From The Pastor's Pen (Letters on Living Christ and Being Christ's Body)

From The Pastor's Pen (Letters on Living Christ and Being Christ's Body)
Author: Pastor Bert Baker
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
Total Pages: 431
Release: 2016-07-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1681974517

How do you get new Christians who do not know one another to work at building and growing relationships in a new Church? This is essential in a new Church because the teaching and training of the core group of believers becomes the nucleus of the Body of Christ. This is the obstacle Pastor Baker faced in planting a church in Newark, NJ. Although the people came from the same urban neighborhood, it did not appear these new believers had much in common. So Pastor Baker decided to write a monthly Bible-based letter on living for Christ and how to be the Church and do its work. He planned to write From the Pastor's Pen for a year or so to teach biblical truth and to develop bridges to build lasting Christian relationships. But this short-term project grew as new believers added addresses to the mailing list. Soon twenty families were fifty and then over one hundred. Believers made copies and passed them out at work. These monthly letters became the teaching materials for small-group Bible studies, and were used by missionaries in the Dutch West Indies. So from November of 1984 until June of 2014, a monthly letter was written. Pastor Baker's short-term project became a long-term ministry. With the help of brothers and sisters in the Newark Church, the letters in this book were selected so you can live Christ and be Christ's Body. May you grow in Christ and effectively be and do the work of the Church.

The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World

The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World
Author: Deanna A. Thompson
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 129
Release: 2016-11-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1501815199

We live in a wired world where 24/7 digital connectivity is increasingly the norm. Christian megachurch communities often embrace this reality wholeheartedly while more traditional churches often seem hesitant and overwhelmed by the need for an interactive website, a Facebook page and a twitter feed. This book accepts digital connectivity as our reality, but presents a vision of how faith communities can utilize technology to better be the body of Christ to those who are hurting while also helping followers of Christ think critically about the limits of our digital attachments. This book begins with a conversion story of a non-cell phone owning, non-Facebook using religion professor judgmental of the ability of digital tools to enhance relationships. A stage IV cancer diagnosis later, in the midst of being held up by virtual communities of support, a conversion occurs: this religion professor benefits in embodied ways from virtual sources and wants to convert others to the reality that the body of Christ can and does exist virtually and makes embodied difference in the lives of those who are hurting. The book neither uncritically embraces nor rejects the constant digital connectivity present in our lives. Rather it calls on the church to a) recognize ways in which digital social networks already enact the virtual body of Christ; b) tap into and expand how Christ is being experienced virtually; c) embrace thoughtfully the material effects of our new augmented reality, and c) influence utilization of technology that minimizes distraction and maximizes attentiveness toward God and the world God loves.

Life in the Body of Christ

Life in the Body of Christ
Author: Curtis C. Thomas
Publisher:
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2006
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780971336186

Thomas offers practical, biblical instruction on a wide range of issues involving individual and corporate participation and responsibility in the life of a local church. (Christian)

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die
Author: Sarah J. Robinson
Publisher: WaterBrook
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2021-05-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0593193539

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Letter from Birmingham Jail
Author: Martin Luther King
Publisher: HarperOne
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2025-01-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780063425811

A beautiful commemorative edition of Dr. Martin Luther King's essay "Letter from Birmingham Jail," part of Dr. King's archives published exclusively by HarperCollins. With an afterword by Reginald Dwayne Betts On April 16, 1923, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., responded to an open letter written and published by eight white clergyman admonishing the civil rights demonstrations happening in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King drafted his seminal response on scraps of paper smuggled into jail. King criticizes his detractors for caring more about order than justice, defends nonviolent protests, and argues for the moral responsibility to obey just laws while disobeying unjust ones. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" proclaims a message - confronting any injustice is an acceptable and righteous reason for civil disobedience. This beautifully designed edition presents Dr. King's speech in its entirety, paying tribute to this extraordinary leader and his immeasurable contribution, and inspiring a new generation of activists dedicated to carrying on the fight for justice and equality.

Yours, Till Heaven

Yours, Till Heaven
Author: Ray Rhodes Jr.
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2021-02-02
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0802498159

Enter the remarkable untold love story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon. Charles Spurgeon is esteemed for his writing, preaching, and passion for the Lord. But behind the great man was a great wife—and between the man and wife was a profound marriage. Yours, Till Heaven invites you into the untold love story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon to discover how the bond between this renowned couple helped fuel their lifelong service to the Lord. Discover how Charles and Susie traversed the challenges of loneliness, physical affliction, popularity, controversy, and other trials together with a heavenly vision. Just as the Spurgeons lived their lives as witnesses of Christ, in Yours, Till Heaven their marriage continues to be an example for how all marriages today can remain faithful, loving, and joyful despite the challenges that life may bring. With historical precision and narrative craft, Spurgeon scholar Ray Rhodes Jr. captures the inner-life of this Victorian romance that not only served the Spurgeons in their day, but that can also continue to empower and encourage couples today. For more on the lives of the Spurgeons, find Susie by Ray Rhodes Jr.

Men and Women in the Church

Men and Women in the Church
Author: Kevin DeYoung
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2021-03-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433566567

"This is the first book I will recommend to those who want to study what the Scriptures teach about the roles of men and women both in marriage and the church. . . I was amazed at how much wisdom is packed into this short book. Everything in the book is helpful, but the practical application section alone is worth the price of the book." — Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary A Biblical Primer on Men and Women in the Church There is much at stake in God making humanity male and female. Created for one another yet distinct from each other, a man and a woman are not interchangeable—they are designed to function according to a divine fittedness. But when this design is misunderstood, ignored, or abused, there are dire consequences. Men and women—in marriage especially, but in the rest of life as well—complement one another. And this biblical truth has enduring, cosmic significance. From start to finish, the biblical storyline—and the design of creation itself—depends upon the distinction between male and female. Men and Women in the Church is about the divinely designed complementarity of men and women as it applies to life in general and especially ministry in the church.

Preaching the Parables

Preaching the Parables
Author: Craig L. Blomberg
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2004-07-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1441205780

A guide to preaching the parables that shows how to first interpret the parables, then proclaim their significance.