A new Inspiration article, each time you visit, to help improve your ministry and life.
“Some people feel their destiny to be carved in stone. I believe that our lives are an ongoing exercise in creative writing and as such it is always possible to cease following the storyline that we have been using to illustrate our lives with up to this point, open to a fresh page and start anew. In fact, the Universe itself does this every moment of every day, continually reinventing itself and setting up the storyline for the next moment to come.
I refer to this eternal and ongoing process as divine authorship....” Read more...
All ancient books which have once been called sacred by man, will have their lasting place in the history of mankind, and those who possess the courage, the perseverance, and the self-denial of the true miner, and of the true scholar, will find even in the darkest and dustiest shafts what they are seeking for,--real nuggets of thought, and precious jewels of faith and hope.
-- Max Müller, Introduction to the Upanishads Vol. II.
This site is a freely available archive of electronic texts about religion, mythology, legends and folklore, and occult and esoteric topics. Texts are presented in English translation and, in some cases, in the original language.
Funding Your Ministry: Whether You're Gifted or Not by Scott Morton
Using a fun, comprehensive approach, Funding Your Ministry Whether You’re Gifted or Not addresses the obstacles faced by anyone in ministry who raises personal support. Ideal for missionaries, pastors, Christian organizations, and other fund-raisers, Funding Your Ministry will help answer your questions and put you on the biblical path for recruiting and maintaining donor support.
This 219-page book starts with a thorough teaching on a biblical perspective of fundraising, then presents practical fundraising strategies, including making appeals to individuals and churches, writing newsletters, and donor ministry. Not only is this book packed with vital information - it’s actually fun to read!
Pastor
by William H. Willimon
Like Paul's mentoring of Timothy, and his support for Barnabas, this book provides that sort of resource for today's clergy.
Think of the contents as a kind of conversation, across twenty centuries of ordained leadership.
Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry
by William H. Willimon
Reader reviews: I was recently ordained into the ministry and began reading this book shortly thereafter. Willimon provides a sophisticated and theologically-sound approach to defining ministry as well as touching on the personal life of the minister. He addresses the "hush-hush" issues of ministry burnout and women in pastoral ministry. This is a well-written handbook for ministers. Strongly recommended!
This was one of the best pastoral books I have read. Willimon's book contains great depth while at the same time explaining what may be difficult theological language for those who have not studied at seminary. His vision of the church as a community of accountability striving toward a focus on God's kingdom is exactly the vision of the church given to us in the Bible. Willimon gives us practical ways in which we can carry this mission out. He does not water down the gospel, but also leaves room for human sinfulness. This is a must-read for all pastors- giving us back the vision of the way the church should be and a reminder about why we're in this ministry to begin with!
This smallish book is a collection of Islamic stories of the prophets, a genre which has been perrenially popular in the world of Islam. Most of the characters present in the stories are the same prophets which are familiar from the Bible and other Jewish and Christian sources.
This site currently provides you with five main online resources for learning Torah (Laws given all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, through Moses at Sinai)
Creating Miracles Every Day
By the Author of the National Bestsellers Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and Don’t Worry, Make Money
by Richard Carlson
The frantic pace of our daily lives can take a serious toll on even the most calm and collected person. Who has time to worry about happiness, health, and peace of mind, when you have a million little urgencies to take care of each day?
Now there is a way to get off life’s treadmill for good, without sacrificing your career, financial status, or activities.
In his exciting program, Creating Miracles Every Day: How to Turn Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Experiences, best-selling author Richard Carlson shows you how to bridge the gap between what you think you want and what will make you happy.
Divine Dialogue
Open your life to the miraculous healing power of prayer
by Ron Roth, Ph.D.
In Divine Dialogue, Ron Roth crosses cultures, eras, and denominations as he takes you on a journey to the essence of prayer. He shows you how to embrace prayer as an empowering experience of the heart. He shares profoundly moving stories of individuals whose bodies and souls were miraculously healed when they welcomed true prayer into their lives. And he teaches you how to open your whole life to its healing power. Awaken your mind and soul to joyful, healing power of the true prayer experience.
Transform your life and create the income of your dreams.
Life-changing educational programs.
A 3 month program that shifts your prosperity and abundance consciousness.
Pastoral Theology by Thomas C. Oden
This much-needed book fully integrates principles of pastoral care, leadership, and theology to restore to ministers a clearly defined pastoral identity. Moving from a critique of inadequate models for ministry -- from community organizer to T. V. evangelist -- Oden develops a more classical model, rich in its references to the past and compatible both with Christian faith and theology through the ages and with current needs.
Reconciling classical tradition with practice, Pastoral Theology will be a standard resource and reference in the field. Oden distills the best ideas of the two millennia of ecumenical Christian thinking concerning what pastors are and do. Pastoral Theology provides the foundational knowledge of the pastoral office requisite to the practice of ministry. It will be of interest to persons preparing for ordination in its review of key issues; at the same time, Pastoral Theology will appeal to all those who have considered entering the ministry, those who want to know more about what clergy do and why, and those ministers who want to review their ongoing work in the light of a systematic reflection on the pastoral gifts and tasks.
Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry by Doug Fields
Your First Two Years of Youth Ministry is a must-have tool for new youth workers, volunteers, seminary professors and students, senior pastors, elders, church boards--even veteran youth workers who've been ministering in unstructured environments and are now asking, What did I miss? What can I still learn?
The author disarmingly relates stories and principles from his own successes and failures over 20-plus years in youth ministry. In the end, he offers treasure troves of practical advice, all in the hope that new youth workers can travel a smoother path and achieve real longevity in a church culture that all too often chews them and spits them out.
Doug covers all-important issues such as: · Dealing with discouragement · Establishing a solid spiritual foundation · Building effective relationships with students · Resolving conflict · Ministering to parents and families · Trailblazing change · Working with volunteers · Defining a realistic job description · And many others!
Listening and Caring Skills in Ministry
by John S. Savage
John Savage offers nine specific, definable, and teachable techniques to improve communication. He delineates his own proven successful program of training in the non-profit/business arena for listening skills, and also includes exercises and examples of techniques taken from congregational situations.
Reader review: I keep returning to the skills I learned from this book, especially listening for metaphors in stories and dealing with criticism or hostile comments. The advice is applicable to counselors from a wide variety of religious traditions.
The author explores comparisions with myths and traditions of the Mesopotmians, Egyptians, Canaanites and Greeks as well as those of the Celtic, Teutonic and Slavic peoples.
Gain a deeper understanding of universal truths and the bible.
The Gnostic Gospels
by Elaine Pagels
Gain a better understanding of the development of modern Christianity.
Gnosticism's Christian form grew to prominence in the 2nd century A.D. Ultimately denounced as heretical by the early church, Gnosticism proposed a revealed knowledge of God ("gnosis" meaning "knowledge" in Greek), held as a secret tradition of the apostles. In The Gnostic Gospels, author Elaine Pagels suggests that Christianity could have developed quite differently if Gnostic texts had become part of the Christian canon. Without a doubt: Gnosticism celebrates God as both Mother and Father, shows a very human Jesus's relationship to Mary Magdalene, suggests the Resurrection is better understood symbolically, and speaks to self-knowledge as the route to union with God. Pagels argues that Christian orthodoxy grew out of the political considerations of the day, serving to legitimize and consolidate early church leadership. Her contrast of that developing orthodoxy with Gnostic teachings presents an intriguing trajectory on a world faith as it "might have become." The Gnostic Gospels provides engaging reading for those seeking a broader perspective on the early development of Christianity.
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