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On paper, praying seems easy enough. But, when we try to pray daily, we sometimes realize that it's much harder than we'd thought. In fact, it's usually easier to come up with excuses not to pray than reasons to pray. And the most common excuse seems to be the busyness of life. But a vibrant prayer life doesn't have to be an elusive goal; because at its core, prayer is simply talking and listening to God. Using passages from both the Old and New Testaments, Joseph Yoo takes a look at how and why we pray, how to handle what we perceive to be unanswered prayer, and how to learn to hear and recognize God's voice.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages from the Common English Bible are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

In the prohibition era rum running business, first impressions aren't always to be trusted...

Sam Stoltzfus left the Amish community and followed his older brother, David, into the Englisch world, walking away from a chance for love. Sam had clashed with his father, but is there more to his leaving the community than what he says? Mary Elizabeth, the woman he was starting to love before he left, is determined to find out the reason and bring him back into the fold in time for Christmas.

Since New Testament times, the kingdom of God has presented a paradox for believers. Although it's both here and at hand, it's also not quite here in all its fullness. That's where we come in. In Kingdom Building, Grace Biskie offers insight into how Christians can collaborate with the Creator of the universe and bring this Kingdom into the here and now. We do this in community with other believers; and we start with the poor, our enemies, and those we despise. Building the kingdom of God isn't easy. Sometimes it happens inch by inch. Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable. But few things are more satisfying for a Christian than being involved in God's plan for changing the world, and it starts in our world. Because whether we know it or not, we're all longing for God's kingdom to be here entirely. And when that happens, God will make all things new.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages from the Common English Bible are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Evangelism has become a virtual four-letter word in some circles. Sharing one's faith can be intimidating; and Christians through the ages have disagreed on what evangelism means. But at its most basic level, it's simply sharing the good news that the Son of God became human and died for the sins of humanity. Join popular speaker Curtis Zackery as he uses Scripture to explore the questions of evangelism. Sharing the Gospel will help you discover how to share your faith in a way that works for you.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

As Christians, we process grief, show love, understand compassion, and accept forgiveness. But when it comes to anger, we often reject it as not being useful or holy. There simply is no place for anger in the worldview of many Christians. We're told to just ';let it go,' ';get over it,' or ';count to ten.' In the church, anger is treated like a dirty little secret.But why? God gets angry. Why can't we? We're made in the image of God, and being truly human is to fully embrace who God made us to be. In Reclaiming Anger, David Dorn asserts that anger doesn't have to be a forbidden, destructive emotion. Biblical anger serves a purpose. In this study you'll discover what anger is, how God gets angry, when we need anger, and when we need to let it go. Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages from the Common English Bible are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Many biblical women play critical roles in the drama of God's salvation. Women of the Bible grew out of a desire to discover how some of the women who made a difference in the Bible can make a difference in our lives today. Join Pastor James A. Harnish as he takes a closer look at the stories of four extraordinary women in Scripture: Deborah, Abigail, Mary Magdalene, and the woman at the well. You'll be drawn into a fresh awareness of what it means for all of us--men and women alike--to be more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

From childhood through adulthood, most of us spend a considerable amount of time and energy trying to figure out who we are and who we want to be. And there's no shortage of people in the world willing to give us their answers to those questions. Who You Are in Christ takes a look at how our faith in Jesus radically changes who we are and our relationships with God, each other, and the world. Using passages from Paul's New Testament letters, this study explores our identity in Christ as well as how our self-perception affects who we become and what we accomplish when we choose to live according to God's ways of justice, mercy, and love.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Bree Cordel Whitman is a Whitman by marriage, but sometimes she forgets she wasn't born into Grant and Audrey's family. Her late husband, Timothy Whitman, gave his life for his country on a windblown hill in Afghanistan. Bree has let the love of Tim's family keep her ties to him strongin the same way she keeps Tim's memory alive for them. But it's been almost five years, and she can't hang onto the past forever.Fighting the guilt she feels for wanting to love again, she can't help her dreams about a tall, dark, and handsome mana man who is not her Tim. How can she accept the flirtations from Drew Brooks without throwing the Whitman family back into grieving? And how can Drew compete with the ghost of a hero and the hero's very alive family who seem to hold some spell over the woman who shares their name . . . a woman he might just love?

The disciples were fairly ordinary people. They had regular families, made their livelihoods in regular ways, and had typical and varied political leanings. But they met Jesus and started to live extraordinary lives. Because of their closeness to Jesus, we tend to think that the disciples lived lives with less sin than we live with. We imagine that Jesus' love rubbed off on them so that they were also extraordinary humans. But the Gospels show us differently. They show us that Jesus' close companions were as human as we are. And it is because we recognize the sins of the disciples as our own that we can relate to them so closely. They are our common sins.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Adapting from Luke 9:51, Richard Wilke looks at Jesus' journey to Jerusalem in order to help us think about how we set our faces in life. What are our goals as people of faith? What are we resolute or determined about in our lives? As we "e;set our faces"e; to Jerusalem and to the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus, what difference does it make? What does Jesus' determination say to us about our commitments and about our need to grow in love of God and neighborThe 40 days of Lent are ideal to use this study and for readers to set their faces toward Easter. Study includes seven sessions, one for each Sunday in Lent and Easter Sunday. Each session features a Scripture reference, a personal reading, questions for personal reflection or group study, and closing prayer.

The men of the Texas Rangers tackle a crime that hits close to home.

Faith in Jesus Christ incorporates all Christians into the body of Christ, the invisible communion of all believers. But the church, as a human institution, remains broken and unable to embody fully this unity or oneness. Too often, the failure of Christians to manifest God's love is rooted in differences in culture, traditions, or language that lead to fear and misunderstanding. This book brings together a collection of stories-of songs-that give the reader insight, that provide examples of how to share stories and learn from them, and that ultimately can lead to a new way of understanding the concepts of beloved community and the body of Christ.

On This Spirit Walk is a resource for small group study within the local church. Setting this resource apart is the list of Native American United Methodist writers who contributed to this work. This diverse group includes a cross-section of tribes and nations, ages and life experiences. The inclusion of indigenous activist and human rights advocate Rev. Liberato Bautista provides a powerful depth of vision to these voices.

An unflinching look at the meaning and substance of sin.

Introducción al pentecostalismo nos acerca al origen del movimiento pentecostal y con palabras del prólogo "en una forma muy marcada llama la atención al afecto y el sentir humano con su enfoque Espíritu-céntrico. Inclusive, en su acercamiento a la dimensión dinámica espiritual del pentecostalismo aparecen rayos postmodernos y metafísicos." Written in Spanish, Introduction to Pentecostalism provides a look into to the origins of the Pentecostal movement and gives a clear understanding of its law and its Holy Spirit-centered focus on the human condition. The book also provides a glimpse into the postmodern and metaphysical aspects that make up the spiritual dynamic dimensions of Pentecostalism.

Equip your congregation to help the needy.

Alison wanted her cheating husband gone, not dead...

Creada a su imagen, en palabras de la autora, responde a la necesidad de proveer herramientas biblicas y teologicas a mas de la mitad de las personas que asisten a nuestras iglesias. No hay iglesia que no testifique de la presencia, trabajo y teson de las mujeres en todos los ambitos de trabajo y servicio eclesial. Sin embargo, pocas veces nos preguntamos si nuestro ministerio es integral y pertinente a las necesidades y esperanzas de estas mujeres que son parte del cuerpo de Cristo. Esta obra pretende dar respuesta a esta necesidad y proveer una pastoral disenada para la mujer.

A guide to the history of Christian worship formation.

Good pastoral leadership is not a "e;by the numbers"e; proposition. It is a matter of heart and soul, of devoting the whole self to the vision God gives for the congregation in which one serves. Yet neither is it purely intuitive; it requires hard, careful thinking about the directions and details of the path down which God calls. When Adam Hamilton became pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, its membership consisted of himself and his family. Ten years later the church averages between five and six thousand worshipers per weekend. Throughout this remarkable period, Hamilton learned many serious lessons about both the broad visions and the specific details of pastoral leadership. Bringing a depth of analytical skills often lacking in visionary leaders, in this book he goes beyond simply telling the story of Church of the Resurrection. He shares the questions that he learned to ask about the largely unchurched population to which Church of the Resurrection has reached out. Further, he demonstrates what he learned by listening to the answers to these questions, and how doing so has made possible a number of strategically crucial decisions the church has made. One of those crucial decisions was to make more traditional forms of worship and praise the center of the congregation's life. The result is that the example of Church of the Resurrection offers pastors and church leaders (especially those in mainline denominations) the realization that they need not completely change their liturgical and theological identity in order to reach out to the unchurched. Drawing on his own experience, as well as the detailed research on the characteristics of highly successful congregations he undertook during a sabbatical leave, Hamilton offers pastors and other church leaders solid, substantive thinking on steps that congregations can take to become centers of vibrant outreach and mission.Also available in:Adobe Ebook 9780687026753Microsoft Ebook 9780687027491

Worship should be about more than just your ears. Worship means more when we're experiencing more than simply the spoken, read, and sung word. That's why Delia Halverson and Karen Appleby have written Creating Holy Space; to help us worship with our eyes as well as our ears.The book contains suggestions for worship visuals tied to each Sunday of all three years of the Revised Common Lectionary. These visuals can be assembled on the altar, placed elsewhere in the sanctuary, or photographed to be used for projection. The weekly entries describe each of the four readings for that Sunday, and suggest viuals appropriate to each, creating a multi-sensory experience of worship bound up with the day's lectionary theme.

A vivid portrait of Martin Luther, the man of unshakable faith in God who helped bring about the Protestant Reformation.

Jim Moore's warm, conversational style inspires readers to transform negative, pessimistic attitudes into positive, optimistic attitudes centered on the love and hope of Jesus Christ. The book includes a study guide designed for both group and individual use, features questions related to each chapter and presents several options for study based on varied numbers of weeks devoted to the study.

In this engaging book from popular author J. Ellsworth Kalas, a portrait of each apostle as a servant in ministry, a human being, and individual are drawn from Scripture as well as historical writings and tradition. A chapter is also devoted to Mathias, the successor to Judas Iscariot.Each chapter features a key passage of Scripture. At the end of the book is a 16-page study guide.

An indispensable introduction that clearly addresses the important and complex questions about Israel and the Old Testament's relationship to the ancient Near East.

A quilt holds the clues to life and death.

Can searching your past create a new beginning or just new frustration?

Mara Keegan is an ber-successful mother and a widow of three years. She's been chasing success and all the "good things in life" for her family. In an effort to be the perfect mom, she decides to make a photo memory quilt, a graduation present for her daughter.