LITMIR.BIZ

"Jesus Does Stand-Up," and Other Satires is a collection of fifty short parables and parodies that highlight the weaknesses of the contemporary Western church and the increasingly secular culture in which its members live out their faith.
The satires target an entire herd of sacred cows, making fun of areas of discipleship or Christian living such as prayer, evangelism, worship, mission activity, and social justice issues. Several entries skewer the church's tendency to trivialize our faith or the holiness of God, or our obsession with our culture's emphasis on efficiency and individual fulfillment.
The entries range from parodies of familiar hymns, including one that looks at Jesus as our friend on Facebook, to an exploration of the dilemma facing Donald Trump as he decides which member of the Trinity to fire. Others describe a group of cheerleaders rehearsing for Jesus' second coming, explain why Jesus couldn't be hired for a church's child-care job, and record Lazarus' difficulty in convincing his HMO that he was raised from the dead.
The result allows Christians to laugh, or sometimes squirm, at these commentaries on the pressures of the consumerist, individualistic, and even narcissistic culture in which Western believers find themselves. Neither Christian conservatives nor progressives are spared.
The intent of the entries, however, is never mean spirited. Collectively, these satires offer a corrective or warning, prodding the church and Christians to be the distinctive, counter-cultural presence and witness that God calls us to be.

Подробнее

How does Jesus expect his followers to live in this world? The Sermon on the Mount is the manifesto of his Kingdom. Not a future kingdom, but his present kingdom. Satan is the ruler of this world. The Bible tells us he is the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and a king. This world is enemy territory. As Jesus told Pilate, his kingdom is not of this world. Jesus' followers represent his kingdom and are to live out its values. The Sermon on the Mount lays out the values of Christ's kingdom. It is in living out these values that we can subvert the kingdom of this world. We are revolutionaries inside the enemy's kingdom. But our revolution is not one of violence and force. It is a revolution of love and peace based on obedience to our Lord and living out his values.

Подробнее

Wondering about what you need to know before entering into ministry?
Bothered about what the call of God entails?
Or do you desire an evaluation of your life and work as a minister?
If your answer to any of the above questions is «yes,» then «Fifteen Ps For Every Minister» is a must read for you.
This book examines all the essentials of ministry, providing detailed answers to previously unanswered questions and making propositions that will rock your boat, all from the very words of Jesus found in just one chapter of the Bible-Matthew 10.
Reading this book may be the beginning of a radical change in your walk with and work for God.

Подробнее

Yes! There are poems and hymns in the New Testament! Large sections of Jesus' speeches are poetic-such as the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and his final discourses in the book of John. The Epistles are also enriched with some excellent poems of the early Christians and of Paul, and the book of Revelation can boast of some outstanding hymns. When one reads the New Testament in the Greek text with an eye for poetry, many poetic passages spring to life, as well as a few hymns. These poems not only inform our minds, they stimulate our imaginations and arouse our emotions.

Подробнее

The messages in this book contain words of encouragement for anyone who is struggling with a physical affliction or a wide variety of other life altering challenges. It offers spiritual insight into how to maintain your hope in the midst of fear, disappointment, loss, and growing older. When you read this book, you will be drawn back into some of your own pleasurable childhood experiences. You will also have moments of laughter, and feel the unsettling and sometimes awesome moments of the presence of God. As you continue your journey through the various corridors, you may sense the enabling power of the Holy Spirit gently leading you through your own personal challenges. This book will be a tremendous resource to help reshape or strengthen your walk of faith with God.

Подробнее

Called to be a Pastor: Why it Matters to Both Congregations and Clergy is a how-to resource with a memoir touch, describing the essential but delicate partnership between clergy and congregation. This partnership requires nurture and attention to detail if the relationship is to prosper. Indeed, the congregation often holds the fate of their pastor's ministry success, much the same way fertile earth holds the fate of a freshly planted seed. On the other hand, a congregation suffers when a pastor is not fully engaged or is incapable of guiding a congregation toward meeting its ministry objectives. Neither pastor nor congregation can serve their designated role without the other's full and active participation in extending God's kingdom. Laypersons and pastors may never see each other in quite the same way after reading Called to be a Pastor. This book captures the pastor/congregation insights that come from a successful pastoral career: First, as a church planter, later as a judicatory with oversight of thirty-five congregations, and, most recently, as a consultant to a broad range of denominations. First time readers have claimed this book to be thought provoking, inspirational, and enlightening!

Подробнее

English may be the biggest obstacle to learning Greek! Greek textbooks use jargon such as «noun,» «verb,» «morphology,» and «syntax,» which sometimes sounds foreign. Many of us may remember them from grade school, but the memories may now be foggy from time and disuse. This book is written for hazy memories of English that need a brush up before learning Greek. Different than other aids to learning Greek, Brushing Up English to Learn Greek introduces verbal aspect to beginning students. English emphasizes the time of an action but Greek emphasizes the point of view–or aspect–of an action. This book helps students build a bridge of understanding between the different thought worlds of English and Greek.

Подробнее

There is a spiritual hunger in the world today. Many people are seeking answers to life's hard questions. Many people come to church seeking inspiration, help for personal problems, or faith's perspective on life. They come seeking things you cannot find in a search engine. The church has exactly what they need, but too often there is a gap between our message and our ability to send it. Each week, as people pause to learn about faith and get a word of hope, a lot rides on the sermon.
Susan Cartmell took a journey across the country to visit churches with great preaching and lively worship. What she discovered was that Evangelical Christians and Unitarian Universalists were using themed preaching effectively to attract new members. Working in her church over the last five years, she has designed a new system for preaching with themes in mainline Protestant churches. She shares her method and her journey in a story that invites you to consider new ways to preach faithfully without using the lectionary.

Подробнее

The Disciples at Table! The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is about to enter its third century of worship, evangelism and Christian worship. This book is a snapshot of their Table practice: its origins, forms, prayers, and ecumenical development. Single-minded pioneers and advocates of Eucharistic Table fellowship each Sunday, the Disciples forged a unique experience of worship within the restorationist paradigm.
What did this worship look like? A free tradition, explicitly «non-liturgical,» these Christian communities were open to the directives of the Scriptures and the inspiration of the Spirit. There were no official texts. Yet there was a plethora of worship books and aids, in effect unofficial texts, operating to guide, inform and develop the Disciples' understanding of the Lord's Table and their worship. For the first time these devotional books have been uncovered and studied, revealing something of the deeper influences behind Disciples practice, the common lines of thought and ritual that unknowingly bind the communities, and the difficulties that have emerged in light of ongoing ecumenical worship and research.

Подробнее

What makes the difference between those who aspire to lead and those who actually do it? What does anyone need to know about themselves and others, in order to be ready to lead? How might society benefit from persons who give time and energy to learn the skills of leadership readiness?
This book offers a lifelong resource for persons committed to improving their own personal effectiveness as a key step toward leading–in whatever the context, at whatever level. The concepts and terms in this book become tools that strengthen self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Exercises at the end of each chapter stimulate real-life learning, as one practices specific skills that create confidence in being «ready to lead.»

Подробнее