Discover the Life-Changing Relevance of the Old Testament Pursuing Spiritual Authenticity The words of the prophets cut through the millennia, grab us by our shoulders, and shake us from our slumber. Like a bucket of ice water, they pour over us and shock us with the message that God still speaks and is calling us to radically authentic lives. The prophets address us right where we live and call us to fresh places of spiritual growth. Part of the Old Testament Challenge series, this teaching guide and resource book helps you craft eight messages on what the prophets have to say about spiritual authenticity. As never before, your congregation will discover God's plan for stripping away counterfeit life-patterns and replacing them with authentic Christian living. A Communicator's Toolkit for Teaching the Old Testament Having the right resources gives you a powerful edge in communicating the message of the Old Testament effectively in this media-driven, sensory-intensive culture. The Creating a New Community Teaching Guide helps you connect with minds, imaginations, and hearts. Designed to maximize your connection and impact, it is a communicator's toolbox for teaching your congregation lessons from the four-part Old Testament Challenge series. * Historical, cultural, and geographical backgrounds unlock the meanings of Bible passages. Transport your listeners thousands of years into the past so they can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the ancient world. * Illustrations, humorous stories, and word pictures engage the imagination and emotions, bringing home the timeless message of the Old Testament with clarity and freshness. * Creative applications help listeners make the leap from learning Old Testament lessons to living the Christian life. The genius of this teaching guide is its flexibility. Customize your messages from a treasury of resources. This revolutionary tool provides up to sixteen categories of material for each message. No need to spend countless hours doing research---a wealth of ideas and resources lies at your fingertips! Creating a New Community Teaching Guide includes: * Creative Message Ideas * Heart of the Message * Heart of the Messenger * Historical Context Notes * Illustrations * Interpretive Insights * Life Applications * Narrative on Life * Narrative on the Text * New Testament Connections * On the Lighter Side * Pause for Prayer * Pause for Reflection * Quotable Quotes * Significant Scriptures * Word Studies Other Old Testament Challenge Teaching Guides 1---Creating a New Community: Life-Changing Stories from the Pentateuch (9 Sessions) 2---Stepping Out in Faith: Life-Changing Examples from the History of Israel (7 Sessions) 3---Developing a Heart for God: Life-Changing Lessons from the Wisdom Books (8 Sessions)

Discover the Life-Changing Relevance of the Old TestamentThis CD-ROM is intended for use with Old Testament Challenge Volume 4, Pursuing Spiritual Authenticity. It includes:8 PowerPoint presentationsEach lesson from the Prophets has a PowerPoint presentation that includes key points, biblical texts, maps, illustrations, great quotes, and life-application challenges contained in the message materials. 10 Frequently Asked Questions resourcesThe ten FAQ resources on this CD-ROM furnish fascinating answers that will shed a whole new light on the Bible. The FAQs can be loaded electronically onto your website or you can make hardcopy printouts.Are You an Old Testament Expert?This interactive quiz game can be used in Sunday services, classes, small groups, or even posted on church websites.Other Old Testament Challenge CD Rom Resources include:Creating a New Community (9 Power PowerPoint and 10 FAQ Resources), Stepping Out in Faith (7 Power PowerPoint and 10 FAQ Resources), Developing a Heart for God (8 Power PowerPoint and 10 FAQ Resources)* FAQs utilize the following resources: NIV Study Bible notes, Quest Study Bible, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, and answers from the teaching teams of Willow Creek and Corinth Churches.

This Bible study shows women how to transform their lives to begin authentically living the life to which they are called.

Everywhere we hear talk of decline, of a world that was better once, maybe fifty years ago, maybe centuries ago, but certainly before modernity drew us along its dubious path. While some lament the slide of Western culture into relativism and nihilism and others celebrate the trend as a liberating sort of progress, Charles Taylor calls on us to face the moral and political crises of our time, and to make the most of modernity's challenges. "The great merit of Taylor's brief, non-technical, powerful book...is the vigor with which he restates the point which Hegel (and later Dewey) urged against Rousseau and Kant: that we are only individuals in so far as we are social... Being authentic, being faithful to ourselves, is being faithful to something which was produced in collaboration with a lot of other people... The core of Taylor's argument is a vigorous and entirely successful criticism of two intertwined bad ideas: that you are wonderful just because you are you, and that 'respect for difference' requires you to respect every human being, and every human culture--no matter how vicious or stupid." --Richard Rorty, London Review of Books

This groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive resource that addresses the growing movement for incorporating spirituality as an important aspect of the meaning and purpose of higher education. Written by Arthur W. Chickering, Jon C. Dalton, and Leisa Stamm—experts in the field of educational leadership and policy—Encouraging Authenticity and Spirituality in Higher Education shows how to encourage increased authenticity and spiritual growth among students and education professionals by offering alternative ways of knowing, being, and doing. Encouraging Authenticity and Spirituality in Higher Education includes a rich array of examples to guide the integration of authenticity and spirituality in curriculum, student affairs, community partnerships, assessment, and policy issues. Many of these illustrative examples represent specific policies and programs that have successfully been put in place at diverse institutions across the country. In addition, the authors cover the theoretical, historical, and social perspectives on religion and higher education and examine the implications for practice. They include the results of recent court cases that deal with church-state issues and offer recommendations that pose no legal barrier to implementation.

Wholeness is about removing invisible boundaries from our lives that keep us from realizing our highest potential. In order to live an outer life without limits, we have to uncover and address the inner limitations that hide in our blind spots. This life-changing book explains that regardless of where you are in life, Wholeness will take you higher. Wholeness will elevate your sense of fulfillment in life, produce healthier, more rewarding relationships, and will position you for optimum success in every endeavor. International thought leader and pastor Touré Roberts explains we can't always choose the experiences that keep us from being whole, but we can take control of our lives today and bring healing to any broken area. Key chapters include an in-depth relationship guide titled "Two Halves Don't Make a Whole." "The Cracked Mirror" shows how unprocessed experiences can negatively shape our view of self, others, and the world around us. "Ghosts of the Past" gives powerful, practical tools for avoiding the traps of the past and ensuring that we enter into the amazing future that God has planned for us. Wholeness is filled with wisdom garnered from Touré's own life--raised by a single mom, narrowly escaping the trappings of inner-city life, and finding success in corporate America. His insight is further broadened by his role as founder of one of the most influential churches in the nation, with over fourteen years pastoring thousands of millennials, couples, families, and a diverse group of individuals. Wholeness will take you on a transformational journey that won't leave you the same. Concluding with a "Wholeness Test," Wholeness will help you track and maintain your progress while walking out your journey to your full potential.

Take the first steps to living as a healthier and happier woman and discover the spiritual importance of acceptance, gathering, and community. Jenn Johnson has come to realize that the pursuit of perfection is unrealistic and unfair. Instead, we need to pause and reflect on what's in front of us. But how? How can we slow down? How can we remain focused on what's important and do things with intention? What can we pursue that represents God's heart for us, things that are true, noble, right, pure, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy? By pursuing all things "lovely." Living a holistic and holy life, a life marked by beauty and truth, means being mindful and intentional about what we put in our bodies, how we present ourselves to the world, the spaces we create, and the people we let into our lives. When we set our minds on what is lovely, we begin to see ourselves and the world as God intended. We begin to be wholly renewed.