" I understand that it is indeed tough to be a man in God's economy, but we are called to be leaders and to walk in Christ's footprints. Our society has a difficult time placing man in a satisfactory role that would complement the Madison Avenue advertising group or the image-makers of Hollywood. They have decided the roles of leader, head of household, faithful husband and father, and moral compass don't seem to fit anymore. This thinking is totally unacceptable and should raise flags of discontent in every Christian household. As a group in today's world, men need to take back the responsibilities that they have either given away or have had stolen from them, and collectively become the men that Jesus spoke about in his word. There is no excuse for behavior that is not pleasing to God and therefore not profitable to any man. Do not let your earthly condition dictate your spiritual position. "
I understand that it is indeed tough to be a man in God's economy, but we are called to be leaders and to walk in Christ's footprints. Our society has a difficult time placing man in a satisfactory role that would complement the Madison Avenue advertising group or the image-makers of Hollywood. They have decided the roles of leader, head of household, faithful husband and father, and moral compass don't seem to fit anymore. This thinking is totally unacceptable and should raise flags of discontent in every Christian household. As a group in today's world, men need to take back the responsibilities that they have either given away or have had stolen from them, and collectively become the men that Jesus spoke about in his word. There is no excuse for behavior that is not pleasing to God and therefore not profitable to any man. Do not let your earthly condition dictate your spiritual position.
Instead of being a dour task on the checklist, what if the process of homily prep renewed you? Instead of feeling insecure about your message, what if your skills made you confident to preach a consistently clear message of Good News, authentic to you, relevant to your listeners, holding their attention and inviting transformation? Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft shows you how. By integrating your life and spirituality with the practical skills necessary for effective preaching, you can move beyond the boredom, stress, or insecurity of preaching so it is no longer you who preach but Christ who preaches in you. By connecting with God in the midst of your sermon prep, the Gospel will be spread deeper and further. God’s joy—and yours—will be made complete.
This practical guide to the good life details how to enjoy a rich, satisfying lifestyle, no matter how much or how little money you have. Rather than being at the mercy of unpredictable market factors, you'll learn how to thrive in God's economy of abundance as you tap into a wealth of community and generosity.
Louie Giglio helps you find encouragement, hope, and strength in the midst of any valley as you reject the enemy voices of fear, rage, lust, insecurity, anxiety, despair, temptation, or defeat. Scripture is clear: the Enemy is a liar who will stop at nothing to tempt you into poor decisions and self-defeating mindsets, making you feel afraid, angry, anxious, or defeated. It is all too easy for Satan to weasel his way into a seat at the table intended for only you and your King. But you can fight back. Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table outlines the ways to overcome those lies so you can find peace and security in any challenging circumstance or situation. With the same bold, exciting approach to Scripture as employed in Goliath Must Fall and his other previous works, pastor Louie Giglio examines Psalm 23 in fresh ways, highlighting verse 5: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." You can find freedom from insecurity, temptation, and defeat--if you allow Jesus, the Shepherd, to lead the battle for your mind and heart. This spiritual warfare book for those who are leery of spiritual warfare books will resonate with Louie's core Passion tribe as well as with Christians of all ages who want to live a triumphant life in God.
See the Bible come to life before your eyes as New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin uses his storyteller imagination to present the Bible as a novel to help you engage with your faith in new ways. Years ago, Charles Martin cracked open his Bible and began wrestling with a few fundamental questions: What if every single word of Scripture is absolutely true and I can trust it? How do I respond? Something in me should change, but what? How? This book is the result of that exploration. In What If It’s True? Martin brings key moments from the life and ministry of Jesus to life through his descriptive, novelistic words. This unique book: Fosters a stronger appreciation, love, and respect for Jesus Covers topics including rejection, sexual sin, generational curses, and forgiveness Draws on Old and New Testament references as well as cultural background information Includes a prayer at the end of each chapter Martin shares key moments from his own journey as a disciple—and bondservant—of Christ and a mentor to others. The result is an exploration of truth that will help you not just think differently but live differently—starting today.
A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.
While “health and wealth” proponents urge Christians to claim for themselves material blessings, others insist that God’s best gifts can’t be enjoyed until heaven. The truth of God’s intentions, writes acclaimed author Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, is far greater than either perspective suggests.Packed with inspiring stories, God’s Economy invites readers to step into the good life God intends his people to enjoy here and now—not a shrink-wrapped, plastic version of prosperity but a liberating approach to living that leads to genuine and lasting satisfaction.With persuasive enthusiasm, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove draws from the teachings of Jesus on money and explores five tactics for living in God’s economy of abundance. Rather than being subject to unpredictable market factors, those who live by God’s economy find their security in the richness of community and generosity.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The “paradigm-influencing” book (Christianity Today) that is fundamentally transforming our understanding of white evangelicalism in America. Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism—or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.” As acclaimed scholar Kristin Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the centrality of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals might not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America.” Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Trump in fact represented the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values: patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community. A much-needed reexamination of perhaps the most influential subculture in this country, Jesus and John Wayne shows that, far from adhering to biblical principles, modern white evangelicals have remade their faith, with enduring consequences for all Americans.
The bible makes it very clear and there is no confusion about the desire of God for us to prosper. What is the prosperity of the soul? The prosperity of the soul is the renewal of the mind where you come into conformity with the fullness of the image, the character of Christ. That is what the bible calls the prosperity of the soul. The bible says in 1 Peter 1:9] Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. So the prosperity of the soul is coming to a point where the word of God is so engrafted in you. Colossians 3: [16] says "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord". so the prosperity of the soul is to come to that point where the word of God becomes your priority. Where the word of God becomes your investment. You're growing spiritually. Spiritual growth is not how many hours you pray in tongues. You measure your spiritual growth by how much you are conforming to the nature and the ways of God. The bible says that as we behold, we're transformed. So if by January till now, you can trace a notable transformation that you now understand the ways of God, you understand the Kingdom of God and the system of this Kingdom, you understand the nature of your king, you understand the revelation, promises and the responsibilities that come with this kingdom, and that you can relate intimately with the spirit of God who is the governor of this Kingdom, then you can say you're growing. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou may prosper. Read This Book and Be Blessed
