John P Davis

The times in which we live are often described as ""unprecedented."" The word might be overused, yet the last few years have seen exceptional healthcare challenges, loss of human life, economic disruption, and political turmoil. We are now in the second year of novel coronavirus and its global impact. Most people either know someone who died from the virus or have experienced its nefarious effects in other ways--illness, unemployment, school and border closures, shortages, confinement, addiction, fear, anxiety. Families were separated from loved ones who died alone in hospitals and nursing homes. We wait for a return to normal or a new normal and live with the lingering suspicion that life will never be the same. Where do we look for hope? As Christians, our ultimate hope is in God and his promises. Christians have dual citizenship, earthly and heavenly. On earth they want what most people want--security, satisfaction, and significance--and desire a better world. Christians also assert that this world order will pass away and every person will live somewhere forever. These messages from God's word seek to point Christians and non-Christians to Jesus Christ as the only one who provides genuine, eternal hope.

The times in which we live are often described as ""unprecedented."" The word might be overused, yet the last few years have seen exceptional healthcare challenges, loss of human life, economic disruption, and political turmoil. We are now in the second year of novel coronavirus and its global impact. Most people either know someone who died from the virus or have experienced its nefarious effects in other ways--illness, unemployment, school and border closures, shortages, confinement, addiction, fear, anxiety. Families were separated from loved ones who died alone in hospitals and nursing homes. We wait for a return to normal or a new normal and live with the lingering suspicion that life will never be the same. Where do we look for hope? As Christians, our ultimate hope is in God and his promises. Christians have dual citizenship, earthly and heavenly. On earth they want what most people want--security, satisfaction, and significance--and desire a better world. Christians also assert that this world order will pass away and every person will live somewhere forever. These messages from God's word seek to point Christians and non-Christians to Jesus Christ as the only one who provides genuine, eternal hope.

Pastoral Reflections on Life and Ministry expresses my passion to look at life and ministry through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether it is theology, Christian fellowship, ecclesiology, or social issues, the gospel alone sheds the kind of light needed to see things from God's perspective. These are reflections of a man, a husband, a father, a pastor, and a friend who continues to grow in God's forgiving and transforming grace and in the superior, soul-satisfying knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I offer these reflections not only for you to know how I think, but to challenge you to think and write and share your gospel-centered thoughts with others.

Pastoral Reflections on Life and Ministry expresses my passion to look at life and ministry through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether it is theology, Christian fellowship, ecclesiology, or social issues, the gospel alone sheds the kind of light needed to see things from God's perspective. These are reflections of a man, a husband, a father, a pastor, and a friend who continues to grow in God's forgiving and transforming grace and in the superior, soul-satisfying knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I offer these reflections not only for you to know how I think, but to challenge you to think and write and share your gospel-centered thoughts with others.

Ongoing Personal Evangelism provides a biblical survey of personal evangelism and discusses the factors evident in the lives of those who practice personal evangelism throughout their life. Hopefully the book will encourage more spiritual growth and involvement in personal evangelism, as well as providing material for training others in personal evangelism.

Ongoing Personal Evangelism provides a biblical survey of personal evangelism and discusses the factors evident in the lives of those who practice personal evangelism throughout their life. Hopefully the book will encourage more spiritual growth and involvement in personal evangelism, as well as providing material for training others in personal evangelism.

This devotional of poetic mediations grew out of forty-five years of expository preaching and self-reflection. The author's intermittent attempts at poetry reveal both his best and worst parts. These poems reflect experience as a follower of Jesus, an inward battle with sin, shame, sadness, defeats; yet, always the word of God leads to the gospel of Jesus Christ and his victory, his forgiveness, his power, his love, and his hope. Never without the realization of sinfulness and the sufficiency of the work of Jesus Christ, many live daily on a continuum between these two poles of striving by faith to rest in Christ and agonizing over the heart's inclination to wander. By God's grace and through his Spirit, that movement may be more toward victory than defeat.

This devotional of poetic mediations grew out of forty-five years of expository preaching and self-reflection. The author's intermittent attempts at poetry reveal both his best and worst parts. These poems reflect experience as a follower of Jesus, an inward battle with sin, shame, sadness, defeats; yet, always the word of God leads to the gospel of Jesus Christ and his victory, his forgiveness, his power, his love, and his hope. Never without the realization of sinfulness and the sufficiency of the work of Jesus Christ, many live daily on a continuum between these two poles of striving by faith to rest in Christ and agonizing over the heart's inclination to wander. By God's grace and through his Spirit, that movement may be more toward victory than defeat.

How To Get A Sales Job is a must-read for anyone in search of a new sales job. It's an affordable tool filled with best practices, real-life examples, and anecdotes that'll prepare you for any situation you encounter along the way. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned sales rep, having a repeatable process in place will give you an edge over other candidates and increase your likelihood of finding the right sales job. You'll learn how to Turn your Resume into a High-Powered Sales Tool, Establish a Professional Sales Brand, Build a List of Target Companies, Utilize the Best Contact Methods and Master the Interview Process. It's all broken down in a refreshing way with industry tips and common mistakes to avoid. Visit howtogetasalesjob.com for more info or pick up a copy today.

Genesis offers insight and encouragement to those who live and minister in urban environments. Though the world began in a garden-temple, it eventually arrives at an urban temple. There are indications in Genesis that those who are made in God's image seek community, and urban living offers the promise of community. The first major attempt at city-building in Genesis represents man in rebellion against God. Contrariwise, the New Testament tells us that Abraham was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God. Abraham desired a city designed for worship, not a Babel-like monument to human rebellion. Human cities most often represent rebellion, not worship, and need redemption. Genesis offers much insight into how the unfolding story of the gospel relates to the desperate plight of urban dwellers as they futilely seek to find rest and community in urban temples that worship the creature rather than the Creator.

Genesis offers insight and encouragement to those who live and minister in urban environments. Though the world began in a garden-temple, it eventually arrives at an urban temple. There are indications in Genesis that those who are made in God's image seek community, and urban living offers the promise of community. The first major attempt at city-building in Genesis represents man in rebellion against God. Contrariwise, the New Testament tells us that Abraham was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God. Abraham desired a city designed for worship, not a Babel-like monument to human rebellion. Human cities most often represent rebellion, not worship, and need redemption. Genesis offers much insight into how the unfolding story of the gospel relates to the desperate plight of urban dwellers as they futilely seek to find rest and community in urban temples that worship the creature rather than the Creator.

For the last couple decades, urban church planting has been all the rage. This has been a blessing for the city. This has also been a curse for many who sensed a call, saw a need, and left for a life of adventure, only to leave the city after a short time. Many left behind no church and live with memories of failure and frustration. They were eager, well-supported, not a little naive, and unprepared for life and ministry in the city. Urban church planting is not for everyone. It is not more important than church planting elsewhere. But if you believe God has called you to urban ministry, read this book before you go. It is written by a city guy, freed from the romanticism often associated with planting churches in the city. If after reading this you still believe God is calling you to the city, then by all means go. If not, know that God can use you elsewhere.

For the last couple decades, urban church planting has been all the rage. This has been a blessing for the city. This has also been a curse for many who sensed a call, saw a need, and left for a life of adventure, only to leave the city after a short time. Many left behind no church and live with memories of failure and frustration. They were eager, well-supported, not a little naive, and unprepared for life and ministry in the city. Urban church planting is not for everyone. It is not more important than church planting elsewhere. But if you believe God has called you to urban ministry, read this book before you go. It is written by a city guy, freed from the romanticism often associated with planting churches in the city. If after reading this you still believe God is calling you to the city, then by all means go. If not, know that God can use you elsewhere.

As the nineteenth century drew to a close and epidemics in western Europe were waning, the deadly cholera vibrio continued to wreak havoc in Russia, outlasting the Romanovs. Scholars have since argued that cholera eventually fell prey to better sanitation and strict quarantine under the Soviets, citing as evidence imperial mismanagement, a `backward' tsarist medical system and physicians' anachronistic environmental interpretations of the disease. Drawing on extensive archival research and the so-called `material turn' in historiography, however, John P. Davis here demonstrates that Romanov-era physicians' environmental approach to disease was not ill-grounded, nor a consequence of neo-liberal or populist political leanings, but born of pragmatic scientific considerations. The physicians confronted cholera in a broad and sophisticated way, essentially laying the foundations for the system of public health that the Soviets successfully used to defeat cholera during the New Economic Policy (1922-1928). By focusing for the first time on the conclusion of the cholera epoch in Russia, Davis adds an indispensable layer of nuance to the existing conception of Romanov Russia and its complicated legacy in the Soviet period.

Cross-cultural ministry is extremely challenging and must be entered into with eyes wide open. The aim of this book is to help better prepare cross-cultural workers to accomplish the task to which God has called them, to help churches become more proactive in recruiting potential candidates and providing ministry opportunities for assessment and development of their gifts, and to help mission agencies more thoroughly evaluate candidates in light of needed competencies. ""Stephen Davis delivers a wonderfully brief primer that is pointed and practical. Writing from both seasoned experience and solid research, Davis urges appropriate caution in avoiding the dangers and disappointments that come from inadequate missionary preparation. This book should be read by missionaries preparing for service as well as those who assist in their preparation."" --Mark C. Vowels, Director, Center for Global Opportunities ""Stephen Davis is no stranger to the challenges and difficulties of cross-cultural gospel ministry. He writes as an experienced missionary and church-man who aims to equip churches, mission agencies, and missionaries to better serve cross-culturally. My heart resonates with Davis's that the goal of missions is not mainly to do good works but preach the gospel and establish new communities that demonstrate the transforming power of God's presence. With such a high goal, missionaries need to be properly trained, and Davis is a worthy guide on the matter and the manner of such training."" --Dieudonne Tamfu, Pastor, Eglise Baptiste Bethleem, Yaounde, Assistant Professor of Bible & Theology, Coordinator of Cameroon Extension Site, Bethlehem College & Seminary ""Missionary life is a high calling filled with significant challenges. Stephen Davis discusses important topics to be considered when evaluating someone's preparation for cross-cultural ministry. Using insights gained from thirty years of church planting and missionary service, Davis challenges appointees to purposefully prepare for ministry. This book is a must read for future missionaries, the pastors who support them, and the mission personnel who assist them."" --Jeff Straub, Professor of Historical Theology and Missions, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Plymouth, MN ""My friend Dr. Davis gives excellent advice for those who are preparing to go on the mission field and for those who are already serving. In his book, he stresses the importance of being gifted, qualified, and prepared before being sent out to plant churches. He gives practical ideas based on biblical principles for church leaders that are selecting candidates to be future missionaries."" --Aaron Griggs, Church planter in Mexico Stephen M. Davis is a bi-vocational elder at Grace Church (gracechurchphilly.org), a multilingual church in Philadelphia he planted with his brother John in 2010. Steve and his wife Kathy have been engaged in church planting in the United States, France, and Romania since 1982. He earned a DMin in Missiology from TEDS under Dr. David Hesselgrave and a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Columbia International University.

Cross-cultural ministry is extremely challenging and must be entered into with eyes wide open. The aim of this book is to help better prepare cross-cultural workers to accomplish the task to which God has called them, to help churches become more proactive in recruiting potential candidates and providing ministry opportunities for assessment and development of their gifts, and to help mission agencies more thoroughly evaluate candidates in light of needed competencies.