Program Resources
Showing 301–350 of 481 results
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Circle Maker Student Edition (Student/Study Guide)
$16.99Add to cartPray Circles Around Your Greatest Dreams and Biggest Fears
Prayer can sometimes be a frightening thing-how do you approach the maker of the world, and what exactly can you pray for? In this student adaptation of The Circle Maker, Pastor Mark Batterson uses the true legend of Honi the circle maker, a first-century Jewish sage whose bold prayer saved a generation, to uncover the boldness God asks of us at times, and what powerful prayer can mean in your life. Drawing inspiration from his own experiences as a circle maker, as well as sharing stories of young people who have experienced God’s blessings, Batterson explores how you can approach God in a new way by drawing prayer circles around your dreams, your problems, and, most importantly, God’s promises. In the process, you’ll discover this simple yet life-changing truth: God honors bold prayers; bold prayers honor God. And you’re never too young for God to use you for amazing things.
Updated with discussion questions that tie to the Circle Maker video curriculum.
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Life Youve Always Wanted Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIn the six-session small group Bible study, The Life You’ve Always Wanted, John Ortberg guides you and your group through the spiritual disciplines and teaches you how they can transform your spiritual life. What does true spiritual life really look like? And what keeps you from living it? What can you do to pursue it? If you’re tired of the status quo-if you suspect there’s more to Christianity than what you’ve experienced-John Ortberg invites you to join him on a road to transformation and spiritual vigor that anyone can take. Cultivate new intimacy and confidence in prayer. Discover the freedom of secrecy. Taste the benefits of slowing life’s frenetic pace. Learn how to be guided by the Holy Spirit – and much more. As in a marathon, the secret lies not in trying hard, but in training consistently. Proven by followers of Jesus over the centuries, the spiritual disciplines are exercises that strengthen your endurance race on the road to growth. This study guide is designed for use with The Life You’ve Always Wanted: A DVD Study (sold separately). When used together, they provide you with a practical tool that can grow your faith.
Sessions include:
*It’s Morphing
*Time Slowing Down and Celebrating
*Praying and Confessing
*Meditating on Scripture and Seeking Guidance
*Practicing Servanthood, Finding Freedom
*Going the Distance with a Well-Ordered Heart -
Discussing Mere Christianity Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIn this 8-session video group study, you will discover why Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is one of the most read and beloved Christian books of all time. But seventy years later from when it was first delivered on radio, what relevance does it have to our world today? Host Eric Metaxas and a variety of Christian leaders (e.g. N.T. Wright, Tim Keller, Lauren Winner, Devin Brown, Paul McCusker, Douglas Gresham) help us understand the timeless message of C.S. Lewis in fresh ways for a new generation. The first purpose of this video study is to explore the positive ideas that C.S. Lewis has so eloquently written about in Mere Christianity for those who already call themselves Christian. The second purpose is to explain in an engaging, winsome and non-threatening way the basic tenants of the Christian faith as illustrated by C.S. Lewis to those who do not claim to be Christian. This study aims to fulfill the vision of C.S. Lewis of reaching people from all faith backgrounds.
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Keep It Shut Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartFrom Bible times to modern times women have struggled with their words: what to say and how to say it. What not to say. When it is best to remain silent. Or what to do when you’ve said something you wish you could now take back. Beyond just a “How not to gossip” study, Karen will teach what the Bible says about the many ways we are to use our words and the times when we are to remain silent. Using our speech to interact with friends, co-workers, family and strangers will be covered along with the many places we use our words such as in private, in public, online and in prayer. Even the words we say silently to ourselves. Unsolicited opinion-slinging, speaking the truth in love, not saying words just to people-please and dealing with our verbal anger are sub-topics that will also be addressed. Each session will feature a different character from the Bible, using them either as an example of someone to emulate or whose verbal actions we should avoid replicating.
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Vanishing Grace Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartWhy does the church stir up such negative feelings? Philip Yancey has been asking this all his life as a journalist. His perennial question is more relevant now than ever: research shows that favorable opinions of Christianity have plummeted drastically—and opinions of Evangelicals have taken even deeper dives. Yet while opinions about Christianity are dropping, interest in spirituality is rising. Why the disconnect? Why are so many asking, “What’s so good about the Good News?” In Vanishing Grace, Yancey shows the desperate need our world has for grace, and how Christians can truly make the gospel good news again. In this video-based small group Bible study, participants will explore what kind of news is good to a culture that thinks it has rejected the Christian version. Wading deep into the transformative power of grace, they will hear illuminating stories of how faith can be expressed in ways that disarm even the most cynical. This participant guide is designed for use with the 6-session Vanishing Grace DVD (sold separately).
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Me I Want To Be Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99Add to cartIn 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:
Discovering the Spirit
Renewing My Mind
Redeeming My Time
Deeping My Relationships
Transforming My Experience -
Epic Explorers Logbook (Student/Study Guide)
$4.99Add to cart1. Breathtaking Bay
2. Discovery Dens
3. Mysterious Mountain
4. Captain’s Cave
5. Rocky RoadAdditional Info
The Epic Logbook is specially designed for 8-11s to use during Epic Explorers, the children’s edition of Christianity Explored. This full-colour activity booklet contains puzzles, quizzes and discussion questions for each of the five Epic Explorers sessions -
Epic Explorers Scratch Pad (Student/Study Guide)
$4.99Add to cart1. Breathtaking Bay
2. Discovery Dens
3. Mysterious Mountain
4. Captain’s Cave
5. Rocky RoadAdditional Info
The Epic Scratch Pad is specially designed for 4-7s to use during Epic Explorers, the children’s edition of Christianity Explored. This full-colour activity booklet contains puzzles, quizzes and discussion questions for each of the five Epic Explorers sessions. -
Epic Explorers Leaders Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartSection 1: How To Use Epic Explorers
Programme
Planning
Training
Section 2: Leader’s Guide
Exploration Crafts, Games And Quiz Ideas
1. Breathtaking Bay
2. Discovery Dens
3. Mysterious Mountain
4. Captain’s Cave
5. Rocky RoadAdditional Info
Epic Explorers is a brand-new addition to the Christianity Explored range, specially designed for 4-11s. The five flexible sessions can be used for a holiday club, after-school club, or as an opportunity for children to invite friends to their church group.Epic Explorers takes children through Mark’s Gospel as they explore the life of Jesus together. On the way they will discover Who Jesus is, Why He came, and What it means to follow Him.
The Leader’s Guide includes session outlines, talks, Bible discussion groups, and a wide range of linked games, crafts and activities. There are also suggestions for family events to help you build links with parents as well as their children.
The Leader’s Guide is designed to use alongside two children’s booklets: the Epic Logbook for 8-11s, and Epic Scratch Pad for 4-7s.
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From This Day Forward Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99Add to cartIs it possible to have a great marriage? Yes, but it is not likely if you treat marriage like everybody else does! In this five-session, video-based small group study, New York Times bestselling author and pastor Craig Groeschel gives you five commitments to make in order to fail-proof your marriage. You know the stats, and they are horrifying. 50% of marriages don’t make it. What other area of your life are you satisfied with 50% odds against you? The choices you make each and every day determine not only your relationship with God but also the quality of your marriage. The decisions you make today will determine the marriage you will have tomorrow. In this five-session study, you will discover five commitments that will absolutely fail-proof your marriage. If you make these commitments, you can and will have the marriage God wants you to experience. Sessions include: Seek God Fight Fair Have Fun Stay Pure Never Give Up If you and your spouse will earnestly choose to do all five of these things, you’ll discover a richer, deeper, more authentic relationship and a more rewarding, more passionate love life than you could have ever imagined. Don’t be a statistic. Don’t be average. Let’s get you that marriage that you always wanted. Starting right now—from this day forward.
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Before Amen Study Guide
$12.99Add to cartSome people excel in prayer. They inhale heaven and exhale God. They are the Seal Team Six of intercession. But for Max Lucado, a self-professed “recovering prayer wimp,” spending even a few minutes each day with God often seemed like a monumental task.
In Before Amen, Max reveals his struggles with prayer and how he discovered that it is not a privilege for the pious or the art of a chosen few but a simple tool everyone has been given to have a conversation with God. Through the use of a simple, easy-to-remember, pocket-sized prayer that he distilled from the prayers in the Bible, he shows how everyone can build a prayer life that is stronger, better and deeper.God wants to talk with you. Even now He taps at the door. Connecting with Him each day can mean all the difference in your life and how you experience God. God will change you through such moments! This study guide includes discussion questions, video notes, and in-between studies and is designed for use with Before Amen: A DVD Study (sold separately).
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Grave Robber Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.00Add to cartDo we believe that God still does miracles? Do we expect him to move in miraculous ways in our day-in and day-out lives? Maybe we’d like to see miracles, but it’s hard to see past our problems. All that is about to change, like water into wine.
“There are miracles all around us all the time,” says Mark Batterson, “but you won’t see them if you don’t know how to look for them.”
Now the bestselling author of The Circle Maker reveals the incredible power of the seven miraculous signs of Jesus found in the Gospel of John. Batterson shows how they were not simply something Jesus did in the past, but something he wants to do now, in the present. He shares true stories of people today who are experiencing miracles in their lives. And he brings to light countless miracles, big and small, that we take for granted every day that point us toward the One who healed the sick, calmed the storm, and yes, even raised the dead.
But this is more than a book about miracles. It’s a book about the only One who can perform them. Batterson cautions readers, “Don’t just seek miracles. Seek Jesus. And if you seek Jesus, miracles will find you.”
Nothing has changed since Jesus called Lazarus out of his tomb four days after his funeral. Our impossible situations still double as God’s greatest opportunity to reveal his glory. No matter how big the problem is, God is bigger still. Anyone who longs to see God work in miraculous ways today will love Batterson’s faith-building, life-giving message.
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Blessed Are The Crazy
$17.99Add to cart1. Learning To Testify
2. Entrusting My Father To God’s Beloved Community
3. Caring For My Brother – How Would Jesus Do It?
4. Seeking The Holy Spirit On Death Row
5. Feeling Pain In God’s Presence
6. Blessed Are The CrazyAdditional Info
When do you learn that normal doesn’t include lots of yelling, lots of sleep, lots of beating? In Blessed Are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family, and Church, Sarah Griffith Lund looks back at her father’s battle with bipolar disorder, and the helpless sense of deja vu as her brother and cousin endure mental illness, as well. She seeks answers in her faith communities, from feeling pain in God’s presence, through seeing the Holy Spirit on Death Row as she witnesses her cousin’s execution.With a small group study guide and “Ten Steps for Developing a Mental Health Ministry in Your Congregation,” Blessed Are the Crazy is more than memoir – it s a resource for churches and other faith-based groups to provide healing and comfort. As Sarah writes, “This testimony is for anybody who has ever wondered how God can use craziness to teach us about the depths of human and divine love.”
Part of The Young Clergy Women Project.
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Best Yes Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartNew York Times best-selling author Lysa TerKeurst leads small group participants to make wise decisions in the midst of endless demands.
Most of us spend a lot of our lives figuring out when to say yes and how to say no. But we don’t find space for our souls until we learn to step past the yes and no of daily decisions and seek out a third option: The Best Yes.The Best Yes is the choice that shapes all our other choices. It’s what allows us to play our necessary parts in God’s plan, to spend our energy and focus our passion on the assignments that really are ours. Too many of us confuse the command to love with the disease to please.In this six-session video-based Bible study Lysa TerKeurst shares how to make better use of the two most powerful words, yes and no.
Using Biblical teaching and practical insights this study will help you be more equipped to discern the best yes answers for your life.
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Work Of The Deacon And Deaconess (Revised)
$16.99Add to cartJust in time for its 50th anniversary! The second revised edition of this best-selling classic in Judson Press’s “Work of the Church” series features new and updated content, reflecting the evolving diversity of ministry in the diaconate.
Key Features:
Comprehensive manual covering traditional responsibilities of the deacon.
Awareness of the increasing diversification of ministries in the local church
Greater differentiation between the ministry of deacons (male and female) and that of deaconnesses, as reflected in congregations that maintain distinct boards
Additional ideas and strategies for tailoring the deacon’s work to the needs of a growing congregation and changing community. -
Soul Keeping Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartIn Soul Keeping, John Ortberg helps Christians rediscover their soul—the best connection to God there is—and find out why it’s hurting and why neglecting it has set so many believers so far back spiritually. In this six-session, video-based small group Bible study, Ortberg shows that caring for your soul is necessary for your Christian life. John shows participants what your soul is, why it is important, how to assess your soul’s health, and how to care for it so that we can have a meaningful and beautiful life with God and others. When you nurture your soul your life in this world will come to make sense again; you can find your way back to God from hopelessness, depression, relationship struggles, and a lack of fulfillment. Your soul’s resting place is in God, and John Ortberg wants to take participants to that home. This study guide includes discussion questions, video notes, and in-between studies and is designed for use with the Soul Keeping DVD (sold separately).
Sessions include:
Filling the Hole in Your Soul
Why God Made You With a Soul
What’s Soul Got To Do With It
Finding Your Soul’s True Home
Empty Souls and Full Garages
Why We Have a Soul, Brothers and Sisters -
Loveology Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99Add to cartIn the beginning, God created Adam. Then he made Eve.
And ever since we’ve been trying to figure out what to do next.
What did God intend in the Garden? How does God redeem the fallout in a post-Genesis 3 world? What is right and what is wrong in male/female relationships?
Loveology is just that—a theology of love that begins at marriage and works backward, dealing with marriage, love, sexuality, romance and dating, singleness, masculinity, and femininity.
The Loveology video study is an exploration of what the Bible says about sex and relationships for those who are tired of Hollywood’s message (sex is God), and the church’s message (sex is sin), and know there has to be an ‘Option C’. Portland pastor John Mark Comer asks the why questions, and offers intelligent, biblical, grace-and-truth answers.
This study guide is designed for use with Loveology: A DVD Study (sold separately) and contains video notes, individual or group reflection questions, and between session personal applications enhancing your journey through the video study.
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Handles : An Encouragement And Resource For Bible Teachers
$15.99Add to cartThis resource is more than a “how to” manual. It is an invitation to make a greater difference in human lives. Those who teach the Bible are not being told herein to “be real” but rather are invited into the private convictions and routine disciplines valued by the author, who himself is being altered by the patient handiwork of our Master teacher, Jesus.
Sometimes a Bible teacher will have great knowledge of the subject matter, even great passion, but simply not know how to effectively transfer it to an audience. Even when it is transferred, it may not be readily retained, or engender a desire in the recipients to use it, and pass it along to others.
Can this skill be learned?
Handles provides a practical strategy and plentiful examples of how to develop more effective lessons. It will be considered a learning resource and encouragement for new teachers as well as veterans. Whether you are assuming the responsible role of Bible teacher, leading a discipleship group, homeschooling, or investing quality time in any life-changing ministry as an instructor, Handles will become a desirable field manual.
Handles presents educated, entertaining and meaningful discussions with advice on how Bible study teachers can reach their students in the trenches of life through effective material and lesson strategy. The author’s own extensive background as a Bible study leader and his lessons for different age groups will demonstrate to readers the effectiveness of the book’s content.
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Love Does Study Guide
$12.99Add to cartIn “Love Does,” a five-session, video-based small group study, you will discover the whimsy of “New York Times” best-selling author Bob Goff through a sometimes humorous, thought-provoking, meaningful lesson that makes faith in God simple and real.
You will discover the paradigm shifts, musings, and stories from one of the world’s most delightfully engaging and winsome people. What fuels his impact? Love. But it’s not the kind of love that stops at thoughts and feelings. Bob’s love takes action, just like Jesus did. Bob believes “Love Does.”
When “Love Does,” life gets interesting. Light and fun, unique and profound, the lessons drawn from Bob’s life and attitude just might inspire you to be secretly incredible too.
This companion study guide is designed for use with “Love Does” A DVD Study and will lead you and your group deeper into the video content (sold separately) with video notes, group discussion questions, and between session personal reflections and actions to enhance the group experience.
Sessions include:
1.I’m With You
2.Not Defined by Our Failures
3.God’s Audacious Love
4.The Story
5.That’s What Love Does -
Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl Participants Guide (Student/Study Gui
$10.99Add to cartJoin bestselling author Lysa TerKuerst for Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl, a six-session small group Bible study that helps you figure out how to trade in going through the motions for the spiritual healthy and vibrant life for which you long.
‘I really want to know God, personally and intimately.’
Do those words resonate with you? You’re tired of just going through the motions of being a Christian: Go to church. Pray. Be nice. That spiritual to-do list just doesn’t cut it. But what does? How do you step out of the drudger of religious duty to experience a living, moment-by-moment, deeply intimate relationship with God? Join Lysa in six small group sessions that will transform your walk with Go from lackluster theory to vibrant reality!
The most invigorating and rewarding journey of your life awaits you as you discover how to: *Build personal, two-way conversations with God.
*Study the Bible and experience life change for yourself.
*Cultivate great authenticity and depth in your relationships.
*Make disappointments work for you, not against you.
*Find incredible joy as you live out your faith in everyday circumstances.This Participant Guide is filled with helpful discussion starters, video overviews, space for writing thoughts, a helpful Leader’s Guide and much more. It’s designed to be used with the companion Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl DVD (sold separately) which features six 10-15 minute teaching sessions.
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God Story Daily Readings
$9.99Add to cartDeveloped by Jacob Armstrong, founding pastor of Providence UMC in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, The God Story is a seven-week sermon series seeking to help congregants see the threads that run throughout the story of God’s people culminating in Jesus and the resurrection. The series uses classic components of story to help people see their place and role in God’s story. The devotional participant books allow individual church members to bring the sermon message home and provide additional insights and inspiration until the next Sunday sermon.
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Loving Large Daily Readings
$8.99Add to cartLoving Large is a four week series that seeks to move people to action in their Christian faith. In a world that seems to run on money, greed, oil, power, etc., what would our world look like if it ran on the love of God? How can we infuse this world-changing love into our community and world? The series gives real opportunities for people to serve God and love their neighbor. It could possibly culminate with a church-wide day of service to the community. The devotional participant books allow individual church members to bring the sermon message home and provide additional insights and inspiration until the next Sunday sermon.
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Story Of Jesus Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThe Story of Jesus small group video Bible study is a seven-week exploration into the life and ministry of Jesus that is adapted from the original The Story Adult Curriculum. Pulled straight from the pages of the Bible, this study provides individuals and groups of all sizes the opportunity to learn, discuss, and apply Jesus’ life, work, and teaching to their everyday lives. Pastor and author Randy Frazee presents seven ten-minute teachings on how the story of Jesus intersects with the story of our modern day lives. To understand the Bible, says author and pastor Randy Frazee, you need bifocal lenses, because two perspectives are involved. The Lower Story, our story, is actually many stories of men and women interacting with God in the daily course of life. The Upper Story is God’s story, the tale of his great, overarching purpose that fits all the individual stories together like panels in one unified mural. Bestselling author Max Lucado also adds some introductory insights. The Story of Jesus DVD (sold separately) and Participant’s Guide are designed for use by individuals as well as groups of all sizes, including small groups and Sunday school and adult education classes. The Story of Jesus Participant’s Guide includes DVD teaching notes, discussion questions, between session personal experiences, and also includes seven chapters of the full text of The Story hardcover book as it relates to Jesus, from his birth to the beginning of the church.
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Story Of Heaven Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThe Story of Heaven small group video Bible study is a three-week exploration into the hope and promise of Heaven, adapted from God’s Story, Your Story and The Story Adult Curriculum. Pulled straight from the pages of the Bible, this study provides individuals and groups of all sizes the opportunity to learn, discuss, and apply biblical teaching about heaven to their everyday lives. These three video sessions will open your eyes to the glorious finale of God’s masterfully-told story. Discover the heart of God’s Story and the joy that comes as you align your story with God’s. This Participant’s Guide is designed for use with The Story of God DVD (sold separately) which can be utilized by individuals as well as groups of all sizes, including small groups and Sunday school and adult education classes.
SESSIONS
Session 1: Your Final Chapter Becomes a Preface (Lucado)
Session 2: You Will Finally Graduate (Lucado)
Session 3: The End of Time (Frazee)Max Lucado and Randy Frazee offer a hope-filled perspective of heaven, showing groups: The power of the words ‘Christ has risen’ and the hope that they provide How Jesus promises this same type of resurrection to those who follow Him The promise of new bodies without sickness and without the struggles of the flesh A picture of what the kingdom of God will be like from the book of Revelation How we can participate in God’s ultimate story How Jesus will return to earth and live with us in a new earth forever
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Sow What : Discipleship Made Real
$30.95Add to cartIf God’s seed is purposeful and powerful, what prevents it transforming your life? What is it that contaminates, clutters, and captivates your heart, stifling spiritual development? Why, when you have heard so much Bible teaching, has your heart been changed so little? It’s time to get some friends together and find out! Experience the transformation of heart for which you have longed.
Sow What? is a shared discipleship experience based on the Parable of the Sower. During personal and group study you will discover gritty issues which either hold back or enhance spiritual growth. What does hard, rocky, and thorny soil look like in a believer’s heart? What are the spiritual benefits of nurturing good soil, guaranteeing fruitfulness?
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Jesus Is Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99Add to cartJudah Smith digs deep to answer the most common and the most difficult questions about Jesus, a man so few understand and so many desperately need. In Jesus Is, Judah Smith explores a number of topics that reveal Jesus’ purpose for coming, what He accomplished while He was here, and what that means for us.
Jesus is greatly revered, harshly criticized, and sorely misunderstood. Judah breaks down who Jesus is and explains to readers how understanding Jesus more fully will not only enrich their lives, but also give them meaning, as well as save them.
The 8-week Jesus Is Participant’s Guide, intended for use with the DVD-based study of the same title, will help participants discover how to have a deeper, lasting relationship with Jesus, and to commune with and grow in Him. Judah will show you that Jesus is more than a good teacher, more than an inspiring leader. He is the point of all life.
Perfect for evangelism, the video sessions will help new Christians understand the person of Jesus, as well as help small group participants connect with one another.
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Let It Go Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartFor many women, life can start to look like a chain of one responsibility after another. andnbsp; In Let It Go, popular author and speaker Karen Ehman has created a powerful tool to help them take a breath and avoid becoming ‘control freaks.’ With a combination of biblical insight, humor, and stories taken from her own experience, Ehman provides a better way—a way to navigate and more fully enjoy the relationships and responsibilities of your life—from total control to implicit trust in God. andnbsp; The accompanying Participant’s Guide complements the DVD sessions, focusing on specific issues and situations to help women take away the most important lessons Ehman has to teach. She offers additional support for the journey away from over-control and into a stronger, trusting relationship with God.
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Intergenerational Christian Formation
$30.00Add to cartAcknowledgments
Venturing Into Intergenerationality: Our Stories
Introduction
Part One: Generational Realities
1. What Is The Problem?
2. How Did We Get Here? Why Churches Tended To Separate The Generations
3. Why Bring The Generations Back Together? The Benefits Of Intergenerationality
4. What Shall We Name This Approach?
Part Two: Biblical, Theological, And Theoretical Support
5. Feasts, Jehoshaphat And House Churches: Biblical Foundations
6. Growing Each Other Up: Theoretical Foundations
7. Midwives, Tailors And Communities Of Practice: Learning Theory
8. The Trinity, Koinonia And The Body: Theological Foundations
Part Three: Support From The Social Sciences
9. Becoming Christian In Community: “Religious Socialization”
10. The Very Old And The Very Young: Contributions From Gerontology
11. Millennials, Xers, Boomers And Silents: Generational Theory
12. By The Numbers: Empirical Research
Part Four: Intergenerational Christian Formation Practices
13. Creating A Culture Of Intergenerationality
14. Intergenerational Worship
15. Intergenerational Learning Experiences
16. Intergenerationality And Story Sharing
17. Intergenerational Service And Missions
18. Intergenerational Small Groups
19. Cross-Generational Relationships In Multicultural Churches
20. Intergenerationality And Megachurches
Conclusion
Appendix A: Forty Intergenerational Ideas
Appendix B: Intergenerational Resources
Appendix C: Biblical Passages That Reflect An Intergenerational OutlookAdditional Info
One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 Most churches and faith communities segment their ministries by age and generation. The kids go to childrens church, the teens go to youth group. Worship services are geared toward different generational preferences, and small groups gather people at the same life stage, whether singles, young marrieds, parents or empty nesters. In some congregations, people may never interact with those of other ages. But it was not always so. Throughout biblical tradition and the majority of history, communities of faith included people of all ages together in corporate worship, education and ministry. The church was not just multigenerational; it was intergenerational, with the whole church together as one family and people of all ages learning from one another in common life. In this comprehensive text, Holly Allen and Christine Ross offer a complete framework for intentional intergenerational Christian formation. They provide the theoretical foundations for intergenerationality, showing how learning and spiritual formation are better accomplished through intergenerational contexts. It is not just elders teaching youth; learning also takes place when adults discover fresh insights from children. Then the authors give concrete guidance for intergenerational praxis on how worship, learning, community and service can all be achieved intergenerationally. Case studies of intergenerational congregations provide models for how a culture of intergenerationality can be created in local churches. This volume serves as an essential guide for all preparing for and involved in congregational ministry and formation. Discover the riches of intergenerational ministry, and let all generations commend the works of God to one another. -
Biblical Discipleship Program For Women
$19.99Add to cartIn memory of Dr. Anne Morey (May 16, 1948-June 3, 2012) Dr. Robert A. Morey’s wife, Anne, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, June 3, 2012, while they were in Florida celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They were lifelong friends and partners in faith who met in high school in New York City when she was 15 and he was 16 years old. The Lord, in His sovereignty, allowed Anne to complete her book on women’s discipleship before her death. May her book be a blessing to Christian women everywhere. Dr. Anne Morey was not just a wonderful wife and mother, but she was also a fearless soldier of Christ who was not afraid, like Deborah of old, who took up the Sword of the Spirit in the cause of God and truth. Her love of truth and courage in spiritual warfare is what drew me to her when we were teenagers. She accompanied me on the streets of New York City to hand out tracts to the lost. Together we counseled runaway teenagers in Greenwich Village. She loved going to Walter Martin’s Apologetics Class every Monday night. We discussed philosophy and theology with great relish. We loved Francis and Edith Schaeffer so much that we spent part of our honeymoon at L’Abri. Anne graduated cum laude and went on to earn an MA and then a PhD. She ran the women’s ministries in the church, and gave biblical instruction on how women could use their spiritual gifts in the Body of Christ. This is how she developed a Biblical women’s discipleship program. Most “women’s ministries” focus on baking cookies, making dolls, gathering clothing for the poor, and sinful gossip and slander. My wife viewed them as a total waste of time. Why can’t women study the Bible in depth? Why can’t they study apologetics and theology? Titus 2:3-5 gave Anne the key to developing God’s plan for discipling women. Mature Christian women were to be instructed by the elders of the church in seven topics, and then personally train the younger women in those subjects. If churches were to follow what God laid out in Titus 2:3-5, the women in the church would rise up as a mighty army of God to confront and conquer the evil in the church and the world. Anne’s graduation to Glory was the most painful experience in my life. While her death was gain to her and she is far better off with Christ in heaven, the rest of us are left to struggle on in the battle. But, by the Grace of God, before she died, Anne finished her book on the biblical plan for women’s discipleship programs. Her godly influence and example li
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Chained No More
$16.95Add to cartChained 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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40 Days Of Community Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cart40 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)
$10.99Add to cartWhether 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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40 Days Of Community Devotional
$10.99Add to cart40 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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Parenting Teenagers Course Leaders Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$7.99Add to cartThe Parenting Teenagers Course consists of five sessions (or ten shorter ones), designed to equip those parenting or caring for 11 to 18-year-olds with the tools to build healthy relationship with their teenagers while guiding them into adulthood. Drawing on their own experience of bringing up four children and having talked to thousands of parents over the years on their parenting courses, Nicky and Sila Lee bring fresh insights and time-tested values to the task of parenting. The DVDs include film clips of parenting experts and of parents and teenagers sharing their own experiences of parenting or being parented, and they include breaks for practical exercises and discussions. This Leaders” Guide offers a concise yet thorough overview of the Parenting Teenagers” Course, session by session. It includes timetables for each session, suggested reading, details on how to set up and run the course, and practical tips for making your Parenting Teenagers” Course successful. The course is designed to be flexible and provides full instructions on how to use the material over five longer sessions or ten shorter sessions, depending on what suits your group. This Guide is also included in the DVD Set (SKU 100905).
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Parenting Children Course Leaders Guide
$7.99Add to cartThe Parenting Children Course consists of five sessions (or ten shorter ones), designed to equip those parenting or caring for 0 to 10-year-olds, as well as parents-to-be, with long-term strategies to build a healthy family life. Drawing on their own experience of bringing up four children and having talked to thousands of parents over the years on their parenting courses, Nicky and Sila Lee bring fresh insights and time-tested values to the task of parenting. The DVDs include film clips of parenting experts and of parents and children sharing their own experiences of parenting or being parented, and they include breaks for practical exercises and discussions. This Leaders” Guide offers a concise yet thorough overview of the Parenting Children Course, session by session. It includes timetables for each session, suggested reading, details on how to set up and run the course, and practical tips for making your Parenting Children Course successful. The course is designed to be flexible and provides full instructions on how to use the material over five longer sessions or ten shorter sessions, depending on what suits your group. This Guide is also included in the DVD Set (SKU 100902).
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Missional House Churches
$26.00Add to cartMissional House Churches examines the impact and effect that house churches are having in the United States in evangelizing, discipling, and church planting in local communities. Based on the author’s first-hand research and interviews with over thirty missional house churches as well as his own experiences, this insightful work offers an inside look at, and analysis of the workings of the missional house church.
Topics addressed include the recent growth in the popularity of house churches in the United States, what defines church, various characteristics of the house churches, methods of evangelism and leadership development which lead to growth, use of financial resources for missions and benevolence, future of house churches in North America and the relationship of church planting movements and house churches. The appendices describe the research methodology and surveys used in the study as well as characteristics of church planting movements.
This book will be of interest to church leaders, mission-minded thinkers, and students who wish to explore, understand, and participate in this phenomenon of the missional house church movement.
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Instant Small Group
$15.00Add to cartIt’s been a crazy day at work, the house is a mess, and you have nothing in the refrigerator–and you’re hosting your small group tonight. How can you possibly get a lesson ready in the midst of your chaotic life? Easy. Just open Instant Small Group.
This no-preparation-required teaching resource provides a year’s worth of engaging, transforming, and easy-to-lead discussion guides for adult small groups. All 52 studies are “open and go” for those who, for whatever reason, don’t have the time or energy to prepare. They can be used by anyone in the group–not just the leader–and are perfect for road trips, retreats, coffeehouse conversations, or even as personal devotionals. Bonus callouts with discussion-specific teaching tips, brief Bible background information, and add-on ideas are included, as well as an appendix titled “20 Tips for Dynamic Discussions.”
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Nuts And Bolts Of Church Planting (Reprinted)
$20.00Add to cartMost books on church planting offer a model for churches to replicate–usually one that is tied to a particular style, generation, or demographic. But what churches really need is a process that is flexible, not bound to a particular time or current fad. In The Nuts and Bolts of Church Planting, trusted author and church-planting expert Aubrey Malphurs shares the basic steps any church planter will need, regardless of his or her generation now or in the future. These steps include:
establishing values, mission, vision, and strategy
reaching the community
making disciples
recruiting a team
determining location and facilities
raising money for the ministryWith instant practical takeaway based on proven techniques, this book will be invaluable to any church planter.
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Obey
$10.99Add to cartAdventures of the Tiger Club Book One: Obey ABOUT THE BOOK: The story follows the life of a young tiger (“Bumba”) that experience challenges as a new believer in Jesus Christ. Charlene A. Harvey is a native Washingtonian. After being in Christ for many years, Charlene discovered that she has a passion for writing short stories. Charlene is married and a mother of two children.
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All In One Sunday School Volume 3 (Revised)
$24.99Add to cartBe Ready No Matter Who Shows Up!
Formerly Sunday School Specials 3, this revised and updated volume includes original and creative programs designed for ministries with mixed-age classes of children ages 4 through 12! With 13 lessons, this book will work in any ministry, but it’s especially great for smaller churches that combine classes every Sunday. Also good for large churches that combine ages during summer and for any other multi-age class setting.
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All In One Sunday School Volume 1 (Revised)
$24.99Add to cartBe Ready No Matter Who Shows Up!
Formerly Sunday School Specials, this revised and updated volume includes original and creative programs designed for ministries with mixed-age classes of children ages 4 through 12! With 13 lessons, this book will work in any ministry, but it’s especially great for smaller churches that combine classes every Sunday. Also good for large churches that combine ages during summer and for any other multi-age class setting.
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Real Life Discipleship Training Manual (Teacher’s Guide)
$19.99Add to cartWhat’s the most effective way to make disciples? By following this step-by-step game plan! Designed to equip small groups to multiply followers of Christ, this 12-week course helps you assess spiritual maturity, understand what it means to be an intentional leader, learn how Jesus used relationships purposefully, discover how the training process works, and more.
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5 Practices Of Fruitful Living (Student/Study Guide)
$19.99Add to cart*Receiving God’s Love
*Loving God In Return
*Growing In Grace
*Loving And Serving Others
*The Grace Of Giving
*Fruitful Living And Offering God’s LoveAdditional Info
How do I cultivate a life that is purposeful, deep, and fruitful? What are the commitments, critical risks, and personal practices that open me to God’s grace? How can I discover the spiritual life and the difference God intends for me to make in the world?Radical Hospitality. Passionate Worship. Intentional Faith Development. Risk-Taking Mission and Service. Extravagant Generosity.
Five Practices of Fruitful Living provides an honest, practical, and winsome guide to the spiritual journey. By repeating and deepening certain fundamental practices, we cooperate with God in our spiritual growth. These five practices – to receive God’s love, to love God in return, to grow in Christ, to serve others, and to give ourselves fully – as we attend to them and develop them, help us settle ourselves in God and become instruments of God’s grace.
Following Christ will change your heart; and through you, God will change the world.
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Rhythms Of Grace 1
$37.95Add to cartRhythms of Grace is a unique and innovative program resource designed to meet the spiritual needs of children and families living with autismspectrum disorders. Participant families gather monthly with program leaders and volunteers for sessions that are a hybrid of worship and faith formation. Rhythms of Grace helps children and their families feel at the center of a worship/formation experience that is specific to their needs and circumstances, rather than merely at the margins of a more conventionally “inclusive” program of worship or faith formation.
The Rhythms of Grace curriculum consists of a 3-year syllabus of distinct scripture-based session plans, as well as the background material needed to establish a successful program. Each year of the program includes 12 monthly sessions (Sept. to Aug.) and 6 feast sessions. Volume 1 contains a single year’s worth of session plans (18 sessions total), plus background material.
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Awakening The Creative Spirit
$27.95Add to cartThe new resource is designed to help spiritual directors and others use expressive arts in the context of spiritual direction. It is the latest book in the unique SDI series, designed for professional spiritual directors, but also useful for clergy, therapists, and Christian formation specialists.
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NEW Outreach : Doing Good The Better Way
$28.95Add to cartThis is not a book about why people give; it is a guide for how to create outreach partnerships to provide better aid and assistance, more efficiently and responsibly. Written in clear, concise language and complemented by practical worksheets, it explores the entire step-by-step process of outreach, from motivations and documentation of available resources, to desired outcomes and proven methods to achieve goals.
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Complete New Testament Resource For Youth Workers Volume1
$29.99Add to cartMore than 200 sessions that include Message outlines, Study questions, games, video clips, and daily devotions for students. For youth workers who are pressed for time or just want some help with their teaching calendar or small group prep, this resource will get weekly use.
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Creative Bible Lessons In Essential Theology
$24.99Add to cartThis curriculum is designed to spark theological conversations so students can learn powerful, life-changing truths about God. Students will be encouraged to explore Scripture and discover what they believe and why. Included are audio, visual, and hands-on activities as well as hints on how to teach to multiple learning styles. Creative Bible Lessons: Essential Theology offers a theological foundation for students to help them better understand God and his purpose for their lives.
