Book: Creedal Apologetics - Learning to Use the Apostles' Creed to Defend and Proclaim the Christian Faith

The Apostles’ Creed was used in two distinct ways by the early Christian church: first, as a tool to teach new disciples the essentials of the faith, and second, as a defense for the faith from unbelievers and skeptics alike. In the world today, many are engaged in apologetics but with their presuppositions and subjective reasoning, they offer the world nothing different than their own subjective beliefs. Using the Apostles’ Creed as a guide enables the Christian to give a hope for the faith within using objective truths based on eyewitness testimony. This book teaches you how to use the Creed to stay on topic and bring out the essentials of the faith in a concise and graceful manner. Dr. Almodovar gives a rubber-hits-the-road approach to apologetics, offering various scenarios to show how Creedal apologetics is accomplished. This simple tool (the Apostles’ Creed), once used for defense, is dusted off, polished up,

Book: Gasping for Breath

 Gasping for Breath: Inviting God's Spirit Into Your Overwhelmed Life

If you're a mom or a dad trying to juggle work with childcare and homeschooling, a business or ministry leader adjusting on the fly to a rapidly changing and unprecedented landscape, or a young man or woman grappling with relationships, technology, schooling, and jobs in a virtual world, you’ll find yourself gasping for breath at some point. We all do.

If you’re wondering what it takes to endure when you’ve personally hit the wall, to stay in something and work through the challenges that try to hold you back when you can no longer breathe, this book may be for you.

Gasping for Breath is an invitation to learn how to breathe in the life-giving breath of God’s Spirit and become fully alive. God is breathing His life into men and women, renewing and restoring and recreating. Right here. Right now. He can do it for you. Take a deep breath, and let’s get started!

Book: How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World

Most Christians know they should be trying to tell their friends and family about Jesus. But in a post-Christendom world, personal evangelism is viewed negatively--it's offensive, inappropriate, and insensitive. Recent studies confirm that the majority of Christians rarely evangelize, worried they might offend their family or lose their friends. In How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy), author Sam Chan equips everyday Christians who are reluctant and nervous to tell their friends about Jesus with practical, tested ways of sharing their faith in the least awkward ways possible.

Drawing from over two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor, Chan explains why personal evangelism feels so awkward today. And utilizing recent insights from communication theory, cross-cultural ministry, and apologetics, he helps you build confidence in sharing your faith, and teaches you how to evangelize your friends and family in socially appropriate ways.

Book: Faith for Exiles - 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon

Faith for Exiles focuses on helping people who live in a 2020 society where following Jesus can be challenging and even disheartening.

Some are experiencing Negative perceptions, Church dropouts, Prodigals and nomads. 
It's easy to get discouraged by all that's going wrong when it comes to Christianity and the emerging generation. 
Yet what's going right? 
In fact, signs of hope are springing up all around. In Faith for Exiles, the author of unChristian and You Lost Me unveils major new Barna research that uncovers what's working--five practices that contribute to resilience. Enter the world of resilient young adult Christians and learn how they are sustaining faith. Finally, you can find hope in all that God is doing among young disciples today.

In a world where always-connected smart devices and search algorithms educate and entertain, digital Babylon is the new context for discipleship. 
Faith for Exiles reveals findings from a groundbreaking three-year research study of young Christians whose faith remains resilient even in exile. Barna president David Kinnaman teams up with former executive director of Youth Specialties Mark Matlock to help you:
• Make sense of chaotic cultural changes and respond with compassion to the next generation of believers
• Recognize the biblical concept of exile as an essential framework for following Christ today
• Discover five research-based practices that cultivate faithfulness in digital Babylon
• Prepare young Christians to be on mission with Jesus in the world
• Empower Jesus followers of all ages to thrive in our current exile

Book: The Gospel Driven Church

Many evangelical churches face the problem of the open "back door"--even as new people arrive, older members are leaving, looking for something else. Combined with this problem is the discipleship deficit, the difficult truth that most evangelicals are not reaching the unchurched at the rates they think they are. In fact, many of the metrics that we often "count" in the church to highlight success really don't tell us the full story of a church's spiritual state. Things like attendance, decisions, dollars, and experiences can tell us something about a church, but not everything.

To cultivate a spiritually healthy church we need a shift in our metrics--a "grace-shift" that prioritizes the work of God in the lives of people over numbers and dollars. 
Are people growing in their esteem for Jesus? 
Is there a dogged devotion to the Bible as the ultimate authority for life? 
Is there a growing interest in theology and doctrine? 
A discernible spirit of repentance? 
And perhaps most importantly, is there evident love for God and for our neighbours in the congregation?

Leading a church culture to shift from numerical success to the metrics of grace can be costly, but leaders who have conviction, courage, and commitment can lead while avoiding some of the landmines that often destroy churches. Wilson includes diagnostic questions that will help leaders measure--and lead team transparency in measuring as a group--the relative spiritual health of their church, as well as a practical prescriptive plan for implementing this metric-measuring strategy without becoming legalistic.

Most attractional church models can lean heavily on making changes to the weekend worship gatherings. And while some of these changes can be good, thriving grace-focused churches are driven by a commitment to the gospel, allowing the gospel to inform and shape the worship service and the various ministries of the church.

Contents
Chapter 1: The Dilemma
Chapter 2: The Metrics That Don’t Tell Us Everything
Chapter 3: The 5 Metrics That Keep Us On Mission
i. A growing esteem for Jesus.
ii. A dogged devotion to the Bible.
iii. An interest in theology and doctrine.
iv. A discernible spirit of repentance 
v. An evident love for God and neighbour
Chapter 4: Putting the Gospel in the Driver’s Seat
Chapter 5: Steering from the Stage
Chapter 6: Building Your Service Around Beholding
Chapter 7:  Press the Gospel reset of the church community
Chapter 8:  Moving toward mission
Chapter 9:  The three things you will need
Chapter 10:  Leading change in a graceful way

Book: Little steps Big Faith

From brain science to language development and social skills, we've never known more about how children's minds develop in the first five years of life. Yet with all the information available, Christian parents may find themselves confused about how to apply these learnings to daily life with their children. In Little Steps, Big Faith, early childhood expert Dr. Dawn Rundman navigates the research to arrive at surprising insights about how very young children experience God, and how parents can use science to teach faith.

What others are saying
"Grounded in scientific research regarding child development, Dawn Rundman's book provides parents (and grandparents) of infants and toddlers with encouragement and practical tips for encouraging Christian faith formation. For parents who want their child to be well-rounded not only intellectually, physically, and emotionally, but also spiritually, this will be an invaluable resource!" --Beth Lewis, President & CEO Emeritus, 1517 Media

"What a gem of a book! With stories, clarity, humor, and remarkable insight into brain science and developmental psychology, Dawn Rundman provides wisdom for parents, pastors, and all who care about the faith formation of children. From beginning to end, you will find an enthusiastic companion here not judgment or guilt trips and you will learn, laugh, and feel empowered for the amazing journey of raising children in the faith." --Rev. Ann C. Svennungsen, Bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA

"An important introduction to the brain science that Christian parents and caretakers need to know to help their children thrive. Dr. Rundman is an eloquent writer and an amusing guide." --Dr. Daniel J. Levitin, Bestselling author of This is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind


"Little Steps, Big Faith beautifully weaves together science, faith, and parenting. A welcome handbook for parents and pastors alike, Rundman's book utilizes her expertise in developmental psychology to give scientific rationale to the importance of steeping infants and toddlers in the language and practice of the Christian faith. Accessible, biblical, and practical, Little Steps, Big Faith is the perfect gift for new parents, baptismal sponsors, and anyone wishing to pass on the faith to the next generation." --Rev. Justin Lind-Ayres, Pastor and author of Is That Poop on My Arm?: Parenting While Christian

Table of Contents
Child Development +Faith: An introduction
Brain Development:  Experiences shape pathways
Attachment schemas:  Your love shows God's love
Language:  what we say matters
Literacy:  Introducing stories of faith
Music:  Your playlist makes a difference
Whole-body parenting:  Caring with touch and movement
Routines and rituals:  Do it then do it again
Community:  why churches are rich contexts
Now what?   How live it

Book: From Surviving to Thriving: A Practical Guide to Revitalize Your Church by John H Krahn

For years, Rev. Dr. John H. Krahn has been one of his denomination's most successful interim pastors whom God has used to save many dying churches. He shares his proven methods for helping churches which are barely surviving to once again thrive. Whether your church is on life support or is doing quite well, this book shares ways and insights which will strengthen your church and its ministry. Unlike other books on church growth, From Surviving to Thriving -- A Practical Guide to Revitalize Your Church, is a hands-on approach that will assist you and your church greatly. Dr. Krahn believes that no church should fail. He has written this book to help your church once again thrive.


Inside you will find a good measure of practical advice, pressed down, shaken together and running over with experience and good sense. There are not many suggestions that cannot immediately be put into practice by pastors and members of congregations alike. Pastor Krahn has done what he recommends and seen the results of intentional missional ministry in more than one context. The book is overflowing with good stories and examples of excellent ministry. He draws richly from the pastoral imagination of other settings. We all know that the current culture does not necessarily support our congregational revitalization, but rather than simply analyze the situation and describe the problem, the author proposes concrete and effective practices in worship, finances, and programs that he has seen work. There are no silver bullets to address our challenges but a comprehensive approach including, among others, getting the church's financial house in order, practicing good stewardship, developing a strategic plan and vision, marketing the church in new and old ways, and developing an evangelism program. 

Here is a book by a veteran pastor who knows how to revitalize a congregation that is long on hope and short on excuses.

Some chapters included: 

• Stop Making Excuses and Start Doing Something 
• Get Your Church's Financial House in Order 
• Reclaim Your Inactive Members 
• Reach the Unchurched in Your Community 
• Remove the Roadblocks That Impede Thriving 
• Expect God's Miracles 

Rev Dr. John H. Krahn has been in the pastoral ministry for forty-eight years. He was pastor of the largest Lutheran church in New York for twelve years with a staff of fifty people.  Dr. Krahn earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia Senior College (Fort Wayne, Indiana), and his Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary (St. Louis, Missouri). He earned his Masters in Education and Theological Studies from Union Theological Seminary, his Masters in Curriculum and Teaching from Columbia University, and his Doctor of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary (all in New York, New York). He has been the Executive Director of the United Lutheran Appeal, the Director of Recruitment at Long Island Lutheran High School, an Army Chaplain, owned a Christian group travel business and traveled all over the world. Krahn is a professional fund raiser, has been a lecturer, taught high school, served as interim pastor at five floundering Lutheran churches, and continues to work as a paid church consultant. He is the go-to-guy in his synod to turn around dying churches, and sometimes refers to himself as the "pastor of lost causes". Dr. Krahn is also a much sought after speaker. In 2016, he will be conducting seminars throughout the church on the subject matter contained in this book. He has been married for forty-nine years, and has two daughters and three grandchildren.

Book: Suddenly

“How different would life be if we all knew we were loved beyond our wildest imagination?”

Like all of us, Peter Steicke has experienced his share of life’s ‘suddenlies’. You know them: the unexpected and often unwelcome interruptions to life that are beyond our control. The challenge is, life’s ‘suddenlies’ often prevent us from living out of the love we already have.

This book is an intriguing set of narratives chronicling Peter’s journey deeper into the incredible love of the heavenly Father. Excellent life-related teaching expands on the stories in a way all readers will be able to connect with and apply in their lives. Through the stories and the teaching, you will learn what it is to live out of the fullness of God’s Father-heart, and develop a redeemed perspective on life—one that frees you to be a source of life to others.

Available from Your Booksonline

A book for teenagers relating to mental health and suicide

Mental illness and suicide are difficult topics to talk about, and with teenagers it is even more difficult, yet each year mental illness and suicide is affecting more and more people.  

What the dog saw, by Mark Worthing is written with adolscents and teens in mind.  It is the story of his own son as seen through the eyes of his dog of the long, slow tragedy of mental illness, and of suicide.  It is the story he wrote a year after his son's death to help his younger brother and sister to find away to remember their brother and talk about grief.

The book is a short book of 74 pages, with 44 easy to read chapters of 1 or 2 pages, each concluding with sentence to encourage reflection.   There are also suggestions on how the book could be used with children and teenagers.

Mark Worthing is a Lutheran pastor, lecturer and author living in Australia

Available in Australia from Australian Church Resources
Also available from Book Depository

Theology of the cross - 10 books

The theology of the cross is the significant theology of the Christian and Lutheran church.  Following are 10 books relating to the Theology of the Cross

On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther's Heidelberg Disputation, 1518 (Theology)  by Gerhard O. Forde
The book first clarifies the difference between a theology of glory and a theology of the cross and explains how each perspective shapes the very nature of being a theologian. The main body of the book provides commentary on the Heidelberg Disputation — the only complete analysis of this document currently available. Underlying Forde's exposition is the contention that one ought not speak of the theology of the cross as merely another item among a host of theological options; instead, one must pursue what it means to be a theologian of the cross and to look at all things through suffering and the cross.

Luther's Theology of the Cross: Martin Luther's Theological Breakthrough 

by Alister E. McGrath
Luther's Theology of the Cross represents a fully revised and updated edition of the classic 1985 text that expands on the author's ongoing research and reflects 25 years of Luther scholarship.
Draws on advances in our understanding of the late medieval intellectual, cultural, and religious background of Luther's early development, and the nature of Luther's doctrine of justification (including the so-called 'Finnish' school), many of which have not yet been incorporated into Luther scholarship
Luther's 'theological breakthrough' continues to be of central importance to Reformation Studies and the development of Protestantism

Written by one of the world's leading Protestant theologians, who is an authority on the development of the doctrine of justification. His classic work Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification is now in its third edition (2005)

Luther's Augustinian Theology of the Cross: The Augustinianism of Martin Luther's Heidelberg Disputation and the Origins of Modern Philosophy of Religion by Marco Barone (Author), David J. Engelsma (Foreword)
"These theological paradoxes ... have been deduced well or poorly from St. Paul, the especially chosen vessel and instrument of Christ, and also from St. Augustine, his most trustworthy interpreter." These are some of Martin Luther's words that introduce his Heidelberg Disputation (1518), a collection of doctrinal theses that serves as a manifesto of Luther's theology. The German Reformer claimed that his theses were a faithful exposition not only of Pauline theology, but also of Augustine's doctrine of salvation. Luther's Augustinian Theology of the Cross is an unprecedented commentary of Luther's Heidelberg Disputation. Through a wide range of Augustinian texts, the author shows the accuracy of Luther's claim. Moreover, the work offers some original considerations that are of interest to both theology and philosophy. In the year of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, this volume is a lively and stimulating addition to the debate about the relationship between Augustine's soteriology and the theology of the Reformation.

The Theology of the Cross in Historical Perspective by Anna M. Madsen
The theology of the cross is indisputably a trendy concept today. Numerous seminars, books, and dissertations tackle the topic. But The Theology of the Cross in Historical Perspective demonstrates that theology of the cross is no passing fancy. Theologies of the cross appear at the beginnings of the church, in the sixteenth-century reformations of the church, and in the more contemporary modernization of the church. Without theologies of the cross, what the church is called to be and to preach becomes unclear. So then, what is the theology of the cross?
Anna Madsen surveys the theology of the cross in the thinking of Paul and Luther. She also outlines several important twentieth-century contributions to the subject. On the basis of her analysis, Madsen suggests that the theology of the cross reveals God to be found even in death. In death, after all, boundaries disappear. The theology of the cross assures Christians that God is present in the death of sin and in the realities of suffering and uncertainty. Given that it announces God's presence, the theology of the cross is ultimately a theology of grace, freedom, and trust. 

The Theology of the Cross: Reflections on His Cross and Ours by Daniel M. Deutschlander  (Author), Curtis A. Jahn (Editor), Design Pics (Illustrator)
The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is the true center of our salvation. Through a deep and compelling examination of Scripture, the author demonstrates that without Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we would be lost. However, because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we now have the promise of eternal life in heaven with him. This book also reminds us that since Christ first loved us in this way, it is now our joy to take up our own crosses daily and follow him.

Cross in Tensions: Luther's Theology of the Cross as Theologico-social Critique by Philip Ruge-Jones  (Author)
Luther's theology of the cross is a direct critique of oppressive power relationships in his day. Luther's early thought challenges specific economic, political, social, ideological, and religious power dynamics; the cross confronts those who enjoy power, prestige, pomp, and profits at the expense of the poor. Ruge-Jones maps the power relationships that Luther's theology addressed and then turns to specific works that challenge established structures of his world. Luther's Latin texts undermine the ideological assumptions and presumptions that bolstered an opulent church and empire. Luther uses the cross of Christ to challenge what he called volatilem cogitatum, "knowledge that is prone to violence." His German writings (directed to a broader, more popular audience) focus this critique of human pretensions into an attack on systems of wealth, status, and power that refuse to look with compassion upon poor Mary, or upon the many domestic servants of Germany. God has respected the ones whom the world disrespects and has thus entered the world to turn it upside down. Also in the German writings, the Lord's Supper calls the powerful to enter into solidarity with the poor--suffering people to whom Christ has given himself. Finally, in his popular pamphlets, visual images show with graphic specificity that throughout his life Christ sought out solidarity with the least. These images contrast brutally with images of a church that has sold its soul to wealth, political influence, military power, and status.

What Has Wittenberg to Do with Azusa?: Luther's Theology of the Cross and Pentecostal Triumphalism by David J. Courey (Author)
Global Pentecostalism is a twenty-first century phenomenon. Yet in North America, where the movement was born, it has stalled. Courey uncovers the cause of this plateau in the triumphalism that is characteristic of both North American Protestantism and Pentecostalism. Through the identification of parallels between Martin Luther and contemporary Pentecostals, Courey detects in Luther's Theology of the Cross a potent remedy for this tension. Utilising this insight, Courey reflects on other faith traditions, and provides a counterpoint to the triumphalism that inhibits the development of Pentecostalism in North America and around the world. 

This work comprises of three parts. The first is historical, charting the antecedents and development of Pentecostal triumphalism. The second is an experiment in historical theology, seeking basic resonances between Luther and early Pentecostals, and examining the Theology of the Cross as a means of probing Pentecostalism. The final section is an effort in constructive theology, applying the theologia crucis to some of the central aspects of Pentecostalism.

Theology of the Cross for the 21st Century by Authors Various (Author), Alberto L. Garcia  (Editor), A. R. Victor Raj (Editor)
This book is a collection of essays that explore the significance of Martin Luther's theology of the cross within the context of the various world religions and philosophies. Each contributor describes and interprets this distinctive Lutheran understanding of grace with the worldview of a major tradition or system. The writing is scholarly, yet accessible for the discerning lay reader. Readers develop a renewed appreciation for the richness of the cross and the ways Luther's insights speak to different contexts.

Pastoral Care Under the Cross: God in the midst of suffering by Richard C. Eyer (Author)
Pastoral Care Under the Cross points to the cross as the paradigm for pastoral care when counseling suffering people. This book offers insight that is useful not only for pastors but also Christian counselors, chaplains, nurses, doctors, and social workers who interact with the elderly, dying, mourning, mentally ill, or depressed.

Theology of the Cross:  The death of Jesus in the Pauline letters by Charles B Cousar  (Author)
In Paul's epistles the crucifixion story reveals a God who is free and in no way bound by human categories or expectations. Yet God in Christ chooses to be engaged in the very depths of the human predicament. The message of the crucifixion is that God's power is manifested in weakness, not in strength. The author believes that this "weakness as strength" should be the focal point of the church's identity. However, a celebration of weakness is in complete opposition to traditional American beliefs in personal strength and a powerful church.

Book: Martin Luther's theology of beauty

Many contemporary theologians seek to retrieve the concept of beauty as a way for people to encounter God. This groundbreaking book argues that while Martin Luther's view of beauty has often been ignored or underappreciated, it has much to contribute to that quest. Mark Mattes, one of today's leading Lutheran theologians, analyzes Luther's theological aesthetics and discusses its implications for music, art, and the contemplative life. Mattes shows that for Luther, the cross is the lens through which the beauty of God is refracted into the world.

Contents 
Luther's view of philosphy
Luther's view on goodness
The early Luther on beauty
The later Luther on beauty
Luther on the theology and beauty of music
Luther on visual imaging
Luther and Nouvelle Theologie
Luther for a contemporary theology of beauty

Book: The world Jesus knew-A Curious Kid's Guide to Life in the First Century

Jesus often told stories using everyday objects to help his listeners understand life with God. But for most of us, the deep imagery and meaning behind those objects has been lost to history. This book helps kids discover the world Jesus lived in through maps, charts, graphs, and other infographic elements. They'll learn about the culture Jesus lived in—:his Jewish religion, the power of the ruling Roman Empire, the role of fishermen and carpenters and shepherds. It's an invitation to explore the stories of Jesus in their cultural context, bringing new life to familiar biblical events. This beautifully illustrated book will be a family favorite that kids and adults will come back to over and over again.

Book: When your heart breaks - navigating grief and loss

Whether you have lost a job, a dream, a friendship, or a loved one, you mourn. You might mourn for a few weeks, or your grief may extend for years. Sadness seems to build a permanent residence in your bones, weighing down your soul. You wonder if you’ll ever feel whole again.

Then—hope.

God plunges into your heartbreak and works abiding and holy transformation in your life. It may take months or years for you to heal, but you can ground your hope for healing in Jesus. 
He will always be your hope when your heart breaks.

When your heart breaks gives you an opportunity for  a place of refuge and a point of reference as you navigate the path of grief.    Grieving occurs in many situations in life; grief is usually associated with death, but it can occur after any loss-divorce, layoffs, the end of a friendship.    The book can be read cover to cover, or readers can flip to one of the 52 devotions that will help them most in this season of life.    The focus of each chapter is the presence of God in the midst of grief and the comfort and hope that can be found in that knowledge.

Where you can buy Hope when your heart breaks
Amazon
ChristianBook.com
CPH
QBD (Australia)
Booktopia (Australia)

What others are saying

Written from a grace-filled pastor’s heart, Michael Newman has penned an essential resource for embracing hope amidst grief. Hope dims when life’s storms hit, but Michael skillfully uses Scripture to ignite the torch of healing. His beautiful insights into grief tell us he’s been there. He wraps God’s words of hope around the grieving like a toasty blanket on a frosty night. Compassionate, crucial, Christ-centered—and critically needed. I will absorb and share this brilliant resource for years to come.

DONNA PYLE, ARTESIAN MINISTRIES, AUTHOR, SPEAKER

Grief is messy. Life after loss doesn’t follow an ordered and predictable path, but looks more like a tangled plate of spaghetti. Navigating confusing emotions and thoughts requires a reliable guide, and you’ve got a friend in Michael W. Newman. Grief is messy, and Michael Newman understands messy. These short chapters explore the untidy realities of what happens after loss. Hope When Your Heart Breaks validates the pain of loss, offers helpful insight, and gently points to a Savior who redeems your suffering with purpose and hope. Read and gift this book. You will be comforted and the Holy Spirit will grow your faith.

RUTH N. KOCH, MA, NCC, MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATOR

This is a refreshing book! The Bible is absolutely unique among the sacred writings of all religions. It is the historical description of God’s love influencing the lives of real people facing real situations. Michael Newman has taken this unique reality and put it to use in the daily struggles of the Christian. He offers a clear connection between biblical life situations and the reader’s daily life. Through it all, he shows the intricate way that God’s love is at work in the lives of His people, giving direction and hope to those struggling with difficult emotions and tough situations.

REV. DR. DAVID J. LUDWIG, PASTOR, PROFESSOR, AUTHOR

Michael Newman’s book . . . demonstrates a personal and pastoral acquaintance with the gut-wrenching realities of the grief process from a variety of losses—death of a loved one, loss of a job, family crisis, and dramatic changes in the aging process. The issues and questions raised by each chapter strike raw emotions, thoughts, and faith struggles at various stages in the grief process. Each chapter also connects the struggle with biblical narratives and comforting Christ-centered passages, which bring hope to the situation while encouraging the ongoing work of grief. I strongly recommend this book for personal

use and for giving to family and friends in need.

REV. DR. STEPHEN J. CARTER, PASTOR, PROFESSOR, AND AUTHOR

There is a reason they call it grief work. This resource honors the process of grief, as well as the value of the loss experience, the tears, the struggle, and the sadness even. It also recognizes the breadth of diversity in the grief experience for each individual. The text is artfully organized so that the readers can pick it up and look through a section that speaks to them, or read through the book as a whole. The insight into the humanity of those who have walked through loss in Scripture is unique and deeply comforting. If you are grieving, if you are walking alongside someone who is grieving, if you are in clinical practice or offer spiritual care, this book is a welcome resource for your shelf!

HEIDI GOEHMANN, DEACONESS, WRITER, BLOGGER,  AND SPEAKER AT I LOVE MY SHEPHERD MINISTRIES

Grief is involved in every change in life. Michael Newman understands this and seeks to find the threads of grief that are in life experiences such as fear, anger, depression, guilt, and purposelessness. Each of the fifty-two devotional chapters is independent of the others. The meditation itself will connect with you; devotional guides follow every chapter for further spiritual work; prayer encouragement and direction end each chapter.

BRUCE M. HARTUNG, PHD, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, PRACTICAL THEOLOGY

Michael Newman speaks the truth in love with empathy and acknowledgment of what happens to a person during grief and loss— emotionally, physically, chemically, spiritually, and relationally. He writes about the reality of life and brings our focus back to our Lord God through Scripture in a nonthreatening way. When one is weakened by grief, he or she can’t concentrate on a whole book or a long reading, but these short chapters get right to the point. I recommend this book as a resource for parish nurses, lay ministers, Stephen Ministers, pastors, and others who walk alongside someone experiencing heartbreak.

KAREN HARDECOPF, RN, CERTIFIED LAY MINISTER– PARISH NURSE, STEPHEN MINISTER LEADER

Grief hits us all at various times throughout our lives. This book gives encouragement by taking us on a journey through the lives of people in the Scriptures who grieve, yes, but with the hope that comes from trusting in the God of heaven and earth, the one who rules over life and death, who conquers grief with eternal joy. It is a book to share, but even more importantly, it is a book to read.

REV. DR. GREGORY P. SELTZ, SPEAKER OF THE LUTHERAN HOUR

Michael Newman provides the reader with insight, sensitivity, and encouragement. He consistently shares the love of God and assures us that Jesus understands and cares. His personal style suggests that the author also understands and cares. As a parish nurse, I will use this book with individuals and groups experiencing grief and loss. I also recommend that parish nurses and others involved in congregational health ministry read and discuss in small groups to enhance their compassionate care to the person who is grieving.

MARCIA SCHNORR, EDD, RN-BC, CERTIFIED LAY MINISTER– PARISH NURSE

When looking through a prism, light is refracted into a full spectrum of colors. Michael W. Newman accomplishes the same thing here, treating grief as a prism through which we see the full spectrum of emotions and experiences that loss brings to life. The conversational tone of his writing makes the reader feel as if he has crawled into his or her mind, truly grasping the nuances of grief as one struggles to move from brokenness to healing. Best of all, each and every chapter clearly articulates that we cannot accomplish this on our own, pointing to Jesus Christ as the true source of hope and strength. A must-have for all of us, at any stage of life.

JANE P. WILKE, EDUCATOR, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, ENCOURAGER

Building Church Leaders

Building Church Leaders resources are produced by Christianity Today, and provide customizable leadership resources for every kind of church ministry.
Their downloadable, easy-to-use Training Tools provide everything you need to prepare a relevant training session in a matter of minutes.   Each resource is designed with church boards, committees, staff, or volunteers in mind.   You select the topical tool that fits what you want to accomplish, download it, make copies if needed, and lead a discussion with your team or use them for your own personal development.
Whether it’s continuing education or an urgent need, Building Church Leaders provides the best practical ministry insights to help grow leaders into greater Kingdom impact. 

Resources available for:

• Leadership including:   Orientation Guides for leaders, Church Board & Elders, Leadership Skills, Staffing Forms & Essentials, Administrative Forms and Training New Leaders.
• Congregation and visitors including:  Discipleship, Membership, Welcoming Visitors, and Outreach  
• Vision and goals including:  Vision Casting, Strategic Planning, Stewardship & Giving, Small Churches and Mentoring
• Children's Ministry
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• Small-Groups Ministry

Resources offered include:
Assessments
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You can puchase individual resources or become a member for free access

Visit https://www.bclstore.com/ for more information

Recent releases from Augsburg Fortress

Some recent releases from Augsburg Fortress Publishing include:

Limping but blessed by Jason Jones
After the unexpected, accidental death of his three-year-old son, Jason Jones went on a long, painful journey to make sense of how God could have let this happen to his son and best friend, Jacob, and to their family. And he struggled intensely with his faith after everything he thought about God disintegrated on June 12, 2011.
In Limping But Blessed, Jones explores struggling with faith and belief, dealing with his depression and grief, and searching for hope in a hopeless situation. The book includes tales of his darkest days, correspondence he had with Christian theologians, and what he's done to preserve his son's legacy.
At some point in each of our lives, something goes terribly wrong, and our faith is shaken to the core. This book is the story of one man's journey through the darkest time of life searching for answers and a grueling attempt to find a sliver of hope to keep holding on.

FIERCE:  Women of the Bible by Alice Connor
Women in the Bible aren't shy or retiring; they're fierce and funny and demanding and relevant to 21st-century people.
Women in the Bible—some of their names we know, others we've only heard, and others are tragically unnamed.
Pastor and provocateur Alice Connor introduces these women and invites us to see them not as players in a man's story—as victims or tempters—nor as morality archetypes, teaching us to be better wives and mothers, but as fierce foremothers of the faith.
These women's stories are messy, challenging, and beautiful. When we read their stories, we can see not only their particular, fearsome lives but also our own.

Homebrewed Christianity:  Everything you need to know about God the Almighty by Eric Hall
Is God the First Cause? The Unmoved Mover? Mr. Miyagi? In this latest installment of the Homebrewed Christianity series, edited by Tripp Fuller, Eric E. Hall approaches the question of God from various perspectives, including philosophy, personal revelation, Christian tradition, and other religions.
The classical conception of God is like the famously stoic-yet-lethal character in the Karate Kid. Competing versions of God include Your Hippie Aunt, St. Joan of Arc, and even the muscle-headed goons from Jersey Shore. Hall uses each of these analogies to elucidate a version of God that has held sway at one point or another. For each, he shows strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons.
After proposing this nouveau"pantheon, Hall takes on atheism, religion versus science, and popular images of Jesus. At the end of this romp through history and pop culture, Hall argues that the God you need may be the very God you rejected years ago.

Preaching from Home: The Stories of Seven Lutheran Women Hymn Writers by Gracia Grindal
This volume by Gracia Grindal introduces English-speaking readers to several significant yet unsung Lutheran women hymn writers from the sixteenth century to the present. After a brief introductory discussion of Elisabeth Cruciger, the first woman hymn writer of the Reformation, Grindal provides fascinating profiles of these talented Scandinavian women who "preached from home": Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Birgitte Hertz Boye, Berthe Canutte Aarflot, Lina Sandell, Britt G. Hallqvist, and Lisbeth Smedegaard Andersen.
Grindal not only gives a biographical account of each woman — her life, her piety, her times — but also offers sparkling new English translations of each writer's key hymns. In the last chapter Grindal recounts her own inspiring journey as a Lutheran woman hymn writer. Her Preaching from Home will open the door to a world previously unknown to most North Americans.

A Formula for Parish Practice: Using the Formula of Concord in Congregations by Timothy J. Wengert
This book combines a rich description of the (Lutheran) Formula of Concord (1577) with experiences in today's Lutheran parishes to demonstrate how confessional texts may still come to life in modern Christian congregations. Timothy Wengert takes the Formula of Concord, traditionally used as ammunition in doctrinal disagreements, back to its historical home, the local congregation, giving pastors, students, and theologians a glimpse into the original debates over each article.
The most up-to-date English commentary on the Formula of Concord, A Formula for Parish Practiceprovides helpful, concise descriptions of key theological debates and a unique weaving of historical and textual commentary with modern Lutheran experience. Covering the entire Formula of Concord the book includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

Augsburg Adult Bible Study Series
Augsburg Adult Bible Study is a year-round Bible study that is released quarterly and is based on a six-year cycle as found in the International Uniform Lesson Series (National Council of Churches). Written by an array of accomplished theologians, this series provides terrific insights into scripture through questions, prayer, suggested memorization, and daily readings.
Each session:

• Explores the meaning of the text for the original writer and audience, and for today
• Includes a list of related texts for daily Bible reading
• Provides extensive background on each text and recommendations for leading the sessions

Recent releases from Concordia Publishing House

Concordia Publishing House has recently released the following books:

Our Way Home: A Journey Through the Lord's Prayer  by Daniel Paavola
When we pray, we’re often hesitant. Hesitant to believe that our small voices will be heard by the sovereign God reigning in heaven. Hesitant to think we even have the right words to say. But Jesus gave His disciples—and us—the Lord’s Prayer as a guide in our prayer life. This prayer contains words of confession, thanks, recognition, need, and praise; it’s the perfect prayer model from our perfect role model.
Our Way Home invites you on an incredibly vivid journey through the Lord’s Prayer to dispel your hesitancy and to discover the power, the beauty, and the depth of the world’s most famous prayer. Paavola surrounds each petition of the Lord’s Prayer with captivating imagery and storytelling that will animate your praying, making it a prayer you not only say with confidence but live out every day—in any situation and in every circumstance.
So whether you’ve prayed the Lord’s Prayer a thousand times or you’re not quite familiar with every word, you will be encouraged to pray the words Jesus has given you with renewed boldness. You will come to the door of your Father’s house and knock with confidence because you have the words to say. All you have to do is pray “Our Father. . .”

Hallmarks of Lutheran Identity by Alvin Schmidt
Lutheran theology survived the last five hundred years. But will it survive the next?
Since the time Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Lutheran theology has survived centuries of political, religious, and societal pressures that challenged its foundational teachings.
But the question remains: Do Lutherans today understand their theological heritage well enough to maintain and defend their unique beliefs when outside pressures dismiss them as irrelevant to modern-day Christianity?
Hallmarks of Lutheran Identity sets forth more than twenty important practices, doctrines, and beliefs that distinguish Lutheranism from all other denominations. Topics include:

• Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, and Solus Christus
• The Dichotomy of Law and Gospel
• Christ’s Presence in the Lord’s Supper
• Luther’s Unique Insight on the Theology of the Cross

Engaging and insightful for both layperson and pastor, Hallmarks of Lutheran Identity will deepen your understanding of Lutheran theology and its rich historical traditions so you can confidently answer the question, “What do Lutherans believe?”

Grace Alone  by Ruth Meyer
Grace Williams isn’t looking for complications because, really, isn’t life complicated enough? She’s a single mom with four children. She has unresolved issues with her ex-husband. Her sister nags at her about going to church. Her kids are not perfect. And neither is Grace—she has hang-ups about organized religion, she is overwhelmed by suppressed guilt and grief, she is judgmental, and she can’t control her hair.
When a man shows up on her doorstep, Grace’s life is turned upside down. David is terrific with her kids, she loves his family, and her sister thinks he’s perfect. But he’s a little too pushy. And he wants her to change.
For anyone who’s ever made a mistake, Grace Alone is a story about forgiveness, hope, and grace in the midst of a messy life. Because God specializes in new beginnings.

From Atheism to Christianity: The Story of C. S. Lewis by Joel Heck
This is the story of how one of the world’s most famous atheists became one of its most famous Christians.

From Atheism to Christianity: The Story of C. S. Lewis 
is the spiritual homecoming story of Clive Staples Lewis, a careful and thoughtful scholar who spent fifteen years journeying the long road from atheism to theism and, eventually, to Christianity. Drawing from Lewis’s own writings, as well as those he sought out during his quest for spiritual understanding, From Atheism to Christianity highlights the longing, reluctance, searching, and surrender that defined these years of Lewis’s life and provides answers to the questions that surround this profound character:

• What attracted Lewis to atheism and eventually Christianity? 
• How did he leave atheism behind?
• Why did his journey take fifteen years? 
• Who influenced his thought during those years? 
• What authors did he read, and whom did he interact with and confide in?

Explore the most tumultuous and defining years of C. S. Lewis’s life, gathering clues that reveal the meaning of life for contemporary atheists and theists—all from the perspective of one who knew both atheism and Christianity from the inside.
“Remember, I had always wanted, above all things, not to be ‘interfered with.’ I had wanted (mad wish) ‘to call my soul my own.’” —C. S. Lewis

My Little Blessings & Prayers Collection by Sally Ann Wright
Here is a thoughtful way to welcome babies and toddlers into the family of God. This special three-book set introduces young children to God’s Word, the concept of regular prayer, and the gifts of Baptism, and it equips parents to teach the faith at home. The special slip case and charming illustrations make this a sweet gift for any newborn.
Includes:

• Memory book
• Prayer book
• Bible story book

Student Planner

Help students keep homework assignments, memory work, spelling words, and parent/teacher notes organized with this colorful, 128-page student planner. 

Planner features include:

• A Word of the week with an "In My Life" Christian life-application
• Bible bits with fun facts or questions each week
• Inspirational weekly scripture verses (English Standard Version)
• School year calendar grids to note holidays, long term assignments and goals
• Weekly planning spreads with large areas to write assignments, spelling words, and notes
• Over 15 reference pages that contain prayers, books of the Bible, a Bible timelines, the miracles of Jesus, grammar tips, math tips, a listing of U.S. presidents, maps and more

This durable planner has a sturdy but flexible plastic spiral binding, measures 8.5" x 11" and has a heavy duty laminate cover. Planner is three-hole punched for easy inclusion in binders.

Book: The Great Bible Swindle

This introductory book is written especially for those who feel that they should know something about the world's most influential text, but may have been afraid to ask, put off by the Church, found the black leather cover and cigarette paper pages ominous, or just never got around to it. 
In the first half of the book, Clarke explores the question: "Why would I bother with the Bible?" 
He then tackles questions like "What is the Bible, and what do I do with it?" "What I want to do in this book is explain how and to what extent the Bible is behind so much of Western life. I want to look at where the Bible has influenced different aspects of life, in order to give you some sense of just what a scandal it is that many people have had this knowledge concealed from them. 

The Great Bible Swindle is available from Amazon, Koorong , Bible Society, Word

The Shack (book and movie) resources

The Shack is a best selling fictional book, which has been released as a  movie.  Originally written by William Paul Young as a story to help his family gain a picture of God.

The book has created controversy as it steps outside the traditional images of God and within the book makes some statements that are perceived to be contray to what the bible says about God.  As a result some Christians believe it is best to steer well clear of the book, whilst others are engaging with the book thanking God for the creativity of the book that they believe helps them in their relationship with God.

The following resources have been sourced and compiled to help anyone wishing to research and undertake further reflection and study relating to the Shack.

ARTICLES
The story behind the Shack - interview with William Paul Young
Stuart Hazeldine - Movie Review
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry - review
Theology Network - review
Christianity Today Pastors - review
Exploring the Shack - Paul Coulter
The Good, the Bad and the Controversial 
How the Shack distorts our view of God
More to the Shack than Shaky theology
Higher things review
A response to Christians boycotting the Shack

BIBLE STUDIES
The offical DVD bible study
Holy Cross Lutheran Church Kansas Book Study
13 heresies in the shack 

BOOKS
The Shack book

The offical Shack study guide - Healing for Your Journey Through Loss, Trauma, and Pain

The Shack Revisited: There Is More Going On Here than You Ever Dared to Dream 
Millions have found their spiritual hunger satisfied by William P. Young's #1 New York Times bestseller, The Shack--the story of a man lifted from the depths of despair through his life-altering encounter with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now C. Baxter Kruger's THE SHACK REVISITED guides readers into a deeper understanding of these three persons to help readers have a more profound connection with the core message of The Shack--that God is love.
An early fan of The Shack and a close friend to its author, Kruger shows why the novel has been enthusiastically embraced by so many Christians worldwide. In the words of William P. Young from the foreword to THE SHACK REVISITED, "Baxter Kruger will stun readers with his unique cross of intellectual brilliance and creative genius as he takes them deeper into the wonder, worship, and possibility that is the world of The Shack."

Finding God in the Shack
What would it be like to lose your youngest child to a serial killer? And then to have God invite you out for a conversation at the very shack where the terrible deed took place? And then imagine that the door to that shack of horrors opened . . . and before you knew it you had been swept up in the motherly embrace of a large African American woman? This most unlikely of stories, as told in William Young's The Shack, has become a runaway bestseller, and now a major motion picture, and it is easy to see why. But even as lives have been transformed through this book, other readers have sternly denounced it as a hodgepodge of serious theological error, even heresy. With one pastor urging his congregation to read it and another forbidding his congregation to, many Christians have simply been left confused. Aware both of the excitement and uncertainty generated by The Shack, theologian Randal Rauser takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the pages of the story. In successive chapters he explores many of the book's complex and controversial issues. Thus he explains why God the Father is revealed as an African American woman, he defends the book's theology of the Trinity against charges of heresy and he considers its provocative denial of a Trinitarian hierarchy. But at its heart The Shack is a response to evil and so Rauser spends the final three chapters considering the book's explanation for why God allows evil, how the atoning work of Christ offers new hope for a suffering world and ultimately how this hope extends to all of creation. Through these chapters Rauser offers an honest and illuminating discussion which opens up a new depth to the conversation while providing the reader with new opportunities for Finding God in The Shack.

God, the Bible and the Shack
Millions of readers of William Paul Young's The Shack want to know, Is God really that good? Is this the same God we find in the Bible or not? Is the Trinity really like what we find in the novel? And what about evil in the world? How much does The Shack help us understand why it exists and how God deals with it? Here are clear, insightful responses to the questions so many people want answers to.

The Shack - a journey from pain to truth to error
This book offers a new kind of critique of The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity. It views The Shack from a confessional Lutheran perspective. Its primary concern is the chief article upon which the church stands or falls, namely, justification and the redemption we have in Jesus.
Looking for healing for his Great Sadness, the author of The Shack hit upon a particular strain of thought from the renaissance of Trinitarian theology that happened worldwide in the 1980s and 1990s. This theology has much to be commended. Tragically, however, it departs from the teaching of Scripture about the atoning sacrifice of Jesus for us on the cross. It denies the wrath of God on sin, and denies that Jesus bore that wrath for us. The Shack teaches a different theory of the cross that springs from perichoretic speculations about the Trinity.

Studying the Shack - reading group guide
If you enjoyed reading The Shack, by Wm Paul Young, you will enjoy this study guide to delve deeper into the themes throughout the story of Mack his Great Sadness and the relationships with God, Jesus and Sarayu . The questions within this guide will lead to high levels of introspection and make for great discussions for reading groups of any kind.

Burning down the Shack - How the 'Christian' best seller is deceiving millions
Millions have bought into the theology of Paul Young, whose book The Shack portrays God as a loving, black woman. Similar changes in appearance were given to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The story of pain and redemption then resonated with the public. But is Young's worldview important? Is his theology that big a deal? James De Young thinks so. In fact, it's so important that he's written a compelling challenge to The Shack. In Burning Down the Shack, De Young manages to shed important light on the implications of Young's pluralistic faith, and provides readers with a gripping counter-balance to the popular little volume that's spent many weeks on the best-seller lists. Exploring the nature and character of God, from Scripture, De Young concludes that it is necessary to proceed carefully with The Shack, lest important truths be skewed and even jettisoned. Without being confrontational, De Young makes the case that dangers can lurk under the foundation.