Pastor's Musings

Pastor's Musings
Author: Rev. Mario Perez
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2021-07-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1664180362

According to most dictionaries, “Musings” are periods of reflection or thought. After so many years of living (a lot of years!) I’ve been able to experience God in so many incredible ways. In my Family, my Marriage, my Kids and Grandkids, my Ministry and my Music. Call me simple, but I look for God in all activity in my life. From my greatest victories to the most horrible failures, God has been right there in the mix. Nothing happens to me without Him knowing about it. There are still plenty of things I cannot figure out: Why does the creator of the universe who named all the stars think about me - and why so often? Why does He lavish such love on me? Why is He working behind the scenes orchestrating all things for my own good. I just don’t get it. You? There I go again ‘Musing’. That’s the story of my life. Enjoy my Musings; hopefully they will bring a smile, an “LOL” or a tear as you read some of my most intimate moments with God.

Preacher without a Pulpit

Preacher without a Pulpit
Author: Hickman M. Johnson
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2024-02-04
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1698716273

These musings emerge from the pastor's isolation from the congregation he has served for over 50 years. COVID-19, the awful resulting sickness and death, made coping stressful even for the faithful. The loneliness and separation created by church closure robbed the faithful of the familiar—the voice behind the sacred desk. These weekly musings were the familiar voice that assured the faithful that the God of Sunday morning was not silent.

The Rogue Christian

The Rogue Christian
Author: Mike Genung
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2020-03-17
Genre:
ISBN: 9781732312821

Status quo Christianity has failed. The Rogue Christian provides an in depth look at where we are today, why the church has lost its salt, and what we should do about it.

Boundaries

Boundaries
Author: Henry Cloud
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2002-03-18
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0310247454

When to say yes, when to say no to take control of your life.

Backpacking with the Saints

Backpacking with the Saints
Author: Belden C. Lane
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2014-11-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199927812

Carrying only basic camping equipment and a collection of the world's great spiritual writings, Belden C. Lane embarks on solitary spiritual treks through the Ozarks and across the American Southwest. For companions, he has only such teachers as Rumi, John of the Cross, Hildegard of Bingen, Dag Hammarskjöld, and Thomas Merton, and as he walks, he engages their writings with the natural wonders he encounters--Bell Mountain Wilderness with Søren Kierkegaard, Moonshine Hollow with Thich Nhat Hanh--demonstrating how being alone in the wild opens a rare view onto one's interior landscape, and how the saints' writings reveal the divine in nature. The discipline of backpacking, Lane shows, is a metaphor for a spiritual journey. Just as the wilderness offered revelations to the early Desert Christians, backpacking hones crucial spiritual skills: paying attention, traveling light, practicing silence, and exercising wonder. Lane engages the practice not only with a wide range of spiritual writings--Celtic, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sufi Muslim--but with the fascination of other lovers of the backcountry, from John Muir and Ed Abbey to Bill Plotkin and Cheryl Strayed. In this intimate and down-to-earth narrative, backpacking is shown to be a spiritual practice that allows the discovery of God amidst the beauty and unexpected terrors of nature. Adoration, Lane suggests, is the most appropriate human response to what we cannot explain, but have nonetheless learned to love. An enchanting narrative for Christians of all denominations, Backpacking with the Saints is an inspiring exploration of how solitude, simplicity, and mindfulness are illuminated and encouraged by the discipline of backcountry wandering, and of how the wilderness itself becomes a way of knowing-an ecology of the soul.

We Want You Here

We Want You Here
Author: Thom S. Rainer
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Total Pages: 46
Release: 2018-03-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1462780903

The message is basic but profound. We want guests to know they are welcome to the church. This book is a gift to guests to communicate that very message. Bestselling author Thom S. Rainer (I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church) has created a tool for churches to become more hospitable through a brief, welcoming book that introduces the ministry of the local church to guests. We Want You Here is a clear and instructive message to be given to church guests. Rainer facilitates the follow up conversation that every pastor would have, if they had the opportunity. By giving away the book to guests, they are encouraged, in a non-intrusive manner, to continue to reflect on the decision to visit their church. Those churches who share We Want You Here will be able to tell their guests: • We Really Want You Here • This is Not a Place for Perfect People • We Would Like to Get to Know You • This is Where Families Grow Strong • Getting to Know the One Who Made Us • Come Make a Difference with Us • Thank You for Being Here

Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations

Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations
Author: Robert Schnase
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2011-12-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1426713533

People are searching for a church shaped and sustained by Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission and Service, and Extravagant Generosity. These fundamental practices are critical to the success of congregations. Their presence and strength demonstrate congregational health, vitality, and fruitfulness. By repeating and improving these practices, churches fulfill their mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Robert Schnase astutely weaves theological insight, practical advice, and exemplary stories into an inspiring book for pastors and laity alike. —L. Gregory Jones, Dean and Professor of Theology, Duke Divinity School Robert Schnase’s words are thoughtful, provocative, and challenging. Any congregation will find encouragement and insight to deepen faithfulness and multiply fruitfulness. —Lovett H. Weems, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Church Leadership, Wesley Theological Seminary Stimulating. Challenging. Uniquely helpful. Bishop Schnase gives us powerful language, rich examples, and practical suggestions for fulfilling the mission God gives us. —Janice Riggle Huie, Bishop of the Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church

Semi-Final Musings

Semi-Final Musings
Author: Paul Hansen
Publisher: Elm Hill
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2020-05-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1400308666

The target audience for this volume is ministry leaders, Pastors, elders and deacons, as well as those individuals who would like to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. The audience will be of necessity: men and women who are either in College or Seminary and/or in ministries working in churches.

Musings: Socio-Political and Spiritual Thoughts of a Targeted Individual

Musings: Socio-Political and Spiritual Thoughts of a Targeted Individual
Author: Fredricka Gaines
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2021-05-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0578243997

This book is the chronicle of the life of a targeted individual. It lays out the growth and struggles of a disenfranchised American family during the era of the second great migration. It provides insight into the experiences that shaped the author’s psyche as she pursued, what seemed to be at times, the elusive American dream. It documents the withering of that American dream which is gradually replaced by a living nightmare. The author shares a step-by-step outline of the terrifying events that left her paralyzed with fear. Through her sometimes wavering faith, she manages to summon enough spiritual strength to survive the initial mental, emotional and physical onslaught. Only after recognizing a meaningful purpose for her life did she experience a “resurrection” of life. She writes of finding a true purpose in life and of hope for stemming the tide of moral decline in America.

Nature's Silent Message

Nature's Silent Message
Author: Scott Stillman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2020-03-20
Genre:
ISBN: 9781732352223

The Earth is trying to teach us to live better. To lead richer, happier lives. Will we continue down the limited path of the mechanical mind? Or will we tune into ultimate intelligence? The same intelligence that allows blood to flow through our veins, bees to pollinate flowers, birds to fly south, salmon to spawn, whales to migrate, caterpillars to become butterflies, the Earth to rotate, the moon to orbit, and the rest of nature to function perfectly of its own accord? We have access to nature's silent message-if we take the time to listen. In this spellbinding collection, Stillman guides us from the lush forests of the North Cascades, through the sandstone slot canyons of Utah, and into the border country of extreme southern Arizona. In this classroom, we learn not from books, nor words, nor lectures. Wilderness is the school of life, where we learn not from that which thinks-but that which knows. Nature's Silent Message suggests the existence of something far greater than what we see on the surface. It's about breaking through old patterns so that new ones may emerge. The message is simple and pure, but when you try to define it, it vanishes into thin air. And in that vanishing, you find it again. Like a beautiful butterfly that can never be caught. Try and catch her and she'll drive you mad, eluding you forever. But learn to fly with her, and all the wonders of the world will be shown, and all the answers to your questions be known. Get it now.