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The world has been completely thrown on its head. A nobody from Nazareth, who was brutally executed by the Roman Empire, has conquered all the empires of mankind and brought freedom to all its slaves. A world of ecosystems and communities of life headed towards death is being rescued. You are being called to follow in this movement, sacrificing everything that you have and are. Will you flee or will you follow?

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The land of Israel is intimately linked to the adventures of the prophets, men like Elijah, Amos, Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the list goes on and on. How about prophets who were women? Does anyone remember that two gates of the Jerusalem Temple bore the name of Huldah, one of these women? Probably not, which is not all that astonishing given that history was written by men . . . Some women have, however, found places in history: Sarah and Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, to name a few. Other women also deserve to emerge from silence: women like Miriam, Hannah, and Huldah. It is nonetheless true that these women have to be identified with reference to a man: the first is Moses' sister, the second is Samuel's mother, the third a colleague of King Josiah, Israel's reformer. This little book paints their portraits, with much sensitivity and tenderness, but never restraining disgust when the role of the women is found to have been erased unjustly. The abundant use made here of Jewish traditions of Bible reading will help readers discover the riches of a tradition uniquely suited to broadening their experience. Nor will they be left unaffected or indifferent by the deep spirituality revealed here.

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What if the people I know were to be transformed by an encounter with the cosmos? The foreign woman who argues with the doctor, the homeless man on the street corner, the corrupt politician, the fisherman risking his life to make a living. What if I met up with them in a decade and found that each had experienced a life transformation after meeting the God-Man, Jesus, who touched them in the deepest core of their being? And what if one of Jesus' companions was to meet them and listen to their story, the story of their life and their encounter with the one who brought transformation? This book collects the imagined stories of men and women of whom we know very little, only the bare bones of their encounters. It is a book for the foreign woman, the homeless man, the politician, and the fisherman–any of us who want to deeply encounter a God who meets us as a real person. The stories touch us because they are refashioned into the contextual thinking of our time and our culture–and yet they reflect the reality of another time, a time when God walked among us–in our streets, and our neighborhood, and into our homes.

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What if Small Groups Embarked on Mission Together . . .
In Their Own Backyards?
Whereas small groups have traditionally focused internally, many Christians nowadays are hungering for much more! Seeking to make a difference where they live, Christians desire mission. The Community Group Mission Series focuses eight weeks of training–to launch groups in a dynamic mission trajectory!
Each group will engage holistically, showing the love of Christ and making disciples. Relationally angled, this series leads groups to assimilate the mission skill set of Jesus. Hold on! The stories of God are yet to be written. Who knows what God will do in the lives of your neighbors . . . your group . . . and your church?!
Session Titles: 1. The Soul of Mission 2. When Faith Is Fantastic 3. Learning the Faith Formation Process 4. Getting Real for the Gospel 5. The Gospel and Its Key 6. Discerning Belief Barriers 7. Coming Home to Jesus 8. What Jesus Co-missioned Us to Do

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The First Steps of Your Discipleship Journey . . . Are More Important than You Think!
Are you seeking a strong spiritual walk? If you are willing to do some training, this course can get you there! Replicating Jesus's exciting vision, First Steps teaches six key practices to establish your faith and empower your mission! Come journey alongside others to gain a stride that will bless you for the rest of your life!
First Steps Skill Set: – Develop a method for getting the most from your Bible – Adopt the simple pattern of conversational prayer – Experience the life-changing power of confessional abiding – Take steps into deeper relationships and service – Learn skills to touch your world with the love and message of Christ!

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When It Comes to Disciple Making . . . You Get What You Aim For!
Because the church grows at the edges, discipling new believers may be one of the most important things you do! Jesus knew this. At the pivotal post-resurrection point, he took the newer-in-faith and synergized a movement. Yet the biblical example and current trends do not match–churches lack consistently in four areas: Aim: They fail to shoot for the new believer's evangelistic influence. Approach: They teach, but do not instill practices. Angle: Non-relational follow-up leads to disconnected disciples. Anticipation: Limited time did not produce lasting impact. Re-visioning, First Steps offers a fourfold course correction. Set your sights on the superior targets–and exciting results await! This guide will prepare you for the biggest assignment ever given: turn simple followers into strategic players.

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Mark's Gospel ends in an open-ended manner that puzzles many readers. This is part of the evangelist's strategy, so this book maintains; it raises questions about who Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus. The Gospel writer addresses these two themes as he develops his story of Jesus. Readers are drawn in to consider these themes for themselves. Although there is an open end to the story of the disciples' discipleship, there is an ending to their story embedded in the narrative. Read Mark and Learn aims to help readers engage with this Gospel's intriguing story and to learn from it.

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The first year for any missionary is filled with adventure and trials. Assimilating to a new culture requires more than any book can offer. This is the story of a young woman who stepped out of her college years directly into the mission field. She was vastly unprepared in language, experience, and spiritual discipline, but she encountered the Lord in a way she never could while growing up in America. The transition from an American college campus to the sandy streets of a developing country was not easy physically or emotionally. The excitement of adventure soon waned in the face of homesickness and culture shock. Through it all, she found that the practices she had been taught for years in church and student ministry were vital for survival and that there is no hope, no strength, and no joy that can sustain you outside of what is found in Christ.

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In refreshing challenge to the common presumption that knowing involves amassing information, this book offers an eight-step approach that begins with love and pledge and ends with communion and shalom. Everyday adventures of knowing turn on a moment of insight that transforms and connects knower and known. No matter the field–science or art, business or theology, counseling or athletics–this little manual offers a how-to for knowing ventures. It offers concrete guidance to individuals or teams, students or professionals, along with plenty of exercises to spark the process of discovery, design, artistry, or mission.

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Ethics of Wars of Insurgency is my fifth study on «the ethics of war and peace.» It spans a twenty-year period of perplexing war and peace history focusing on the theological and ethical aspects of American foreign policy analysis from Somalia to Rwanda to Bosnia, concluding with present activities involving Syria–and the concurrent events of ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This study highlights the theological themes of prophecy and biblical teaching and the ethical themes of human rights, violence, and peacemaking. The thesis of Ethics and the Wars of Insurgency is that only theological and ethical analysis can fathom the depths of meaning and appropriate action in these vital areas of policy and strategy in American and world affairs.