The Advent season is a time to celebrate that our God came, is coming, and will come again. As we travel the road to Christmas, the presence of Christ is being revealed in our world. He is in our midst and takes up residence in our hearts. There are many ways to celebrate this time of anticipation-festivities, gifts, songs, food, time with friends and family, and traditions. There is one tradition of receiving a small gift each day through the use of the Advent calendar. In this 4-week devoti...

Contributors: William Willimon, M. Robert Mulholland, Jr., Steve Harper, Marjorie J. Thompson, Bill Hybels, Reginald Johnson, Jon David Walt, Jan Johnson, Neil B. Wiseman, Douglas S. Hardy, Morris A. Weigelt, E. Dee FreebornIn the midst of ministering to a congregation, meeting the needs of the community, and effectively sharing the gospel it can become easy for a pastor to forget his or her own need to cultivate a maturing, intimate relationship with Christ. In The Pastor's Guide to Person...

Contributors: Stan Toler, H.B. London, Jr., John Maxwell, Kennon L. Callahan, William H. Willimon, George G. Hunter III, Dr. James Earl Massey, Darius Salter, Ron Blake, Jerry Brecheisen, Mary Paul, Adam Hamilton, Tom Theriault, Robert Leslie HolmesHow can you change a stagnant, inward-focused church of pew-sitters into a growing, outreach-oriented fellowship of believers? In The Pastor's Guide to Growing a Christlike Church, you'll discover the keys to creating a vibrant, biblical, spiritua...

"It's just not working. Our lives are full, but our marriage is empty."Statements like this are becoming increasingly common among Christian couples today. Studies have shown that the rate of divorce is the same for both Christians and non-Christians, proving that often the Christian life makes little or no difference in martial satisfaction and longevity. Many Christian couples share a love for God but spend little time growing the love He has given them for each other. Making a Marriage add...

Contributors: Billy Graham, Janine Tartaglia-Metcalf, Eugene H. Peterson, Maxie Dunnam, William H. Willimon, Elizabeth Achtemeier, John A. Huffman, David Busic, Haddon W. Robinson, Dr. James Earl Massey, Darius Salter, Marva DawnBilly Graham, Eugene Peterson, William Willimon and other well-known church leaders teach you how to connect with the congregation through your preaching. Beyond the "how-to's" of preaching, The Pastor's Guide provides a foundation for embodying God's grace and holin...

When most women think of a pastor's wife, certain images come to mind: either a woman who's so holy she doesn't seem human, or someone sentenced to a life without fun, fashion, or friends. You will feel an instant sisterhood with Lisa, a senior pastor's wife happily serving in the trenches. She understands the challenges of a life lived before a congregation, from finding friends and coping with criticism to saying goodbye and starting all over again.Through Lisa's engaging style a...

Much has changed over Calvin Miller’s decades of pastoral ministry, but he believes two things remain the same: God is love and people are broken. Now God is calling young pastors to stand in that gap. And in this honest, warm and humorous series of letters, Miller shares his wisdom and experience so you can flourish in your future ministry—without ever wanting to resign on Monday.

Move over Boomers, Xers, and Millennials; there's a new generation--making up more than 25 percent of the US population--that represents a seismic cultural shift. Born approximately between 1993 and 2012, Generation Z is the first truly post-Christian generation, and they are poised to challenge every church to rethink its role in light of a rapidly changing culture.From the award-winning author of The Rise of the Nones comes this enlightening introduction to the youngest ...

A music minister resigns from his church because several board members threaten to have him removed if he doesn't return to a traditional worship style. Several people stop tithing in protest when their church decides to spend money on a new gym rather than a new fellowship hall. As a church starts a second service to accommodate their growing congregation, thirty members leave because they want to start a new building project instead. The consequences of unresolved conflict in the church ...

The man behind the pulpit is the communicator of the Word of God, the dispenser of heavenly wisdom that restores the fainting, encourages the weary, and motivates the determined. The preacher is a minister—a servant to God and to his fellow man.But who ministers to the minister?In Fit for the Pulpit a host of preachers dispense comfort and counsel to their brethren in the trenches, men who often work in ministerial isolation as they seek to build up the body of Chr...

Fear is hardwired into our brains and is a common biblical theme. To be afraid and to act on that fear is to remember that something in life is worth living for. Whitehead helps readers find the roots of hope in the soil of our fears so that we can form lives and communities of hope in the midst of fear.

"If you are in a position of positive influence, if you exercise leadership in any way, your faith in God gives you a power—a hidden power—that will allow you to make an enduring difference in the lives of other people and organizations. But how does that power work?"So says Mel Lawrenz in this fresh look at leadership which offers practical and biblical guidance to believers who want to have a deep influence and who want to know: What is the proper use of authority and power? Wher...