Showing results by narrator "William Sarris" in All Categories

Church growth models have often been long on promises and short on disciple-making. We continue to watch consistent church attendance shrink, and our desire to reach the lost is infected with a need for self-validation by growing our numbers at any cost. If we believe that God wants his church to grow, where do we go from here? What is the future of the church?

Respected pastor and best-selling author Chip Ingram unpacks Philippians 4 to help us choose peace in any circumstance in life, including relational conflict, anxious moments in our personal lives, or difficult circumstances that are beyond our control.

We were created by God and for God, and the only way to find true joy, peace, and contentment is by understanding and embracing his wisdom. Wisdom is not some highbrow philosophical concept, but rather a highly practical tool for living the best possible life. The Wisdom of God captures Tozer's teaching on this topic as a way to understand the well-lived Christian life.

The disciplines of biblical studies and theology should serve each other, and they should serve both the church and the academy together. But the relationship between them is often marked by misunderstandings, methodological differences, and cross-discipline tension. New Testament scholar Scot McKnight here highlights five things he wishes theologians knew about biblical studies. In a companion volume, theologian Hans Boersma reflects on five things he wishes biblical scholars knew about theology.

Every pastor knows what it's like to be criticized. But how does he respond? And how does he offer constructive criticism of his own? With wisdom and charity, Joel Beeke and Nick Thompson answer these questions and more. The Bible is full of critics, and it gives us practical principles for responding to criticism, offering criticism, and creating a healthy church culture. As Beeke and Thompson unfold a theological vision for coping with criticism in the gospel ministry, you will be strengthened, encouraged, and equipped.

Prompted by a friend to describe Jesus as he is - not as he was or will be in the coming days - Dick Eastman found himself stammering. What followed over many months was a desire to get to know the Jesus who had changed his life, but in a much fuller and richer way - now! From then on, on scraps of folded paper in his pockets, Eastman found himself recording adjectives describing the nature and character of Jesus Christ, expanding them later into a personal devotional journal.

Veith explores and presents a true understanding of justification by faith, the means of grace, vocation, theology of the cross, the two kingdoms, worship, and the church. This is a revised edition of the original text written in 1999.

This collection of booklets on cultivating Biblical godliness covers topics that are essential to life as a follower of Christ. Each book in this bundle aims to address a wide variety of people and situations, while discussing the fundamentals of Christianity.

This accessibly written textbook has been a popular introduction to the Pentateuch for over twenty-five years. It identifies the major themes of the first five books of the Bible and offers an overview of their contents. Unlike some academic studies, it focuses on how the books from Genesis to Deuteronomy form a continuous story that provides an important foundation for understanding the whole Bible. This new edition has been substantially updated throughout to reflect the author's refined judgments and to address the future of pentateuchal studies.

Pastors and ministry leaders are some of the hardest-working people in the world—and they have the high rate of burnout to prove it. As a leader, if you aren't operating at peak efficiency and taking care of yourself, it is bound to catch up with you in a big way. So few in ministry feel they have the time to take a sabbatical or tend to their own physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. But healthy rhythms of work and rest are the key to a thriving, long-term ministry.

Spiritual transformation is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Each of us has a particular identity, gifts, values, roles, and purpose. Thus we each need distinct spiritual rhythms that are designed to help us live out that vocation and calling. In this practical book Alastair Sterne shows how we can craft a life of more intentionality, becoming Christlike in ways that fit who we are. First we discover who God made us to be, in all our distinctiveness. Then we enter into spiritual practices that flow out of that particular sense of identity.

What happens when you're no longer setting goals and chasing dreams that work for you alone? When the career choices you make have ripple effects on your family? These are some of the questions you ask yourself as you struggle to balance managing your career with managing your family. In Managing Your Career, experts provide answers to the challenges you face as a working parent, from negotiating a flexible schedule to overcoming the parenthood penalty whether you're taking time off, treading water, or reentering the workforce.

Without words, apps would be an unusable jumble of shapes and icons, while voice interfaces and chatbots wouldn't even exist. Words make software human-centered, and require just as much thought as the branding and code.

Straightforward, thorough, and grounded in biblical understanding, this book warns Christians about dangers that could potentially lead a believer to become an unbeliever (falling away from faith) and share in the unbeliever's eternal condemnation.

Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible, proposes ten questions that will help you navigate God’s Word with clarity and confidence. Every question can be answered by looking within the Bible. The questions will direct you to discover the text, context, and real-life application of passages in the Bible.

What does a scrappy church look like? Let's take a look together.

Whether you experience nagging worry or debilitating panic, God's Word offers hope and help. In this 31-day devotional, pastor and biblical counselor Paul Tautges delves deeply, but gently, into the heart of fear and unbelief, using daily readings, reflection questions, and practical application to fuel the faith that strengthens inner security and peace. In the 31-Day Devotionals for Life series, biblical counselors and Bible teachers guide you through Scripture passages that speak to specific situations or struggles, helping you to apply God's Word to your life in practical ways.

While we often start with good intentions, it feels like real transformation is elusive at best, and maybe even impossible. We deeply want to live in the freedom that Christ offers, but we are acutely aware of the gap between a transformed life and our reality. Having the Mind of Christ tackles the issues of lasting life change. Pastors Matt Tebbe and Ben Sternke share eight axioms that help reframe the way that we see God, ourselves, and others. By seeing through new lenses, we can open ourselves to the transformational change that God wants for our lives.

How much equality does democracy need to survive? Political thinkers have wrestled with that question for millennia. Aldo Schiavone guides us through historical thickets, from the first democracy to the present day, seeking solutions to the enduring tension between democracy and inequality. Turning from antiquity to the modern world, Schiavone shows how the American and the French revolutions attempted to settle old debates, introducing a new way of thinking about equality.

In 1784, Thomas Jefferson was a broken man. Reeling from the loss of his wife and stung from a political scandal during the Revolutionary war, he needed to remake himself. Wandering through Europe, Jefferson saw and learned as much as he could, ultimately bringing his knowledge home to a young America. There, he would rise to power and shape a nation. More than two hundred years later, Derek Baxter, a devotee of American history, stumbles on an obscure travel guide written by Jefferson—Hints for Americans Traveling Through Europe—as he's going through his own personal crisis.