Roadmap, myth, or history? An accessible review of The Book of Revelation for today’s audience. Conversations with Scripture: Revelation is the first book in the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholar Study Series. Written in accessible language and sensitive to those who have little or no experience in reading the bible, each book in the series focuses on exploring the historical and critical background, as well as how the biblical texts written centuries ago can still speak to readers today. Frederick W. Schmidt, also the series editor, explores the approaches that have dominated the interpretation of John's Apocalypse and offers the reader an accessible means of understanding and evaluating them. With this grounding in hand, Schmidt explores how Revelation can shape our understanding of God, and nurture our spiritual lives in unexpected ways. Leaving behind left-behind theology, Schmidt offers instead an approach that allows this obscure, almost opaque text to speak to us anew about God, faith, hope, and justice.

Most Christians are familiar with the story told in Mark's gospel, but no one knows who Mark really was or why this gospel was written. Individual readers and parish study groups can learn about this earliest gospel from the perspective of an important Anglican theologian.

Lay leaders play an essential role in congregational life, but can find themselves spending more of their time at church balancing budgets than deepening their own faith. Written from his years of experience as a priest and now as the bishop of Massachusetts, M. Thomas Shaw's Conversations with Scripture and with Each Other is designed to encourage and strengthen the faith of lay leaders, while also helping them consider how scripture treats various issues in church life, such as stewardship, conflict, and evangelism. Perfect for individual reflection or group discussion, each chapter includes a close examination of biblical passages as well as practical questions for reflection on how the scriptures apply to collective church life and individual spiritual growth.

Your next conversation could impact someone's life forever Hard conversations challenge everyone. Some people make every effort to avoid them altogether; others dive in enthusiastically, damaging relationships in the process. A solid middle ground is difficult to find--especially for those who want to make sure they're following a biblical model for these tough encounters. Lori Roeleveld firmly believes that the dialogues everyday Christians delay are often the very channels God wants to use to deepen relationships and transform lives. And she is eager to address the challenges they pose and to guide readers to meaningful conversations that rely on the wisdom of the Bible rather than the world. In The Art of Hard Conversations, Roeleveld provides motivation, inspiration, and practical, readily applied skills to make those tricky talks more effective. Through funny, vulnerable personal stories, sound biblical teaching, and sections of tips and assignments to practice, the principles here are guaranteed to increase the confidence and competence of Christians in discussing sensitive topics of every kind.

This rich, inviting volume illumines Paul s letter to the Philippians through evocative juxtapositions of visual images, poetry, and other worship-related arts with theological reflections, prayers, and more. The book s multidimensional approach creates abundant space for unhurried contemplation, whether in individual reflection or group study. It invites readers to dwell with Philippians to slow down, to explore the texture and palette of Paul s message in a deliberately measured way, to be drawn into the mystery, beauty, and life-changing power of this joyful biblical letter. In this beautiful book, a vast communion of artists, theologians, historians, poets, and worshipers surrounds one letter from the Apostle Paul. Rich selections from the work of these witnesses provide varied opportunities for both newcomers and lifelong Bible readers to envision and encounter God s Word in fresh ways. When received with attention and pondered in prayer, the resources gathered here can expand imagination, deepen discernment, and encourage faithful living. Dorothy C. Bass American Christians are in too much of a hurry. We miss out on most of what is right in front of us. When this most is in the Bible, our faith and obedience and prayer are impoverished. This conversation with Philippians slows us down to a stroll so we can take it all in God s word not as instruction but as companion. All of us need this. Eugene H. Peterson This wonderful commentary makes Philippians come alive in new ways. The combination of rich visual experience with creative written commentary has made me a more engaged biblical dweller ! Richard Mouw This beautifully produced book, through its skillful interweaving of images and texts, allows the Apostle Paul to speak in fresh and unexpected ways. A striking and original initiative. Jeremy Begbie Not much in our frazzled life encourages us to slow down and savor God s presence in Scripture. The images, prayers, and reflections in this beautiful book work this miracle. Dwelling with Philippians is slow food for the spirit! Keep it beside you, pray with it, give it to your friends, your family and especially to your pastor! William Dyrness

The Bible is rich with leadership gold. But we haven't mined it for all it's worth. Leaders know a lot about the Bible and a lot about leadership-separately. We haven't yet explored the depths of the Bible as a primary source for leadership insight. This book aims to change that. As evidence of why today's churches and organizations desperately need Bible-centered leadership, The Top 10 Leadership Conversations in the Bible reveal actionable wisdom to: -Lead change with spiritual authority. -Avoid disqualifying failures and accidental Phariseeism. -Fight the only worship war that matters. -Take bold risks backed by prayer and planning. -Make good judgment calls to create a leadership legacy. In discovering these insights and more from his research of over 1,000 biblical interactions, Steve Moore refined a study process to help you design your unique Bible-centered leadership development plan.

Most Christians are familiar with the story told in Mark's gospel, from the fishermen leaving their nets, to the miracle of the loaves and fishes, to the political rumblings and the crucifixion. But no one knows who Mark really was or why this gospel was written or why it's charged with such a sense of immediacy. For noted Jesus scholar Marcus Borg, reading Mark is like meeting Jesus again for the first time. Individual readers and parish study groups will learn about this earliest gospel from the perspective of an important Anglican theologian. Conversations with Scripture is the umbrella title of the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars Study Series. Written in accessible language and sensitive to those who have little or no experience in reading the Bible, each book in the series focuses on exploring the historical and critical background, plus modern application of the texts. Other books in the series focus on the Gospel of John, Revelation, the Law, the Parables, and 2 Isaiah.

Written in accessible language and sensitive to those who have little or no experience in reading the Bible, each book in the Conversations with Scripture series focuses on exploring the historical and critical background of the biblical texts, while illustrating how these centuries-old writings still speak to us today. Countryman brings his considerable biblical studies erudition as well as his skills as a popular writer and published poet to bear on the Psalms. Though an accomplished scholar of the New Testament, Countryman illumines the Psalms with insight and creativity. Readers will experience this most beloved part of the scriptural canon in a fresh and exciting way.

A scholarly evaluation of the fourth Gospel and Johannine community. For contemporary Christians, Johns Gospel is a paradox. On the one hand, it stresses boundaries: “No one comes to the Father except through me.” But on the other hand, it’s all about community: “I have no longer called you servant, but friends.” Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of John encourages readers to draw out the tensions between these two perspectives for an open, inclusive reading of this difficult Gospel—and to find in it reaching meaning for their lives. With a study guide that includes thoughtful, challenging questions for reflection and discussion, this is an ideal resource for individual and parish study.

Although the Ten Commandments has been the center of much recent controversy in American politics, scripture contains many laws about which Christians are perplexed. If the Bible contains laws, shouldn't those laws be followed? What does the law that prohibits reaping a harvest to the very edges of your field mean in modern times? Or, what about God's prohibition, in Leviticus, not to round off the hair on your temples or to mar the edges of your beard? The Decalogue and the Holiness Code in Leviticus contain guidelines to ethical behavior that originally helped to shape a covenant community and still have meaning for us today. In the newest addition to the Conversations with Scripture series, Kevin Wilson offers fresh insights into the meaning of the Law for today. In chapters that explore the Law in Exodus and Leviticus, Wilson examines the historical and cultural contexts of these legal codes. He discusses rituals such as sacrifice and rituals related to purification from defilement. Wilson demonstrates the ways in which the temple priests used many of these laws as their own code of purity and their own method of enforcing purity in the covenant community. As with other books in the series, Wilson's book features definitions and sidebars in each chapter on particular topics, as well as study questions.