Download or read book Embracing God s Future without Forgetting the Past written by Michael K. Girlinghouse and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2019-08-06 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many congregations today are dealing with changes that have led to decline and significant loss. In Embracing God's Future without Forgetting the Past, Michael K. Girlinghouse argues that until a congregation comes to terms with its perceived losses through a healthy process of grief, it will be paralyzed in the present and unable to think creatively about the future. Acknowledging and expressing grief will give the congregation the courage to redefine its relationship with the past and draw strength and encouragement from its memories as it steps into the future. Drawing on more than thirty years of ministry experience in varied settings and concurrent study and teaching about loss, grief, and nostalgia, Girlinghouse shows clergy, church staff, and lay leaders how they can work through the experience of loss and grief, both personally and in their congregation. Part 1 discusses loss and grief using a contemporary, task-based model for the grief process. It also introduces recent research on the value of nostalgia. In part 2, Girlinghouse helps leaders tell their congregation's story, including its losses, examine how that story fits in our current social context, and explore ways to accept the reality of its losses and express grief over them. Part 3 considers ways congregations can think more adaptively and creatively about the future without forgetting or devaluing the past. Girlinghouse presents appreciative inquiry as a tool to discover and build on a congregation's strengths while coming to terms with its losses. Part 4 is about embracing God's future for the congregation, "remembering forward," and making the changes necessary to move from the sadness of loss to the joy of taking up life again. Each chapter includes a Bible study and questions for reflection and discussion.
Download or read book 2020s Foresight written by Tom Sine and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2020-09-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2020s Foresight, authors Tom Sine and Dwight Friesen seek to "wake up" Christian leaders and those whom they serve to the realities that leaders in other fields must deal with all the time. We are no longer simply living in changing times. We live in the reality that we are racing into a new world of accelerating change. The authors want to enable leaders in churches and Christian organizations to learn how to lead in this time of acceleration. They focus on three vital practices: foresight (analyzing the accelerating changes and anticipating new opportunities and strategies for addressing change); reflection (discerning biblical purposes for times like these); and creating innovative ways to engage new challenges so as to advance God's purposes in our lives, congregations, and organizations in the 2020s. The book is intended to equip Christian leaders to anticipate some of the new challenges in the 2020s; discover God's shalom purposes for our lives, the church, and God's world; and create innovative new possibilities for our lives, communities, and congregations that both engage new opportunities and advance God's purposes.
Download or read book Forgive Let Go and Live written by Deborah Smith Pegues and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2015-08-01 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is forgiveness so hard? People who refuse to forgive often sabotage their future and create an emotional cancer that spreads into every other aspect of their lives. Even those who genuinely desire to forgive often struggle to get beyond their wounded emotions. In Forgive, Let Go, and Live, Deborah Pegues provides specific guidelines to help us better understand what forgiveness is and what it's not how to overcome seemingly unforgivable hurts when to restore, redefine, or release a hurtful relationship how it's possible to forgive without forgetting why learning how to forgive is a process Pegues showcases the triumphs of famous and everyday people as well as biblical characters who decided to pursue forgiveness and also the tragedies of those who chose to wallow in anger and revenge. If you've been wounded by another, this book will empower you to find joy, freedom, and peace as you let go of your desire to avenge the wrong and make a commitment to release the offender from his debt.
Download or read book Freedom to Forget written by Dan Willis and published by Whitaker House. This book was released on 2007-06-11 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can we move forward when tormenting memories of past hurts constantly consume us? Through humor and true stories, Dan Willis shows the way to complete forgiveness and healing. You can… Learn how your past affects your future Forgive those who have hurt you Break free from destructive behaviors Heal past hurts once and for all Overcome family dysfunction Enjoy a life of blessings, joy, and peace Experience a deep healing so that you will be able to truly forgive, forget the pain, and no longer be a hostage of the past anymore!
Download or read book A Woman with a Past A God with a Future written by Elsa Kok and published by New Hope Publishers. This book was released on 2006-06-29 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To some women with painful pasts, becoming a Christian means forgetting about their harmful habits, poor choices, or damaging relationships—placing an imaginary line between their old life and their new life. But often their pasts keep coming back to haunt them, causing unforgiveness, brokenness, and discouragement. This 12-week interactive Bible study, written at an easy-to-read level, will walk women through the process of uncovering their story, understanding it, and allowing God to incorporate it into a future full of hope and adventure. A great evangelistic tool, this book is a partner to the author’s first study, A Woman Who Hurts, A God Who Heals.
Download or read book Unsinkable Faith written by Tracie Miles and published by David C Cook. This book was released on 2017-04-01 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many people, remaining optimistic and feeling positive about themselves and their lives is a constant battle—especially when circumstances are difficult and life is hard. For others, negativity is something that only sneaks up from time to time, yet still wreaks havoc in their hearts. Regardless of the root causes, once pessimistic thoughts permeate our minds, our feelings and emotions begin to control us instead of us controlling them. Eventually it doesn’t seem possible to stay positive, happy, and full of joy, and negative thought patterns shake our faith, causing us to sink emotionally, mentally, and spiritually over time. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Despite what storms roll in, hearts anchored in God don’t sink. When we change the way we think, we can change the way we feel and live, even if our circumstances remain the same. Intentionally embracing the opportunity to experience a transformed heart and a renewed mind opens the door for a changed life, because a positive mind will always lead to a more positive life. In Unsinkable Faith, author and Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker Tracie Miles offers hope for women who struggle with negativity. Each chapter explores Tracie’s and other women’s personal stories, showing how they rose above their circumstances by transforming and renewing their minds. Unsinkable Faith is a breath of fresh air for anyone longing for a heart full of joy, an unbreakable smile, and a new, more optimistic perspective on life. This book will equip you to: Replace pessimism with positive thinking by becoming the captain of your thoughts; Learn how true joy and happiness are based on choice, not circumstances; Overcome unhealthy habits of negative thinking by intentionally implementing three easy mind-renewing steps; Stop feeling hopeless and pitiful, and start feeling hope-filled and powerful instead; and Discover that when you change the way you think, you change the way feel, and in turn you can change your life completely.
Download or read book Exclusion Embrace written by Miroslav Volf and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2010-03-01 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life at the end of the twentieth century presents us with a disturbing reality. Otherness, the simple fact of being different in some way, has come to be defined as in and of itself evil. Miroslav Volf contends that if the healing word of the gospel is to be heard today, Christian theology must find ways of speaking that address the hatred of the other. Reaching back to the New Testament metaphor of salvation as reconciliation, Volf proposes the idea of embrace as a theological response to the problem of exclusion. Increasingly we see that exclusion has become the primary sin, skewing our perceptions of reality and causing us to react out of fear and anger to all those who are not within our (ever-narrowing) circle. In light of this, Christians must learn that salvation comes, not only as we are reconciled to God, and not only as we "learn to live with one another", but as we take the dangerous and costly step of opening ourselves to the other, of enfolding him or her in the same embrace with which we have been enfolded by God.
Download or read book Today and Tomorrow written by Garrett Booth, MD, MS and published by . This book was released on 2017-01-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Never think that it is too late for you. God gives you a new tomorrow every twenty-four hours. You can begin today to embrace God's tomorrow. God loves you, and even in the worst parts of your past. He was working to bring you to this moment. God is with you as you march into your future, too. He has woven your past into your present, preparing you for a future of hope and purpose. This book will help you DISCOVER how to tap into the power of prayer for your tomorrow. DEVELOP a new perspective that brings freedom from the past and faith for the future. OVERCOME the obstacles that are keeping you stuck in yesterday. RECOGNIZE and maximize your doors of opportunity. REALIZE how God will use your journey to encourage and inspire others. This book is filled with practical principles that you can apply today. God is ready to help you leave yesterday behind and lean into the promises and opportunities of your tomorrow.
Download or read book Let Go of the Guilt written by Valorie Burton and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2020-09-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Break Your Guilt Habit! In Let Go of the Guilt, life coach and bestselling author Valorie Burton teaches you a simple, but profound method that will free you from what she calls the “false guilt” that is so common today. As you peel back the layers, you’ll feel the burden lift. And that’s when you make room for your authentic self and the joyful life that is possible for you. Through her signature self-coaching process, powerful questions, and practical research, she shows you how to: recognize and overcome the five thought patterns of guilt, break the surprising habit that tempts you to subconsciously choose guilt over joy, stop guilt from sneaking its way into your everyday decisions and interactions, flip those guilt trips so you can keep others from manipulating you, and stop setting yourself up for stress, anxiety and obligation, and instead set yourself for a life of joy and freedom Valorie’s journaling questions and research-based process will shift your perspective, give you clarity and courage, and equip you with a plan of action to let go of the guilt for good.
Download or read book Destiny Embrace Me Lord Let Future Uphold Me written by Dynasty Hill and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2016-12-08 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This real inspirational book on life story of a young African American girl who grew up by a single-parent home, basically with fatherless syndrome to abusive marriages, enduring emotional, physical, and finical abuse, never losing faith in God and tenacity in life. What became her worst nightmare was becoming a single parent who raised three daughters and nearly lost it all from a near-miss assault to her children leading to bankruptcy. Yet she survives life, earthquake, hurricanes, twisters, and tsunamis by praising, pressing, and pushing her faith to inspire and become an inspiration to women who have experienced brokenness, bitterness, rejection, and heartache to health issues. She now lives to encourage women that a destiny and a future is still a reality if you trust and believe God for purpose and vision. She is now celebrating a new book, a home built from the ground, and three daughters in college. The oldest graduates as an engineer in May 2017; The 20 year old is as a third-year guidance counselor major; and the youngest who is 18 is on a scholarship and pursuing a career as a trauma physician. Last but not least, Dynasty Hill has found new purpose as a life coach, blogger, and physical-fitness mentor, and her work can be seen with Crystal and Pearls Inspiring Life Coach Ministry. She is a new author and soon to travel around the globe with motivational speeches inspiring youth, young adults, and women around this world.
Download or read book Keeping Faith written by Jodi Picoult and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-06 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A triumph. This novel’s haunting strength will hold the reader until the very end and make Faith and her story impossible to forget.” —Richmond Times Dispatch “Extraordinary.” —Orlando Sentinel From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult (Nineteen Minutes, Change of Heart, Handle with Care) comes Keeping Faith: an “addictively readable” (Entertainment Weekly) novel that “makes you wonder about God. And that is a rare moment, indeed, in modern fiction” (USA Today).
Download or read book Forgetting My Past written by DeLonda Adams and published by . This book was released on 2016-01-28 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Trauma is like a rock thrown into a still pool of water. Just like the ripples in water make a reflection unclear, so too does a traumatic past: suffering at the hands of sinful men or losing loved ones and living with those ramifications. How have some survived without the bitterness and anger? How can you escape the death-grip of past hurts and live a full and happy life?DeLonda Adams provides the answer. In a story of survival and surrender she explores facing hard truths and a past filled with hardship, shame and guilt. This book will show you how faith and God's love can empower you to cordon off past negativity and live successfully in the present and embrace hope for your future.
Download or read book Exclusion and Embrace Revised and Updated written by Miroslav Volf and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2019-08-20 with total page 613 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life in the twenty-first century presents a disturbing reality. Otherness, the simple fact of being different in some way, has come to be defined as in and of itself evil. Miroslav Volf contends that if the healing word of the gospel is to be heard today, Christian theology must find ways of speaking that address the hatred of the other. Is there any hope of embracing our enemies? Of opening the door to reconciliation? Reaching back to the New Testament metaphor of salvation as reconciliation, Volf proposes the idea of embrace as a theological response to the problem of exclusion. Increasingly we see that exclusion has become the primary sin, skewing our perceptions of reality and causing us to react out of fear and anger to all those who are not within our (ever-narrowing) circle. In light of this, Christians must learn that salvation comes, not only as we are reconciled to God, and not only as we "learn to live with one another," but as we take the dangerous and costly step of opening ourselves to the other, of enfolding him or her in the same embrace with which we have been enfolded by God. Volf won the 2002 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion for the first edition of his book, Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation (Abingdon, 1996). In that first edition, professor Volf, a Croatian by birth, analyzed the civil war and “ethnic cleansing” in the former Yugoslavia, and he readily found other examples of cultural, ethnic, and racial conflict to illustrate his points. Since September 11, 2001, and the subsequent epidemic of terror and massive refugee suffering throughout the world, Volf revised Exclusion and Embrace to account for the evolving dynamics of inter-ethnic and international strife.
Download or read book Praying for Your Future Husband written by Robin Jones Gunn and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2011-05-03 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever thought about praying for your future husband? Will it make a difference? There's only one way to find out… From when we were small girls, most of us dream of “The One,” our future husband. We think about what it would be like to be a bride. We wonder who that special guy is and when we'll find him. The great news is that what you do now can make a difference in your life and the life of your future husband! Authors and good friends Robin Jones Gunn (Christy Miller series) and Tricia Goyer (author and former teen mom) believe God answers women's prayers for husbands—even husbands they may not meet for years. They invite young women to pray boldly for their future mate … while also asking God to prepare their own hearts. In Praying for Your Future Husband, Robin and Tricia share their two vastly different experiences, including the things they did right and the mistakes they made on the path to meeting and marrying their husbands. Each chapter includes helpful Bible verses, prayers, and practical application, along with true stories of women who prayed for a husband and how God answered in remarkable ways. God has a beautiful romance prepared for you. Prayer is the key to unlocking the love story … with your future husband and with God, the lover of your soul.
Download or read book Discover Your True Strength written by Lindsay Roberts and published by Whitaker House. This book was released on 2024-05-07 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “When it comes to helping women overcome obstacles, there are few people who are as experienced and compassionate as Lindsay.… She teaches us that while you are feeling the sting of your setback, God is preparing your comeback.” —Tim Storey, author, speaker, and life coach “If you’re ready to level up your life, you need to read this book! Lindsay gives practical yet powerful principles that will help you tap into your God-given strength and potential and take you from settling to soaring!” —April Osteen Simons, hope coach HOW STRONG WOMEN THINK, RESPOND, AND THRIVE Do you ever feel like your dreams are on the cutting room floor and your hopes are going down the drain? Have circumstances made you feel powerless or unable to move forward? In Discover Your True Strength, Lindsay Roberts shares examples of powerful women who applied their faith and found their true strength by trusting in God’s Word. She uses three key strength-building Scriptures and her own life experiences to show how you can have the courage and determination to overcome life’s obstacles and find your vision for the future. As you come to understand and embrace your true, God-given strength, you can live each day to the fullest and pursue what you love and are called to do. INCLUDES STRENGTH-BUILDING THOUGHT QUESTIONS, ACTION STEPS, AND SCRIPTURES
Download or read book The Love That Is God written by Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “God is love is the radical claim of Christianity,” writes Frederick Bauerschmidt at the beginning of this little meditation on the essentials of Christian faith. In a rich yet accessible style reminiscent of C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton, Bauerschmidt breathes life back into that claim, drawing from Scripture, great Christian and non-Christian writers of the past, and his own lived experience to show just how countercultural and subversive Christianity is actually meant to be. Eschewing the abstract and dogmatic in favor of the relational and inviting, he offers something for everyone, from lifelong churchgoers and students of religion to the growing population of “nones” among younger generations who are increasingly seeking spiritual fulfillment outside of institutional Christianity. With further reading suggestions (both scriptural and nonscriptural) at the end of each chapter, The Love That Is God is the perfect starting point of a spiritual journey into deeper relationship with God. Michael Ramsey Prize (2023)
Download or read book Walking Through Fire written by Vaneetha Rendall Risner and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2021-01-19 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The astonishing, Job-like story of how an existence filled with loss, suffering, questioning, and anger became a life filled with shocking and incomprehensible peace and joy. Vaneetha Risner contracted polio as an infant, was misdiagnosed, and lived with widespread paralysis. She lived in and out of the hospital for ten years and, after each stay, would return to a life filled with bullying. When she became a Christian, though, she thought things would get easier, and they did: carefree college days, a dream job in Boston, and an MBA from Stanford where she met and married a classmate. But life unraveled. Again. She had four miscarriages. Her son died because of a doctor's mistake. And Vaneetha was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome, meaning she would likely become a quadriplegic. And then her husband betrayed her and moved out, leaving her to raise two adolescent daughters alone. This was not the abundant life she thought God had promised her. But, as Vaneetha discovered, everything she experienced was designed to draw her closer to Christ as she discovered "that intimacy with God in suffering can be breathtakingly beautiful."
