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We operate under the notion that America belongs to us Christians and that we belong to it. We believe the preaching of the Kingdom of God and the rallying around the red, white, and blue are always compatible, but if you are like a growing number of Jesus followers, you've had this splinter in your mind for a while now that tells you there is something suspicious about attaching a national flag-any national flag-to the cross. With the Sermon on the Mount as the constant reference point, The Jesus Tribe begins to flesh out the implications, possibilities, contradictions, and complexities of what it means to live within the Jesus Tribe in the shadow of the American Empire.

What have you noticed today? A life of faith is not something we float through on a cloud unaware; it is the mindful process of letting God change us, letting him develop our spiritual sensitivity toward the things of God and his kingdom. In Faith Postures, Holly Sprink describes a two-fold journey-first, we must notice the kingdom of God. How is God's kingdom arriving in our world right now? Are we proclaiming the difference it makes in our everyday lives? Second, we must allow Christ to realign us, to adjust and transform us into living examples of his wholeness. We take up residence in this kingdom by letting him redirect our attitudes toward life and health in him. Sprink guides readers through a growing awareness of God's desire for relationship and of the emotional and spiritual postures that enable us to learn to be still, to listen, and to be mindful-not only of ourselves, but of the One outside ourselves. In developing the art of noticing and practicing the postures of our faith in God, we begin to realize the spiritual health we yearn for.

Sessions with Matthew is an eleven-session study unit designed to provide a compelling look at the Gospel of Matthew. Each session is followed by a thought-provoking page of questions that allow for a deeper experience of the scriptural passages. These resource pages can be used by seminar leaders during preparation and group discussion, as well as in individual Bible study. William Shiell takes readers on a journey through the Gospel of Matthew. Immersing us in the first-century world, this study will help us read the ancient biography of Jesus in light of the first listeners' expectations and hopes and will draw analogies to the modern world. Sessions with Matthew also focuses on passages that make Matthew unique among the Gospels.

A magic story of Christian stewardship. -Dr. Walter B. Shurden Minister at Large, Mercer University In Hoping Liberia, Michael Helms weaves together multiple stories-the story of his friendship with Olu Menjay, the director of Ricks Institute in Virginia, Liberia; the story of their partnership in ministry; and the story of the nation of Liberia. . . . Helms immerses readers into a period of political turmoil and violence, a devastating civil war, and the immeasurable suffering experienced by the Liberian people. In the aftermath of these harsh realities, Liberian Christians held on to hope, and Hoping Liberia is ultimately an inspirational and uplifting story of faith being lived out and the body of Christ coming together and joining hands to do God's work. -Dr. Pamela R. Durso Executive Director Baptist Women in Ministry, Atlanta, Georgia While this book reads like a novel, it is a well-researched history of Liberia. . . . In addition to its prophetic voice, Hoping Liberia is insightful, purposeful, and missional and will move the reader into "missio Dei." -Dr. Emmanuel McCall Founding Pastor of The Fellowship Group East Point, Georgia Every good story needs a good storyteller. The story of Olu Menjay and Ricks Institute is a very good story. Michael Helms is a very good storyteller. Now the story will be shared far and wide. Thanks be to God for the story and its teller. -Dr. Richard F. Wilson Columbus Roberts Professor of Theology and Chair, Roberts Department of Christianity, Mercer University

Like other volumes in this unique series, Reading Colossians, Ephesians, & 2 Thessalonians focuses on comprehending the major themes of the epistles and their relationship to the understanding of the early Christian communities. With the focus on the work in its entirety rather than a verse-by-verse methodology, this volume will appeal to the professional and nonprofessional alike, as well as to college and seminary students.

There are many biblical stories which can be considered spiritual favorites, "greatest hits" even. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Noah and his ark. Moses and the crossing of the Red Sea. Daniel in the lions den. The Christmas story. Paul on the road to Damascus. This book isn't about any of these stories. In the pages of Hidden Treasures, the latest by pastor and author Judson Edwards, we go a bit off the beaten, scriptural path to meet unfamiliar people and visit unusual places. You'll meet Bezalel, Ahimaaz, and Diotrephes. You'll make stops in books rarely visited, like Lamentations, Habakkuk, Haggai, and 3rd John. Even if you've spent a good part of your life studying the Bible, you'll probably go places in this book that you've seldom been before. As you wander the back roads of the Bible, you'll be impressed with the people you meet and the sights you see. You might even come to believe that there are truths to be learned on the back roads that can't be learned anywhere else. Each chapter is accompanied by a list of questions for reflection and study that will help you draw insights from these stories into your own life.

Sessions with Colossians and Philemon is a ten-session study unit designed to provide a compelling preview to these two of Paul's letters. Each session is followed by a thought-provoking page of questions that allow for a deeper experience of the scriptural passages. These resource pages can be used by seminar leaders during preparation and group discussion, as well as in individual Bible study. Eric Porterfield takes readers on a journey through Paul's letters to the Colossians and to Philemon. These letters celebrate the good news that God is on the move in the world through Jesus Christ, shaping the world into what it was created to be. This movement will one day be complete when Christ returns to fully establish the kingdom of God. Until that day we work for the kingdom, give witness to it, and invite others to enter it through faith in Christ. Paul's letters equipped their original audiences and they equip us to be "on the move with God" as faithful kingdom workers.

In 1993, Smyth & Helwys released the book Learning to Dream Again by noted pastor, teacher, and writer Charles Bugg. The book told of Bugg's son David, whose malignant brain tumor sent David and his entire family down a path filled with the pain of medical tests, surgeries, and radiation, as well as the disappointment of dreams which may never be fulfilled. The response to Bugg's story as told in Learning to Dream Again was overwhelming. Fourteen years later, Bugg has updated the story in this new book, Lingering Grief. Not only does this new book continue the story of David and his family, but it also considers the stories of countless others who connected to the earlier book and who shared with the author their stories of dealing with the lingering grief of their pain and, indeed, learning to dream again.

"When I was a young girl, my parents warned me never to record my story with black ink on white paper." So begins Finding My Way Home, the story of one Chinese Christian girl in an age of great change for a great nation. The memoir follows the trials and travails of Nettie Ma and her family as they endure Japanese occupation and then Chairman Mao's Communist Cultural Revolution. From the conversion of her grandfather in China by an American missionary to the desire to pass this same legacy on to her children, Nettie Ma traces her Christian journey through the valleys and peaks that have led her to a new home in the United States. With black ink on white paper, Nettie Ma now tells about that journey.

For today's youth, life is filled with new choices, new decisions, new feelings, new perspectives, and new freedoms. During this time, teens are forming the belief systems that will influence their adult faith, and their ideas about the nature of God, the Bible, and the church. Will teen involvement in church youth programs provide them with a framework for making important choices? Will this time nurture values and encourage their emerging identities to be deeply Christian?Something wonderful can happen when you mix teenagers, the Bible, and an enthusiastic teacher together. Many teenagers are hungry to learn about the Bible, what it means, and how it can be applied to their lives. Traditionally, this type of education happens in Sunday School. Unfortunately, too many Youth Sunday School teachers are not prepared or feel inadequate when it comes to teaching teens. They do their best, but all they are doing is surviving the Sunday school hour.Help! I Teach Youth Sunday School offers the Sunday school teacher specific tips and hints to prepare for and care for teens. Real-life stories are mingled with information on Youth and their culture, common myths about Sunday school, a new way of preparing the Sunday school lesson, creative teaching ideas, ways to think about growing a class, and how to reach out for new members while reaching in to old members.

The Glad River is a deeply affecting novel. No one in Claughton County ever understood why Doops Momber refused to be baptized: his people were all good Baptists. And no one in Cummings, Mississippi, knew that Kingston Smylie's daddy was really his granddaddy and that Kingston wasn't really white. And at Camp Polk, no one knew anything at all about Fordache Arceneau because he spoke only Cajun. They met in basic training. Green kids who'd always felt themselves to be outsiders, they formed a community of three. They called it the neighborhood. After seeing action together at Guadalcanal, the three friends went back to the lives they'd each known, but they went on meeting regularly, keeping up the neighborhood. Their lives were untroubled, until the day Fordache found himself accused of murder, on trial for his life. And in a small Southern courtroom in the autumn of 1952, the neighborhood - bound by love and based on understanding - faced its ultimate test. The Glad River is a deeply affecting novel. Grounded in a particular place and time, its themes are, nonetheless, universal. A novel that probes the limits of religion and the state, it is also the work of a master storyteller and civil rights activist whose works are considered a treasure of modern Southern literature.Will D. Campbell is a widely recognized and honored preacher, writer, speaker, and civil rights leader. He is a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Lillian Smith Prize and the Christopher Award. In 2000, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal. His major works are nonfiction, telling among others, the stories of Mercer University (The Stem of Jessee), a communal farm (Providence), and his own life (Brother to a Dragonfly). He is also an esteemed writer of fiction, including The Glad River, Cecilia's Sin, and two children's books. Before his death in 2013, Will lived in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.Praise for The Glad RiverIn these days of books about religion and community, we need a book like The Glad River - about real religion and real community. And it's real funny, a testament to the big heart of a great man, one of America's outlaw heroes: Will Campbell." - Clyde Edgerton, author of Raney and Walking Across EgyptIn The Glad River, Will Campbell offers us a wild ride, a picaresque pilgrimage through the Deep South, ar, and madness to salvation. His book explores themes of community, race, and redemption; the claims of the past and the power of stories. But it's a free-wheeling free-for-all, a rollicking gift of a novel. If Will Campbell writes like a crazy angel, maybe it's because he is one. You'd better join up - this is one trip you don't want to miss." - Lee Smith, author of Oral History and The Last Girls

The Cotton Patch Gospel, by Koinonia Farm founder Clarence Jordan, recasts the stories of Jesus and the letters of Paul and Peter into the language and culture of the mid-20th century South. Born out of the Civil Rights struggle, these now classic translations of much of the New Testament bring the far-away places of Scripture closer to home: Gainesville, Selma, Birmingham, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. As Jordan once wrote, "While there have been many excellent translations of the Scriptures into modern English, they still have left us stranded in some faraway land in the long-distant past. We need to have the good news come to us not only in our own tongue but in our own time. We want to be participants in the faith, not merely spectators." More than a translation, The Cotton Patch Gospel continues to make clear the startling relevance of Scripture for today. These editions come complete with new Forewords and a new Introduction by Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller. Smyth & Helwys Publishing is proud to help reintroduce these seminal works of Clarence Jordan to a new generation of believers.

ChristHeart is a book of meditations based on thirty-four (34) events or teachings from the life of Jesus Christ. The reader is invited to enter more fully into the life of the human Jesus and to identify with the feelings and thoughts of Christ as he carried out his earthly ministry. Designed to facilitate contemplative prayer, the author encourages readers to imagine the responses of Jesus as he dealt with conflict, entered into friendship with the disciples and others, and healed people and taught them about a vital, personal, love relationship with God. The reader can enter into the experiences of Jesus by reading a selected scripture from the Gospels and one of the meditations, and then picturing the scene and identifying with the feelings and thoughts of Jesus in that scene. At the end of each meditation is a question to encourage reflection and a deepening of one's own understanding of how the life of Christ intersects with and transforms the reader's life. Miley has written seven mediations for each of the thirty-four (34) Gospel stories.

Many Christians do not know how to utilize the wisdom of the Psalms. Drawing upon more than thirty years of pastoral ministry, the author offers a fresh approach to integrating the Psalms into the life of the whole church. He not only illustrates practical ways to utilize the Psalms in liturgy and preaching, but also suggests ways to use the Psalms in pastoral care. The Psalms can become the framework for examining current ethical problems and for providing self-care for clergy. McCutchan examines the Psalms with these goods in mind, and confronts the issue of the harsh language of the psalms, suggesting that this language may well be the key to helping believers bring their whole lives to the worship of God. Experiencing the Psalms can be used as a resource for the congregation that seeks to bring the language of spirituality to the lives of the believers. This book provides an effective strategy for clergy who want to help their members cope with their pain and share their joys in all aspects of their lives.

Is the role of clergy best defined by power or by servanthood? Does the laity have a substantive or a decorative place in the mission of the church? Will the clergy let go of the church and trust it to a laity who alone can incarnationally live out her mission? Priests to Each Other raises these and other questions, urging laity and clergy to rethink life in the local church.Carlyle Marney possessed the uncanny ability to see just beyond the horizon and anticipate issues churches would soon face. Who could have imagined when this book was first published all that would occur in Baptist life during the latter half of the twentieth century? Ahead of his time, Marney challenged us to embrace the priesthood of all believers.

Cousar interprets three letters of Paul, each of which shows him in a different light. In Galatians, the apostle contends for the gospel against a group of Jewish Christian missionaries who have come into the congregation. In Philippians, Paul addresses his favorite community in intimate terms to offer thanks for a gift they have sent him and to urge them to maintain unity in the face of opposing forces. 1 Thessalonians, Paul's first letter, is written to encourage the congregation in that city to lead lives worthy of the gospel. The commentary traces the movement of the letters, paragraph by paragraph, and pays particular attention to the literary character of the writing, and to the theological implications of the text for the church today.

Reading John concentrates on the literary and theological distinctives of the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles. New Testament scholar Charles Talbert's unique commentary considers the entire scope of these works attributed to John, their literary settings and particularities, and their continuing theological importance to the Christian story. Thoughtful and engaging, Reading John is an essential book for students and ministers studying the New Testament and the Johannine writings.

Answers to the usual introductory questions do not yield sufficient harvest to enable an intelligent reading of Acts. The approach of Reading Acts is to ask how ancient Mediterranean auditors would have heard Acts when it was read in their presence. To be successful Talbert divides this approach into two parts- how Acts would have been heard in its precanonical context and in its canonical context.

hroughout the struggles of life and in times of great love and joy, many people are affected emotionally by music. The Bible and popular music are the subjects of this book, which tries to make sense out of life's complexities-work, relationships, family, -politics, and religion-through the contemporary music of today. Music touches us at our deepest emotional level. It comforts our sorrows, reminds us of old memories and specific times in the past, and makes us smile or cry. As humans, we encounter numerous temptations, go through many dark experiences, and want answers to life's dilemmas. David Currie describes these experiences as "deserts"-places and times when we feel alone, scared, and hopeless. Songs in the Desert uses music and the Bible to help people who are trapped in broken relationships, deception, isolation, shattered dreams, materialism, anger, pride, and many other human frailties that are the deserts of our soul.

Reading Matthew provides thorough guidance through Matthew's story of Jesus. Garland's commentary reveals the movement of the story's plot while also highlighting the theology of Matthew. Reading Matthew is an essential book for students and ministers studying the first Gospel.

Reading Hebrews and James provides a clear path through the unique and often divisive Letter to the Hebrews and Letter of James. Isaacs's commentary on these two letters expertly considers questions of authorship and historical context while also making both Hebrews and James undeniably relevant for today's faith. Preachers and teachers alike will benefit from the essential study that Reading Hebrews and James offers.

Brian Harbour applies the stories of Jesus, which are eternally relevant, in fresh ways for Christians in the twentieth century who want to live by the truths Jesus presented in the first century. Through stories and commentary the author examines sixteen of Jesus' stories and focuses on the central truths of the parables and their application to Christian living today. The author also provides preaching resources on some of the richest sections of the Gospels for those who have been called to instruct and inspire contemporary Christians. Debate has ensued through the centuries about the best title for Jesus. Should we refer to him as Lord or Christ or Son of Man or Son of God? Which title is best? Maybe we need to remember Jesus as the Storyteller, one who threw common, real-life stories next to eternal, spiritual truths. And what lessons Jesus taught! - From the Preface

Imagine the excitement of coordinating every aspect of a church's life during the Advent season. Older children, youth and adults study coordinated Sunday School lessons. The Sunday morning worship experience continues the theme. Intergenerational activities further unpack the theme on Wednesday or Sunday evenings. Celebrate Advent offers this sort of comprehensive church-wide experience for a church. The included Sunday school lessons offer a Bible study for older children, youth and adults. Fully developed worship outlines are also provided, complete with prayers, litanies, children's sermons, and even a sample sermon for each Sunday. Then, instructions for a intergenerational Bible studies and gatherings are offered for use on Wednesday or Sunday nights. Celebrate Advent provides a warm and wonderful way to draw your congregation together during this meaningful season. Materials included: - 4 fully developed worship outlines, including prayers and litanies - 4 children's sermons - 4 sermons - 4 Sunday School lessons for older children - 4 Sunday School lessons for youth - 4 Sunday School lessons for adults - 4 Plans for intergenerational gatherings & studies

Discover the dedication, humanity, and intrigue of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German pastor and theologian who was executed by the Nazis at age 39 for his part in the "Officers' Plot." This historical novel commemorates the final 10 years of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The Leadership Labyrinth: Negotiating the Paradoxes of Ministry by noted pastor and author Judson Edwards is an original and wholly unorthodox book on what it takes to be a pastor in the 21st century. It offers no simple answers, gimmicks, or church growth suggestions. Instead, Edwards, who has been a pastor for over thirty years, says that ministry is paradoxical, irrational and fun! He explores more than twenty paradoxes that every pastor needs to understand. If you've grown tired of "self-help" books for pastors, and if you're skeptical of "techniques" for being an effective leader, this book is for you. It will jar you out of conventional thinking about church leadership and make you glad again to be a pastor.

One of the factors that sometimes provides art with a richer sense of texture is its ability to draw an allusion to the classic expressions of human culture, thought, and experience. The Bible is no exception and has often been received through its incorporation into works of art- the plays of Shakespeare, the paintings of Rembrandt, the sculptures of Michelangelo, the stories of Flannery O'Connor, the films of Martin Scorsese. Raising Cain, Fleeing Egypt, and Fighting Philistines considers the overwhelming influence that Old Testament imagery has had on some of the most popular musical artists of our time- from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen to OutKast. Ideal for use in personal reflection or small group study, this book contains questions for consideration and discussion after each chapter. Also included are handy charts linking the considered songs to their biblical references, creating an ease-of-use for teaching and further study.

Many pastors come to ministry with the potentially lethal combination of low self-esteem and high expectations of themselves and others. While the minister is set aside to preach, he or she is not immune to the same struggles that everyone faces. How they deal with themselves as persons is reflected in their proclamations as pastor and preacher. Witness of a Fragile Servant looks at both the preparation of the preacher and the sermon. It tries to call ministers to care for themselves as well as to cultivate effective sermons.

Becoming Fire invites the reader to engage in the age-old practice of listening to stories to activate our creative imagination. Thirty-three meditations arranged for daily reading would enhance the prayer and Bible study of people who are seeking a personal, vital love relationship with Jesus Christ.Ideal for all ages, Becoming Fire will be of interest to the serious seeker as well as a useful tool for beginners in their spiritual journey. Each daily entry is followed by a question for contemplation and personal spiritual growth.

This volume is dedicated to the study of three late, little-known biblical works that historically have been relegated to the lesser works of the New Testament. Reading 1 Peter, Jude, and 2 Peter underscores the light that these letters shed upon one another and focuses on the snapshots they provide of early Christian communities as they encountered the social and religious environment in which they were situated. Careful reading of 1 Peter reveals the complex world of the post-apostolic period. Jude and 2 Peter provide a sober look at the early community's evolution in doctrinal and moral terms.

"Trafton has produced a clear, understandable, insightful reading of the book of Revelation - not an easy task for a book that has left many readers puzzled and confused. One of the particular strengths of Trafton's commentary is his close attention to the structure of John's work and the internal connections between various passages of the book. Readers will also benefit from Trafton's identification of John's extensive indebtedness to the Hebrew Bible for much of his imagery and ideas." - Mitchell G. Reddish O.L. Walker Professor of Christian Studies and Chair, Department of Religious Studies Stetson University