Discipleship
Building a Discipling Culture
Much ink and many pages have been devoted to all of the missional issues facing the Western church today. As our culture becomes more post-Christian with each passing day, we are all realizing that what has worked in the past is no longer working, that we are far less effective for the Kingdom than we were even 10 years ago. But we would suggest it isn't because we don't know what the Great Commission states or the imperatives of the Gospel, or that our church services just aren't getting it done.
My Sheep Have Ears
Jesus promised that his sheep would hear and know his voice, but what does his voice sound like?
How does he speak to his people today?
How can the contemporary church embrace prophetic ministry in a way that will both resource discipleship and empower mission?
Prophecy did not die out with the early church and remains a vitally important gift, bearing much fruit in the lives of disciples if well taught, responsibly handled, and ministered with love. There is a great need in the church today for a healthy, holistic and biblical prophetic ministry that will equip God's people to become more radical followers of Jesus and engage more effectively in the world around them.
Family on Mission
When God wanted to act on his promise to save the world, he started with a family and gave them a mission. He spoke to Abram and his household and they became a family on mission.
We see Jesus operating in the same way, gathering an extended-family-like group of disciples around himself before embarking on his mission. Jesus needed a family on mission.
Within the Trinity, the unity of God is expressed in a diversity of persons, which means that at the very heart of God's nature is family on mission. And thus God's preferred mode of operation has always been family on mission. In fact, discipleship doesn't really work apart from the context of a family on mission. Without that texture, discipleship becomes programmatic and mechanical, not really producing people with the character and competency of Jesus.
Covenant and Kingdom
For many, Scripture falls into much the same category as Shakespeare: valued and enjoyed, but seldom understood. It is not, however, out of reach. The ability to identify the main themes of any passage is a skill you can learn, even as you seek to apply its truth to your own life. Covenant and Kingdom: The DNA of the Bible guides you on a Scriptural quest for knowledge and understanding. Stories and verse from the Old and New Testaments are woven together and cross-referenced, until the connections are clear and indisputable, like DNA from the Bible. Although the great Biblical themes of Covenant and Kingdom find their fullest expression in Jesus, Covenant goes all the way back to the beginning, when the only thing required was to maintain the “oneness” that God had created. After the Fall, the way was blocked; yet, God built a bridge, in Covenant, back to us. In Jesus, that Covenant was fulfilled, as on the cross, he offered himself as the ultimate blood sacrifice.
Bigger Gospel
The gospel is not just about your afterlife and Christianity is not a program in sin management. Too often, we've made it just that. Have you wished you could share your Christian faith with others in a natural way without feeling awkward or preachy? Do you long for a faith that touches more than two hours a week? Then you need a Bigger Gospel.
The Forgotten Ways
Alan Hirsch's paradigm-shifting classic remains the definitive statement of the church as dynamic missional movement. The bestselling first edition ignited a conversation about how to harness the power of movements for the future growth of the church. In this major update, Hirsch shares significant insights gained along the way, provides fresh new examples of growing churches, and reflects on the last ten years of the missional movement. The new edition has been thoroughly updated and revised throughout and includes charts, diagrams, an expanded glossary of terms, new appendices, an index, a new foreword by Ed Stetzer, and a new afterword by Jeff Vanderstelt.
Faith-Based Fiction
The Shack
Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.
Theological Commentaries
Mere Christianity
In the classic Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith.
The Case For Christ
Is there credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God? Former atheist and Chicago Tribune journalist Lee Strobel says yes! In this revised and updated bestseller, The Case for Christ, Strobel cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools such as Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis, asking hard-hitting questions - and building a captivating case for Christ's divinity.
Evidence That Demands A Verdict
The modern apologetics classic that started it all is now completely revised and updated—because the truth of the Bible doesn’t change, but its critics do. With the original Evidence That Demands a Verdict, bestselling author Josh McDowell gave Christian readers the answers they needed to defend their faith against the harshest critics and skeptics. Since that time, Evidence has remained a trusted resource for believers young and old. Bringing historical documentation and the best modern scholarship to bear on the trustworthiness of the Bible and its teachings, this extensive volume has encouraged and strengthened millions. Now, with his son Sean McDowell, Josh McDowell has updated and expanded this classic resource for a new generation. This is a book that invites readers to bring their doubts and doesn’t shy away from the tough questions.
Let's Just Laugh At That For Kids
Let's Just Laugh at That For Kids is a powerful resource for adults who want the best for the young people in their lives. This book includes engaging stories, practical steps, and “laughter weapons” to teach children how to recognize and beat the lies the enemy tries to tell them. This is an interactive journey for adults and children to learn to "take every thought captive," to reinforce truth and hope in their lives. All the lie-defeating weapons of this book are laughter activated because laughing at what the enemy is saying and planning helps us overcome the power of lies (Psalm 2:4).
Let's Just Laugh At That For Kids 2
We all want the best for the young people in our lives. ”Let’s Just Laugh at That for Kids!” will help you set children up for success by teaching them to replace lies with truth and to take a combative stance against beliefs that try to hold them back. This book invites you into an interactive journey in taking every thought captive with the kids you love.In this second book of laughter–filled pages, we expose twenty more common lies kids often believe, and we continue their training in the use of “laughter weapons” to defuse the power of these lies. We then use Scripture, declarations, and practical wisdom to reinforce the truth.