Spiritual/Religion

The pastor preached a very short sermon one Sunday morning. He explained: "My dog got into my office and chewed up some of my notes." At the close of the service, a visitor made this request: "If your dog ever has puppies, please let my pastor have one of them!" God intends for us to smile. Far more muscles are used when we frown than when we smile. So why overwork facial muscles? Laughter is as much a part of the heart of God as are tears. This book is a collection of devotions built around som... more info>>

Jake and Nan venture away from home for the first time. It is a time of making decisions. They come to a fork in the road leading to two different directions each taking a separate path. You will go with Jake and Nan on their adventures. You will make decisions along with them. Will they be the right ones? Pick a path and see where it takes you. Neon Pathway is a devotional for young adults. After each chapter there are activities and a "Think About" section. Great for youth groups, family Bible... more info>>

Is your congregation concerned primarily with health and stability, or mission and outreach? Does it always or usually seek a pleasant sense of harmony and fellowship, or does it vibrate with an edgy energy? Are the members risk averse, or risk takers? In this innovative book, Tom Bandy explains how harmony--the desire to minimize conflict and change--can deaden our discernment of the leadership of the Spirit, and render us blind to the needs of the world into which Jesus would lead. With the vi... more info>>

Lyle E. Schaller contends that large public high schools have naturally tended to evolve into dysfunctional institutions. He examines the power of the social, physical, economic, demographic, religious, geographic, and work environments to influence human behavior related to the public secondary educational system and suggests ways in which schools can learn lessons from other organizations, such as major league baseball, the business world, churches, the military, and researchers. The key assum... more info>>

In many ways the Lord's Prayer is the most fundamental of all Christian prayers. It was given by Jesus in response to his disciples' explicit request that he teach them to pray, and throughout the period of the early church, along with the creed, it was regarded as a basic catchetical text. For a large number of people in our own period, however, trying to pray this prayer in any meaningful way is fraught with difficulties. Roberta Bondi contends that christians are called to love God and our ne... more info>>

People are looking for authenticity and they are not finding it in much of the church. The basic principle behind this book goes back to the old "chestnut": If being a Christian were a crime would there be enough evidence to convict you? Are we "walking the talk?" Are we living the example? Are we being salt and light? Would a non-believer, looking at our lives, want to have what we have? Radically Real is a wake-up call to the church. It is a call to look at the way we are living our lives. It ... more info>>

This book offers a year's worth of short daily devotional readings written specifically for today's young adults. Though this is a diverse group with a variety of needs and interests, they are sojourners together on a common journey--one that includes many similar experiences, stages, and transitions that each of them has been through, is currently going through, or will go through at some time in the future. The young adult years are a time of change and challenge, a time of seeking and searchi... more info>>

Those who serve on mission fields in areas where Christian faith is not the dominant religion quickly come to understand a central truth: when one is sharing the gospel, one must have a place to start the conversation. If the person being addressed is unfamiliar with Christian concepts and terms, one must pick up on things with which he or she is familiar, and relate these to the Christian message. Without this middle ground, there can be no effective witness to God's salvation in Christ. Everyo... more info>>

When the hearing and telling of stories captures our imaginations, we are enabled at the deepest level to take our lives seriously. By envisioning other worlds, we are rendered capable of listening to God and to ourselves, and of growing in God's image. This is how Roberta Bondi comes to tell stories in this book, stories that were formed in a life of prayer. They reflect on life's turning points and how these are made both more difficult and more open to grace by the Christian understandings of... more info>>

This book is about what happens when small churches discover an ancient mission in the contemporary world. Prospect Road Uniting Church is a ministry composed of five little churches in Adelaide, Australia. Robin came to these five declining, defensive, small churches in 1996. Today there are still five churches. They are still small. But they are no longer five timid congregations clinging to survival, but five centers of indigenous mission spanning the micro-cultures of urban Ad... more info>>

Suddenly, one day you are a parent. And if your parents weren't a good example, it's hard to know what to do. When parents trade spiritual convictions for those of secular culture--with its misguided principles and mistaken priorities--our families, faith, and foundations are in trouble. Happiness has become the hallmark of successful parenthood in today's high-tech, low-touch world where faithfulness is for the foolish and parenthood is provisional. But now, Chuck and Jenni Borsellino offer a b... more info>>

The past five decades have altered the role of the churches. The third millennium will bring an even more radically different context for ministry. How the parish minister meets the challenge of that change is the subject of this latest book by best-selling author Lyle E. Schaller. Schaller makes the statistics speak by discussing four dozen factors that will provide challenges and opportunities in the next millennium. These include the emergence of thousands of new independent congregations, ec... more info>>

This resource is designed especially for people who are asked, on short notice, to lead a brief devotional or worship service. It's also an excellent way for worship leaders, teachers, and program leaders to be prepared for sudden changes in their plans.

Frequently decision-making means trading one set of problems for a different set of problems. The basic law of traditionalism: If it is not necessary to change, it is necessary not to change. Whenever there is disagreement on alternatives the situation becomes a political situation. Lyle E. Schaller, an expert in parish planning, makes statements such as these in the hope that the decision-makers in the local churches and denominational organizations will better understand the realities and so i... more info>>

Many mainline churches make the mistake of thinking that in order to get off the plateau or reverse the decline they must become something that they are not. Often that change of identity has to do with worship. In a study funded by the Lilly Foundation, Robert Cueni has interviewed pastors and members of dozens of large-membership mainline churches that have turned around long-standing patterns of stagnation or decline. The common denominator he identified is that the leadership of these church... more info>>

This book contains 31 stories or reflections centered on the theme of finding God in daily events and aims to help readers look and listen for God each day of their life. These stories can be used as meeting devotionals, or by pastors for sermon illustrations, and each opens with a Scripture and ends with a brief prayer. New Revised Standard Version, King James and Good News Bible translations are used.

This book is for church leaders, both clergy and lay, who seek to challenge the status quo and implement change in their congregations. Schaller's plan of intervention suggests that the long-range planning committee is the most effective vehicle of change. He systematically addresses the issues this committee faces, such as knowing when to intervene, how to decide which issues to tackle, how to face financial concerns, when to implement the plan, and how to overcome resistance. Key Features: Inv... more info>>

Building upon the popularity of the A Moment with God series, these next two titles, A Moment with God for Volunteers and A Moment with God for Those Who Grieve, provide 58 prayers appropriate for their audience. Most importantly for today's busy lifestyles, each prayer is short enough to be read in only a couple of minutes. The inclusion of a Scripture passage for every prayer makes these books suitable for use in both personal and group devotion.

"This text provides a comprehensive and definitive introduction to the literature, cultures, and theologies of the early Jewish and Christian traditions. Designed to be read with selected passages from the Bible and the Apocrypha, An Introduction to the Bible offers essential information to students with little or no experience in the academic study of religion. It will help students gain a solid background for future work in biblical studies. The revised edition includes information regarding n... more info>>

Have you ever wondered what Jesus would say to Mohammad? Or Buddha? Or Oscar Wilde? Maybe you have a friend who practices another religion or admires a more contemporary figure. Drop in on a conversation between Jesus and some well-known individuals whose search for the meaning of life took them in many directions-and influenced millions. Popular scholar Ravi Zacharias sets a captivating scene in this first in the intriguing Conversations with Jesus books. Through dialogue between Christ and Gau... more info>>

This devotional resource guides you on a year's journey during which you will find specific direction for becoming a more disciplined, faithful disciple of Christ. Each daily reading begins with a statement of the day's central idea to focus your mind, followed by the passage of Scripture that inspired the central idea. After this comes a brief meditation, and an exercise to help you apply the main idea during the day.

Daily meditations that offer comfort and spiritual guidance for those who seek God's healing presence. Each uplifting message begins with Scripture and ends with an affirmation for reflection and prayer, encouraging deep self-examination on topics such as relationships, courage, trust, self-acceptance, fear, change, and love.

It's Christmas time, and when God's in control, anything can happen--even for a grieving father and an engaged social worker.

In this first book in the new LifeChange series, bestselling author Randy Alcorn introduces readers to a revolution in material freedom and radical generosity that will change lives around the world. Ninety-five percent of Christians have never come to terms with a biblical perspective on their material possessions, Alcorn writes. God has entrusted His wealth to us and called upon us to manage and invest His money. This is in everyone's best interests, including our own. When Jesus told His foll... more info>>

It happens in almost every part of life. We wear down, burn out, and lose hope. While nothing is fail-safe, there are things you can do to halt the downward slide in your family. This book gives dynamic biblical solutions to people who are asking:--Why don't I have passion in my spiritual life?--Is it still possible to restore my marriage?--Can I raise my children to be "on fire" for God?--Where do I start? Bruce Wilkinson shows how, in the midst of a society without morals, a passionate relatio... more info>>