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Give your children the greatest gift of all-pass on your faith.In Passing It On, Kara Lassen Oliver provides a practical guide to help parents, grandparents, and other concerned adults nurture their children's faith. For four weeks at a time, she offers easy-to-follow suggestions for families during the seasons of Advent, Lent, summer, and back to school.This book featuresplans for weekly Family Gatherings with age-appropriate activitiessymbols to remind family members of the week's spiritual emphasisa suggested daily practice and prayer for each weeka Leader's Guide for parent groups studying this book togetherThe most valuable legacy we can pass to our children, grandchildren, and other children is a spiritual heritage. Kara Oliver shows us how to do just that.

Music is such an important part of Advent and Christmas. Can you imagine Advent without "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"? How about Christmas without carols like "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "Silent Night," and "Joy to the World"?It pleases the Lord Jesus when we sing of his coming with carols we know by heart. It pleases him even more when we think about the words we are singing.In 24 reflections on well-known carols and Christmas songs, James Howell explores the birth of Jesus. He ponders the meaning of certain phrases from these songs and relates them to our daily lives.The four weeks of devotions are arranged by topic: The PlaceThe Men (Joseph, shepherds, magi)The MotherThe ChildA guide for weekly discussion is included.Join Howell in this rich remembrance for the Advent and Christmas seasons.

"Prayer is not an occasional exercise to which you turn now and then; it is a life attitude. It is the will to cooperate with God in your total life."-E. Stanley JonesThis reissue of a popular booklet and primer on prayer by renowned evangelist E. Stanley Jones brings his excellent-and practical-advice to a new generation. Topics include the steps of prayer, the time and place for prayer, how prayer brings us into a deeper relationship with God, and more.New to this edition, Tom Albin expands on key elements of prayer and provides background information about Jones and his ministry.KEY FEATURESShort, easy-to-read helps for building a prayer lifeAdditional information about E. Stanley Jones and his ministry

Throughout her life, Jane Herring struggled to hear what scripture had to say to her. She began wondering if the Bible was either too complicated a book to read in a meaningful way or too puzzling to actually mean anything at all. It was only when she started speaking back to scripture putting pen to paper to write poetry, lists, stories, and letters that Herring's relationship with the Bible began to unfold. Filled with down-to-earth stories, One Day I Wrote Back offers insight and perspective on scripture passages. Herring invites readers to use faith, reason, and imagination as they write in response to each week's scripture

Nationally recognized older adult advocate Missy Buchanan offers a compassionate look at the concerns of two generations adult children and their parents as they struggle with the fears and frustrations of aging. Buchanan invites readers of both generations to stand in each other's shoes through a series of 20 scenarios, presented as paired conversations with God. First she introduces the adult child's perspective on a common situation, such as the need for the parent to give up driving or move to a more manageable living arrangement. She follows with the older adult's feelings and concerns. Buchanan provides a scripture passage, suggestions to help both generations talk about and face the challenging situation, and a closing prayer

Fear. Anger. Shame. Resentment. Despair. If you love someone with an addiction, these are familiar emotions. As the wife of an alcoholic, Alyssa Phillips knows them all too well.In this collection of 52 devotions, Phillips shares her journey of coming to peace with loving an addict. Like many of us, at a crisis point she turned to the Bible. As she immersed herself in the Gospel stories, she noticed that what she'd heard at 12-step meetings complemented insights she found in the Gospels.Phillips's authentic reflections and prayers will help you find hope and strength to cope with your challenges.

In this delightful collection of 52 devotions, Evelyn Bence reflects on gatherings at her table that have brought together friends, family, and neighbors. The anecdotal meditations ease the door ajar, gently inviting you to welcome others to your table. You see her planning a gathering, choosing recipes, thinking about how to make guests feel at ease.For seasoned hosts, Bence provides encouragement and camaraderie. For novices, she offers gentle instruction laced with humor, realistic expectations, and recipes to try.Many readers will remember Evelyn Bence as a frequent contributor to Daily Guideposts. Known for her warm, personal writing, she offers devotional gems and recipes in Room at My Table that will appeal to a wide range of Christian women. The book makes a thoughtful hostess gift.Come along, Bence gracefully urges - you, too, can make room at your table for others to share a meal or even just a cup of coffee and dessert. Whether your table is humble or grand, you can reach out to others and enjoy offering hospitality.

"Grief is such a messy thing," Roberta Bondi writes in the introduction. "It fills us with many ideas and images, memories and fantasies, celebration and bitter regret all at once - all superimposed upon one another. No wonder it wears us out."In this book of poetry and reflections on her mother's death, Bondi acknowledges her grief in the presence of God over the span of a few months. She expresses many conflicting feelings: love, pain, anger, guilt, emptiness, confusion, exhaustion, relief that her mother was no longer suffering. As she celebrates her mother's life and wrestles with her own sense of loss and longing, she ponders the mystery of life, death, and God's presence every day all around us in nature as well as in relationships.Even though we may feel isolated in our grief, we do not grieve alone, Bondi reminds us. In this firsthand account of her grief, she offers a gift to all who are grieving - comfort and help with accepting the forward and backward movements of grief and loss.Wild Things will also be a valuable resource for those seeking to aid and comfort the grieving: pastors, counselors, chaplains, hospice workers, and family and friends of those dealing with loss.

"Life is full of interruptions. You have a flat tire on the way to work. Your phone buzzes, signaling yet another text or e-mail. Or a major interruption blindsides you the death of a loved one, a job loss, a family member in crisis, or a shattering diagnosis. Where is God in all these situations? Interruptions: A 40-Day Journey with Jesus provides a chance for you to set aside your stress for a bit and refocus on God. Jacob Armstrong looks at the life of Jesus and gives insights on how you might respond to all the interruptions in your life. The scripture-based meditations guide you to think about interruptions from various angles: Interruption as an opportunity Living in a culture of interruptions Jesus' response to interruptions Jesus as an interrupter Armstrong weaves together biblical and contemporary stories in these short, effective devotions. His book will encourage you and remind you that God wants to meet you

Jan Johnson offers an innovative Advent small-group study built around a careful contextual reading of scripture combined with the imaginative reading approach introduced by St. Ignatius. The title Taste and See hints at how readers are invited to experience the stories of the season with their senses. Drawing on that experience of scripture, participants then consider how these stories speak to their own lives.

Getting to know God means getting to know ourselves. The more we know who God is the more we know who we are. The Gospel of John records several declarations of Jesus known as the "I Am" sayings. This 7-week study is designed for the entire congregation to explore each of those sayings and will help you find and form an answer to the most essential question in the Christian faith, "Who do you say I am?"One by one, Jesus' statements grab our imagination, reveal more about his identity and purpose, and connect us to the God of Moses, who spoke the first "I Am." These significant yet ordinary images (bread, light, shepherd, vine, and more) give us insightful ways to experience Jesus and point us to a God who wants to be known.

EMBODIED LIGHT invites readers to ponder our Creator's daring adventure of taking on human flesh and coming to earth to live among us. Melissa Tidwell's penetrating reflections for Advent reveal how to follow this fully human yet fully divine Jesus with our full selves body, mind, and spirit. This Advent study explores the meaning of incarnation and helps readers discover the answer to these questions: What does it really mean that God became human? How can I embody God's love in my own life?

How do you discover God's guidance for personal and congregational decisions? Explore paths to clarity in The Way of Discernment, a 10-week study for small groups.Who is this book designed for?People yearning to hear the Holy Spirit's guidanceIndividuals looking for direction in vocation or life changesChurch leaders seeking clarity about their congregation's distinctive missionChristians searching for God's will in matters of belief, ethics, and faithful livingPart of the Companions in Christ series, The Way of Discernment offers a biblical, theological, and practical framework for understanding the practice of discernment. Sessions includeThe Beckoning of DiscernmentThe Heart of DiscernmentFruit as TouchstonesCore Identity as TouchstoneGrowing in the GiftIn the Hard PlacesCommunal Discernment: BeginningsCommunal Discernment: Going FartherElements of Perpetual ChallengeThe All-Encompassing Audience

Know an elderly person who needs a little encouragement?Best-selling author Missy Buchanan, an older adult advocate and a former creativity educator, offers you a bounty of ideas for lifting the spirits of older adults. Her passion for and sensitivity to the needs of elderly persons shine through in this practical book that's packed with simple, creative ways to boost the joy of older adults.Joy Boosters is perfect for families and friends of older adults, caregivers, senior residence facilities, and churches that want to minister effectively to older adults. Don't miss the opportunity to make someone's day...or week.

When the angel appeared to Mary to announce that she had been chosen to bear the long-awaited Messiah, Mary must have felt shocked, afraid, dismayed, confused. Yet she responded soon afterward by singing a beautiful song of faith known as the Magnificat.This song glorifying God's presence and promise reveals many of the themes that will later form the foundation of Jesus' ministry: justice, grace, and deliverance. For each week of Advent, a different line of the Magnificat serves as the basis for the daily meditations that will appeal to individuals or groups. Includes a guide for small groups.

Sometimes prayers flow easily, and we can talk to God as naturally as we would a dear friend. At other times, though, the words just won't come. "Prayers for Life's Ordinary and Extraordinary Moments" is a unique collection of prayers that gives you the words to pray when you can't find words of your own. The honest, heartfelt prayers address such categories as: For the People We Love, Birthdays and Milestones, The Cry for Justice, Loss and Grief, In Uncertain Times, Asking for Healing, Facing Our Own and Others' Imperfections, Spiritual Searching, and Gratitude for Ordinary Miracles.

You can believe anything and be a Methodist, just so long as you're sincere.Such a misperception has deep historical and cultural roots.Explore a basic explanation of the beliefs and practices of the United Methodist Church as defined in Part II of The Book of Discipline. Uncover a deeper understanding and experience of Christian faith as you embrace the United Methodist way."Beliefs are to be lived; doctrine is to be practiced," writes Carder in this updated edition of his 1996 bestseller. "The authenticity of beliefs lie in their ability to shape people and communities into the image of Christ and to promote holiness and happiness. ...The important test of the validity of doctrines and beliefs for United Methodists is the kind of character they produce in individuals and communities and the actions they inspire in the world."Living Our Beliefs is essential reading for new members, confirmation classes and small group studies.As one reviewer says, "Bishop Carder invites us to both understand and live our beliefs. With deep understanding of Wesley's teaching, he inspires us to practice what we preach. That is the United Methodist way."The Leader's Guide for this course, Living Our United Methodist Beliefs, by George Hovaness Donigan may be purchased here.

An exploration of the inner life shared by many persons in nursing homes and retirement centers.

A Perfect Love is the full text of Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian Perfection edited and updated for the contemporary reader. It also includes in-text definitions and notes that explain names and terms that may be unfamiliar to the reader, as well as hymns by Charles Wesley that describe the work of grace in human lives that leads to perfection in love. The term Christian perfection, as Wesley used and understood it, may be translated as Christian maturity; it is the outcome of a life lived with and for God in Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus built relationships with people through simple, clear stories. And we are people of the story, seeking to name and share our stories in nearly everything we do. Dancing With Words provides help for all church leaders--both clergy and lay--to explore the history and importance of storytelling in faith development and to acquire basic storytelling skills. Through an understanding of the history of storytelling and of storytellers as keepers of beliefs, traditions, history, and values, you will find new meaning in the stories and storytellers of the Bible and of the Christian faith, learn what makes a good story, discover your own style as a storyteller, learn the techniques of effective storytelling, and practice creating stories from your own experience. Let the dance begin!

Each One a Minister, a revised and enlarged edition of Carter's previous book by the same title, begins with a 6-session study of Ephesians. Carter engages the reader in discovering the meaning of church, ministry, and gifts - from the early church up to the present.As a follow-up to the Bible study, readers and study groups look at ways in which God's gifts are practical as well as spiritual. Four ministry categories, closely connected to the congregational primary task (receive, relate, equip, send), are identified. Scripture readings, activities, and ways to implement specific ministries are suggested.Designed to encourage individuals to discover God's call to ministry in their own lives, Each One a Minister leads toward practical ways of using gifts in ministries in our congregations and in our communities. An ideal resource for clergy, lay leaders, study groups, and others seeking to identify and use their gifts in meaningful ways.Discover Your Spiritual Gifts Leader's Guide is also available.

Use this proven strategy for outreach in conjunction with The Faith-Sharing Congregation by Swanson and Clement and Faith-Sharing New Testament with Psalms (Cokesbury).

Accountable Discipleship is the foundational resource for persons involved in Accountable Discipleship ministries. Manskar provides a biblical, theological, and historical undergirding for this work. He explores a systematic approach for undertaking and accepting the challenge of personal discipleship for life. In addition, Manskar outlines a process for developing leadership that could help transform the life of the congregation.

In Fire in the Soul, Richard L. Morgan offers prayers to God for help in meeting the following late-life challenges: discovering God's call at retirementmoving to deeper contemplationaccepting agingdiscerning the meaning of storiesmentoringfacing loss and deathredeeming sufferingMorgan includes personal prayers (most written after his own retirement) as well as classic prayers from John Calvin, Saint Augustine, John Donne, and Teresa of Avila. A constant spiritual guide for the later years, Fire in the Soul is a valuable guide for midlifers as well as clergy, social workers, and other professionals who work with older adults.Enlarged Print