The Forgotten Beatitude


Book Description

Stewardship is one of the essential means the church utilizes to roll up its sleeves and engage in the ministry it is challenged to do. — William Powell Tuck Jesus said in His sermon on the mountain, "Blessed are ..." (Matthew 5:1-12) James said, Faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26) Dr. Bill Tuck shares his heart and his teachings on stewardship that will bring the reader into a greater appreciation of how God wants to use our time, talent and finances to build His Church as well as draw us into a deeper relationship with Him. You will find each chapter begins with a scriptural notation that will lend itself to further study and meditation on God's Word. May we be found to not only be reader of God's Word, but also doers of His Word.




Words from the Hill


Book Description

A disruptive and surprising journey through the Beatitudes. Most of the time, life doesn’t work out like we expect it will. We spend time and energy trying to climb some sort of spiritual ladder, oblivious to the fact that it is God who is moving toward us. We want answers to our problems, yet what is offered is presence. What if we were to become united with our brokenness rather than our victories? What if God moves closest to us in the absence, the ache, and the longing? Words from the Hill turns each beatitude on its head to see the unexpected beneath the understood—diving into the story of a woman on death row to speak about mercy, personal stories from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to talk about peace, and much more. Stu Garrard has walked with these people in their stories, and he vulnerably offers his own as he unpacks the Good News of the Beatitudes. God is on your side, and He is closer than you think.




The Zondervan 2023 Pastor's Annual


Book Description

Countless preachers have turned to the Zondervan Pastor's Annual to save them time in sermon and service preparation. This tried-and-true resource makes your demanding job as a pastor a lot easier. Use its contents as is, or tailor it to fit your unique approach. The Zondervan 2023 Pastor's Annual supplies you with: Morning and evening services for every Sunday of the year Sermon topics and texts fully indexed Definitive and usable sermon outlines Devotionals and Bible studies for midweek services Fresh and applicable illustrations Appropriate hymn selections Special-day services for church and civil calendars Meditations on Lord's Supper observance Wedding ceremonies and themes Funeral messages and Scriptures Basic pastoral ministry helps Messages for children and young people Offertory prayers




The Ladder of the Beatitudes


Book Description

Drawing on stories from the lives of the saints, scripture, and everyday life, Jim Forest opens up the mysteries of the Beatitudes. These ancient blessings, with which Christ began his Sermon on the Mount, are all aspects of communion with God. As Forest shows, they are like rungs on a ladder, each one leading to the next. They appear at the doorway of the New Testament to provide an easily memorized summary of everything that follows, right down to the crucifixion ("Blessed are you who are persecuted") and the resurrection ("Rejoice and be glad").




The Bible, Re-Write It or Re-Read It


Book Description

Generic versions of the Bible begat generic versions of Christians: If we frustrate the language of the King James Version of the Bible, we will frustrate the grace of God and the genetic codes that lead to eternal life. We ought to preach the gospel, not as our views, but as the mind of God. If we have been entrusted with the making of the gospel, we might have altered it to suit the taste of the modest century, but never having been employed to originate the good news, but merely to repeat it, we dare not stir beyond the record. Charles H. Spurgeon. (Used by permission)




48 Laws of Spiritual Power


Book Description

A fascinating look at what will increase spiritual power in your life and ministry. In 48 Laws of Spiritual Power, best-selling author Frank Viola lays out the unchanging principles of tapping into God's power and releasing it to serve others. These laws are based on over thirty years of ministry experience--trench-tested in Frank's life and the lives of others who have spent decades in ministry. Though these laws may seem counterintuitive and uncommon, they will equip you to look for God's power in your ministry. In short, digestible chapters packed with secrets of effective and impactful ministry, 48 Laws of Spiritual Power will equip you with what you need for your ministry to thrive. With straight-to-the-point insights, the book provides a unique perspective on God's work and practical tools for overcoming the inevitable hardships that are part of any ministry. 48 Laws of Spiritual Power will: Help you access God's power in your personal life and release it in the lives of others Introduce you to uncommon wisdom that is rarely talked about in seminary or Bible college Give you a fresh look at how to transform your ministry with the power God is ready to grant you The key to effective ministry is God's power.




The Pursuit of Happiness--God's Way


Book Description

When we think of happiness, we have to admit that our idea is at times worldly and self-centered. Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount showed us that true happiness will elude us, however, if we follow that kind of thinking. And, in the form of a series of promises and challenges, which we have come to know as the Beatitudes, He told us how to find perfect happiness--both here and in the hereafter. In a world that is capable of the best and the worst, we all have reason to be concerned about the very possibility of ever finding happiness in our lifetimes. The good news of the Gospel message is that we can. Even more, it teaches a way based not on rules and obligations so much as one founded on love, a way that depends upon and leads to the blessings of God Himself. These pages have been written in the conviction that every seeker should make the Sermon on the Mount the primary source of what will and will not make her happy. In His approach to the question, Jesus insists from the outset that we face up to the inevitable trials of life: poverty, tears, hunger and thirst, and shows us how we can find God--the source and object of our joy--in the midst of them.




Shameless


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Raw, intimate, and timely—a no-holds-barred celebration of our bodies that flies in the face of antiquated ideas about sex and gender. “A triumph.”—Glennon Doyle • “One of the most important, life-changing books I’ve ever read.”—Rachel Held Evans, author of Searching for Sunday and Inspired Negative messages about sex come from all corners of society: from the church, from the media, from our own families. As a result, countless people have suffered pain, guilt, and judgment. In this instant bestseller, Nadia Bolz-Weber unleashes her critical eye and her vulnerable yet hopeful soul on the harmful conversations about sex that have fed our shame. Bolz-Weber offers no simple amendments or polite compromises. Instead, this modern-day reverend calls for an inclusivity that empowers us to be loyal to people and, perhaps most important, ourselves. “Christianity is not a program for avoiding mistakes,” she writes. “It is a faith of the guilty.” With an alternative understanding of Scripture passages that have been weaponized against Christians for decades, Bolz-Weber reminds us that sexual flourishing can and should be for all genders, all bodies, and all humans. She shares stories, poetry, and Scripture that wage war on perpetual anxiety around sex by celebrating sexuality in all its forms and recognizing it for the gift that it is. If you’ve been mistreated, confused, angered, and/or wounded by shaming sexual messages, this one is for you.







What If Jesus Was Serious?


Book Description

Daily Devotions for People Who Hate Daily Devotions Let’s face it. A lot of Christian resources can feel cheesy, out-of-touch, and a little boring. But when Skye Jethani started doodling and writing up some of his thoughts about God, his Twitter and email list blew up. What If Jesus Was Serious? is a compilation of all-new reflections (and hand-drawn doodles) from Skye. He takes a look at some of Jesus’ most demanding teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and pushes us to ask whether we’re really hearing what Christ is saying. The visual component of the book makes it memorable and enjoyable to read, and Skye’s incisive reflections make it worthwhile for any Christian. If you’ve traditionally been dissatisfied with Christian devotional resources but love to learn about Jesus and think deeply, this book was written for you.