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Praise for Whole Church «Mel is a thoughtful analyst of church life today. Best of all—he actually does what he writes about. This book can lead to new levels of engagement for your church.» —John Ortberg, author and pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church «Mel Lawrenz's vision of a local church that actually reflects the wholeness and beauty of God as it engages with the Lord, one another, and the community is a much-needed call back to God's original Plan A – a plan that has too often been cast aside in the name of specialization, church growth, and expediency.» —Larry Osborne, North Coast Church, and author, Sticky Church and Spirituality for the Rest of Us «Wow! This book is for every Christian leader who wants to move their church from a narrow self-focus to active engagement in the world with all the resources and possibilities of heaven.» —Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church «While Mel Lawrenz's 'four kinds of engagement' aims at congregational application, it also creates a template that individual Jesus-followers can use for self-evaluation of what it means to be the church today. The final 'dynamics' section is worth the price of admission for church leaders.» —Reggie McNeal, author, The Present Future and Missional Renaissance «Having known Mel Lawrenz for thirty-five years in various capacities as student, intern, colleague, and eventual successor as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church, I can testify to his keen mind, his profound respect for and knowledge of history, his forward-looking curiosity, and his undoubted communication gifts. Add all these to his many years as a seasoned practitioner of church ministry, and the result is this very helpful book, Whole Church.» —Stuart Briscoe, author, Flowing Streams and broadcaster, Telling the Truth

Written by church consultant Will Mancini expert on a new kind of visioning process to help churches develop a stunningly unique model of ministry that leads to redemptive movement. He guides churches away from an internal focus to emphasize participation in their community and surrounding culture. In this important book, Mancini offers an approach for rethinking what it means to lead with clarity as a visionary. Mancini explains that each church has a culture that reflects its particular values, thoughts, attitudes, and actions and shows how church leaders can unlock their church's individual DNA and unleash their congregation's one-of-a-kind potential.

A practical program for developing a deeper, more authentic relationship with God Written for anyone who wants to develop a deeper more meaningful relationship with God, Mansions of the Heart offers a step-by-step guide through a spiritual formation road map based on Teresa of Avila's Seven Mansions. The book includes a Mapping Tool that will help you discern your place on your spiritual journey and offers church leaders a process for helping church members to grow into spiritual maturity. Contains a spiritual program based on the writings of Teresa of Avila, one of Christianity's most profound and beloved mystical teachers Offers a complete, step-by-step program for spiritual growth Includes information for leading others in their spiritual journeys Appropriate for all kinds of Christians

This highly original book introduces a fascinating new approach to yoga and Torah by combining the practice of classic yoga postures with traditional and mystical Jewish wisdom. Each chapter begins by presenting a central Jewish spiritual concept that engages readers of all faiths on a personal level. It offers an in-depth exploration of the concept, quoting and commenting on sacred Jewish texts from the Pentateuch (Five Books of Moses) and other sources. It then guides its readers with mastery and clarity through a meditation and a set of fundamental yoga postures–clearly illustrated by beautiful photographs–for both beginning and advanced yoga students. The Torah concept is actualized and experienced through the practice of these postures. Torah Yoga helps to heighten awareness of body, mind, and spirit?it illuminates the heart of Jewish wisdom.

What the «Emergent Church Movement» is all about-and why it matters to the future of Christianity Following on the questions raised by Brian McLaren in A New Kind of Christian, Tony Jones has written an engaging exploration of what this new kind of Christianity looks like. Writing «dispatches» about the thinking and practices of adventurous Emergent Christians across the country, he offers an in-depth view of this new «third way» of faith-its origins, its theology, and its views of truth, scripture and interpretation, and the Emergent movement's hopeful and life-giving sense of community. With the depth of theological expertise and broad perspective he has gained as a pastor, writer, and leader of the movement, Jones initiates readers into the Emergent conversation and offers a new way forward for Christians in a post-Christian world. With journalistic narrative as well as authoritative reflection, he draws upon on-site research to provide fascinating examples and firsthand stories of who is doing what, where, and why it matters.

Written for those who are trying to nurture authentic faith communities and for those who have struggled to retain their faith, The Tangible Kingdom offers theological answers and real-life stories that demonstrate how the best ancient church practices can re-emerge in today's culture, through any church of any size. In this remarkable book, Hugh Halter and Matt Smay «two missional leaders and church planters» outline an innovative model for creating thriving grass-roots faith communities.

Reggie McNeal's bestseller The Present Future is the definitive work on the «missional movement,» i.e., the widespread movement among Protestant churches to be less inwardly focused and more oriented toward the culture and community around them. In that book he asked the tough questions that churches needed to entertain to begin to think about who they are and what they are doing; in Missional Renaissance, he shows them the three significant shifts in their thinking and behavior that they need to make that will allow leaders to chart a course toward being missional: (1) from an internal to an external focus, ending the church as exclusive social club model; (2) from running programs and ministries to developing people as its core activity; and (3) from professional leadership to leadership that is shared by everyone in the community. With in-depth discussions of the «what» and the «how» of transitioning to being a missional church, readers will be equipped to move into what McNeal sees as the most viable future for Christianity. For all those thousands of churches who are asking about what to do next after reading The Present Future, Missional Renaissance will provide the answer.

Based on his extensive experience as coach and mentor to many thousands of Christian leaders across a broad spectrum of ministry settings, Reggie McNeal helps spiritual leaders understand that they will self-select into or out of greatness. In this important book, McNeal shows how great spiritual leaders are committed consciously and intentionally to seven spiritual disciplines, habits of heart and mind that shape both their character and competence: The discipline of self-awareness—the single most important body of information a leader possesses The discipline of self-management—handling difficult emotions, expectations, temptations, mental vibrancy, and physical well-being The discipline of self-development—a life-long commitment to learning and growing and building on one's strengths The discipline of mission—enjoying the permissions of maintaining the sense of God's purpose for your life and leadership The discipline of decision-making—knowing the elements of good decisions and learning from failure The discipline of belonging—the determination to nurture relationships and to live in community with others, including family, followers, mentors, and friends The discipline of aloneness—the intentional practice of soul-making solitude and contemplation

Understand the beliefs, customs, and rituals of each faith The fun and easy way to know the common elements of these widespread religions Want to know more about the faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? This plain-English guide traces their evolution from their commonorigin – Abraham – and explains their different, yet linked, beliefs.You'll see how each religion developed, endured setbacks, and became a fixture in modern society – and you'll learn how members havedeveloped similar approaches to worship. Discover: How the belief in one God originated The roots of Abraham's family tree The sacred texts of each faith Major similarities and differences How these religions influenced the world

An easy-to-understand introduction to Judaism's most sacred text The foundation of Hebrew and Jewish religion, thought, law, and society is the Torah-the parchment scroll containing the text of the Five Books of Moses that is located in every synagogue. This accessible guide explains the Torah in clear language, even to those who were not raised in the Jewish religious tradition. Christians who want to know more about the Jewish roots of Christianity need to understand the Torah, as do followers of Islamic tradition and those interested in the roots of Abrahamic faiths. The Torah For Dummies explains the history of the Torah, its structure and major principles, and how the Torah affects the daily lives of people who follow the Jewish way of life.

Dreams! What do they mean? You probably recognize a connection between the dream world and the “real” world, but did you know that you can actually do things to nurture your dream life? Dream Dictionary For Dummies is the fun and fascinating guide that shows you not only how to decode your dreams, but how to remember them and even how to make a dream work for you. Whether you're already a prolific dreamer or are just peeking into the unknown, you're sure to get results from the insights, techniques, and tips provided in this unique and transforming guide. An A-to-Z list of dream symbols and their meanings helps you make sense of your dreams and harness them to increase your creativity, solve problems, find life purpose, and obtain accurate personal guidance. And, just by reading the dictionary definitions, you'll begin to understand symbology in a much deeper way. You’ll learn how to synchronize your body, emotions, mind, and soul to experience the full meaning of your dreams and, in some cases, make them your reality.Discover how to: Recognize your dream cycles Increase your ability to remember your dreams Keep and use a dream diary Notice your waking dreams Uncover hidden messages in your dreams Focus your dreams to solve problems or make decisions Form a dream support group So start dreaming and get back to reality with a little help from Dream Dictionary For Dummies.

Jewish Tales of Mystic Joy reveals the happiness that awaits us if we strive for real spirituality. The stories are about pious rabbis and humble tailors, about dancing, singing, laughing, and crying, but their common denominator is always joyous ecstasy. Drawing us into a world of devotion, the tales allow us to taste the bliss that comes from a life lived from the very center of one's self. Each story comes alive in joy and produces a «holy shiver» that speaks to the soul.