Imagine making fully committed disciples of Jesus by both looking at the template of Jesus in scripture and a hive of honeybees. The sacred process of Jesus can be found in both creation and scripture. Journey with me to explore the sacred practice of discipleship through the metaphor of beekeeping. What we will discover are connections we never imagined existed. The same God who created the world is the One who showed up in it through Jesus Christ. The process the Creator used to mature life is the same process Jesus used to make mature followers. The biblical story of Sampson and the lion will be our guide and the riddle we will uncover as we journey to discover what is Strong and Sweet?

In the Up The Middle Church, Matt Keller offers an on-the-field playbook for pastors and leaders who need to know how to win their Super Bowl one yard at a time! The church world today is inundated with stories of Overnight Success. The one percent of churches who have a long bomb story seem to make the headlines, but what about the other ninety-nine percent? Are we destined for failure? Are we left without options? Will we ever see our dream of doing something great for God come true? In The Up the Middle Church, Matt Keller unpacks the myth that just because a church isnt big, fast, doesnt mean it isnt successful. When Next Level Church began in 2002, it was anything but an overnight success story. However, by learning and implementing the principles that are in this book, that same church has grown from four people to nearly a thousand every week! There is a new normal in the church world today, and its The Up the Middle Church. Its possible to win in your church, but maybe God wants to show you howone yard at a time!

The author sheds light on a little-known chapter of U.S.-Soviet relations, using diaries, memoirs, and letters to recall the efforts of nearly 300 relief workers in easing the suffering of Russians during one of the country's worst famines.

Chicago Attorney Robert Mazzara has just been informed of the suicide death of his childhood friend, Marco Pezza. The two of them grew up together in a small suburb in Chicago during the turbulent sixties and seventies, when the issues of household violence were seldom ever addressed. Along with their best friends, Petey Rodriguez, Billy Kozar and Johnny Orozco, they all experienced the coming-of-age events that all young boys go through during grade school and high school, with one exception: They were all survivors of severe physical and sexual child abuse. As they all grow up into young adults, the demons of their past, along with their abusive fathers, play a significant part on each and every one of their young lives. They all grow up coping with their horrific childhoods, their violent fathers, and the long-term impact it has taken throughout their adulthood. Mazzara reflects on all of the tragic encounters and events that occurred during the last fifty years, culminating with his best friend's suicide. He realizes that he is now...the only one left. Once upon a time, a long time ago, Robby and Marco, along with Petey, Billy and Johnny...were once called 'The Buzz Boys'.

If you want to plant a church, you need to dream big. If you want your seedling church to survive - and ultimately bloom and blossom - you really need this book! Written by church planters who have "been there, done that," Community of Kindness" is a practical, real-world guide to successful church planting-credible, informative, inspirational, supportive and, morst of all 100 percent problem-solving oriented. All of the book's lessons are short, pithy and to the point. So you can use them to preplan your goals-or refer to them every time the unexpected pops up (which is more often than not). Wherever your church-planting journey takes you, keep this book by your side-and have copies for each member of your team!

When a literary icon stays with the Dickinson family, Emily and her housemaid Willa find themselves embroiled in a shocking murder in this new mystery from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Amanda Flower. August 1856. The Dickinson family is comfortably settled in their homestead on Main Street. Emily’s brother, Austin Dickinson, and his new wife are delighted when famous thinker and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson comes to Amherst to speak at a local literary society and decides he and his young secretary, Luther Howard, will stay with the newlyweds. Emily has been a longtime admirer of Emerson’s writing and is thrilled at the chance to meet her idol. She is determined to impress him with her quick wit, and if she can gather the courage, a poem. Willa Noble, the second maid in the Dickinson home and Emily's friend, encourages her to speak to the famous but stern man. But his secretary, Luther, intrigues Willa more because of his clear fondness for the Dickinson sisters. Willa does not know if Luther truly cares for one of the Dickinson girls or if he just sees marrying one of them as a way to raise himself up in society. After a few days in his company, Willa starts to believe it’s the latter. Miss Lavinia, Emily’s sister, appears to be enchanted by Luther; a fact that bothers Emily greatly. However, Emily’s fears are squashed when Luther turns up dead in the Dickinson’s garden. It seems that he was poisoned. Emerson, aghast at the death of his secretary, demands answers. Emily and Willa set out to find them in order to save the Dickinson family reputation and stop a cold-blooded fiend from killing again.

It is 1981 in Reno, Nevada, and Kassia Ella has been a freshman at Procter R. Hug High School for exactly four horrible days. With her closest friends from middle school zoned for another high school, Kassia reluctantly attempts to start all over again. Even though she is captain of the freshman cheerleading squad and has dreams of one day finding true love, Kassia thinks isolation is her new best friend. But all of that changes during an assembly when her eyes fall upon number thirty-five on the freshman football team and Kassia suddenly believes in love at first sight. Now Kassia has but one goal: to meet her new crush. After she finally connects with Michael at a school dance and he begins to pursue her, Kassia must battle not only gossip, jealousy, and manipulation, but also her feelings of inadequacy, self-comparison, and fear of rejection. Now only time will tell if she will be successful and find the love she has always wanted. In this first installment in a young adult series, a teenager plagued by a fear of the unknown, her new friends, and her uncertain feelings is about to discover that life never goes as expected. WATCH BOOK TRAILER www.youtube.com/embed/l6prbLHoIoI www.youtube.com/embed/vr1GPxrUPGQ

What to do when they say they’re Christian but don’t know Jesus Whether it’s the Christmas and Easter Christians or the faithful church attenders whose hearts are cold toward the Lord, we’ve all encountered cultural Christians. They’d check the Christian box on a survey, they’re fine with church, but the truth is, they’re far from God. So how do we bring Jesus to this overlooked mission field? The Unsaved Christian equips you to confront cultural Christianity with honesty, compassion, and grace, whether you’re doing it from the pulpit or the pews. This practical guide will: show you how to recognize cultural Christianity teach you how to overcome the barriers that get in the way give you easy-to-understand advice about VBS, holiday services, reaching “good people,” and more! If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure how to minister to someone who identifies as Christian but still needs Jesus, this book is for you.