"Naming where we see crisis can upset us," writes Doughty. "It probably ought to. Distress, at its best, creates awareness. It awakens us to where we are." The Chinese symbol for crisis reflects its dual reality: danger yet opportunity. Even as a crisis threatens, it can bring wholly unanticipated chances for personal and communal growth. At such critical junctures, you want to know you can count on the sound, discerning counsel of genuine leaders—who seem so short in supply right now. Our tr...

Accountable Discipleship: Living in God's Household is a book about pastoral leadership in the Wesleyan tradition. Pastoral leadership is the ministry of caring for the household of God. Both laity and clergy are called to this ministry. Those who read and study this book will be invited to discover their own ministry as pastoral leaders. All who follow Jesus Christ and seek to obey his teachings to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind," and "love your...

"This book is truly about life with God: a life in which the awareness and consciousness of God sweep us off our feet the way a lover would. It is about taking on the mind of Christ, a process that is a journey, the journey of prayer." So begins Wolpert's invitation to fully experience the lifeline God offers us in prayer. Creating a Life with God goes beyond the rote prayers that so many of us have experienced and found wanting. In fact, Wolpert admits that his own frustration with the formu...

"A threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12). A relationship where God and spouses are entwined is as strong and resistant to stresses as a braided cord. "A stable, meaningful marriage is further strengthened by a shared spiritual journey," write the authors. "There's a reciprocal relationship between marital and spiritual growth. In our counseling, we often hear how joint faith is one of the most important factors in the vitality and stability of marriage." In Love Never Ends...

"I want to find a way to live that keeps me involved in what God is doing in me and in the world around me. Do you know a way to live that is like that?" Eighteen teens and 18 adults tackle that question in Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens. Their different points of view and personal stories make living a Christian life real. "This book invites you into a community of people who don't just go with the flow," say the editors. "This community's image of 'the good life' is not about ha...

Remembering Your Story invites readers to connect their faith stories with others and with God's story as revealed in scripture. Morgan guides readers to deeper memories of God's presence in all portions of their lives. Individuals and small groups will find this book offers them blessings as they discover God's working throughout their journey. This revised edition of Morgan's work reflects his workshops, seminars, and conversations concerning spiritual autobiography. It also more intentiona...

Warning: This book could change the way you live. "Although I've experienced what it's like to get overextended, I've never been poor without options or help," writes Hagmann. "My faith tells me that being a Christian must affect who I am and how I behave with my wealth. Christ has something to say about the way I live my daily life, from how I treat others to how I spend my money." Do you make everyday economic decisions that reflect your Christian faith and values? Or are you "living large"...

John Wesley (1703 - 1791), one of the greatest preachers of all time, preached more than 40,000 sermons. Wesley's sermons centered on God's unconditional love, freely offered to all through Christ. Wesley preached at coal mines and in fields and sparked a great spiritual renewal. Wesley's published sermons instructed the people in Christian discipleship and explained the core understandings of the Methodist movement. Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit offers contemporary readers an approach to...

Trends reveal that more and more people are using vacation time to experience new things or to help others. This book will help you consider how you can use your free time toward discipleship. Whether you go with a construction team, a traveling choir, or as an individual volunteer missionary abroad, you'll end up receiving more from the experience than you give. Short-term mission projects can change an individual's life and the ministry of any church. Transforming Ventures approaches these ...

In the harried, expect-the-unexpected flow of everyday life, faith seems far away for many people. Your car breaks down. The bills are due. The kids need school supplies. The business report remains unwritten. In A Wakeful Faith, Jenkins asserts that living awake to God in all of our daily affairs is the answer. Only when we become consciously aware of God's gracious activity in the details of the day can we transform and find purpose in our lives today. "Each day brings a flood of demands fo...