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Why is prayer so hard? Many of us have asked that question. We want to pray. We intend to pray. But, as spiritual director and professor MaryKate Morse notes, "We don't pray as consistently or as meaningfully as we might like." And yet prayer offers us such spiritual riches. Prayer
In Rome in A.D. 165, two men named Carpus and Papylus stood before the proconsul of Pergamum, charged with the crime of being Christians. Not even torture could make them deny Christ, so they were burned alive. Is my faithfulness as strong? In the fifth century, Melania the Younger and her husband, Pinian, distributed their enormous wealth to the poor and intentionally practiced the discipline ...
In simpler, more homogenous times, youth ministry was a relatively straightforward activity. The church's youth gathered (occasionally inviting their unchurched friends from school), played together, sang together and listened together to a message from a bright, engaging youth minister, selecting from a relatively defined set of topics: "What does it mean to follow Jesus when it comes to _______?" ...
Our virtues can become our vices. Faith. Love. Family. Power. Success. Goodness. Generosity. Who among us wouldn't want to exhibit strength in these areas in our lives? It's hard to imagine this list being similar to the "seven deadly sins" that we strive to avoid, such as greed, lust, and slothfulness. But even so-called virtues can be harmful to our souls if we're not careful ...
Preaching magazine Year's Best Book for Preachers
One of humanity's most basic and common practices—eating meals—was transformed by Jesus into an occasion of divine encounter. In sharing food and drink with his companions, he invited them to share in the grace of God. He revealed his redemptive mission while eating with sinners, repentant and unrepentant alike.
Jesus' ...
Midwest Publishing Association Award of Excellence
Since its origin in the early 1980s, the field of developmental psychopathology has become a highly influential framework for approaching the clinical treatment of children. Until now there has been no effort to integrate this framework with a Christian understanding of psychopathology.
The essays in this volume break ...
Most Christians are stuck in the huddle. Even though we believe in outreach, most communities tend to focus on our own needs. That turns us into insular groups without many relationships with outsiders. So evangelism is occasional and conversions are rare. How do we change? In their ...
Women and men are designed to work together in fulfilling God's mission on earth. Yet God's original intent for equal partnership has been so distorted that churches and organizations continually struggle to foster healthy mixed-gender ministry collaboration. Is it even possible to return to the Genesis ideal of co-laborers in today's contexts?
Longtime ministry leader Rob ...
Have you been longing to learn more about spiritual disciplines but haven't known where to start? Through brief daily readings and simple ideas on spiritual practices, this book introduces the core disciplines of the Christian faith. Rather than being another burden to an already full schedule, these devotions provide an opportunity to develop holy habits that will lead you into the joyful, rich ...