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Audiobooks Narrated by George W. Sarris
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In Proclaiming the Parables, noted preacher and scholar Thomas G. Long moves away from past treatment of the parables primarily as literary devices and moves toward an emphasis on their theological impact as pointers to the kingdom of God. While the parables are indeed significant poetic literary creations that have enchanted readers over the centuries, their main power, he claims, lies in their disclosure of the kingdom of God, which is not merely an idea, nor even just a complex symbol with generative and centrifugal force, but an event: the inbreaking of the life of God into human history and experience.
Long sees parables not merely as creative figures of speech but as GPS devices taking hearers to those places where the event of God is happening all around us. This book provides two chapters for each synoptic Gospel. Two introductory chapters additionally situate this book in the history and theology of the parables' interpretation and address questions that preachers have about preaching the parables. Preachers who consult this volume will be informed about each major parable, guided through the controversies regarding interpretation, and stimulated to preach on the parable in fresh, faithful, and creative ways.
The world has changed. The changes around us present daunting challenges to the church, and we minister in places we have never been in before. But there are no one-size-fits-all solutions because every church needs to attend to its specific situation and calling. We need to listen for not only what to do but also what not to do. In a world screaming in a thousand directions for our focus, it's essential for us to become attentive to God, our congregation, and our community.
Kevin Ford and Jim Singleton call for attentive churches with attentive leaders who can discern cultural and organizational change and pivot accordingly. Healthy transformation starts with a posture of attention. We need to see what God is already doing in our midst: in our own soul, in our people, and in the communities and culture around us. Chapters explore key questions that attentive leaders ask and offer case studies of attentive churches that have navigated the issues and transitions facing them. As we practice habits of attention, God leads us through the highs and lows of change into the exciting adventure of being on mission with him.
This short book is designed to introduce people to the evidence from Church history and the teaching of the Bible showing that God will one day restore all of His creation to the perfection He intended. Hell is real, but it is temporary in its duration and remedial in its nature. At the end of time, all those God created in His image will experience the peace and joy of being in His presence. The booklet can be read in about a half-hour, and its small size fits easily in a man's coat pocket or a woman's purse. It's a booklet designed to be given away.Excepts and comments in this booklet are taken directly from, Heaven’s Doors . . . Wider Than You Ever Believed! which was awarded the Silver Medal in Theology in the 2018 Illumination Book Awards for exemplary Christian literature.
Diversity is a high value for younger generations-but too often, they're not finding it in the church.
Emerging generations in the West are more diverse than ever-ethnically, socioeconomically, educationally, and politically. And as church attendance among younger generations declines rapidly, research shows that one of their primary sticking points is the lack of diversity in most churches.
In Church for Everyone, pastors Dan Kreiss and Efrem Smith address this phenomenon head-on. In this research-based, theologically informed, and practical book, they explore the younger generations' expectations and disappointments with church and hold out a vision for true diversity taken from the pages of Scripture. As experienced church leaders themselves, Kreiss and Smith share a wealth of practical experience and stories from the trenches of multiethnic ministry.
The good news is that God has already called the church to diversity. As we seek to live out this calling in our own local contexts, we can become the demonstration of God's love for all humanity that he has designed the church to be-and that the younger generation is so desperately looking for.
People today desperately want to know what is true and authentic in a world increasingly characterized by cultural confusion and a loss of trust in established institutions.
Are the answers to life found in the writings of secular scientists who tell us that we're simply a product of chance - an accidental mixture of elements in one stage of development, no more important in the long range scheme of things than a rock, or a sea urchin?
Are the answers found in the philosophical musings of Eastern mystics who explain that we're a very small part of an all-pervasive life force that in the end draws us into itself so that we lose our individuality and become nothing?
Are we unique individuals created by an all-powerful Creator who has a purpose for each person? But, if so, why is there so much pain and suffering in what should be a perfect world?
Searching for Truth in Vegas, Hollywood & Bethlehemis a relatively short, easy-to-read book that addresses many of the questions thoughtful people often ask about the nature of God, the nature of life, and the validity of Biblical faith.
For example: Is there a God? What about evolution? How about Eastern mysticism? Is the Bible really God's Word? How close is the Bible of today to the original Bible? How does it differ from other great works of religious literature? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? If God is good and sovereign, why is there excessive pain and suffering in the world?
The book follows a logical progression of thought from one question to another and includes interesting stories and historical information to help people think through the issues It provides honest answers to honest questions.
Prayer is hard. Often, unless circumstances demand it-such as an illness or saying grace before a meal-most of us simply do not pray. This kind of prayerlessness can leave us with a distressed spirit and practical unbelief characterized by fear, anxiety, joylessness, and spiritual depression.
A Praying Life is a prayer guide that has encouraged thousands of Christians to pursue a vibrant prayer life full of joy and power. A life of prayer invites you to a life of connection to God. When Jesus describes the intimacy that He seeks with us, He talks about joining us for dinner (Revelation 3:20). This book reminds listeners that prayer is simply making conversation with God a rhythm of daily Christian life.
A Praying Life includes chapters about:
- How to deal with unanswered prayer
- How to start a prayer journal
- Does prayer make a difference?
Now with added chapters addressing prayers of lament and further guidance for using prayer cards, Paul Miller invites you to foster prayer that regularly hopes, trusts, and expects God to act. Learn to develop helpful habits and approaches to prayer that will enable you to return to a childlike faith and witness spiritual growth today!
Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin cut a striking figure in the Army: athletic, quick witted, devout, and studious, he was a natural leader. Thanks to his engineering and leadership knowhow, Martin was chosen to lead the thousands of combat engineers who paved the way for 100,000 Army troops to battle their way to Baghdad in 2003. Only years later would he learn how the pressure of organizing dozens of simultaneous life-or-death missions each day altered the biochemistry of his brain. The Iraq War triggered what military and Veterans Administration psychiatrists ultimately diagnosed as late-onset bipolar disorder, a chemical imbalance that sends sufferers whipsawing between grandiose imaginings and suicidal depressions. His increasing erratic behavior led to his forced resignation as president of the National Defense University and ended his military career.
Bipolar General offers a candid account of Martin's personal journey with undiagnosed mental illness as he rose through the ranks of the United States Army. He discusses why his condition went undiagnosed for so long and explores what can be done both within and outside the armed forces to diagnose and treat mental illness. Bipolar General should be of value to those with mental illness and to the communities of family, friends, and caregivers surrounding them.
Are You Doing What God Created You to Do?
Can you identify your spiritual gifting or understand God's purpose for your life? If you can't confidently answer yes, you're not alone. Yet there is a simple, biblical framework to finding your God-given gifts and finding His purposes for your life-and it leads to a relationship with the Trinity you never imagined.
Offering clear explanations and biblical depth, veteran ministry leader Andy Reese offers a fresh and practical blueprint to Paul's teachings on spiritual gifts and God's intended spiritual connection to the Trinity, including how to simply discover your unique gifting and use it to impact others, see your God-intended purposes come to life in amazing ways, connect intimately with Jesus and the Father, and experience the Holy Spirit and His working within and through you.
Your gifts are not defined by your job or talents. It's time to discover why you were created-and experience a deeper relationship with the One who created you.
Church Revitalization guides current and future leaders through the often-complex process of bringing a church to a place of vibrancy. This book demonstrates how the overarching goal of seeing people come to faith in Christ and develop into Christlikeness can-and must-inform the most foundational to the most fleeting aspects of revitalizing a struggling church.
Church Revitalization Strategist Rusty Small systematically walks listeners through the many considerations of leading a church out of a decline. He helps identify the best approach for addressing what a particular church's revitalization need may be:
- Refresh-often most fitting after a difficult season in the church's life
- Renovate-needed when a decline has lasted five to ten years
- Restore-appropriate for churches with generational patterns focused on survival
- Replant-best for a church facing imminent closure
Few joys compare to seeing God's life and power realized for the local church-when believers begin to think and serve as Jesus did. Small will encourage pastors and church leaders engaged in this critical task.
In The Shepherd Leader, pastor and professor Tim Witmer laid out seven elements of an effective shepherding plan, showing church leaders how to minister to their congregations in practical, pastoral ways. Now, in this stand-alone but complementary volume, he gathers seven church leaders to show how they and their churches have addressed specific shepherding challenges in innovative ways. How do you adapt a shepherding plan to a large congregation? How do you fine-tune or revise plans that aren't working? How do pastors get reluctant elders on board? How do male leaders make sure the women of the congregation are receiving adequate care? Randy Schlichting, Bijan Mirtolooi, John Barrett, Ken Jones, Mark Hallock, Gary Smith, and Sue Harris contribute.
What if you could hear God speaking? What difference would that make in your life?
You don't have to wonder if God still speaks. He reveals Himself to everyone, without exception. The difference between God's people and all other people scattered over the face of the earth is this: When God speaks, His people listen.
Join Greg Pruett as he teaches you how to develop extraordinary hearing-discernible guidance from God in your day-to-day life, based on the leading of the Holy Spirit within you. He'll offer answers to your questions about prayer and discernment, such as:
- How can I tell if it's really God speaking?
- Does God still communicate with us the way He did with people in the Bible?
- How can I hear Him more clearly when I pray? What can I do to learn to listen?
Extraordinary Hearing gives practical, biblical insights on how to pray and how to hear from God that will help unleash the power of prayer in your life.
Much of what passes as Reformed among our churches is not. As a class of churches that profess allegiance to Reformed theology, practice, and piety, we have drifted from our moorings. This book is written to facilitate change, specifically reformation according to God's Word as summarized in the Reformed confessions.
