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Eddie Gibbs candidly analyzes new church models while proposing nine areas in which the church will need to transform to be biblically true to its message and mission.
Prayer is a primary way Christians fulfill the Great Commandment to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves, and it's the foundation of everything else we do to show that love. In prayer, we consciously devote time to cultivating our relationship with God, trusting that this relationship can transform our souls, our lives, and the world. Many of us who desire this closer relationship with God may feel unsure about where to start and how to pray. In Seek and You Will Find, Rhonda Mawhood Lee offers an accessible guide to prayer, exploring practices from the Lord's Prayer to praying with the psalms and in song, from the eucharist and the rosary to "moving" prayers offered when walking a labyrinth, doodling, baking, or devoting another activity to God. Scripture and tradition show us that when we seek God through prayer, we will find, by grace, the One who has already reached out to us in love. Seek and You Will Find is a comforting, challenging, and instructive companion in your quest to develop the relationship God deeply desires with you.
Co-authored by an experienced ministry leader and a computer expert, this book provides a balanced look at the challenges of combining ministry with technology.
Prayer and praying takes a variety of forms, but in today’s secular world, many people aren’t sure what it is or how to do it. Donigian (re)introduces three prayers – the Lord's Prayer, the Serenity Prayer and Dag Hammarskjold's famous prayer from Markings – as gifts for those who are uncertain or unclear about prayer...and praying. Study guide included.
All local churches experience a predictable life cycle of growth and decline. But if a church is on a downward trend, how can it turn around? Taking Your Church to the Next Level explains the impact of age and size on churches and outlines the improvements that must be made at each point for a church to remain fruitful and faithful to its mission. McIntosh deftly describes the cycles of fruitfulness and the importance of continual improvement to diminish destructive forces that keep a congregation from its mission. Church leaders, pastors, and all who care about the church and desire to see it experience biblical growth will benefit from the sage wisdom offered in these pages.
"This book will make a profound difference for the church in this moment in history." — The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry Sometimes it takes disruption and loss to break us open and call us home to God. It’s not surprising that a global pandemic and once-in-a-generation reckoning with white supremacy—on top of decades of systemic decline—have spurred Christians everywhere to ask who we are, why God placed us here and what difference that makes to the world. In this critical yet loving book, the author explores the American story and the Episcopal story in order to find out how communities steeped in racism, establishment, and privilege can at last fall in love with Jesus, walk humbly with the most vulnerable and embody beloved community in our own broken but beautiful way. The Church Cracked Open invites us to surrender privilege and redefine church, not just for the sake of others, but for our own salvation and liberation.
Seventeen year-old Jesse Walters made a decision that was going to change his life forever. It began as some of the happiest days of his life with love, romance, peace, faith and a true sense of fulfillment in life. But as time passed it led to guilt, anxiety, stress, distancing himself from family and friends, and losing all sense of satisfaction in his daily life. During this time he joined a local church, found his way to God, and developed a close relationship with a group of Christians to such an extent that he could call them "family." Dedicating one's life to Jesus Christ and experiencing an extreme state of depression? Those two statements shouldn't go together. Jesse joined a cult without realizing it. The dramatic and heartbreaking events that took place led him to push his family and friends out of his life. His family had to go to the extreme of locking him in a building for five days with a cult expert for an intervention that proved he had been living a lie. This book is the start of his mission to 1. Shine light on the massive, unrecognized issue of Christianity and other troubling organizations. 2. Prove that anyone can have a healthy relationship with God without having to make extreme sacrifices, and 3. Help people get themselves or loved ones out of cults.
The breakout star of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding shares his views on being unabashedly Christian for the 21st century. An expansion of his wildly popular sermon for the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2012, Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry gives inspiration and guidance on being bold Christians for a modern audience. Known for his positivity, fiery and magnetic speaking style, and Gospel-based knowledge, Bishop Curry is the go-to spiritual leader for today’s public life. He was the officiant for the funeral of President George H.W. Bush and Senator John McCain. The words of his sermon, which went viral, will energize followers of the Gospel or readers looking for bolder spiritual life. “We need some Christians who are as crazy as the Lord. Crazy enough to love like Jesus, to give like Jesus, to forgive like Jesus, to do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God— like Jesus. Crazy enough to dare to change the world from the nightmare it often is into something close to the dream that God dreams for it. And for those who would follow him, those who would be his disciples, those who would live as and be the people of the Way? It might come as a shock, but they are called to craziness.”—from Crazy Christians “Filled with wisdom, humor, and insight, Michael Curry’s Crazy Christians is one of the finest introductions to the great breadth of Christian faith I’ve ever come across. But be warned: this isn’t the staid, predictable, strait-laced Christianity too many of us were spoon-fed in Sunday school. Rather, Curry penetrates to the radical heart of the Christian gospel and invites us―indeed, dares us―to join the long line of those throughout history who have followed the rabbi of Nazareth.”—David Lose, Luther Seminary, Center for Biblical Preaching and Festival Homiletics
An acolyte resource for the 21st-century Episcopal Church Despite the changing landscape of the Episcopal Church, one ministry that continues but gets little attention is that of acolytes. Whether second graders or adults, the mentoring and training of acolytes is a formational experience. I Serve at God’s Altar offers a simplified theology of how God is met in worship and how it affects the lives of those most engaged in it, a visual exploration of the Episcopal liturgy and its history through extensive illustrations, how acolytes fit into the work of the church in worship, and how worship affects the acolyte’s discernment for ministry and Rule of Life. Illustrations include a visual exploration of church artifacts (crosses, candles, Eucharistic vessels, etc.), holds, and processes to set a standard of expectation and expertise in service according to Episcopal practice and tradition. There is a section of reproducible handouts for organizing an acolyte ministry at every size church, including scheduling, communications, installation liturgies, recruitment plans, and training outlines.
If Barbara Brown Taylor and Steven Covey ever wrote a book together, this might be the book! Living Compass is a church-based faith and wellness program designed for individuals and small groups. Readers engage in a 10-week, self-guided wellness retreat, consisting of daily ten-minute readings, plus small, meaningful action steps designed for getting “your life, your relationships, and your work headed in a new direction,” according to the author. Deeply spiritual and exceedingly practical, this book joins the national Living Compass network, which includes a website, workshop series, wellness resources (including a free Living Well with Living Compass app), social media, and soon, a new multi-million-dollar wellness center to be located in the offices of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. Structured holistic wellness program for individuals and groups based on a highly successful retreat model developed by priest-psychologist. Builds on the national network of Living Compass workshops, presentations, and publications, and soon, a multi-million faith and wellness center in Chicago. Each chapter includes questions for reflection.