Download or read book A Non Anxious Presence written by Mark Sayers and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 2022-05-03 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For much of recent history individuals and institutions could plan, execute, and flourish with their visions of a better world. Volatile, complex forces could be addressed and confronted with planning and management. But crisis is a great revealer. It knocks us off our thrones. It uncovers the weaknesses in our strategies and brings to light our myths and idols. Our past strategies run aground, smashed by unpredictable and chaotic waves. Yet in the midst of the chaos of a crisis comes opportunity. The history of the church tells us that crisis always precedes renewal, and the framework of renewal offers us new ways forward. A Non-Anxious Presence shows how that renewal happens and offers churches and leaders strategic ways to awaken the Church and see our culture changed for Christ.

Download or read book A Failure of Nerve written by Edwin H. Friedman and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2017-05-01 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An invitation and guide for leaders “to cast a courageous and imaginative vision, to lead resiliently, and to be present and steady in times of deep anxiety.” Ed Friedman’s genius was to see the individual in the family in the larger group, bringing the wisdom of his experience as a therapist and rabbi to the field of organizational leadership. A timeless bestseller, A Failure of Nerve still astonishes in this new edition with its relevance and continues to transform the lives of leaders everywhere—business, church, family, schools—as it has for more than 20 years: Offers prescient guide to leadership in the age of “quick fix.” Provides ways to recognize and address organizational dysfunction. Emphasizes “strength over pathology” in these anxious times. “The age that is upon us requires differentiated leadership that is willing to rise above the anxiety of the masses. We need leaders who will have the ‘capacity to understand and deal effectively’ with the hive mind that is us. This is, in Friedman's words, ‘the key to the kingdom.’ I am grateful for this accessible new edition.” ―C. Andrew Doyle, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Texas

Download or read book Anxious for Nothing written by Max Lucado and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2017-09-12 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does the uncertainty and chaos of life keep you up at night? Is irrational anxiety your constant companion? Let God help you win the war on worry and receive the lasting peace of Christ. We all experience anxiety, but we don’t have to let worry and fear control our lives. Anxious for Nothing, from New York Times bestselling author, Max Lucado, provides a roadmap for coping with and healing from anxiety. Complete with Lucado’s signature storytelling and relatable anecdotes, Anxious for Nothing invites you to study Philippians 4:6-7—the most highlighted passage of the Bible and any book on the planet according to Amazon. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” You will experience CALM as Max encourages you to: Celebrate God’s goodness Ask God for help Leave your concerns with God Meditate on good things Stop letting anxiety rule the day. Join Max on the journey to true freedom and experience more peace, joy, clarity, physical renewal, and contentment by the power of the Holy Spirit. Look for additional inspirational books and audio products from Max: He Gets Us Calm Moments for Anxious Days Help Is Here

Download or read book Disappearing Church written by Mark Sayers and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 2016-01-19 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When church and culture look the same... For the many Christians eager to prove we can be both holy and cool, cultural pressures are too much. We either compartmentalize our faith or drift from it altogether—into a world that’s so alluring. Have you wondered lately: Why does the Western church look so much like the world? Why are so many of my friends leaving the faith? How can we get back to our roots? Disappearing Church will help you sort through concerns like these, guiding you in a thoughtful, faithful, and hopeful response. Weaving together art, history, and theology, pastor and cultural observer Mark Sayers reminds us that real growth happens when the church embraces its countercultural witness, not when it blends in. It’s like Jesus said long ago, “If the salt loses its saltiness, it is no longer good for anything…”

Download or read book Anxious Church Anxious People written by Jack Shitama and published by . This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The key to effective church leadership is the ability to be a non-anxious presence. This is not a technique. It is a way of being. It is deceptively simple, but tremendously difficult. Yet, if you are willing to take the journey, you can lead change in even the most challenging contexts.When you complete this book you will understand:¿The process that keeps churches anxious and stuck.¿How leadership through self-differentiation gets churches unstuck.¿How to develop as a non-anxious presence so you can lead through self-differentiation.Anxious Church, Anxious People is based on a family systems approach to congregational leadership. It is for church leaders who are willing to learn more about themselves and their family of origin so they can be a non-anxious presence. It will resonate with those who have tried everything else and realize that they cannot change others, but can only change themselves. It makes family systems concepts accessible and practical through the use of examples from personal experience.The author has used this approach to leadership in his 26 years of ministry as a pastor, board chair and ministry executive. It has enabled him to lead significant change in the local church, a regional ministry and a denominational professional association. He has been teaching, mentoring and coaching congregational leaders for the last 15 years to help them to do the same.

Download or read book Generation to Generation written by Edwin Friedman and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2011-06-17 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An acclaimed, influential work now available in paper for the first time, this bestselling book applies the concepts of systemic family therapy to the emotional life of congregations. Edwin H. Friedman shows how the same understanding of family process that can aid clergy in their pastoral role also has important ramifications for negotiating congregational dynamics and functioning as an effective leader. Clergy from diverse denominations, as well as family therapists and counselors, have found that this book directly addresses the dilemmas and crises they encounter daily. It is widely used as a text in courses on pastoral care, leadership, and family systems.

Download or read book Managing Leadership Anxiety written by Steve Cuss and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2019-04-09 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You Can Learn to Handle the Onslaught of Internal and External Pressures Does anxiety get in the way of your ability to be an effective leader? Is your inability to notice when you and those around you are anxious keeping you "stuck" in chronic unhealthy patterns? In Managing Leadership Anxiety, pastor and spiritual growth expert Steve Cuss offers powerful tools to help you move from being managed by anxiety to managing anxiety. You'll develop the capacity to notice your anxiety and your group's anxiety. You will increase your sensitivity to the way groups develop systemic anxiety that keeps them trapped. Your personal self-awareness will increase as you learn how self gets in the way of identifying and addressing issues. Managing Leadership Anxiety offers valuable principles to those who are hungry to understand the source of the anxiety in themselves and in the people with whom they relate. Readers will be empowered to take back control of their lives and lead in mature and vibrant ways.

Download or read book Friedman s Fables written by Edwin H. Friedman and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2013-02-19 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edwin H. Friedman has woven 24 illustrative tales that offer fresh perspectives on familiar human foibles and reflect the author's humor, pathos, and understanding. Friedman takes on resistance and other "demons" to show that neither insight, nor encouragement, nor intimidation can in themselves motivate an unmotivated person to change. These tales playfully demonstrate that new ideas, new questions, and imagination, more than accepted wisdom, provide each of us with the keys to overcoming stubborn emotional barriers and facilitating real change both in ourselves and others. Thought-provoking discussion questions for each fable are included. See also the downloadable audiobook, Friedman's Fables: Favorites Read by the Author, featuring 15 of the tales narrated in Dr. Friedman's inimitable style.

Download or read book Anxious for Nothing Young Readers Edition written by Max Lucado and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2021-07-13 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our kids are under tremendous stress and pressure, with a rapidly changing culture demanding more and more from them. More attention, more screens, more intensity, more fear. Anxious for Nothing helps young people overcome the anxiety and pressures of today's world and come to a deeper understanding of God's loving presence as promised in Philippians 4:6-7, drawing on content from Max Lucado’s bestselling book of the same name. In this chaotic age of social media, packed schedules, and an increasing awareness of the world's problems, it's normal for young people to feel overwhelmed sometimes. But the good news of the gospel has not changed. This encouraging book will help tweens and teens take control of their feelings and choose to focus on God's truth. This much-needed book adapts content from You Are Not Alone and Anxious for Nothing. With the warmth and authenticity that has made him a beloved pastor and writer, Max Lucado offers middle graders and tweens: biblical hope and powerful strategies to help them flourish amidst struggles encouragement that God is near, He cares, and He listens truths to claim for themselves in difficult moments practical ways to work through their worries and rely on God's faithfulness This special edition of Anxious for Nothing also includes: a note to kids from author Max Lucado application questions, journal prompts, and activities that guide kids in Christ-focused mindfulness callouts and infographics featuring relevant Bible verses, and takeaways sidebars addressing technology-related stress Practical, motivating, and biblically grounded, Anxious for Nothing (Young Readers Edition) is a timely book for kids who feels overwhelmed, lonely, or anxious, or who simply want to experience God's abundant joy and peace.

Download or read book Uproar written by Peter L. Steinke and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-02-13 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If “these are the times that test men’s souls,” never more than for the leader’s ability to think clearly, to be present calmly, and to challenge effectively. It’s a time when leaders cannot be as anxious as those they serve; otherwise, the system is leaderless. Anxiety flows down like water from a leaky pipe. To lead effectively we must understand the impact of powerful emotional forces on people’s behavior, especially in anxious times. Uproar: Calm Leadership in Anxious Times helps leaders understand the powerful impact that emotional processes have on the people they lead. Peter Steinke, bestselling author of CongregationalLeadership in Anxious Times draws on decades of work on system conflict and personal experiences to share real stories of challenges leaders have faced and how understanding the power of emotions has dramatically influenced their success. In this book, readers will observe important leadership characteristics such as separating oneself from the surrounding anxiety, making decisions based on principle and not instinct, taking responsibility for one’s own emotional being, staying connected to others including those who disagree with you, being a non-anxious presence, focusing on emotional processes rather than the symptoms they produce, knowing people naturally influence one another, and recognizing leader and follower as complements. At the end of each chapter, there is a Leader’s Notebook, a short section to illustrate, enrich or engage your thinking about leadership. As Steinke suggests, being anxious causes you to lose perspective, and leaders do their best thinking when they are not overly stressed and can think about options, doing their best work when they work on themselves. So where are you in your leadership journey? No matter where you are—beginning, middle or end— this book will be one the most significant leadership books you’ll read.

Download or read book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry written by John Mark Comer and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ECPA BESTSELLER • A compelling emotional and spiritual case against hurry and in favor of a slower, simpler way of life “As someone all too familiar with ‘hurry sickness,’ I desperately needed this book.”—Scott Harrison, New York Times best-selling author of Thirst “Who am I becoming?” That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren’t pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words: “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.” It wasn’t the response he expected, but it was—and continues to be—the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil. Within the pages of this book, you’ll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.

Download or read book Strange Days written by Mark Sayers and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 2017-05-02 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What in the world is going on? These days the world has everyone spinning. Weekly terrorist attacks. The refugee crisis. Transgender bathrooms. Academic safe spaces. Tensions with Russia. A perpetually uncertain economy. The list goes on. It’s enough to make us crazy… or want to put our heads in the sand. But we can’t, because these are our times, and we must face them. So what many Christians are looking for is someone to communicate a way forward—someone who both understands culture and trusts the Bible. Mark Sayers is such a leader, one who “writes from the future.” He is a gifted cultural analysist who combines his biblical knowledge, curious mind, and pastoral heart to offer a guide to the times. Strange Days will help Christians slow down, get their bearings, and follow God with wisdom and tact in this wild world. “Take heart, for I have overcome the world,” Jesus said nearly 2,000 years ago. And that’s the message of Strange Days, the message the church needs today.

Download or read book How to Be Yourself written by Ellen Hendriksen and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2018-03-13 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Picking up where Quiet ended, How to Be Yourself is the best book you’ll ever read about how to conquer social anxiety. “This book is also a groundbreaking road map to finally being your true, authentic self.” —Susan Cain, New York Times, USA Today and nationally bestselling author of Quiet Up to 40% of people consider themselves shy. You might say you’re introverted or awkward, or that you're fine around friends but just can't speak up in a meeting or at a party. Maybe you're usually confident but have recently moved or started a new job, only to feel isolated and unsure. If you get nervous in social situations—meeting your partner's friends, public speaking, standing awkwardly in the elevator with your boss—you've probably been told, “Just be yourself!” But that's easier said than done—especially if you're prone to social anxiety. Weaving together cutting-edge science, concrete tips, and the compelling stories of real people who have risen above their social anxiety, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen proposes a groundbreaking idea: you already have everything you need to succeed in any unfamiliar social situation. As someone who lives with social anxiety, Dr. Hendriksen has devoted her career to helping her clients overcome the same obstacles she has. With familiarity, humor, and authority, Dr. Hendriksen takes the reader through the roots of social anxiety and why it endures, how we can rewire our brains through our behavior, and—at long last—exactly how to quiet your Inner Critic, the pesky voice that whispers, "Everyone will judge you." Using her techniques to develop confidence, think through the buzz of anxiety, and feel comfortable in any situation, you can finally be your true, authentic self.

Download or read book Facing Leviathan written by Mark Sayers and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 2014-02-25 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are two styles of leadership at war in the world. On one side the mechanical leader casts a vision of heroic action aided by pragmatism, reason, technology, and power. On the other side the organic leader strives to bring forth creativity, defying convention, and relishing life in culture’s margins. This leadership battle is at the heart of our contemporary culture, but it is also an ancient battle. It is the reinvocation of two great heresies, one rooted in an attempt to reach for godlikeness, the other bowing before the sea monster of the chaotic deep. Today’s leader must answer many challenging questions including: What does it mean to lead in a cultural storm? How do I battle the darkness in my own heart? Is there such a thing as a perfect leader? Weaving a history of leadership through the Enlightenment, Romanticism, tumultuous 19th-century Paris, and eventually World War II, cultural commentator Mark Sayers brings history and theology together to warn of the dangers yet to come, calling us to choose a better way.

Download or read book The Seasons of God written by Richard Blackaby and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2012-08-21 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What season of life are you in? Each of us goes through periods of life that have a certain character—a few months or a few years, good times or difficult circumstances, times of brilliant joy or periods of dark clouds. Often we say, “It’s just the season of life I’m in.” But did you know that just as God has purposes for the seasons of nature, he also uses seasons in your life to grow you, work with you, and talk to you? Richard Blackaby explains in The Seasons of God how understanding the principles of the seasons can offer us hope, direction, insight, and intimacy with God himself. It’s a thoughtful exploration of God’s patterns at work in our lives—how His will is being carried out in the best way…at the best time. Your plans, your relationships, your career, your ministry—all have their unique God-intended moment. God’s Word expresses it this way: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” So what’s your season of life? And what is God telling you through the season you’re in?

Download or read book Sacred Fire written by Ronald Rolheiser and published by Image. This book was released on 2017-03-14 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When one reaches the highest degree of human maturity, one has only one question left: How can I be helpful?—TERESA OF ÁVILA Beloved author Ronald Rolheiser continues his search for an accessible and penetrating Christian spirituality in this highly anticipated follow-up to the contemporary classic, The Holy Longing. With his trademark acuity, wit, and thoughtfulness, Rolheiser shows how identifying and embracing discipleship will lead to new heights of spiritual awareness and maturity. In this new book, Rolheiser takes us on a journey through the dark night of the senses and of the spirit. Here, we experience the full gamut of human life, pleasure and fervor, disillusionment and boredom. But, as Rolheiser explains, when we embrace the struggle and yearning to know God we can experience too a profound re-understanding to our daily lives. “What lies beyond the essentials, the basics?” Rolheiser writes. “Where do we go once some of the basic questions in our lives have been answered, or at least brought to enough peace that our focus can shift away from ourselves to others? Where do we go once the basic questions in our lives are no longer the restless questions of youthful insecurity and loneliness? Who am I? Who loves me? How will my life turn out? Where do we go once the basic question in life becomes: How can I give my life away more purely, and more meaningfully? How do I live beyond my own heartaches, headaches, and obsessions so as to help make other peoples’ lives more meaningful? The intent of this book is to try to address exactly those questions: How can we live less self- centered, more mature lives? What constitutes deep maturity and how do we reach that place? And, not unimportantly, what constitutes a more adult, Christian discipleship? What constitutes a truly mature following of Jesus?” As the poet Rainer Maria Rilke suggests, “Live the questions now.” In Sacred Fire, Rolheiser’s deeply affecting prose urges us on in pursuit of the most holy of all passions—a deep and lasting intimacy with God.

Download or read book God Has a Name written by John Mark Comer and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2024-10-15 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What you believe about God sets the foundation of the person you will become. In God Has a Name, pastor and New York Times bestselling author John Mark Comer invites you to rethink many of the prevalent myths and misconceptions about God and weigh them against what God actually tells us about himself. After all, what you believe about God will ultimately shape the type of person you become. We all live at the mercy of our ideas, and nowhere is this more true than our ideas about God. The problem is many of our ideas about God are wrong. Not all wrong, but wrong enough to form our souls in detrimental and disheartening ways. God Has a Name is a simple yet profound guide to understanding God in a new light--focusing on what God says about himself in the Bible. This one shift has the potential to radically alter how you relate to God, not as a doctrine, but as a relational being who responds to you in an elastic, back-and-forth way. John Mark Comer takes you line by line through Exodus 34:6-8--Yahweh's self-revelation on Mount Sinai, one of the most quoted passages in the Bible. Along the way, Comer addresses some of the most profound questions he came across as he studied these noted lines in Exodus, including: Why do we feel this gap between us and God? Could it be that a lot of what we think about God is wrong? Not all wrong, but wrong enough to mess up how we relate to him? What if our "God" is really a projection of our own identity, ideas, and desires? What if the real God is different, but far better than we could ever imagine? No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God Has a Name invites you to step into a fresh and biblically rooted vision of who God is that has the potential to alter your life with God and shape who you become.