Overcome the Never-Enough Mentality to Walk in True Abundance Prosperity. It's one of the most dividing words in the Church. Some pastors use it to tell their congregations that God will make them all rich, rich, rich! Others spurn the word and insist that true Christlikeness is found in forsaking all worldly riches and possessions. The truth is, neither of these extremes is fully right or fully wrong. In his latest book, Kris Vallotton mines the Scriptures in an eye-opening study of what the Bible really says about money, poverty, riches and wealth. In it you'll find keys to · overcome the never-enough mentality to experience true abundance · break free from a poverty mindset that reaps lack in your life · demystify biblical teaching on money so you can discover peace in your finances · learn the difference between riches and wealth Kingdom prosperity begins from the inside out. When you learn to cultivate a mindset of abundance, no matter your circumstances, you will begin to experience the wealth of heaven in every area of your life.
An inclusive language version of the modern spiritual classic, an exquisitely beautiful meditation on the incarnation, on what it means to be fully human, and on finding the face of God hidden in our neighbors.
Christianity is the faith of the poor. As Christians, we worship the Lord Jesus Christ, who "though he was rich, yet for your sake became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9). This same Jesus taught his followers that the kingdom of heaven belongs to "you who are poor" and "the poor in spirit" (Luke 6:20; Matt 5:3). He also proclaimed that judgment before his throne will hinge on how his followers treated those who were hungry, thirsty, strangers, unclothed, sick, and in prison-the ones he calls "the least of these my brothers" (Matt 25:31-46). How do we discern the best responses to poverty? How should we as ministers, church leaders, and businesspeople engage in our communities? What does the Christian faith have to say about poverty? Sometimes it seems that we in the modern American church stand on opposite sides of an impassible gulf as we talk about poverty and justice. Thankfully, there are mothers and fathers of the faith who have thought long and hard about poverty and what Christian mission does and says about it. They are people who, like us, had to figure out how to follow Jesus in their own times and places in regard to these crucial questions. They came to conclusions about poverty and what it means to co-labor with God in God's mission with the poor. This book and the series of spiritual classics to which it belongs should be read as if you're sitting down at a table over a meal or a coffee with leaders of the church from ages past. During this particular gathering, we are going to talk together about poverty. What does Basil or Clare or Martin or Catherine or Howard have to say to us about Christian mission and poverty? What they say may be surprising. It may take us a little bit to get used to how they say it, but when we listen closely we will find that they are thinking about questions similar to the ones we are asking today. Many of us who are reading this volume, including me, are living and ministering in under-resourced contexts. We may be asking ourselves how we should think about poverty or what we should do to address human need. We may be asking how our commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and our concern for social justice go together. We may be wondering how we should make money or spend money or give money away. We may not be satisfied with many of the answers we've gotten from people we've talked with or many of the values our societies have offered us. We may realize that we're lacking something in how we think about Christian mission and poverty. As we sit down with the mothers and father of the faith, they give us a huge gift. They tell us how they thought about similar issues in their times and places and give us clues about how to be faithful Christians today.
How Are Your Finances Shaping Your Heart? Jesus knew that how we think about money shapes our character. Our approach can make us more like him—full of contentment, purpose, and freedom—or it can cause a tragic separation from God and the joy he offers. We need a firm foundation for faith and finances. In True Riches, John Cortines and Gregory Baumer invite us to experience four transformations in our financial lives, moving from pride to gratitude so that we see everything as a gift; coveting to contentment so that we spend wisely; anxiety to trust so that we save appropriately; and indifference to love so that we give extravagantly. Full of scripture, personal stories, and practical application, True Riches offers a clear path away from the empty pursuit of wealth and into more intimate relationship with God. All author proceeds donated to charity.
"Lately, I haven't been getting much out of the Bible." That's a common frustration among us as believers. It happens to all of us on occasion. We open the Scriptures, read a chapter, and walk away with almost nothing. Get the most out of your Bible with this one hundred day devotional that takes you deep into Scripture through personal stories, brief expositions, and memorable illustrations. Bible Gleanings will help you gather and collect truths from Holy Scripture that will nourish your soul. Written by pastor and writer, Brandon Bramlett, who continues to write weekend devotional columns for the Murray Ledger and Times Newspaper in Murray, Kentucky. Bible Gleanings is a compilation of some of the best devotional columns written for that publication.
To the modern mind, the concept of poverty is often confused with destitution. But destitution emphatically is not the Gospel ideal. A love-filled sharing frugality is the message, and Happy Are You Poor explains the meaning of this beatitude lived and taught by Jesus himself. But isn't simplicity in lifestyle meant only for nuns and priests? Are not all of us to enjoy the goodness and beauties of our magnificent creation? Are parents to be frugal with the children they love so much? The renowned spiritual writer Dubay gives surprising replies to these questions. He explains how material things are like extensions of our persons and thus of our love. If everyone lived this love there would be no destitution. After presenting the richness of the Gospel message, more beautiful than any other world view, he explains how Gospel frugality is lived in each state of life.
Jesus' first recorded sermon in the Bible is a blueprint for being happy here on earth. And though His definition contains no prescriptions for acquiring cars, homes, or savings, it does require transformation and obedience. MacArthur examines Jesus' timeless definition of happiness, and explains that our reward for following Jesus' plan is citizenship in the kingdom of God- and an abiding joy that can never be taken away. Study guide and review included for individual or group study.
Archbishop Jos Gomez has written a personal, passionate and practical contribution to the national debate about immigration - pointing the way toward a recovery of America's highest ideals.""Immigration is a human rights test of our generation. It's also a defining historical moment for America. The meaning of this hour is that we need to renew our country in the image of her founding promises of universal rights rooted in God. Immigration is about more than immigration. It's about renewing the soul of America.""- Archbishop Jos H. Gomez Archbishop Jos H. Gomez is one of the leading moral voices in the American Catholic Church. He is the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation's largest Catholic community and the Chairman of the United States Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration and a papal appointee to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Archbishop Gomez is a native of Monterrey, Mexico and a naturalized American citizen.
How can we find our way through the complexities of life in the twenty-first century? Many Christians are familiar with the pointed directives of the Ten Commandments, and many will regularly read Proverbs for bite-sized pieces of God's wisdom. When we study Proverbs within the framework of the Ten Commandments, we hear both parts of God's Word speaking in ways that are refreshingly practical and eminently memorable. Wise shows how these ancient words relate to such diverse areas of life as worship and prayer, our words and money, marriage and sexuality, and our fears, loves, and desires. This book will instruct and encourage with the wisdom that comes from fearing God.
With more than 450,000 copies in print, When Helping Hurts is a paradigm-forming contemporary classic on the subject of poverty alleviation. Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good. But it looks ahead. It encourages us to see the dignity in everyone, to empower the materially poor, and to know that we are all uniquely needy—and that God in the gospel is reconciling all things to himself. Focusing on both North American and Majority World contexts, When Helping Hurts provides proven strategies for effective poverty alleviation, catalyzing the idea that sustainable change comes not from the outside in, but from the inside out.
