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Read these sermons and prayers and look directly into the heart of Wayne Oates. He was a consummate counselor, theologian, and writer, but first of all he was a pastor. His identity-his very heart-was that of a pastor to people in the midst of life's struggles. No struggle was foreign to him: depression, divorce, suicide, grief: he shied away from nothing. He gave voice to our deepest hurts, thenfollowed with words we long to hear: you are not alone.-Kay ShurdenAssociate Professor Emeritus, Clinical Education, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia... a faithful and keen reflection of a man who shaped the ministry of many pastors and teachers.-Daniel BagbyTheodore F. Adams Emeritus Professor of Pastoral CareBaptist Theological Seminary at Richmond

We've heard the narrative that millennials are done with the institutional church; they've packed up and left. This book is an alternative to that story and chronicles the journey of millennials who are investing their lives in the institution because they believe in the church's resurrecting power. Through anecdotes and interviews, Rob Lee takes readers on a journey toward God's unfolding future for the church, a beloved institution in desperate need of change.

In this collection of sermons based on Paul's first letter to the believers in Corinth, Brian Harbour responds to two deep needs within today's church: "biblical" preaching and help relating the church to a rapidly changing world. Through critical interpretation, Harbour seeks to explain the culture of Corinth and the strategies the church could have employed in response. This is a rich resource for those seeking the deeper insights of God's word, who want to struggle with both the difficult and the simple texts, who want to know how God's word to an isolated group of Christians on the cusp of change intersects with their lives today. Each volume of the Preaching the Word series consists of a collection of sermons preached through a book or books of the Bible. As in other commentaries, the author analyzes and seeks to interpret each passage. But Preaching the Word also exists as a testament to the Word preached, a homiletical commentary unfolding within a community of faith. Thus, this series allows us to approach the letters and histories of the New Testament as the first recipients did: as hearers of God's Word.

In his latest book, Star Thrower: A Pastor's Handbook, William Powell Tuck draws on over fifty years of experience to share his perspective on being an effective pastor. He describes techniques for sermon preparation, pastoral care, and church administration, as well as for conducting Communion, funeral, wedding, and baptismal services. He also includes advice for working with laity and church staff, coping with church conflict, and nurturing one's own spiritual and family life.

When Baptists in 17th-century England wanted to talk about freedom, they unfailingly began by reading the Bible-and what they found in Scripture inspired their compelling (and, ultimately, successful) arguments for religious liberty. In an age of widespread anxiety, suspicion, and hostility, these early Baptists refused to worship God in keeping with the king's command. This book is about how these early English Baptists read the Bible together and were led by that reading to the startling faith convictions-startling, at least, in the context of 17th-century England-that eventually came to define them as a distinctive type of Christians.Author Lee Canipe believes that it's not only possible for Baptists in the 21st century to recover this habit of using Scripture to articulate their faith convictions about religious freedom, but that doing so is essential to preserving our unique Christian witness. With the boundaries between church and state as contested as ever, Loyal Dissenters offers scholars, clergy, and laypeople a fresh look at what Baptists believe-and how we can once again learn to talk about religious liberty in distinctively Christian language.

While most people in the Western world affirm the existence of God or a "higher power," this conviction has little to do with daily life. God is marginalized in the public square and in the day-to-day lives of most people. This secular approach to life is the most serious challenge the church faces.McKim's contention is that what happens in many evangelical churches on Sunday mornings has also become deeply secularized, with an unrecognized shift in focus away from God to the needs, desires, and preferences of worshippers. Evangelical worship, McKim argues, has drifted far from both its biblical roots and historic origins, leaving evangelicals in danger of becoming mere chaplains to the wider culture, oblivious to the contradictions between what the secular culture says is real and important and what Scripture says is real and important.But McKim also believes the resources exist to step back from the abyss. Countercultural Worship provides a careful theological and biblical study of the purpose, nature, and elements of corporate worship, as well as myriad resources for worship focused exclusively on the God whom we know best in Jesus Christ. Such worship, by its very nature, will be, as it always has been, countercultural.

Sometimes the Christian journey is a stroll along quiet shores. Other times it is an uphill climb on narrow, snow-covered mountain paths. Usually, it is simply walking in the direction of wholeness, one step after another, sometimes even two steps forward and one step back.Learning what we believe about God and what God expects from us is an ongoing journey. In A Five-Mile Walk, Michael B. Brown considers paths our journey takes, exploring our attitudes, emotions, expectations, community, and faithfulness. Though these are not the only paths we travel on our Christian journey, they are indispensable if we are serious about living faithfully as followers of Jesus.

A pastor's life is uniquely difficult. Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil, then, is an attempt to expose some of the challenges that young clergy often face. While not exhaustive, this collection of essays is a superbly compelling and diverse introduction to how tough being a pastor under the age of thirty-five can be. Pastors belonging to a wide swath of Christian traditions share their stories here: Episcopal, Baptist, United Methodist, Assemblies of God, Lutheran, United Church of Christ, Church of the Brethren, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Foursquare. These humble servants of our souls give clergy and congregation much to learn through their real-life vocational testimonies.

"Each line rests on Frazier's fundamental belief that every season in life is valuable and rich with opportunity."-Alicia Davis PorterfieldInterim pastor and former eldercare chaplain"Ray Frazier has provided us with short, insightful and quality devotional thoughts. His inclusion of quotes and prayers from a diverse collection of writers, along with Scripture references, deepens the reading and reflection experience. Well worth one hundred days!"-Rev. B. Leslie Robinson Jr.Center for Congregational HealthWinston-Salem, North Carolina

Nahum-Malachi, the last six books of the Christian Old Testament, span the period from the end of the Assyrian empire in the 7th century BCE to the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the emergence of Persia in the 5th century BCE. But these books also have a collective identity as the latter half of the Book of the Twelve-the ancient Jewish and Christian designation for the so-called "minor" prophets. This commentary maintains a balance between reading each of these six books in its own historical and social setting and considering the interrelationships and canonical functions of these books within the Book of the Twelve as a whole. Jesus ben Sirach wrote that "the Twelve Prophets . . . comforted the people of Jacob and delivered them with confident hope" (Sir 49:10). This commentary, following ben Sirach, proposes that the theme of the Book of the Twelve is a comforting word of hope and deliverance.

A Revolutionary Gospel focuses on the centrality of Rauschenbusch's concept of salvation-his view of both personal and social salvation-in its relationship to the Kingdom of God in the teachings of Jesus. Rauschenbusch believed that Jesus' teachings were revolutionary and aimed to bring about the moral transformation of the individual and society. William Powell Tuck describes how Rauschenbusch's concept of redemption requires a transformation of society as well as individuals-and that no one can genuinely be redeemed without this redemption affecting the social culture as well. A Revolutionary Gospel shows us how Rauschenbusch's revolutionary concept of salvation is still relevant today.

In Sipping from the Cup of Wisdom: Exploring Diverse Paths of Research, renowned scholar James L. Crenshaw updates the history of research on wisdom literature. Crenshaw's introduction addresses the social setting of the sages, the personification of Wisdom, mythical images of creation, and wisdom and apocalyptic. In the next five chapters, he describes major trends of interpretation on each wisdom book: Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Sirach, and Wisdom of Solomon. The sixth chapter explores recent attempts to define the wisdom corpus.James L. Crenshaw, the Robert L. Flowers Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Duke University, was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1984-1985 and in 2006-2007 the Joseph McCarthy Visiting Professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Before moving to Duke in 1987, he taught five years at Mercer and nineteen years at Vanderbilt. He is the series editor of Personalities of the Old Testament (University of South Carolina Press) and lives in Nashville. His most recent books are Dust and Ashes: Poems, Reading Job: A Literary and Theological Commentary, and Qoheleth: The Ironic Wink.Praise for Sipping from the Cup of Wisdom"James Crenshaw, without a doubt, has been the leading scholar of his generation concerning the wisdom traditions of Israel. These volumes present a summation of his lifetime of good work. Crenshaw shows that the biblical tradition is open to a broad cultural reading, truth claims given in a compelling manner. This is a most welcome volume." -Walter Brueggemann, William Marcellus McPheeters Emeritus Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary"James Crenshaw has been a leading voice in the study of wisdom literature for several decades. His knowledge of the texts and the scholarly literature about them is unparalleled. The present study comprises a culmination of his lifelong scholarly engagement with sapiential literature. Sipping from the Cup of Wisdom is a 'house of instruction' (Sir 51:23) that all who seek wisdom and understanding should visit, to learn from a master sage." - Matt Goff, Professor of Religion, Florida State University

"In poetry, the author reflects on spiritual themes that he has used to help his congregation build their faith in God, cause them to rise as one to seek justice, or show them what it meant to walk humbly with God"--

"In this book, the author describes a model of theological interpretation of the Bible that brings together different approaches to reading it in a way that is appropriate to the nature of the text as Scripture while also making use of the best resources that have been developed in the long history of biblical study. In the context of the theological interpretation of Scripture, the goal of gaining a wise heart takes on yet another layer of meaning. Wisdom includes making full use of the skills of critical interpretation of the Bible and, at the same time, integrating this knowledge into a life of spiritual integrity and unity that is symbolized by the biblical metaphor of the heart. A wise heart is one that can bring the best of critical study and spiritual devotion together in service to God and others"--

Who Do Deacons Need to Be?What Do Deacons Need to Know?What Do Deacons Need to Do?These three questions form the basis for Exemplars: Deacons as Servant and Spiritual Leaders. They are designed to encourage robust conversation within diaconates as well as between deacons, clergy, and other laity. All of us grow spiritually as we listen and speak to one another with open minds and loving hearts. For deacons to reach their full potential as spiritual leaders, thoughtful and prayerful conversation must happen.This workbook was born from years of pastoral experience and a growing conviction that congregational renewal must include lay renewal. Nearly every Baptist church has a diaconate, so it seems reasonable that if lay renewal is to happen, it must include deacon renewal.Exemplars can be helpful as a study guide for an individual deacon or in a small group or retreat setting where deacons study together, hold one another accountable, and offer support for one another as they seek to be exemplars of Christ and servants of Christ's church.Daniel Vestal is the director of the Eula Mae and John Baugh Center for Baptist Leadership and the Distinguished University Professor of Baptist Leadership at Mercer University. He has served as a pastor and in leadership with a number of denominational, ecumenical, and institutional organizations. From 1996 to 2012 he was executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He is the author of five books, including Being the Presence of Christ: A Vision for Transformation. Daniel and his wife, Earlene, live in Atlanta.Elizabeth (Libby) Allen served for 17 years with Admissions for McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University, and was ordained as a deacon in 1986. Libby has also served on boards for Baptist News Global and Passport, Inc. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Loyd Allen.

When Kate Anderson began her pastoral care work in a long-term care facility for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities, she found that the standard pastoral assessment tools didn't meet the unique needs or take into account the lived experiences of the very people they were meant to support.In response, Anderson and her colleagues turned to Relational Spirituality, an approach to the study of the soul that integrates psychology and theology. Together they created a new pastoral care framework, which focuses on the Divine Investment in each person, on their soul identities and life stories, to create meaningful engagement. Through academic discussion and personal stories, Engaging the Sacred explores not just Anderson's framework, but also the evidence of its success.Kate Anderson is a Baptist minister in Louisville, Kentucky. She holds a master of divinity degree in pastoral care and counseling from Baptist Seminary of Kentucky and a doctorate in Christian spirituality from McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. She has been a chaplain and advocate alongside people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as part of various support agencies, denominational initiatives with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and national collaborations with the Board American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

"Faith is like gumbo; for it to be authentic, at some point you have to make it your own." In From Eden to Heaven: Spiritual Formation for the Adventurous, author Kelly Pigott describes the journey to authentic faith using the language of pilgrimage, or perigrinatio, that path that all believers travel as they seek to follow Jesus, mature in their faith, and explore their most common fears and deepest questions: What does it mean to follow Christ? Is this all there is? How do I keep going? Who am I-and who has God designed me to be?Enriched by the author's superb storytelling and warm style, From Eden to Heaven provides pastoral guidance steeped in church and biblical history-along with journaling exercises and relevant additional reading-all intended to offer both challenges and guideposts along the path to authentic spiritual transformation.Kelly Pigott is a professor in the Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, where he teaches courses in church history, ministry, and spiritual formation. He has served for more than 25 years as a pastor, currently serving two congregations.Praise for From Eden to Heaven"Kelly Pigott is a master modern storyteller. He is also a really good historian who doesn't know how to bore people. All of this and more is evident in this excellent book, which helps you pay attention to the signposts of Christian pilgrimage." -John H. Armstrong, author of Costly Love"With wit and wisdom, Pigott entices the reader to take seriously the Christian path of transformation. Herein lies a trustworthy guide for those seeking to live an abundant life." -Phileena Heuretz, author of Pilgrimage of a Soul: Contemplative Spirituality for an Active Life

Does the Bible have anything to say about depression?In thirty-five years of serving as a pastor, counselor, and chaplain, Ronald "Dee" Vaughan has learned that this is not an academic question. Those who ask about the Bible's relevance to this illness do so because they are struggling with emotional and spiritual darkness and need spiritual strength to survive. As a student of the Bible and a survivor of depression, the author answers those struggling seekers.During his own time of illness, Vaughan kept a journal of Scripture passages, quotations, advice, and personal discoveries-truths that gave him glimpses of spiritual light that guided him through the darkness toward healing and health. In this book, he shares those life-giving discoveries.This collection of biblical meditations is designed to be used as a daily devotional resource. Along with each meditation is a prayer based on that chapter's life lesson and a truth to affirm, a short summary to help readers remember what they've learned.Ronald D. Vaughan is pastor of St. Andrews Baptist Church, Columbia, South Carolina. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, he is a graduate of Furman University (BA) and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv, DMin). Dee has also served as a hospital chaplain, a fire department chaplain, and a college and graduate school teacher. He and his wife, Linda, have three children and three grandchildren.Praise for Seeing in the Dark"Through these devotionals, Dee enables us to face those times of depression that keep us from achieving our best. He does not offer simple solutions, but rather, with profound insight into scripture and the pain of his own depression, his pastoral words become the avenue through which God speaks to us, touches us at the point of our darkness and offers the light of God's promise and Presence." -Jack Causey, CBF of North Carolina

With unguarded humor and honesty, Morgan J. Bolt balances his experiences as a cancer patient with the mind-set, faith, and theology that helped him both to endure his prognosis and treatments and to relish the opportunities that came along the way.Just a few months after graduating from college, Morgan Bolt was diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumors (DSRCT), a rare pediatric cancer. Over the next four years, together with his wife, Christina, Morgan endured aggressive radiation and chemo treatments, multiple surgeries, and the reality of confronting his own mortality.Throughout Morgan's memoir of his journey with DSRCT, he breaks down common preconceptions about cancer and cancer patients, including why people get sick, prejudices facing disabled people, why prayer is weird, and how the church both supported and abandoned him in his illness. The most vital of these preconceptions is also the first: cancer is not evil. Cancer just is.Barely a month after publication, Morgan lost his battle with cancer. His message is alive and timeless.Praise for Cancer Just Is"I'm better off because I encountered this book, and you will be too. Read it, consume it, and hold on to that love. For the love that made you will indeed be the love that brings you, and all of us, home." -Rob W. Lee, author of Stained-Glass Millennials and A Sin By Any Other Name"In this gripping narrative, Morgan Bolt speaks with such an honest, eloquent, and compelling voice that it must join the chorus of America's most memorable literary narrators. But instead of rafting the Mississippi River, exploring the West, or wandering New York, Bolt's journey takes him into the harrowing clinical corridors of a young cancer patient prematurely confronting death. His powerful account of that pilgrimage, however, is a bittersweet celebration of a life, told with disarming humor, unflinching candor, and a remarkable wisdom and faith that will be a gift to all who listen." -Kerry Temple, editor of Notre Dame Magazine

Here, finally assembled together in one collection, are Bert Montgomery's LGBTQ-related musings, columns, and sermons. Bert uses humor, stories, and the Holy Scriptures to challenge the heresy of homophobia within the church and to call for full inclusion and affirmation-in both church and civic life-of our LGBTQ family members, friends, and neighbors. And yes, a rabbi and a preacher really did go to a Pride parade!Bert Montgomery lives in Starkville, Mississippi, cheers for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, writes, teaches, and is even called "pastor" by a few hearty souls. His previous books include Psychic Pancakes & Communion Pizza, and Elvis, Willie, Jesus & Me.Praise for A Rabbi and a Preacher Go to a Pride Parade"Sometimes we make love sound so complicated, when it's all pretty simple. Hold a hand, walk a parade, or just simply say 'I want to be your friend.' Personable and sincere. Bert shares his heart for making every person in Starkville, Mississippi, his truly cherished neighbor. His writings remind me that the Christian experience isn't about building up a fence of protection, but rather daring to allow love to lead us out of hiding and into the light of a brilliant life." - Jennifer Knapp, musician

Turning around an old, established church is not an easy task. Waters have to be stirred, people have to be shaken out of their comfort zones, and often there are enormous costs to bear.Change does not come easy in established churches. Many churches make the mistake of changing programs or worship styles without first changing the core values of the church. Change does not happen overnight. Anyone who would transition a church had better pack a lunch and make a commitment for the long haul.Can a Church Live Again? tells the story of one church's renewal and revisioning over the past decade. A long-tenured pastor and other church leaders had a vision for a spiritual restoration of their church through its disciple-making roots. The result has been that a century-old church in rural North Carolina has become a model for church renewal.This story is told in Pastor Ronny Russell's own words, sharing principles of how this all happened for his church...and how a similar renewal can be felt by any church. This is not a quick-fix for church stagnation or decline. Rather, it is the inspiring story of one church's journey into hope and life.

"The Worship Hour provides readers with opportunities for struggling with their dreams and hopes. People of faith and people seeking faith assemble during the same hour with multiple needs and varied expectations. Some worshipers want to recover a sense of purpose; others seek rituals of support and reassurance; still others listen for words of comfort and hope. Needs and concerns may differ, and sometimes they are not clearly identified, but people who come to a time of worship are usually hoping to connect, or reconnect-with a source of meaning and peace in their daily lives"--

"Grace is the theme as the author wades through the stories of the old men of the Bible, becoming acquainted with such great patriarchs from Adam to the Apostle Paul. They failed in many ways. Yet what sustained them and gave them their anchor was the grace and providence of God working in and through them, not as a result of their works but as it pleased God. The old men needed grace at the end, just as they needed it in the beginning and all the way through. It is a wonderful realization that all along, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ keeps us and does not fail"--

John's distinctiveness may be why it's one of the most treasured books in the New Testament. Although it contains fewer miracles than the other Gospels, and almost none of the parables, John expands our understanding of who Jesus is, beginning with the very first verse: "In the beginning was the Word . . . ." So too do three letters attributed to the same author call the worshiping church to reconsider the meaning of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. With critical interpretation and relatable language, Prince Raney Rivers and Abby Thornton Hailey delve into each of these four New Testament books, examining themes of truth and love, light and darkness, belief and life. Each volume of the Preaching the Word series consists of a collection of sermons preached through a book or books of the Bible. As in other commentaries, the author analyzes and seeks to interpret each passage. But Preaching the Word also exists as a testament to the Word preached, a homiletical commentary unfolding within a community of faith. Thus, this series allows us to approach the letters and histories of the New Testament as the first recipients did: as hearers of God's Word.

Although we have unprecedented means and opportunity to connect with others, our modern communication tends to be quickly, almost thoughtlessly, supplied-a sharp contrast to the letters sent by Paul and other church leaders in the first century. In this collection of sermons, Bill Ireland and Dock Hollingsworth dig into the cultures, struggles, and strengths that shaped the writing and receiving of three such letters. Through critical interpretation, Ireland focuses on how the relationship between pastor and congregation informs the theological and practical advice shared with the church at Philippi and a man named Philemon. Hollingsworth, meanwhile, examines how the Colossians, enthusiastic but new to faith, were affirmed and corrected from afar.Each volume of the Preaching the Word series consists of a collection of sermons preached through a book or books of the Bible. As in other commentaries, the author analyzes and seeks to interpret each passage. But Preaching the Word also exists as a testament to the Word preached, a homiletical commentary unfolding within a community of faith. Thus, this series allows us to approach the letters and histories of the New Testament as the first recipients did: as hearers of God's Word.