Not Church as Usual PDF Download

Author: Felicia Hamer
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1973609231
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 99

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Book Description
LaJune Daricious Greenfield is down on her luck. A few months ago she had the most wonderful lifeor so she thought. From being a lawyer to enjoying time with her children, suddenly everything changes. Her husband leaves her and takes all the savings. Shes left jobless and with two young kids to feed, no food in the refrigerator, and not a dime in her bank account. So where does she go from here? Not Church as Usual is the touching and sincere chronicle of a woman trying to put everything back togetherwith a lot of help from God. A story based on faith, hope, and some hard work, it illustrates how even with good moral character, bad things can still happen. But by living life according to Christian values and principles, LaJune shows us how we can overcome these challenges and discover a new life that is full of joy, peace, and love. Good still triumphs over evil in this story, and even though the world can test our faith, God will always be there to show us the path forward through the darkness and the valleys in life. Because in the end we all deserve a new beginning, and God will provide it for uswe just have to trust in his ways.

Author: Wayne Jacobsen
Publisher: Windblown Media
ISBN: 1935170015
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Book Description
Jake Colsen, an overworked and disillusioned pastor, happens into a stranger who bears an uncanny resemblance (in manner) to the apostle John. A number of encounters with John as well as a family crisis lead Jake to a new understanding of what his life should be like: one filled with faith bolstered by a steady, close relationship with the God of the universe. Facing his own disappointment with Christianity, Jake must forsake the habits that have made his faith rote and rediscover the love that captured his heart when he first believed. Compelling and intensely personal, So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anything relates a man's rebirth from performance-based Christianity to a loving friendship with Christ that affects all he does, thinks, and says. As John tells Jake, "There is nothing the Father desires for you more than that you fall squarely in the lap of his love and never move from that place for the rest of your life."

Author: David Murrow
Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM
ISBN: 0849949815
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
“Church is boring.” “It’s irrelevant.” “It’s full of hypocrites.” You’ve heard the excuses—now learn the real reasons men and boys are fleeing churches of every kind, all over the world, and what we can do about it. Women comprise more than 60% of the adults in a typical worship service in America. Some overseas congregations report ten women for every man in attendance. Men are less likely to lead, volunteer, and give in the church. They pray less, share their faith less, and read the Bible less. In Why Men Hate Going to Church, David Murrow identifies the barriers keeping many men from going to church, explains why it’s so hard to motivate the men who do attend, and also takes you inside several fast-growing congregations that are winning the hearts of men and boys. In this completely revised, reorganized, and rewritten edition of the classic book, with more than 70 percent new content, explore topics like: The increase and decrease in male church attendance during the past 500 years Why Christian churches are more feminine even though men are often still the leaders The difference between the type of God men and women like to worship The lack of volunteering and ministry opportunities for men The benefits men get from attending church regularly Men need the church but, more importantly, the church needs men. The presence of enthusiastic men is one of the surest predictors of church health, growth, giving, and expansion. Why Men Hate Going to Church does not call men back to church—it calls the church back to men.

Author: Dan Kimball
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310245907
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
Kimball provides an overview of the six most common objections emerging generations have with church and Christianity along with the biblical answers to these objections and examples of how churches are facing this challenge.

Author: John Koessler
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310864216
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
Growing up the son of agnostics, John Koessler saw a Catholic church on one end of the street and a Baptist on the other. In the no-man’s land between the two, this curious outside wondered about the God they worshipped—and began a lifelong search to comprehend the grace and mystery of God. A Stranger in the House of God addresses fundamental questions and struggles faced by spiritual seekers and mature believers. Like a contemporary Pilgrim’s Progress, it traces the author’s journey and explores his experiences with both charismatic and evangelical Christianity. It also describes his transformation from religious outsider to ordained pastor. John Koessler provides a poignant and often humorous window into the interior of the soul as he describes his journey from doubt and struggle with the church to personal faith

Author: Carey Nieuwhof
Publisher: WaterBrook
ISBN: 0735291365
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
“A perceptive and practical book about why our calendars so rarely reflect our priorities and what we can do to regain control.”—ADAM GRANT “Carey’s book will help you reorganize your life. And then you can share a copy with someone you care about.”—SETH GODIN You deserve to stop living at an unsustainable pace. An influential podcaster and thought leader shows you how. Overwhelmed. Overcommitted. Overworked. That’s the false script an inordinate number of people adopt to be successful. Does this sound familiar: ● Slammed is normal. ● Distractions are everywhere. ● Life gets reduced to going through the motions. Tired of living that way? At Your Best gives you the strategies you need to win at work and at home by living in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. Influential podcast host and thought leader Carey Nieuwhof understands the challenges of constant pressure. After a season of burnout almost took him out, he discovered how to get time, energy, and priorities working in his favor. This approach freed up more than one thousand productive hours a year for him and can do the same for you. At Your Best will help you ● replace chronic exhaustion with deep productivity ● break the pattern of overpromising and never accomplishing enough ● clarify what matters most by restructuring your day ● master the art of saying no, without losing friends or influence ● discover why vacations and sabbaticals don’t really solve your problems ● develop a personalized plan to recapture each day so you can break free from the trap of endless to-dos Start thriving at work and at home as you discover how to be at your best.

Author: Gerald Duran
Publisher: Hisplan Myplan
ISBN: 9780998544809
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Deep inside every one of us is a God-planted purpose. Something meaningful. Something that matters. Despite your past or present season, God has created you and me on purpose ... with a purpose. You may have allowed your perception of what's possible to shrink, and as a result many of your dreams have remained buried under a mountain of caution, doubt, and fear. The big dream now seems too risky and unrealistic. How would you even begin? After all, your thoughts are of an earlier time, the foolishness of a fantasy, perhaps the same type of fantasy as winning the lotto. You might hope or dream, but you don't believe. My mission is to help you resurrect God's purpose and plan for your life, not your plan. So who am I? A pastor or a theologian? First and foremost, I am a child of God, just like you. I'm not a pastor, nor have I been to seminary. Aside from being a husband and a dad, I'm a business guy. A serial entrepreneur. A CEO. For the past 30 years, I've been in the trenches, helping people like you reach their goals. Ask yourself this question: what would you set out to accomplish if you had all the resources and knew you COULD NOT fail? Most believers will agree that God has a plan and purpose for each one of us, yet when asked what their specific plan and purpose is, regrettably ... they can't tell you. That's because most people struggle to define what will make them happy -- the American dream, the ideal career, a relationship, a certain house, a car, a specific level of income or lifestyle. We all want to know "What will make me happy, and how will I know when I get there?" When life has not worked out the way we imagined, it's natural to ask, "Why am I on the planet? Is this all there is? There must be more, right?" So what if God actually has a plan and purpose for your life? Wouldn't you want to know what it is? The truth is, God will begin to meet the desires of your heart as you pursue His plan and purpose. Closely examine these three truths that will change your life forever: Truth #1 - God has a master plan and purpose for your life. Truth #2 - God will reveal His plan (for you) to you. Truth #3 - No person or thing can stop His plan for you ... Except You! Whether you are a believer, an unbeliever, churched, de-churched, or un-churched, God stands ready to prove to you that He exists, that He loves you, that He has a plan and purpose for your life, and that His plan will completely fulfill you. Furthermore, no person, event, or circumstance can stop you from fulfilling His plan, except you, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE not to identify it, pursue it, and fulfill it. If you knew that God, who created not only you but this entire world, was offering to help you, would you let Him? God desires a relationship with you that will become stronger through your struggles. So will you accept God's purpose and master plan for your life? Together, we will explore a set of personal development stages you must go through as you identify and fulfill His master plan and purpose for your life. You might find yourself in more than one of these stages at a time. Each stage is a good stage, and every stage is a growth stage. The names I have given each stage are merely for clarity. The first six stages (chapters) of this book will help you set a solid foundation for your journey. Without these foundational principles under your feet, you are likely to fail. Stages 7 and 8 will help you get started identifying God's master plan and purpose for your life. Stages 9 and 10 deal with God's ability to provide everything you need to accomplish that goal. Wow! God thought of everything! Expect the Holy Spirit to be your personal mentor as you read this book, helping you convert the information into knowledge you can use to fulfill God's plan and purpose for your life. God has put six words on my heart for you as you begin this amazing journey. FEAR NOT. BELIEVE ONLY. GET READY.

Author: Andy Stanley
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310138930
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
Is it possible to disagree politically and love unconditionally? The reaction of evangelicals to political and cultural shifts in recent years revealed what they value most. Lurking beneath our Bible-laced rhetoric, faith claims, books, and sermons is a relentless drive to WIN! But the church is not here to win. By every human measure, our Savior lost. On purpose. With a purpose. And we are his body. We are not in it to win anything. We are in it for something else entirely. That something else is what this book is about. You'll discover: How to take a stand the right way. You'll learn how to make your case with a posture of humility and understanding, rather than being fueled by the fear of losing something. How to view politics through the lens of faith. Learn curiously, listen intentionally, and love unconditionally. How the life of Jesus and his teaching applies to modern-day challenges in a fresh way. The "biblical" stand may not be what we've been taught. Jesus never asked his followers to agree on everything. But he did call his followers to obey a new command: to love others in the same way he has loved us. Instead of asserting our rights or fighting for power, we need to begin asking ourselves: what does love require of me?

Author: Andy Stanley
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310536995
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
A fresh look at the earliest Christian movement reveals what made the new faith so compelling...and what we need to change today to make it so again. Once upon a time there was a version of the Christian faith that was practically irresistible. After all, what could be more so than the gospel that Jesus ushered in? Why, then, isn't it the same with Christianity today? Author and pastor Andy Stanley is deeply concerned with the present-day church and its future. He believes that many of the solutions to our issues can be found by investigating our roots. In Irresistible, Andy chronicles what made the early Jesus Movement so compelling, resilient, and irresistible by answering these questions: What did first-century Christians know that we don't—about God's Word, about their lives, about love? What did they do that we're not doing? What makes Christianity so resistible in today's culture? What needs to change in order to repeat the growth our faith had at its beginning? Many people who leave or disparage the faith cite reasons that have less to do with Jesus than with the conduct of his followers. It's time to hit pause and consider the faith modeled by our first-century brothers and sisters who had no official Bible, no status, and little chance of survival. It's time to embrace the version of faith that initiated—against all human odds—a chain of events resulting in the most significant and extensive cultural transformation the world has ever seen. This is a version of Christianity we must remember and re-embrace if we want to be salt and light in an increasingly savorless and dark world.

Author: Philip Yancey
Publisher: Convergent Books
ISBN: 0593238524
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
In this searing meditation on the bonds of family and the allure of extremist faith, one of today’s most celebrated Christian writers recounts his unexpected journey from a strict fundamentalist upbringing to a life of compassion and grace—a revelatory memoir that “invites comparison to Hillbilly Elegy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). “Searing, heartrending . . . This stunning tale reminds us that the only way to keep living is to ask God for the impossible: love, forgiveness, and hope.”—Kate Bowler, New York Times bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason Raised by an impoverished widow who earned room and board as a Bible teacher in 1950s Atlanta, Philip Yancey and his brother, Marshall, found ways to venture out beyond the confines of their eight-foot-wide trailer. But when Yancey was in college, he uncovered a shocking secret about his father’s death—a secret that began to illuminate the motivations that drove his mother to extreme, often hostile religious convictions and a belief that her sons had been ordained for a divine cause. Searching for answers, Yancey dives into his family origins, taking us on an evocative journey from the backwoods of the Bible Belt to the bustling streets of Philadelphia; from trailer parks to church sanctuaries; from family oddballs to fire-and-brimstone preachers and childhood awakenings through nature, music, and literature. In time, the weight of religious and family pressure sent both sons on opposite paths—one toward healing from the impact of what he calls a “toxic faith,” the other into a self-destructive spiral. Where the Light Fell is a gripping family narrative set against a turbulent time in post–World War II America, shaped by the collision of Southern fundamentalism with the mounting pressures of the civil rights movement and Sixties-era forces of social change. In piecing together his fragmented personal history and his search for redemption, Yancey gives testament to the enduring power of our hunger for truth and the possibility of faith rooted in grace instead of fear. “I truly believe this is the one book I was put on earth to write,” says Yancey. “So many of the strands from my childhood—racial hostility, political division, culture wars—have resurfaced in modern form. Looking back points me forward.”