Best Christian Pastoral Resources
· Realize the power of your identity in Christ. · Free yourself from the burdens of your past. · Stand against the spiritual forces of this world. · Win the battle for your mind. · Become the spiritual person you want to be. · Discover the truth about God's view of you. Learn to apply the truths of Scripture as a base from which to renew your mind and become the person Christ empowers you to be. Countless people have found genuine freedom in Christ through the insights God has given Neil Anderson. Reading Victory Over the Darkness has been the catalyst for numerous people on the journey of spiritual freedom in Christ. As part of our core curriculum studies, we encourage every new member of our church to complete Dr. Anderson’s Steps to Freedom in Christ. The Lord has given Neil Anderson a marvelous counseling and discipleship model that is a genuine blessing to the Body of Christ. Dr. Neil Anderson shares solid biblical guidelines for how Christians can be used of God to help set the captives free. Jack W. Hayford President, The King’s Seminary, Founding Pastor, The Church On The Way, Van Nuys, California. Dr. Neil Anderson has done a masterful job of taking a rather complex truth and making it plain enough for all to understand and practical enough for all to experience. He trained our intercessors in discipleship counseling, and they still experience the power of God when they walk people through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. In Lombardi-like fashion, Neil Anderson has entered our locker room and re-introduced our “football,” reminding us of the power found in the fundamentals of our faith. Victory Over the Darkness spells out practical and productive ways to experience Christian growth based on Christ's promise. Learn to apply the truths of Scripture as a base from which to renew your mind and become the person Christ empowers you to be. Praise for Victory Over the Darkness "Countless people have found genuine freedom in Christ through the insights God has given Neil Anderson. "The Lord has given Neil Anderson a marvelous counseling and discipleship model that is a genuine blessing to the Body of Christ."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you struggle to overcome personal struggles, take time for this book and it will pay back in multiples!"
"I needed this so much."
"I am in a bible study with this book being used as the text, along with the work book."
"I love this line: "For some unknown reason, we have left the Resurrection out of the gospel presentation."
"most powerful spiritual growth book i've read in 10years!"
"This is an excellent book that reveals Christian's true identity and has the grace to deliver Christians from the devil's oppressive lies and unlock their potential to live out their most."
"Whether you are just curious, beginning to learn more about your faith/spirituality, or a seasoned vet that has been "walking in the spirit" for quite some time, Victory Over the Darkness is a tremendous resource."
"It is written by an educated man and it shows...at times his writing style might get a tad boring for those with short attention spans - but I still think the message gets across and is impacting."
discover and develop the qualities of an effective "people person" improve your relationships in every area of life understand and help difficult people overcome differences and personality traits that can cause friction inspire others to excellence and success. (Zig Ziglar) John C. Maxwell is an internationally respected leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold more than 18 million books.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I also find the list of things people need very helpful and insightful as well."
"Seeing that this has never been my strong point, I believe it has given me meaning insights and tools to better lead my team at work."
"No on knows more about leadership and communicating with others than John Maxwell."
"love it great book!"
"Very enlightening!"
"Love John Maxwell’s writings and this was no exception!"
"I enjoyed this book."
"This book is a valuable resource for individuals in positions of leadership."
In The Emotionally Healthy Leader , bestselling author Peter Scazzero shows leaders how to develop a deep, inner life with Christ, examining its profound implications for surviving stress, planning and decision making, building teams, creating healthy culture, influencing others, and much more. His professional approach, borne of many years of study, combines powerfully with his strong Christian faith to offer new hope to anyone seeking to grow and develop the way they live their life. With remarkable honesty about his own journey, Pete describes key components of healthy Christian leadership, inspiring us to bring our transforming selves to the communities we serve---for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives and for the good of many. His professional approach, borne of many years of study, combines powerfully with his strong Christian faith to offer new hope to anyone seeking to grow and develop the way they live their life.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"“The emotionally unhealthy leader,” Peter Scazzero writes in his new book, “is someone who operates in a continuous state of emotional and spiritual deficit, lacking emotional maturity and a ‘being with God’ sufficient to sustain their ‘doing for God.’” That described me to a tee back then. In The Emotionally Healthy Leader, Scazzero encourages pastors and other ministry leaders to take inventory of their inner and outer lives, to make sure they are operating in both areas out of a spiritual and emotional surplus. The Inner Life. The first half of Scazzero’s book focuses on four practices that shape a person’s ability “to lead from a deep and transformed inner life”: Face your shadow. Scazzero concedes that there are more practices than these, but they are the ones that “emerged as foundational, both in [his] own life and in two decades of mentoring other leaders.”. Your “shadow” is “the accumulation of untamed emotions, less-than-pure motives and thoughts that, while largely unconscious, strongly influence and shape your behaviors. “Our whole life as a leader is to bear witness for God’s love for the world,” Scazzero writes. Scazzero writes: “Doing our part to cultivate a relationship of loving union with God requires time—time that, paradoxically, we don’t have because we are too busy serving him.”. That brings us to “Sabbath delight.” “Biblical Sabbath is a twenty-four-hour block of time in which we stop work, take rest, practice delight, and contemplate God.” I know of many pastors who preach about Sabbath rest—myself included. The second half of Scazzero’s book focuses on four tasks common to leaders: Planning and decision making. Culture and team building. Power and wise boundaries. Endings and new beginnings. For each task, Scazzero shows how the four practices described in the first half of the book change—sometimes radically—the way we do things as Christian leaders. This tends to bear the wrong kind of fruit… The life from our root system with Jesus must flow upward and outward into every aspect of our outer leadership tasks if we are to bear good fruit.”. * * * * *. I benefited from reading The Emotionally Healthy Leader and recommend it to other Christian leaders, whether they serve as pastors, board members, or leading volunteers."
"As a young person, studying this book has encouraged me to really think through my personal values. I especially recommend this book for young leaders."
"I've taken copious notes, and there is an awful lot I have already and will continue to work through with Jesus in regard to them. But I believe the author does rightly point out the main areas to begin with, if we really want our churches and organisations to become communities of love and healing that truly reflect the heart of our Father."
"Interesting book."
"The content seems to take root better in this group setting, where we discuss each topic and have time to let each chapter sink in on a weekly basis, instead of me reading it through by myself in a couple of sittings."
"One of my top 5 leadership books of all time."
Best Christian Church Administration
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! Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, one of the largest Christian resource companies in the world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Sometimes we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of maintaining things that we don't realize we are neglecting the purpose for why it was created or even the fact that it doesn't belong to us."
"If you belong to a church that seems to be not going anywhere, you need to buy this book and give it to your pastor, I bought this book and immediately saw my church."
"We all know something about death!"
"Since church sickness is very common, tends to develop slowly--and is often unrecognized-- over a period of years, this book can serve as a lifesaver, if read and acted on every 2 to 3 years by church leaders."
"This is a truly informative book about how not to run your church."
"Or, at least, they might have, had they not allowed the Great Commission and Great Commandment to be eclipsed by lesser things, ultimately resisting the increasingly difficult steps towards renewal."
"Concisely written in approximately 100 pages, he describes the common themes, including: 1. the past is the hero, 2. the church refused to look like the community, 3. the budget moved inwardly, 4. the great commission becomes the great omission, 5. the preference driven church, 6. pastoral tenure decreases, 7. the church rarely prayed together, 8. the church had no clear purpose, and 9. the church obsessed over the facilities."
"Thom Rainer, the author did not bite his tongue about the reasons for a dying church."
Best Christian Church History
Seldom does one find serious scholarship so easy to read.” – The Times , Book of the Year A New York Times bestseller, this major new history of the knights Templar is “. a fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger" – Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem A faltering war in the middle east. These are the first Knights Templar, a band of elite warriors prepared to give their lives to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Over the next two hundred years, the Templars would become the most powerful religious order of the medieval world. In this groundbreaking narrative history, Dan Jones tells the true story of the Templars for the first time in a generation, drawing on extensive original sources to build a gripping account of these Christian holy warriors whose heroism and alleged depravity have been shrouded in myth. His aim is to present a gripping historical narrative, and in this he succeeds… As he describes it, the order comes across as a combination of Blackwater, Goldman Sachs, Kroll International, FedEx, Fort Knox, Bechtel and the Red Cross. Information is unreliable and easily manipulated, allowing conspiracy theories to take root and spread.” – Cullen Murphy, The Washington Post "Dan Jones has created a gripping page-turner out of the dramatic history of the Templars, from their spiritual warrior beginnings until their tragic destruction by the French king and the pope. …In Jones’s bravura account, this tension between aristocratic killer and humble monk shadows the Templar story. “Gripping… Jones tells the story of the Templars with energy and verve, regalling readers with well-chosen details and anecdotes. He has done precisely that.” – Peter Frankopan, The Telegraph "Business chiefs listen up, especially in the world of big tech where egos are becoming rather inflated . The caution, although not explicit, comes in the epic story of the warrior monks known as the Knights Templar whose activities have given rise to much speculation and theories, some reasonable and some absurd. “The story of the Templars, the ultimate holy warriors, is an extraordinary saga of fanaticism, bravery, treachery and betrayal, and in Dan Jones they have a worthy chronicler. “A fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger, featuring a cast of exuberantly monstrous sword swingers spattering Christian and Islamic blood from Spain to Jerusalem.” -- Simon Sebag Montefiore author of Jerusalem: The Biography "In this thrillingly lucid account, Dan Jones demystifies the Templars in a story spanning hundreds of years and countless rulers, knights and archbishops, a seemingly disproportionate number of whom ended up beheaded . Anyone who has read Jones’s earlier medieval chronicles will know what to expect here: fast-paced narrative history depicted with irresistible verve, bloody battle scenes and moments of laugh-out-loud wit. There are contemporary parallels, too, with the Templars eventually being laid low by the medieval equivalent of a kind of 'fake news': anti-Templar propaganda spread by the church. “Thank God this book is sane… Jones tells the engrossing story of an ascetic order of warrior knights chiefly dedicated to the defense of pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem… Templars is based on a wide-ranging and thorough research and relies overwhelmingly on primary sources… It reads like a morality tale.” – Robert Irwin, Literary Review. Jones examines the storied Templars, an organization of quasi-monastic warriors who rose to fame and power in the midst of the Crusades, only to rapidly collapse in questionable scandals . Jones chronicles the Templars’ actual record of great military achievement, fiduciary responsibility, exceptional faithfulness, and lasting cultural significance.” --Booklist. A thrilling dynastic history of royal intrigues, violent skullduggery, and brutal warfare across two centuries of British history.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Young Stalin. “Dan Jones’s epic portrait of the medieval royals is a timely reminder that things haven’t always been so rosy for those on the throne.” —GQ. There is fine scholarly intuition on display here and a mastery of the grand narrative; it is a supremely skillful piece of storytelling.” —The Sunday Telegraph. “If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones or The Tudors, then Dan Jones’ swashbucklingly entertaining slice of medieval history will be right up your alley. “Jones is a born storyteller, peopling the terrifying uncertainties of each moment with a superbly drawn cast of characters and powerfully evoking the brutal realities of civil war.” —The Evening Standard. “Dan Jones has an enviable gift for telling a dramatic story while at the same time inviting us to consider serious topics like liberty and the seeds of representative government.” —Antonia Frasier. Dan Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Templars, The Plantagenets, Wars of the Roses, and Magna Carta . He wrote and presented the popular Netflix series Secrets of Great British Castles and appeared alongside George R.R.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Dan Jones continues his trend of offering a sweeping history at a glance. If you know nothing of the Templars except what you have seen in movies or read in popular fiction, Jones offers up a delightful dose of reality that is no less fascinating than the myths surrounding this famed group."
"As my first book by Dan Jones, I found this book superb. It was a solid overview of the Templars' history."
"There is not much to dislike about this book."
"Jones asserts that the first time Bernard knew the Templars needed his help was when the king of Jerusalem sent Bernard a letter in 1126. Yet the Count of Champagne had given Bernard his abbey in 1115, was a life-long associate of Hugh de Payens who founded the Templars in 1119, and the Count became a Templar himself in 1125, at which time Bernard sent him a glowing letter on his wise choice to become a Templar and expressing his gratitude for the Count’s generosity. And Jones would have us believe that the only way Bernard knew the Templars needed his help was when the king of Jerusalem sent Bernard a letter in 1126?"
Best Christian Church Growth
Breakthrough author Francis Chan rips away paper and bows to get at the true source of the church's power—the Holy Spirit. -- Francis Chan is the founder of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California. The author of the bestselling Crazy Love pleads passionately for the church to live by the power of the forgotten God: the Holy Spirit. Calling Christians to more than just a better life, Chan says he wants to live a life unexplainable without the Holy Spirit, so dependent on the Spirit that, he says, if he doesn't come through, I'm screwed. He offers vivid personal stories and illustrations about how the church ought to help Christians discern the powerful gifts of the Spirit, rather than toning down radicals. Through solid scriptural support and compelling narrative, breakthrough author Francis Chan returns us to the Holy Spirit as the Bible describes Him.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I highly recommend this book to anyone who is serious about growing in their relationship with God or for anyone who wants to understand what life as a follower of Jesus Christ could/should look like."
"This is a wonderful study of the Holy Spirit and what He should mean in our lives."
"Jesus died to make it possible for us to receive Holy Spirit, and we can’t live the redeemed life apart from Him."
"I liked the way this was written l found it very enlightening and informative."
"I have bought it in book form and given it to many people because of the powerful truths in this book."
"He does this primarily through sharing testimonies of believers who exemplified spirit-filled lives (such as Joni Eareckson Tada and Francis Schaeffer), and by gently confronting pre-conceived notions about the work and purpose of the Spirit through asking tough questions ("I think most of us would...choose a physical Jesus over an invisible Spirit. and pointing out uncomfortable truths ("Let's be honest: If you combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, and some hip, creative events, people will attend your church."
"There are a lot of questions in here that most ppl are afraid to ask."
"Really good book.... my goto recommended book."
Best Christian Church Leadership
discover and develop the qualities of an effective "people person" improve your relationships in every area of life understand and help difficult people overcome differences and personality traits that can cause friction inspire others to excellence and success. (Zig Ziglar) John C. Maxwell is an internationally respected leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold more than 18 million books.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I also find the list of things people need very helpful and insightful as well."
"Seeing that this has never been my strong point, I believe it has given me meaning insights and tools to better lead my team at work."
"No on knows more about leadership and communicating with others than John Maxwell."
"love it great book!"
"Very enlightening!"
"Love John Maxwell’s writings and this was no exception!"
"I enjoyed this book."
"This book is a valuable resource for individuals in positions of leadership."
Best Christian Canon Law
The Book of Mormon chronicles stories of ancient peoples migrating from the Near East to the Americas, their beliefs and instructions, wars and contentions, and revelations about righteous living. -- The Salt Lake Tribune, October 3, 1998 Octavo editions give readers a firsthand experience of a milestone text: each includes page-by-page views, expert commentaries, and appropriate "marginalia."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I love having on my kindle, which is very convenient and easy to find passages and cross references."
"A whole new world of history of ancient indian races and their stories."
"Great price, great condition."
"This is sort of a beginner's book to the words and meanings of the Mormon. religion."
"The book is wonderful, exclent,I know it is true."
"Poorly fomatted."
"how the put the text in isn't good and doesn't look anything like your scriptures at home and it is encrediblly hard to read."
Best Christian Institutions & Organizations
Seldom does one find serious scholarship so easy to read.” – The Times , Book of the Year A New York Times bestseller, this major new history of the knights Templar is “. a fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger" – Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem A faltering war in the middle east. These are the first Knights Templar, a band of elite warriors prepared to give their lives to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Over the next two hundred years, the Templars would become the most powerful religious order of the medieval world. In this groundbreaking narrative history, Dan Jones tells the true story of the Templars for the first time in a generation, drawing on extensive original sources to build a gripping account of these Christian holy warriors whose heroism and alleged depravity have been shrouded in myth. The warrior monks have always appealed to conspiracy theorists, and although Jones strips away the myths, he has great fun recounting their bloodthirsty crusading exploits.” -- The Sunday Times , History Book of the Year "Dan Jones gives no credence to the conspiratorial fantasies that have been spun around the Templars over the years . - Cullen Murphy, The Washington Post "Dan Jones has created a gripping page-turner out of the dramatic history of the Templars, from their spiritual warrior beginnings until their tragic destruction by the French king and the pope. …In Jones’s bravura account, this tension between aristocratic killer and humble monk shadows the Templar story. He has done precisely that.” – Peter Frankopan, The Telegraph "Business chiefs listen up, especially in the world of big tech where egos are becoming rather inflated . The caution, although not explicit, comes in the epic story of the warrior monks known as the Knights Templar whose activities have given rise to much speculation and theories, some reasonable and some absurd. “The story of the Templars, the ultimate holy warriors, is an extraordinary saga of fanaticism, bravery, treachery and betrayal, and in Dan Jones they have a worthy chronicler. “A fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger, featuring a cast of exuberantly monstrous sword swingers spattering Christian and Islamic blood from Spain to Jerusalem.” -- Simon Sebag Montefiore author of Jerusalem: The Biography "In this thrillingly lucid account, Dan Jones demystifies the Templars in a story spanning hundreds of years and countless rulers, knights and archbishops, a seemingly disproportionate number of whom ended up beheaded . Anyone who has read Jones’s earlier medieval chronicles will know what to expect here: fast-paced narrative history depicted with irresistible verve, bloody battle scenes and moments of laugh-out-loud wit. There are contemporary parallels, too, with the Templars eventually being laid low by the medieval equivalent of a kind of 'fake news': anti-Templar propaganda spread by the church. “Thank God this book is sane… Jones tells the engrossing story of an ascetic order of warrior knights chiefly dedicated to the defense of pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem… Templars is based on a wide-ranging and thorough research and relies overwhelmingly on primary sources… It reads like a morality tale.” – Robert Irwin, Literary Review. Jones examines the storied Templars, an organization of quasi-monastic warriors who rose to fame and power in the midst of the Crusades, only to rapidly collapse in questionable scandals . Jones chronicles the Templars’ actual record of great military achievement, fiduciary responsibility, exceptional faithfulness, and lasting cultural significance.” --Booklist. Fast-paced and accessible, The Plantagenets is old-fashioned storytelling and will be particularly appreciated by those who like their history red in tooth and claw.” —The Wall Street Journal. A thrilling dynastic history of royal intrigues, violent skullduggery, and brutal warfare across two centuries of British history.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Young Stalin. “Dan Jones’s epic portrait of the medieval royals is a timely reminder that things haven’t always been so rosy for those on the throne.” —GQ. There is fine scholarly intuition on display here and a mastery of the grand narrative; it is a supremely skillful piece of storytelling.” —The Sunday Telegraph. “If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones or The Tudors, then Dan Jones’ swashbucklingly entertaining slice of medieval history will be right up your alley. “Jones is a born storyteller, peopling the terrifying uncertainties of each moment with a superbly drawn cast of characters and powerfully evoking the brutal realities of civil war.” —The Evening Standard. “Dan Jones has an enviable gift for telling a dramatic story while at the same time inviting us to consider serious topics like liberty and the seeds of representative government.” —Antonia Frasier. Dan Jones is the author of The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queen Who Made England , a New York Times bestseller; Wars of the Roses , which charts the story of the fall of the Plantagenets and the improbable rise of the Tudors; Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty; and Summer of Blood. He wrote and presented the popular Netflix series Secrets of Great British Castles and appeared alongside George R. R. Martin in the official HBO film exploring the real history behind Game of Throne s. He is the historical consultant to Knightfall , a major new production from A&E Studios and The History Channel on the legend of the Templars, produced by Jeremy Renner and due to air in early 2018.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Dan Jones continues his trend of offering a sweeping history at a glance. If you know nothing of the Templars except what you have seen in movies or read in popular fiction, Jones offers up a delightful dose of reality that is no less fascinating than the myths surrounding this famed group."
"Jones asserts that the first time Bernard knew the Templars needed his help was when the king of Jerusalem sent Bernard a letter in 1126. Yet the Count of Champagne had given Bernard his abbey in 1115, was a life-long associate of Hugh de Payens who founded the Templars in 1119, and the Count became a Templar himself in 1125, at which time Bernard sent him a glowing letter on his wise choice to become a Templar and expressing his gratitude for the Count’s generosity. And Jones would have us believe that the only way Bernard knew the Templars needed his help was when the king of Jerusalem sent Bernard a letter in 1126?"
"It’s a highly readable, highly relatable narrative history of an extraordinary organization that has become mythologized; if not fantasized."
"Excellent book!"
"This book is a good intro into the world of the Templars."
"What makes this book so interesting is Dan's exciting narrative shows you the actual history of the Templars is more interesting than the Legend."
Best Ecclesiology Christian Theology
Beautifully written, in clear direct language, bestselling Catholic author Scott Hahn's new book will help readers see the Mass with new eyes, pray the liturgy with a renewed heart, and enter into the Mass more fully, enthusiastically, intelligently, and powerfully than ever before. The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth reawakens a surprising ancient view of the Eucharist, as the harbinger of the supernatural drama described by the New Testament book of Revelation. --Michael Joseph Gross As with his earlier Rome Sweet Home, Hahn's The Lamb's Supper seeks to bring scriptural exegesis and Roman Catholic ritual tradition into fruitful dialogue. The only consideration noticeably absent from Hahn's liturgical review of Revelation is whether the doxological splendors of the Mass are marred or made manifest in the hastily prepared English translations of the Latin Rite issued in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you have any questions about what the Catholic mass represents this is a book that really will inlighten your understanding of what is taking place at the altar of Christ."
"Totally made Mass much clearer, as to why we do what we do and pray what we pray as Catholics during our celebration of the Eucharist and Liturgy of the Word."
"Awesome book!"
"Helps one understand that Mass is not just a service to go to, it more a family meal."
"awesome book!!"
"Truly a marvelous connecting of the dots."
"Scott Hahn is my favorite spiritual author."
"Dr. Hahn uses his deep understanding of the Old and New Testaments to reveal the presence of the Mass in all its glory in the Book of Revelations."