The Miracle Path


Book Description

Tessa Hughes’s morning devotional with God, written during the first year of the pandemic, provides an uplifting and encouraging daily reminder for those who face challenges in their faith and day-to-day lives. Because it was written daily from the time the pandemic began, it begins on April 1 and takes the reader through March of the following year to span one Easter season to another. The author provides selected excerpts from the Daily Lectionary’s readings for each day to accompany the devotionals. The Miracle Path not only compiles the daily devotionals but also encompasses some of the heart-stopping events that happened during the first year of the pandemic, including the riots surrounding George Floyd’s untimely death, the church burning in Mississippi, the explosion in Beirut, and many other tragedies and surprises the year held. The daily devotional also provides a grounding experience for Christians to continue seeking God each day and trusting him to meet them where they are. He doesn’t expect us to be on our best behavior in order to be in relationship with him.




Called to Witness


Book Description

From mission and theology to missional theology -- The Missio Dei: a mission theology for after christendom -- The christological formation of missional practice -- The church as missional community -- The Nicene marks in a post-christendom church -- The missional authority of scripture -- The scriptural formation of the missional community -- The worthy walk of the missional community after christendom -- Missional leadership for the formation of the community's worthy walk -- Missio Dei: integrating theological formation for apostolic vocation -- Missional ecumenism: the vision and the challenge.




Jesus Christ for Contemporary Life


Book Description

Jesus Christ for Contemporary Life is an understanding of Jesus as the Word of God, grounded in what can be known historically of Jesus and informed by subsequent reflection upon him, which hopes to help shape a Christian identity characterized by "bounded openness." In Jesus Christ for Contemporary Life, Don Schweitzer explores the significance of the person, work, and relationships of Jesus Christ for contemporary life. He moves from the historical Jesus to the present in three parts. In the first part Schweitzer develops an understanding of Jesus as the Word of God, who became incarnate to give the goodness and beauty of God further expression in time and space. Second, he explores how various atonement theories articulate ways in which Jesus empowers people to further express this beauty and goodness in their own lives. And finally, Schweitzer explores how Jesus relates to people in the church, to the events and movements in history, to other religions, and to Christians in their dialogue with God in prayer.




The Rebirth of the Church


Book Description

Churches across the Western world have become increasingly fragmented and marginalized, often struggling to survive. Here Eddie Gibbs, a bestselling author and veteran church and culture expert, addresses the challenges of re-imagining the church in a post-Christian world. He gleans critical biblical insights from the early church's experience to help contemporary leaders and churches minister more effectively. Gibbs compares and contrasts the social and cultural context of the twenty-first century with the first century, exploring what can be learned about the birthing of churches in the book of Acts and in Paul's letters. He identifies the issues Paul faced in order to sustain a movement growing exponentially and considers what lessons might be learned in addressing current challenges in the church. The book examines vital issues not only for the survival of the church but also for its revitalization and rebirth, and provides direction for local churches on becoming agents of mission.




The Canterbury Preacher's Companion 2014


Book Description

An annual favourite, offering 150 complete sermons for the coming year, with hymn suggestions. For each Sunday of the year there are two sermons, plus material for festivals, saints days, baptisms, weddings and funerals.




Connections: Year C, Three-Volume Set


Book Description

Designed to empower preachers as they lead their congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary. For each worship day within the three-year lectionary cycle, the commentaries in Connections link the individual lection reading with Scripture as a whole as well as to the larger world. In addition, Connections places each Psalm reading in conversation with the other lections for the day to highlight the themes of the liturgical season. Finally, sidebars offer additional connections to Scripture for each Sunday or worship day. This nine-volume series is a practical, constructive, and valuable resource for preachers who seek to help congregations connect more closely with Scripture. This eBook set contains Year C, volumes 1, 2, and 3.




Simul Sanctification


Book Description

Why do we see so much fruitful good in unbelievers and so much evil in believers? What could it mean for a believer that the old is “gone,” especially when it doesn’t feel that way? What does it mean for humans who are simul iustus et peccator (simultaneously righteous and sinner) to be transformed in Christ and by his Spirit? We typically think of sanctification as pertaining to humans being conformed to Jesus, but what could it mean when Jesus speaks of himself as being sanctified for our sakes (John 17:19)? Jeff McSwain mines the theology of Karl Barth to engage such questions. In looking “through the simul,” he concludes with Barth that universal human transformation is a reality before it is a possibility, and that, despite our contradictory state, we may live Spirit-filled lives as we participate in Christ’s true humanity that determines ours—a humanity which never gets old.




Reading Ephesians with John Stott


Book Description

Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus is a magnificent combination of Christian doctrine and Christian duty. John Stott's teachings from The Message of Ephesians are offered here as brief daily devotional readings, with eleven weekly studies that take small groups passage by passage through Ephesians.




Fresh From the Word 2020


Book Description

Fresh From the Word: The Bible for a Change will inspire your reading of the Bible in a changing world. Bringing together top theologians and biblical scholars, creative writers from around the world, cutting-edge church leaders, activists for peace and justice and a range of others, Fresh From the Word offers 366 sets of notes, prayers and suggestions for action on biblical themes. This fresh approach to Bible reading is aimed at new readers of the Bible from across the church, as well as anyone seeking a faithful, creative and challenging conversation with the Bible every day of the year.




Your God is Too Somber


Book Description

Your God is too somber if your posture before him lacks a spirit of joy and a commitment to rejoice as much as possible. While life has its sadness and tragedy, the good news of Jesus Christ is that God’s kingdom has won; and the suffering we face for a time is shorter compared with the endless delight that God promises. So, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Your God is too somber if you embrace a theology of tears, rather than a theology of laughter. Of course, salvation and Christ’s sacrifice are serious business, and we should engage in moments of penitential reflection, confession, and atonement. But all of this so we can shake off the shackles of our shortcomings and celebrate God fully and joyfully. Your God is too somber if you fail to see the humor in the Bible: the calls to joy, paradox, irony, burlesque, play, and wordplay. God laughs, sometimes with us, sometimes at us, and Jesus’s humor is evident in parables and sayings, with the goal of teaching us the truth. Is your God too somber? This book aims to help you answer that question.