Title search results
Showing 1503081 - 1503100 of 1503298 items
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Create a culture of radical hospitality that surprises and delights guests beyond their expectations.Engaging worship and intentional follow-up processes are…
important, but what compels guests to return to our churches is the warmth of our welcome and hospitality that goes beyond their expectations. In The Art of Hospitality, Yvonne Gentile and Debi Nixon guide you and your church creating radical hospitality that infiltrates the heart and culture of the entire congregation. Complete with key principles and proven techniques and strategies, this compelling and practical program will transform the way you do church, leaving guests surprised, delighted, and eager to return. This Revised Edition includes new insights and strategies for effective hospitality and welcome in all aspects of your digital and in-person ministry. This book is for pastors and other leaders in the church. Choose the Companion Book for everyone else in the congregation.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Redefine leadership and character.Discover a path to a more connected and meaningful life with What the World Needs Now. Written…
by Clay Stauffer, a seasoned pastor, professor, husband, and father, this book explores moral leadership, character, and values that transcend generational and cultural divides. With 30 concise chapters covering topics such as love, hope, diversity, and joy, Stauffer invites you to reflect on how we can improve our relationships, reshape culture, and build a sustainable future for generations to come. Blending Christian wisdom with universally accessible principles, the book illuminates the importance of virtues, emotional intelligence, and spiritual growth. What the World Needs Now inspires readers from all walks of life to embody values of decency, civility, and mutual respect.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Watch out. God is on the way.It’s not within our own power to make a fresh start. If we’re to…
have a future different from the past, it must come as a gift, something not of our devising. What we need is a God who refuses to be trapped in eternity, a God who not only cares about us but is willing to show up among us and do something with us, here, now.In Heaven and Earth: Advent and the Incarnation, Will Willimon introduces you to the God who does just that, bringing heaven to earth and changing everything. In Advent we celebrate and anticipate the earth-shaking, life-transforming good news that God is coming to us. Watch out. Get ready. God is on the way.The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the four-week study, including session plans, activities, discussion questions, and multiple format options.Additional components for the four-week small group study include the book and DVD/Video Sessions featuring Will Willimon.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
A Vision of United Methodist Life Together.Our world needs love during these desperate days of radical polarization and division. Our…
United Methodist churches yearn to embrace love more completely because God first loved us. Our “faith” (including doctrine) is important; Christian “hope” (including renewal) is important; “love” of God and neighbor is more important. Multiplying Love underscores what matters most and stands in contrast to divisive misreadings of essential Methodist teachings. Chilcote helps us embrace anew the Wesleyan vision of love of Jesus as central to what we believe and how we live.When I finished Multiplying Love, I found myself jumping up and down shouting, “Yes, yes, yes! Gosh, do we need this!” We are at a remaking moment in the church. Dr. Chilcote beautifully articulates the deeper theological vision that beckons and sustains us. Multiplying Love helped me more thoroughly embrace the kind of loving people we are hoping to become. That’s what it’s all about to me, and this book nails it!—Rev. Christy Allen Holden, co-creator of The Channel UMC, a new hybrid community of faith (@christyallenholden)Every United Methodist pastor would do well to invite their church council to read Paul Chilcote’s brief and powerful Multiplying Love. It recalls the power of the Wesleyan approach to the gospel and makes a compelling case for the future of The United Methodist Church. I loved this book!—Rev. Adam Hamilton, Kansas pastor and author of Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Politics and government
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Until the early twentieth century, printed invitations to executions issued by lawmen were a vital part of the ritual of…
death concluding a criminal proceeding in the United States. In this study, Gordon Morris Bakken invites readers to an understanding of the death penalty in America with a collection of essays that trace the history and politics of this highly charged moral, legal, and cultural issue. Bakken has solicited essays from historians, political scientists, and lawyers to ensure a broad treatment of the evolution of American cultural attitudes about crime and capital punishment.Part one of this extensive analysis focuses on politics, legal history, multicultural issues, and the international aspects of the death penalty. Part two offers a regional analysis with essays that put death penalty issues into a geographic and cultural context. Part three focuses on specific states with emphasis on the need to understand capital punishment in terms of state law development, particularly because states determine on whom the death penalty will be imposed. Part four examines the various means of death, from hanging to lethal injection, in state law case studies. And finally, part five focuses on the portrayal of capital punishment in popular culture.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Religious biography, Social issues, Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
A compelling memoir and account of the Independent Fundamental Baptist church and its shocking history of religious abuse.Jocelyn Zichterman was…
born, raised, married into, and finally, with her family, fled the Independent Fundamental Baptist church. Founded by the fiery preacher Bob Jones, with several hundred thousand members, IFB congregants are told they must not associate with members of other Baptist denominations and evangelicals, with an emphasis on secrecy, insular marriages within the church, a subservience for women, and unusual child raising practices. In I Fired God, Jocelyn Zichterman systematically details the IFB's disturbing history, exposing a cult-like atmosphere of corruption, greed, and abuse. Having been initiated into its innermost circles, Zichterman knows that the gentle demeanor America sees in the form of the Duggar clan on 19 Kids and Counting disguises the truth about the darker side of the church. With written documentation and sources so thorough that law enforcement has used her work as a foundation for criminal prosecutions, Zichterman exposes the IFB with revelations including: - The disturbing world of abuse within the IFB and doctors and teachers who cater exclusively to church members and fail to report physical and sexual abuse- The IFB-controlled Bob Jones University, which issues degrees of questionable value while making vast sums of money for its founders- The way the IFB influences politics on the local, state, and national level, and protects its abusive culture under the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Religious biography, Christianity, True crime
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
A Must-Read: The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Millions, Alta“Gripping . . . Wonderfully thorough, the…
type of biography in which you learn just the right amount about everything . . . Magnificent.” —Casey Cep, The New YorkerSister, Sinner chronicles the dramatic rise, disappearance, and near-fall of Aimee Semple McPherson, America’s most famous woman evangelist.On a spring day in 1926, Aimee Semple McPherson wandered into the Pacific Ocean and vanished. Weeks later she reappeared in the desert, claiming to have been kidnapped. A national media frenzy and months of investigation ensued. Who was this woman? America’s most famous evangelist, McPherson was a sophisticated marketer who used spectacle, storytelling, and the newest technology—including her own radio station—to bring God’s message to the masses. Her innovations brought Pentecostalism into the mainstream, paved the way for televangelists, and shaped the future of American Christianity. Her Angelus Temple in Echo Park, Los Angeles, can be called the first megachurch. Her Foursquare Church continues, with more than eight million faithful around the world. But after her disappearance, as crowds gathered at the water’s edge, people asked: Was McPherson everybody’s saintly sister, or a con-artist sinner? The story of what happened next—sex scandals, religious persecution, legal shenanigans, the seemingly unshakable faith of thousands of followers, and the race to cover it all—runs through the center of Claire Hoffman’s thrilling Sister, Sinner. A riveting journey into the rise of popular religion in America and life in early Hollywood, and told with the flavor of the period's noir mysteries, this is an unforgettable story of an iconic woman, largely overlooked, who changed the world.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Religious texts, Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Scholars show how Jews and Christians read the same texts differently.The leader guide contains discussion questions and session plans for…
the study. It includes opening and closing prayers, optional activities, and weekly session goals. This leader guide, participant guide, and DVD are everything needed for an engaging study for your small group.In this Bible study based on their book, The Bible With and Without Jesus, esteemed Bible scholars and teachers Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler take readers on a guided tour of the most popular Hebrew Bible passages quoted in the New Testament to show what the texts meant in their original contexts and then how Jews and Christians, over time, understood those same texts. Passages include the creation of the world, the role of Adam and Eve, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, the book of Jonah, and Psalm 22, whose words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me,” Jesus quotes as he dies on the cross.Comparing various interpretations – historical, literary, and theological - of each ancient text, Levine and Brettler offer deeper understandings of the original narratives and their many afterlives. They show how the text speaks to different generations under changed circumstances, illuminating the Bible’s ongoing significance. By understanding the depth and variety by which these passages have been, and can be, understood, The Bible With and Without Jesus does more than enhance our religious understandings; it helps us to see the Bible as a source of inspiration for any and all readers.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Read the stories of Jesus in a new light.When Jesus taught in parables, he was doing more than telling simple…
morality tales. His stories were grounded in the world in which he lived and his vision of the Kingdom of God. This book explores six parables that give us a window into Jesus’s message and movement, and, once they are heard in their own context, ask what they might mean for us today. Parables include: the New Wine and Wineskins, the Mustard Seed, the Leaven, the Wedding Party, the Workers in the Vineyard, and the Wicked Tenants.Other components for the study include a leader guide and teaching video are available.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Wrap your arms around the Good News for Lent.During Lent each year, Christians give up something as an act of…
sacrifice and spiritual discipline. Often it is something like chocolate, knowing that after Easter Sunday they can once again enjoy what they have given up. James Moore challenges readers to take it further—to give up something spiritually that they would be better off not doing. He invites all to seek God's help to focus on eliminating one habit or attitude that is destructive. Imagine giving up envy, jealousy, self-pity, apathy, procrastination, gossip, resentment, or negative thinking, how much better life would be.The forty days of Lent are ideal to use this study and prepare to give up something bad while preparing to fully embrace the Good News of Easter. Study includes seven sessions, one for each Sunday in Lent and Easter Sunday. Each session features a Scripture reference, a personal reading, questions for personal reflection or group study, and closing prayer.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Does your faith make room for questions?Everyone has doubts. Where is God when bad things happen? Does God hear our…
prayers? Is there a heaven? How can we know? Often, we treat such questions as the enemy of faith. But uncertainty doesn’t mean our belief is lacking. Doubt can be a path to a deeper, richer encounter with God. In Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith, join best-selling author and pastor Adam Hamilton as he discusses some of our most significant sources of doubt and shows how a steady trust in God can emerge from them. You will delve into questions like: “Does God exist? How can I know?” “Is the Bible true?” “Why do prayers go unanswered?” Hamilton approaches these sources of doubt with honesty and insight, drawing on the rich wisdom of the Bible, Christian tradition, and his experience walking with thousands of people on their spiritual journeys. Whether you’re a longtime Christian or someone brand new to faith, this book will lead you to a trust in God that gives you the courage to ask tough questions. Though you may wrestle with doubt, you’ll discover a faith that—rather than providing simple answers—includes belief and trust as well as uncertainty and mystery. The book can be used anytime throughout the year and can be read alone, used by small groups, or as an outreach gift for visitors. Components include a comprehensive Leader Guide, a six-session DVD featuring Adam Hamilton (with closed captioning), and a digital worship and sermon series, making this perfect as a group study and churchwide program done throughout the year.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Fantasy
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Some are born with magic. Some without.Matteo, un-magical counselor to the mighty of Halruaa, has devoted his life to the…
truth -- until he finds that he may have a hidden spark of magic after all. Now, with only a street waif for a companion, he's on the run from the mysterious Cabal. In the dismal Swamp of Akhlaur, Matteo will seek his own truth while battling a creature out of his nightmares.But something even worse is on his trail: a relentless persecutor of magic. The Magehound.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
A look at the Methodist tradition of social witness.Since the beginning of the Methodist movement, “Methodists” have spoken to the…
issues of the day as an expression of the Wesleyan commitment to social holiness. The General Board of Church and Society upholds the Wesleyan commitment to social holiness through witnessing to just social policies and practices. This 100-year commemorative book will utilize archival materials from the agency’s historic publications to tell the story.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Religion
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Learn to understand culture and implement positive change. A church’s culture is the launchpad for everything a church does, the…
starting point for every ministry. If the culture is “off,” everything else will be out of kilter. Church Culture equips every pastor and leader with the tools necessary for culture change. Authors Ozier and Thibodeaux, both experts in this area of church leadership, teach the basic concepts so readers can understand what culture is and why it’s so crucial. Even more importantly, they provide a step-by-step process leaders can use to diagnose and gently shift the culture in their church. For some churches, wholesale change is in order, but most need only to make some crucial adjustments. The book provides a full set of tools for implementing the process in any setting. The pastor's top priority is creating and maintaining the church’s culture; Ozier and Thibodeaux make the tasks easy to understand and show leaders how to proceed capably and carefully.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Learn what it means to be a United Methodist Christian.How may we describe United Methodists? Where do we come from?…
What do we believe? How do United Methodists act? What are our distinctive characteristics? What is required to be a member of our denomination? How do we grow as disciples of Jesus Christ within this great communion?In this resource, we offer answers to these questions and others in broad strokes as we describe our United Methodist Church. We will introduce you to how United Methodists live and think as followers of Jesus Christ.The United Methodist Church possesses the characteristics of many other Christian traditions but has its own distinctive profile. Our denomination combines knowledge and vital piety, believing that serious theological reflection and spiritual practices are both part of the Christian life. United Methodists link personal and social holiness, expecting high personal integrity and deep concern for social justice. We are both evangelical and sacramental, showing concern for people who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and honoring the transforming power of Baptism and Holy Communion. We welcome people with many different theological perspectives. Finally, United Methodists are both local and connectional, expressing our faith in local congregations, regional associations, and global missions, so that we might do more together than any of us could do separately.This book will help readers:· hear and claim for themselves the story of God’s love, God’s redemption, and God’s ongoing presence and power through Jesus Christ.· explore and claim for themselves the unique beliefs and emphases of United Methodist Christians.· identify ways to live day by day as United Methodist Christians as individuals and in community with other Christians.We invite you to claim for yourself the continuing story of God’s mighty acts of creation, redemption, and power through Jesus Christ within our great denomination. As you begin or continue to see yourself within this living, dynamic part of the universal body of Jesus Christ, we invite you to live, be, and grow as a United Methodist Christian.The book includes reflection questions. Supplementary resources include a downloadable Sermon, Worship, and Study Series outline.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
United Methodist take a stand, make a difference, and shape a better future.Discover the power of an active faith as…
United Methodist in your daily life with The Book of Resolutions. This new edition offers models for making a real impact on the world around us, as decided at the latest General Conference.Explore over 200 carefully curated positions on a wide range of subjects, conveniently organized into seven sections:The Natural WorldThe Political CommunityThe Nurturing CommunityThe World CommunityThe Social CommunityThe Economic CommunityOther ResolutionsWith a fully indexed format, finding the information you need is a breeze. Whether you're searching by resolution title, Scripture reference, or topic, this book has you covered.Available in English only.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
The way forward requires both old ways and new ways!Step into the world of Wesleyan beliefs and practices with this…
small, insightful, and impactful book! Join the Wesleys on their journey through early Methodism, and unlock hidden treasures that are still relevant today. Harper and Beck expertly guide readers towards a new era of Christian experience, combining old traditions with modern approaches for a revitalized church community. With its compact size, this book is perfect for leaders looking to unite their congregations around Methodist identity and future direction. Don’t miss out on this essential resource for shaping the next chapter in your faith journey!This book is a must-read for anyone in the Wesleyan faith stream, those involved in fresh expressions and other unconventional faith communities, and leaders within Wesleyan communities. Discover the heart of Methodist tradition, envision its relevance today, and boldly share these timeless treasures and new visions with others.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Learn what it means to “submit to be more vile” for today’s Methodists.Wesleyan Vile-tality calls us back to the roots…
of our identity. Centered on the moment John Wesley “submitted to be more vile" in spreading the love of God to all people, Ashley Boggan argues that Wesleyan vile-tality is at the core of who we are as Methodists. As rule-benders, rabble-rousers, and outcast-embracers, those early Methodists stood out and stood up. She traces how that original identity was lost as the predecessor denominations to The United Methodist Church grew and began to embrace respectability over “vile-tality.” In an accessible and engaging account of a fascinating history, these stories of our past call us to understand who we were, question who we are, and reclaim who we should be. Each chapter includes questions for personal reflection or group study.
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Fantasy
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Crossing the wide realms of the Faerûn in search of adventure, the dark elf princess Liriel Baenre and her companion…
Fyodor find themselves in the barbarian's homeland of Rashemen. In a land ruled by witches, Liriel must disguise herself lest she spark the people's hatred of dark elves. Yet from the deep tunnels of the Underdark, eyes glittering with malice are watching her every move, preparing for vengeance."...When [Elaine Cunningham] writes about the Forgotten Realms, she can see inside my head, somehow, and capture things the way I imagine them. She makes the fantastic real." -Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms and author of Elminster Must Die
Braille (Contracted), Electronic braille (Contracted), DAISY Audio (CD), DAISY Audio (Direct to Player), DAISY Audio (Zip), DAISY text (Direct to player), DAISY text (Zip), Word (Zip), ePub (Zip)
Christianity
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader provides resources for a 26-week devotional experience. The volume includes Scripture, spiritual readings (primarily quotes from…
the writings of John Wesley), and an essay by the author. This material is woven into a pattern for daily prayer and reflection. This devotional experience will lead readers to live with Wesley's ideas and spirit as a window or vehicle for reaching God. Among the 26 themes explored are: Scriptural Christianity; Life in Christ; Reaching Out to the Poor; The Means of Grace; Holiness of Life; Justifying Grace; The Ministry of All God's People; Sanctifying Grace; and God's Love and Ours. While intended for devotional use by both clergy and laity, pastors will also find this a helpful resource for sermon preparation. This wonderful guide to deeper spirituality will become a cherished companion for all who seek to grow in faith and knowledge of God.