O Come, Let Us Worship


Book Description

Michael A. Rogers: "It is refreshing to see biblical theology so thoroughly integrated with practical directives for developing the worship service." (Eternity) Clifford E. Bajema: " Out of Rayburn's rich experience as a teacher and as a preacher who has served five pastorates, he gives us a book which should further liturgical interest and discussion on Reformed circles... All in all Rayburn's book is very much worth reading." (Calvin Theological Journal) William F. Hunter: "Will hopefully stimulate evangelicals to explore a relatively unknown aspect to the corporate life of believers." (Journal of Psychology and Theology) Donald Macleod: "A very ambitious survey...it is a very comprehensive treatment of the worship responsibilities of the everyday parish ministry." (Princeton Seminary Bulletin) Garry Harris: "A critical self-analysis of the short-comings in the evangelical liturgical experience. (It) should serve as a guide to more meaningful corporate worship." (Seminary Review) R. O. Zorn: "A useful volume which will make ministers and their congregations more conscious of the nature and significance of public worship." (Vox Reformata) Laurence H. Stookey: "Those evangelicals who conduct worship services which are casual and uncoordinated and who shun the riches of catholic prayer and hymnody are presented with a thoughtful challenge by a writer with impeccable evangelical credentials." (Homiletics)




Does Grace Grow Best in Winter?


Book Description

"Does Grace Grow Best in Winter?" addresses the issue of suffering from the standpoint of the sovereignty of God. It teaches that we need to learn that suffering exists, and we need to learn to suffer.




Come Let Us Worship


Book Description

Come, Let Us Worship walks the reader through the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, explaining the meaning of each element and how the congregant may best participate in this fundamental act of Orthodox worship. Those new to Orthodoxy and those who wonder about the meaning of the Liturgy will find this small guide a helpful and informative companion.




Whatever Happened to Worship?


Book Description

A.W. Tozer calls God the "Composer of the Cosmos," the "Chief Musician of the Universe." God signals the birds to chirp their beautiful tune in the coolness and tranquility of a spring morning, simply because that is what He designed them to do. Each note is wonderfully constructed by God, uniquely bringing praise to His name. With this inspiring perspective on worship, Tozer invites readers to take a deep look at the ways in which we worship and why. He reminds us that we were created solely for this purpose and that worshipping the Father and seeking His fellowship is our primary task. It is also His delight. The newest revised edition now includes "Worship: The Missing Jewel of the Evangelical Church," first published in the Alliance Life magazine in 1965, and still so profound today.




Come, Let Us Worship God


Book Description

This useful collection of prayers has grown out of David Currie's own weekly worhsip services. His style is modern but not trivial or lacking in dignity. The calls to worship and confession, especially, speak in contemporary language and use experiences of everyday life for illustration. Included are calls to worship and opening prayers, calls to confession and prayers of confession, and prayers for special days and cccasions. Pastors and lay leaders of worship will welcome this fresh, new source of practical assistance.




Sacred Pathways


Book Description

Sacred Pathways reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments--and their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies--to help you improve your spiritual life and deepen your personal walk with God. It's time to strip away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and discover a path of worship that frees you to be you. Experienced spiritual directors, pastors, and church leaders recognize that all of us engage with God differently, and it's about time we do too. In this updated and expanded edition of Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas details nine spiritual temperaments and--like the Enneagram and other tools do with personality--encourages you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. He encourages you to dig into the traits, strengths, and pitfalls in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship and praise. Plus, as you begin to identify and understand your own temperament, you'll soon learn about the temperaments that aren't necessarily "you" but that may help you understand the spiritual tendencies of friends, family, and others around you. Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it's not by accident. It's by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his own unique intentions. If your spiritual walk is not what you'd like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God. A Sacred Pathways video Bible study is also available for group or individual use, sold separately.




8 Habits for Growth


Book Description

Don’t just do the right actions. Build habits—and watch your life be transformed. Many books try to help you do the right actions. But the real key to life transformation—for yourself and then for others—is building habits that become part of your life. Because habits don’t just dictate what you do. They reflect who you are. In 8 Habits for Growth, Darryl Dash wants to show you the eight long-term practices—all very doable—that will lead to permanent growth if you incorporate them into your life. You’ll learn why it’s important to: Make time Rest Read or listen to the Bible Pray Pursue worship and community in a church Care for your body Simplify your spiritual life Build a rule of life Personal growth doesn’t happen overnight. But it does happen, slowly, as you build God’s habits into your life. So what are you waiting for? Start your new habits today and let God transform who you are . . . and who you can become.




Sheltering Mercy


Book Description

Christianity Today 2023 Book Award Finalist (Bible & Devotional) Sheltering Mercy helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms--through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns--as a guide to personal devotion and meditation. The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. This book contains 75 prayers drawn from Psalms 1-75, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning in the Psalms. While each prayer corresponds to a particular psalm and touches on its themes and ideas, it is not a new translation of the Psalms or an attempt to modernize or contextualize their content or language. Rather, the prayers are responses to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life. This artful, poetic, and classic devotional book features compelling custom illustrations and beautiful hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms.




Come, Let Us Worship


Book Description

Arranged according to the seasons of the church year, this volume presents several worship aids for every Sunday: a call to worship, an invocation, a ritual of friendship, an offertory sentence and prayer, a benediction, and a pastoral prayer. Each is designed to make the Sunday morning worship experience meaningful and uplifting. Having just read Come, Let Us Worship, I can highly recommend it to pastors. How I wish I had had it available to me in my early ministry. It is rich in quality and variety. James K. Matthews United Methodist bishop Washington DC Dr. Kirkland, with skill and artistic imagination, offers fresh and exciting wording that captures the highest form for praise, spiritual preparation, and petition, and reflects the mood of sincere reverence that ought to characterize corporate worship at its best. Earl G. Hunt Jr. United Methodist bishop Lake Junaluska, North Carolina During more than fifty years in the ministry, H. Burnham Kirkland served as the pastor of eight local congregations and as a missionary in the Philippines, as well as being district superintendent (twice), 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).




Ephesians


Book Description

A new commentary for today's world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story. The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike. Each volume employs three main, easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God's story: LISTEN to the Story: Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible's grand story. EXPLAIN the Story: Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting. LIVE the Story: Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students. —Ephesians— Like all of Paul's letters, Ephesians is centered in the gospel and its implications. It tells the story of what God has done in Christ and spells out the ethical implications of this story. But the letter to the Ephesians is unique among Paul's letters in many ways, including in how it tells of the story of God, beginning "before the creation of the world" and ending in eternity. Edited by Scot McKnight and Tremper Longman III, and written by a number of top-notch theologians, The Story of God Bible Commentary series will bring relevant, balanced, and clear-minded theological insight to any biblical education or ministry.