Lessons from the Upper Room


Book Description

What would you give to spend an evening with Jesus, hearing Him teach and listening to Him pray? This is what we encounter in the Farewell Discourse of John 13-17. As the shadow of the cross loomed, Christ shared His final hours with the disciples to prepare them for His death, quiet their troubled hearts, and intercede on their behalf before the Father. In Lessons from the Upper Room, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson draws us into these intimate hours from the night when Jesus was betrayed. This vivid picture of Christ's ministry, from His washing the disciples' feet to His High Priestly Prayer, shows us the heart of Jesus. Discover His deepest desires for His people and take delight in the suffering Savior who has overcome the world.




Live Intimately


Book Description

This is it. After three years of ministry, traveling the countryside, encountering thousands of desperate people, delivering a radical new message, Jesus has one last night to spend with His disciples. And He knows it. What does Jesus say? How does He say it? What can we learn from his final words? Put yourself in the Upper Room, there with Jesus and his closest companions as he gave them his final instructions (John 13-17). Imagine what it would have been like to hear his voice, mere hours before his death, in this Fresh Life Bible study by authors Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose. The Fresh Life series was created by women, for women, who crave a profound experience of God's Word without an overwhelming commitment of time. With each lesson, you will come to a deeper understanding of the truths of the Bible and develop a deeper intimacy with God.




Living Your Heart's Desire


Book Description

If you've ever daydreamed about alternate paths or wondered how you can find peace in today's rat race, this book is for you. You can find your true calling where God's grace and the daily grind meet. Many of us follow a seemingly arbitrary and rushed path to a paycheck. Once you're out of school, whether it's high school or college, you're expected to go to work. You work hard to pay your dues. Then, one day, you feel stuck. You feel restless and like a mercenary...the "it's just a job" mentality. Soon, these feelings of alienation and cynicism spill over into the rest of your life. Clapper goes beyond the usual career counseling formula in Living Your Heart's Desire. He explains why it's more helpful to understand the theology behind work, calling, and human freedom. You'll discover a variety of visions of what it means for you to lead a life of Christian faithfulness in all realms of existence. You'll be equipped to understand yourself as a Christian in the workforce as well as understand how to be content -- no matter what you do for a living -- among the discontented. "We must ask if the life we are living is a worthy expression of gratitude for what God has done for us," Clapper writes. "Our most important response is the shape of our entire life. It is, in short, our vocation." Easy to read and relevant to today's economy and world (with many references and lessons from movies), this book can help you lead a more fulfilled, rewarding, and joyful Christian life -- regardless of how you earn a paycheck. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter make this perfect for small group discussions. Learn to see your "Office Space"-like world as a Spirit-filled and vital calling in Christ. As one reviewer has said, Living Your Heart's Desire will help you "understand the connection between faith of the head and faith of the heart, as well as the next step on your faith journey." Take comfort in knowing that God has a plan for your life. Revel in it.




The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus


Book Description

In this study D. A. Carson illuminates Jesus's message to his disciples after the Last Supper, in which Jesus proclaims the coming of the Holy Spirit and prays for himself, his followers, and the world. D. A. Carson clearly explains what Jesus taught his disciples the night before his crucifixion. This exposition of John 14-17 helps students of the Bible appreciate Jesus's teaching on the coming and the work of the Holy Spirit, his high priestly prayer, and his commandment to love one another.




Take the Flag


Book Description

God Has Put You in the Driver's Seat It's up to you to run the race of your life. But what are you racing for? Where are you going? And how will you claim victory? Every day God offers us guidance and direction-if only we can grasp it. Now author Rob Fuquay has come up with a bold, imaginative way to understand God's signals through the fast-paced world of auto racing. Far-fetched? Not when you consider that the apostle Paul himself wrote passionately about "the race of faith." As a race-car fan who has pastored in both NASCAR and IndyCar country, Fuquay found it easy to see powerful symbolism in each of racing's flags. With wisdom and humor, these seven dynamic lessons will put you on course for your own faith journey, helping you navigate the bumps and turns, ride out the delays and pit stops, and ultimately take the checkered flag of a victorious life! Book jacket.




Climbing the Sycamore Tree


Book Description

Warning: This book could change the way you live. "Although I've experienced what it's like to get overextended, I've never been poor without options or help," writes Hagmann. "My faith tells me that being a Christian must affect who I am and how I behave with my wealth. Christ has something to say about the way I live my daily life, from how I treat others to how I spend my money." Do you make everyday economic decisions that reflect your Christian faith and values? Or are you "living large" in a material world? Using the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-9) as its inspiration, Climbing the Sycamore Tree is a 6-week study of faithful stewardship. Hagmann uses both scripture and consumer statistics to show how our buying habits often marginalize certain people and perpetuate systems that contradict good stewardship and love for God's creation. Following the experience of the tax collector Zacchaeus, the study seeks to deepen the link between the faith we profess and the lifestyle we live. Designed as a study for individuals or groups, Climbing the Sycamore Tree provides insight into how our economy functions and the connection between how we spend our money and spiritual formation asks provocative, discerning questions about our daily choices calls us to a path of simple everyday living that's in harmony with our Christian beliefs The study is divided into three sections of two weeks each. Each week's readings consist of five lessons and a group session that includes scripture, discussion questions, guides for reflection or activity, and prayer. Open yourself to transformation that more clearly reflects the daily living of the faith you profess!




What Loss Can Teach Us


Book Description

After a significant loss, many people rush to get back a sense of normalcy without allowing themselves time to heal and learn from that loss. Our loving and compassionate God longs to walk with individuals on a transformational journey through loss toward becoming more emotionally and spiritually whole. This book shows readers that God offers an "on ramp" to the process of tending to their pain. What Loss Can Teach Us provides readers with stepping-stones for getting through loss and pain while discovering the lessons they can learn through that process. Including her own story of loss, the author guides us in spiritual practices that helped her heal. While nothing changes its reality, loss can lead to an important juncture where readers will decide if they can trust God to take them through the hard process of growth and healing by allowing themselves to be shaped by the lessons they learn through their recovery. What Loss Can Teach Us can serve as a road map for that transformational journey.




Soul Reset


Book Description

Everything was going fine … until it wasn't. For Reverend Junius B. Dotson it took an actual breakdown during a funeral for him to realize he needed a reset. As he recalls his own journey through grief, depression, burnout, and emotional breakdown, Dotson is passionate about calling for a Soul Reset for pastors, church leaders, and all disciples of Jesus Christ. This is a 6-week churchwide study for everyone who moves at breakneck speed through their daily lives, often relying only on their own strength to bring God's kingdom on earth. Jesus shows us a different way, an easier, unforced rhythm of what kingdom work looks like. It's a balance of work, rest, play, worship, exercise, and eating well—spiritual practices that keep our souls hydrated and healthy as we do the work of the church in the world. Soul Reset: Breakdown, Breakthrough, and the Journey to Wholeness includes a book; a DVD; downloadable video segments; age-level discussion guides for children, youth, and adults; sermon starters; and more. Soul Reset is a call for the church and all of Jesus' disciples to reset and reorder their lives around spiritual practices, to learn to walk through our difficult seasons with our souls connected to the source of Living Water so that we don't burn out or break down. And if we do burn out or break down, we learn to lift one another up and point one another back to Jesus. Introduction Chapter 1: Watch How I Do It – Jesus Chapter 2: Knocking on God's Door – David Chapter 3: It's Not All on Me – Mary and Martha Chapter 4: Eat Something – Elijah Chapter 5: Life in Crisis – Job Chapter 6: Living in the Light – Judas and Peter




Holy Spirit, here and now


Book Description

Do you long for something more in your relationship with God? Are you struggling to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit? Are you ready to embark on a Spirit-propelled adventure of restoration, renewal and transformation? When we do not experience God’s life within us, our Christianity can deteriorate into a lifeless system of rules and empty rituals. If this describes you at the moment, know that you are not alone. Many spiritual seekers are tired of a superficial faith and yearn to know the fi re of God’s presence burning in their hearts. In Holy Spirit Here and Now Trevor Hudson shares his personal journey and offers practical guidance to help you experience the Holy Spirit moving in your ordinary life. Some of the common hurdles he addresses are: Feeling that the Holy Spirit is only available to religious professionals, but not to you Being put off by negative past experiences with people attempting to push you into an experience of the Holy Spirit Having a sense that something is lacking in your relationship with God Feeling that experiences of God’s Spirit are far removed from our everyday lives Believing that experiencing the Holy Spirit is a once-off event rather than a lifetime journey. Trevor Hudson encourages you to allow every part of your life – your emotions, body, soul, relationships, career – to become an arena where the Holy Spirit can work. This is what it means to be truly fi lled with God’s Spirit.




Walking in the Wilderness


Book Description

People of faith are struggling these days as they watch unbelievable events unfold. The United States, once a refuge for immigrants, has closed its borders to many of the world's most vulnerable citizens. Fear of people different from us has created an atmosphere of hatred, incivility, and violence. We are living in a time of wilderness and exile. Yet the wilderness is a familiar place for those who follow Jesus. Like Jesus, we spend 40 days in the wilderness. During Lent God calls us to examine ourselves, repent, and make room in our lives for the Holy One. Walking in the Wilderness is meant to be a companion for readers' journey through Lent. It may be studied by individuals or groups. The book includes daily reflections for Ash Wednesday through Easter. Sunday of each week introduces a spiritual practice for the wilderness. The practices for the six Sundays of Lent are Being Present, Lament, Lectio Divina, Trust, Compassion, and Hospitality. Each reading contains a quotation from an Upper Room resource, a short scripture passage, an insightful reflection and prayer written by Richardson, and a single word for readers to carry with them throughout the day. "We come hungry to this season of Lent," Richardson writes, "hungry for words of life, for rituals of preparation, for disciplines to help us on our way." Walking in the Wilderness provides a spiritual feast for readers during the longest season of the Christian year.