Bücher veröffentlicht von Abingdon Press

For more than 200 years, millions of Methodists have shared God's love with the world. Baked into the theological purpose of our mission is the compassion and resolve to relieve human suffering by offering healing, hope, and holiness everywhere in the world. Millions of Methodist people on every continent persist in serving faithfully amid the tensions and challenges that cry out for transformation.This book tells the story of these global efforts, beginning with John Stewart's ministry among the Wyandotte Nation in America, and what Methodists have learned about God's mission along the way. This book also describes how United Methodist Global Ministries is living out these lessons of cooperation, humility, relationship, and practicing holistic mission. Together, Methodists pursue and promote personal, social, and cosmic transformation. Together, we work and live amid the tensions that enrich and expand our awareness of Methodist identity in God's diverse world.

Worship at Home: Advent and Christmas 2020 is packed with weekly worship services you can do on your own or with others and includes services for each week in Advent, Christmas Eve, the Sunday after Christmas, and Epiphany. This book is for congregations and individuals who want to stay spiritually connected and growing, even when they're not worshiping together in the same space. It provides everything you need to conduct meaningful, spiritually fulfilling, traditionally rooted worship services at home or in other intimate environments.Each service includes essential worship elements, from gathering to benediction, with words and actions you can say and do yourself. Included are links for online musical selections plus traditional hymn suggestions from a variety of hymnals. You'll find helpful ideas for how to use this resource in a variety of settings, and how to create worshipful spaces, even in your own home.The Worship at Home series is organized by the liturgical year, with a new book for each season: Advent and Christmas, Lent, Easter and Eastertide, Pentecost, and the weeks after Pentecost. Ways the resource can be used by individuals and families include: - Individuals can use the resource for personal devotion and worship at any time, wherever they like. Go through the entire service, or simply choose whatever portions are helpful. Read a prayer and meditate. Watch a video clip and reflect on it. Sing a song or hymn.- Families can use Worship at Home in the same ways, any time and any place.- Suggestions are included for creating worship spaces at home, and for involving children in the services.Here are some ways the resource can be used by a congregation or group: - Pastors or group leaders can use Worship at Home as the worship plans for weekly church services. The pastor might prepare a sermon or homily, but everything else is ready to go.- People can use the resource for worship in any space-at a senior care center, in a park, on the lawn, at the church, and so forth. No bulletins or hymnals are needed. - People gathered to worship via Zoom, FaceTime, Facebook or Instagram Live, or livestream will all be reading aloud the same prayers from these books, singing the same songs or singing along with a video. Worship at Home provides a participatory experience and a sense of community, even when people are worshiping remotely.

Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Health is a program to help people of faith create healthy relationships with money and possessions. Participants will move through six sessions covering such topics as saving, earning, giving, spending, and debt, along with helpful strategies for achieving a sustainable financial life. Adapted from the best-selling Freed Up Financial Living from the Good Sense Movement, this study is based on Wesleyan values and provides text and tools to help participants address life concerns and reach personal financial goals.The Leader Guide contains session plans, outlines, discussion questions, and everything needed to guide a six-week group study on a faithful approach to financial health.

Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Health is a program to help people of faith create healthy relationships with money and possessions. Participants will move through six sessions covering such topics as saving, earning, giving, spending, and debt, along with helpful strategies for achieving a sustainable financial life. Adapted from the best-selling Freed Up Financial Living from the Good Sense Movement, this study is based on Wesleyan values and provides text and tools to help participants address life concerns and reach personal financial goals.A 40-day devotional offers spiritual support for a new approach to financial health. The short devotional essays bring reassurance, encouragement, faith, and prayer to complement the work of finding strength in faith to make life changes.

Have you ever thought you had life under control--until you didn't? Perhaps thinking "God is in control" but living as if you are. It's like walking around with a hot cup of coffee, afraid that with one wrong move it will spill and be a burning hot mess. Then you realize what little control you have and how dependent on God you truly are.In Lose Control, Mary Shannon Hoffpauir takes you on a six-week journey through the Book of First Samuel, which is an epic story about a fight for control. Despite God's warnings through the prophet Samuel, the nation of Israel was determined to take control by having their own king. As you dig into the saga of King Saul and David, who would become the next anointed king of Israel, you will discover that no plan or purpose of God can be thwarted by human beings. Even the worst of circumstances can be used by God to accomplish His purposes in your life.In her no-nonsense, authentic teaching style that endears her to women of all ages, Mary Shannon encourages you to lose control so that you can find your soul through a trusting relationship with your faithful God.Components for this six-week Bible study, each available separately, include a Participant Workbook, a Leader Guide, and a DVD with six 25-minute segments (with closed captioning).An in-depth six-week exploration of the entire Book of 1 Samuel.Study includes five days of homework for each week.Encourages women to exchange their desire for control for God's gift of faith.Helps women gain a deeper love and grace for others.DVD features dynamic, engaging teaching in six 25-minute segments.

Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Health is a program to help people of faith create healthy relationships with money and possessions. Participants will move through six sessions covering such topics as saving, earning, giving, spending, and debt, along with helpful strategies for achieving a sustainable financial life. Adapted from the best-selling Freed Up Financial Living from the Good Sense Movement, this study is based on Wesleyan values and provides text and tools to help participants address life concerns and reach personal financial goals.A special clergy module addresses financial issues unique to pastors. This three-week study brings together faith and vocation while attending to the unique financial details of living as a pastor and being employed by the church. The clergy workbook contains worksheets and downloadable planners.

Have you ever thought you had life under control--until you didn't? Perhaps thinking "God is in control" but living as if you are. It's like walking around with a hot cup of coffee, afraid that with one wrong move it will spill and be a burning hot mess. Then you realize what little control you have and how dependent on God you truly are.In Lose Control, Mary Shannon Hoffpauir takes you on a six-week journey through the Book of First Samuel, which is an epic story about a fight for control. Despite God's warnings through the prophet Samuel, the nation of Israel was determined to take control by having their own king. As you dig into the saga of King Saul and David, who would become the next anointed king of Israel, you will discover that no plan or purpose of God can be thwarted by human beings. Even the worst of circumstances can be used by God to accomplish His purposes in your life.In her no-nonsense, authentic teaching style that endears her to women of all ages, Mary Shannon encourages you to lose control so that you can find your soul through a trusting relationship with your faithful God.Components for this six-week Bible study, each available separately, include a Participant Workbook, a Leader Guide, and a DVD with six 25-minute segments (with closed captioning). An in-depth six-week exploration of the entire Book of 1 Samuel. Study includes five days of homework for each week. Encourages women to exchange their desire for control for God's gift of faith. Helps women gain a deeper love and grace for others. DVD features dynamic, engaging teaching in six 25-minute segments.

Few things make us feel as helpless as living with a story we don't like. Maybe one that involves the loss of a loved one, an unwanted transition, a difficult diagnosis, or a dream that fell through. At one time or another, we all deal with disappointments and feelings that life is unfair or that we are being punished.In Renewed, a four-week study of the Book of Ruth, women glean wisdom from Naomi's perspective, a woman who lived a story she didn't choose or like. Forced to chart a new path as she mourned the loss of her husband and two sons, Naomi learned that the journey from bitterness to renewed hope and joy was rooted in God's promise of redemption.With insight from her own journey of living with a story that is not easy, Heather teaches women to flourish even as they live hard stories through a willingness to trust that God can transform them and trade their heartache for hope. They will learn to rely on God's movement in the details of their story, even when it can't be seen, gain confidence to act in the part of their stories that they can change, and watch expectantly for God to redeem the parts they can't.Components for this four-week Bible study, available separately, include a Participant Workbook with Leader Helps and a DVD with four 20 to 25-minute segments (with closed captioning). A four-week study of the Book of Ruth from Naomi's perspective. This shorter study is ideal for in-between or busy times. Helps women find the courage to live with a story they don't like and trust in God. Participant Workbook with Leader Helps includes group sessions guides, discussion questions, prayers, video viewer guides, and more. DVD features dynamic, engaging teaching in four 20 to 25-minute segments.

Preachers increasingly see the need for to deliver sermons that are "e;dangerous"e; in a variety of ways, the way they challenge hearers' comfort levels and challenge established powers and hierachies. Thomas helps readers understand those dangersespecially the forces of power and hierarchy that are so intrinsic in our everyday lives and in society as a whole. He teaches how to anticipate and navigate those forces, to open opportunities for dangerous preaching, and to mitigate negative impact on congregants, the preacher, and the preacher-congregation relationships. Surviving a Dangerous Sermon is a logical follow-up to Thomas's previous book, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon.It equips preachers to say what must be said, in a way that it is heard, so that the sermon has a chance to do its work on human hearts, without negative consequences.

Women are fierce and fed-up, and they have been joining hands together for the purposes of societal change for as long as there has been injustice. Women of faith are guided by the Holy Spirit to work together to bring down these injustices, to build on the foundation Christ laid for the beloved community of God on earth. This book is women joining together to speak and act in new ways in response to the increasing challenges of our day. This book offers to all women the sustenance needed to face blatant racism, bigotry, sexism, heterosexism, and xenophobia in the world and in the church. The writers of Speaking Truth greet these challenges knowing that the Good News of Jesus Christ is bigger than any societal ill and that God has called us to play a part in God's work of transformation. When we pray together and act together, we claim a new vision for how things can be - a vision God gives us through Scripture. We can support both ourselves and other women as we learn to find and claim our voices and end the silences imposed upon us. Speaking Truth- Provides inspirational writings by women for women to face the societal challenges specific to today.- Includes prayers, devotions, scriptures, and inspirational quotes for special challenges.- Encourages women supporting, advocating, and praying for other women.

What exactly is a disciple, and how will we know if we have made one? There are three core values that a disciple embodies: undiluted devotion to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, a Kingdom of God worldview, and a missional lifestyle.In Revolutionary Kingdom: Following the Rebel Jesus, author and Pastor Mike Slaughter explores why we must exchange comfortable cultural worldviews and values for the radical requirements of living out the Kingdom of God on Planet Earth. When God's people get serious about this call, it's revolutionary. Jesus himself was the most radical revolutionary who ever lived and provided us a vision of a kingdom worth dying for. Welcome to the revolution!The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the six-week study including session plans, activities, and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.

Will Willimon is widely acclaimed as one of the top ten preachers in the world. For each Sunday of the Christian year, Will provides just what you need to begin the journey toward a sermon. This guide will stoke, fund, and fuel your imagination while leaving plenty of room to insert your own illustrations, make connections within your congregational context, and speak the Word in your distinctive voice. Guidance from Will Willimon is like sitting down with a trusted clergy friend and asking, "What will you preach next Sunday?" Year A Part 2 is part of a six-volume set that includes years A, B, and C (2 volumes per year) in the Revised Common Lectionary. Part 1 includes the Pentecost through the end of the church year, Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday.Each week of sermon resources includes:1.Readings2.Theme title3.Introduction to the Readings4.Encountering the Text5.Proclaiming the Text6.Relating the Text

His parents gave him the name Jesus. But the prophets, the shepherds, the wise men, and angels addressed him by other names. They called him Lord, Messiah, Savior, Emmanuel, Light of the World, and Word Made Flesh.In Incarnation, best-selling author Adam Hamilton explores the meaning of these titles and what they tell us about the child whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. Join him and reflect upon the significance of the Christ-child for our lives and world today!Chapter topics include: The Royal Titles: Lord and Messiah The Deliverer's Title: Savior The Incarnate Title: Emmanuel The Light of the World Epilogue: The Word Made FleshThe Children's Leader Guide contains session plans for younger and older children (grades K-2 and 3-6) including games, activities, craft ideas, and reproducible handouts.

Today's culture and others' views, even those of other Christians, can present a distorted view of God. Some suggest God exudes qualities He does not possess such as being unloving or apathetic toward His creation. In a world where we find people creating God in their own image, studying God's names can remind us that we are created in His. In fact, one of the best ways to know God's true character and grow closer to Him is to study His names.In The Names of God, Melissa Spoelstra leads women on an exploration of the many names of our triune God--from El and Elohim to Yahweh and its many combinations to names such as Abba, Jesus, and Holy Spirit...and many others.As women study the names of God, their ideas about God will become more grounded in what His names tell them, and thus more personal, allowing a greater trust in Him to share the details of their lives. Whether having walked with God for many years or just starting out in a relationship with Him, by the end of this study women will not only know more about God but will know Him better--because through the discovery of God's names, they will discover Him!Components for this six-week Bible study, each available separately, include a Participant Workbook, a Leader Guide, DVD with six 25-minute segments (with closed captioning), and a boxed Leader Kit containing one of each component.A six-week study of the names of God.Inspires women to have a more personal and trusting relationship with God.DVD features dynamic, engaging teaching in six 25-minute segments.Strong, solid Bible study from popular Bible teacher and speaker Melissa Spoelstra.

En este estudio emocionante e inspirador, Scott J. Jones ayuda a quienes buscan a Dios y a creyentes a imaginar y practicar el discipulado como una forma de vida. Al presentar el cristianismo desde una perspectiva wesleyana, Jones invita a los participantes a un compromiso más profundo, más reflexivo y más activo con Cristo. Este estudio de ocho sesiones ayuda a los participantes a enfocarse en cómo, a través del discipulado con Jesucristo, nos convertimos en parte de la obra de Dios para la transformación del mundo. Cada semana un presentador diferente comparte su experiencia de fe personal. Entre los presentadores se encuentran Adam Hamilton, Olu Brown, Felicia Hopkins, Jessica Moffat Seay, Jorge Acevedo, Rob Fuquay, y el autor, Scott Jones.

Americans are anxious people. A recent study found that one in five of us has an anxiety disorder and we spend over $2 billion a year on anti-anxiety medications. Often our life events play a significant role in our worries and fears. In this study, Adam Hamilton explores the most common worries and fears experienced by Americans today. He considers practical steps for overcoming these fears, and reflects upon fear in the light of Scripture and a faith that promises again and again that we don't need to live in fear. We can live with courage and hope. This Youth Study Book takes the ideas presented in Adam Hamilton's book and interprets them for young people grades 6-12.

The Book of Psalms study begins with a look at the hymns of praise and ends with the Psalms of confidence. Some of the major ideas explored are: God is the Creator of all, what does the Lord require of me, the diversity of the Psalms, responses to crisis, and the use of Psalms in worship.More than 3.5 million copies of the series have been sold.This revision of the Abingdon classic Genesis to Revelation Series is a comprehensive, verse-by-verse, book-by-book study of the Bible based on the NIV. These studies help readers strengthen their understanding and appreciation of the Bible by enabling them to engage the Scripture on three levels: What does the Bible say? Questions to consider while reading the passage for each session. What does the passage mean? Unpacks key verses in the selected passage. How does the Scripture relate to my life? Provides three major ideas that have meaning for our lives today. The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words.The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words. The simple format makes the study easy to use. Includes maps and glossary with key pronunciation helps.Updates will include: New cover designs. New interior designs. Leader Guide per matching Participant Book (rather than multiple volumes in one book). Updated to 2011 revision of the New International Version Translation (NIV). Updated references to New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible. Include biblical chapters on the contents page beside session lesson titles for at-a-glance overview of biblical structure. Include larger divisions within the contents page to reflect macro-structure of each biblical book. Ex: Genesis 1-11; Genesis 12-50; Exodus 1-15; Exodus 16-40; Isaiah 1-39; Isaiah 40-66.The simple format makes the study easy to use. Each volume is 13 sessions and has a separate leader guide.

Envision your life as an adventure co-created by God. This study explores Joseph's story. He accomplished great things in Egypt, but he didn't really understand his story's significance until he recognized what God was doing through him. Sarah Heath helps you explore your own life story in the same way. By doing so, you'll discover how to co-create with God the kind of life that will be a page-turner.This Leader Guide is designed to be used alongside the book What's Your Story and the DVD to guide small group discussion. It contains detailed lesson plans for each session, as well as plans for a bonus session in which participants tell their stories to one another.

Long, long ago, in a land far away, lived a perfect little tree named Small Pine. Small Pine hoped to maintain its perfect form and be selected by the Queen as her Christmas tree. But as the warm-hearted little tree gave shelter to birds, rabbits, and deer in the forest, its branches became damaged. Fortunately, the Queen had a different idea of perfection...Young readers will want to read and reread the story of how Small Pine's love and charity for its friends helps make it the most "e;perfect"e; Christmas Tree of all.This magnificently illustrated story of a warm-hearted Christmas tree will surely become one of the most beloved classics of future generations. Schneider's storytelling will enthrall children and adults alike.

Have you ever tried to fight worry with faith and felt you were losing the battle? Have comments like "God's got this!" or "Just pray about it" only left you feeling more burdened? We know we shouldn't worry, but the reality is that we all do at times. Whether it's personal worries about loved ones and daily circumstances or broader concerns about what's happening in the world, we long for something more than platitudes that will help us put real feet to our faith and win the worry battle.In this six-week Bible study on the Book of Joshua, we will join God's people as they arrive on the edge of the promised land only to find themselves in hostile territory, faced with fear and uncertainty. As we dig into the story of how Joshua and the Israelites claimed God's promised victory, we'll discover that winning the worry battle requires more than having faith; it requires learning to fight in faith! Following their bold, courageous footprints, we'll learn how to fight in faith as we internalize God's promises, draw strength from God's faithfulness, act in obedience to God's commands, and believe what our limitless God can do. Through in-depth study of how God gave the Israelites victory over their enemies and generously blessed them, too, we'll be equipped with biblical wisdom, encouragement, and practical tools that will enable us to overcome our daily worry struggles as well as the bigger battles of fear that we face.The participant workbook includes 5 lessons for each week with space for recording reflections and answers.Other available components, each available separately, include a Leader Guide and DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions (with closed captioning).

Prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness...this is what we commit to when we become members of The United Methodist Church, and it's a big step. But A Disciple's Path helps us look beyond membership, presenting an engaging approach to discipleship from a distinctly Wesleyan perspective. Discipleship is ongoing, so the 6-week study is perfect for new-member groups, but also works well in small groups of long-time members. It helps you develop spiritual practices, discover your unique gifts, and engage in ministry that brings transformation to your own life and to the lives of others and the world.The Daily Workbook offers six weeks of daily readings (five per week), Scripture, a message for the day, and prompts for personal reflection. Endorsements"A Disciple's Path has transformed countless new members into deeply committed disciples - people who are using their gifts, praying in new ways, worshipping regularly and not only when it's convenient, giving sacrificially of their financial resources, and seeking to be a witness to Christ's love and light in the world. I am deeply grateful for this resource and recommend it wholeheartedly." Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and author of A New Day in the City"A Disciple's Path has the potential to revolutionize the way we view our participation in the church. Following this 'path' can transform us from wanderers into pilgrims." --Dr. Steve Harper, Retired Professor of Spiritual Formation; author of Five Marks of a Methodist and Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition"For churches transforming their invitation to membership into an opportunity for a discipleship journey." -- Lovett H. Weems, Jr., author and Distinguished Professor of Church Leadership and Director, Lewis Center for Church Leadership, Wesley Theological Seminary"Deeply grounded in the rich theology of the Wesleyan tradition and packed with practical suggestions." - Roger Scholtz, Senior Pastor, Kloof Methodist Church, South Africa and professor at Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary"A very useful explanation of the traditional Wesleyan view of Christian discipleship, strengthened in particular by its stress on the balanced approach of the Methodist way." --Dr. Richard P. Heitzenrater, Duke University Divinity School

The study of the Book of Matthew follows Jesus from his birth through his life to his death and resurrection. Some of the major ideas explored are: dreams, do not fear, Lord help me, write your own parable, and this cup is My blood of the covenant.More than 3.5 million copies of the series have been sold.This revision of the Abingdon classic Genesis to Revelation Series is a comprehensive, verse-by-verse, book-by-book study of the Bible based on the NIV. These studies help readers strengthen their understanding and appreciation of the Bible by enabling them to engage the Scripture on three levels:What does the Bible say? Questions to consider while reading the passage for each session.What does the passage mean? Unpacks key verses in the selected passage.How does the Scripture relate to my life? Provides three major ideas that have meaning for our lives today. The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words.The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words. The simple format makes the study easy to use. Includes maps and glossary with key pronunciation helps.Updates will include:New cover designs.New interior designs.Leader Guide per matching Participant Book (rather than multiple volumes in one book).Updated to 2011 revision of the New International Version Translation (NIV).Updated references to New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible.Include biblical chapters on the contents page beside session lesson titles for at-a-glance overview of biblical structure.Include larger divisions within the contents page to reflect macro-structure of each biblical book. Ex: Genesis 1-11; Genesis 12-50; Exodus 1-15; Exodus 16-40; Isaiah 1-39; Isaiah 40-66.The simple format makes the study easy to use. Each volume is 13 sessions and has a separate leader guide.