Testing and Temptations


Book Description

God does most of the work required for our salvation, but one doctrine of theology, Sanctification, requires our input. Testing and Temptations is about the interplay our actions have in our own spiritual growth. This book explains the difference between trials and temptations and the role each plays in our Christian sanctification.




After 50 Years of Ministry


Book Description

“If I had my entire life to live over, I’d choose to be a preacher again. It’s been extremely rewarding and gratifying. But I could do ministry a lot better if given a second try. As I look back on my forty years at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, I wish I had a mulligan. This book lists seven things I’d do differently and seven I’d do about the same. They are written in hopes they’ll be a source of encouragement for those growing weary and losing heart. I pray my observations will inspire others to conclude, ‘If he can do it, I can, too.’ In this book I share both the joys and sorrows of my ministry, both the successes and failures. I’m going to be as transparent as possible in hopes that it will encourage ministers to stand firm in the faith and be faithful unto death. If just one minister is motivated to pick up the sword of the Spirit and re-enter the battle, it will be well worth the effort.” — Bob Russell




Tempted and Tried


Book Description

Although temptation is a common and well-acknowledged part of the human experience, few realize the truth behind temptation and fewer still know how to defeat it. Tempted and Tried will not reassure Christians by claiming that temptation is less powerful or less prevalent than it is; instead, it will prepare believers for battle by telling the truth about the cosmic war that is raging. Moore shows that the temptation of every Christian is part of a broader conspiracy against God, a conspiracy that confronts everyone who shares the flesh of Jesus through human birth and especially confronts those who share the Spirit of Christ through the new birth of redemption. Moore walks readers through the Devil's ancient strategies for temptation revealed in Jesus' wilderness testing. Moore considers how those strategies might appear in a contemporary context and points readers to a way of escape. Tempted and Tried will remind Christians that temptation must be understood in terms of warfare, encouraging them with the truth that victory has already been secured through the triumph of Christ.




The Master's Mind


Book Description

God Wants to Help You Overcome Your Greatest Battle of All What we think and believe determines who we are. If that’s so, then why are we so insecure, defensive, lonely, empty, fearful, depressed, self-absorbed, dysfunctional, angry and confused? We are a mess. But that’s not what God has in mind for us. In fact, the Master has hope, strength, beauty, joy, love, creativity, freedom, power, peace, patience, goodness, laughter, organization, effectiveness and purpose for us. So, what went wrong? We lost our identity in our sin. We’ve become unanchored, tossed about on the sea of a million influences, none of which is our Master’s heart or mind. Between the world, the flesh and the devil, we don’t know what to think and therefore our lives are filled with hurt, pain and regret. Someone is running the show in our minds and it’s not us, at least not the real us, nor the real owner. Jesus is not okay with this. He died to save us from our sins and set us free. He made a way for our souls to be rescued from our enemies. He bought the territory of our minds and planted His flag of holy ground. It’s time for us to get angry enough to take back control of our minds, to master them and bring them back in alignment with the Master’s will. It’s time to return to The Master’s Mind.




Keeping Faith


Book Description

“A triumph. This novel’s haunting strength will hold the reader until the very end and make Faith and her story impossible to forget.” —Richmond Times Dispatch “Extraordinary.” —Orlando Sentinel From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult (Nineteen Minutes, Change of Heart, Handle with Care) comes Keeping Faith: an “addictively readable” (Entertainment Weekly) novel that “makes you wonder about God. And that is a rare moment, indeed, in modern fiction” (USA Today).




Discipleship Defined


Book Description

"DON'T read this book if you want to remain comfortable! Eric challenges us to consider what Biblical discipleship looks like based on what Jesus did. Eric writes this book with the integrity of a man who is not merely theorizing about the way things ought to be, rather he is describing what is actually happening as he builds Biblical disciples in the context of the inner city. This book is soundly Biblical, challenging and practical. This book is about building disciples not programs." Roger Hershey, Campus Crusade For Christ "It is a joy to highly commend to all Discipleship Defined, for it is exactly the prescription that is needed for the Church to regain much of our lost effectiveness. "Discipleship Defined" has carefully described, yet without programming it into a rigid system, how to go about this challenging task." Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., President Emeritus Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary "Eric Russ gives us some very straight forward thinking about discipleship, a topic widely misunderstood and undervalued. Moving away from piety-driven discipleship, Russ points us toward a holistic, Christ-centered way of following Jesus." Jonathan Dodson, Lead Pastor Austin City Life, Austin, TX. "Eric has a healthy obsession about strong discipleship, and it shows in a gracious way in this guidebook for muscular commitment. Can you be obsessed and still have a gracious spirit? Eric does, and so does this book!" Knute Larson, Senior Pastor The Chapel, Akron, OH (1983-2009) Eric Russ is lead pastor of Mack Avenue Community Church in Detroit, Michigan. He is married to Sara and has four children. For more information visit www.discipleshipdefined.com or www.mackave.com.




The Jesus Principles


Book Description

If your influence only lasts as long as you do, you failed. This book will help you reach your full potential, inspire greatness in your spouse, children, and friends, and leave a legacy that lasts beyond your lifetime. True influence should increase through the lives of those you have poured into, even after you pass away. Our greatest example of this is Jesus. His followers did greater works after He left them. Jesus never wrote a book or traveled outside of Israel, but He was able to use a band of eleven followers to create the largest, most influential movement the world has ever seen. Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master. He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. In The Jesus Principles, Joseph Mattera helps you unleash greatness in yourself, but even more importantly, in your circle of influence—your spouse, children, friends, and family. Following Jesus’ example, you will be empowered to leave a legacy of helping others fulfill their own potential so that after you have passed, you are still speaking! Become part of a great cloud of witnesses who help to unleash human potential in one another. The four Gospels are not only compilations of important moral and spiritual sayings, but they also contain principles that can enable us to move from potential to fulfillment of purpose.




Holy Bible (NIV)


Book Description

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.




The Sacredness of Questioning Everything


Book Description

The freedom to question—asking and being asked—is an indispensable and sacred practice that is absolutely vital to the health of our communities.According to author David Dark, when religion won’t tolerate questions, objections, or differences of opinion, and when it only brings to the table threats of excommunication, violence, and hellfire, it does not allow people to discover for themselves what they truly believe.The God of the Bible not only encourages questions; the God of the Bible demands them. If that were not so, we wouldn’t live in a world of such rich, God-given complexity in which wide-eyed wonder is part and parcel of the human condition. Dark contends that it’s OK to question life, the Bible, faith, the media, emotions, language, government—everything. God has nothing to hide. And neither should people of faith.The Sacredness of Questioning offers a wide-ranging, insightful, and often entertaining discussion that draws on a variety of sources, including religious texts and popular culture. It is a book that readers will likely cherish—and recommend—for years to come.




Hagar


Book Description

You are "The God Who Sees Me." Discover a close relationship with God—no matter the pain or suffering in your life. Witness the depths of God’s compassion through the eyes of Hagar, a runaway slave who meets the living God in a desert of despair, where she gives Him the name El Roi, "The God Who Sees Me." A largely forgotten Old Testament character, Hagar is actually one of only a few people who have ever spoken directly with the LORD. Through this seven week study, you will find that when you surrender your life into God’s hands, your trials and triumphs serve a magnificent purpose: to draw you into the arms of the faithful God who sees you.