Books

Human Sexuality II: A Primer for Christians

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An update to Human Sexuality: A Primer for Christians, this ebook offers updated, fresh content on a subject that warrants discussion. 

Human Sexuality: A Primer for Christians

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Download a free sample chapter here.

The Dark Side of God: When God Is Hard to Explain

When bad things happen and God is questioned, Christians often duck behind clichés. Our faith, so firm and certain in good times, becomes fickle in the face of hard questions like “Why?” and “Where was God?” Hurting people have been opened by pain for a significant conversation about God. It is important that Christians not fade into the woodwork when God is hard to explain. We have stories in our book that help – Noah, Job, the Psalms of Lament. The Dark Side of God examines these stories in light of human tragedy. No clichés, just honesty about God.

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Answers for Chicken Little (book and small group DVD)

Many voices speaking today about the end times sound a lot like Chicken Little: they prophesy doom and destruction, the Antichrist and Armageddon. All this apocalyptic speculation creates an atmosphere of sensationalism and dread–but the Revelation of Jesus to John was meant to bring hope.

Too many Christians have become hesitant to study this book of the Bible because of the confusion that surrounds it. But as an experienced pastor, Dan Boone affirms that any child of God can read and understand the truth of Revelation. His friendly, conversational style brings the message of Revelation into the idiom of life in our contemporary world.

This book will help readers understand:

• The context of the Revelation and what it meant to the churches of that day
• The characteristics of apocalyptic and prophetic literature and how they are meant to be read
• The application that this important book of the Bible holds for our lives today

Answers for Chicken Little gives a responsible interpretation of Revelation that replaces predictions of doom with a compelling vision of who Jesus is and of His message about living as a redeemed people with hope for the future.

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A Charitable Discourse (book and small group DVD)

Homosexuality, social drinking, and politics . . .

Why is it so hard to talk about these topics and others like them in the church? What keeps us from having open and honest conversations about complex and controversial issues?

The silence in the pews about these matters can be deafening. Often members say little, fearing disagreement and rebuttal, others strongly assert half-truths and biases. Nothing gets truly discussed, and many, especially the youth, become discouraged and leave.

A Charitable Discourse insightfully explores why this happens, looking closely at the ways people avoid and prevent authentic dialog, from labeling and grandstanding to religious abuse. Seven controversial issues are discussed with understanding, sincerity, and compassion.

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Dancing With the Law: The Ten Commandments (book and small group DVD)

In a world where “no one tells me what to do and I am my own authority,” the Ten Commandments quickly find their way to the trash heap. For most of us, the words surrounding law—rule, restriction, regulation, requirement, code, commandment, covenant, must, ought, shall, will—are simply not our favorite words to hear. They are parental words, court words, conflict words. We use them only when we have to; otherwise, we willingly hold them at a distance.

But the Old Testament people of God had a different take on law. They took their copy of the law their God had given them, clutched it to their chests, and danced with it. They observed it daily in their relationships and required their young to memorize it. And when a copy of the law had grown ragged and old, they had a special ceremony to retire it. They buried it with all the dignity of a beloved grandparent’s body.

In Dancing with the Law, author Dan Boone challenges us to, like the ancient people of God, look at law as a sacred gift that points the way to the life God intended. Through his earnest exploration of the Ten Commandments, he offers us a new perspective on law—one that makes us dance with freedom, liberty, and the gift of life.

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Preaching the Story That Shapes Us

In our world, stories matter.

Methods and systems are beneficial because they provide structure and help keep us on the right road; but the motivation and courage to keep walking the road, come from the stories we hear and see and experience-stories that inspire hope and bring us face-to-face with God. For ministers, the call to preach is a call into a story that forms and shapes us. It’s about stumbling into revelation as life unwinds and scripture unfolds. It’s about listening to God’s voice and then sharing it with others. It’s about recognizing that when people gather to hear a sermon, God speaks. And it’s about understanding that when He speaks, He speaks through you.

Preaching the Story That Shapes Us is more than a textbook on preaching. It’s an empowering call for preachers to present a picture of the kingdom of God already at work among us, recognizing that the work of preaching is not just about arranging words—it’s about people. With elegant prose and crafted reason, Dan Boone weaves together Scripture, personal narrative, structure, and theological reflection to provide a satisfying, efficient guide to narrative preaching. From exploring the importance of biography to walking readers through creative processes that shape the sermon, Boone shows preachers how to awaken lives and share the stories of God that reveal who we are and lead us to who we will be.

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Seven Deadly Sins: The Uncomfortable Truth
(book and small group DVD)

Sin. It’s ugly. It’s deceptive. It meddles with contentment, confuses wisdom, and disfigures love. It’s the one thing that keeps us from really knowing God. But talking about sin makes us uncomfortable. It’s a loaded word.

What is sin to one person is not necessarily sin to another; we don’t want to sound harsh or judgmental, so we avoid using it. And we avoid exposing it. We clean up after its messes, confess our human weakness when it gets us in trouble, and learn to just live with it. But are we really living? How marginal do we make life when we entangle it with something so deadly?

This book is not a history lesson on sin or a guilt-based study on the evils of our society. It is a relevant, thought-provoking look at the seven imperfections that sin uses to tarnish and infect our lives. Written with compassion and understanding, this perceptive and challenging book will reshape your awareness of sin and remind you of a sin-free Savior who gives us the grace to become like Him.

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The Worship Plot: Finding Unity In Our Common Story

Many churches today are caught in the worship war. Services are split into styles–contemporary, traditional, liturgical. Discussions and sometimes arguments arise over whether or not to have a pulpit, use drums, sing hymns, or use movie clips for illustration. These varying styles and preferences have caused many to change churches or even skip worship all together. This division of the Body of Christ is a cause for great concern and is jeopardizing the true meaning of worship for future generations.

In The Worship Plot, Dan Boone exposes the distorted motives of battling over worship styles. Instead, he attests we should strive to combine our diversity to celebrate our common story. Boone explains that worship is not about personal preference or platform performance. Worship flows from the heart of God through His Son and His Spirit. Worship invites us to step into this flowing stream of celebration, thanksgiving, and love–a stream that connects us to God and to each other.

Boone encourages churches to use the differences of their people to tell and celebrate the story God has plotted for us–the unifying story of the love of Christ. He affirms that when we move through worship together, through specific stages that have been plotted out to follow, we can go out with blessing and boldness, empowered by grace–ready to serve the people of the world and share with them God’s amazing story.

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The Church in Exile: Interpreting Where We Are

How does the church get into tomorrow? Is there a common place for the generations to meet for a discussion of the journey? Is there a guide that would be viewed by everyone in the pews as reliable, true, and wise?

Are there boundaries beyond which the people of God should not go? Are there things that are not part of our mission? These are my questions—and maybe yours. I believe the experience of God’s people in exile has something helpful to say to us.

Let’s go back to the future together and look at Isaiah 40-55 in light of today.

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The Lord’s Prayer

If we prayed, “Thy kingdom come,” and it came—what would it look like? If we asked for daily bread and got it, forgiveness and received it, and deliverance from evil—how might our world be different?

Join us on the imagination side of the greatest prayer ever. The most compelling reason for change is a preferred picture of the future. Whether used as personal devotions or in a group Bible study, take a fresh look at a very old prayer???and imagine tomorrow.

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