My prayer is that the words in these books may be part of the way you experience the depth, height, width and length of the love of God and participate in his work of love and justice in this world.
Esther’s world is much like ours. God seems missing. Some of Esther’s peers, like Daniel, lived with a distinct advantage: they experienced the mighty, miracle-making wonder of God. Esther, on the other hand, was surrounded by extravagant wealth and impiety in the disenchanted empire of Persia. Faith wasn’t easy in a place like this, but thankfully, Esther learned there was more to God than what she could see. Today’s suffering and cynicism can leave us feeling that God is long gone. But, in truth, he is still present and active in our lives. In slow, mundane, and even obscure ways, he is pursuing us and repairing our broken world. Follow Esther as she models twelve practices that connect us with a seemingly distant God and his unexpected work in the world.
The average American spends about ten minutes per day in religious or spiritual activities. Do you believe you can experience a personal transformation if all you have is ten minutes a day? Or could these ten minutes be part of a more comprehensive plan for personal and global revolution? Could ten minutes be a mustard seed that God grows into something amazing? I believe it can! Rather than complain about ten minutes being too insignificant for spiritual growth, I teache practices to maximize that time for personal transformation and real social change. In only ten minutes a day over forty days, you’ll learn a dozen spiritual disciplines to deepen your relationship with God. You’ll also learn and see how God can use even the smallest amounts of time to change you and the world through your actions.
Pain. We all suffer from it in various degrees and forms at one time or another in our lives. Sometimes it threatens to overwhelm and consume us, and then we wonder what we should do. How will we ever find our way out of the pit into which we have fallen? But the real question is, how did Jesus handle the pain he encountered in his life, especially on the cross? The answer is simple: Jesus prayed. And we can too. Whether you find yourself in a pit of pain or on a peak of joy, study the ten prayers of Jesus. Find comfort, strength, and guidance for the road ahead as you learn how to pray inward prayers of complaint, upward prayers of confidence, and outward prayers of compassion. Develop a closer relationship with the Father as you spend forty days following the prayer steps of the Son.
Jesus doesn’t want you in heaven. Jesus needs you here on earth. Millions want nothing to do with the church or Christianity. Newsworthy provides a simple solution: The Gospel. This book traces Jesus’ life from manger through resurrection and Pentecost, teaching you to contribute to your community’s earthly here-and-now rather than focusing solely on its heavenly hereafter. Gain trust with your community by taking risks and tackling hard issues such as racism, gender roles, and ageism together, rather than protecting yourself and withdrawing. As Jesus risked all on the cross, be inspired to take great risks for great causes, knowing nothing can be broken that cannot be rebuilt by the resurrection.
Effective evangelistic sermons require preachers to know their audience and to tailor their preaching accordingly. In this book I use findings of the Barna Research Group and my own experiences as a preacher to support descriptions of several characteristics common to the unchurched or the lost crowd today. Recognizing that the audience today is vastly different from previous generations, I suggest several approaches to these postmodern listeners, challenging preachers to change in order to reach the field of harvest that Jesus calls the church to love.
Three fundamental relationships from which you derive your greatest joys and sharpest pains stand at the center of your life: your connection with others, your bond with God, and your association with possessions. Most long for fulfilling families, friendships, and daily relationships. Many of us are searching for a deep and authentic spirituality. The majority of us want balance and simplicity when it comes to the things we own-we don’t want them to own us! In his greatest speech-the Sermon on the Mount-Jesus addresses these three basic longings. Using the image of a house, he reveals a floor plan for life that enables all three relationships to reach their fullest potential. Jesus demonstrates how to build a life characterized by gratifying relationships, rewarding piety, and freedom from consumerism. He does this by punching a hole in the roof of our lives and urging us to look through it to the God above. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus removes the dark clouds of divine mystery and reveals surprising views of God. These, in turn, transform how we treat others, the way in which we practice our spirituality, and the view we take on wealth and possessions. Let the Master Carpenter help you build a better life. Strengthen your relationships. Deepen your spiritual experiences. And find true financial freedom.
When the disciples answered Jesus’ call to follow, they left far more than their fishing nets. Jesus called them to leave preconceived ideas about the Messiah and to follow the way of the cross—a way marked by service and suffering. Will you follow too?
The cross was not simply about pain. It was about shame. Explore the shame Jesus took for our sake on his cross.