Transformation comes from questions, not answers. We often look to the Bible as the book of answers. How often, though, do we consider the challenging questions God asks? Hudson notes that Jesus was asked 183 questions in the Gospels but directly only answered three. The Creator is teaching us as we teach children when they struggle with schoolwork: You learn more by doing than being fed an absolute answer. In Questions God Asks Us, we're encouraged to focus on the quest rather than a resolut...

"Gospeled" lives are lives that have encountered Jesus Christ. Christ's call leads to a continually unfolding story for each of us. An encounter with the living Christ demands a response, John Indermark says. In this book you will learn about New Testament characters who encountered Jesus. Some responded with joy and gratitude. Others ignored or rejected his offer of good news. Indermark's powerful reflections on the various biblical characters, along with daily reading of scripture, written ...

Do you practice extreme compassion? When a calamity strikes, you're ready to organize, donate, volunteer. But there are quieter personal tragedies all around you every day. Whether it's a faraway look in the eyes of a coworker, friend, family member, or stranger at the next table in the coffee shop, burdens come in all sizes but weigh equally. Carrying one another's burdens means being attuned to stressed intimates as well as suffering strangers. Sometimes we all may be a little guilty of ste...

Go beyond merely forgiving and forgetting … and discover how to make peace with your past. "Like many of you, I've been dealt a few cards I do not think I deserved," writes Amy Lyles Wilson. "In response, I used to think forgiving and forgetting meant I had to act like I had never been wronged. The writers in this collection tell me otherwise. Forgiving, they say, does not require pretending you were never hurt. It does mean, however, that you'll need to make peace with your past to embrace t...

It's hard to hear yourself think in today's culture, much less refresh your soul. Sights and sounds—from ads placed on toilet stall doors to loud ringtones or cars pulsing with bass—assault us every day. Peace and quiet seem out of place in 21st-century everyday life. It's time to mute the cacophony. Meaningful and serene contemplative silence is possible. And it doesn't require an expensive trip to a spa. "We yearn for rest, and our souls hunger to be fed, yet we seldom give ourselves permis...

Where do we go from here? The dynamic history and identity of the United Methodist Church is lost among the pluralistic landscape in America today. As a living organism, the church can expect to evolve with the culture that surrounds it. The problem, according to lifelong member and author Scott Kisker, is that the United Methodist Church seems to have lost its missional foundation as it climbed to mainline American Protestant church status. Trying to be both mainline and Methodist is a dead...

The Way of Discernment Participant's Book is also available for small-group members. This guide provides everything you need to prepare and lead small-group studies. The Way of Discernment provides: Principles of personal and group discernment Daily exercises to help you move from information to experience Weekly meeting plans designed for group sharing and worship Penetrating questions to aid the process of discernment The 10-week study focuses on the ancient spiritual discipline of disce...

The Way of Discernment Leader's Guide is also available. How do you discover God's guidance for personal and congregational decisions? Explore paths to clarity in The Way of Discernment, a 10-week study for small groups. Who is this book designed for? People yearning to hear the Holy Spirit's guidance Individuals looking for direction in vocation or life changes Church leaders seeking clarity about their congregation's distinctive mission Christians searching for God's will in matters of be...

The church is in the hands of its elders. While the popular perception is that the aged are needy and infirm, Gentzler affirms that the majority of older adults have plenty to give. The church needs to tap into their wisdom, energy, experience, and talents. Gentzler stresses that older adult ministries need to be by and with elders as well as for them, since participants will represent all stages of retirement and activity levels. In addition to the practical issues of programming, Gentzler t...