"There's so much silence around suicide in the church that it is quite literally killing us." --Rachael Keefe Would you know how to respond if the person sitting next to you in your pew was contemplating suicide? Every year, millions of people engage in suicidal activity, including men, women, and young people in our faith communities. Yet the Church remains largely silent around the topics of mental health, depression, and suicide prevention. How can you and your faith community be prepared to recognize and respond to those struggling for their very lives in your church? In The Lifesaving Church, pastor Rachael Keefe shatters the taboo of suicide by sharing her own painful story of life-long depression and suicidality--and how her various faith communities responded, for better and for worse. Opening a window into her suicidal behaviors as a young person, Keefe helps us recognize the signs and struggles of those who suffer silently. Reminding us of the Church's call to be the Body of Christ for each other, Keefe empowers us to recognize the hurting in our communities and recover the lifesaving message of the Gospel-- forgiveness, acceptance and love--that helped her to heal. With chapters on how to educate your church in suicide prevention, group study reflections around the common questions surrounding suicide, and specific resources, scriptures, and prayers for clergy, suicide loss survivors, and those struggling with suicidality, The Lifesaving Church is critical reading for faith communities seeking abundant life for all of its members.

The world is a confusing and painful place for children (and adults). How do you respond faithfully to your kids’ big questions? Learn to craft faithful conversations and be better prepared to talk about the tough stuff with your kids. More than 30 essays from a diverse group of young Christian parents/pastors address today’s toughest topics, including gender, race, bullying, mental illness, death, divorce, money, technology, and generosity. When Kids Ask Hard Questions invites you to take a deep breath, create safe spaces for the hard conversations, and speak the truth in love. Each chapter includes a resource list for further exploration.

Growing an Engaged Church offers unique, research-based, often counterintuitive solutions to the challenges facing churches today, including declining congregant participation, decreasing contributions, and slumping membership. Ministers, priests, and church boards will find the evidence and answers in this book provocative, eye-opening, and, most importantly, actionable. What if members of your congregation . . . - were 13 times more likely to have invited someone to participate in your church in the past month? - were three times as satisfied with their lives? - spent more than two hours per week serving and helping others in their community? - tripled their giving to your church? What would your church -- your parish -- look like? And how would you go about creating this kind of change? One thing is certain: Church leaders are never going to inspire more people to be actively and passionately involved in their congregations by doing the same things over and over again. Pastors and lay leaders need something fresh. Something new. The last thing they need is "just another program" or to set up a laundry list of new activities for members. Based on solid research by The Gallup Organization, Growing an Engaged Church will appeal to both Protestant and Catholic clergy and lay leaders who are looking for a way to be the Church instead of just "doing church."

God Loves You is about reflections to deepen the practice of your faith. Life is our pathway and Jesus is our teacher if we allow our Lord into our heart, mind, and soul. The youth of today are our future! I have been a religious teacher for better than thirty-six years at the grammar, middle, and now high school levels. Some of the resounding questions that I am always asked are, "How do we allow God into our life?" "Why is the Bible so intimidating?" And, "How do we experience growth in our faith?" I wanted reflections to help both our youth and struggling adults that are succinct, poignant, and Jesus-centered to help them along the path of life.

This set includes the entire collection of the MacArthur New Testament Commentary series: Matthew 1-7, Matthew 8-15, Matthew 16-23, Matthew 24-28, Luke 1-5, Luke 6-10, Luke 11-17, Luke 18-24, John 1-11, John 12-21, Acts 1-12, Acts 13-28, Romans 1-8, Romans 9-16, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians & Philemon, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter & Jude, 1-3 John, Revelation 1-11, and Revelation 12-22. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary series continues to be one of today's top-selling commentary series. These commentaries from respected Bible scholar and preacher John MacArthur give a verse-by-verse analysis in context and provide points of application for passages, illuminating the biblical text in practical and relevant ways.

Most books on spiritual formation focus on the individual. But spiritual formation is at the heart of the church's whole purpose for existence. It must be a central task for the church to carry out Christ's mission in the world. This book offers an introduction to spiritual formation set squarely in the local church. The first edition has been well received and widely used as a textbook. The second edition has been updated throughout, incorporates findings from positive psychology, and reflects an Augustinian formation perspective. Foreword by Dallas Willard.

You want to have vibrant relationships with those who struggle with addiction in your church and community. This practical resource for church leaders and congregations answers your pressing questions about addiction and recovery, through real-life stories, the latest insights from medical science and a biblical framework for how to love the addicts in your midst.