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Principios de predicación AETH: Principles of Preaching Spanish
by Abingdon Press Pablo A. JimenezSe requiere una habilidad poco usual en el manejo del idioma literario para combinar profundidad y sencillez para definir términos profesionales en lenguaje laico y a la vez hacer un libro de texto y manual de inspiración. Pablo Jiménez tiene esa capacidad. Su tratado sobre la predicación esta redactado en lenguaje sencillo y ampliamente ilustrado. Es suficientemente ameno como para servir de material suplementario o de inspiración a quienes solo quieren disfrutar un poco de buena lectura y de la cual sacar ideas para su uso personal. Sin embargo a la vez esta obra es suficientemente profunda como para convertirse en libro de texto para institutos teológicos, colegios o seminarios.
Just Us or Justice?: Moving Toward a Pan-Methodist Theology
by F. Douglas Powe JR.Wesleyan theology and African American theology have both become fixtures on the theological landscape in recent years. While developing along parallel tracks both perspectives make claims concerning justice issues such as racism and sexism. Both, however, perceive justice from a particular vantage that focuses on just-us (just our community). Hence African American theology has not seriously studied John Wesley's stance against slavery or his work with the disenfranchised. And Wesleyan theologians have largely ignored the insights of African American theology especially in regard to certain injustices. To get beyond the "just-us" mentality, the author lays the foundation for a Pan-Methodist theology, which will draw from the strengths of African American and Wesley theologies.
Smaller Church Youth Ministry: No Staff, No Money, No Problem!
by Brad FiscusSmaller Church Youth Ministry highlights the big impact small churches can have on the faith journey of their young people. It is designed to encourage and help small churches start, build, and lead effective disciple-making youth ministry. Topics include a biblical foundation, practical helps, tools and activities.
Fish or Cut Bait: How Winning Churches Make Decisions
by John E. KaiserThrough extensive research, Dr. John Kaiser shares the best practices of ten successful congregations. Focusing explicitly on decision-making rather than planning, structure, relationships, or any other host of factors, Fish or Cut Bait outlines how these congregations’ boards/leaders provide both accountability and support for pastors.These congregations have learned how to face critical choices and by following their example, leadership teams organized with purpose will inspire churches to pursue spiritual renewal and expanded ministry.
Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Lamentations (Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries)
by Dianne BergantThe Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries series offers compact, critical commentaries on all the books of the Old Testament. In addition to providing fundamental information on and insights into Old Testament writings, these commentaries exemplify the tasks and procedures of careful, critical exegesis so as to assist students of the Old Testament in coming to an informed engagement of the biblical texts themselves. These commentaries are written with special attention to the needs and interests of theology students, but they will also be useful for students in upper-level college or university settings, as well as for pastors and other church leaders. Each volume consists of four parts: -- an introduction that addresses the key issues raised by the writing; the literary genre, structure, and character of the writing; the occasional and situational context of the writing, including its wider social and historical context; and the theological and ethical significance of the writing within these several contexts-- a commentary on the text, organized by literary units, covering literary analysis, exegetical analysis, and theological and ethical analysis-- an annotated bibliography-- a brief subject index Bergant's commentary opens to students and pastors the visceral poetry of Lamentations, a book that plumbs the depth of biblical Israel's despair over the destruction of Jerusalem. The security of Jerusalem signaled divine protection of the whole nation, so Jerusalem's destruction was perceived as a sign that God had abandoned the entire people. The book of Lamentations is a cry to God for mercy. The horrors detailed within its five short chapters reveal the extent of human cruelty and the resiliency of the human spirit to endure such cruelty. Unlike many biblical books, Lamentations ends on an unresolved note. Will God eventually hear the cry of the people? Will God, as in days gone by, step in with mercy and salvation?
Sent [Large Print]: Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas (Sent Advent series)
by Jorge Acevedo Jacob Armstrong Lanecia Rouse Rachel Billups Justin LaRosaAs you sent me into the world, so I have sent them . . . —John 17:18 God sent Christ at Christmas. In turn, Christ sends us into the world to be his hands and feet, head and heart. Dynamic pastor Jorge Acevedo leads us on a 5-week Advent journey to discover how, where, and why we are sent. Joining him on the journey are four young clergy including Jacob Armstrong, Rachel Billups, Justin LaRosa, and Lanecia Rouse, who challenge us through story, art, and Bible study.
Jeremiah - Women's Bible Study Participant Book: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World (Jeremiah)
by Melissa SpoelstraLearn to surrender to God’s will and rest your hope in Him alone.When we look around at today’s world, hope usually isn’t the first word that comes to mind. In many ways we live in an unstable world where marriages fail, bank accounts run low, friendships end, and the everyday demands of a fast-paced life get us down. In the Book of Jeremiah, we find God calling out to His people with a message of hope—a message that intentional living is possible even in an unstable world. But how do we do this? Where do we start?Jeremiah offers women hope for living in an uncertain world by learning to navigate the challenges and circumstances of their lives. This six-week study examines God’s words of instruction to His wayward people through the prophet Jeremiah, and provides women six guidelines for intentional living to overcome fear, worry, and doubt as they surrender their wills to God’s and put their hope in Him alone.Combining rich study of the Book of Jeremiah with practical life application that resonates with the realities and experiences of today’s women, this study inspires all women to dare to hope, remembering that God is rich in mercy and love and has good plans for us.The participant workbook includes five days of lessons for each week, combining study of Scripture with personal reflection, application, and prayer.Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit (an all-inclusive box containing one copy of each of the Bible study’s components).
The Worship Workshop: Creative Ways to Design Worship Together
by Marcia McFeeThe Worship Workshop, rather than providing simply another manual for doing worship, offers instead an interactive workshop that helps worship teams develop more meaningful and memorable worship for the congregation. By combining liturgical history and the creative process, The Worship Workshop encourages worship teams and staff to break out of the traditional worship box in order to create diverse ways to present the Good News in worship. Through a variety of activities, ideas, and informational handouts, The Worship Workshop helps worship committees, planners, and designers evaluate the state of their current worship, get more people involved in the planning and designing process, explore the diverse designs of congregational worship, learn the history of worship, and utilize the arts and artists in worship.
Saving Grace Leader Guide: A Guide to Financial Well-Being (Saving Grace)
by AbingdonMoney Management from a Wesleyan PerspectiveThe leader guide contains session plans, outlines, discussion questions, and everything needed to guide a six-week group study on a faithful approach to financial health.Saving Grace is a program to help people of faith create healthy relationships with money and possessions and how to manage their personal finances. Participants will move through six sessions covering such topics as saving, earning, giving, spending, and debt, along with helpful strategies for achieving a sustainable financial life. Adapted from the best-selling Freed Up Financial Living from the Good Sense Movement, this study is based on Wesleyan values and provides text and tools to help participants address life concerns and reach personal financial goals.Components for a six-week study include video content (DVD/Streaming), particiapant workbook, clergy workbook, leader guide, and a 40-day devotional.
Community in the Inventive Age
by Doug PagittThe Inventive Age (the cultural turning following the Agrarian,Industrial, and Information ages) provides opportunities for reshapingall institutions and communities. Doug Pagitt brings to life tenInventive Age characteristics as they are experienced through thecommunity of Solomon's Porch - a holistic missional Christian communityin Minneapolis. These ten characteristics of Inventive Age culture willserve as a guide for those creating new faith communities and makingchanges in existing ones.
Broken & Blessed: God Changes the World One Person and One Family At A Time (Broken and Blessed)
by Jessica LaGroneA little nod to those of us who are still feeling slightly half-baked: those with struggling families, cracked relationships, and a world that’s showing a little wear around the seams. When God wants to create the remarkable, He chooses to work with the less-than-perfect.Genesis is a book of beginnings. It is deeply concerned with the origins of things—of the universe, of humankind, of relationships, of sin, of civilization, of families, and of one special family created and chosen by God to be the instrument through which He would bless the world. That family is our family, yours and mine. Like all good family stories, it starts with not just a something or somewhere, but a someone.Part memoir, part biblical inspiration story, Broken & Blessed is about how change begins when one person decides to believe God’s promises and how that makes a change in a family, like ripples on water.
Soul Stories: African American Christian Education
by Anne E. WimberlyIn this revision of Soul Stories, Dr. Wimberly moves even more in the direction of Christian Education with African American families. Soul stories link persons' everyday life with the Christian Scriptures. The soul stories in this revised volume take on a cross-generational orientation with emphasis on linking stories of family identities, events, relationships, and story plot with Bible stories and exemplary Christian faith stories found in the African Diaspora. This orientation builds on an awareness of the continued fragmentation of Black family life and the disconnect between generations on one hand, yet, on the other hand, the profound yearning of Black people for a common family history. The goal of Dr. Wimberly's model is to enliven the values associated with the image of "village" in order to empower and equip African Americans today.
How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon
by Frank A. ThomasLearn to use four characteristics of "preaching with moral imagination" to proclaim freedom for all. The author describes the four characteristics using examples like Robert F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,Prathia Hall, and the Moral Monday Movement, along with musicians and other artists of today. Moral imagination helps the hearer to see what they cannot see, to hear what they cannot hear--to inhabit the lives of others, so that they can embody Christ and true freedom for those others. This book equips and empowers preachers to transcend their basic skills and techniques, so that their proclamation of the Word causes actual turnaround in the hearts and lives of their hearers, and in their communities."Frank Thomas has written apassionate summons: amid the current destructive chaos of our societythere is an urgent need for moral imagination. Such imagination is theantithesis of "diabolic" and "idolatrous" imagination that is all to thefore in our public discourse and practice. Thomas fleshes out "moralimagination" with close reflection on the practice of Robert F. Kennedyand Martin Luther King. Before he finishes Thomas shows how the urgencyof "moral imagination" belongs peculiarly to the work of the preacher.This book is a welcome call for gospel-grounded courage and truth aboutthe neighbor issued in a way that refuses the self-serving fakery thatdominates our public life." --Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary"Timely and prophetic, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermonpresents a homiletic essential for our churches today. Thomas insiststhat it is up to the preacher to recapture and reclaim the moralimagination of our nation so that the Gospel’s message of freedom istrue for all people. With attention to specific figures whose witnessmodels the qualities and characteristics of moral imagination, Thomasinspires the preacher toward powerful proclamation that both challengesand critiques any speech that subjugates or subordinates. How to Preach a Dangerous Sermonis must read for preachers to recover and reimagine the leadership roleof the church for the sake of justice for all." --Karoline M. Lewis,Associate Professor of Biblical Preaching and the Marbury E. AndersonChair of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary; author of She: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry."In this lucid and compelling book, Frank Thomas plumbs the depths ofAmerican moral rhetoric for insights that will help preachers. How to Preach a Dangerous Sermonprovides new and dramatic ways in which the moral imagination in ademocratic society can be nurtured by visionary, empathic, wise, andartistic preachers."--John S. McClure, Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship, Vanderbilt Divinity School"Warning: Preachers, if you are comfortable with the status quo ofwhite privilege, patriarchy, hetero-normativity, and classism, do notread this book. If you are comfortable with sermon series that reducethe gospel to self-help acronyms, don’t read this book. But if you havethe courage to look honestly at our landscape and bring the moralimagination of the Christian tradition to bear on it, open these pagesand your sermons may never be the same again. But then again neitherwill the church--or the world--be the same anymore, if enough of usfollow Thomas’s advice." --O. Wesley Allen, Jr., Lois Craddock PerkinsProfessor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern MethodistUniversity
God, Do You Love Me?
by Karen Lynn CoffeeChildren often ask the simple question, “God, do you love me?” In this book, they will discover that God shows love for us by providing all we have: wind, grass, flowers, hills, lakes, trees, birds, family, friends, church, the Bible, and more. A meaningful Scripture accompanies each answer.
Holy Living: Spiritual Practices of Building a Life of Faith (Holy Living)
by Paul W. Chilcote"While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come." ~ 1 Timothy 4:8Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Spiritual disciplines are activities and practices that guide you in your daily walk through life bringing you closer to Christ. They also help you to make a difference in our world. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens you to God's transforming love and help you experience Holy Living.Confession may be good for the soul, as the saying goes, but most people give little thought to its practice, at least on a daily basis. Like prayer, a person’s needs tend to trigger a confessional response. As a result, we often have a limited understanding of the true nature of the practice. Confession is so much more than a call to apologize, though that is an integral part. Confession is fundamentally relational, providing the opportunity to experience a much fuller relationship with God. This book provides opportunities both to examine and to practice the many forms that confession takes. It begins by looking at our confession of faith (not sins) and what we affirm about the nature and purposes of God. From there it moves to exploration and practices of individual confession, mutual confession, and worship, which provides one of the most significant contexts for the people of God to confess their sin before God and one another. This is one of series of eight books. Each book in this series introduces a spiritual practice, suggests way of living the practice daily, and provides opportunities to grow personally and in a faith community with others who engage with the practice. Each book consists of an introduction and four chapters and includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion.Other disciplines studied: Celebration, Discernment, Neighboring, Simplicity, Study, and Worship.
Through the Shadows: The Golden Gate Chronicles - Book 3 (The Golden Gate Chronicles)
by Karen BarnettThe devastating earthquake is just two years past, but the city of San Francisco is still trying to recover. Destruction of this magnitude is not so easy to overcome-and neither are the past regrets shadowing Elizabeth King's hopeful future.Hoping to right her wrongs, Elizabeth dedicates herself to helping girls rescued from slavery in Chinatown brothels, even if it means putting her own life at risk to sneak through the gloomy alleys and rooftops where dangers lurk.Putting her life on the line for a worthy cause is admirable. But opening her heart is even more terrifying. So when Elizabeth meets attorney, Charles McKinley—a man who dreams of reforming San Francisco's crooked politics—Elizabeth begins to doubt: Can she maintain her pretense and hide her past? Or will her secret jeopardize both their futures?
Converge Bible Studies: Cries of the Poor (Converge Bible Studies)
by Grace BiskieProverbs 21:13 says, "Those who close their ears to the cries of the poor will themselves call out but receive no answer." What does this mean for the average middle class Westerner who’s actually part of the wealthiest 1% of the world’s population? In Cries of the Poor, you’ll discover what the Bible has to say about poverty and how Christians can proclaim good news to the poor. Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers’ relationships with others, themselves, and God.
Fail: What to Do When Things Go Wrong (Fail)
by Matt MiofskyWe all know the feeling. We take a leap, only to land flat on our face. Just when our plan appears to be perfect, it falls apart. Life’s failures and disappointments can make it difficult to move forward; how do we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off? Matt Miofsky examines the life of Jeremiah, whose failed pursuits are described in more detail and depth than any other prophet. Even though God set him apart to speak to the nation of Israel, Jeremiah’s attempts to fulfill his calling were met with ridicule, punishment, and suffering. But through it all, God never left his side. The story of "the weeping prophet" has much to teach us about trusting God during life’s most trying times. Additional components for a five-week study include a comprehensive Leader Guide and a DVD featuring author and pastor Matt Miofsky.
Down to Earth Devotions for the Season: The Hopes & Fears of All the Years Are Met in Thee Tonight (Down to Earth Advent series)
by Mike Slaughter Rachel BillupsNothing in all the vast, created universe could prepare us for God coming down as a helpless infant, or for Jesus the son of God intentionally positioning himself as a mere servant, identifying with the lowest of lows. It's enough to confound the mind, to make the heart contrite. This Advent, God’s great surprise changes everything. Four weeks of devotions for use during Advent and leading up to Christmas, based on the down-to-earth, missional messages of the book and videos. Each devotion includes Scripture, story, and prayer.
Psalms: Interpreting Biblical Texts Series (Interpreting Biblical Texts)
by William P. BrownBiblical texts create worlds of meaning and invite readers to enter them. When readers enter such textual worlds, which are often strange and complex, they are confronted with theological claims. With this in mind, the purpose of the Interpreting Biblical Texts series is to help serious readers in their experience of reading and interpreting, by providing guides for their journeys into textual worlds. The controlling perspective is expressed in the operative word of the title—interpreting. The primary focus of the series is not so much on the world behind the texts or out of which the texts have arisen as on the worlds created by the texts in their engagement with readers. The focus of the volume moves from the smallest to the largest of scales, from an examination of poetic segments to considerations of God and the world through the psalmists’ eyes. The author will present new slants and questions that equip the reader with various tools of interpretation while leaving issues open for the reader’s further exploration. Included are discussions of Psalms as Hebrew poetry, species, performance, corpus, anthropology, and theology.
What Are We Fighting For? Leader Guide: Coming Together Around What Matters Most (What Are We Fighting For?)
by Thomas J. BickertonWith all the issues facing The United Methodist Church today, there are plenty of theories and opinions about what we should do. Frankly, many of us are weary of the relentless bickering associated with all the rhetoric. What are we fighting for? This question not only points us to the futility of our disunity but also compels us to consider what we are fighting for—what deserves our greatest intensity and effort as we seek to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ.Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton offers a way to move beyond all the discord to a hope-filled future by exploring how we can come together around what matters most so that the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a vibrant part of our lives and witness. He says that fights, feuds, and uncertainties can distract us, leaving us ineffective and mired in mediocrity and decline; but focusing on what matters most causes our ministries to flourish and the church to become a relevant and vital presence in the community and world.With a warm and practical approach, he leads us on a journey of discernment, inviting us to explore: the spiritual problem at the heart of the issues we’re facing, three foundational reminders, guidelines for determining the essentials necessary to make disciples, a motto for working together in the midst of disagreement, and thoughts about the ultimate essential, love.This Leader Guide includes everything a group leader needs to plan and facilitate the six sessions, helping participants to explore what they have read, to view a video, and to discuss the reading and video with the group. The guide walks leaders through the study format and provides options for tailoring sessions to the time-frame and style of each group.
That'll Preach!: 5 Simple Steps to Your Best Sermon Ever
by Charley ReebExperienced preacher, teacher and author, Charley Reeb, gives readers a 5-step plan for writing and delivering a sermon that can transform lives for Christ. He covers preparation, sermon structure, storytelling, and how to ‘preach with presence’. He examines lectionary and topical preaching models, and shows the reader how to determine which model to use; he further instructs the reader to use the 5-step plan for each model. Finally, That’ll Preach! offers sermon outlines and full sermons, as examples to illustrate the book’s teaching. The entire book stems from the author’s view that sermons must be engaging in order to be effective. This laser focus results in a book that is powerful and immediately useful, concise and purposeful. It is a book for every preacher.
Gandhi: Portrait of a Friend
by E. Stanley Jones"On the day that Mahatma Gandhi was killed, I arrived in Delhi just an hour and a quarter before the tragedy ... the greatest tragedy since the Son of God died on the cross." So begins this compelling account of Gandhi by E. Stanley Jones, the world-renowned missionary evangelist to India during 40 seething years of struggle. Based on an intimate knowledge and understanding, Jones's revealing interpretation was written in gratitude to Gandhi, who, although they often disagreed, showed Jones "more of the spirit of Christ than perhaps any other . . . in East or West.""Martin Luther King, Jr., told me he owed a debt to my father for his book on Mahatma Gandhi. He had read many books on Gandhi, read his writings, but it was that particular book of my father's that had triggered his decision to use the method of ... nonviolence in his civil rights movement for his people." --Eunice Jones Mathews"Highly recommended."--Library Journal"To understand the meaning of this great leader ... read this book of interpretation."--Kirkus"Jones ... possesses a great gift of sympathetically interpreting the East to the West."--[London] Times Literary Supplement
The Shout Leader Guide: Finding the Prophetic Voice in Unexpected Places (The Shout)
by Hannah Adair BonnerDesigned for use with The Shout journal and video (DVD or Mp4), The Leader Guide helps leaders facilitate a small group using The Shout curriculum. It contains instructions on how to use the interactive journal and video in each session, as well as additional teaching content from the author.
Why? Leader Guide: Making Sense of God's Will (Why?)
by Adam HamiltonWhere is God when tragedy and suffering strike?When the ground shakes, and a poor nation's economy is destroyed; when the waters rise, washing away a community's hopes and dreams; when a child suffers neglect and abuse; when violence tears apart nations; where is God; If God is all powerful, and if each one of us is a beloved child of God, then how can God allow tragedy and suffering to infest his creation?In Why?, best-selling author Adam Hamilton brings fresh insight to the age-old question of how to understand the will of God. Rejecting simplistic answers and unexamined assumptions, he lays out core ideas for comprehending God's plan for the world, including: God will not take away our free will, even when we use it to grieve him.God will never abandon us, especially in the midst of our suffering.While God is not the author of suffering, God will bring blessing out of tragedy.