics and user-friendly design, The Bible Book is an indispensable handbook for anyone setting out to explore the exciting world of the Bible. Contents include: Quick Guide - Your at-a-glance introduction to every book of the Bible Questions, Questions - a lighter look at some of those difficult issues Tricky Bits - explanations of things that make you go 'hmmm' The Route Through - a 'streetmap' showing you how each Bible book is put together Landmarks - the important events and themes of the Bible Postcards - introducing the cities and countries of the Bible Details, Details - those fascinating facts that otherwise might go unnoticed Viewpoints - a guide to opposing interpretations Breif Lives - a quick summary of the lives of major Bible characters Plus over 50 maps, timelines and diagrams, bringing the world of the Bible to life.

An innovative and incredibly useful guide to the Bible, giving new insights into the life and times of the people, places, events and culture of the Bible. A truly distinctive pocket guide to the Bible, bringing together Nick Page's quirky and informative style with imaginative layouts bringing new depth and variety to help you understand the key people, places and events of the Bible. The Bible can often seem hard to understand and by combining a handy format with real information and tackling difficult subjects with a light touch, this book makes it possible to understand it all in a new way. Contents include: Introducing the Bible Key Passages The Bible Book by Book The Life of Jesus Maps and places People (and other beings) History and Real Life Where are they now?

street life is a funny, thought-provoking, God-revealing look at the real issues of 21st-century lives. If it's on the street, it's in here - everything from chewing gum to mobile phones, traffic lights to trees, sex shops to scaffolding. All the things around us and all the ways in which we can use those sights to explore the Kingdom of God. Based on the bestselling approach of the street bible, street life takes things one step further, generating discussion, engagement, and resolve; offering wisdom from across the ages and ideas for action today; and, most of all, pointing readers back to the real thing - the Bible with a capital 'B'. Ideal for individual Bible study, youth groups, and house groups, street life is about going deeper than just reading the stories and actually creating a different lifestyle. It's about making the words count.

Your Tour Guide through the Bible The MAP is a smart, user-friendly guidebook for anyone who wants to explore the world of the Bible. It s informative, thought-provoking, fun to read, and full of fascinating facts and illuminating graphics. Tackling the Bible with creativity, honesty, and humor, The MAP helps you understand how the Bible works, guides you through it, and shows you both its high points and its easily missed places of interest. The MAP features: *Quick Guide: an at-a-glance introduction to every book of the Bible *Bible Questions: a lighter look at difficult issues *Puzzling Points: explanations of things that make you go hmmm . . . *The Route Through: a street map showing you how each biblical book is put together *Landmarks: important events and themes of the Bible *Bible Postcards: introductions to the cities and countries of the Bible *Details, Details: fascinating facts that otherwise might go unnoticed *Viewpoints: a guide to opposing interpretations *Brief Lives: a quick summary of the lives of major Bible characters *Plus---over fifty maps, timelines, and diagrams that bring the world of the Bible to life"

"The Tabloid Bible" is a fresh and funny take on biblical literacy. Humorist Nick Page, who happens to take the Bible very seriously, captures perfectly the deadpan style of popular, sensational tabloids found in supermarket checkout lanes everywhere in his retelling of major biblical events from Genesis to Revelation.

If you're reading this, we're still alive. The end of the world has not occurred. But it can't be long now, can it? For two thousand years, the Book of Revelation has inspired countless conspiracy theorists, film-makers, writers and artists, as well as theologians and teachers. But why are we so bothered? After all, the end of the world still hasn't turned up, and it's been quite a while now. When Nick Page wanted to get to the bottom of what this mysterious book is really all about, he realised there was only one way to go about it: he had to go to the land of apocalypse. Travelling to Patmos via the ruined cities of the seven churches of Revelation, determined to seek out a revelation of his own, Nick explores the culture behind Revelation, who wrote it, why they wrote it, and what it means for us today. Mixing history, commentary, creative reconstruction and sun-crazed travelogue, here at last is the (perhaps not quite) final word on heaven, hell, the four horsemen of the apocalypse - and why the end of the world never does turn up when it's supposed to.

We're told that the Bible is beautiful, uplifting and a joy to read - but, while we know this is how we're supposed to feel about it, in reality many of us find the very opposite. On opening the Bible, we are faced with a multitude of problems; from its form and historical content to its sheer size and often distasteful stories, we can be left feeling overwhelmed and disheartened. But the problem is not with the Bible - and it's not with us either. The problem is we've been misinformed. And so, we end up believing things about the Bible that the Bible never claims for itself. But the Bible won't politely sign up to the neat categories and terms we force on it. That's why it's badly behaved. We want to control the Bible and tame it so that we can ride it into battle; but the Bible bucks and rears and throws us off. We want to pin the Bible down so that it proves our theology; but the Bible evades capture and plays hide and seek. We want answers; but the Bible keeps firing questions. We want it to tell us what to do; but the Bible keeps telling us to think. We want to make the Bible dance to our tune: but the Bible has music of its own. The Bible is an invitation and a call. The breath of God lifts its pages, and they rise and fall with his breathing. In his honest and accessible style, Nick Page urges us to re-discover a fresh look at the Bible as the scriptural bedrock of the Christian faith, to learn how we can undo unhelpful ways of reading it and demystifying its purpose and scope. Nick tackles what the Bible is and what it isn't, how we can critically read this inspired text and how we approach the difficulties in its content. Alongside helpful analysis and practical advice - including kickstarting his one-man campaign to ban "Bible study" - Nick helps us re-discover how to rediscover the Bible as Holy Ground, as a place where we meet and encounter God.

Men, the midlife crisis, spirituality - and sheds A new bike - running the marathon - splashing out on a sports car - having an affair - taking up triathlon - upping sticks and moving to the country - getting divorced - even going into the church... There's a point in a man's life where he looks around him and asks whether this is really where he wants to be - what he wanted to do with his life. And even if he's achieved all his childhood dreams, maybe that's not enough any more. Nick Page has been there, and he decided to build a shed. Not to answer the question, but so that he'd at least be able to get some peace to think about it properly. Join him on a journey of discovery, into what the midlife crisis really is, and whether there's a better way to go at it than frittering away time and money trying to pretend you're really younger than you are.

Why is Christmas the way it is? How did we get from the birth of Jesus to everyone pushing their credit card and their belts to their maximum extent? Starting with the events surrounding Jesus' birth, this book takes us through centuries of commemoration, celebration and over-consumption. Along the way we'll find out why we eat turkey, how an obscure Turkish saint turned into a man flying a sleigh, and why that tree in your house should really contain an apple and a snake. Combining in-depth historical research, cheerfully irreverent humour and cutting-edge guesswork, Nick Page explores what this festival really means, and how we can get back to something real and true beneath all that wrapping.

500 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his ideas to a church door - and the Reformation began. Or maybe it was a little more complicated than that. Nick Page brings his skills as an unlicensed historian to bear on this key period in European (and world) history in order to uncover everything you need to know about the Reformation - with a fair few bits you never wanted to know thrown in for good measure. Historians tell us that the Protestant Reformation laid the foundations for the Industrial Revolution, religious freedom, and all sorts of other Good Things. But what actually happened? Who were the winners and the losers, the ogres and the beauty queens of this key moment in church history? (spoiler: there weren't any beauty queens) In-depth research, historical analysis and cutting-edge guesswork combine to scintillating effect in this fast-moving examination of the strange and wonderful whirlwind that was church life in late medieval Europe. 'You were predestined to read this.' John Calvin

From Abelard to Zwingli, via a multitude of saints and sinners, Nick Page guides us through the creeds, the councils, the buildings and the background of the Christian church in an illuminating, and perhaps ever so slightly irreverent way. Well-known as a writer, speaker, unlicensed historian and general information-monger, Nick Page combines in-depth research, historical analysis and cutting-edge guesswork to explore how on earth the Christian church has survived all that 2,000 years of heroes, villains and misfits could throw at it (mostly from the inside) to remain one of the most influential forces in the world today. 'I was predestined to read this.' John Calvin. 'I felt my heart strangely warmed. Or it could have been indigestion.' John Wesley.

He came from the wrong social class, the wrong place and the wrong profession. He ate with the wrong people, championed the wrong causes and attracted the wrong kind of supporters. He even spoke with the wrong accent. In fact everything about Jesus of Nazareth was wrong. How could this odd-job man be God's Messiah?To the authorities he was a dangerous rebel; to the pious he was scandalously unorthodox. Even his family thought he was mad. But somehow this builder from 'up north' - this outrageous, unorthodox, rebellious teacher and miracle worker - changed the world. In this illuminating new biography, Nick Page strips away centuries of misrepresentation and myth to reveal the real personality portrayed in the gospels. Drawing on a wealth of historical and archaeological research, the result is a startling and vivid new portrait of Yeshua ben Yosef - Jesus of Nazareth. Challenging and thought-provoking, THE WRONG MESSIAH will change the way you view Jesus: the man who in so many ways seemed utterly wrong, but who history has proved triumphantly to be right.

What really happened during Jesus' final days? It was, historically speaking, nothing much; a death in Jerusalem, a routine execution at the edge of an empire. Yet that execution - and the events surrounding it - were to have a profound effect on the history of the world. The last week of Jesus' life on earth was probably the most important week in history. This book aims to reconstruct the events of those days. From Jesus' entry to Jerusalem on the Sunday, to his resurrection a week later; this book explores the claims and explode the myths. It looks seriously at the evidence of the gospel accounts, without ducking the controversies and contradictions. It focuses on the history rather than the spiritual and theological significance of events and uses archaeological research and detailed Biblical analysis to take the reader through THE LONGEST WEEK.

Fools. Rebels. Ignorant peasants. That's how the Roman world saw the first Christians. Led by fishermen, tax collectors and renegade Pharisees, the first Christians shunned power and welcomed the poor and uneducated. Roman commentators mocked their upside-down values, but the apostle Paul - himself a Roman citizen, and a Pharisee to boot, affirmed that 'God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.' Its followers were persecuted and its leaders killed, yet this ragged collection of lowly tradesmen, women, slaves - and a smattering of turncoat high-born Jews - created a movement that changed the world. How did this happen? How did the kingdom of fools conquer the mighty empire that was Rome? In this fascinating new biography of the early church, Nick Page sets the biblical accounts alongside the latest historical and archaeological research, exploring how the early Christians lived and worshipped - and just why the Romans found this new branch of the Jewish faith so difficult to comprehend. KINGDOM OF FOOLS is a fresh, challenging, accessible portrait of a movement so radical, so dangerous, so thrillingly different that it outlasted the empire that tried to destroy it and went on to become the driving force of our cultural development - and claims more followers today than ever before in history.