Bøger af Derek Vreeland

The death of Jesus is the foundation of our faith, but what do we mean when we confess that Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture? N.T. Wright's book The Day the Revolution Began offers compelling answers to that question. His book is nothing less than a game changer. Just as Wright's book Surprised By Hope changed our view of the end, so this book is changing our view of the cross. This reader's guide offers a clear summary of Wright's interpretation of the cross in the context of both history and the big story told by the Bible. Using this reader's guide prayerfully will open up vistas of the love of God as you see the revolutionary cross with new eyes. Such a renewed vision will stir your thinking, prompt new conversations about the cross, cause your love for Christ to grow, and equip the Church to carry forth her gospel-shaped mission. What people are saying about N.T. Wright and the Revolutionary Cross: In this reader's guide Derek Vreeland leads us through one of Wright's most important works. Providing the necessary background, locating the central themes, and giving the theological history, he unfolds Wright's majestic treatment of the cross of Christ in a way readers can follow quickly. In so doing, this careful student of N.T. Wright has made it possible for the rest of us students to dive more deeply into what God has accomplished in Christ's death on a cross. I highly recommend N.T. Wright and the Revolutionary Cross. -DAVID FITCH, B.R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology, Northern Seminary, author of Faithful Presence Like a skilled explorer and careful guide, Derek Vreeland once again helps people climb Mount N.T. Wright. Within the pages of N.T. Wright and the Revolutionary Cross, Derek helps us see that the cross is so much more than we realize at first glance. This reader's guide is a great treasure chest that will bring to light the unsearchable riches of Christ. -DERWIN GRAY, Lead Pastor, Transformation Church, author of The High Definition Leader Derek Vreeland is among the most attentive readers of N.T. Wright that I know. More importantly, he stands at the intersection of academic theology and pastoral ministry. To be conversant in the language of the academy and the vernacular of the pew is a skill that is critically important if the work of theology is going to feed the flock of Jesus. With N.T. Wright and the Revolutionary Cross, Derek Vreeland has made important developments in atonement theology accessible to the lay reader. As such, it is a timely and most welcome book! -BRIAN ZAHND, Lead Pastor, Word of Life Church, author of Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God There are few theologians who are able to set crucial Christian doctrines within the grand sweep of the Bible's story like N.T. Wright. Yet it is easy to get lost or confused within a big and complex story. Even where there is a trail, it helps to have a guide. Derek Vreeland is the perfect guide into Wright's expansive work on the cross of Christ. A pastor and a scholar, Vreeland has not simply summarized Wright; he has translated him into our own context, making these vital truths come alive for us as pastors and as followers of Jesus the crucified and risen Lord. -GLENN PACKIAM, Associate Senior Pastor, New Life Church, author of Discover the Mystery of Faith Derek Vreeland brilliantly articulates and unpacks the theological genius of N.T. Wright. Vreeland offers a concise roadmap to The Day the Revolution Began in a way that is accessible for emerging theologians, pastors, and your everyday lay leader. -TARA BETH LEACH, Senior Pastor, PazNaz, author of Emboldened: A Vision for Empowering Women in Ministry

Primal Credo is a fresh, modern reading of the Apostles' Creed. Some followers of Christ have never heard of the creed and others recite the creed Sunday after Sunday without giving it much thought. This book will help you grow in faith if you are a new Christian or a seasoned saint. Enter into the creed and discover your DNA as a believer in Jesus Christ. The Apostles' Creed is an entry point into God's story. From "I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth" to "I believe in...the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting" the Apostles' Creed provides a helpful synopsis of God's story recorded in Scripture. Both the creed and the Scriptures are gifts from the historic church to the contemporary church. The creed works to keep us focused on the big ideas of the Bible, namely God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The creed has been around nearly as long as there has been a Christian Church and for centuries followers of Christ have looked to the creed as a guide to weed out wrong ideas about God, creation, Jesus, salvation, and the end of human history. This book offers a compelling reflection on the Apostles' Creed, guiding the reader through the language of the creed without big, hard-to-understand, theological words. Primal Credo allows everyday Christians to understand and live out the essentials of the Christian faith. Book reviews: Postmodern people are happily rediscovering spirituality, but must wonder if or where faith might find authentic roots. Vreeland's guidance through the Creed offers a fresh connection to the apostolic faith and community. These meditations take us to the heart of how Jesus' early disciples understood his message and still bear witness to it today. -Brad Jersak, Author / Teacher, Fresh Wind Christian Fellowship, Abbotsford, British Columbia In Primal Credo, Derek Vreeland offers the world an engaging reading of the Apostles' Creed. He writes well and crafts vivid images to convey the power and importance of a creed that many repeat weekly without reflecting on its true meaning. He weaves theological reflection around illustrations drawn from the best of modern and ancient sources. To drive home his writing, Vreeland ends each chapter with discussion questions that will help individuals and groups to go deeper in their own journey with God. I happily endorse Primal Credo and hope that it gains a wide audience. -Brian D. Russell, Ph.D., Professor of Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida Don't just read this book. Live it. In Primal Credo, Derek Vreeland provides a vehicle for personal and group study. Witty, scholarly, pastoral and above all, accessible, Primal Credo gives professional and layman alike a deeply personal interaction with a touchstone of the Christian faith. Today the creed is finding whole new audiences as Christians rediscover its pithy encapsulation of orthodoxy. In this concise study, Vreeland proves an apt and engaging companion for that discovery. -Walter Rogero, Pastor, Calvary Gospel Church of the Assemblies of God, Arlington, Virginia If you desire to go deeper in your walk with God, Primal Credo is a must read. This book is relevant and thoughtful. As Christians, we too often look for the new and the trendy while paying little attention to the power of the past. Derek has provided a livable guide from an ancient creed, one that can help you personally reconnect with, and find new meaning from, the basic theological foundations of the Christian faith. I highly recommend this book. -Dr. Stephen Gray, Church Planting Director, Free Methodist Church, Austin, Texas

ECPA 2024 Book Award Finalist -- Ministry ResourcesWhat happens when Jesus becomes obscured from our point of view?With all the hostility boiling just under the surface of our world, we need a renewed vision of Jesus as the Lamb of God who can lead us in the peaceable ways of the Kingdom. When we fail to keep Jesus at the center of our lives, we lean into the desires of our hearts more than the desires God has for us. As a result, our entire spirituality becomes driven by the self and for the self. We need renewed practices of centering Jesus in our hearts and minds.In Centering Jesus, Derek Vreeland invites you to imagine what it looks like to keep Jesus as the Lamb of God at the center of three key areas of our lives--our spiritual formation, our moral lives, and our common life together. With the deep divide in American culture and the polarization that continues to grow, we need a renewed focus on the Lamb so that we might blaze a path forward into civility and kindness.Learn how toidentify the problems that occur when Jesus is obscured from our view;walk through some of the key biblical descriptions of the Lamb;describe a Lamb-shaped and Jesus-centered approach to the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love, the foundation of our moral lives; andexperience the Lamb at the center of common life together, specifically worship life, participation in acts of justice, and political life.

Includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter!Foreword by Derwin Gray, founding pastor of Transformation Church and former NFL player.What if asking Jesus into our hearts is not the heart of the gospel?In By the Way, pastor and author Derek Vreeland reframes everything we've been told about Christianity and what it means to follow Jesus. Discipleship isn't an add-on. Jesus didn't say, Go into all the world and get people saved or Get people to ask me into their hearts. Jesus said, Go therefore and make disciples. Reclaiming discipleship as the heart of the Christian faith means seeing anew the gospel, the cross, the resurrection, transformation, and the community of faith. We learn the ways of Jesus by practicing them, Vreeland says, and in By the Way, he introduces us to the ways of Jesus.Discipleship means joining God's joyful mission of reconciliation on earth, not just saving souls for the afterlife. Following Jesus is more like taking a long walk in the woods than sitting in a classroom. Living by the Way takes practice--and that's the point.

How does God change the human heart? What brings about authentic, lasting transformation? Not willpower. Not trendy, self-help techniques. While we have a part to play, God has much more to do with our spiritual transformation than we do. To use the language of the Trinity, spiritual transformation can be described as the work of the Holy Spirit to transform us into the image of Jesus for the joy of God the Father in the context of Christian community as we walk along spiritual pathways. In other words spiritual transformation includes (1) the Spirit's work, (2) the Son's image, (3) the Father's joy, (4) Christian community, and (5) spiritual pathways. Shape Shifters explores this process and these agents of change that will help you become a person shaped into the image of Jesus. "This Trinitarian vision of spiritual transformation is biblical, balanced, and beautiful. It will resonate with Christians from various traditions and surely benefit the whole Church. Read it and be informed, inspired, and transformed." -Steve Seamands, Professor of Christian Doctrine, Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky