Vampires first entered the pop culture arena with Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula. Today, vampires are everywhere. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the Twilight Saga to HBO's True Blood series, pop culture can't get enough of the vampire phenomenon.Bringing her literary expertise to this timely subject, Susannah Clements reveals the roots of the vampire myth and shows how it was originally immersed in Christian values and symbolism. Over time, however, ...

Learn how to teach the Bible with PowerThis small book will show you how to teach the Bible, verse by verse, and actually see people's lives changed. It's not some black art of secret power, but there are some things you really need to know. This is especially true if you are ministering in a mainline denomination which no longer has manifestations of the power of God on a regular basis. It's quite possible you were never taught these simple principles.You cannot imagine ho...

Youth ministry veteran and bestselling author, Duffy Robbins, offers an updated and revised edition of his book about the important, behind-the-scenes mechaincs of youth ministry. The tasks of budgeting, decision-making, time management, team ministry, staff relationships, conflict resolution, working with parents, and a range of other issues, are the things that keep a ministry together and functioning well. Nobody gets into youth ministry because they want to think about these things; bu...

Essayist and biographer Alan Jacobs introduces us to the world of original sin, which he describes as not only a profound idea but a necessary one. As G. K. Chesterton explains, "Only with original sin can we at once pity the beggar and distrust the king."Do we arrive in this world predisposed to evil? St. Augustine passionately argued that we do; his opponents thought the notion was an insult to a good God. Ever since Augustine, the church has taught the doctrine of original sin, ...

A biblical companion to the happy life! Learn how Gnostic dualism invaded the church, killed the party and taught you the world was evil. Religious mindsets of dualism have blinded us to the God-given joys and pleasures of this world. We have often separated our spirituality from earthiness. But did Jesus really condemn all enjoyment of this world? Is God the creator or the enemy of this world's delights? In this scandalous upcoming book, John Crowder exposes the...

Starting Right: Thinking Theologically About Youth Ministry is the first academic textbook that introduces youth ministry students (whether undergraduate or graduate level) to a marriage of solid research, real life, and accessible design. Whereas most college-level texts may reflect a thorough (though impenetrable) mastery of the field, they tend to expect readers to plow through unnecessarily thick prose and bland design because “it’s good for them.” Youth Specialties doesn’t agree. In t...

The Collected Letters of St. Teresa of Avila, Volume Two contains Letters from 1578 to 1582 Includes Biographical Sketches and Sources for the Biographical Sketches. This second and final volume of St. Teresa's correspondence begins with the year 1578, a most troubling time for Teresa. A keen observer of the reality around her as well as within, Teresa in these letters focuses light on many of the struggles in both the Carmelite order and the church of sixteenth-century Spa...

You can’t afford to live casually, haphazardly.No matter your age, you were born into a plethora of expectations of what it means to be a woman. How easily we assume impoverished views of womanhood as we hoist beauty and desirability above the more enduring traits of self-possession and dignity. We tend to live as divided and distracted selves, allowing our bodies and minds to drift to opposite poles while swapping our pursuit of God for tamer, lesser loves.

Have you ever. . .? -Thought you were going to die? (When? Where? What brought you through it? - Been a teacher's pet? (What grade? How did you feel?) - Had a miracle happen to you? (What happened? Who did you tell?) - Said something you didn't mean just to be polite? (Why did you do it? What situation would cause you to do it again?) Inside are 442 more zingers like these, that nudge your kids' memories and get them talking -- perfect for launching small-group discussion, building communi...

"John Ploughman’s Pictures" is the second in the series of two "Ploughman Books" by Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon took common phrases off the day and used them to teach spiritual lessons. Spurgeon told his Parables, or talks, from the point of view of an English Plowman named John, and he tried to mix truth and humor in his tales. Familiar phrases recognizable in this book are “If the cap fits wear it” and “Don’t Put the cart before the horse”. Filled with good advice, each chapter’s adage is...

Join award-winning author Devin Brown as he takes readers on a fascinating journey to the land of Narnia. Whether you’re a longtime fan of The Chronicles of Narnia or are just discovering them for the first time, you will be amazed and inspired as you undertake your very own chapter-by-chapter guided tour of C. S. Lewis’s beloved classics.If you have only traveled to Narnia through the wardrobe, there is so much more to explore. Join Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy on their second t...

We all know that youth ministry can be hard. Sadly, many youth workers walk away from their jobs, their callings, and their passion because their interior worlds are falling apart. That’s why Soul School is essential for developing an effective and healthy you(th) ministry. Because while your ministry might look healthy to outsiders, only you know that something is lacking. It’s easy to get so busy caring for the external parts of your ministry that you forget the most important part—your ...