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"e;Grief permeates most of the waking moments of those who are mourning. This book is a Christian message about the hope and fulfillment that can be known at the far side of that journey."e;-Ronald J. GreerRon Greer and his wife lost their two-year-old son Eric in a tragic automobile accident many years ago. In this brief, moving book, the author draws on his experiences as a father and as a pastoral counselor to offer hope, help, and healing to people who are grieving. "e;Ron Greer has helped my wife and me grapple with many tough issues over the years. But all of them pale by comparison to his own personal tragedy. The loss of a child is the most devastating, life-changing event a parent would shudder to even envision. But as I have learned through the years, Ron has an uncanny ability to dig deep into our dark, unexplored emotional mines-turn on some lights-and then find those precious veins of hope. There are no good answers to why bad things happen to good people. But there are good people who are able to use bad things as a lever to learn something profound about themselves and-in rare cases-to help others find the same emotional tools. Ron Greer has that tremendous gift. Thank God he is willing to share it with us."e;-Miles O'Brien,CNN anchor "e;For many years Ron Greer has skillfully counseled folks whose turn it was to 'walk through the valley of the shadow of death.' Then it was Ron's turn. By faith, transforming a terrible tragedy into a time of deepening faith, Ron shows the rest of us the way, when it's our time to walk through the desert of grief. All of us are either preparing for grief, or dealing with past grief, and we need all the help we can get. Ron can show you how to do grief with faith, hope-and love too."e;-William H. Willimon,author and United Methodist bishop "e;Ron Greer touches our hearts and gives us some great insights into healing and hope with this book. Ron writes from the depths of his own grief and his journey to healing as he and his wife dealt with the death of their two-year-old son. I have known Ron for thirty-five years, and he is made of the 'real stuff.' He enables the reader to deal with 'real stuff' with his book. The reader will be amazed at the hope the book produces on each page."e;-Don Harp,senior minister, Peachtree Road United Methodist Church "e;Markings on the Windowsill is sacred ground. When a person of Ron Greer's depth and compassion bares his soul, and that of his amazing wife, Karen, one treads with reverence and rapt attention. Be careful with this book... When you pick it up, go to a very quiet place, and plan to be there awhile. God will speak to you. Your life will be changed. I promise."e;-Bill Curry,ESPN sports analyst and speaker

A major study of John Wesley's political ethics and an attempt to reformulate a Wesleyan orientation to political thinking by drawing the political implications of Wesley's "order of salvation". Was John Wesley the "fanatical Tory" conservative of many political portraits, with his loyalty to the British monarchy, his support of taxation without representation, and his severe criticism of American independence? Or was he an emergent political liberal, condemning slavery, defending the rights and liberties of the British people, and urging government intervention in the economy to relieve hunger and poverty? This historical and theological study of Wesley's political thought concludes that he is understood best neither as Tory nor as liberal (both of which he was, in important respects), but as a staunch champion of limited constitutional government and of the subordination of power to law--in the context of the "Glorious Revolution" and the organic unity of the British community. Wesley's understanding of rights is a mixture of the historical and the natural, but is closer to the adaptive conservatism of Edmund Burke than to natural rights individualism in the following of John Locke. Weber argues further that Wesley's deliberate exclusion of the people from politics can be challenged from within his own theology by recovering and developing his concept of the political image and integrating it with his understanding of the order of salvation. This process of recovery and integration discloses the political vocation for all humankind and opens the way to an authentically Wesleyan political language. It has significant implications also for rethinking Wesley's theology as such, and not only the Wesleyan language of politics. This book addresses the apparent conflict between Wesley's own political stance and his proclamation of an inclusive gospel ("free grace to all."). It focuses on the "order of salvation" and a reorientation of Wesley's approach to the Trinity. It includes an historical exploration of Wesley's political context and commitments. It opens the possibility of an authentically Wesleyan political ethic and shows how diverse views within the Methodist tradition might be reconciled through a recasting of Wesleyan theology. It will help students to see how Wesley's contribution to the realm of ethics might not be negated by his own authoritarian and patriarchal political commitments.

Hunter discusses the rebirth of the apostolic congregation, Christianity's vision of what people can become, how small groups shape an apostolic people, how lay ministry advances the Christian movement, and how apostolic churches reach secular people.

A classic guide to ethics since 1928. Nolan Harmon studied the ethical codes of conduct of five major denominations and secured the opinions of eighty-six leading pastors. Harmon uses this wisdom to show ministers how to conduct themselves ethically in virtually every phase of ministry and special occasion rituals.

Long recognized as the definitive crisis-counseling volume for the active minister, The Minister as Crisis Counselor is now thoroughly modernized to incorporate recent contributions to the field. David K. Switzer offers a comprehensive examination of both the theory and the method of crisis counseling as it relates specifically to active working pastors. Chapter titles include: The Minister, the Congregation, and Community Crisis Services; Intervening in the Suicidal Crisis; The Minister and Divorce Crises; Intervening in a Pathological Grief Reaction: A Case Study; The Minister's Role and Functioning in the Crisis of Grief; Intervening in Family Crises; Intervention Procedures; Methods of Crisis Counseling; Crisis Theory: Definition, Description, Dynamics; The Minister as Crisis Counselor.

This Sourcebook, part of a two-volume set, The Methodist Experience in America, contains documents from between 1760 and 1998 pertaining to the movements constitutive of American United Methodism.

A comprehensive one-volume history of American Methodism

The perfect time-saving idea for pastors and their assistants who want to write sensitive, effective letters for every occasion. This collection includes letters of: * Thanks * Condolence/Support/Encouragement * Congratulations * Milestone Birthdays * Accepting/Refusing Invitations * Welcome * Attendance Concerns * Media Contact * Seasonal Greetings. Letters for Every Occasion offers: *more than 100 creative, carefully written letters that can be easily adapted for any particular situation * many unique letterheads to enhance correspondence * complete stewardship and commitment campaign materials

"Through stories of hard-living people and pastors who minister with them, Tex Sample challenges mainline churches to break the yoke of middle-class captivity and join with the Christ who lives among the poor and marginalized".--Kenneth L. Carder, Resident Bishop, United Methodist Church.

A treatment of the evolution of Christian thought from the birth of Christ, to the Apostles, to the early church, to the great flowering of Christianity across the world. The final volume begins with the towering theological leaders of the Protestant Reformation and traces the development of Christian thought through its encounter with modernity.

Filling a need not previously addressed, African American Church Growth contends that it is precisely the prophetic consciousness which appeals to many blacks of the post-civil rights era, and that emphasis on the prophetic will help bring the black church out of the disillusionment of a "post-civil rights malaise". Carlyle Fielding Stewart defines prophetic ministry as a concern for wholeness of the individual and community. Going beyond a simple call for social justice, the author addresses both spiritual and tyrannies, within and without the church, that preclude church growth in our center cities and rural communities. Dr. Stewart demonstrates with practical examples how tyranny can be overcome in thriving black churches.