Download or read book Thinking Spiritually in Small Groups written by Dann Wigner and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2022-05-09 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mystical experiences are happening every day, yet—as amazing as the experiences can be—it is often difficult to integrate these experiences into the rest of life. In light of this difficulty, I have created mystical reflection as a simple method for sharing one’s own mystical experiences in a group setting and listening to the experiences of others in a non-judgmental way. The theological principle at work here is that if God speaks, then everyone can benefit from it. Mystical reflection takes this principle seriously and offers a method of application for integrating the spiritual insights into each person’s spirituality.
Download or read book Leading Small Groups That Thrive written by Ryan T. Hartwig and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly every church is trying to help their congregants build relationships with others, grow as disciples, and/or engage in meaningful service through small groups. Many have argued that these small groups are the preferred vehicle for relationship building, disciple making, and membership assimilation in the local church, especially in large, multisite churches. Leading Small Groups That Thrive shows small group leaders, step by step, how to plan for, launch, build, sustain, and multiply highly effective, transformational, healthy small group experiences where people grow spiritually together. Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want--practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups--and what they need--substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.
Download or read book Winning the War in Your Mind written by Craig Groeschel and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2021-02-16 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: MORE THAN 500,000 COPIES SOLD! Are your thoughts out of control--just like your life? Do you long to break free from the spiral of destructive thinking? Let God's truth become your battle plan to win the war in your mind! We've all tried to think our way out of bad habits and unhealthy thought patterns, only to find ourselves stuck with an out-of-control mind and off-track daily life. Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel understands deeply this daily battle against self-doubt and negative thinking, and in this powerful new book he reveals the strategies he's discovered to change your mind and your life for the long-term. Drawing upon Scripture and the latest findings of brain science, Groeschel lays out practical strategies that will free you from the grip of harmful, destructive thinking and enable you to live the life of joy and peace that God intends you to live. Winning the War in Your Mind will help you: Learn how your brain works and see how to rewire it Identify the lies your enemy wants you to believe Recognize and short-circuit your mental triggers for destructive thinking See how prayer and praise will transform your mind Develop practices that allow God's thoughts to become your thoughts God has something better for your life than your old ways of thinking. It's time to change your mind so God can change your life.
Download or read book Successful Small Groups written by Kurt W. Johnson and published by Review and Herald Pub Assoc. This book was released on 2011 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus makes the mission of the church abundantly clear: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations ..." But how do you reach a twenty-first-century society filled with diverse backgrounds and varying levels of religious interest? And how can you expect to grow the body of Christ when only half of your own congregation regularly attends services? The answer may be simpler than you think: involve and empower the laity in small-group ministry. Kurt W. Johnson not only provides the tools for organizing and leading successful small groups, but also explores the biblical and historical foundations for small-group ministry. In this practical guide Johnson illustrates the proven effectiveness that small groups have for both nurturing the spirituality of current church members and leading friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others to a saving relationship with Christ. Do you want to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission? Discover how you and your church can change the world around you through the power of the Holy Spiritùone disciple at a time. Kurt W. Johnson, D.Min., is the Bible school director for the Voice of. Prophecy international radio ministry. His enthusiasm for small-group ministry has led him to conduct training sessions internationally and to author multiple group Bible study guides, including Face td-Face. With Jesus and Focus on Prophecy. Book jacket.
Download or read book Seeker Small Groups written by Garry D. Poole and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Principles and methods for effectively launching a seeker small group.Best-selling author and evangelism expert Lee Strobel describes seeker small groups as “One of the most powerful and effective tools in evangelism.” A seeker small group is facilitated by a Christian leader, but group members are seekers—non-Christians investigating Christianity. The group provides a safe context for seekers and believers to ask questions and dialogue about faith.This highly transferable model can be implemented by all kinds of ministries with a wide range of evangelistic styles and strategies. As believers complete evangelism courses such as Becoming a Contagious Christian, they are motivated to reach out to others but often feel they lack opportunities to interact with non-Christians. Seeker Small Groups is the missing evangelism tool churches need to fill the gap between evangelism training and real-life opportunities for engaging seekers in life-changing spiritual discussions.The book presents a detailed, step-by-step process for launching seeker small groups strategy in a wide variety of settings. The groups are for seekers whether or not they are attending church. Numerous stories and illustrations provide inspiration and encouragement so readers are not only equipped but also motivated to launch their own seeker groups.
Download or read book The Making of Us written by Sheridan Voysey and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beautifully written and deeply poignant, The Making of Us allows readers to walk alongside author and radio personality Sheridan Voysey during a transformational moment in his life journey. Picking up where Resurrection Year: Turning Broken Dreams Into New Beginnings left off, Sheridan helps us process what we can learn about our identities in the face of disappointment and change. Life had not gone according to plan for Sheridan Voysey and his wife, Merryn. When infertility ended their dream of becoming parents, they uprooted their lives and relocated from Australia to Oxford, England, so Merryn could pursue her professional goals. But the move meant Sheridan had to give up his well-established career in Christian radio, and though he was experiencing some success as a writer, he couldn’t reconcile his expectations for his life with the reality he was living. Lost and directionless, he came to a sobering realization: I don’t know who I am. Following the example of many a seeker, Sheridan decided to pair his spiritual journey with a literal one: a hundred-mile pilgrimage along the northeast coast of England. Inspired by the life and influence of the monk Cuthbert, who was among the first to evangelize northern England in the 600s, Voysey and his friend DJ traveled on foot from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to Durham, where the famed Lindisfarne Gospels were on display. What makes us who we are? What shapes our hopes and dreams, and how do we adjust when things don’t go as we hoped? Can we recover if we make a choice that’s less than perfect? Voysey tackles these questions and others as he deftly weaves together Cuthbert’s story, the history of early Christianity in England, and his own struggle to find his identity and purpose. His introspective writing leads readers to consider their own stories and reflect on how God calls each of us to an identity bigger than any earthly role or career. Part travel memoir, part pilgrim’s journal, The Making of Us is a quiet story including a chapter-by-chapter reflection guide, of trust in God’s leading for our lives, no matter where our paths take us.
Download or read book Life with God written by Richard J. Foster and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2010-05-04 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Too often, our study of the Bible focuses on searching for specific information or some formula that will solve our pressing needs of the moment. But what if we approached the Bible differently, and instead of transforming the text to meet our needs, allowed it to transform us? That's exactly the idea behind Life with God, Richard J. Foster's much-anticipated book on the Bible. Foster, bestselling author of Celebration of Discipline and general editor of The RenovarÉ Spiritual Formation Bible, claims that God has superintended the writing of Scripture so that it serves as the most reliable guide for Christian spiritual formation. According to Foster, the Bible is all about human life "with God." As we read Scripture, we should consider how exactly God is with us in each story and allow ourselves to be spiritually transformed. By opening our whole selves—mind, body, spirit, thoughts, behavior, and will—to the page before us, we begin to grasp all the Bible has to teach about prayer, obedience, compassion, virtue, and grace and apply it to our everyday lives to achieve a deeper relationship with God. With a wealth of examples and simple yet crucial insights, Life with God is an indispensable guide to approaching the Bible through the lens of Christian spiritual formation, revealing that reading the Bible for interior transformation is a far different endeavor than reading the Bible for historical knowledge, literary appreciation, or religious instruction.
Download or read book Finding the Right Hills to Die on written by Gavin Ortlund and published by Crossway Books. This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The author uses four basic categories of doctrine to help church leaders consider how and what to prioritize in doctrine and ministry, encouraging humility and grace along the way"--
Download or read book The Emotionally Healthy Woman written by Geri Scazzero and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Part of the bestselling Emotionally Healthy Spirituality book collection, The Emotionally Healthy Woman provides women a way out of surface-level spirituality to genuine freedom in Christ. Geri Scazzero knew there was something desperately wrong with her life. She felt like a single parent raising her four young daughters alone. She finally told her husband, "I quit," and left the thriving church he pastored, beginning a journey that transformed her and her marriage for the better. This book is for every woman who thinks, "I can’t keep pretending everything is fine!" Geri speaks like a friend as she uses personal stories and biblical principles to help you find your way out of superficial spirituality and move to a deep, meaningful, lifechanging relationship with God. And the journey begins by quitting. Geri quit being afraid of what others think. She quit lying. She quit denying her anger and sadness. She quit living someone else's life. When you quit those things that are damaging to your soul or the souls of others, you are freed up to choose other ways of being and relating that are rooted in love and lead to life. When you quit for the right reasons, at the right time, and in the right way, you're on the path not only to emotional health, but also to the true purpose of your life. Check out the full line of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality books dedicated to many different key areas of life. Workbooks, study guides, curriculum, and Spanish editions are also available.
Download or read book Renovated written by Jim Wilder and published by NavPress. This book was released on 2020-04-21 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christianity has tended to focus on right beliefs and right choices as the keys for personal growth. But biblical evidence and modern brain science show that our character is shaped more by whom we love than what we believe. Through conversations he had with Dallas Willard at the Heart & Soul Conference shortly before Dallas's death, Jim Wilder shows how we can train our brains to relate to God based on joyful, mutual attachment--which leads to emotional and spiritual maturity as our identity and character are formed by our relationship with God.
Download or read book Way To Grow written by Ronald J. Lavin and published by CSS Publishing. This book was released on 1996 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nothing is more important for ministry today than small groups. (George Gallop Jr., a Christian who conducts polls on political and religious matters, quoted in chapter 1 of this book.) Lavin is quick to point out that this book is not merely about numerical growth. It is about nurturing spiritual growth, which in itself is a dynamic that leads to growth in numbers. Use this publication as a workbook. The chapters each end with fascinating questions for consideration and group discussion. Dr. Lavin offers five different kinds of group structures for discipleship development. Each is fully explored, offering the reader or study participant the opportunity to determine which style best fits their group. He also lists five essentials that must be present for any group to function effectively. Lavin has had over 35 years of experience in the ministry, during which time he has refined the methods that are most successful in leading people to commitment and discipleship. This book is filled with fascinating anecdotes and stories that have grown out of his experience with congregations where impressive growth has taken place. Dr. Ronald J. Lavin is Senior Pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church, Fountain Valley, California. He previously served congregations in Indiana, Iowa, and Arizona. In each church where he served as pastor the membership doubled. He graduated cum laude from Carthage College, Northwestern Theological School of Theology, and engaged in graduate studies at the Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. Lavin has published twelve books and numerous magazine articles. He has been in demand as a speaker and seminar leader at schools and churches throughout the country as well as in several foreign countries.
Download or read book Everything Is Spiritual written by Rob Bell and published by St. Martin's Essentials. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An exciting vision of the future" --Michael Eric Dyson Everything Is Spiritual is an unexpected and compelling invitation to see your life in a whole new way. We have the great moments of our lives, the highs, those times when we soar, when it all makes sense, when it feels like it all has purpose and meaning. And then there are all those other moments—the lows and aches and failures and struggles and experiences that leave us wondering what the point of it all is. Are our lives ultimately bits and pieces and fragments—you try to find a little peace and hope and then it’s over? Or is there more going on here? In our increasingly polarized and disoriented world, Everything Is Spiritual gives us a radical new take on how it all fits together, how it works, how it’s all connected. Part memoir, part extended riff on the quantum nature of reality, part history of the universe, Rob Bell takes us back through the twists and turns and struggles of his story in order to help us see the larger story so that we can reconnect with our story.
Download or read book Why Small Groups written by C. J. Mahaney and published by Sovereign Grace Ministries. This book was released on 1996 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you want to get on the fast track to Christian maturity? Small groups provide the ideal context for working out our salvation together. Whether you attend a small group or lead one, this book will raise your vision and inspire you to excel in the areas of service to which God has called you. And if you don't attend a small group? All the more reason you may want to read Why Small Groups? and let it change your life. The authors are all pastors from various Sovereign Grace Ministries churches.
Download or read book Small Group and the Vine Workbook written by Tony Payne and published by . This book was released on 2018-09 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A 5-week course for training small group leaders to understand the purpose of small groups and what their role is as leader, and to be able to carry out the key aspects of that role.
Download or read book Subversive Spirituality written by Eugene H. Peterson and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 1997-06-27 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Subversive Spirituality Peterson has gathered together a host of writings penned over the past twenty-five years that reflect on the overlooked facets of the spiritual life. Comprising occasional pieces, short biblical studies, poetry, pastoral readings, and interviews, this work captures the epiphanies of life with the pleasing pastoral style and inspiring depth of insight for which Peterson is well known. Peterson describes his book this way: "This gathering of articles and essays, poems and conversations, is a kind of kitchen midden of my noticings of the obvious in the course of living out the Christian life in the vocational context of pastor, writer, and professor. The randomness and repetitions and false starts are rough edges that I am leaving as is in the interests of honesty. Spirituality is not, by and large, smooth. I do hope, however, that these pieces will be found to be freshly phrased".
Download or read book Soul Shaping Small Groups written by Kim V. Engelmann and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is your small group boring? (It's okay to be honest.)Do you sometimes have to force yourself to attend the meetings (even the meetings you lead )? Do you wonder if small groups are doing anything for your spiritual growth? Kim Engelmann, a pastor and small group leader, describes how she felt about one small group she attended: It is Thursday..
Download or read book Small Group Strategies written by Laurie Polich and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2011-05-03 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meet students where they are.With Small Group Strategies, you can effectively guide students in your small group toward the most important relationship they will ever have—a lifelong relationship with Christ. Respected authors Laurie Polich and Charley Scandlyn offer 30-plus years of collective youth ministry experience to these proven ideas, which offer:•a strategic approach to small group ministry•hundreds of ideas to reach students at every level•practical applications that foster spiritual growthMeet your students where they are in life. You have the heart. You have the vision. Here are the ideas you need to make it happen.
