Download or read book Holy Disruption written by Tracy S. Daub and published by Presbyterian Publishing Corp. This book was released on 2022-09-06 with total page 91 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where’s the baby? The Gospel of Mark doesn’t have a nativity story—so where’s the Advent message? It’s in every aspect of Jesus’ life, to his death and beyond. The Incarnation—God come to earth in human form to be baptized, teach, heal, eat, and die—is what we celebrate at Christmas, and Mark shows us just how radical and celebration-worthy it is! Holy Disruption presents a fresh understanding of the holiness of Christmas grounded, not in a conventional cozy Christmas message, but through Mark's disquieting gospel which invites its readers to experience God's disruptive but transformative love for us and our world.

Download or read book Disruption written by Mark DeYmaz and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2017-03-07 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Well-meaning church leaders and planters often set out to radically transform their communities for Christ-kingdom causes. Their aspirations and visions are limitless. However, often the best-laid plans fail to yield results of any consequence—they become frustrated, and pull the plug leaving behind the remnants of all their best intentions. Does it have to be this way? Is it possible for a local church to become so influential in its community that it becomes a life-giving agent for believers and non-believers? A resource that becomes the catalyst whereby abandoned buildings are repurposed, small businesses attracted, jobs created, crime reduced, justice progressed, health improved, and ultimately, the kingdom of God advanced in such a way that it impacts the every corner of the community? In Disruption: Repurposing the Church to Redeem the Community, Dr. Mark DeYmaz explains why such an outlook it not only possible but essential for the church to gain credibility and relevance in the community it seeks to influence. Genuine transformation never occurs through maintaining the status quo. A Disruption is often the missing ingredient that moves the church from ineffective to radically transformative.

Download or read book The Art of Disruption written by Paul Fromberg and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2021-04-16 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the Church considers prayer book revisions, discover new ways of bringing prayer to life. In many liturgical churches, it seems that the prayer book confines—more than frees—the transformational potential of worship. Drawing on his experience at St. Gregory of Nyssa, Paul Fromberg encourages us to question the assumption that there is a “right way” and a “wrong way” of using prayer books. Instead, he encourages readers to pay attention to doing worship well and engaging worshippers’ desire to be transformed. This book is for those who plan and lead worship, as well as those who are curious about the ways that worship is transformative in people’s experience. Additionally, fans of St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church will discover more about the ways in which this ground-breaking congregation has engaged the work of liturgical disruption and trusted in the transformative potential of the liturgy for more than forty years.

Download or read book Leadership God s Agency and Disruptions written by Mark Lau Branson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-02-16 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leaders in congregations and Christian organizations wrestle with an unraveling of the world in which they have little experience and training. While they are offered unending resources by experts on leadership, some with claims to biblical blueprints, the challenges seem mismatched to those methods. Branson and Roxburgh frame the situation as one in which "modernity's wager"--the conviction that God is not necessary for life and wisdom and meaning--has defined the Western imagination. Because churches and leaders are colonized by this ethos, even when God is named and beliefs are claimed, approaches to leadership are blind to God's agency. Branson and Roxburgh approach this challenge as a work in practical theology, attending to our cultural context, narratives of God's disruptive initiatives in Scripture, and a reshaping of leadership theories with a priority on God's agency. With years of experience as teachers, consultants, and guides, they name practices which lead to more faithful participation. Leadership, God's Agency, and Disruption is wide-ranging in cultural and biblical scholarship, challenging in its engagement with numerous leadership studies, and practical with its focus toward the on-the-ground life of churches and organizations.

Download or read book Vagabonding written by Laurie Lyter Bright and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2018-12-03 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Keen to make your church relevant to Millennials? Then put this book down immediately. Vagabonding: In Defense and Praise of Millennial Faith is not that book. If, instead, you are interested in forging meaningful relationships and building the future church alongside the Millennial generation, come on in. Learn how the patterns of communication, social justice, missiology, and faith popping up with Millennials echo patterns of the early church disciples. Through this text, we’ll explore the ways in which the institutional church and Millennials can learn a great deal from each other, and enter into those relationships on a central creed of Christianity: Fear not!

Download or read book A Disruptive Faith written by Tozer A. W. and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2011-07-13 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The word ''faith'' is common these days, but placing one's faith in God is a weighty action, uncommonly fraught with consequence and, by His design, inconvenience. Faith in God is reassuring and comforting only insofar as believers trust Him - and that depth of trust is the mark of a mature Christian who has allowed faith to intrude on his life and shift his gaze away from his own aims, needs and desires. This is nothing if not a painful and disturbing process. A Disruptive Faith is A. W. Tozer's never-before-published teaching on what he termed ''faith that perturbs'' - faith that contradicts the unbelieving man and threatens the complacency of the Christian. The renowned pastor and teacher insists in these pages that genuine faith breeds dissatisfaction with this life, by God's design; it weans us from this temporary life and prepares us for the life to come. Readers will learn to be content with this faith-inspired discontent and to experience a fresh hope for eternity with God.

Download or read book A Sacred Storm written by Christopher Michael Jones and published by The Pilgrim Press. This book was released on 2024-12-11 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christopher Michael Jones shares the parallel wisdom learned from the worlds of hip hop and church: the good news of “Can’t stop, won’t stop” preached by hip hop in the ashes of Reagan-era turbulence, and the good news of God’s faithfulness to teach resilience in the wake of radical disruption. "I was pulled back to a time when black youth and young adults like Biggie and I expressed our creative genius through a cultural movement that arose out of the ashes of poverty: hip hop. To us, hip hop was the church. The MC was the preacher. The DJ was the worship host. The B-Boys, breakdancers, and pop-lockers were the liturgical dancers. The journalists and graffiti artists were the scribes. The concert arena was a sanctuary. The bodies who danced to rhythmic anthems of classics like “La Di Da Di,” “Oh, My God!,” “I Know You Got Soul,” and “Fight the Power” were its members."

Download or read book Even the Sparrow written by Jill Weber and published by Muddy Pearl. This book was released on 2019-10-22 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A warm and witty invitation to coming into God's presence from a House of Prayer leader Jill Weber is on the adventure of saying yes to more of God--accepting His invitation to really live. This honest, warm, and compelling book speaks directly to those who long to deeply encounter Jesus, to know how to tune into the small movements of the heart, and to have trust in every moment of their lives. With wisdom and humor, Jill explores prayer, discernment, vocation, and leadership through her story of building and becoming a house of prayer. She offers encouragement that gives readers the confidence to agree to what God is already doing. Jill's story will build faith in readers and help them to discover the freedom that lies beyond that yes of giving it all for Jesus. Even the Sparrow is both an invitation and a challenge. To walk step-by-step as God leads may take us on paths that are messy, complicated, and inconvenient, but as we follow him, the way can also be unexpected and breathtakingly beautiful.

Download or read book God Turned Toward Us written by Bishop William H. Willimon and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Talk the talk and walk the walk. The challenge of the Christian life is learning to talk Christian. Somebody has got to tell us, give us the words that open the door to the faith called Christian. Each of us is due the delight of discovery that in submitting to God’s talk to us. God Turned Toward Us: The ABCs of Christian Faith is organized by the words the church teaches us to use to talk about ordinary life apprehended by a God who is Jesus Christ–short, meditative reflections upon key concepts that guide Christians, new or longstanding. Praise for God Turned Towards Us “Reading God Turned Towards Us is like walking through a diamond mine. The opening segment on “Abortion” is itself worth the price of the book! Consider these gems: On the Cross: “The cross is a mirror that reflects who we really are as well as a window where we are given a privileged look into the heart of who God is.” On Sanctification: “The Gospels depict the disciples on a continual road trip. They journey, not only step-by-step closer to Jerusalem but also day-by day closer to Christ, that is, sanctification.” --Mike Lowry, Resident Bishop of the Central Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church God Turned Toward Us: The ABCs of Christian Faith is no ordinary book about Christian beliefs and practices. Rather, it is a sometimes jarring, always interesting, consistently insightful, and persistently provocative invitation to “talk the talk and walk the walk” of Christian discipleship. Addressing topics from A (Abortion) to Z (Zaccheus), Bishop Willimon prods us to listen more attentively to the God who continues to speak amid the confusion and turmoil of our times. This is a valuable resource for individuals and groups who genuinely want to hear a word from the Lord. --Kenneth Carder, Retired Bishop of The United Methodist Church

Download or read book Hard and Holy Work written by Mary Alice Birdwhistell and published by Presbyterian Publishing Corp. This book was released on 2024-01-09 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are we paying attention to the holy ground beneath our feet? Where do we see burning bushes in our world today, and what are they calling us to do? Do spiritual encounters in our lives have holy consequences in the world around us? Many of us want to understand how to integrate our personal spiritual lives more actively with our engagement in working for justice and the liberation of the oppressed and marginalized. Hard and Holy Work provides a space for just that, helping readers participate in Lent in a new way by becoming attuned to God’s boundless presence in our world and waking up to and taking action for God’s justice through exploring stories from the book of Exodus that have inspired the work of liberation for centuries. Pastor Mary Alice Birdwhistell and Hebrew Bible scholar Tyler Mayfield reflect on the brave action of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah and other faithful women in Exodus, Moses’ awakening to the plight of the Hebrew people, Moses’ life-changing encounter with the burning bush, the Israelites taking the risk of crossing the Red Sea, and more—alongside numerous contemporary stories—to help readers to see anew and contemplate how God is calling them to respond to what is not right in the world: racial injustice, especially borne by women of color, houselessness, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities. Lent is traditionally a time of self-reflection and action that prepares followers of Christ to walk more intentionally in the way of God. Hard and Holy Work takes readers through a unique Lenten journey, encouraging us to see those who are marginalized or suffering as God sees them; contemplate how privilege, fear, risk, and feelings of uncertainty can cloud our attention; and practice endurance for the messy middle of justice work, leaning on God’s provision and rest when the way forward is unclear. Questions at the end of each chapter offer opportunities to discuss, reflect, and respond to God’s call through daily reflections for individuals, prompts for small group discussion, and ideas for taking action in the outward work of justice and liberation.

Download or read book The Gospel According to Luke 1 1 Through 9 50 written by William Flewelling and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2018-06-14 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible Studies I chose to do came about in answer to the request from my first congregation out of seminary. I consistently sought to present a serious, somewhat scholarly approach to the interested among my parishioners. I would taka book in the Bible to study, assume it was written or edited to be read from the beginning, and make sense to the reader in that way. I attempted to discover for myself and my group what the book sought to convey. In this volume, the study of Luke 1:19:50 followed that pattern exactly.

Download or read book Biblical and Pastoral Bridgework written by Denise Dombkowski Hopkins and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-09-18 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether singly or jointly authored, these essays model dynamic, interactive reading of human situations and biblical texts. The exchange between texts and human situations reveals the multivalent complexities of both human situations and scriptural texts, and cautions against a simplistic use of the Bible and of pastoral theory and practices. Drawing upon both texts throughout the Bible and diverse psychological theories, the authors bridge the long-standing divide between the "classical" and "practical" disciplines in biblical studies and pastoral care. The aim of this book is to spur readers' imaginations toward critical engagement with the Bible and with one another to promote healing, connection, and justice in a world crying out for wholeness. Gems hidden in plain sight within the Bible can become powerful tools for illuminating the pains and promises of the human condition.

Download or read book Disruptive Grace written by Walter Brueggemann and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Walter Brueggemann has been one of the leading voices in Hebrew Bible interpretation for decades; his landmark works in Old Testament theology have inspired and informed a generation of students, scholars, and preachers. These chapters gather his recent addresses and essays on every part of the Hebrew Bible, many of them never published before, bringing his erudition to bear on those practices—prophecy, lament, prayer, faithful imagination, and a holy economics—that alone may usher in a humane and peaceful future for our cities.

Download or read book A Commentary on Jeremiah written by Walter Bruggemann and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 1998-01-06 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jeremiah's poignant lament over Judah's social and religious disintegration reflects God's own pathos-laden yearning for his disobedient covenant people. In this widely praised expository commentary Walter Brueggemann, one of the premier Old Testament scholars of our time, explores the historical setting and message of Jeremiah as well as the text's relevance for the church today. Offering a fresh look at the critical theological issues in the Jeremiah tradition, Brueggemann argues that Jeremiah's voice compels us to rediscern our own situation, issuing an urgent invitation to faith, obedience, justice, and compassion. This combined edition of Brueggemann's original two-volume work, published until recently as part of the International Theological Commentary series, is an essential resource for students, pastors, and general readers alike. It is reprinted here with a new introduction by Brueggemann that surveys the current state of Jeremiah studies.

Download or read book Dangerous Wonder written by Michael Yaconelli and published by Tyndale House. This book was released on 2014-02-27 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recapture the joy of being a child and apply it to your relationship with God. Ask the difficult questions about faith, then just take Jesus at His word. Includes discussion guide.

Download or read book Calling All Angels written by Erin Wathen and published by Presbyterian Publishing Corp. This book was released on 2024-09-03 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Step into Advent with this captivating study and devotional, where angelic encounters come to life, echoing the timeless message of overcoming fear. What would you do if you were not afraid? Life can be daunting, filled with uncertainty and fears. It wasn’t any different two thousand years ago when Jesus was born. An aged priest is told he is about to become a father for the first time. A young woman is told she is going to give birth – outside the protection of marriage. A simple carpenter is asked to believe the impossible. A group of shepherds’ night on a hill is interrupted by a bright host of angels in the sky. Yet, each of these encounters begins with the same refrain: do not be afraid. Those words, though, are not just words of comfort; they are an invitation and a calling from God. In this captivating Advent study and devotional, pastor Erin Wathen challenges us to take this timeless message and apply it to our lives today. Calling All Angels asks us to contemplate what would change in our relationships, vocations, congregations, and communities if we have the courage to overcome our fears like Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, and the Shepherds in the story. Included in this book are: Weekly studies perfect for individuals or groups Questions for reflection and discussion Daily reflections Worship resources including liturgies, prayers, and children’s moments An uplifting playlist to accompany you through the Advent season Free videos featuring the author are available online - perfect for beginning weekly studies, sparking meaningful conversations, and deepening your understanding of that week’s story. Step into Advent where stories of angelic encounters come to life, echoing the timeless message of overcoming fear. Just like the characters in the nativity story, we're invited to embrace courage and join in God's transformative work.

Download or read book Today Everything is Different written by Dirk G. Lange and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Today Everything Is Different Dirk Lange does not fail to deliver the "unexpected" in helping readers gain both a greater understanding of Christian spirituality and a path to it. On this adventure, an adventure of both the mind and heart, the reader will explore the foundational underpinnings of baptism, the impact of prayer in many forms--especially in community--and the insights of giants like Luther and Bonhoeffer. The great beauty of the book, however, is found in the incredibly moving stories Lange shares, including personal stories of the prayer groups and underground church in East Germany prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. In these, we see firsthand evidence of the spiritual power to be discovered as we simply, faithfully, and prayerfully embrace the gift given in baptism; live faithfully in our everyday lives; and respond to God's call as a community to walk arm in arm into the world alongside and for our neighbor.