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A brand-new volume in the New Interpreter's line, offering in one volume articles on all the books of the Bible, including the Apocrypha

Covering a variety of subjects, these 16 original hymns are perfect for use in worship and other settings. Each hymn features inclusive language in a traditional (as opposed to pop) style with background information. Texts are shown in four-line poetic verses and are interlined with music), and is given brief background information.Come Away With Me is a collection of sixteen original hymns (both texts and tunes are original) on a variety of subjects. Each hymn is presented as poetry (without music), set as a congregational hymn (text interlined within the music), and is given brief background information. The ideas in the texts are rich theologically, yet easily comprehended, use totally inclusive language, and are set as artistically beautiful poetry in standard metrical schemes (common meter, long meter, 66.86, and so forth). The hymn tunes are written in well-crafted, imaginative, memorable, traditional (as opposed to pop) styles, and set in classic hymn format (melody as the uppermost note in the right hand of the accompaniment). * New and fresh original hymnody for use in worship and other settings * Hymn texts in inclusive language * Offers music, text, and background material for each hymn * Texts are set to singable tunes and are in standard meters

An interpretation of John Wesley's "General Rules" for today's readers

McAnally has revised Questions & Answers About The United Methodist Church to update statistics and information throughout the book, along with new frequently asked questions not in the current edition.This book is a useful guide that answers the most frequently asked questions about the beliefs, practices, and history of The United Methodist Church. The information is brief, and is presented in an easy question-and-answer format. It is great for those new to The United Methodist Church or those who want to know more.

The Bible was central to John Wesley's faith and the Christian movement he founded. In Scripture and the Wesleyan Way, you will discover a Wesleyan approach to the Bible and the Christian life through a Bible study using Wesley's own words.In this study, authors Scott and Arthur Jones use John Wesley's sermons to illuminate the Bible passages at the heart of Wesley's understanding of what it means to be a real Christian. Each chapter explores a key Scripture text and one of Wesley's sermons on it. Through their insightful and engaging study, Bishop Jones and his son Arthur show how the teachings of Wesley address questions that many of us in the twenty-first century still struggle with today.The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the eight-week study including session plans, activities, and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.

A Father's Love is our first glimpse of God's love for us.This book contains inspiring thoughts and stories about fathers, what it means to be a father, and how every dad can look to God as the best example of a loving parent, one filled with grace and compassion, mercy and kindness.The Love of a Dad includes a special Presentation Page and will make the perfect Father's Day gift for every dad and granddad in your life.

Teaching Stewardship from a Spiritual PerspectiveConsecration Sunday Team Guide, Revised and Updated Edition.Consecration Sunday approaches financing the ministries of your congregation by teaching stewardship from a spiritual perspective rather than a fundraising perspective. It focuses on the question, "e;What is God calling me to do?"e; rather than, "e;What does the church need in order to pay its bills?"e;This revised edition offers updated language, references, and statistics while keeping everything that has resonated with the program for more than 25 years intact. Digital materials available with the Program Guide are now available via Internet download, are updated and include social media posts in additional to letters and other proven communications tools.The Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program is a proven winner; it has helped thousands of congregations increase financial giving by 15% to 30%.What do I need to get started?Order the Stewardship Program Guide (9781791024024) and gather a team. Purchase copies of the Team Member Guide (9781791024048), one for each member of your team. These resources provide complete instructions for implementing the program successfully. Also Available: Consecration Sunday Estimate of Giving Cards Pkg. of 100 (9780687064069)Consecration Sunday Devotional (9781791024062)Does it work?Thousands of congregations have experienced 15% to 30% increases in financial giving with the Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program the first year plus additional significant increases in subsequent years of its use.One congregation obtained these impressive multi-year results: First year, a 14.4% increase in giving; second year, 10.3% increase; third year, 13.4% increase; fourth year, 13.6%; and fifth year, 19.6% increase.A congregation's financial secretary said, "e;More than two-thirds of our households made some degree of annual increase each year we used Consecration Sunday. And each year we used the program, four to six additional households decided to tithe (some of those donors grew from giving 4 percent of their income to giving 10 percent of their income)."e;

In Just Say Yes! Robert Schnase shows church leaders how to unleash people for fruitful ministry. He teaches leaders to spot their own nay-saying, and gives specific instructions for reversing the culture of ''No'' that has become so prevalent in many churches. Step by step, Schnase shows readers--pastors, other church leaders, and congregants--how to make significant change in their attitude and actions, to become a permission-giving church. This set of resources is the next step in the author''s effort to reshape church leaders across the mainline denomination. Just Say Yes! Becoming a Permission-Giving Church give church leaders what they need in order to begin implementing the principles in the original book. It starts with a group study experience for church leaders, facilitated by a senior leader (typically the pastor). The study can be done in as little as 3 hours or, if groups watch all the videos and do all the optional exercises and activities, up to 6 hours total. The sessions can be used as a single-day retreat or broken up into 3 or 6 separate sessions. They can be stand-alone sessions, or incorporated into meetings for staff and lay leaders. The Leader Guide includes instructions and guidance for leaders in planning, hosting, debriefing and following up after the experience. Using this resource, plus the included customizable PowerPoint slides and the video Stories of Permission, a pastor or other key leader can effectively facilitate an extraordinary group experience resulting in transformation for the congregation. The Participant Guide is a complete workbook and devotion guide for church leaders--staff and laity--who participate in the Permission-Giving group experience. These will typically be church councils, staff teams, committee chairs, ministry team leaders, and the like. The Guide includes prompts to reinforce the material shared in the videos and by the facilitator, questions for reflection and discussion, and specific action steps for becoming permission-giving leaders in the church. It includes plenty of room for writing and note taking during the group experience. It also includes a 7-day Devotional, which the participant can complete either during or after the group experience. The group experience includes 6 inspiring and compelling videos from real church settings. Several additional video clips are also available, for groups wanting to spend more time exploring ideas together. A printed 4-Week Devotional is also available, and can be used by individual church members autonomously, or (ideally) used by every member as a personal study guide accompanying the 4-Week Sermon & Worship series. The material is flexible and accessible for all adult readers, and can be done in one sitting or spread throughout the week. This study consists of a Leader Guide, Participant Guide, DVD, a Devotional Guide and free Customizable Downloadable Resources. The DVD has 8 video stories showing the Permission-Giving Church in action, 3 brief videos essays demonstrating the essentials of a permission-giving church and 1 video promo for inviting participation in the Just Say Yes! experience.

Discover the powerful Christian principles of gratitude, prayer, and faith. Not only are humans born to be generous, we are born in the image of a loving and generous God. And sometimes we need a reminder. These 28 devotionals gathered into four weekly themes, inspire the reader to discover the powerful Christian principles of gratitude, generosity, prayer, and call--leading them back to the generous life they were born to live. The daily readings are written by the diverse group of pastors, business and church leaders, speakers, and authors. Each reading includes scripture, a message containing personal stories and anecdotes, and a challenge to inspire the reader toward the discovery of the powerful Christian principles of gratitude, prayer, and faith--all which will lead them back to the generous life they were born to live.

THE RIGHT WORDS FOR EVERY SITUATION, AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. Pastors and congregational care ministers of all kinds must offer the right words and presence in any place, at a moment's notice: Words of scripture offering comfort, encouragement, and wisdom. Words of truth providing accurate information. Words of prayer offering connection with God. And a calm, capable, attentive presence. The Concise Guide for Congregational Care is the tool for the task. This easy-to-use book provides words of scripture and prayer, along with important information to share with people in hospitals, care centers, and homes. The full texts of scripture, poetry, and prayers are included, so there's no more flipping back and forth in your Bible or other books. The small size makes the book easy to carry in your bag or pocket, and appropriate to use in the most intimate settings and sacred moments. Part 1 offers quick reminders of the foundations for care, including key points on theology, boundaries, procedures, and the use of technology. Part 2 provides scriptures, prayers, and other relevant words for times of crisis and events or situations during which people need care. It is organized by situation, including addiction, anxiety, cancer, COVID-19, death, depression, divorce, infertility, sexual assault, and suicide. Part 3 equips you to be a meaningful spiritual guide in important moments beyond crisis care. These include adoption, blessing of a home, graduation, retirement, and many other transitions, milestones, and seasons of life. This section includes words of scripture and prayer for each situation, plus instructions for conducting a simple service of anointment. Melissa Gepford is an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church and serves as the Intergenerational Discipleship Coordinator for the Great Plains Conference, UMC. She launched Caring Congregation Ministries at churches in Kansas and Nebraska, and is an organizational consultant for The Caring Congregation, which strives to create excellence in church care ministry across the United States. Contributors Laura Berg and Joy Dister-Dominguez provided original prayer texts and helped to shape the scripture selections for this book. Laura Berg is an ordained deacon in full connection in the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She has served as a minister of congregational care, hospice chaplain, and chaplain for the fire & police departments of New Smyrna Beach, FL. She co-established a congregational care ministry in her church and has worked with leaders and laity in churches across the U.S. to develop care ministries for their communities. Joy Dister-Dominguez serves as associate pastor at Arlington Heights United Methodist Church in Ft. Worth, TX, where she oversees congregational care and discipleship and preaches regularly. Joy is an elder in full connection in the United Methodist Church. She is an ICF trained coach and uses those skills to guide leaders and congregations in creating strong, sustainable ministries of care.

Learn How to Surrender Like Jesus. Are you facing a problem in life that you just can't fix, no matter what you do? Perhaps you've heard the phrase "Let go and let God." But it's easier said than done. Is it possible that giving up on what you can't change is God's path to peace for your life? In this six-week Bible study of Jesus in the wilderness, Barb explores Jesus' time of testing and contrasts it with the Israelites' failures in the wilderness. As you learn from Jesus' example, you'll discover six principles that will equip you to let God lead you to victory despite your circumstances as you deal with the problems and pain you are facing: 1. Recognize You Can't Handle It 2. Stop Following Your Feelings 3. Give Up Control and Reach for God 4. Embrace God's Better Blessing 5. Let Go of Fear 6. Experience the Blessings of a Surrendered Life If you're tired of following your feelings or being disappointed by unchanging circumstances, learn how to surrender like Jesus and experience God's power and peace in your life as never before. The Leader Guide contains session plan outlines, complete with discussion points and questions, activities, prayers, and more--plus leader helps for facilitating a group. Bible Study Features: - A six-week study of Jesus in the wilderness. - Helps women find the path of peace through genuine surrender, following the example of Jesus. - Workbook includes five lessons for every week of study. - DVD features dynamic, engaging teaching in six 20-minute segments. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Participant Workbook and DVD.

Discover true community. Has the pursuit of the "perfect life" left you feeling depleted, disappointed, dissatisfied, and disconnected? Are you tired of being lonely and left out at work, home, church, and online? Are you hungry for true community, deeper connection with God, and friendships that are greater than just "likes" on social media? Are you ready for real connections with those around you? In this four-week Bible study, Amberly Neese provides biblical and practical help for cultivating meaningful relationships that glorify God through an exploration of four "one another" sayings in the New Testament: Love one another Serve one another Build up and strengthen one another Forgive one another In her trademark style, Amberly combines Bible study with delightful humor to create a refreshing and engaging experience that will encourage and equip women to pursue deeper relationships and true belonging. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a DVD. Bible Study Features: A shorter, four-week study is ideal for in-between or busy times. Accessible and friendly format. DVD features the amazing Amberly Neese, who masterfully combines solid Bible teaching and delightfully funny humor (in four 20-minute segments). Inspires and encourages women to pursue deeper relationships and true belonging for a more fulfilled, purposeful life. Helps women grow in their capacity to love, serve, and forgive. Study guide with leader helps includes group session guides, discussion questions, prayers, video viewer guides, and more.

Learn How to Surrender Like Jesus Are you facing a problem in life that you just can't fix, no matter what you do? Perhaps you've heard the phrase "Let go and let God." But it's easier said than done. Is it possible that giving up on what you can't change is God's path to peace for your life? In this six-week Bible study of Jesus in the wilderness, Barb explores Jesus' time of testing and contrasts it with the Israelites' failures in the wilderness. As you learn from Jesus' example, you'll discover six principles that will equip you to let God lead you to victory despite your circumstances as you deal with the problems and pain you are facing: 1. Recognize You Can't Handle It 2. Stop Following Your Feelings 3. Give Up Control and Reach for God 4. Embrace God's Better Blessing 5. Let Go of Fear 6. Experience the Blessings of a Surrendered Life If you're tired of following your feelings or being disappointed by unchanging circumstances, learn how to surrender like Jesus and experience God's power and peace in your life as never before. Bible Study Features: A six-week study of Jesus in the wilderness. Helps women find the path of peace through genuine surrender, following the example of Jesus. Workbook includes five lessons for every week of study. DVD features dynamic, engaging teaching in six 20-minute segments. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide and DVD. Praise for Surrendered Surrendered is the antidote for women like me who struggle with the dreaded c-word, control. Through rich biblical teaching, vulnerable personal stories, and gentle (but insistent) beckoning, Barb Roose leads us to a new place of freedom through trust in God. Finally . . . we can learn to release our white-knuckled grip and rest. --Amy Carroll, Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and writer, author of Breaking Up with Perfect and Exhale This study is full of transformative principles to free you from the grip of control. Whether you are tempted to flee difficult circumstances, fix outcomes, or force your way forward, Barb lays out a clear path to experience God's lasting peace, power, and provision as you live surrendered to Him. -- Katie M. Reid, author of Made Like Martha, Bible teacher, and host of The Martha + Mary Show podcast In this study, you'll be learning from a friend who is familiar with the painful parts of life and a guide who has traveled the hard road of surrender. She won't lead you astray; she'll lead you straight to the heart of God. --Tiffany Bluhm, speaker, podcaster, and author of She Dreams Barb's surrender principles free us from the need to control others and from anger or frustration over life's disappointing and hurtful circumstances. As a Bible study teacher, I highly recommend this study. -- Janet Holm McHenry, best-selling author of twenty-four books including Prayer- Walk and The Compete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus

Discover Your True Worth in Christ. What comes to mind when you hear the word masterpiece? Perhaps you think of a beautiful painting, a spectacular home renovation, or a captivating sunset. But few of us would describe ourselves with that word. We tend to listen instead to the lies that define us as rejected, unwanted, less than, ugly, stupid, or a failure. Sometimes we can feel more like worthless junk than a valuable masterpiece. Yet that is exactly what God's Word says that we are! In For His Glory, Marian Jordan Ellis leads us in an in-depth study of Ephesians to help us dismantle the lies we've believed about ourselves and replace them with a new identity built on God's Word. The truths in this beloved epistle speak to the core beliefs we carry about ourselves, revealing to us our part in God's magnificent design to redeem a people for Himself who reflect His glory to the world. Drawing on her own journey of transformation and her passion to equip women to overcome shame, insecurity, inferiority, and condemnation, Marian invites us on a journey to discover our true worth in Christ, our status as beloved children of God, and our glorious calling as His masterpiece. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide and DVD. Bible Study Features: A six-week, verse-by-verse study of Ephesians with seven group sessions. Helps women discover how Jesus can take their broken and make it beautiful. Workbook includes five lessons for every week of study. DVD features the dynamic Bible teaching of Marian Jordan Ellis in six 20-25 minute segments. Praise for For His Glory Marian Jordan Ellis skillfully explores the great truths from the letter to the Ephesians and invites women to discover their unshakeable identity in Christ. She challenges us to see ourselves as God does--loved, chosen, redeemed, and yes...worth dying for. For His Glory beckons you to rest in God's extravagant love and hear Him declare you "His masterpiece"! Lisa Mahan, Global Director of Women's Ministry, Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas Marian expands our understanding of the timeless words of Paul to an ancient culture that struggled and wrestled so many issues that are our same struggles today. This study will challenge you, equip you, and leave you ready to live out your purpose with renewed passion, living fully for the glory of God. Julie Lyles Carr, Author of Raising an Original and Footnotes: Major Lessons from Minor Bible Characters, host of The Modern Motherhood Podcast

Pastor and best-selling author Adam Hamilton returns to one of his most popular topics, Christianity and world religions. This new, fully updated book explores four major world religions--Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism--and compares the beliefs of each with those of Christianity. He deals openly and honestly with questions people ask about other religions, such as: Why are there so many different religions? How should Christians view other religions? How is God at work in other religions? What is the fate of those who earnestly pursue God through other religions?In examining these major world religions and the beliefs of their followers, Hamilton urges us as Christians to build bridges with others so that we might grow in our faith, seek peace in our world, love our neighbors, and find positive ways to share the gospel.Additional components for a six-week study include a new Leader Guide to help facilitate each weekly session and a DVD featuring Hamilton in new 10-15 minute segments, each including an interview with followers from that tradition.

Preparing for Christ one Gospel at a time.

Everyone agrees that America is polarized, with ever-hardening positions held by people less and less willing to listen to one another. No one agrees on what to do about it. One solution that hasn't yet been tried, says Adam Hamilton, is for thinking persons of faith to model for the rest of the country a richer, more thoughtful conversation on the political, moral, and religious issues that divide us. The Leader Guide includes session plans, discussion questions, and multiple format options.

The Bible was central to John Wesley's faith and the Christian movement he founded. In Scripture and the Wesleyan Way, you will discover a Wesleyan approach to the Bible and the Christian life through a Bible study using Wesley's own words. In this study, authors Scott and Arthur Jones use John Wesley's sermons to illuminate the Bible passages at the heart of Wesley's understanding of what it means to be a real Christian. Each chapter explores a key Scripture text and one of Wesley's sermons on it. Through their insightful and engaging study, Bishop Jones and his son Arthur show how the teachings of Wesley address questions that many of us in the twenty-first century still struggle with today. Chapters include: What is the Bible's Message? How Can I Be Saved? A, I a Real Christian? Do I Have to Obey the Law? Am I a Sinner? How Can I Connect with God? Why is the Christian Life Not Easier? What about My Money? Additional components for an eight-week study include a DVD featuring Scott and Arthur Jones and a comprehensive Leader Guide. John Wesley discovered a challenging yet hopeful message in the Bible, which profoundly shaped his personal life and the Methodist movement he founded. As you study the Bible with John Wesley, you will hear his call to live a real Christian life and be inspired to respond to this call with faith and boldness.

Affirm is a 6 week discipleship refresh from confirmation. With an emphasis on following Jesus and spiritual practices Affirm is great for a youth group series, a small group study, or for a weekend retreat. Providing leaders with the tools to enlist the support of their church and parents to help students grow stronger and go deeper with their relationship with Christ.The Affirm student guide is a devotional resource designed to support the ownership of your teens faith journey. We know teens are social. The devotional material is woven into the rest of the student material so their growth gets worked out with their peers, and is shareable. This connection with their small group will lead to better faith/life integration.

One of Abingdon's most beloved Bible studies has been updated!