Books published by Abingdon Press

Do you long for serenity and refuge, peace and hope? Are you seeking adeeper spiritual life through a closer relationship with God?If you're tired of dwelling in busyness and noise, then perhaps one worda day can change your life. Award-winning author Lucinda SecrestMcDowell knows that if you spend time each day turning to God's Word forwisdom and guidance, your faith can flourish and grow.Through short and inspiring readings, McDowell unpacks a single word -such as mercy, beauty, gratitude, or grace - to reveal a biblicalblessing or challenge relevant to where you are. Full of stories andillustrations to empower you to live the word you have just read, eachdevotional ends with a benediction, written as if God were speakingdirectly to you.These "e;dwelling places"e; that offer the joy of God's promise and presencecover four seasons: fall, Advent, Lent, and summer. Whether in themidst of busy holiday schedules, holy days, ordinary moments, orchanging seasons, a deeper faith can be as simple as a single word. PRAISE FOR DWELLING PLACES:';As there are seasons of the year so there are seasons in our walk withChrist. In Dwelling Places, Lucinda McDowell takes us on a gentlesojourn through words that inspire, encourage, educate and magnify theLord.' ~ Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author ';If you're looking for encouragement based on God's Word, read DwellingPlaces. Lucinda Secrest McDowell has taken 130 key words from the Bibleand created powerful devotions that will comfort, exhort, and bless youdaily in every season of the year. Her powerful stories and poignantending prayers will capture your heart and point you towards hope andtruth. Buy one copy for yourself and ten more to give away!' ~ CarolKent, speaker and author of Waiting Together and Unquenchable ';In Dwelling Places, Lucinda Secrest McDowell elevates devotions to anew level. As always, McDowell uses some of the best quotes you willread this year, but she adds to them her special brand of storytellingas well as teachings that will minister to your soul. A masterfuldevotional, managing to be both short and deep at the same time.' ~Tessa Afshar, Christy, award winning author of Land of Silence andFields of Grace ';I never miss a new book from Lucinda Secrest McDowell. Her writing isso real and warm and down-to-earth, and at the same timethought-provoking, profound, and theologically grounded. A rarecombination! Dwelling Places offers readers deep moments of reflection,inspiration, and encouragement that will stay with us throughout the dayand throughout the seasons of our lives.' ~ Christin Ditchfield,syndicated radio host, speaker, and author of What Women Should KnowAbout Facing Fear ';Dwelling Places is balm for the soul, resonate and full of life,bringing the Word to dwell with me as I pondered each of the daily wordslong after I'd finished reading them.' ~ Christa Parrish, ChristianityToday award and Christy award winning author of Still Life and Stonesfor Bread

Prayer nurtures our faith and encourages spiritual growth. This thematic Bible study calls individuals and small groups to a deeper life of prayer during the season of Lent. It guides readers to spiritual transformation and application of Bible study to everyday, practical life experience. By coming near the cross through prayer, we can know and imitate heart of Christ. This thematic Bible study is designed to be used by individuals and small groups during the Lent 2016 season. In addition to the main content, each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week. The focus emerges from the chapter content and encourages readers to engage in a spiritual practice or do something specific that will help them grow in faith. On the whole, this thematic seasonal Bible study series is designed for transformation and application of Bible study to everyday, practical life experience.

Following Jesus can be more about serving others rather than judging them.

The mission of The United Methodist Church is to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." In order to carry out this mission, The United Methodist Church has defined seven pathways of ministry: developing new churches, transforming existing congregations, ending racism through expanding racial and ethnic ministries, teaching the Wesleyan model of discipleship, strengthening clergy and lay leadership, reaching and transforming the lives of new generations, and eliminating poverty in community with the poor. The United Methodist Council on Korean Ministries/Korean Ministry Plan has a vision to strengthen small group ministries for the local church to fulfill the mission of The United Methodist Church. The Korean Ministry Plan partnered with the National Association of Korean United Methodists to develop training material for small group ministry leaders that incorporated both Wesleyan tradition and Korean spirituality. This material was developed with the purpose of leading churches to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and for individuals to realize their individual spiritual gifts so that they could serve the local church and community better. Thus, we United Methodists may be disciples of Jesus Christ who experience the power of the Holy Spirit to transform the world. We welcome you into this journey of discipleship in small group ministry. We are genuinely looking forward to meeting you. --Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, President of the Korean Ministry Plan

Proverbs 21:13 says, ';Those who close their ears to the cries of the poor will themselves call out but receive no answer.' What does this mean for the average middle class Westerner who's actually part of the wealthiest 1% of the world's population? In Cries of the Poor, you'll discover what the Bible has to say about poverty and how Christians can proclaim good news to the poor. Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Idols are fairly easy to recognize in Old Testament stories about false gods, golden calves, statues, and Asherah poles. And they're not hard to spot in the lives of other people. But what about our own idols? Is it even possible for 21st-Century Christians to worship gods that aren't real? How do we know if we're doing it? In Idolatry, Curtis Zackery takes a look at an ancient sin that still ensnares God's people today. Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Grace is both liberating and contagious. Once you truly experience it, you become a different person, and the further you journey in your faith, the more you realize the role God's grace has played in your lifeeven before you came to faith in Christ. In Encountering Grace, you'll examine passages about God's unmerited favor. You'll learn more about receiving God's grace as well as offering that grace to others. Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Mary Had a Baby: An Advent Bible Study Based on African American Spirituals, written by Marilyn E. Thornton with material from the first edition by Cheryl Kirk-Duggan. Mary Had a Babyhas four sessions, one for each week of Advent, and is perfect for small groups, Sunday school, midweek sessions, and choir workshops. Each lesson includes Scripture, song lyrics, devotional and contextual information, and discussion questions to stimulate deepening faith and a sense of community. The book includes leader helps. The four spirituals featured in Mary Had a Baby are ';Mary Had a Baby,' ';Rise Up Shepherd and Follow,' ';Children, Go Where I Send Thee, '; and ';Go, Tell It on the Mountain.' A mp3 file of the four songs is available free with purchase of the study.

Christian communities, with a few exceptions, consider the canon of Scripture closed. There's no process for adding or removing books from our Bibles. Even so, we end up creating our own canons, whether intentionally or unintentionally. There are certain texts that come up frequently in worship or in the youth room or in the children's Sunday school wing. And there are certain texts that we never read in worship or Sunday school. Perplexing Scriptures examines some of these passages. This study may raise more questions than it answers; but as you work through each session, you will begin to see how God's love and grace are at work, even in the most troubling texts.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

This thematic Bible study is designed to be used by individuals and small groups during the Advent 2014 season. The book, written by Stan Purdum, is based on the particular pathways to Jesus during Advent. In addition to the main content, each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week.The focus emerges from the chapter content and encourages the readers to engage in spiritual practice or do something specific that will help them grow in faith. On the whole, this thematic seasonal Bible study series is designed for transformation and for applying the study of the Bible to everyday, practical life experience. It is intended to nurture and encourage faith development and spiritual growth.

Engage in spiritual practices and grow in faith during Lent 2015.

Power-boost your team's capacity to share faith without anxiety! Most churches and Christians target the wrong people with "evangelism" efforts. The model we use no longer works because it is passive, too polite, and focused in the wrong direction. We are not making new disciples, not adding significantly to Christ's transformation of the world. But there is hope and practical help for churches who are ready to take a new approach. Get Their Name by Bob Farr, Kay Kotan, and Doug Anderson outlines that hope and help. The Get Their Name Workbook provides the critical next step. Church leaders can use this resource with their teams, small groups, and staff to power-boost the book's ideas in their own church context. The workbook is formatted to function as an individual study, too. The Get Their Name Workbook: Creates conversation starters for group discussion or personal reflection Poses powerful questions, which can lead to honest and authentic reflection and evaluation Encourages group participants to process the information together, increasing understanding and commitment Stimulates calls to action, increasing the likelihood of real and sustainable change in the congregation

We live in a world of noise. Everywhere we go, we hear sounds that compete for our minds and hearts. Listening to God requires a deliberate choice to shut out the chaos around us and focus our thoughts. Listen, by Rueben P. Job, is a 40-day experience created to offer help to those new to prayer, those with a daily prayer routine, and those whose lives seem too busy to pray. With a focus on listening prayer and prayer as a two-way conversation, the experience will assist individuals and groups in building and deepening a personal prayer practice and spiritual discernment. As we learn to listen, we find a new depth and fulfillment in our relationship with God and a new experience of God as guide and companion in our lives. The daily prayer pattern includes an invitation, silence, Bible reading, a story, guided time for reflecting and listening, and practical help for developing six specific prayer practices. Listen is perfect for use by individuals, small groups, or congregations during Lent, Easter, or any time of year.

Have you ever stopped to think just how much better Jesus Christ knows you than you know him? It's a pretty staggering thought really. Not only that, Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. And although you'll never know Jesus as well as he knows you, part of following the Son of God is getting to know him better. But you don't want to fall into the trap of learning stuff ';about' Jesus. Rather, you want to know Jesus himself. This study invites you to get to know four elements of what makes Jesus who he is: his name, his voice, his life, and his peace. In Who Is Jesus? you'll discover that the more you know Jesus, the more Jesus will teach you who you are. Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages from the Common English Bible are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Scripture tells the story of magi who followed a star in the skya light in the midst of the darknessto find the Messiah. In the gifts that they placed at the feet of the Christgold, frankincense, and myrrhthey recognized the intermingling of light and darkness, truth and falsehood, life and death. But more than what the magi gave the child, Three Gifts, One Christ is about what Jesus offers us. Using passages from Matthew and Hebrews, Katie Z. Dawson explores three of Christ's rolesJesus comes as the high priest who sacrifices himself for us, the prophet who calls us into the Kingdom and shows us a better way to live, and the Messiah who triumphs over evil and sets us free. Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages from the Common English Bible are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

On paper, praying seems easy enough. But, when we try to pray daily, we sometimes realize that it's much harder than we'd thought. In fact, it's usually easier to come up with excuses not to pray than reasons to pray. And the most common excuse seems to be the busyness of life. But a vibrant prayer life doesn't have to be an elusive goal; because at its core, prayer is simply talking and listening to God. Using passages from both the Old and New Testaments, Joseph Yoo takes a look at how and why we pray, how to handle what we perceive to be unanswered prayer, and how to learn to hear and recognize God's voice.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages from the Common English Bible are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

In the prohibition era rum running business, first impressions aren't always to be trusted...

Sam Stoltzfus left the Amish community and followed his older brother, David, into the Englisch world, walking away from a chance for love. Sam had clashed with his father, but is there more to his leaving the community than what he says? Mary Elizabeth, the woman he was starting to love before he left, is determined to find out the reason and bring him back into the fold in time for Christmas.

Since New Testament times, the kingdom of God has presented a paradox for believers. Although it's both here and at hand, it's also not quite here in all its fullness. That's where we come in. In Kingdom Building, Grace Biskie offers insight into how Christians can collaborate with the Creator of the universe and bring this Kingdom into the here and now. We do this in community with other believers; and we start with the poor, our enemies, and those we despise. Building the kingdom of God isn't easy. Sometimes it happens inch by inch. Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable. But few things are more satisfying for a Christian than being involved in God's plan for changing the world, and it starts in our world. Because whether we know it or not, we're all longing for God's kingdom to be here entirely. And when that happens, God will make all things new.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages from the Common English Bible are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Evangelism has become a virtual four-letter word in some circles. Sharing one's faith can be intimidating; and Christians through the ages have disagreed on what evangelism means. But at its most basic level, it's simply sharing the good news that the Son of God became human and died for the sins of humanity. Join popular speaker Curtis Zackery as he uses Scripture to explore the questions of evangelism. Sharing the Gospel will help you discover how to share your faith in a way that works for you.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

As Christians, we process grief, show love, understand compassion, and accept forgiveness. But when it comes to anger, we often reject it as not being useful or holy. There simply is no place for anger in the worldview of many Christians. We're told to just ';let it go,' ';get over it,' or ';count to ten.' In the church, anger is treated like a dirty little secret.But why? God gets angry. Why can't we? We're made in the image of God, and being truly human is to fully embrace who God made us to be. In Reclaiming Anger, David Dorn asserts that anger doesn't have to be a forbidden, destructive emotion. Biblical anger serves a purpose. In this study you'll discover what anger is, how God gets angry, when we need anger, and when we need to let it go. Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages from the Common English Bible are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Many biblical women play critical roles in the drama of God's salvation. Women of the Bible grew out of a desire to discover how some of the women who made a difference in the Bible can make a difference in our lives today. Join Pastor James A. Harnish as he takes a closer look at the stories of four extraordinary women in Scripture: Deborah, Abigail, Mary Magdalene, and the woman at the well. You'll be drawn into a fresh awareness of what it means for all of us--men and women alike--to be more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

From childhood through adulthood, most of us spend a considerable amount of time and energy trying to figure out who we are and who we want to be. And there's no shortage of people in the world willing to give us their answers to those questions. Who You Are in Christ takes a look at how our faith in Jesus radically changes who we are and our relationships with God, each other, and the world. Using passages from Paul's New Testament letters, this study explores our identity in Christ as well as how our self-perception affects who we become and what we accomplish when we choose to live according to God's ways of justice, mercy, and love.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Bree Cordel Whitman is a Whitman by marriage, but sometimes she forgets she wasn't born into Grant and Audrey's family. Her late husband, Timothy Whitman, gave his life for his country on a windblown hill in Afghanistan. Bree has let the love of Tim's family keep her ties to him strongin the same way she keeps Tim's memory alive for them. But it's been almost five years, and she can't hang onto the past forever.Fighting the guilt she feels for wanting to love again, she can't help her dreams about a tall, dark, and handsome mana man who is not her Tim. How can she accept the flirtations from Drew Brooks without throwing the Whitman family back into grieving? And how can Drew compete with the ghost of a hero and the hero's very alive family who seem to hold some spell over the woman who shares their name . . . a woman he might just love?

The disciples were fairly ordinary people. They had regular families, made their livelihoods in regular ways, and had typical and varied political leanings. But they met Jesus and started to live extraordinary lives. Because of their closeness to Jesus, we tend to think that the disciples lived lives with less sin than we live with. We imagine that Jesus' love rubbed off on them so that they were also extraordinary humans. But the Gospels show us differently. They show us that Jesus' close companions were as human as we are. And it is because we recognize the sins of the disciples as our own that we can relate to them so closely. They are our common sins.Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies based on the Common English Bible. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers' relationships with others, themselves, and God.

Adapting from Luke 9:51, Richard Wilke looks at Jesus' journey to Jerusalem in order to help us think about how we set our faces in life. What are our goals as people of faith? What are we resolute or determined about in our lives? As we "e;set our faces"e; to Jerusalem and to the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus, what difference does it make? What does Jesus' determination say to us about our commitments and about our need to grow in love of God and neighborThe 40 days of Lent are ideal to use this study and for readers to set their faces toward Easter. Study includes seven sessions, one for each Sunday in Lent and Easter Sunday. Each session features a Scripture reference, a personal reading, questions for personal reflection or group study, and closing prayer.