John Ortberg

FOREWORD BY JOHN ORTBERG 'Many people claim to hear God s voice, though not always with discernment. I ve found Liz Ditty to be a trustworthy guide in learning how to listen, and how to do so with wise discernment. Philip Yancey, Best-selling author Liz Ditty writes with warmth, humor, and grace about the spiritual practices that too often feel overwhelming. She approaches the spiritual life with simplicity and generosity and tells a story of learning to listen to the voice of God that inspires me to do the same. God s Many Voices is a book for anyone who believes God is still speaking, and anyone who needs a friend to walk them directly toward that Holy Voice. Micha Boyett, Author of Found: A Story of Questions, Grace, and Everyday Prayer Do you wish to hear God speak to you in your everyday life? God s Many Voices will help you discover a God who is infinitely closer and more involved in our world than we give Him credit for. This book is an invitation to learn God s voice from the scriptures and then recognize it everywhere in daily life. Author Liz Ditty uses biblical teaching and relatable examples, reinforced with reflective exercises at the end of each chapter to open readers ears and hearts to what God is telling them. Only His voice in our lives can give us confidence in our decisions and dreams, give us freedom from our fears and failures, and lead us toward the joy of being fully alive, accepted, and loved by God.

ECPA 2019 Christian Book Award Finalist 2018 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalists - Biography Dallas Willard was a personal mentor and inspiration to hundreds of pastors, philosophers, and average churchgoers. His presence and ideas rippled through the lives of many prominent leaders and authors, such as John Ortberg, Richard Foster, James Bryan Smith, Paula Huston, and J. P. Moreland. As a result of these relationships and the books he wrote, he fundamentally altered the way tens of thousands of Christians have understood and experienced the spiritual life. Whether great or small, everyone who met Dallas was impressed by his personal attention, his calm confidence, his wisdom, and his profound sense of the spiritual. But he was not always the man who lived on a different plane of reality than so many of the rest of us. He was someone who had to learn to be a husband, a parent, a teacher, a Christ follower. The journey was not an easy one. He absorbed some of the harshest and most unfair blows life can land. His mother died when he was two, and after his father remarried he was exiled from his stepmother’s home. Growing up in Depression-era, rural Missouri and educated in a one-room schoolhouse, he knew poverty, deprivation, anxiety, self-doubt, and depression. Though the pews he sat in during his early years were not offering much by way of love and mercy, Dallas, instead of turning away, kept looking for the company of a living, present, and personal God. In Gary W. Moon’s candid and inspiring biography, we read how Willard became the person who mentored and partnered with his young pastor, Richard Foster, to inspire some of the most influential books on spirituality of the last generation. We see how his love of learning took him on to Baylor, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Southern California, where he became a beloved professor and one of the most versatile members of the philosophy department. The life of Dallas Willard deserves attention because he became a person who himself experienced authentic transformation of life and character. Dallas Willard not only taught about spiritual disciplines, he became a different person because of them. He became a grounded person, a spiritually alive person as he put them into practice, finding God, as he often said, "at the end of his rope." Here is a life that gives us all hope.

Christianity Today 2019 Book of the Year Award, The Church/Pastoral Leadership We know of the preacher’s roles as both teacher and proclaimer, but Jeffrey Arthurs adds another assignment: the Lord’s remembrancer. The remembrancer stirs the memory of Christ-followers, reminding them of the truths they once heard and fanning the flames of faith. We live in an age of forgetfulness, so when knowledge fades and conviction cools, the church needs to be reminded of the great truths of the faith. When done well, preaching as reminding is not empty, perfunctory repetition. Rather, it is the work of soul-watchers. Preaching as Reminding describes the dynamic role of the remembrancer, who prompts thankfulness and repentance, raises hope, fosters humility and wisdom, exhorts obedience, and encourages community. With decades of preaching experience, Arthurs explains how to stir memory through vivid language, story, delivery, and ceremony. He urges preachers to take up this task with buoyancy and hope because the Lord God has commissioned and equipped them to serve as the Lord’s remembrancers.

I'd Like You More If You Were More like Me takes on one of life's most important questions: How can I get closer to God and other people? We were created for deep connections. When people have deep connections, says John Ortberg, they win in life. When they don't have deep connections, they cannot win in life. I'd Like You More if You Were More like Me offers help in overcoming one of the biggest obstacles to making deep connections: the fact that we're so different. Different from God and different from each other. The good news is that connectedness is not based on similarity, but on shared experiences. When one person invites another to share an experience, they're connected. It can be sharing a beautiful sunset or a meal, having a great conversation over cup of coffee, going for walk, or even teasing somebody. And when we share those same experiences with God, we get closer to him, too. God wants to connect with us--so much that he sent his son to live as a human being. God took on flesh and shared every human experience. So we don't have to wonder what a close relationship with God looks like anymore. An intimate relationship with God and other people doesn't have to be a clich , it can be a daily way of life.

This six-session small-group kit equips small groups to foster closer relationships with one another, with family, with friends, and with God. Following the ideas in his book I'd Like You More if You Were More like Me, John Ortberg invites readers to look past their smartphones and reflect on the joys of everyday interactions. This small group connection kit also includes ideas on using technology for the benefit of relationships, and it offers digital resources such as recipes, icebreakers, and additional deep-diving questions.Everyone was created for relationships. This small group kit shows readers how restorative--and how easy--true intimacy can be.

Following the ideas of John Ortberg's book, I'd Like You More if You Were More like Me, this six-week study includes biblical insights, group questions, personal journaling prompts, and at-home activity ideas. Small-group members will learn how to connect on a deeper level with the people God has placed in their lives, bot inside and outside the group, as they grow closer to the One who made them for relationships. This is more than a small-group study. It is an invitation to develop the kinds of relationships that change lives--starting with the smallest daily interactions.

Children have always been close to Jesus' heart. As his followers, it's our responsibility to protect, nurture, and pass our faith to children. In Small Matters: Why Children Are Such a Big Deal, authors Greg Nettle and Jimmy Mellado offer a model of discipleship that encourages parents to raise up the next generation to be deeply committed to and in love with Jesus.Ministry pioneer D. L. Moody once said that if he could relive his life, he would devote his entire ministry to reaching children for God. What Moody understood was that, by investing in them, the potential for effective change in a child's life is huge. When we awaken to the fact that children between the ages of four and fourteen are the most likely to make a decision to follow Jesus, and that the discipleship that children receive forms their future, it may give you an idea of the importance of ministering the young.Greg and Jimmy challenge the typical church models of youth discipleship and offer ways to shift into a more effective and more biblical method that begins by empowering parents in their homes and works outward:Discipling children in the home.Discipling children in the church.Discipling children in the community.Now more than ever churches have to invest in the cause of children through advocacy, sponsorship, and children's ministries—all of which need to be committed to holistic child development. Small Matters will transform the way we view children, invest in them, reach out to them, teach them and, ultimately, empower them to be disciples of Jesus."This is a book about small matters, which are really large matters... God has used the small things of this world to do his work, and he continues to do this today. In Jesus' kingdom, the first are last and the least are the greatest, the servants are the heroes and the small are the biggest winners of all." John Ortberg, author and pastor.

2016 Christian Book Award finalist (Nonfiction category)Very rarely in the Bible does God command someone to "Stay." He opens a door, and then he invites us to walk through it--into the unknown. And how we choose to respond will ultimately determine the life we will lead and the person we will become. In fact, to fail to embrace the open door is to miss the work God has made for us to do.In All the Places to Go . . . How Will You Know?, bestselling author John Ortberg opens our eyes to the countless doors God places before us every day, teaches us how to recognize them, and gives us the encouragement to step out in faith and embrace all of the extraordinary opportunities that await.So go ahead--walk through that door. You just might do something that lasts for eternity.

Happiness begins with a new set of eyes.Bobby Schuller has experienced enough loss and family struggle in his thirty-three years to understand that being blessed is not about glory, money, or fame. It's about so much more.In Happiness According to Jesus, Schuller explores ten contemporary truths drawn from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount about what it means to live a blessed life. He asks: How can I be a peacemaker in my relationships? If God loves me, why won't he answer my prayers? Is it wrong to be materially blessed? What does it mean to be poor in spirit? How can I find fulfillment whatever the circumstances?No matter how long we have been following him, Jesus wants to mold our hearts to his so we view life as he does. As Schuller writes, Jesus didn't come to bring a new law. He came to make us a new creation.

In the six-session small group Bible study, The Life You’ve Always Wanted, John Ortberg guides you and your group through the spiritual disciplines and teaches you how they can transform your spiritual life. What does true spiritual life really look like? And what keeps you from living it? What can you do to pursue it?If you’re tired of the status quo—if you suspect there’s more to Christianity than what you’ve experienced—John Ortberg invites you to join him on a road to transformation and spiritual vigor that anyone can take. Cultivate new intimacy and confidence in prayer. Discover the freedom of secrecy. Taste the benefits of slowing life’s frenetic pace. Learn how to be guided by the Holy Spirit … and much more.As in a marathon, the secret lies not in trying hard, but in training consistently. Proven by followers of Jesus over the centuries, the spiritual disciplines are exercises that strengthen your endurance race on the road to growth.Sessions include:It’s Morphing TimeSlowing Down and CelebratingPraying and ConfessingMeditating on Scripture and Seeking GuidancePracticing Servanthood, Finding FreedomGoing the Distance with a Well-Ordered HeartDesigned for use with The Life You’ve Always Wanted: A DVD Study 9780310810506 (sold separately).

Ignite a deeper, more vibrant relationship with God that impacts not just your spiritual life but every aspect of your daily life.John Ortberg calls readers back to the dynamic heartbeat of Christianity--God's power to bring change and growth--and reveals how and why transformation takes place.The Life You've Always Wanted offers modern perspectives on the ancient path of the spiritual disciplines. But it is more than just a book about things to do to be a good Christian. It's a road map toward true transformation that starts not with the individual but with the person at the journey's end--Jesus Christ.As with a marathon runner, the secret to finishing a race lies not in trying harder, but in training consistently--training with the spiritual disciplines. The disciplines are neither taskmasters nor ends in themselves. Rather they are exercises that build strength and endurance for the road of growth. The fruit of the Spirit--joy, peace, kindness, etc.--are the signposts along the way.Paved with humor and sparkling anecdotes, The Life You've Always Wanted is an encouraging and challenging approach to a Christian life that's worth living--a life on the edge that fills an ordinary world with new meaning, hope, change, and joy.

In this thought-provoking look at what's really important in life, John Ortberg uses games as a metaphor to help us recognize and play for life's real prize: being rich toward God.Told with humor and wisdom by this bestselling author, pastor, and game-strategist, When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box reminds us that everything on earth belongs to God, and everything we "win" is just on loan. Being Master of the Board is not the point; playing by God's rules is. Ortberg makes sure we understand the object of the game, but he also walks us through the set-up, the rules, the strategies, and choosing the right trophies.This book is for those who want to sort out what's fleeting and what's permanent in God's kingdom. It's the perfect playbook for individuals or groups interested in considering life's true priorities and arranging their lives with eternal prizes in mind.

Today is the day you choose . . . which game you want to win, which prize you want to collect, which priorities you want to set.It’s a thrill to win at checkers or Clue or Trivial Pursuit. You sweep aside the other players and you “own” the board. It’s also a thrill to win a promotion at work … the new house you wanted … that sports car you’ve always eyed. But just like the game cards, the tokens, and the timer, those prizes are temporary. When the game is over, they all go back in the box.Games can cast a powerful spell, says bestselling author John Ortberg. But the wisest player remembers that the game is always going to end. So what can we take with us to the kingdom of God? Only the love we have for Christ, the love we have for each other, and our own souls. While it’s not bad to be good at chess or Risk—or the game of life on Earth—we can’t allow it to get in the way of what really matters.Using his humor and his genius for storytelling, Ortberg helps you focus on the real rules of the game and how to set your priorities. When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box Participant’s Guide helps explain how, left to our own devices, we tend to seek out worldly things, mistakenly thinking they will bring us fulfillment. But everything on Earth belongs to God. Everything we “own” is just on loan. And what pleases God is often 180 degrees from what we may think is important.In the six sessions you will learn how to:Live passionately and boldlyLearn how to be active players in the game that pleases GodFind your true mission and offer your bestFill each square on the board with what matters mostSeek the richness of being instead of the richness of havingYou can’t beat the house, notes Ortberg. We’re playing our game of life on a giant board called a calendar. Time will always run out, so it’s a good thing to live a life that delights your Creator. When everything goes back in the box, you’ll have made what is temporary a servant to what is eternal, and you’ll leave this life knowing you’ve achieved the only victory that matters.Sessions include:When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back in the Box (20:00)Keeping Score Where It Really Counts (20:00)Resign as Master of the Board (20:30)Calling or Comfort? Choose Your Move Wisely (19:00)Playing the Game with Greatness and Grace (16:30)The Kingdom Has One More Move (13:00)Designed for use with When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back in the Box Participant's Guide 9780310808190 (sold separately).

Very rarely in the Bible does God command someone to "stay." He opens a door, and then he invites us to walk through it--into the unknown. And how we choose to respond will ultimately determine the lives we will lead and the people we will become. In fact, to fail to embrace the open door is to miss the work God has made for us to do.In All the Places to Go . . . How Will You Know?, bestselling author John Ortberg opens our eyes to the countless open doors God places before us every day, teaches us how to recognize them, and gives us the encouragement to step out in faith and embrace all of the extraordinary opportunities that await.Whether used in conjunction with the DVD curriculum or the book, this participant's guide contains video notes, discussion questions, suggestions for further study, and ideas for practical application that will help you get the most out of All the Places You'll Go.So go ahead--walk through that door. You just might do something that lasts for eternity.

No mistake was made in heaven when God gave you the gift of leadership or teaching. Every gift you have—your instincts to lead and your passion to make a difference—came from the hand of a loving Father who crafted you. In this practical and inspiring book, Willow Creek Executive vice president and teaching pastor Nancy Beach speaks to women with God-given gifts of leading and teaching. Sharing from her thirty-year journey in a local church, Nancy offers guidance on such issues as:Developing characterEarning respectFinding your voice for leadership and teachingManaging work and personal lifeForming an intentional support networkShe also challenges church leaders to wrestle with the issue of women in leadership, and to be advocates for women as they seek to reach their full ministry potential. Nancy desires that women will fully engage in the dangerous and thrilling adventure of using their leadership gifts to advance the kingdom of God. The path won't be easy... but God will never leave you alone.

In this five-session small group Bible study, The Me I Want to Be, John Ortberg reveals how you can become the unique, fully alive person God intended you to be. There is a me each of one of us wants to be… someone who’s more kind and generous, patient, and loving. But there is a gap between the me I am and the me I want to be. Oftentimes we find it easy to trust God to bridge the gap between and us and him, but we struggle to really live by grace and trust God to close the gap between the me I am and the me I want to be. Becoming God’s best version of you is both God’s desire and the greatest task of your life. And here’s the good news… he’s already working on it. Your life is God’s project, not yours.The Me I Want to Be small group Bible study is a powerful look at becoming the unique, fully alive, flourishing person God intended. Pastor and author John Ortberg teaches through fives sessions how you can move toward becoming God’s best version of you in four specific areas: your mind, your time, your relationships, and your experiences.Spiritual growth can seem difficult or intimidating, but John Ortberg’s humor and innovative thinking in The Me I Want to Be will leave you challenged, inspired, and hopeful about true spiritual growth happening in you and your small group.This Participant Guide is designed for use with The Me I Want to Be DVD (sold separately) and includes discussion questions for individuals and groups. When used together they provide you with a practical tool than can transform your faith.Sessions include: Discovering the SpiritRenewing My MindRedeeming My Time Deeping My RelationshipsTransforming My Experience

Reading The Me I Want to Be is your first step to becoming Godâ??s best version of you. Join bestselling author and Pastor John Ortberg as he guides you through the sometimes difficult but ultimately fulfilling journey towards a uniquely created spirituality that will enable you to experience God more fully each day.