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Fresh Expressions: A New Kind of Methodist Church For People Not In Church
by Kenneth H. Carter Jr. Audrey WarrenA wave of new Christian churches are emerging to reach unchurched and dechurched people who live in a culture that is increasingly non-religious and multi-religious. These new forms of church gather and network with people who typically have never been to church. The new faith communities listen to people and go where they are on the journey toward Jesus. They are deeply ecumenical but do not lose their distinctiveness because they learn fresh ways to communicate their identity through discipleship. Fresh Expressions began in the United Kingdom where it ignited over 3000 new faith communities. In the United States the movement is putting down roots in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Ken Carter and Audrey Warren offer this book as a group study for church leaders and congregations who are in the grip of Holy Spirit motivation to renew their tradition by reaching people who are dechurched or not yet in a discipleship relationship with Jesus. Each chapter includes two Bible study experiences for group conversation.
Fresh Expressions in a Digital Age - eBook [ePub]: How the Church Can Prepare for a Post Pandemic World
by Rosario Picardo Michael Adam BeckFresh Expressions is a canary in the coal mine, alerting congregations to reevaluate what the Church is, where and when it can happen, and who can lead it. Church as we know it is inaccessible to most people. A fundamental premise of the movement is that Church can become accessible again by emerging in every nook and cranny where life already happens. Fresh Expressions is based in simplification, returning to basic scriptural principles, and a recovery of a “priesthood of all believers”—in the three places where people live and relate to others.First Place: The home or primary place of residence. Second Place: The workplace or school place. Third Place: The public places separate from the two usual social environments of home and workplace, which host regular, voluntary, informal, and neutral spaces of communion and play. Examples are environments such as cafes, pubs, theaters, parks, and so on.During a pandemic, our two primary mission spaces were closed off; the second and third places were shut down. We couldn’t have Tattoo Parlor Church; the tattoo parlor was closed. We couldn’t gather in Moe’s Southwest Grill for Burritos and Bibles; they were doing take-out only. The dog park was empty; no Paws of Praise. This limited us to the only spaces we have left: the first place, or the home place. The digital place, or the “space of flows.” This forces us into recognizing the digital space as its own kind of third place, a new missional frontier.
Fresh Expressions of People Over Property
by Kenneth H. Carter Jr. Audrey WarrenOur church buildings, synagogues, and other religious places – which once stood as beacons of hope and reverence for its community – have become a burden for the organizations who seek to keep them standing. In efforts to patch leaky roofs and paint over years of wear, leaders are putting more and more money each year into property instead of people. The practices we have fallen into to keep a building running are not only demoralizing to the pastoral profession and the mission of the church, but they also run the risk of violating property tax laws and incurring more debt. What if our properties didn’t have to be a source of pain but one of purpose and profit? Can we as faith-based organizations begin to think collaboratively about how we might further our missions by creatively and intentionally rethinking how we utilize the space we inhabit? In Fresh Expressions of People Over Property the authors reflect on strategies, scriptures, and stories that help leaders faithfully re-imagine their community spaces so that they reflect that God and God’s people value people over property.
Fresh Expressions of the Rural Church
by Michael Adam Beck Tyler KleebergerLearn to cultivate the extraordinary gifts of Christian community in the countryside with Fresh Expressions of the Rural Church by Tyler Kleeberger and Michael Beck.The rural church was a community’s centerpiece. The place where people gathered to worship and hear a sermon, break bread together, and support each other through the joys and struggles of life with the land. In many ways, the rural church captured a central aspect of the church’s mission: to be the guiding hand for the life of a place.Can rural congregations flourish again? Can new Christian communities succeed in rural areas? Could healthy rural churches catalyze a better future for their declining communities?This book collects stories from the diversity of rural contexts across the US. It lays out a fresh theology for rural life and offers principles for harnessing the potential of what some consider the forgotten spaces. Each chapter includes a helpful Field Exercise—questions for discussion and suggested actions for leadership teams to work through together. Chapters conclude with a Field Story illustrating how the chapter’s main ideas can work in a real church setting.Praise for Fresh Expressions of the Rural ChurchFresh Expressions of the Rural Church offers hope for the renewal that can take place in “out of the way” places. In these sacred rural places folks can experience the love of God and neighbor, undergo true healing, participate in the renewal of community, and discover a place to belong. - Daniel G. Beaudoin, Bishop, Northwestern Ohio Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaFresh Expressions of the Rural Church helps us to reconsider our Wesleyan roots and the gifts of our rural contexts, a seedbed packed with possibility for new communities of faith to form and flourish.- Heather M. Jallad, Fresh Expressions specialist, North Georgia Conference, UMCBeck and Kleeberger have taken a sample of the good soil that is faithful rural mission, identified the challenges, celebrated the riches, and offered us a powerful way to learn and be in partnership and connection with the gifts of God. - Ken Carter, Bishop, Florida and Western North Carolina Conferences of the United Methodist Church; co-author, Fresh Expressions: A New Kind of Methodist Church from Abingdon Press
Fresh Eyes on Famous Bible Sayings: Discovering New Insights in Familiar Passages (Fresh Eyes)
by Doug NewtonWhat does it mean to “put on the full armor of God”? What does knowing “the kingdom of God is within you” have to do with relationships? How does Jesus’ use of the “Golden Rule” differ from versions of the rule found in other religions? <P><P>Pastor Doug Newton answers these questions and more using Scripture-reading techniques readers can then use on their own to discover life-changing truths from the Scripture passages they know the most.
Fresh Eyes on Jesus' Miracles: Discovering New Insights in Familiar Passages (Fresh Eyes)
by Doug NewtonWhat can readers learn about personal transformation from Jesus turning water to wine? How does His feeding of the five thousand refocus their own call to serve? In Fresh Eyes on Jesus’ Miracles, Pastor Doug Newton finds hidden truths in the gospels’ most familiar stories. <P><P> From the wedding at Cana to Peter’s miraculous catch, Newton offers cultural context, modern-day insights, and spiritual depth to awaken even the most seasoned reader’s heart and mind. Most importantly, he equips readers to study Scripture with a fresh perspective—and join God’s miraculous work in their most ordinary moments.
Fresh Eyes on Jesus' Parables: Discovering New Insights in Familiar Passages (Fresh Eyes)
by Doug NewtonHow does the parable of the good Samaritan redefine acts of social justice, not just acts of mercy? What does the story of the five talents teach us about daily spiritual life? Fresh Eyes on Jesus’ Parables offers a new perspective on the stories Jesus told to His closest disciples. <P><P>As in every book in this unique series, Pastor Doug Newton provides life-changing techniques for reading Scripture, such as skills in interpreting one passage using another. Readers will love discovering familiar parables again as if for the first time.
Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People
by Jim Cymbala Dean MerrillDiscusses ways to increase one's faith in God
Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People
by Jim Cymbala Dean MerrillPastor Jim Cymbala calls us back to a fiery, passionate preoccupation with God that will restore what the enemy has stolen from us: our first love for Jesus, our zeal, our troubled children, our wounded marriages, our broken and divided churches. Born out of the heart and soul of The Brooklyn Tabernacle, the message of Fresh Faith is illustrated by true stories of men and women whose lives have been changed through the power of faith. Cymbala writes, “Real faith is produced when our hearts draw near to God himself and receive his promises deep within.” That kind of faith can transform your life—starting today, if you choose. “Jim Cymbala is an exciting reminder of God’s desire to bless and use any faithful and trusting follower of our Lord in supernatural ways.” —Dr. Bill Bright, Founder and President, Campus Crusade for Christ International
Fresh Power: What Happens When God Leads and You Follow
by Jim Cymbala Dean MerrillWe Need God’s Power Drawing examples from the Bible and from the sidewalks of New York City, Fresh Power shows what happens when the Spirit of God moves in our midst. He longs to reveal the mind of God to us and to release heaven’s limitless resources to meet the desperate needs around us. Fresh Power will expand your vision for what God can and will do, and inspire you to pray like never before for God’s power in your church—and in you.
Fresh Start
by Doug FieldsIf you had the chance to change your life for the better, would you? All it takes is a decision. Trapped by harmful habits, behaviors, and attitudes, we struggle to become the person God has created and called us to be. Saddleback Church teaching pastor Doug Fields says it's never too late to get a fresh start. With personal stories and youthful writing, Doug challenges readers to recognize that they may say they want God in their lives, but they really don't want to change. They are stuck. He says, "It's not about trying harder, it's about plugging into God's transforming power and submitting your entire life to Christ. Age doesn't matter; fresh starts are for everyone." Topics include: Dealing with pride Defining success Living with guilt Struggling with conflicts Finding true friendships Overcoming discouragement Facing rejection Attacking anger
Fresh Start: The New You Begins Today
by Joel OsteenBestselling author Joel Osteen offers practical insight and encouragement for a new beginning with God--essentials about who He is, who we are, and how with Him we can fulfill our destiny. God loves to give people fresh starts. He wants everyone to see His blessings in new ways so we can reach our full potential and achieve extraordinary levels of success. In this truly one-of-a-kind guide, Joel Osteen encourages growing Christians with a "How to Study the Bible" and "Bible Promises" feature to help everyone find the courage to start over and live their best lives now. In FRESH START, readers learn what it takes to rise to a new level of honor, a new level of influence, and a new level of favor.
The Fresh Start Divorce Recovery Workbook: A Step-by-step Program For Those Who Are Divorced Or Separated
by Bob BurnsThe Bible-based insights included in this revised and updated edition will give you the practical tools you need to recover from the trauma of divorce and complete the journey toward wholeness after the painful breakup of a marriage. Questions, self-tests, excercises, and practical information will enable you to: Find the right lawyer and settle your divorce as fairly and as quickly as possible Decide whether mediation is right for you Regain self-esteem and faith in God Move beyond betterness and anger into forgiveness and spiritual freedom Negotiate successfully your reentry into single life Deal with tough financial issues that inevitably arise Filled with hard-hitting information, The Fresh Start Divorce Recovery Workbook allows you to personalize each concept and focus on specific areas you need help with as you face the challenges of divorce or separation.
Fresh-Start Family
by Lisa MondelloCivilian life is a strain for war hero Tom Garrison, but he's an expert at emergencies. And he puts his training to good use helping his lovely neighbor, single mom Jenna Atkins, and her sick son, Brian. Tom thinks he can rescue the family and walk away, but he's in for a big surprise. Despite his efforts, Jenna and Brian capture his heart--just as he captures theirs. Both Jenna and Tom have reason to be wary of letting anyone close. Can they overcome the past to give this family a fresh start at love?
Fresh-Start Ranch
by Leann HarrisAfter seeing Tessa Grant calm his storm-spooked horse, Ethan McClure is impressed. But does the new vet have what it takes to prove her mettle with Ethan's local horse-rescue group? Ethan can't deny her healing touch with animals...or her powerful effect on this rancher. But Tessa is busy trying to get her footing after leaving Kentucky to start over in this mountain town. When she learns a family secret that turns her world upside down, Tessa's ready to push everyone away. Unless Ethan can help her embrace forgiveness-and forge a path to her heart along the way.
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
by Jim Cymbala Dean MerrillThe pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle relates how prayer transformed their church from a tiny, struggling congregation into a large, dynamic church where thousands of lives have been changed in the heart of the inner city.
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens When God's Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People
by Jim Cymbala Dean MerrillThe times are urgent. God is on the move.Pastor Jim Cymbala believes that Jesus wants to renew his people—to call us back from spiritual dead ends, apathy, and lukewarm religion. Cymbala knows the difference firsthand. Back in the early 1970s, his own church, the Brooklyn Tabernacle, was a struggling congregation of twenty. Then they began to pray, God began to move, and street-hardened lives by the hundreds were changed with the love of Christ. Today, they are nearly ten thousand strong.This well-loved book shares the story of what happened to this broken-down church in one of America’s toughest neighborhoods points the way to new spiritual vitality in the church and in your own life. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire shows what the Holy Spirit can do when believers get serious about prayer and the gospel. As this compelling book reveals, God moves in life-changing ways when we set aside our own agendas, take him at his word, and listen for his voice.In this new edition, Cymbala will update some of the classic stories, including that of his own daughter Chrissy Cymbala Toledo. He will talk about how the church has grown and how God helped the church move from its location on Flatbush Avenue to a larger facility that the growing church couldn’t “afford.” And it is so appropriate that the church meets in a building that was once a theater, as God is dramatically reshaping the life stories of so many people who encounter Christ and the power of the gospel. This message of hope and transformation continues.
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire
by Dean Merrill Jim CymbalaThe Times Are Urgent God Is on the Move Now Is the Moment to … ask God to ignite his fire in your soul! Pastor Jim Cymbala believes that Jesus wants to renew his people—to call us back from spiritual dead ends, apathy, and lukewarm religion. Cymbala knows the difference firsthand. Thirty-five years ago his own church, the Brooklyn Tabernacle, was a struggling congregation of twenty. Then they began to pray … God began to move … street-hardened lives by the hundreds were changed by the love of Christ … and today they are more than ten thousand strong. The story of what happened to this broken-down church in one of America’s toughest neighborhoods points the way to new spiritual vitality in the church and in your own life. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire shows what the Holy Spirit can do when believers get serious about prayer and the gospel. As this compelling book reveals, God moves in life-changing ways when we set aside our own agendas, take him at his word, and listen for his voice.
Freshman Blues (PCU #1)
by Wendy Lee NentwigAlthough Emily has been looking forward to her freshman year in college, she is not pleased to find a quirky roommate, peer pressure, deadlines, and inedible dorm food.
Freud and Augustine in Dialogue: Psychoanalysis, Mysticism, and the Culture of Modern Spirituality (Studies in Religion and Culture)
by William B. Parsons"It is arguably the case," writes William Parsons, "that no two figures have had more influence on the course of Western introspective thought than Freud and Augustine." Yet it is commonly assumed that Freud and Augustine would have nothing to say to each other with regard to spirituality or mysticism, given the former's alleged antipathy to religion and the latter's not usually being considered a mystic.Adopting an interdisciplinary, dialogical, and transformational framework for interpreting Augustine's spiritual journey in his Confessions, Parsons places a "mystical theology" at the heart of Augustine's narrative and argues that his mysticism has been misunderstood partly because of the limited nature of the psychological models applied to it. At the same time, he expands Freud's therapeutic legacy to incorporate the contemporary findings of physiology and neuroscience that have been influenced in part by modern spirituality.Parsons develops a new psychological hermeneutic to account for Augustine's mysticism that will capture the imagination of contemporary readers who are both psychologically informed and interested in spirituality. The author intends this interpretive model not only to engage modern introspective concerns about developmental conflict and the power of the unconscious but also to reach a more nuanced level of insight into the origins and the nature of the self.
Freud and Monotheism: Moses and the Violent Origins of Religion (Berkeley Forum in the Humanities)
by Richard Bernstein Ronald Hendel Jan Assmann Catherine Malabou Gabriele Schwab Joel Whitebook Willi Goetschel Karen S. Feldman Gilad Sharvit Yael SegalovitzOver the last few decades, vibrant debates regarding post-secularism have found inspiration and provocation in the works of Sigmund Freud. <P><P>A new interest in the interconnection of psychoanalysis, religion and political theory has emerged, allowing Freud’s illuminating examination of the religious and mystical practices in “Obsessive Neurosis and Religious Practices,” and the exegesis of the origins of ethics in religion in Totem and Taboo, to gain currency in recent debates on modernity. In that context, the pivotal role of Freud’s masterpiece, Moses and Monotheism, is widely recognized. <P>Freud and Monotheism brings together fundamental new contributions to discourses on Freud and Moses, as well as new research at the intersections of theology, political theory, and history in Freud’s psychoanalytic work. Highlighting the broad impact of Moses and Monotheism across the humanities, the contributors hail from such diverse disciplines as philosophy, comparative literature, cultural studies, German studies, Jewish studies and psychoanalysis. <P><P>Jan Assmann and Richard Bernstein, whose books pioneered the earlier debate that initiated the Freud and Moses discourse, seize the opportunity to revisit and revise their groundbreaking work. Gabriele Schwab, Gilad Sharvit, Karen Feldman, and Yael Segalovitz engage with the idiosyncratic, eccentric and fertile nature of the book as a Spӓtstil, and explore radical interpretations of Freud’s literary practice, theory of religion and therapeutic practice. <P>Ronald Hendel offers an alternative history for the Mosaic discourse within the biblical text, Catherine Malabou reconnects Freud’s theory of psychic phylogenesis in Moses and Monotheism to new findings in modern biology and Willi Goetschel relocates Freud in the tradition of works on history that begins with Heine, while Joel Whitebook offers important criticisms of Freud’s main argument about the advance in intellectuality that Freud attributes to Judaism.
Freud and Religion: Advancing the Dialogue (Cambridge Studies in Religion, Philosophy, and Society)
by William B. ParsonsWe live in an era that often described as 'therapeutic.' Our culture is suffused with unconscious fantasies and psychoanalytic ways of thinking about self, other, and society. Aspects of the Freudian cultural universe have also had an impact on how we think about religion. In this volume, William Parsons explores the relationship between religion and psychoanalysis through multiple, linked investigations. Why did Freud write about religion and what did he say? What were the multiple critiques levelled at his work? What were the post-Freudian psychoanalytic advances? How can we still apply psychoanalytic ideas going forward? In answering these and related questions, Parsons distinguishes between classic-reductive, adaptive, and transformational psychoanalytic models. He also argues that the psychoanalytic theory of religion needs to integrate reflexive, dialogical, and inclusive elements as part of its toolkit. Offering illustrations and applications of such revisions, Parsons creates new capacities for thinking psychologically and critically about religion.
Freud on Religion (Key Thinkers in the Study of Religion)
by Marsha Aileen HewittFreud argued that religions originate in the unconscious needs, longings and fantasies of human minds. His work has served to highlight how any analysis of religion must explore mental life, both the cognitive and the unconscious. 'Freud on Religion' examines Freud's complex understanding of religious belief and practice. The book brings together contemporary psychoanalytic theory and case material from Freud's clinical practice to illustrate how the operations of the unconscious mind support various forms of religious belief, from mainstream to occult. 'Freud on Religion' offers a new way of understanding Freud's thinking and demonstrates how valuable psychoanalysis is for the study of religion.
Freud's Monotheism (Elements in Religion and Monotheism)
by William ParsonsThis Element consists of three interrelated parts. 'What Freud Said' summarizes the salient details of Freud's psychology of religion: his views on the origins and development of western religions; on contemporary western monotheisms; on the 'unpsychological' proceedings of the religio-cultural super-ego; his qualified endorsement of religious forms of psychotherapy; and his cursory analysis of eastern religions.'What Freud got Wrong' surveys the history of the multidisciplinary critiques (anthropological, sociological, later psychoanalytic, theological/philosophical) that have been levelled at his interpretative strategies. 'Towards a Revised Psychoanalytic Theory of Religion' suggests that the best way forward is to employ a psychoanalytic theory of religion which, taking its cue from the history of its critique, houses reflective, inclusive and dialogical elements. It presents illustrations taken from a variety of contemporary religio-cultural phenomena (marvel movies; issues concerning religion, sexuality and gender; the Megachurch; QAnon) as portable lessons for such applications.