Community Growth

Disobedience. It’s normal, right? For hundreds of years, the Church has struggled with how to overcome sin in the Christian life. We know that the cross takes care of our past sins at salvation and assures us life after death. But what do we do with the time in between? In Dead and Alive, Jim Wilson discusses the neglected requirement of obedience and explains God’s provision for it from Scripture. May the thoughts in it lead you into a victorious, obedient life in Christ.

Many Americans balk at the idea of setting aside a whole day for worship, rest, and time with those who matter most to them. Yet we long for more time to spend on what matters most—unrushed time to rest, reconnect with friends and loved ones, and deepen our relationship with God. An ancient spiritual practice exists that can help restore balance to our lives: the practice of keeping sabbath. But how exactly do we manage to build time for sabbath into our busy lives? Dana Trent explores this question in For Sabbath's Sake.

Everyone wants to belong. But what does belonging—to God, ourselves, and each other—look like in the context of living within an empire and its ideologies? In Liturgies for Resisting Empire, Cuban American writer Kat Armas explores this question both for the New Testament church and for us today. Armas gives listeners a sense of hope and belonging in their daily lives—belonging to ourselves, God, each other, and the earth—in ways that resist the lies of empire. Each chapter begins with a brief liturgy.

Discipleship can feel like a meandering journey - we don’t know what we want, and none of the programs offered seem to get us anywhere. We need something to orient ourselves and something to direct our steps toward a clear destination. Simple Discipleship, with its companion assessment tool, offers a plan for discipleship that is tailored to your real life and your personality and clearly pointed in the way of Jesus.

With all the hostility boiling just under the surface of our world, we need a renewed vision of Jesus as the Lamb of God who can lead us in the peaceable ways of the Kingdom. When we fail to keep Jesus at the center of our lives, we lean into the desires of our hearts more than the desires God has for us. As a result, our entire spirituality becomes driven by the self and for the self. We need renewed practices of centering Jesus in our hearts and minds. Derek Vreeland invites you to imagine what it looks like to keep Jesus as the Lamb of God at the center of three key areas of our lives.

The Evidence of Things Unseen: Faith Revealed in a Family, a Community and a Nation describes the evidence of faith first initiated in the family experience, then developed in the faith communities. The text illustrates how faith developed in evangelical communities will result in a certain view of our nation and its governance. This leads to the paradox that these views often conflict with biblical principles taught by those communities. The concluding section of this book suggests a reason for this conflict and a proposed remedy.

When was the last time you were willing to let go of something you normally hold onto with a white-knuckle grip? How often does someone ask you about your life or work, and you don't know how to respond? How you answer those questions is important, because they hint at your passions. At some point in our lives, we're given an opportunity for our passions to fuel our purpose.

For every person who has felt lonely or isolated, The Sacred Us explores a new way of living through the practice of biblical community. In a world that celebrates individuality and autonomy, too many of us struggle to form deep, meaningful relationships. Loneliness is the norm, rich friendships are rare, and the church is no exception. We long for real community but often don’t know how to get there. What will it take to develop healthy friendships?

Mitch Kruse learned the hard way that going to church three times a week while growing up did not answer the question: Have you ever thought about changing the scorecard of your life from money to wisdom? His pursuit to find the answer sparked a lifelong journey through the ultimate wisdom book, Proverbs, one that connects God's heart with street smarts.

Have you ever felt like life was finally going well, when suddenly life decides to throw you a curve ball? Life will knock you down when you least expect it. The important thing is not how or why we got knocked down, the important thing is how will we respond? In her early 40's, Nadine found herself to be a newly successful entrepreneur...and simultaneously...the mother of a heroin addict. She used this situation to create an out-of- the-box therapeutic travel recovery project which later evolved into establishing a nonprofit serving those choosing to live a lifestyle of recovery.

In the Bible, God set Ezekiel down in the middle of a valley full of bones. If reviewed on a travel website, that valley wouldn’t get more than a single star. But many of us don’t stop at a visit. We pitch a tent and buy a tract of that desolate land for ourselves—before passing it on to our children and grandchildren. Generations become mired in the valley of dry bones.

The premise of serving as a small group leader sounds simple: Invite people to join you in studying the Bible. But the real-world implications of that role are incredibly complex. Today's small group leaders are asked to function as semi-experts in theology, psychology, evangelism, worship, apologetics, counseling, education, and nutrition—all in service to God and His church. The Field Guide for Small Group Leaders provides basic training and support to help small group leaders succeed in the critical mission of leading others toward spiritual growth and transformation.

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 and theologically informed 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.

An effective new voice in the contemporary church movement shares important lessons from his failures and successes in building a community that reaches out with maximum impact within an emerging culture. Over the past decade, Mike Tatlock has been on a journey to examine the life of Jesus with a view to developing a church that truly makes a difference. His hard-won lessons have shaped a ministry philosophy that is connecting people in community to engage the world around them.

A Significant Life helps you understand how to own your own worth–which is given and anointed by God–and live a more purposeful life. As a result, you’ll see an amazing transformation…not only in your life, but also in your church and community.

Christ heals wounds that no one else can heal. The Holy Spirit offers to reconcile us to God and to each other. We don’t think much about sin until the Spirit catches us red-handed. But He is not a policeman; He is the Friend of the guilty. He convicts in order to liberate.

Jesus’ death paid for our sins – the guilt, the death, and the punishment. Jesus does not repay the man who got ripped off when we stole from him. According to the Bible, the person who comes to the Lord in repentance is to pay the one he stole from the value of the stolen goods plus one fifth of the value. But what if it is a candy bar you took twenty years ago? The amount stolen and the time since the theft do not make it yours.

Join J.C. Ryle as he explains the benefits of reading (and rereading) the Bible, and find inspiration for your daily devotions in this classic work.

Jesús discipuló a sus seguidores por medio de relaciones interpersonales - y espera que nosotros hagamos lo mismo. A lo largo de las Escrituras encontramos abundantes exhortaciones a servirnos unos a otros. Este audiolibro le mostrará cómo hacerlo. La vida de aislamiento de la cultura occidental de hoy crea un deseo por vivir en comunidad y el mundo entero anhela ver discípulos relacionales en acción.

One crisp fall morning, a beautiful snow-capped Mt. Fuji stands out against the clear blue sky. As you drive closer, the shape and color become even more distinguishable and awe-inspiring. Then suddenly, something takes your enjoyment away. A line of trees completely blocks your view of the mountain. You try to look around, over, and through the trees, but you cannot see the mountain, even though you know it is still there. What if the beautiful mountain you are trying to enjoy is the God of grace? What are the “trees” in your life that block your view of this amazing God?