Kirjahaku

Is There a Way to Heaven? The great evangelist John Wesley believed there is, and he developed his theology to help people make the journey from sin to salvation. In Wesley’s “order of salvation,” God’s grace is the keynote from start to finish. The Way to Heaven is a twentieth-anniversary revision of John Wesley’s Message for Today. Dr. Steve Harper presents Wesley’s writings and the ideas of Wesley scholars in language that is clear and accessible but never simplistic. Written in the spirit of Wesley, here are “plain words for plain people.” The heart of this book is a thoughtful and inspiring look at Wesley’s theology of grace and its power to transform. Included are two new chapters. “Vision and Means” explores Wesley’s mission and methods, and “To Serve the Present Age” considers the impact and relevance of his message today. In addition, an updated reading list facilitates further study, and questions at the end of each chapter stimulate personal reflection and small group discussion. Ideal as a textbook or for personal study and reflection, this book will advance your knowledge and piety as you travel “the way to heaven.”

Ethel and Bill Brown await the arrival of Violet's new young man - the posh Trevor who works in fine art - and Ethel has made a splendid tea to impress Trevor. But nothing impresses him so much as the painting of an old horse which Bill truculently shows him when Trevor doesn't believe the story behind it. Determined to make a killing, Trevor introduces the Browns to Mrs Miller and Toby, a mother and son with definite attitude and a very nasty pair of bolt cutters. But who's fooling who? A comedy with a twist for three men and three women.

Can Skipper the pilot complete the raid and get his crew safely home? The crew: Eric the nose gunner wants to end the war with a profit. Norman the flight engineer dreams of using his basic flight training to fly Lily home on a "wing and a prayer". Joe the radio operator has been recommended for officer training, and worries about the youth and inexperience of his fellow crewmen. Arthur is just out of flight training, and this is his first mission. Taff is the mid-upper gunner. He may appear to be the clown of the crew, but there is a bit more to Taff than that. Finally, there is Tony in the rear turret with his movie-star good looks. Tony has a lot on his mind, he is in trouble, and he can't even tell his friends why. So apart from that, the flack and the Luftwaffe, everything should be "Tickety Boo". Bon Chance Lily.

It's September 1918 on the Western Front, and Sergeant Tommy Atkins and Coporal Dave Rawlings from the Third Essex Battalion are doing all they can to stay alive during the final months of the First World War. They receive an unexpected visit from an officer, Lieutenant Hargreaves, who announces that Tommy is to be awarded the Military Medal for his courage in combat. Why, then, are Tommy and Dave so keen to see the back of him? And who is the strange Icelandic character that enters the scene, brandishing a sausage? This is a funny, poignant play about friendship, humanity and survival.

This volume in the United Methodist Studies series challenges United Methodists to engage in life-transforming practices. The author explains a theme and underscores major emphases within the United Methodist denomination. This adult study is divided into four sections with suggestions for group discussion, and can be completed in 4 to 8 sessions. No leader s guide is needed. The sections are: Living from the Heart - This chapter examines the essence of prayer and devotional life for United Methodists: holiness of heart and life. The chapter is divided into two sections to enable this examination: Communion (heart) and Compassion (life). Read and Pray Daily - Exploring these two central disciplines in Christian formation and the Wesleyan Tradition guides readers into practical expressions of what it means to read devotionally (lection divina) and pray continually (the life of prayer). Get Connected! - The idea of "connectionalism" is a significant part of our tradition. This chapter examines this idea from two vantage points of classic formation principles and the concrete structures Wesley used in early-Methodism, which still contain implications for today. Go On! - The cultivation of prayer and devotional life in United Methodism is not about "attainment" but rather about "journey." This chapter examines the pilgrimage motif through the two lenses of the biblical doctrine of Christian perfection, and the practical development of that message through an action/reflection model of Christian formation. "

This workbook describes major features in John Wesley's devotional life, and it illustrates how you can apply his ministry to your own life.Structured around Wesley's "Means of Grace," the 7-week study covers prayer, scripture, the Lord's Supper, fasting, Christian conferencing, and providential means of grace. Developed for individual or group study, the workbook also offers suggestions for organizing an initial group meeting and developing a successful group study.Also available in Spanish as La Vida de Devoci n en la Tradici n Wesleyana and in Korean.

Have you ever stopped praying?When life seems unfair and prayer doesn't seem to make any difference, you may quit praying. Most people who admit that they stopped praying for a while, including the author, say they felt as if they were suffocating after a period without prayer."Sometimes I think God has called me to speak, write, and teach about prayer so I won't give up on it altogether," writes Harper. "After more than forty years of praying, I still don't understand prayer. ...Prayer does not come easily for me.""In the pages of this book," Harper continues, "I will ask you to roll up your sleeves and confront your problems with prayer-and then keep praying. Sometimes you will feel as though you are talking in the dark. But the fact is, sound travels in both darkness and light."If you're frustrated in your prayer life and wonder whether prayer is worth the effort, this book is for you. Nothing daunts Harper in this wrangle with God. No doubt, experience, or unholy feeling is out of bounds as he considers life and prayer's dark patches.No matter how lost or lonely you feel, he offers assurance. During days when you feel the number one problem with prayer is an unresponsive God, you'll have the strength to dig deeper and surrender to the mysterious sustenance God offers.As you read Harper's brutally honest stories and follow his advice on how to cultivate a prayer life, you'll discover the kind of prayer that makes you want to continue even though everything in you wants to quit.

Henri Nouwen's statement that too many clergy are "lonely ministers practicing lonely ministry" can be amplified in the years leading up to and immediately following retirement. Although there are books about retirement in general, clergy have unique personal and professional dimensions to retiring. Stepping Aside, Moving Ahead provides a clergy-oriented context. The author begins with letters from clergy nearing retirement about the issues they are facing and structures the book in the following way: Opening Letters from clergy Foundations (the formative dynamics that create a good retirement) Movements (the formative transitions that lead to a good retirement) Actions (the specific behaviors that produce a good retirement) Outcomes (the attitudes which emerge from a good retirement)

Cinco marcas de un metodista confirman nuestra identidad como seguidores genuinos y fructiferos de Cristo: 1. Un metodista ama a Dios 2. Un metodista se regocija en Dios 3. Un metodista da gracias 4. Un metodista ora sin cesar 5. Un metodista ama a su projimo Este breve libro, disenado para ser compartido con otras personas, ofrece una meditacion sobre cada una de estas caracteristicas. Con oracion, apliquelos en su peregrinaje con Jesus. Si usted es parte de la familia metodista o wesleyana de todo el mundo, estas cinco marcas le otorgaran un mayor conocimiento y aprecio de por que y como seguir a Jesus. Si usted se encuentra en otra parte del cuerpo de Cristo, puede emerger con una base solida y fuerte para mantener su fundamento espiritual. Las personas cristianas que sigan estas cinco marcas, tienen caracter. Cada capitulo termina con preguntas para reflexion o discusion. Now available in Spanish Five marks confirm our identity as genuine and fruitful followers of Christ: 1. A Methodist Loves God 2. A Methodist Rejoices in God 3. A Methodist Gives Thanks 4. A Methodist Prays Constantly 5. A Methodist Loves Others This brief book, suitable for sharing with others, provides a meditation on each of these characteristics. Prayerfully apply them to your journey with Jesus. If you are part of the worldwide Methodist or Wesleyan family, these five marks will grant a greater knowledge and appreciation for why and how you follow Jesus. If you are located in another part of the body of Christ, you can emerge with a solid foundation to keep your spiritual house standing strong. Christians marked by these five habits, when taken together have character. Each chapter ends with questions for reflection or discussion.

Have you ever wanted to just start over in life? To wipe your slate clean and make a fresh beginning? If you could start over, what would be your standard for a successful life? Wouldn't the best life we could hope for be a life of greatness from God's perspective, in His kingdom? Jesus tells us the way in Mathew 18:4, "Whoever humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven". This book is all about a journey in humility. As we travel this journey we will find God's promises of grace, favor, wisdom, guidance, prosperity, wealth, honor, and life. Perhaps the most amazing set of promises in the Bible await the humble. We will also see that the proud, those who refuse to humble themselves, will find God Himself as their opponent. Not a comforting thought. Come join me in a journey in humility and let us together find an intimacy with the Lord we have never known.

We are made to be loved, and to love. In this book, Dr. Steve Harper draws upon insights from the Bible and the Christian tradition to invite readers to live more fully in love with God, others, and themselves.

The gown of the Bride of Christ is being shredded by sibling rivalry within the Christian community. The Church's life is weakened and its witness compromised. This is nowhere more evident than the issue of homosexuality. Dr. Steve Harper laments this sad state of affairs and offers a way of love through the dilemma. His pastoral spirit and practical counsel offer guidance and hope for the future. "A dark picture is emerging--a contentiousness between professing Christians and a persecution of the homosexual community by professing Christians. In the season of Lent, the Holy Spirit broke my heart one morning by speaking into it these words, "My Bride, the Church, is being abused. Her gown is being torn to shreds by siblings who are trying to end up with the biggest piece of the cloth, and who would rather expose her nakedness than give up the fight. Enough is enough "I was stunned-- so much so that I kept the experience to myself. I'm old enough to know the difference between a passing feeling and a sacred impression." Excerpted from the introduction. "Steve Harper writes as an evangelical who loves the United Methodist Church. He has written a thoughtful, helpful, and surprising book on the church he loves and the ways it might wrestle with the issues that divide it." "--Rev. Adam Hamilton, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, Kansas" "For The Sake of the Bride" is a helpful reflection on the unity of the church concerning human sexuality. He risks moving deeply into the conversation, and he does so in a way that is evangelical (Christocentric) and mystical. His rediscovery of E. Stanley Jones's round-table discussion points a way beyond our tribalism. I hope you will read this book, for the sake of the bride--the church of Jesus Christ. -- Bishop Kenneth Carter, The Florida Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church Steve Harper has written a book for "just such a time as this." He provides a balanced theological reflection on the crisis facing The United Methodist Church today. Reflecting upon Scripture, tradition, and the work of E. Stanley Jones, Harper lovingly proposes a way forward. - Rev. Steve Manskar, Director of Wesleyan Leadership, Leadership Ministries, GBOD, The United Methodist Church ""For the Sake of the Bride "sets aside the all-too-easy rhetoric of division and antagonism and invites the divided church to fully engage the greater way of love that Jesus models and bids us follow. Harper writes with pastoral courage, sensitivity and genuine humility, inviting us not to a particular position, but to generous dialogue on behalf of the church we cherish." --Dr. Kandace Brooks, Senior Pastor, Tamoka United Methodist Church, Ormond Beach, Florida "Steve Harper succeeds in his desire to move the Church beyond the impasse of name calling and shouting and calls for schism, and brings us to the table, the Round Table, in a spirit of grace filled love, integrity, honesty and mutual respect for all parties. That's a difficult place for many to maintain, but it's where we all must meet. --Dr. Dan Johnson, Senior Pastor, Trinity United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Florida "Steve Harper reflects the evangelical and holiness traditions of American Methodists. From this framework of traditional Christian piety, he shows how we can reflect faithfully on these contemporary issues in ways that honor each other as the presence of Christ, the "Bride of Christ." This is a breath of fresh air amid the rancor that has too often polluted church conversations in recent years. His concern is that Christians damage the church--not just the institution of the church but the church as the body and "bride of Christ"--by the uncharitable and unprofitable conversation we too often carry on, especially over the issue of same-sex relationships." "--Ted Campbell, associate professor of church history, Perkins School of Theology."

E. Stanley Jones observed that people "know everything about life except how to live it." We humans have acquired immense knowledge and achieved great things. We are enlightened, Jones said, but not necessarily enlivened. Steve Harper has been mulling over this human situation for a few decades and offers his profoundly inspiring conclusions in Life In Christ. Harper helps us recognize our tendency to search for life through rules and dogmas rather than in relationships with other people and with God. By living in relationship, we live as enlivened Christians, the abundant life God intends for us and the life we long for. He encourages us to see the spiritual life as a movement, where we are always on the way, taking steps forward to continually align our lives with Christ. He shows us how Christ can be the goal and pattern for our lives, motivating us to live as God's beloved and as instruments of God's love. Harper provides a wealth of helps, including a set of questions for reflecting on each chapter, a discussion guide for conversing about the book in a group, and extensive reading lists for further enrichment.

Five clear practices for anyone who identifies as a Christian.Five marks confirm our identity as genuine and fruitful followers of Christ: 1. A Methodist Loves God 2. A Methodist Rejoices in God 3. A Methodist Gives Thanks 4. A Methodist Prays Constantly 5. A Methodist Loves Others This brief book, suitable for sharing with others, provides a meditation on each of these characteristics. Prayerfully apply them to your journey with Jesus. If you are part of the worldwide Methodist or Wesleyan family, these five marks will grant a greater knowledge and appreciation for why and how you follow Jesus. If you are located in another part of the body of Christ, you can emerge with a solid foundation to keep your spiritual house standing strong. Christians marked by these five habits, when taken together have character. Each chapter ends with questions for reflection or discussion.