In recent years there has been a revival of interest in the Book of Common Prayer, especially the classic 1662 version. Beloved for its language and theology, the classic Prayer Book is the fountainhead for almost all later editions of the Book of Common Prayer and remains a widely recognized standard for worship in the Anglican tradition. More than simply a collection of prayers, the Book of Common Prayer offers a transformative engagement with the Bible and a framework for our spiritual lives.In How to Use the Book of Common Prayer, Samuel Bray and Drew Keane (editors of The 1662 Book of Common Prayer: International Edition) introduce the classic Prayer Book to newcomers. Beginning with a brief history and case for liturgical prayer, they walk through daily morning and evening prayer, baptism and Communion, the church year, and the Prayer Book's plan for reading the Bible. This is not only an introduction to the Prayer Book--it's a guide to letting it form your faith.
Sometimes hope can feel like a scam--a swindle, a hustle. You thought it was real, and you bought into it. But then the tables turn, and you feel like you've been hustled--like you've been had.As Christians, we often respond to the brokenness of life as if we do not actually have hope--as if the promises of God are not really certain. But Pastor Irwyn Ince assures us that not only do we have hope, but that hope cannot disappoint us because it is validated by God himself. Hope Ain't a Hustle is a clear and accessible exploration of the epistle to the Hebrews, urging us to place our confidence in the finished work of our great high priest, Jesus Christ, and showing how that confidence changes the way we live in the here and now.It's not that Christians don't face grief or anger, disappointment or deep sorrow. It's that we don't face them as those "who have no hope."
How should Christians live? Some Christians stress the importance of keeping all the rules, while others see the Christian faith as setting us free from religious burdens. Inviting us to live a life in step with the Spirit, Christopher Wright teaches us how to feed on the Word of God, grow in Christlikeness, and live a fruitful life.
Millions of people in our society, even Christians, are frantic with worry. But we are called to live with joy and contentment, trusting God with the present and the future. Amy Simpson shares with us that worry is a spiritual problem, which ultimately cannot be overcome with sheer willpower--its solution is rooted entirely in who God is.
One day Travis Scholl discovered a labyrinth in his neighborhood. As he began to walk it, he found this ancient practice offered a much-needed path away from life's demands, allowing him to encounter God in quiet solitude. In this meditative guide, Travis Scholl takes readers on a journey: "The path is always new, because, as a spiritual discipline, the labyrinth is a tool for contemplation, for reflection, for prayer. Underneath the surface, walking the labyrinth is a profound exercise in listening, in active silence, in finding movement and rhythm in the stillnesses underneath and in between every day's noise. Walking the labyrinth is an exercise in finding the voice speaking in whispers underneath the whirlwind of sound." With no end, but only a center, labyrinths become a physical symbol of prayer and our journey with God. Each step unites faith and action as travelers take one step at a time, living each moment in trust and willingness to follow the course set before them. Providing a historical and modern context for this unique spiritual discipline, Scholl weaves his own journey through a labyrinth with the Gospel of Mark's telling of the twists and turns of Jesus' life, providing 40 reflections ideal for daily reading during Lent or any time of the year.
Joanne J. Jung brings clarity to the growing field of spiritual formation literature by centering on the "means of grace"--the vital element that causes all our work to bear fruit.
In this foundational work of Christian formation, Klaus Issler derives insights from the life of Jesus in the Gospels to uncover the dynamics of becoming Christlike. You will discover how you can forge much deeper connections with Jesus so that his life begins to permeate your own character.
Christians often wrestle with their role in this fallen, physical world. But Jesus, the Incarnate One, offers a radical model for living as he teaches us how to dwell in the world for the sake of the world. If we are to become like him, we must learn what it means to live out this missional spirituality in the places we dwell.
"Knowledge is indispensable to Christian life and service," writes John Stott. "If we do not use the mind which God has given us, we condemn ourselves to spiritual superficiality." While Christians have had a long heritage of rigorous scholarship and careful thinking, some circles still view the intellect with suspicion or even as contradictory to Christian faith. And many non-Christians are quick to label Christians as anti-intellectual and obscurantist. But this need not be so. In this classic introduction to Christian thinking, John Stott makes a forceful appeal for Christian discipleship that engages the mind as well as the heart.
The church disagreed with Galileo. That set off a controversy that rages on today. The passion remains but the issues have changed and the arguments have become more complex. Do miracles conflict with scientific laws? How did the universe begin? Does the creation story in Genesis conflict with evolution?Hummel sets these controversies in historical perspective by telling the fascinating stories of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and Newton. Through their eyes we see how science flourished and floundered under the influence of the church, setting the scene for modern conflicts.Then Hummel turns to the Bible, discussing its relationship to science, the place of miracles and the biblical account of the origin of the universe.
With collected insights from Sabbath keepers of all ages and backgrounds, Baab offers a practical and hopeful guidebook to help readers slow down and enjoy their relationship with the God of the universe.
Gross presents chapters on each season of the liturgical year, accompanied by weekly devotions based on the Sunday readings of the lectionary cycle. His book offers a flexible weekly format, so that the devotions can be read in any order.
One of the biggest problems in youth ministry is the constant turnover of youth ministers. DeVries addresses the problem with a systematic answer: churches need to take corporate responsibility for establishing a vision and structure for effective ministry, rather than leaving it all up to the youth minister.
Bessenecker profiles young Christians who have voluntarily removed themselves from the status quo in order to seek justice and mercy with the poorest of the world's poor.
We all want to know our lives matter. So did the Teacher in Ecclesiastes. He invested time and energy in every activity he could think of that might bring meaning and purpose to his life but found only disappointment, frustration, hopelessness. In our thirst for significance we, like the Teacher, give our lives--our time, talents, strength, heart--to anything we think will give us worth and purpose: Power. Relationships. Money. Pleasure. Work. But worshiping these idols has a high cost--and still doesn't bring the fulfillment we long for. In Breaking the Idols of Your Heart Dan Allender and Tremper Longman illuminate for us the Teacher's warnings and, after all his activities, his final radiant conclusion: Meaning and purpose come only when God is truly the center of our life and the object of our hope. Using a compelling fictional narrative at the start of each chapter to encourage reflection on our own life and the lives of family and friends, the authors lead us through Ecclesiastes to help us recognize and exchange cheap pursuits for the only One worth pursuing. Ecclesiastes is not an easy book to read, because transferring our worship from money, power and fame to God is not an easy road to travel. But as the Teacher discovered and wrote down for us, it leads to one conclusion: life lived abundantly, in freedom, hope, purpose, meaning.
In this inspiring devotional, commentary from ancient church fathers accompanies weekly Scripture readings following cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary. Cindy Crosby and Thomas C. Oden also provide brief biographies of the church fathers.
A 2005 Evangelical Christian Publishing Association Gold Medallion finalist.How can we make our lives matter?John Adams and Thomas Jefferson lived in serious times. And, because they chose to live serious lives, they turned the course of history.As the modern era transitions into postmodern turbulence, we, too, find ourselves in serious times. How can we make a difference in the world around us? How can we be an influence for Christ? Most important, how can we make our lives matter?There is a a great movement of God set loose in the world. In this book, James Emery White explores what it means to be at the front lines of what God is doing. When serious times are met with serious lives, the kingdom of God is advanced.Come and discover a life of significance.
What does it take to really make right a severely damaged relationship?When going back to how things were is not nearly good enough, is there hope for true transformation and healing?Counselor and teacher Virginia Todd Holeman weaves together biblical insight and rich theological reflection while drawing from the best of current psychological studies on forgiveness, repentance and reconciling. Out of her own research you will hear the poignant stories of married couples who tell in their own words what it's like to seek reconciliation in seemingly hopeless situations. Complete with honest and practical help, this book will be an encouragement to married couples who dare to hope for the healing and transforming of broken relationships and for counselors and pastors who want to work more effectively with them.
Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman III have together written this brief, simple and engaging introduction to help couples build healthy and happy marriages. Following the "leave, weave and cleave" imagery of the Bible, they help couples learn how to leave their parents, weave a life together and cleave to each other.
When three of Andrew Marin's friends came out to him in the span of three months, he was confronted head-on with the question of how to reconcile his friends with his faith. "Love Is an Orientation" is the result of years of wrestling with this issue. In the book, Marin speaks out with compassion and conviction, elevating the conversation between Christianity and the GLBT community so that the focus is moved from genetics to gospel, where it really belongs.
Taizé--the word is strangely familiar to many throughout the contemporary church. Familiar, perhaps, because the chanted prayers of Taizé are well practiced in churches throughout the world. Strangely, however, because so little is known about Taizé--from its historic beginnings to how the word itself is pronounced.The worship of the Taizé community, as it turns out, is best understood in the context of its greater mission. On the day Jason Brian Santos arrived in the Taizé community its leader was brutally murdered before his eyes. Instead of making Santos want to leave, the way the community handled this tragedy made him long to stay and learn more about this group of people who could respond to such evil with grace and love. In this book he takes us on a tour of one of the world's first ecumenical monastic orders, from its monastic origins in the war-torn south of 1940s France to its emerging mission as a pilgrimage site and spiritual focal point for millions of young people throughout the world. In A Community Called Taizé you'll meet the brothers of the order and the countless visitors and volunteers who have taken upon themselves a modest mission: pronouncing peace and reconciliation to the church and the world.
What makes real reconciliation possible? Katongole and Rice work from their experiences in Uganda and Mississippi to recover distinctively Christian practices that can help the church be both a sign and an agent of God's reconciling love in the fragmented world of the 21st century.
Truth is no longer based on reason What we feel is now the truest reality Yet despite our obsession with the emotive and the experiential we still face anxiety despair and purposelessness Tracing trends in twentieth century thought Francis A Schaeffer shows that Christianity offers meaning where there is purposelessness and hope where there is despair
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