Ministry Time

This one-of-a-kind resource provides pastors, church leaders, and nonprofessional counselors with everything they need to establish a program for lay counseling. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated in light of fresh research and outlines a practical training resource that can be used to train and equip lay counselors. Filled with useful forms and questionnaires, it also provides a helpful and comprehensive survey of the programs and resources that are currently available.

Savor each new day with him. Jesus is there every day, in every step you take, in every decision you face. His mercies are new every morning. Are you experiencing the joy that can be found in his presence? At the heart of this year-round collection of devotionals are penetrating thoughts on intimate themes such as grace, obedience, change, priorities and God’s promises from Christianity’s most beloved writers and thinkers.

Unlocking a great mystery that has puzzled scholars for nearly 2,000 years, The Babylon Code reveals how powerful forces are now at work to create a global government, cashless society, and universal religion as predicted by the prophets.

Five hundred years after the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, many people - Christians and non-Christians alike - view it as a conflict about issues that are no longer relevant to the church. But what if the Reformation still has something to teach us? What if the doctrines so vigorously debated and defended by the Reformers still matter today? In this accessible primer on the Reformation, Michael Reeves and Tim Chester introduce listeners to 11 key questions raised by the Reformers.

Most pastors pray for a healthy and vibrant church, but many find themselves frustrated because they lack direction and feel as though they are spinning their wheels. They struggle to correct unhealthy patterns or do not have fresh vision for their ministry. John K. Jenkins can relate. The first church he attended is best described as a shack with a bell and a steeple. When he accepted his first senior pastoral role, he ministered to 35 people on a good Sunday. Today, Pastor Jenkins welcomes more than 11,000 worshipers to Sunday services, and thousands more participate virtually.

Stories from the Bible have been used over the centuries to teach not just Christian, but universal themes that apply to all humanity: love, brotherhood, tolerance, faith, trust. Bible stories have informed or inspired much of humanity's great literature over the years, and the stories themselves are alternately heartbreaking, amusing, poignant, romantic, and thrilling. This collection provides over 11 hours of listening, and all stories are tracked so that they can be found easily and listened to again and again.

Every person on the planet was born for significance, created by God to make a difference in his kingdom. Fulfilling God’s purpose is a lifelong endeavor, but it comes with a cost. God is a perfect father who looks for chances to pour blessings into the lives of his children. But he is also a father who loves us and doesn’t want to increase our blessing beyond what we have the heart and maturity to carry well. What does it look like when significance is carried well? God is glorified, we are strengthened, and the people around us benefit.

By learning what each piece of the Armor is for they will understand why Paul didn't include the Isaiah pieces. This is going to enable Spiritual Warriors to move into deeper realms of warfare. Which will allow them to be more successful in Spiritual Battles.

As ministry leaders continue to look at the research, one thing is clear: What happens at home is more impactful than what happens at church. Not that the church doesn’t matter, it just means we need to look at what we do at church differently. Spiritual convictions, for better or worse, will most always pass from parent to child and not pastor to child. Yet, many churches are still following a model of ministry that places the spiritual growth of kids and teens primarily on the shoulders of the ministry leaders and not on the parents.

In today's Western world, plenty of shiny false gods still hold power - idols of prosperity, nationalism, and self-interest. Old Testament scholar Christopher J. H. Wright combines a biblical study of idolatry with practical discipleship. He calls listeners to consider connections between Old Testament patterns and today's culture, especially recurring temptations to trust in political power.

What is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology and not a philosophy. Christianity is the Good News that beauty, truth, and goodness are found in a Person. And conversion? It's more than a change in direction; it's a change in connection.

Seven great chapters on the foundations of marriage and family, including "Why Women Are Weird & Men Are a Mess", "How to Love Your Spouse - Regardless", "Why Christian Children Rebel", and more.

Power Through Prayer is primarily focused on the preacher's necessity for an active prayer life, but the admonition is just as needed for the believer today! As with much of what was written in the early 20th century, the language can be challenging to understand. Through a painstaking process of editing, we have created an easy-to-understand translation of E.M. Bounds's work without compromising his spiritual depth and insights.

The Art of Overcoming explores how we deal with loss, grief, and hurt, and challenges listeners to keep what looks like endings from discouraging or derailing us. The pain we experience is real—but there’s a difference between acknowledging it and giving into it. Rather than seeking a fake hope that pretends loss doesn’t exist or doesn’t matter, author and pastor Tim Timberlake encourages us to pursue hope rooted in God and gives this reminder: don’t quit!

Best-selling author Ruth Graham, daughter of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham, tackles the fear listeners face during times of change, uncertainty, and crisis and reveals how to replace these fears with hope and anticipation through the discovery of God and his power. Graham empathizes with listeners who feel inadequate, overpowered, or even beyond hope.

One of the most controversial statements in the New Testament concerns the virgin conception and subsequent birth of Jesus, a conception in which man had no part. It's recorded that a virgin conceived a son without the aid of man, then secretly and without effort gave birth to her conception. This is the foundation upon which all Christendom rests. The Christian world is asked to believe this story, for man must believe the unbelievable to fully express the greatness that he is.

Best-selling author and master communicator Charles Swindoll has been effectively speaking to others for over 50 years. In Saying It Well: Touching Others With Your Words he shares his secrets on how to talk so people will listen.

Most leaders start out with passion, a sense of calling, and a focus on building ministry skills. Such things might get some results, but they are not enough to sustain a healthy ministry - or a healthy life. Beyond the vocational capacities every church planter needs, there's a range of capabilities more difficult to measure but even more essential: What veteran church planter Tim Morey calls spiritual competencies. Morey provides here a practical guide to spiritual formation geared to the unique needs of church planters.

In the summer of 1928, sixteen-year-old Minka was looking forward to a sewing class picnic. This would be a rare chance to put aside farm chores, don a pretty dress, and enjoy an outing with other girls. It would be a day to remember. And it was - but not in the way Minka had dreamed. Cornered by a stranger in the woods, the young girl was assaulted. Minka still believed that the stork brought babies; she would not discover for months that she was pregnant.

This collection of eighty theologically rich and beautifully written prayers and meditations, adapted from Puritan prayers and prose, will enrich and deepen your prayer life. While retaining the dignity and beauty of the original language, Tim Chester has updated key words and phrases, making the book accessible to modern listeners. Each prayer combines beautiful words with profound truths. Listen during personal devotions or use to lead rich and deep corporate prayers to give weight and majesty to gathered times of worship.