Polls reveal that 90 percent of people pray. Yet prayer, which should be the most nourishing and uplifting time of the believer's day, can also be frustrating, confusing, and fraught with mystery.
Writing as a fellow pilgrim, Yancey probes such questions as: - Is God listening?
- Why should God care about me?
- If God knows everything, what's the point of prayer?
- Why do answers to prayer seem so inconsistent?
- Why does God sometimes seem close and sometimes seem far away?
- How can I make prayer more satisfying?
Yancey tackles the tough questions and in the process comes up with a fresh new approach to this timeless topic. "I have learned to pray as a privilege, not a duty," he says, and he invites you to join him on this all-important journey.
| Philip Yancey talks about his book PRAYER |
Best-selling author and ministry leader Thom S. Rainer drew an exceptional response when he posted a 500-word declaration about church membership to his daily blog. "I Am a Church Member" started a conversation about the attitudes and responsibilities of church members -- rather than the functional and theological issues -- that previous new member primers all but ignored. Thoughtfully expanded to book form, I Am a Church Member begins to remedy the outbreak of inactive or barely committed church members, addressing without apology what is expected of those who join a body of believers. When a person's attitude is consistently biblical and healthy, matters of giving, serving, and so forth will fall into place more naturally. Six intentional chapters with study questions guide this rising discussion:
- I Will Be a Unifying Church Member
- I Will Not Let the Church Be About My Preferences and Desires
- I Will Pray for My Church Leaders
- I Will Lead My Family to Be Healthy Church Members
- I Will Be a Functioning Member
- I Will Treasure Church Membership as a Gift
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No one wants to see a church die. And yet, far too many churches are dying. For more than twenty-five years, Dr. Thom Rainer has helped churches grow, reverse the trends of decline, and has autopsied those that have died. From this experience, he has discovered twelve consistent themes among those churches that have died. Yet, it's not gloom and doom because from those twelve themes, lessons on how to keep your church alive have emerged. Whether your church is vibrant or dying, whether you are a pastor or a church member, "Autopsy of a Deceased Church" will walk you through the radical paths necessary to keep your church alive to the glory of God and advancement of Christ's Kingdom
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