Böcker utgivna av CSS Publishing Company

Ever overhear a pre-teen or early teen conversation? It can be pretty dramatic -- in fact, young people and drama go together like... God and the Bible! If you're looking for quality material that draws middle school/junior high age young people into the scriptures, here's an invaluable resource. My Way Or Thy Way is a collection of twelve brief plays that bring familiar Bible stories to life in contemporary conversation that's easy to understand. By focusing on the choices made by the main characters -- and their consequences -- the scenes help young people make better choices in their own lives. "I want to do it my way, not thy way" was the struggle of these biblical personages, and many of us face similar issues today. Each skit lets participants "walk in the sandals" of ordinary people who faced extraordinary choices. Designed for versatility, these scenes can be given full dramatic performances with props, scenery, and costumes, or presented in readers' theater format for use as dynamic classroom discussion starters. Each drama is accompanied by questions and a variety of related activities. My Way Or Thy Way is an excellent supplement to a Sunday school, Bible school, or Bible study curriculum, and is especially useful for youth groups. These beautifully written skits are a perfect way for youth (and adults) to discover the teachings of the Bible. Pat Betteley has created a series of inventive and insightful pieces that encourage active participation from both performer and audience. What a great tool for a Sunday service or youth group meeting! Brint Learned Executive Director, Rabbit Run Community Arts Association Madison, Ohio In a world filled with choices, it's good to examine the choices of the "faith full." This book is filled with delectable skits and lots of ideas on how to use them in a variety of ways -- from the very theatrical to simple read-aloud discussion starters. The skits are filled with righteous puns and double entendres, putting a light touch on serious material. They make talking about making right choices fun and refreshing. Judy Astle Executive Director, Camp Henry Westminster Presbyterian Church Grand Rapids, Michigan Every Christian education director, children's coordinator, and Vacation Bible School director would benefit by having this collection. Richard Lehto Former District Superintendent, East Ohio Conference United Methodist Church Pat Betteley is a freelance writer with a passion for literature and drama. She has been a reading specialist and elementary classroom teacher for many years, and works with children, music, and drama in her church. Co-founder of a Christian theater group for all ages, Betteley has published several plays in such children's magazines as Faces, USKids, Creative Classroom, and Plays: The Drama Magazine for Young People.

The acronym WWJD (What would Jesus do?) has become a popular device for making ethical and moral decisions, and evaluating how we should act in a wide range of situations. But this seemingly ubiquitous slogan has also been used to trivialize Jesus and use his name to endorse some activity or product. Now we also hear questions like: What would Jesus eat? What would Jesus wear? What would Jesus drive? Enough already! If you want to consider this question seriously, then the best way to find the answer to WWJD is to investigate what Jesus actually did while he was here on earth. Jesus Christ was a real man who lived in a real time and a real place -- and his words and deeds are recorded in the four Gospels. Once we carefully study the Gospels and become familiar with what Jesus did, then we will be in a better position to discern what Jesus would do now. What Jesus Did is an in-depth look at the life of Jesus, including his birth, his parables, his miracles, his sayings, his death, and his resurrection. The unique format of this study guide makes it an excellent resource for a preaching series, Sunday School lessons, group Bible study, or personal devotional reading. Each chapter is built around a series of questions to help you gain deeper meaning and insight from the scriptures. And because Jesus expects us to turn learning into doing and live according to his example, each chapter also includes a WWJD action step for applying his teachings in our daily lives. In fresh language that brings the sayings and saving activities of Jesus into the world of the third millennium, Prescott-Ezickson shares Bible studies with emotional impact on the classic motivation for Christian living, What would Jesus do? Robert T. Coote Former Associate Director, Overseas Ministries Study Center New Haven, Connecticut Robert D. Prescott-Ezickson is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Meriden, Connecticut. He is a graduate (M.Div. and Ph.D.) of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and has previously pastored churches in Indiana, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He has also been an adjunct professor of religion at Central Connecticut State University. Prescott-Ezickson has served as president of the Minister's Council for American Baptist Churches of Connecticut, moderator of the South Central Association, and president of the Meriden Clergy Association. He is the author of God Has A Plan For You! (CSS).

Effectively communicating with young people is vitally important -- we are constantly challenged to share the story of God's love in a way that really connects with them. Using puppets is an increasingly popular method for establishing a rapport with children and capturing their attention. Puppets are much more than just another gimmick -- because children (and adults, too!) carefully listen to and absorb the messages presented, they can be a very useful teaching tool. If you are interested in trying this captivating approach in your congregation, then Peter And The Children is just the resource for you. H. Burnham Kirkland has created 66 short pieces perfect for "children's time" in worship services or Sunday school classrooms. Employing witty dialogue between a presenter and a hand-held puppet named Peter, the frequently humorous and always instructive scenes can be used as written or to help generate ideas for your own presentations. Kirkland writes in a direct style that's easy for young people to understand, and makes the Christian faith relevant to their lives. Some of the presentations include: • Will Roast Pig Bring Us Luck? • A Direct Line To Jesus • I'm Allergic To That Word "School" • Weather Or Not • How Do You Catch The Christmas Spirit? H. Burnham Kirkland, during more than fifty years in the ministry, served as the pastor of eight local congregations and as a missionary in the Philippines, as well as district superintendent, conference program director, and treasurer of World Missions of the United Methodist Church. A graduate of the College of the City of New York and Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Dr. Kirkland also holds honorary doctorates from Philippine Wesleyan University and DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana). This is his fifth CSS book. Now retired, Kirkland lives in Lakeland, Florida.

Dedicated to providing fresh ideas for busy ministers and worship planners in a variety of settings, the Worship Innovations series offers practical resources that will bring the Bible to life and brighten your worship services. The easy-to-produce dramas and programs can be used in any size church, yet are flexible enough to fit almost any worship style. And each user-friendly resource comes with detailed instructions, including a complete list of everything you need to prepare for. In this Worship Innovations volume, the focus is on the Lent and Easter season. Like the first two books, this is a rich storehouse that will supply you with many seasons worth of compelling, scripturally authentic material. Included are: • The Paths to Calvary -- a series of six short dramatic monologues for the weeks leading up to Easter in which biblical characters tell of their encounters with Jesus • Our Place at the Table -- a dramatic re-enactment of the events preceding the Last Supper, culminating in a congregational communion service • A Passover to Remember -- a complete Maundy Thursday service with a modified Passover seder as the centerpiece • A Growing Darkness -- a Good Friday tenebrae service featuring seven readings about the day's events, brought to life with several costumed monologues • Seven Words to Die By -- based on Christ's seven last words, this tenebrae service finds meaningful truths in the somber events of the crucifixion through monologues, scripture readings, music, and prayers • Surprise at Sunrise -- an Easter sunrise service depicting the resurrection discovery in four vignettes using child actors • The Week of Weeks -- a set of interactive scripture readings for each of the Sundays between Easter and Pentecost Other titles in the Worship Innovations series: Hanging The Greens For Christmas Easy Bible Drama Janet Burton is a pastor's wife, minister of education, and writer of Christian worship and education resources. The Burtons, who have served churches in Texas and New Mexico for almost fifty years, reside in Austin, Texas, where her husband Jack serves as an interim pastor for churches in transition. Author of four books and a contributor to five others, Mrs. Burton's specialty is Sunday school Bible study curriculum. In addition, she has contributed weekly or monthly columns to three Christian newspapers. Burton attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

You'll feel like you are right on the scene viewing the events of Holy Week as this innovative series presents the familiar story of Jesus' death and resurrection in a novel, engaging, and entirely modern way. In a television-style interview format, six witnesses share their point of view in up-to-date language and references -- making each personage more accessible to contemporary congregations. Dateline: Jerusalem is a flexible resource that can be used in many different settings: during Lenten worship services, as part of a Christian education curriculum, or for a youth program. Scripture lessons accompany each script, and a character summary provides further insight into the personality of each interviewee. Easy to produce with a minimum of staging, these dialogues provide a fresh, engaging approach to the timeless story. Characters interviewed are: * Pontius Pilate * Caiaphas * Peter * Mary Magdalene * John * the Centurion Scott Bryte is the pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Thiel College and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg.

Believing that Christian worship should be both exciting and stimulating and respectful of God and worshipers and liturgical traditions, Dick Avery and Don Marsh have put their considerable talents together to bring you ideas and music that make worship soar. As you read these groundbreaking ideas tailored to the seasons of the church year, you'll find yourself saying, "Yes! YES! YES!" -- and you'll be eager to put them in place with your congregation.Everything Avery and Marsh describe in this remarkable volume has been done successfully in their congregation at the regular Sunday morning service of worship, so you will find no off-the-wall suggestions pushed for mere novelty's sake or just to "shake things up." Rather, every principle, every suggestion, every idea has a purpose and goal befitting the Gospel and designed to help worshipers tune in to the mighty Lord of All.With all of this plus several samples of original Avery & Marsh music, written especially for Sunday morning worship, Soaring Where Christ Has Led is a resource you will use week after week in planning worship services that delight congregations, honor God with momentous expressions of joy, and teach the way of Christ in today's world.Nationally renowned for their creative worship celebrations, Richard Avery and Donald Marsh were colleagues in ministry for 40 years at the First Presbyterian Church in Port Jervis, New York, where Avery served as pastor and Marsh as choirmaster (directing 3 choirs) and director of arts (producing 83 major plays and working with educational projects). They have collaborated in composing hymns, songs, and anthems, of which more than 150 have been published. During the last 30 years they have led regional and national church assemblies, conferences, and workshops on worship, music, and drama for many denominations and in virtually all 50 states. A native of California, Avery is a graduate of the University of Redlands and Union Theological Seminary in New York. Marsh has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Houston, and worked for 17 years in New York's music and theater world as a composer, choreographer, pianist, and actor. Avery and Marsh continue their collaboration in composing for the church and in leading special liturgical and musical events while living in retirement in Santa Fe, New Mexico.