Pastoral Helps
Showing 1251–1300 of 2680 resultsSorted by latest
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12 Months Of Sundays
$44.95Core lectionary resource by preeminent and prolific Anglican scholar N.T. Wright
Covering all the Sundays and major festivals of all three years in the lectionary cycle, renowned scholar Tom Wright offers reflections on the readings in the Revised Common Lectionary for Years A, B, and C.
Drawn from his hugely popular columns in the British Church Times, and with new material, this book weaves together scholarship, history and insights into the world and language of the Bible to add richness and a deeper understanding of the Word of the Lord.
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More Middle School TalkSheets Epic Old Testament Stories
$19.99Middle school students are exposed to a lot of outside influences they don’t necessarily understand. It’s important to establish moral guidelines and role models early on, so they can grow with a strong understanding of Christian values. Where better to look for these role models than in the godly heroes of the Bible? The Middle School Talksheets series returns with a second year of thought-provoking stories from the Old Testament to discuss with your youth group or bible studies. David Lynn shares discussion topics and questions written specifically with middle school students in mind, promoting meaningful and thought-provoking conversations. The stories in these pages highlight pure moral principles and practices for teenagers to learn about and emulate. Each of the new 52 epic bible stories is easy to use and fit to your lesson plan, including hints and tips to facilitate conversation. These lessons also include optional activities, giving teenagers the inspiration and motivation they need andnbsp;to actively participate and have fun while they learn.
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Teaming Church : Ministry In The Age Of Collaboration
$19.99Create a successful team culture.
Great teams live and serve in light of the Divine Team-the Trinity, and to be truly effective they need: a deeply challenging goal, a creatively empowering leader, and a willingness to collaborate and honor the Bible.
Author Robert C. Crosby provides innovative ways in which biblical teams reflect the workings and nature of the image of God. Revealing what he calls “The Four C’s of Great Teams” : The Character, The Carrot, The Coach, and The Contex. Crosby shows how successful teams reach their goals more effectively. Conversely, he also addresses the “Four Fatal Teaming Errors” and how to avoid unnecessary, time-consuming missteps.
This book provides biblical motivations, vivid examples, and practical approaches for creating a teaming culture in any faith community. Crosby, a leader who has built teams as a senior pastor, youth leader, and university administrator, is now training and mentoring a new generation of pastors and leaders.
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Restart Your Church
$19.99Recognize
Realize
Restore
Review
Reform
Resensitize
Release
Reinvigorate
Reemphasize
RebirthAdditional Info
As a result of the near-death experiences of many congregations today, denominational leaders are looking for ways to revitalize churches. The act of revitalization often starts with the assumption that what was once vital can be vital again, if church leaders simply do the same better. So congregations increase programs, budgets, and formulas. They look back in time, trying to recapture a period when the church’s role in society was vital. A church seeking revitalization typically does more of the same, but faster.However, the central story of faith is the story of both death and resurrection. Followers of Christ like to live out the resurrection part of their faith, but they often aren’t very comfortable dealing with what must come before resurrection – death. The church must be willing to live out its entire story, from beginning to end.
The church needs to trust the idea that God brings to life what God wants to. This book suggests shifting away from the language of revitalization toward the story of death and resurrection. Escobedo-Frank focuses on ten specific “re-” words to outline a strategy for dying and resurrecting again – for restarting the church.
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Different Kind Of Christmas
$16.99A Different Kind of Christmas is a fun and inspiring study for children 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 Leader Guide contains session ideas for preschool, younger children, and older children, including reproducible handouts.
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Pastoring With Elders
$14.99Kevin is a preaching elder in an Associated Gospel Church in Canada (AGC). Their elders have had a growing influence on other congregations and have frequently been asked to share their effective shepherding-elder model. So, how do you grow elders? Many pastors are looking for another program or quick fix to accomplish this end. However, the answer is rooted in the theology of ministry and the need to focus on the biblical mandate given to pastors rather than the tyranny of expectations inherent in pastor-led churches.This book is designed to help senior pastors walk through a process of deconstructing their understanding of pastoring and redirect them to a focused ministry within a plurality of shepherd-elders.
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Scent Of Water
$19.98A Scent of Water is a message of hope for the Christian school movement, a movement that is currently lacks vision, struggles with enrollment declines and battles budget limitations. This message derives from scriptural truth and the findings of empirical research and recommends a means for restoring a vision for the ministry. The local Christian school must become the site for transforming the movement into one that focuses upon student learning and a clear delineation of student goals. The authors examine schools as social and cultural systems that must be understood. A Scent of Water describes the type of leadership that must characterize the movement and proposes an active, vibrant and collaborative role for classroom teachers, working with building principals who see themselves as capacity builders, building strength and knowledge within the teaching staff to bring a scent of water that will revitalize and transform the movement.
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Grace Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Grace.
We talk as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We describe an actress as gracious, a dancer as graceful. We use the word for hospitals, baby girls, kings, and premeal prayers. We talk as though we know what grace means.
But do we really understand it? Have we settled for wimpy grace? It politely occupies a phrase in a hymn, fits nicely on a church sign. Never causes trouble or demands a response. When asked, “Do you believe in grace?” who could say no?
Max Lucado asks a deeper question: Have you been changed by grace? Shaped by grace? Strengthened by grace? Emboldened by grace? Softened by grace? Snatched by the nape of your neck and shaken to your senses by grace?
God’s grace has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you. It rewires you. From insecure to God secure. From regret riddled to better-because-of-it. From afraid to die to ready to fly. Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off. Let’s make certain grace gets you.
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Different Kind Of Christmas
$9.99Every 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.
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Different Kind Of Christmas Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.98A 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. This six 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.
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Andrew Paradigm : How To Be A Lead Follower Of Jesus
$16.99The current trend in church leadership involves looking for a highly gifted leader who will take over, direct the future, cast a vision, and attract the faithful to a new mission or purpose. This desire for a leader to come to the rescue is eerily reminiscenet of the desire of the Israelites for a king, so they could “be like every other nation.” In spite of Samuel’s warnings, the people insisted, so God reluctantly gave them King Saul. That didn’t go so well. While we always need good, new, and talented leaders, we also need leaders who know how and when to be good followers. Particularly in a culture of distrust, leadership must be granted, earned, and supported by those who are willing to follow. Leading begins with the counter-intuitive command: “Come, follow me.” This imperative is far from easy. Many turned away from Jesus, unable to follow. However, one excellent model of “followership” stood out from the rest – the little-known disciple Andrew. In fact, Andrew is the model and paradigm for being a Lead Follower. Excellent Christian leadership is more about following Jesus than it is about learning the latest fads or tricks from business, the marketplace, or the academy. Being an excellent Christian leader involves first and foremost being an excellent and faithful follower of Jesus Christ.
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Counseling And Christianity
$36.99Foreword
1 Setting The Stage For The Five Approaches
2 Moving Models Into Practice
3 A Levels Of Explanation Approach By Thomas G. Plante
4 An Integration Approach By Mark McMinn
5 A Christian Psychology Approach By Diane Langberg
6 A Transformational Approach By Gary Moon
7 A Biblical Counseling Approach By Stuart W. Scott
8 Distinctives And Dialogue
9 Conceptualization And Contextualization
10 Case Scenarios For Further Exploration
Author Index
Subject IndexAdditional Info
What does authentic Christian counseling look like in practice? This volume explores how five major perspectives on the interface of Christianity and psychology would each actually be applied in a clinical setting. Respected experts associated with each of the perspectives depict how to assess, conceptualize, counsel and offer aftercare to Jake, a hypothetical client with a variety of complex issues. In each case the contributors seek to explain how theory can translate into real-life counseling scenarios. This book builds on the framework of Eric L. Johnson’s Psychology & Christianity: Five Views. These include the Levels-of-Explanation Approach, the Integration Approach, the Christian Psychology Approach, the Transformational Approach and the Biblical Counseling Approach. While Christianity and Counseling can be used independently of Johnson’s volume, the two can also function as useful companions. Christians who counsel, both those in practice and those still in training, will be served by this volume as it strengthens the connections between theory and practice in relating our faith to the mental health disciplines. They will finally get an answer to their persistent but unanswered question: “What would that counseling view look like behind closed doors?”Add to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
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Complete Guide To Godly Play 8
$34.95The final volume in the best-selling The Complete Guide to Godly Play series
Includes supplemental material summarizing the literature about Godly Play as well as an overview of the entire curriculum.
This Montessori approach gives children a strong foundation in the Christian language system.
These new lessons tie all others together, including “The Greatest Parable – Jesus” (4 lessons), “Knowing Jesus in a New Way” (7 lessons), “Jesus and Jerusalem: The Story of Holy Week,” “The Church” and lessons and artifacts into a single, overarching lesson.
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Will Our Children Have Faith (Expanded)
$26.95Foundational text for Christian formation of children by well-known author, priest and scholar
Includes a Study Guide, by faith formation specialist Sharon Ely Pearson
Originally written in 1976, revised in 2000, and translated in six languages, this classic critique of Christian education is newly revised and expanded and includes Westerhoff’s overview and perspective on the state of Christian education over the past forty years – plus his role in that history.
According to Westerhoff, instead of guiding faith formation within the family, the church, and the school, we relegate religious education to Sunday morning classes. There, children learn the facts about religion, but how will they learn or experience faith? How can we nourish and nurture the faith of children, instead of only teaching the facts?
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Embracing A Life Of Meaning (Student/Study Guide)
$22.60Newest Embracing title taps Kathleen Norris for unique 5 to 10 session study
The newest installment in the Embracing collection features the essential components of earlier works: (1) DVD with five 10 to 15 minute presentations by the host, in this case Kathleen Norris, including her interpretive interactions with a small group, plus (2) a printed guide with all the material needed by participants and facilitator.
Norris provides a unique viewpoint of “what matters most,” including BELIEF (that to which we give our hearts), THE BIBLE (the collective story/tradition of the Christian people), COMMUNITY (where individualism and imperfection meet grace and acceptance), PLACE (setting faith within the physical space of home, church, land, and people) and US (what it means to remain in God’s image, countering our selfishness to embrace the world and its needs).
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Making The Most Of The Lectionary
$31.93A practical guide to the Lectionary, written by a world authority
A valuable resource for enhancing liturgical understandingWhat is the point of the Lectionary? What are the problems and opportunities that it presents to those who use it? What are its strengths and weaknesses as an aid to worship? How can it be used and communicated most effectively today? These are among the key questions Thomas O’Loughlin addresses in this stimulating and much needed liturgical guide to the design, history, theology, and purposes of the Lectionary.
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Cup Of Salvation
$25.26The only book of its type designed specifically for laity, offering practical tips and theological underpinnings of this Eucharistic ministry
Companion volume to A Manual for Eucharistic Visitors
In the Episcopal Church, the term Eucharistic Minister is used to denote someone who assists the priest with administering the Eucharist, often handling the wine.
Ely offers historical perspective on this ministry, a theological overview, practical tips, plus an invitation to engage in the spiritual dimensions of serving one’s local congregation as a Eucharistic Minister. She concludes the book with a chapter on how to establish this ministry in a local parish.
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Christian Ministers Manual (Expanded)
$24.99Updated and expanded with 32 pages of additional content designed to meet the growing demands of busy ministers, the Christian Minister’s Manual is an essential tool for ministers. This DuoTone edition includes an online access code
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Discerning Gods Will Together (Revised)
$44.28Bible study, research, and fieldwork merge in this book of practical principles for decision making by spiritual discernment. The step-by-step approach can be used to help any size group learn a new way to make decisions–a way that is interactive, spiritual, and rooted in faith practices and community. Small groups, committees, church boards, church leaders at all levels, and seminary professors will find this book valuable.
This is a revised and updated version of the book, originally published in 1997. This new version includes revised and updated material, as well as a new introduction by Charles Olsen.Add to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
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Community Is Messy
$21.99First Things First: Blood, Sweat And Spit
Community Is Messy
Everything Is An Experiment
Lead Yourself Well
Growing People Grow People
Discipleship Is Not Linear
Small Groups Should Happen In Real Life
Systems Are Made To Be Destroyed
Wear Out Your Welcome
Navigating The MessAdditional Info
Drawing on her background in environmental engineering and her role as pastor of discipleship at National Community Church in Washington, D.C., Heather Zempel assesses the perils and possibilities inherent in small groups and other environments for Christian community. The book helps leaders begin to see the inherent “mess” of such gatherings as raw material for arriving at something beautiful.Add to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
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Church Planting For Reproduction
$20.61The task of church planting requires the wisdom of a practitioner and the logic of a strategist. With his years of experience planting churches, and his extensive research on the subject, the author displays these two requisites on every page of his fruitful study.
“As a missionary and missiologist,” writes J. Ronald Blue of Dallas Theological Seminary, “the author gives a new perspective to church planting that extends beyond the immediate and sometimes shallow goal of a newly installed fellowship of believers. This book will be an invaluable aid to church planters and missionaries. This is a church planting guide that puts it all together.”
The author emphasizes that the primary goal of missions constitutes planting churches, which in turn are able to reproduce themselves. By using the proven management method Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), the author outlines each step needed to accomplish that goal. Over sixty charts illustrate his principles and directives.
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Parables For Today
$16.00The parables of Jesus seem to be an unending source of inspiration for teachers and preachers and it is possible to return to them again and again to find a new message in them. That is certainly the experience of Professor Hunter who, after the great success of his Preaching the New Testament (which was reprinted within its first year of publication), has here produced a second series of sermons on the best-known Gospel parables. Those who know his books already will need no further prompting; those who do not will find him here on his best form, the clarity of insight in no way dimmed by the years of experience.
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Fresh Expressions And The Kingdom Of God
$27.00Mission Shaped Church, the groundbreaking report which has sold over 20,000 copies has transformed understandings of mission in the UK. Fresh Expressions, which sprang into being in its wake, is an established presence in Britain, the USA and Canada. This important book poses a challenging question: what are the aims of mission and are they being achieved through Fresh Expressions? This book argues that mission is equally about social transformation or, in biblical terms, building the kingdom of God, as well as building the church. Theological reflection and stories from front line practitioners in churches in the sacramental traditions (with their heritage of service in poor communities) combine to create a unique, timely and valuable resource which includes contributions from leading names in the study and practice of mission today.
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Lectionary Worship Aids Series 9 Cycle C
$16.18The Revised Common Lectionary is not just to provide a guide to scripture reading during the church year. It can help shape the entirety of our worship. The themes for each Sunday service, as created by the lectionary, can be further explored and appreciated through Reed’s poetic prayers and responsories, as well as through musical selection suggestions. By involving all of the senses in worship, congregations can gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the various themes highlighted in the lectionary, themes such as grace, mercy, justice, and others.
This special edition for Lent and Easter, Cycle C of the popular” Lectionary Worship Aids” allows ministers and worship leaders to tie the entire worship experience together for their congregations. Reed’s insights will prove invaluable in leading congregations into the presence of God not only on Sunday but also on holidays and other special occasions.
Topics covered in this resource include:
– Calls to Worship
– Suggested Hymns
– Collects for the Day
– Prayers of ConfessionAdd to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
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Navigating The Sermon Cycle C
$22.43In this special edition for the Sundays in Lent and Easter of Cycle C, the writers and editors of “Charting the Course,” an integral part of Emphasis: A Lectionary Preaching Journal from CSS Publishing Company, delve into the heart of the lectionary readings, providing you, the pastor with in-depth lectionary-based commentary; relating several fresh, solid ideas — based squarely on the lectionary texts — for creating sermons that speak powerfully to your audience. The team of writers looks for overall topics for the seasons of Lent and Easter in the Cycle C church year that hold the readings together. Then, they zero in on the theme and the specific scripture links, suggesting directions for the sermon and worship service. Since a single application for each week may not provide what you are looking for at that particular time, “Navigating the Sermon” in most cases suggests several ideas, giving you the opportunity to select the one that matches your specific needs.
This book is like having a dedicated, thoroughly versed sermon research and sermon resource team right in your own study to help you create riveting sermons that are truly yours and that speak powerfully to your audience.Add to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
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Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 9 Cycle C
$62.43When it comes to preaching from a lectionary, it can often be a daunting task to create new ways of preaching about a passage that has been around for thousands of years. It would seem that, after a while, there would be no new ways of looking at a scripture passage. A different perspective, however, can be most beneficial in finding a new way to help your congregation see each of the readings.
This is the inspiration behind the Lectionary Preaching Workbook series. By providing new insights into each of the readings in the Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal Lectionaries, Mark Ellingsen has given pastors everywhere the tools they need to effectively relate the heart of the scriptures to their congregations, combining the best of scholarly techniques with pastoral experience. Each of these illustrations and thematic explorations provide the perfect jumping point for pastors to take a text and create thought-provoking, inspirational messages. Its easy-to-use format and illuminating commentary make the Lectionary Preaching Workbook an essential addition to any pastor’s library.
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Coaching Life Changing Small Group Leaders
$26.99Small groups transform churches-and lives. Small group leaders often feel the weight of shepherding their small group members.
But who shepherds the shepherd? Small group coaches fill a unique role by providing support and guidance for group leaders.
When you’re called to coach a small group leader in your church, your mind may be filled with questions: Am I godly enough? What do I have to offer? How do I begin? Although the challenge seems immense, Bill Donahue and Greg Bowman break down the work of coaching small group leaders into achievable steps.
This expanded and updated edition offers field-tested and biblically supported advice on such topics as modeling a surrendered life to those you coach, gaining the tools and wisdom you need for coaching, and helping leaders grow spiritually.
This workbook can be used as a stand-alone resource to train coaches, or it can be used with the training videos taught by the authors, available on the Equipping Life-Changing Small Groups DVD (sold separately).
For those who want to coach with excellence and truly help small group leaders thrive, this go-to guide offers practical answers and inspiring examples. You’ll find both challenge and promise in these pages as you learn to carry forth your God-given calling with confidence.
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Chained No More
$16.95Chained No More is a program that will minister healing and hope to anyone who has been touched by the pain of divorce. Robyn Besemann has developed biblically based materials that provide a framework for personal growth, a tool for helping others, and a step-by-step grid that produces transformational results.
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Amplifying Our Witness
$19.99Nearly twenty percent of adolescents have developmental disabilities, yet far too often they are marginalized within churches. Amplifying Our Witness challenges congregations to adopt a new, practice-centered approach to congregational ministry — one that includes and amplifies the witness of adolescents with developmental disabilities.
Replete with stories taken from Benjamin Conner’s own extensive experience with befriending and discipling adolescents with developmental disabilities, Amplifying Our Witness:
*Shows how churches exclude the mentally disabled in various structural and even theological ways
*Stresses the intrinsic value of kids with developmental disabilities
*Reconceptualizes evangelism to adolescents with developmental disabilities, emphasizing hospitality and friendship.Add to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
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Lectionary Stories For Preaching And Teaching Cycle C
$16.18Everyone loves a good story. Storytellers who excel at their craft have the ability to draw readers or listeners into the worlds they create, using characters and situations to entertain and enlighten us. Jesus, the Master Storyteller, often spoke using parables — short stories that conveyed a spiritual truth. By drawing his listeners into his story, he unlocked their minds and hearts to hear the truth he was trying to relate to them.
This compilation of stories for the seasons of Lent and Easter taken from StoryShare follows in that same tradition. StoryShare, a part of SermonSuite.com, is written by various authors brought together to meditate on scriptures in the Revised Common Lectionary for Cycle C and create stories that flesh out these passages, allowing readers to see these words in a new way. These stories can be whimsical and light-hearted or poignant and reflective, even tragic. But they all strive to bring us to a deeper understanding of the scriptures and the God who inspired them. Some of the stories are even based on actual events experienced by the authors, events that influenced their perspective on Christianity.
Useful as sermon illustrations, stand alone sermons, teaching aides, personal devotions, or even just for entertaining reading, “Stories for Teaching and Preaching “will draw you into new worlds with vibrant and engaging images, deepening your relationship with God in the process.
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Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 9 Cycle C
$24.93“I am very impressed with the way Dr. Ellingsen outlines this” Lectionary Preaching Workbook… “Here is a splendid workbook. It is rich in detail and theological insight. Ellingsen writes clearly, is sensitive to context, and widens [our] horizons… This book should be required reading for all pastors, seminary students, and other lay people who are involved in ministry with adults and youth. It should be regarded as a textbook to enhance one’s knowledge about the meaning of the seasons or major festivals of the [church] year.”
Reverend Jesse Averett Jr.
Presiding Elder, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
“If a preacher is looking for quick and easy sermons, this tool is not what s/he is seeking. But if a preacher is looking for solid biblical scholarship, thoughtful exegesis, a possible preaching theme for each of the appointed lessons for each Sunday in the lectionary year accompanied by a variety of ideas for how that theme might be developed, then CSS’ latest “Lectionary Preaching Workbook” will be a valuable resource. Built around the Revised Common Lectionary and the Christian church year, Pr. Mark Ellingsen has put together a highly useful resource.
Ellingsen’s passion for justice and equality as applied to the social issues of the day comes through clearly in some of his “sermon moves” as well as the socio-economic and political illustrative connections he offers. Incorporating insights and quotations from a variety of sources — everything from modern brain research to Luther, Calvin, Liberation Theology, Bonhoeffer, Pascal, and Barth — Ellingsen strives to connect God’s word to our world in ways that the preacher will find stimulating and inspirational.”
Glenn L. Simmons
Assistant to the Bishop
Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
When it comes to preaching from a lectionary, it can often be a daunting task to create new ways of preaching about a passage that has been around for thousands of years. It would seem that, after a while, there would be no new ways of looking at a scripture passage. A different perspective, however, can be most beneficial in finding a new way to help your congregation see each of the readings.
This is the inspiration behind the “Lectionary Preaching Workbook “series and this special edition for Lent and Easter. By providing new insights into each of the readings in the Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal Lectionaries, Mark Ellingsen has given pastors everywherAdd to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
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Why Not Now Leaders Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$9.99Like most of the rest of us, Christian students tend to set the bar too low for themselves, especially when it comes to actively following Jesus. This 6-week Bible study curriculum and correlated-but-stand-alone daily devotional will challenge students to accept the mission to live like Jesus now, not later, by telling the stories of adolescents from the Bible and in modern life who did — and are doing — significant and amazing things in the world and for the God who saves. In a society where cultural adolescence is lingering into the 30s, its no wonder Christian students often fail to confront the call to act meaningfully on their faith in Christ. It’s easy to package that commitment with big ideas like picking a college, a spouse, and a career — and then to never quite get around to it.
God, however, posts no minimum age on discipleship, and his book contains several examples of younger people both willing and able — in his power — to do extraordinarily difficult and necessary things with their lives for him. Why Not Now? will mine stories from the young lives of Miriam, Joseph, David, Solomon, Daniel, and Mary to find why and how they said yes to God before they would have been old enough to rent a car in our modern society. All six of these people believed God could use their lives to do something that mattered. What is holding us back?
To bolster the argument and generate interest in the books, Why Not Now? will also seek contributions from living examples of people who are doing or have done things we just don’t expect students to do these days. Abby Sunderland, for instance, generated worldwide controversy for attempting to sail around the world solo simply because she was 16 at the time. How dare she? How cold her parents allow that? Another 16-year-old, cheerleader Kealey Oliver, recently made news for courageously tackling a shoplifter at the local mall rather that letting him escape. She saw it as her responsibility to stand for justice. And 17-year-old Steven Ortiz made headlines by demonstrating the practical wisdom of bartering his way from an old cell phone to a convertible Porsche.
Why Not Now? will use stories like theirs — and those from Scripture — to equip youth leaders to challenge students to use their unique gifts, skills, and opportunities right now to do bigger things with their lives for God’s glory. The curriculum will include teaching outlines, commentary, group activities, discussion questions, a
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Real Conversations Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99For many teenagers, sharing their faith in Jesus to their friends is an overwhelming and scary prospect. Outreach is inviting their friends to a fun event once a year. In this entertaining DVD training, Jonathan McKee ignites the passion of Christian teenagers to live authentic lives and gives them tools to reach out to their friends in ways that won’t give them cold sweats! The message is simple: an authentic faith creates opportunities to talk about Jesus. In this dynamic DVD training, students will discover the secret to sharing the reason for the hope that’s within them.
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In Season Out Of Season
$30.00This latest collection of sermons by Eric James is also the best, drawing as it does on a lifetime of experience, a deep personal faith, and a love of people, music, literature and the richness of life. It also has a valedictory quality, since during the period covered by the collection the charity Christian Action, of which Eric James had been director, closed down after fifty years, and he resigned from being Preacher to Gray’s Inn, an office which he had held for nineteen years. Here too is a farewell to an era, with ‘In memoriam’ sermons on a number of distinguished figures who embodied that era, and constant references to a world which is passing away.aHowever, that is only part of the story. In Season, Out of Season is dedicated to an ordinand preparing to preach to the next generation, and like Eric James’s favourite collect, ‘0 God, who hast prepared for them that love thee such good things as pass man’s understanding…’, it is full of hope for the future.
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Genesis
$19.99Studying the Bible can be a daunting prospect, with each passage revealing new truths at every reading. The Studies on the Go series is designed to help keep your youth group focused and exciting, exploring the rich depths in every book of the bible.
In Genesis, Laurie Polich-Short delivers a set of 30 in-depth study sessions to unlock the potential in the first book of the Bible. Every chapter is examined with care and matched with questions to promote discussion in a group study setting. These segments also include tips to help your students apply what they learn in their everyday lives.
The Studies on the Go series has provided invaluable resources for small group leaders, and Genesis is a title in that same tradition. Structured study questions and varied discussion topics promise a rich experience and deeper understanding of God’s word for your small group.
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High School TalkSheets Old Testament Epic Bible Stories
$19.99In just four short years, high school students develop friendships and habits that affect them for the rest of their lives. They need to be inspired through strong role models who embody Christian values. Where better to look for these influences than in the godly heroes of the Bible? The Talksheets series returns with another year of thought-provoking stories from the Old Testament to discuss with your youth group or bible studies. David Lynn shares discussion topics and questions written specifically with high school students in mind, promoting meaningful and thought-provoking conversations. The stories in these pages highlight pure moral principles and practices for teenagers to learn about and emulate. Each of the 52 epic bible stories is easy to use and fit to your lesson plan, including hints and tips to facilitate conversation. These lessons also include optional activities, giving teenagers to actively participate and have fun while they learn.
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Middle School TalkSheets Epic Old Testament Stories
$19.99Middle school students are exposed to a lot of outside influences they don’t necessarily understand. It’s important to establish moral guidelines and role models early on, so they can grow with a strong understanding of Christian values. Where better to look for these role models than in the godly heroes of the Bible?
The Talksheets series returns with another year of thought-provoking stories from the Old Testament to discuss with your youth group or bible studies. David Lynn shares discussion topics and questions written specifically with middle school students in mind, promoting meaningful and thought-provoking conversations. The stories in these pages highlight pure moral principles and practices for teenagers to learn about and emulate. Each of the 52 epic bible stories is easy to use and fit to your lesson plan, including hints and tips to facilitate conversation. These lessons also include optional activities, giving teenagers the opportunity to actively participate and have fun while they learn.
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Prayers For Advent And Christmas
$15.99This collection is ideal for the Sundays of Advent, as well as Christmas Eve services. It includes:
Invocations
Opening Prayers
Prayers of Confession
Pastoral PrayersDrawn from a variety of traditions, the prayers in this collection will aid any congregation as it worships throughout the journey of Advent.
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When The One You Love Is Gone
$12.99When a loved one dies, you don’t get over it, but you can move on.
The bad news is that we never fully “get over” the loss of those we hold most dear; we bear those scars to the grave. The good news is that God is at work in us turning our loss and pain into something beautiful. God can take the scars and the mess and the heartache of our lives– yours and mine– and use it to give new life, new life to us and new life to others.
God is not in the business of zapping our loved ones and stealing them away from us. But in a world where death waits for every person, God stands ready. God stands ready to receive our beloved dead as they cross over; and God stands ready to guide us through the saddest days, to walk with us through our grief, and to take us into places we never could have imagined places of hope and renewal. If God could take a cross and broken body and make of them redemption, God can take your pain and heartache and fashion them into new life.
This book is composed of the reflections that point to broader lessons that will help those who find themselves passing through grief, as well as the pastors, counselors, and friends whose job is to accompany the traveler.
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40 Days Of Community Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$9.9940 Days of Community Study Guide—part of the Living with Purpose series by Rick Warren—is a dynamic individual or small group study guide that will help you learn how to fulfill God’s five purposes for your life. It includes the biblical support behind each purpose, the ways it applies to you and your circle of influence, and how you can use this knowledge to benefit God’s kingdom. From the beginning, God planned for Christians to fulfill his purposes in community with each other in our church families, small groups, and in the world as a whole. Why did God plan it this way? Because we’re better together! 40 Daysandnbsp;of Community Study Guide will deepen your understanding of how God uses community for your own good and growth, as well as help you cultivate deeper relationships with those around you. Learn to fulfill God’s purposes … discover how we are better together. This study guide is designed for use with theandnbsp;40 Days of Community DVD and 40 Days of Community Devotional Journal.
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Making Your Small Group Work Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99Whether you’re a new or seasoned group leader, or whether your group is well-established or just getting started, the Making Your Small Group Work DVD and participant’s guide (sold seperately) will lead you and your group together to a remarkable new closeness and effectiveness. Designed to foster healthy group interaction and facilitate maximum growth, this innovative approach equips both group leaders and members with essential skills and values for creating and sustaining truly life-changing small groups. Created by three group life experts, the two DVDs in this kit include:
* Four sixty-minute sessions on the foundations of small groups that include teaching by the authors, creative segments, and activities and discussion time.
* Thirteen five-minute coaching segments on topics such as active listening, personal sharing, giving and receiving feedback, prayer, calling out the best in others, and more.Formerly titled ReGroup.
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6 Deadly Sins Of Preaching
$18.99This ethics of preaching text identifies vices of irresponsible preaching practices. Preachers who fail to develop deep respect for their listeners or drift into a lack faithfulness to the Gospel can end up becoming:
* The Pretender (The Problem of In-authenticity)
* The Egoist (The Problem of Self-absorption)
* The Manipulator (The Problem of Greediness)
* The Panderer (The Problem of Trendiness)
* The Crusader (The Problem of Exploitation)
* The Demagogue (The Problem of Self-righteousness)Just as the church historically derived its Seven Holy Virtues (chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, & humility) by naming Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, & pride), Reid and Hogan call preachers to turn away from pulpit vices and strive to realize the homiletic virtues of becoming:
* Authentic (The Call to Be Genuine)
* Altruistic (The Call to Be Selfless)
* Careful (The Call to Exercise Self-Control)
* Passionate (The Call to Be Honest to God)
* Courteous (The Call to Woo a Reasoned Reception)
* A ‘Namer’ of God (The Call to Reveal an Ineffable God)The Six Deadly Sins of Preaching explores the difference between the irresponsible practices, unfortunate missteps, and mere unthinking mistakes in preaching. A chapter is devoted to Preaching Missteps (problems that do not rise to the level of being irresponsible) that includes:
* Short Changing the Process
* Waving a Red Flag
* Thou Shall Not Bore the Congregation
* Through the Looking Glass Darkly
* The Mumbler
* TMI-Too Much Information
* Your Cup Do Runneth Over
* Where’s This Sermon Going, Anyway?Add to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
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40 Days Of Community Devotional
$15.7040 Days of Community Devotional is a dynamic individual or small-group devotional journal that will help you learn how to fulfill God’s five purposes for your life. It includes the biblical support behind each purpose, the ways it applies to you and your circle of influence, and how you can use this knowledge to benefit God’s kingdom. According to Warren, from the beginning, God planned for Christians to fulfill his purposes in community with each other in our church families, small groups, and in the world as a whole. Why did God plan it this way? Because we’re better together! This 40 Days of Community Devotional will deepen your understanding of how God uses community for your own good and growth, as well as help you cultivate deeper relationships with those around you. Learn to fulfill God’s purposes … discover how we are better together. This devotional journal is designed for use with the 40 Days of Community DVD and 40 Days of Community Study Guide.
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Its Personal : Surviving And Thriving On The Journey Of Church Planting
$18.99It’s Personal is about the personal side of planting a new church and the impact that launching a new ministry has on church planters and their families. Brian and Amy Bloye—a husband and wife team of seasoned church planters, dive headfirst into the challenges of keeping a marriage healthy, raising children, and finding the right balance between family and ministry. They talk candidly about the reality of spiritual warfare, the common difficulties of leading a new church, and the problems that planters face in staffing, dealing with criticism, building friendships, and maintaining spiritual vitality and authenticity.
This helpful and encouraging resource warns couples of the most common pitfalls to avoid when planting a church and offers a unique perspective on building a strong, prevailing ministry while also having a healthy family life.
Each chapter includes intimate interviews with church planting couples who share some of their personal joys and struggles, giving you practical, authentic insight into the real-life issues that families face when planting a church.
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Fortress Church : Built For The Glory Of God
$18.99What kind of church does God need in the earth today to powerfully impact the nations for Christ and advance His Kingdom in this century? I believe this is on the most important questions that Apostles and Prophets must answer. Apostle Michael Scantlebury is a visionary apostolic leader and gifted communicator whose new book “The Fortress Church” contains a revelatory exposition from Scripture that gives us an accurate and compelling picture of what this Church should look like. As Michael Scantlebury’s writing sketches for us from God’s Word the blueprint of the powerful Church of influence, he also puts an emphasis on the profound truth that only through apostolic revelation can it be clearly seen, and only be apostolic wisdom can it be accurately built. The incredible supernatural design, architecture and dynamics of this glorious Church God has destined for planet earth is clearly found throughout Scripture. But because of centuries of tradition, much of the pattern of how to build it has been hidden from our spiritual eyes. The past 500 years of reformation ignited by Martin Luther and many others, have progressively brought the Church out of the dark ages, restoring to Her so many biblical truths that began to make Her strong and vibrant again. Apostle Michael Scantlebury takes his place as a missional thinker, risk-taking pioneer and apostolic reformer in this 21st century, who’s published works concerning present truth, the restoration of the ministry gift of the Apostle, and the Apostolic Church, is making a tremendous contribution and impact to a fresh and new apostolic reformation movement that is circling the globe in this season and growing exponentially.
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Make Or Break Your Church In 365 Days
$24.99The joy of ministry is lost in the terror of being ill equipped for daily tasks. This book leads the way, providing clear plans for the daily tasks of effectively leading a congregation. Make or Break Your Church in 365 Days helps pastors develop competency in the daily task of leading congregations by answering two fundamental questions: * What must be done in the first 365 days of a pastor’s tenure? * What is the optimal way to structure a daily work life to affect change in the first year and beyond? These very specific tasks are the behaviors that demonstrate competency and lead to growing, effective churches.
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10 Temptations Of Church
$18.99Church after church faces eventual death while helplessly lamenting its fate. What perversity is at work that causes those who sincerely love the church to become obstacles to growth? Like the apostle Paul, churches don’t always do the things they want, but instead they do the very thing they hate. Why? While the theological answer is sin at work in us, the organizational answer may just be that members of dying churches unconsciously find a payoff in the church’s decline. They are tempted by church.
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Beyond The Broken Heart
$7.99Grief is not a crisis of faith; it is a crisis of the heart. This affordable and pocket-sized book is the perfect gift for anyone who has experienced a recent loss or is grieving. Using excerpts from Beyond the Broken Heart, an eight-week support and grief ministry program, readers will find comfort and both spiritual and practical guidance during their grief journey.
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Equip : A Youth Workers Guide To Developing Student Leaders
$14.99Most any endeavor of significance is going to require someone to be a leader. One of the main points Equip makes is that only youth workers (excuse us, youth leaders) who reflect on their own journeys can develop the personal leadership skills necessary to equip other leaders specifically students, in this case to mature and lead their peers. Simply put: Developing leaders develop leaders.
In Equip: A Youth Worker’s Guide to Developing Student Leaders, Tim Milburn challenges youth leaders to create environments where student leadership development will thrive. Rather than step-by-step program (which he explains why he does not provide), Milburn uses anecdotal evidence as well as alliterative tips to get you started in recognizing how to apply the principles in your own context. Then he sets you free with an encouragement to implement in your own way, at your own pace, and in whatever methods work for you and the group of leaders you are developing. May Equip guide your leadership development philosophies, programs (or non-programs), and processes.
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