Bøger af William E Johnson

A dear friend once sent me a text containing this question, "Can you recommend a book for someone who has lost their joy?" My first reaction to that was to pray for the sender, for that is a place I've been, and it's not a good place. Have you ever been there? Maybe once you rejoiced in your salvation, but you find it hard to work that joy up anymore. Maybe your walk with God feels increasingly mundane, and serving God feels more like a chore than a joy. That's where I assumed this person was, based on their question. And as I pondered my response to the text, I didn't have to ponder long. "Read Paul's letter to the Philippians," I wrote back. For nowhere in the Bible do you find such a joyful letter as here. Nowhere is the topic of joy more fully seen than here.

Certain books of the Bible are revered for the wrong reasons. Oft-times, Esther is one such book, revered as an example of female heroism, bravery and faith. And at first glance, that synopsis seems to fit, but it's not actually true at all. The real hero is not Esther. Dig deeper and find out who the real hero is!

We are often fascinated by a person's last words. They are the "period" at the end of the sentence that was a life. And of all the last words ever spoken, none compare to the last words of the dying Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. Many books have been written, and sermons preached, on the seven sayings of Christ from the cross. This book is another attempt to mine the treasures found in those seven sayings. But Jesus' last words were not spoken from the cross. Jesus rose from the dead, and appeared to His disciples during the ensuing 40 day period. He spoke with Mary Magdalene and several other women. He spoke with Peter, James, and with the eleven. He spoke with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He spoke with over 500 disciples at once on one occasion, and He spoke with Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road. And those sayings are just as instructive and worthy of our study as the seven sayings from the cross. This book is a brief look into Jesus' Dying Words, but also His Living Words - those spoken after He defeated death and walked among His own, alive forevermore.

Between the lines and pages that fill our history books hide a wealth of untold stories about the commoners who filled countless homes, streets, shops, and taverns. In the third installment of William E. Johnson's series of historical novels about the American Revolution, we return to eighteenth-century Boston's snow-covered sidewalks and alleys. In the Bunch of Grapes Tavern, owner and operator, Big Bessie Clump rubs her head in silence, trying to blot out the horrid sights and sounds of redcoats slaughtering her friends and customers in what is now known as the Boston Massacre. Survivors of the rebellious, wild-eyed mob looking for a fight now shuffle into her tavern, glassy-eyed and in search of a drink...and a shag. Little does Big Bessie know, this is only the beginning of one of her city's most volatile periods. While America's founding fathers squabble in courtrooms and meetinghouses, it's the common people who end up facing and living with the results of those arguments. These are their stories of survival, forbidden romance, and betrayal during a turbulent time of avarice and corruption that isn't unlike many of the realities our country still faces today.

This seven week course is recommended for all seekers, new Christians, potential members, and any who want to know more about the beliefs and practices of Friendship Bible Church.

As a pastor, I wrestle with the question "What should we as a church be doing?" all the time. Perhaps you do, too. And there is no book in our Bibles that more clearly answers the question "What did the early church do?" than the book of Acts. And answering that question is essential to understanding what we, the 21st century church, should be doing. This is the second of two volumes, covering Acts 15-28.

Jesus was the greatest teacher Who ever lived and taught. Oh to have been among that awestruck number that heard him speak! But since we are removed from his earthly ministry by some 2000 years, we are left only with the written record. Four of His followers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, preserved His words for us in the gospels which bear their names. And as we examine those words, we cannot help but notice that Jesus used one particular teaching method more than any other - the parable. In this book we dig into those parables, and in doing so find wealth beyond imagining. It is the author's prayer that the reader not only learns the truths contained in Jesus' words, but is drawn closer to Jesus Himself as a result.

The Gospel of Mark is one of the most important books ever written. It is the earliest of the four gospels, dating to just a few short years after Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, making it the earliest eyewitness account of the ministry of Christ. It's author, John Mark, was not only an eyewitness to the events he wrote about (Mark 14:51-52), but was a close associate of the apostle Peter, likely having been led to Christ by Peter himself (1 Peter 5:5). Mark's writings, then, are valuable from the standpoint of his credibility as an eyewitness, and of Peter's credibility as an eyewitness and member of Christ's inner circle.Dig Into Mark, and find the servant Savior... the One who came to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many... for you... for me.

Of the 4 gospel accounts in the New Testament, the gospel of John is unique. The first 3 gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are often referred to as the synoptic gospels, for their content is similar and their approach is similar. John's gospel is different, however. He wrote with a very focused purpose, and he explained that purpose: And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30 NKJV).Every word of John's gospel was written with the express purpose of encouraging belief in the Savior. John wanted people to believe. From his vast memories of Jesus' time on earth, he picked specific miracles and words and events that would make the case for Jesus being the very Son of God. For this reason, many churches and believers distribute copies of the gospel of John, using it as a means of introducing people to Christ. It is also often the suggested starting point when a new believer wants to know where in the Bible they should start reading.As we dig into the gospel of John, we will find ample evidence that Jesus was and is the very Son of God. We will examine the 7 specific signs that John chose to prove His case. We will hear the sayings of Jesus, most of them unique to John's gospel and not recorded in the other 3, that demonstrate Jesus claimed to be the very Son of God.And hopefully, we will come away believing... believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so believing we may have life in His name.

The little book of James is a deeply practical and practically theological book. James, the brother of our Lord, wrote to Christian Jews scattered abroad. His topic was simple - if you have faith, it will show. If you have faith, it will be demonstrable. If you have faith, others will be able to see it. That truth from James is so needed in the church today. Like the Christians of the diaspora he was concerned about, we 21st century believers need to be reminded, and reminded again, that "as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26) This book contains 16 studies from James, all building on James' central premise that true faith is a working faith. Faith works! Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (James 2:17)

There can be no greater example of a Godly leader than the man Nehemiah, and there can be no greater guidebook for leaders than the book bearing his name. Nehemiah entered into a task that was gargantuan. The walls of Jerusalem were leveled... nothing but rubble. He needed to build them. As he set about the task, he encountered enemies and impediments to the project, both from within his team and from without. He needed to battle them. And all the while he was building... and battling... he was also leading his people to become all they should be for God. This is the three-fold theme of Nehemiah - building, battling, and becoming. "Digging Into Nehemiah" digs into all three topics, showing us how when we face rubble in our lives, or enemies to our progress, we can build and battle and become all God wants us to be.

A farm girl relates stories from her folksy past, and shares how those experiences shaped her into the Christian woman, wife, mother, and friend that she became.

"A SILENT TIDE" WINS THE 2014 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR BEST LEGAL THRILLER!! Beginning with the brutal 1927 ambush of Chesapeake Bay rumrunners at a fog shrouded cove on Maryland's eastern shore and culminating with a final showdown eighty years later when truth meets justice at Harpers Creek Marina in Mathews, Virginia, "A Silent Tide" brings to life the 2007 story of a bay side community racially rocked by the murder of favorite son, all-state athlete Jimmy Jarvis, and the trial of Jamal Billups, the African American man charged with the crime.One-half Michener's "Chesapeake" and one-half "To Kill a Mockingbird", "A Silent Tide" follows the path of attorney David Forbes who, with his wife and two children, moves to this small southern community to escape his hectic world as a Federal Prosecutor in Washington D.C. What Forbes wanted was the quiet world of a country lawyer and to raise his family in the land of steamed blue crab, salt water marsh, nesting ospreys and the great tranquility of the Chesapeake Bay. What he got was an idyllic life sent into a tailspin when he gets appointed to represent Billups and commits the unforgivable sin of believing his client is an innocent man. From the decks of deadrise fishing boats and the boardrooms of Washington law firms, to the drug warehouses of East Baltimore and a Los Zeta heroin distribution center in Sinaloa, Mexico, "A Silent Tide" propels the reader on a page turning ride as Forbes weaves his way through a world of drug smuggling, corruption and murder, dangerously searching for the truth until he is faced with either pleading an innocent man guilty or having his own family killed if he continues his pursuit of the true murderer of Jimmy Jarvis. Undaunted in his task, and befriended by the irascible 89 year old waterman, Walter Taylor, Forbes perseveres until attorney and killer come face to face in an unforgettable pre-dawn dual on a storm tossed sea.

As a pastor, I wrestle with the question "What should we as a church be doing?" all the time. Perhaps you do, too. And there is no book in our Bibles that more clearly answers the question "What did the early church do?" than the book of Acts. And answering that question is essential to understanding what we, the 21st century church, should be doing. This is the first of two volumes, covering Acts 1-14.

This book is a companion to the Bible for use on the Friendship Bible Church Holy Land trip in 2014. It is basically a roadmap to scripture - providing a ready reference to passages pertinent to the places we will visit on the trip. Although tailored to a specific trip to Israel, and a specific itinerary, the information contained herein will be helpful to anyone taking a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. PASTORS AND TOUR HOSTS - I will be happy to provide a customized version of this booklet for your trip. Contact me for details - pastor@friendshipbiblechurch.org.

"Digging Into Romans" is the sixth in a series, and continues the approach taken in those previous works - a verse by verse, expository, yet devotional approach. There is milk and meat here for both new students and experienced teachers of God's Word. What people are saying about "Digging Into Romans": "I love the personal conversation you are having with the readers! It makes it so easy to read and digest! You are explaining without being condescending or 'bookish' or maybe 'college textish.'" (Dan Bauer, Elder, Friendship Bible Church) "I have enjoyed reading the "Digging" series by Bill Johnson. As a pastor, I have found these books to be both helpful and insightful in my sermon preparation." (Rich Hall, Pastor, Atwater Congregational Church)

This is preaching. These are sermons. We are told in Holy Scripture to "preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." We are told to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." This series of sermons was preached on Sunday Mornings at the Friendship Bible Church in Randolph, Ohio. Each chapter, for the most part, contains an individual sermon, just as it was preached. The original title for this sermon series was "Lessons From The Life Of David." Unlike the expository series which we usually study at FBC, this was meant to be more of a practical look into specific lessons we might glean from the events in David's life. Because these are sermons, they need to be approached with the understanding that they were written for the ear, and not for the eye. In publishing them, it is the author's hope and prayer that these important lessons from David's life will receive a larger audience than just the little church where they were originally preached. May other students and teachers of the Word find them helpful, whether as a commentary, a devotional aid, or as a tool in sermon or Bible lesson preparation. The author has attempted to ensure that due credit is given for all citations contained herein. However, if something was missed, please contact the author so that proper credit can be given. And if you find these chapters helpful, please leave a positive review on Amazon. If you notice something that requires correction, please contact the author directly at bill@johnsonacres.com. And please check out the author's other books as well at http: //www.johnsonacres.com/mro/amazon_books.html.

A pastor shares the heart breaking lessons learned when his wife of 35 years was taken from him in death - an experience that not only changed him forever, but also how he now ministers to others who are grieving. MY Grief Observed provides valuable insight to pastors, but also to any in the throes of loss and grief.