In this 6-session study, Dr. Moore uses key scriptures that distinctively shape us as United Methodists. Each session also lifts up and uses core terms and life application topics taken from the Wesley Study Bible to help you grow as a faithful follower of Jesus as you practice your faith in everyday life. Study questions are included at the end of each chapter for private devotion or small group study.
A breath of fresh air to rejuvenate our churches and denomination.
The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary offers critically sound biblical interpretations. Guided by scholars, pastors and laity representing diverse traditions and academic experience, this collection of commentary meets the needs of preachers, teachers, and all students of the Bible. Easy-To-Use Format A detailed, critical commentary providing an exegetical "close-reading" of the biblical text Reflections that present a detailed exposition of issues raised in the biblical text Introductions to each book that cover essential historical, sociocultural, literary, and theological issues An ecumenical roster of contributors Comprehensive, concise articles Numerous visual aids (illustrations, maps, charts, timelines) enhance use
In recent years, new music and worship styles have enriched the worship styles have enriched the worship experience, from contemporary worship and praise music to world music. New hymnody offers modern images and refreshing tunes that tell the old, old story. Now churches can continue to sing the hymns they treasure and add newer music to their worship life! All editions come with Cross & Flame emblem on the cover except for the "Cross Only" version of the Pew Edition.
The Learning to Study the Bible Student Journal explains the basics of biblical criticism in a fun, age-appropriate way, and allows tweens to practice their Bible study skills through individual activities and reflection. They'll explore the wonders of biblical geography and archaeology. They'll compare and contrast biblical genres. They'll learn the history of biblical interpretation, and discover that they are Bible interpreters too! The journal can be used in a group or family setting, or individually. Session Outline and Learning Goals: Who? Author and Audience Spark curiosity about the authors and original audiences of the Bible Introduce and use Bible dictionaries and commentaries Sharpen deductive reasoning skills in biblical interpretation What? Genre Introduce and explore biblical genres Learn to use Bible commentaries and apps to identify possible genres of texts Explore the significance of genre for biblical interpretation When? Context Investigate the connection between context and meaning Spark curiosity about biblical and modern cultural contexts Use Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and handbooks to research biblical context Where? Geography Spark curiosity about the biblical landscape Prompt reflection on the relationship between land and daily life Use biblical maps and archaeological research to explore biblical geography Why? Interpretation Create awareness of interpretive lenses and layers Spark curiosity about our own and others' interpretive lenses Use a concordance and various translations to compare meanings How? Read Closely Cultivate appreciation for the way our ancestors preserved the biblical text Practice reading carefully and paying attention Discover the four meanings of Scripture and practice interpreting them How? Reread Create awareness of our own role in making meaning Prompt reflection on the nature of Scripture as the "living word of God" Practice the ancient tradition of divine reading How? Read Together Create awareness of the diversity of voices within the canon Inspire students to enter into the centuries-long biblical conversation Practice reading the Bible inter-canonically
Remember those rules we were taught as kids? Work hard. Pay attention. Do this and you'll be successful in life. We did our best to do everything right. But now we feel unsettled, restless, and lost in the chaos. Now what if we told you . . . That's exactly where you should be.In that overwhelming chaos is the very place you'll discover your purpose and passion. The challenge you must accept is the journey to uncover what that is. That journey is your process for transformation. And it starts with breaking a few rules, with awakening the outlaw inside of you. Awaken the Outlaw gives you permission to break through the barriers that keep you from embarking on your search for purpose. It teaches you to look beyond the illusions that prevent you from moving forward. And it empowers you to live your lifeand your faithin a way that draws others into the adventure of their own transformation.
For clergy, retirement is an opportunityand a matter of the soul.The topic of retirement is critical for an increasing number of clergy, but it is often ignoredsomething many clergy would rather not think about. After decades of leadership, retirement can seem more like an obstacleor even like oblivionthan an opportunity. Stepping Aside, Moving Ahead offers guidance for any clergyperson within a decade of retirement. Author Steve Harper writes in the form of letters to a fictitious ';every-pastor.' Through these compassionate and instructive letters, the author dialogues with clergy who are just beginning to think about what retirement might bring and with those who stand on the brink of it. He guides the reader through the entire process of planning for retirement: from the initial questions about timing, to financial and other practical concerns, to issues of call and legacy, and more. Steve Harper's wise counsel and pastoral voice is just what clergy need.';Retirement is a spiritual question for pastors. Having answered the call of God to lifetime ministry, how does a pastor assume the role of a retiree? Steve Harper answers the question with spiritual insights and practical suggestions that affirm retirement as a chapter in God's call leading us to new depths of understanding in renewal and new heights of joy in redeployment.' David McKenna, President Emeritus, Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, KY';Stepping Aside, Moving Ahead offers theological, personal, and practical advice for anyone who is considering or who is already in retirement. Harper includes a comprehensive spectrum of the issues around clergy retirement. His message is clear: there is abundant life after retirement. This book should be given to every clergy at preretirement seminars in order to prepare servant leaders for this fruitful chapter in their lives.' Peggy A. Johnson, Bishop, Philadelphia Area, UMC"e;This book is an excellent tool for boomers and clergy ... who see greatsignificance in living our legacy of love and faith as we mentorothers!"e; --Clayton L. Smith, Executive Pastor, United Methodist Churchof the Resurrection
How clergy and congregations can navigate the tricky transition from one pastor to the next.The Changeover Zoneaddresses a critical and perennial need in the church: the process ofhanding the baton of pastoral leadership from one person to the next. Authors Jim Ozier and Jim Griffith offer practical, clear instructionsand guidance for both clergy and congregations. They provide detailedsections especially for clergy who are taking over from a foundingpastor and for those replacing long-tenured pastors. The book is packedwith real-church examples, helpful tips and tactics that have beenproven successful. This resource will expertly guide pastors,supervisors, and congregations in nearly any church setting ordenomination. I just love this quote from the book: "e;How fastyou run will keep you in the race; how well you hand off will win it"e;. Over the next 10 years we will see one of the largest pastoralleadership transitions in our history. How well we handle this hand-offto the next generation may well determine our future. The Changeover Zoneis timely, helpful and insightful as we approach these transitions inleadership. Every personnel committee, pastor, judicatory leader,district superintendent and bishop should read this book beforeapproaching any major leadership changes. --Bob Farr, Director ofCongregational Excellence, MO Conference, UMC; author, The NecessaryNineThe Changeover Zone provides a roadmap for how tomake healthy pastoral transitions, especially in churches making theirfirst transition or first transition in a long time. This book willhelp you learn how to not only survive a church pastoral transition buthow to thrive and gain momentum through the transition. We haveutilized this roadmap in East Ohio and it works. I recommend this bookto anyone involved with pastoral transitions at any level. --Kelly P. Brown, Director of Congregational Vitality, East Ohio Conference, UMC Agreat resource for pastors and churches who are going throughtransitions. I love how the change in a church pastor is seen not as anevent, but as more of a process and from various key perspectives. This will be a valuable tool for my coaching with pastors and churcheswho are entering a season of transition. --Ken Willard, leadershipcoach, certified church consultant, and author, Time Management for theChristian LeaderWhen our church learned that both long tenuredpastors were leaving at the same, we knew we needed expert help. JimOzier led our leaders in a workshop based on The Changeover Zone toprepare us for this scary change. In this book the authors use soundbiblical footing to show you what to do and how to do it, as you gothrough a pastoral change. --Cheryl Lee, SPPR Chairman, Ebenezer UnitedMethodist Church, Suffolk, VA The action plan for the 100days before and after a change of pastors (the Changeover Zone) isbrimming with time-tested wisdom. Pastors, churches, and supervisorswill be prepared to not only minimize the pain and confusion that comeswith pastoral transitions, but actually maximize the potential forgrowth and new life in congregations. --Ken Irby, Shreveport DistrictSuperintendent, Louisiana Annual Conference, UMCThis book isfilled with insight and excellent counsel. I have been using theauthors' advice on making a great handoff for several years. You willnod your head as you read, and say, Of Course. Keep nodding. It willmake a difference in raising up stronger leaders and buildingreproducible systems. And that's what we all want. --Cathy Townley,Townley Coaching FINALLY! A simple, straightforward way to think about an essential part of ministry - transitions. Transitions can make or break a ministry and too often they happen without the purposeful thought that can make them successful. Whether your context is a new start pastor moving on or a long tenured pastor receiving a new appointment, this book will be your comprehensive guide in the process of ending well and starting strong.- Rev. Nicole Reilley, Director of New Ministries, Cal-Pac Conference
Engaging historical novel demonstrates how God's great love can change hearts--as well as minds.
Passed over for promotion and dumped by her boyfriend, Nina O'Malley is further frustrated when her editor assigns her one of the soft stories she despises. At the event, she runs into her high school nemesis: Greg is a widower and the adoptive father of Jazarah, an HIV positive girl from Ethiopia.
A quilt, a secret message, a dog, and a possible treasure make for an unforgettable Christmas!
Will New York City lure Annie away from her home...and the possibility of love?
Every pastor knows that each community of faith consists of individuals who may be in crisis at any given moment, for a multitude of reasons. However, it s essential that church leaders also view their congregations as a single organism in need of looking after as a whole.This book explores the core competencies, skills, and knowledge available to and needed by pastors so that they can provide suitable care for the most common needs of their members. Crisis Counseling in the Congregation provides a basic tool kit including in-depth listening skill, helping questions, various frameworks, and when to refer. Pastors will also benefit from the suggested reading list."
Thank God It's Thursday is the prequel to bestselling author Will Willimon's highly successful, Thank God It's Friday. Following the book of John, Will Willimon focuses on the Jesus' teaching of his disciples prior to his own death but also before their own hour of decision. The climax of the Gospel is when Jesus pours out his life on the cross-surely an enactment and demonstration of the power of God's self-sacrificial love.So to sustain and fortify his followers for the difficulties ahead, Jesus prepares them by teaching and offering sacraments of self-giving,, through which they (and we) experience the grace and presence of the risen Lord. This book can equip Christians to face their hardships as they humbly serve with the promise of God's abiding presence already made good by his outpouring of sacrificial love. Written with the clarity, depth, and insight that are Will Willimon's trademark, this book offers afresh the challenge and grace of the message of the Resurrected One.
African orthodoxy today reveals the same powerful faith that was confessed by Athanasius and Augustine seventeen centuries ago.Classic African Christian teaching in the patristic period (100750 AD) preceded modern colonialism by over a thousand years. Many young African women and men are now reexamining these lost roots. They are hungry for accurate information about their Christian ancestors. Thomas C. Oden asks readers to recapture the resonance of a consensual orthodoxy, the harmony of voices celebrating the apostolic testimony to God's saving work in Jesus Christ, witnessed to in scripture and understood best by African interpreters of the faith. In ten seminars, Oden invites discerning readers to reclaim and reaffirm Christian faith as it emerges from thoughtful conversations between contemporary and ancient African interpreters of orthodox faith. ';This new book by Tom Oden is remarkable and historic. His words challenge the worldwide church to return to the true fountain of living water, Jesus Christ. He specifically encourages us Africans to continue to seek the treasures left to us by our early church fathers and mothers in order to reshape the Christian mind now as they did in the first millennium.' The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis, Archbishop of the Episcopal/AnglicanDiocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa';A thought-provoking book with factual evidences emphasizing the continuity of global orthodoxy that emanated in Africa and has been nurtured by Africans from the time of Mark the evangelist to the present. People yearning to discover the intellectual and classical African Christian roots will find the book very helpful.' Thomas A. Oduro, President, Good News Theological College & Seminary, Accra, Ghana';While Tom Oden writes about Africans for Africans, The Rebirth of African Orthodoxy: Return to Foundations is also addressed to all Christians everywhere who ask, ';What is God doing in the world today?' The author proposes that the clue to what God is doing in the present is to be found in what God has done in the past, for ';the Holy Spirit has a history.' Tom directs us to look to Africa, where the ancient African Christian orthodoxy is being reborn in the African church today, making it a witness to the whole church everywhere.' Timothy W. Whitaker, retired bishop, Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church
This resource includes helpful prayers to use in public worship during Lent and Holy week. The collection includes invocations, opening prayers, prayers of confession, and pastoral prayers for the Sundays of Lent, Palm/Passion Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday services. Drawn from a variety of traditions, the prayers in this collection will aid any congregation as it worships throughout the journey of Lent.
Retirement can be the most purpose-filled, satisfying, fun phase of your life!Thousands of men and women are retiring each day, and many look forward to this phase of life with equal parts excitement and anxiety. Baby boomers have high expectations of retirement: they want to be redeployed to a life that is meaningful, significant, and full of joy. But this requires thoughtful planning, and many soon-to-be retirees wonder how they'll get there, or if they're even on the right path. At the Crossroads, by Clayton Smith and Dave Wilson, is a six-week Bible-based study offering comprehensive, practical help for Christians who are approaching, entering, or already in retirement. Readers can work through the book on their own or as part of a group. The book guides readers through a study and reflection process to discover their purpose, passion, and mission for retirement. It includes self-assessments and other planning tools to help readers develop a personal and spiritual mission statement. The book also facilitates discussions with family and friends about shared priorities, expectations, and end-of-life decisions, bringing a sense of peace for all involved. Finally, the book includes a chapter on financial planning, with a focus on the reader's legacy, for an impact that will last through generations.';Most churches do too little to reach people who are nearing or entering retirement. Case in point: the baby boomer generation, which is slipping away from the church. At the Crossroads is a gift for people in this groupand for church leaders seeking to nurture them. It offers a way for retirees to reclaim God's purpose for their lives and to serve as never before. This is powerful for the individual and for the church! Pastors should use this as the basis for preretirement classes. It is a comprehensive study in service, community, stewardship, life purpose, and spirituality.' William B. Randolph, Director, Aging and Older Adult Ministries, Discipleship Ministries (UMC)"e;For Boomers who are ready to take a serious look at their future, At The Crossroads is an excellent place to start. Perfect for small groups and individuals who are ready to engage in six critical discussions, participants will be guided to discover their purpose as they move into the second half of life."e; - Rev. Dr. Craig Kennet Miller, author of Boomer Spirituality: Seven Values for the Second Half of Life and Director of Congregational Development at Discipleship Ministries with the United Methodist Church. "e;A useful tool for a community of Boomers looking to build and grow an enriching fellowship for the body, mind and spirit. We are excited to use this study ...!"e; -- Tiwana Whitten, First United Methodist Church, Topeka KS."e;At the Crossroads is a creative six week bible-based study that will help those of us over 55 to prepare for, transition into or live out our retirement years in more exciting and productive ways. I thank Clayton Smith and Dave Wilson for sharing from their experiences as an executive pastor and lay leader at Church of the Resurrection in a resource that will help us move from senior adult programs that mainly focus on ';entertainment and travel' to instead preparing and motivating seniors to use their many gifts and graces in their church and community. I especially appreciate the book being grounded in biblical practices while using business-like methods that will be familiar to recent retirees. The ';tools' included and available ';on-line' help develop an inventory that will be used as building blocks for establishing a personal Mission/Purpose Statement and Strategic Plan. The many ';God Stories' in personal interviews and the Chapter that focuses on ';Caring Conversations' with family and friends make this book special in accomplishing a bridge to the many current ';Boomers' who think of retirement as a ';career shift' not as a traditional approach to retirement."e; -- Paul R. Ervin, Jr., Director of Generous Living, Long's Chapel UMC, Lake Junaluska, NC
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