In this horizon-expanding, spirit-lifting, heart-warming book Mark Greene serves up a liberating view of how God can and does work in and through us in our daily lives. Brimming with true stories, the combination of fresh Biblical insight, humor, and practical steps, here is a fresh and original framework for fruitfulness which will open up a host of possibilities to make a difference for Christ every day.
What does fruitfulness look like in our everyday lives? How can we serve God in the many, many hours of our waking time? Whether we are housewives or students, schoolkids or factory workers, sales assistants or retired, God can use us in many different ways. And that's not by adding new things to our much-to-do-about everything lists. Rather, it is about what happens when we let God show us how he wants us to respond in the places we find ourselves day by day - our frontlines, wherever they are. We don't need a high position, a university degree, or lots of money to have a significant impact for the Lord. What if, for now at least, the people God wants us to love and serve are the people we meet day-to-day? There are lots of stories in this book. They are all about followers of Jesus who have come to see the places and the people they encounter on their frontlines. They are testimonies that God still works powerfully, wondrously, and mysteriously through his people today.
This book is a continuation of the LICC series begun by Neil Hudson's Imagine Church Whole-Life Worship will demonstrate that the contemporary Western Church has reached a point where our "gathered" worship is separated from our "scattered" lives outside of church. This is detrimental to the congregation's spiritual development and their effectiveness on their "frontlines". Church worship should be inspired and informed by our everyday experiences. It should empower and send the congregation out to continue worshipping. The book will provide patterns and resources to better connect gathered worship with the lives of the congregation beyond church meetings. The book will unpack a biblical grounding for both gathered and scattered worship. It will then identify patterns within our gathered services which help us re-make these connections. It will provide practical resources such as songs, prayers and activities which can help churches connect Sunday to the rest of the week. It will draw examples and stories from other church streams and traditions, to demonstrate how different kinds of Christian spirituality engage worshipfully with everyday life. In the second half of the book is a practical resource looking specifically at different aspects of a gathered service, and how each one can have an "outward" dimension.
Where we spend more of our time - at home, at work, in the neighbourhood - matters to God and to his mission in and for the world. Far from restricting our faith to the 'personal' sphere, disengaged from everyday living, Scripture encourages us to take the Lord of life into the whole of life. Whole Life, Whole Bible is written from the conviction that God's word illuminates every part of existence, enabling us to see differently and live differently - from Monday to Sunday, in public as well as in private. A walk through the unfolding story of the Bible in 50 readings and reflections shows how our lives are bound up with, and shaped by, God's plan to restore a broken universe. That big story forms our minds, fuels our imaginations and fashions our daily life ad we live in God's world, in the light of God's word, wherever we are.
There is so much time spent on converting new Christians that follow up is often grossly overlooked. What are new believers supposed to do after dedicating their lives to Christ? They certainly shouldnt have to walk the path aloneand yet they sometimes do. Even dedicated Christians waver from the path; we can get so lost in the images of church, religion, and faith that we forget why were here! Its time to get back to the basic facts and realities of Christianityback to the brass tacks, which is exactly what youll find in Brass Tacks Christianity and Beyond. In this collection of individually themed chapters, you will discover abundant resources to understand and remember the important foundations of your faith. Rekindle your faith with knowledge; restore your relationship with a loving God by getting to know Him all over again. With knowledge comes powerthe power to convert nonbelievers. The salvation of many is in the hands of all Christians, but the lack of knowledge can create hesitation. Stop hesitating. Learn more about the basic foundations of your faith in order to save the people you love. In the words of the Apostle Paul, Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Volume five in Piper's acclaimed The Swans Are Not Silent series powerfully illustrates through the lives of Tyndale, Judson, and Paton that the gospel advances through the sacrifices of Christ's ambassadors.
"You can energize your people and delight your customers by modeling the fabulous ideas that come from the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market." -- Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager In this revealing business advice book, the magic of the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market proves a dynamic example of what a group of people can create when they are aligned and living a powerful vision. Here for the first time, owner John Yokoyama explains in his own words just how he transformed his business into a workplace that is renowned worldwide. When Fish Fly offers Yokoyama's cohesive strategy for achieving world famous results for owners, managers, and front-line workers alike. Once you understand the generative principles behind the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market you, too, can develop a culture that leads to excellent employee morale and legendary customer service.
“The Hebrew root word for ‘work’ is also the root word for ‘service’, particularly service to God in worship. By combining the two English words, ‘work’ and ‘worship’, I hope to challenge people to integrate their faith and work. Work does not just refer to what is done in paid employment. I believe God sees work as any purposeful activity requiring focus and effort. It could be housework, schoolwork, caring for children or parents, study, paid work, voluntary work, etc.” — Kara Martin In her book, Kara explores the biblical view of work, provides six spiritual disciplines to integrate faith and work, shares practical wisdom on how to make a difference in the workplace, and offers ideas to help churches better equip their congregations to live out their faith at work.
"Magisterial. . . . A learned, brilliant and enjoyable study."—Géza Vermès, Times Literary Supplement In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. This edition includes an introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology. "Brilliant and lucidly written, full of original and fascinating insights."—Reginald H. Fuller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion "This is a first-rate work of a first-rate historian."—James D. Tabor, Journal of Religion "Fredriksen confronts her documents—principally the writings of the New Testament—as an archaeologist would an especially rich complex site. With great care she distinguishes the literary images from historical fact. As she does so, she explains the images of Jesus in terms of the strategies and purposes of the writers Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."—Thomas D’Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor
