Books published by Resource Publications (CA)

Genesis: A Theological Commentary for Preachers engages hermeneutics for preaching, employing theological exegesis that enables the preacher to utilize all the narrative units of the book to craft effective sermons.This commentary unpacks the crucial link between Scripture and application: the theology of each preaching text, i.e., what the author is doing with what he is saying. Genesis is thus divided into thirty-five narrative units and the theological focus of each is delineated. The overall theological trajectory/theme of the book--divine blessing: creating for blessing (Gen 1-11), moving towards blessing (Gen 12-24), experiencing the blessing (Gen 25-36), and being a blessing (Gen 37-50)--is thus progressively developed. The specificity of these theological ideas for their respective texts makes possible a sequential homiletical movement through each pericope of the book, enabling the expositor to discover valid application for sermons.While the primary goal of the commentary is to take the preacher from text to theology, it also provides two sermon outlines for each of the thirty-five units of Genesis. The unique approach of this work results in a theology-for-preaching commentary that promises to be useful for anyone teaching through Genesis with an emphasis on application.

Rosario Picardo was a recently divorced and slightly jaded ex-Marine when he heeded God's call to plant "a church for broken people." This book chronicles the struggles and triumphs of Embrace Church, from its beginnings in his basement as a rare urban church plant to a multi-campus congregation that reaches hundreds of folks broken by poverty, burned by Christians, and in need of healing grace. By telling his story, Picardo hopes to inform, inspire, and encourage seminary students, future church planters, and any Christian committed to expanding the body of Christ among marginalized people in urban areas. Alongside relevant data and theological insights, Picardo shares the practical lessons he learned, as well as personal journal entries about his internal struggles, in order to offer a comprehensive glimpse into not only the need for new church plants, but the difficulties and opportunities that exist in this sort of ministry.

In the grip of serious numerical decline, American Evangelical churches are now experiencing a missional movement. God is calling his people to return to a biblical lifestyle that goes full circle in continual worship, discipleship, and missions. Mark Powers connects the dots between these three main elements of authentic Christian living. He presents a theology of missional worship, a detailed discipleship plan, and a strategy for local music missions. Going Full Circle uses everyday language to present a simple thought process to move worshipers and worship leaders to become worshiping disciples on mission.Are you a casualty of worship wars? Are you worried about the decline of your church? Are you thrilled with fast growth churches but sense there must be something more than spectator worship? Are you confused by the word ""missional"" that seems to be popping up everywhere? This book is for you and your friends. Read it, share it, and join the movement!

After logging thousands of miles in planes, jeeps, dugout canoes, pickup trucks, bicycles, and on foot, LeQuire and du Plessis offer insights into how Christians around the world are using tourism to develop their villages while caring for both creation and culture. Based on a multi-year research project, this book showcases innovative projects that Christian villagers and faith-based organizations are engaging to alleviate poverty through business ventures. Through a unique mix of travelogue and theological reflection, this book concludes with a challenge to the status quo of current short-term mission practice and provides thoughtful alternatives.

Preachers are often caught in a double bind--they would like to be more witty and creative, but they aren't sure whether these capacities fit with the serious business of preaching the gospel. Pastor and preaching professor Blayne Banting addresses both the "why" and the "how" of the roles of humour and imagination in preaching. With Wit and Wonder is designed to take the preacher from a solid theological and theoretical grounding in both humour and imagination to how these two God-given gifts might be employed to enhance the preaching ministry of today's communicator.

The Many Sides of Peace comes out of thirty years of living in a Catholic lay community, attempting to understand and practice the compelling ideas of gospel-centered nonviolent love. The book attempts to speak to the signs of these times for those who seek peace and liberation from both war and the looming ecological Armageddon. It is a faith based on the revelation of Jesus and the conviction that a love that is nonviolent will save this environmentally threatened planet and its warlike people from an "at risk" status to a more peaceful and sustainable one. This is a message of hope, a "how to live" spiritual manual for human/earth survival that can help create a bold and beautiful world.

The Church Member is written as a handbook. It is a collection of exegetical studies on strategic passages that cover the biblical expectations for those who profess Jesus Christ. It provides sound interpretation to some of the most controversial issues in the church today such as baptism, the Lord's Supper, worship through music, and church leadership. While it is written from a Southern Baptist perspective, this book is the result of experiences from a variety of other denominations. It captures what the Scriptures teach regarding membership in a "church" and ultimately reveal that church is more than something a believer does; it is something he is. If you are interested in understanding your place in the body of Christ, this book is for you!

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales, meaning that each day more than fifteen million people earn their keep by persuading someone else to make a purchase. The Excellent Persuader has the unique ability to reach sales professionals, sales managers, and organizational leaders at every level. All sales professionals, whether entry-level, veteran, or manager, will be guided through the ART of how to become an excellent persuader by utilizing the techniques and specific strategies outlined in this resource. Through the use of sales, human resource development, management, and leadership techniques, The Excellent Persuader provides the tools in a reader-friendly manner to alter the paradigm through which struggling, average, above average, or overeager sales professionals approach their professions. Concerns voiced by sales leaders are addressed throughout, as well as specific techniques to educate, re-frame, or re-invent individuals' approaches to sales.

Preparing for ministry involves more than the acquisition of certain skills. The shape of a disciple's soul as he or she embarks on this journey is as important if not more so than learning how to exegete a text or engage in pastoral care. Ministry is not easy, and the preparation for this form of Christian discipleship is open to a variety of temptations, not least of which is a kind of despair over the paucity of one's own resources, or worse, the illusion that one is better off relying on one's own talents and virtues. What is needed is bread for this journey, not necessarily exhortations to work harder, but words of encouragement and grace that bear witness to the surprising reality that ministry is, in fact, a joyful gift. These notes from a dean, who sought to help his students discover that joy in their study and preparation, bear witness to the One, whose life provides bread for every journey, especially for the journey of pastoral ministry.

This paper is the result of ethnographic research carried out by the Managing Chaplain at Haverigg Prison. It is the first work of its type since the reorganization of the Prison Service in 2013 under the heading 'Fair and Sustainable.' Essentially, it is a case study of the role of the Managing Chaplain at Haverigg, with an evaluation of the changed role of the Prison Chaplain, with particular attention to the chaplain's role as a Christian leader. Much of the content is concerned with perception, both historic and contemporary. The main body of the work identifies relevant background information alongside other models of leadership. It traces the history of the development and perception of the Prison Chaplain, and constructs an understanding of the leadership style currently employed. Issues arising include mission (as it applies in this context), the tension between pluralism and the uniqueness of Christ, the implicit suggestion of syncretism, and the use of religion as an intervention. The conclusion includes recommendations for maintaining the integrity of Christian witness whilst fully respecting all faiths.

The beloved Chronicles of Narnia are only the "top layer" of the rich treasure trove of C.S. Lewis's writing. This brilliant Oxford don made a tremendous impact on contemporary Christian thought and has deeply influenced generations of followers of Jesus in the half-century since his death. The authors in this collection examine Lewis's many contributions and reflect deeply on their significance for theology, spiritual imagination, and the challenge of Christian discipleship today. From Narnian adventures to Screwtape's letters, through studies of Lewis's collaborators (like J.R.R. Tolkien) and inspirations (like George MacDonald), and by way of reflection on deeper theological themes like human will, joy, and the End of Days, this book will inspire and provoke contemplation of God's presence in your life and in our world.

The poems in Things Not Seen are by turns playful, witty, and serious. Ranging widely from rock concert to communion, from the stray dog of faith to the results of a mammogram, sewing to shooting stars, Schrodinger's cat to Lazarus, they address issues of doubt and longing, the desire for certainty, the presence of mystery, and the struggle in, of, and for faith. After examining sources of false confidence along with failures to see, the poems explore conflicting ways of knowing and being, gradually turning toward an increased willingness to accept limitation, and finally reaching toward tentative affirmations. The final section, a series of poems written in response to icons, charts a struggle toward vision and understanding, an effort to see with the eyes of faith.

Oedipus in Jerusalem begins with the unexpected meeting of the blinded Oedipus and the biblical prophet Nathan outside of Thebes. As the play unfolds, Nathan brings Oedipus to the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem for a formal trial with regard to his actions of patricide and his subsequent incest with his mother. The author of this play uses the characters and facts that exist in Oedipus Rex, the Athenian tragedy by the Greek playwright Sophocles, but employs the Sanhedrin to reach a dramatically different conclusion with implications for present times. Sophocles himself serves as accuser while Nathan defends Oedipus, who insists he is guilty. Oedipus in Jerusalem highlights the differences in Greek and Judaic worldviews, especially regarding determinism versus free will, the essence of moral behavior, and the actual concrete way in which Oedipus' "fate" unfolds. As a side note, Oedipus in Jerusalem suggests that the so-called oedipus complex, first described by Sigmund Freud, is actually somewhat of a misnomer when applied to Oedipus himself, and obscures the deeper meaning of his story.

In October 2010, Shane Clifton had a serious accident that left him a quadriplegic. Husbands Should Not Break is a memoir that describes the challenges of adjusting to life with a disability. Shane is a theologian by trade, so the memoir explores the problem of pain--where is God when we suffer--weighing the sometimes-abstract categories of theology against the harsh realities of his experience. It is a brutally honest account, which does not shy away from the author's doubts and failures, and touches on rarely spoken-about topics, such as the impact of spinal cord injury upon sexuality. But while the narrative deals with sadness, it is a hopeful rather than depressing text, and often surprisingly funny, as it describes the comedic strangeness of struggling with a broken body. The memoir is an invitation into Shane's mind, providing readers with the opportunity to imagine what it might be like to experience the loss that comes with spinal cord injury and, thereafter, to think about life, loss, disability, and the possibility of happiness in the midst of the hardship and fragility of life.

Born on a Mississippi farm, Pvt. Eugene McLaurin had reached 30 years of age when his unit began its advance on the Western Front. McLaurin's diary, written during nine weeks before the Armistice, records the horrors he encountered during his assignment to burial detail, of bodies torn apart, and burial rituals interrupted by gunfire or the occasional stealth attack by a German fighter plane, its engines muffled before emitting its deadly machine gun fire.In spite of his modest rank, McLaurin was a Presbyterian minister qualified to be a commissioned officer. Instead, he was assistant to the battalion chaplain whose admiration for his assistant's courageous service under fire would result in his attempts to secure a commission for his aide, including appealing to the US Congress.The Crossed Hands of God consists of a biography of McLaurin, his diary, letters to his fiancee from his induction through six months of occupation duty in Germany, and the tracing of his career from gentle parish minister to professor of systematic theology, eventually becoming an eminent linguist in biblical languages.

In the distant future an enemy of Mankind is destroying space colonies, causing human expansion among the stars to come to a halt. Unaware these events have been taking place, Starship Captain Erik Houston is en route back to headquarters. He can't stop thinking about Zama, a female Believer from his last mission. A shocking discovery aboard his ship causes him to question her motives. Despite his concerns he seeks to get reassigned to her planet. Instead, his superiors send his crew and he on a high-risk mission to a star system where two rival species are about to go to war.Some highly improbable events unfold that seem meant to be, almost as if an unseen hand were guiding things. First Officer Fred Montoya, a religious skeptic, begins to feel his long-held views may be wrong. Perhaps there is a God after all. The story offers adventure and a romance that transcends time and space. Light Years from Tranquility is the sequel to Lewandowski's previous novel, Light Years from Paradise.

Pastors and ministers have one of the most challenging jobs on Earth. Of all their tasks, one responsibility they cannot neglect is teaching the word of God. Unfortunately, church leaders seldom have enough time to prepare Bible studies for their congregation. This book is a quick resource to help fill that gap. These thematically arranged Bible studies each contain an introduction to a topic and a list of relevant Scripture readings for that topic. Pastors can use the introduction to spark discussion within small groups or to focus on the specific themes during sermon writing. This book will prove to be an invaluable resource for years to come.