A Unique Life, a Gifted Calling, a Lasting Legacy John Wimber is not only revered as the founder of the Vineyard movement but is renowned for his unique ability to capture truth in pithy little phrases. This inspirational collection of memorable remarks, each placed in its historical context, offers astute observations on essential principles while also capturing and preserving the story and identity of a miraculous work of God. For those who witnessed the miracle firsthand and for an entire generation of young leaders who never met John or experienced his ministry, here is a unique restatement of the foundational tenets that launched an international community of more than twenty-four hundred churches in more than one hundred countries—a lasting legacy of spiritual insights that changed lives then and can change your life today.
Put your flawed foot forward. Pick up most leadership books and you’ll find strategies for leveraging your power and minimizing your areas of weakness. But think about the leaders whose names have gone down in history. Most of them were so messed up that, if they were looking for work today, no executive placement service would give them the time of day. God’s criteria for choosing leaders runs counter to the conventional wisdom. Our culture equates strength with effectiveness, but God favors leaders who know the value of brokenness. In Leading With a Limp, you’ll discover what makes flawed leaders so successful. They’re not preoccupied with protecting their image, they are undaunted by chaos and complexity, they are ready to risk failure in moving an organization from what is to what should be. God chooses leaders who aren’t deceived by the myths of power and control, but who realize that God’s power is found in brokenness. If you are a leader–or if you have been making excuses to avoid leading–find out how you can take full advantage of your weakness. A limping leader is the person God uses to accomplish amazing things. To go deeper, check out the Leading With a Limp Workbook.
How do you worship God even if life isn’t going the way you had hoped? “Even If is not some bumper sticker to display, but a daring commitment to live.”—Kyle Idleman, senior pastor of Southeast Christian Church “I believe we will see more resilient people in the face of suffering because of this great book.”—Bryan Loritts, teaching pastor at The Summit Church What happens when the test comes back positive? The relationship ends? The dream goes unfulfilled? The plans don’t move forward? Amid confusion, hurt, and anger, we wonder where we went wrong. What is God doing? In Even If, Mitchel Lee reminds us that while God does not promise a pain-free life, he offers something better: his presence in the pain. No matter our circumstances, God is worthy of our worship, and he can meet us even in our greatest difficulties. Drawing on his own journey, Mitchel explores the compelling story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. These three men chose to worship God even if God didn’t rescue them from the fire. From their example and countless others, we can do the same. Maybe you are stuck in regret, grieving a loss, or unsure of how to take your next step because there is no promise of success. Even If offers the courage you need to move forward, declaring devotion—not in spite of life’s fires but because of them—to a God whose goodness never changes.
This book, written by a practitioner of the gospel, seeks to reveal firstly the difference between what life looks like when there is a shepherd looking after life and what it feels like when a shepherd is absent and, secondly, how to recognize and listen to the voice of the Shepherd and the difference it makes when we obey that voice. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the Ancient of Days, has been speaking to all of creation since before the beginning of time. Jesus is the gospel. He is the good news. It is, and only ever will be, all about him. His ancient words are always constant and unchanging, and He continues to speak to the world today through His infallible Word, the Bible, and through the outworking and constancy of the Holy Spirit. The Shepherds words speak to all areas of His creation and lifefrom following Him and discipleship to how He wants the church that bears His name and how His earthly shepherds, whom He has called to lead the church, will fulfill the mandate set down as clearly laid out in scripture. The question for all who seek to follow Him has always been and always will be until the end of time, Do you hear Him? This book seeks to help us answer that question.
Change the Way You Think about Leadership At the age of thirty-three, Dr. Albert Mohler became the youngest president in the 164-year history of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was the driving force behind the school's transformation into a thriving institution with an international reputation characterized by a passionate conviction for truth. In the process he became one of the most important and prominent Christian voices in contemporary culture. What will it take to transform your leadership? Effective leaders need more than administrative skills and vision. They need to be able to change the hearts and minds of those they lead. Leadership like this requires passionate beliefs that can stand up to pressure from without and within. In this updated edition Dr. Mohler has added a new introduction and conclusion based on an additional 10 years of leadership. He has also completely rewritten the chapter "The Digital Leader." The Conviction to Lead will crystallize your convictions while revolutionizing your thinking, your decision-making, your communication, and ultimately, those you lead. "Dr. Al Mohler has written a book that shakes us up and challenges our thinking. The Conviction to Lead is poised to become one of the all-time classic works on Christian leadership."--JIM DALY, President - Focus on the Family "Having rarely thought about leadership, I was hooked from the first chapter--to my complete surprise. This is a powerful book and gracefully written."--FRED BARNES, Executive Editor--The Weekly Standard
‘Both vintage and fresh David Wilbourne . . . [His] gift is to enable us to see again the face of Jesus delightfully present with us through our Lent journey.’ GRAHAM USHER, BISHOP OF NORWICH Whatever our church denomination, we all use the same Sunday Gospel from the Revised Common Lectionary. Year A focuses on Matthew, but during the first five Sundays of Lent, four of the Gospels are curiously from John. By basing each of the five sessions in this course on the previous Sunday’s Gospel, David Wilbourne provides a brilliant connection to the preaching and teaching that has just taken place. Serious yet full of life and humour, the course covers: Session 1: Temptation . . . On checking every word that comes out of the mouth of God Session 2: Strangers in the night . . . Nicodemus came to Jesus under cover of darkness: finding God in surprising places Session 3: The winner takes it all ‘You worship what you do not know’: upping our game with worship Session 4: I was blind but now I see ‘A god who can be understood is no god’ Session 5: Them bones, them bones, them dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Contrasting events in John with parables in the Synoptics The course booklet is accompanied by a lively CD, in which David Wilbourne and guests from various denominational backgrounds, put forward their thoughts on the themes of the course. This York Course is available in the following formats Course Book (Paperback 9781915843012) Course Book (eBook 9781915843029 both ePub and Mobi files provided) Audio Book of Interview to support You Can Be Serious! York Course (CD 9781915843050) Audio Book of Interview (Digital Download) 9781915843043 Transcript of interview to support You Can Be Serious! York Course (Paperback 9781915843005) Transcript of interview (eBook 9781915843036 both ePub and Mobi files provided) Book Pack (9781915843067 Featuring Paperback Course Book, Audio Book on CD and Paperback Transcript of Interview) Large Print (Paperback 9781915843722)
Discover how to experience congregational work as an integrated element in a fully rounded spiritual life. Written for both those in the more typically recognized "leadership roles" such as board members and committee chairs as well as for those who lead while serving on a committee, teaching in religious education or helping to pull together the Holiday Fair. Makes a useful addition to a congregation's leadership development programs.
In this examination of leadership and followership, Sweet proposes an intentional shift from leadership cults to followership cultures. He critiques the issue of leadership obsession but focuses on reigniting a passion for the "follow me" theme found throughout the gospels and the entire New Testament.
Whether the issue of the day on Twitter, Facebook, or cable news is our sexuality, political divides, or the perceived conflict between faith and science, today’s media pushes each one of us into a frustrating clash between two opposing sides. Polarizing, us-against-them discussions divide us and distract us from thinking clearly and communicating lovingly with others. Scott Sauls, like many of us, is weary of the bickering and is seeking a way of truth and beauty through the conflicts. Jesus Outside the Lines presents Jesus as this way. Scott shows us how the words and actions of Jesus reveal a response that does not perpetuate the destructive fray. Jesus offers us a way forward—away from harshness, caricatures, and stereotypes. In Jesus Outside the Lines, you will experience a fresh perspective of Jesus, who will not (and should not) fit into the sides.
Simple yet profound, Max De Pree's observations are often quoted by America's top CEOs, educators, and opinion makers. The best-selling author of Leadership Is an Art and Leadership Jazz, he has done no less than revolutionize leadership thinking and practice. Now, in Leading Without Power, De Pree finds that the most successful organizations of the Information Age operate not as controlled collections of human resources, but as dynamic communities of free people. And in order to mobilize these communities, leaders must know how to lead without power, because free people follow willingly or not at all. "This is a book to be read, reread, shared widely within any organization. Every chapter has pictures for our mind that will remain vivid long after the book is closed. A vibrant testament to human potential, the why of work." —Frances Hesselbein, president and CEO, Leader to Leader Institute formerly the Drucker Foundation De Pree holds up nonprofits as mirrors of our greatest aspirations places where people work for the opportunity to contribute to the common good, and for the chance to realize their full human potential. He calls such organizations movements and challenges others to follow their example. Movements, De Pree maintains, transcAnd ?the deceptive simplicity of a single bottom line? and set standards for leadership and service all organizations should reach for. They lead not with the power of the paycheck or with bureaucratic carrots-and-sticks, but with the promise of meaningful work and lives fulfilled. For that reason, nonprofit or otherwise, they are the most successful organizations of all. Brimming with rich, warm, and wise advice, Leading Without Power takes an enlightened look at the forces that drive selfless accomplishment. It offers encouragement and hope for creating organizations that inspire the very best in people. And it provides leaders at every level with a new context for effecting positive change. Table of Contents: Places of Realized Potential What's a Movement? A Context for Service What Shall We Measure? The Language of Potential Service Has Its Roots Attributes of Vital Organizations Vision Trust Me Why Risk It? The Function of Hope Elements of a Legacy Moral Purpose and Active Virtue