A CAT & DOG
Look At The Cross Seeing Christ’s Death Through New Eyes by: Bob Sjogren & Kevin Kimbrough Why did Christ die? To forgive us of our sins, right? Well, that’s true, but it’s also incomplete. Belief in only this partial truth causes conflict and confusion among God’s people, and it limits the depth of our understanding of God and his work. There are seven key reasons Christ went to the cross. All of them focus on the glory of his Father. If the glory of God is primary, it changes everything in our relationship with him. And if Christ suffered for the Father’s glory, then we should be willing to suffer as well. Rethink the cross, and rethink your purpose!
A long obedience in the same direction discipleship in an instant society
As a society, we are no less obsessed with the immediate than when Eugene Peterson first wrote this Christian classic. If anything, email and the Internet may have intensified our quest for the quick fix. But Peterson’s time-tested prescription for discipleship remains the same–a long obedience in the same direction. Tucked away in the Hebrew Psalter, Peterson discovered “an old dog-eared songbook,” the Songs of Ascents that were sung by pilgrims on their way up to worship in Jerusalem. In these songs (Psalms 120-134) Peterson finds encouragement for modern pilgrims as we learn to grow in worship, service, joy, work, happiness, humility, community and blessing. This 20th anniversary edition of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction features these Psalms in Peterson’s widely acclaimed paraphrase, The Message. He also includes an epilogue in which he reflects on the themes of this book and his ministry during the twenty years since its original publication.
A praying life connecting with god in a distracting world
This new edition includes an expanded chapter on using the practical “prayer cards”―a hallmark of the teaching found in A Praying Life―and a chapter on the need and use of prayers of lament. Prayer is so hard that unless circumstances demand it―an illness, or saying grace at a meal―most of us simply do not pray. We prize accomplishments and productivity over time in prayer. Even Christians experience this prayerlessness―a kind of practical unbelief that leaves us marked by fear, anxiety, joylessness, and spiritual lethargy. Prayer is all about relationship. Based on the popular seminar by the same name, A Praying Life has discipled thousands of Christians to a vibrant prayer life full of joy and power. When Jesus describes the intimacy He seeks with us, He talks about joining us for dinner (Revelation 3:20). A Praying Life feels like having dinner with good friends. It is the way we experience and connect to God. In A Praying Life, author Paul Miller lays out a pattern for living in relationship with God and includes helpful habits and approaches to prayer that enable us to return to a childlike faith.
Astronished by God: Ten truths to turn the world upside down
For more than thirty years, John Piper pastored in the rough and tumble realities of downtown Minneapolis, preaching his people through the ups and down of life one Sunday at a time. When it came to capturing a generation of joy in one final sermon series, he turned to ten trademark truths to leave ringing in his peoples’ ears. These ten are world-shaking truths—each astonishing in its own way. First they turned Piper’s own world upside down. Then his church’s. And they will continue to turn the whole world upside down as the gospel of Christ advances in distance and depth. These surprising doctrines, as Piper writes, are “wildly untamable, explosively uncontainable, and electrically future-creating.” Join a veteran author, pastor, and Christian leader as he captures the ten astonishing, compassionate, life-giving, joy-awakening, hope-sustaining truths that have held everything together for him.
Calling christian leaders
John Stott found on his many travels that contemporary models of Christian leadership were often shaped more by culture than by Christ. In stark contrast, he urges that our view be determined by our view of the church, not the other way round. Focusing on 1 Corinthians 1 – 4, he demonstrates the centrality of the theme of ‘power through weakness’. He explains the role of the Holy Spirit in God’s revelation, and examines four of Paul’s most striking models of ministry, each of which is an aspect of humility. Over against seductive styles of leadership being advocated by the wisdom of the world, he urges Christian leaders to be characterized above all else by ‘the meekness and gentleness of Christ’.
CAN MAN LIVE WITHOUT GOD
by: Ravi Zacharias In this brilliant and compelling defense of the Christian faith, Ravi Zacharias shows how affirming the reality of God’s existence matters urgently in our everyday lives. According to Zacharias, how you answer the questions of God’s existence will impact your relationship with others, your commitment to integrity, your attitude toward morality, and your perception of truth.
CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE
The Path To Spiritual Growth by: Richard Foster Arguably the most established contemporary spiritual classic by our most profound living religious writer. This timeless classic has helped well over a million people discover a richer spiritual life infused with joy, peace and a deeper understanding of God. The book explores the ‘classic disciplines’ of Christian faith: the inward disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study; the outward disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission and service and the corporate disciplines of confession, worship, guidance and celebration.
CONSEQUENTIAL LEADERSHIP
15 Leaders Fighting For Our Cities, Our Poor, Our Youth And Our Culture by: Mac Pier CHALLENGES? YES. But people can do make a different. Here are the stories of fifteen entrepreneurial leaders doing just that. Drawn from church, business, government and non-profit sectors, these world-class visionaries and activists offer examples that motivate and principles to imitate. Their stories show that mature networks of leaders and organizations can offer opportunities to a new generation of young people, change communities ravaged by HIP/AIDS, reach new groups of people with the message of hope–and more. A book for those who see a need and want to contribute with consequential leadership. “Mac Pier has done us a great service by bringing forth the stories of great entrepreneurs who have crossed over from politics, business and other fields to form a vanguard that may yet bring us back from what the ever-wise David Brooks calls ‘a crisis of legitimacy’. These tales are a call to action for all of us.” BOB BUFORD, author of Halftime “Leadership matters. The leaders in this book have made an extraordinary difference in their churches, communities and cities. I applaud their impact and invite you to read this book and discover your own leadership assignment.” BILL HYBELS, chairman and founder, Willow Creek Association “The God-stories contained in these biographical sketches will encourage you to see and embrace the God-story of your life.” D.G.ELMORE, chairman of the board of directors, The Navigators, and chairman, Elmore Companies, Inc. “Great leaders are as interested in significance as they are in success. Mac Pier profiles fifteen leaders we all want to emulate. . . They are activists, preachers and CEOs. They have created foundations, planted churches, furthered the cause of peace and impraved the lives of thousands of people. Read this book–it will inspire you to open your world and become a leader of consequence.” KEN BLANCHARD, coauthor of The One Minute Manager®and Great Leaders Grow
Counterfeit Gods
New York Times bestselling author of the forthcoming God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life and nationally renowned minister Timothy Keller exposes the error of making good things “ultimate” in this book, and shows readers a new path toward a hope that lasts. Success, true love, and the life you’ve always wanted. Many of us placed our faith in these things, believing they held the key to happiness, but with a sneaking suspicion they might not deliver. No wonder we feel lost, alone, disenchanted, and resentful. There is only one God who can wholly satisfy our cravings—and now is the perfect time to meet Him again, or for the first time. In Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller shows how a proper understanding of the Bible reveals the unvarnished truth about societal ideals and our own hearts. This powerful message cements Keller’s reputation as a critical thinker and pastor, and comes at a crucial time—for both the faithful and the skeptical.