Religion Community

Do you want to love your neighbor as yourself but don’t know where to start? This practical, accessible guide to bridging the dividing lines of politics, race, and economics, both individually and as the church, will help you amplify Jesus in your community and build God’s kingdom.

This book brings fresh clarity and key insights regarding the daily hazards of spiritual warfare and what it means to live out your faith. In his authentic and engaging style, Josh unpacks complicated issues like sin, death, and faith, and points the way forward on the path toward spiritual maturity. With simple, helpful advice for finding and connecting with a faith community and living with purpose, this is a must-listen for everyone ready to take new steps in their faith journey.

In an era in which religion can be perceived as a source of division rather than peace, Heaven Help Us by former Ohio governor and congressman John Kasich explores true, inspiring stories of American faith communities becoming fresh, surprising forces for the common good. More than a collection of "feel-good" stories, Heaven Help Us reminds us of the resourcefulness and ingenuity of our fellow congregants and religious leaders that make it possible to turn our good intentions into even better outcomes.

Michelle Sanchez has discovered through her own journey that it’s impossible to separate racial discipleship from our relationship with God. In fact, deeper racial discipleship catalyzes a deeper relationship with God. Whenever we choose to courageously resist racism, we will discover new opportunities to encounter Christ in fresh and exciting ways. Color-Courageous Discipleship is our guidebook to a deeper connection with God through the adventure of racial discipleship.

Mitch Kruse learned the hard way that going to church three times a week while growing up did not answer the question: Have you ever thought about changing the scorecard of your life from money to wisdom? His pursuit to find the answer sparked a lifelong journey through the ultimate wisdom book, Proverbs, one that connects God's heart with street smarts.

We love our kids, but do we love like God loves…without conditions, reservations, or reluctance? In this excerpt from his popular book How to Be Free from Bitterness, Jim Wilson identifies the troublesome consequences of insufficient parental love and points listeners to the glorious fruit of superabundant kindness, tolerance, and patience. With decades of pastoral wisdom, Wilson helps parents apply the eternal truths of Scripture to grow peace and joy in their homes.

You love God. You love your kids. So why don’t they love Him? God promises lovingkindness to a thousand generations for families who love and obey Him (Deut. 7:9). Why are children who grew up in Christian homes leaving the faith, and how do we get them to come back? No matter how old your children are, there is a solution.

In a "hurried-up" world obsessed with image and presentation to impress people instead of blessing people, entertaining the notion of entertaining is tough. Could it be in our rush to entertain, we've sacrificed meaningful connection? Maybe there's a better welcome to be discovered.

Da’watul-Ameer (Invitation to Ahmadiyyat) was written in 1926, specifically addressing the Amir of Afghanistan, Amanullah Khan, who ordered the execution by stoning of three Afghan Ahmadi Muslims a couple of years earlier. Such atrocities underscored the need to refute the false allegations that had been circulating about the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. Although the specific events and the original book are now relics of the past, the book lives on as a general primer of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community's doctrinal beliefs.

Hyper-individualism and consumerism are failing to satisfy our hunger for meaning. We face an identity crisis in which real community is increasingly hard to find. The culture wars have been painful and polarizing and have proved a poor way to agree any kind of moral standards. Is it even possible to find a vision for goodness that can bring us together? Rumors of a Better Country addresses our hunger for justice and a better way of living by awakening our moral imagination to the potential of a trusting community.

"Let me do something for you." Carrie Stephens offers these words of hope from the heart of God in Jesus, Love, & Tacos as she uses vibrant metaphors and comical self-deprecation to tell the story of lordship, community, and mission. These three ancient values will offer you help and hope as they shape your spiritual life, define how to gather in unity, and lead you to God's missional love in action.

Jang-e-Muqaddas (The Holy War) documents the daily debate proceedings held between Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, and Deputy Abdullah Atham, an Indian convert to Christianity. The event’s origins date to 1893, when a prominent Christian missionary, Dr. Henry Martyn Clark, penned an open letter challenging the Muslims of Jandiala to a decisive debate—which he named The Holy War—declaring that if Muslims shy away from this contest or suffer a crushing defeat, they would forfeit their right to confront the scholars of Christianity, or to boast of Islam’s truth.

While many leadership books focus on the individual, Lifelong Leadership offers a comprehensive mentoring community model to support and develop Christian leaders, extending the work of God in and through ministry. This model was inspired by Leighton Ford as a way to inspire and support young leaders. MaryKate Morse is the inheritor of this leadership legacy. Her team has developed the mentoring community model, which is easy to replicate in a variety of settings.

In The Purpose Gap, Patrick Reyes reflects on a family member's death after a long struggle with incarceration and homelessness. As he asks himself why his cousin's life had turned out so differently from his own, he realizes that it was a matter of conditions. While they both grew up in the same marginalized Chicano community in central California, Patrick found himself surrounded by a host of family, friends, and supporters. They created a different narrative for him than the one the rest of the world had succeeded in imposing on his cousin.

We were created for community. So why do we want to be alone? The Bible tells the story of the immense power of human relationships and God's love for the church. Douglas Bursch presents a timely, insightful and practical theology of community. He examines the relational implications of human existence, sin, salvation, discipleship, evangelism, and other key biblical concepts. Doug also shares unfiltered stories concerning his personal weaknesses and the relational struggles he has faced as a pastor.

It is no secret that the moral fabric of Western culture has unraveled at breakneck speed during recent decades. And while we have made progress addressing some issues such as sexual harassment, many other cultural changes are leaving us anxious and concerned. Mass shootings. Drug addictions. Sexual confusion. While there may be no easy solutions to our complex social malaise, we are by no means powerless. Through prayer, the all-wise and all-powerful Creator of our universe has given otherwise ordinary people an amazing opportunity to reverse the negative tide.

The parish, the lowest level of hierarchy in the medieval church, was the shared responsibility of the laity and the clergy. Most Christians were baptized, went to confession, were married, and were buried in the parish church or churchyard; in addition, business, legal settlements, sociability, and entertainment brought people to the church, uniting secular and sacred concerns.

Não raras vezes, nos ocupamos tanto dos nossos estudos teológicos–com palestras, livros, artigos, podcasts e cursos–que acabamos transformando o que era para ser um instrumento em um fim em si. Assim, esquecemos que o principal propósito da Bíblia–portanto, dos nossos estudos teológicos–é conhecer a Deus. Para isso, devemos continuar mergulhando na doutrina, mas sem negligenciar os momentos de devoção.

We are made for community. Deep within the heart of people is a longing to both know others and be known by them, and groups ministry has the opportunity to meet these needs in every church. Groups are an art, not a science. There's no one-size-fits-all formula for designing transformational groups that God uses to mold people into the image of Christ together.

The Church of Facebook will move listeners toward understanding God's work in the body of Christ, the church, by introducing thought-provoking questions through observation, humor, and heartfelt storytelling. It will also do this by challenging readers to consider new perspectives in regard to their social networking habits and how those habits may point to deeper heart issues and, ultimately, our hunger for Jesus.