A retelling of the Bible story in which Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish.

Teach Little Ones a Big Lesson About Trusting God The boy with the loaves and fishes is a popular Sunday School story, teaching kids about generosity. But the lesson shouldn't end there. In this colorful picture book, bestselling author Anthony DeStefano and award-winning illustrator Richard Cowdrey bring this miraculous tale to life and share a larger message with children of all ages. When kids, or their parents or grandparents, trust God with all they have, He can turn those seemingly small contributions into huge accomplishments to the glory of His kingdom. In the retelling of this boy's life-changing encounter with Jesus, kids will learn they can achieve amazing things when they believe in God. In addition, they will discover when they feel worried or anxious about doing difficult tasks, the Lord is there to help them when they ask. God loves all His children, young and old, and still works miracles every day!

Maybe you've been wrestling with feelings of inadequacy over what you have to offer God. Eleanor Powell is credited with saying, "What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God." But for many of us, our gift to God doesn't feel like much. That's why I love the story of Jesus miraculously feeding five thousand men, plus whatever family members were with them, with five loaves and two fish.If we think this story is just about food we are missing something really essential to how God longs to relate with us, His children.I seriously doubt the little boy in this story set out to be part of a miracle that day. We can bet that he didn't wake up that morning expecting Jesus to be able to take his small lunch and feed an entire city. If the boy had held back his lunch because he thought it wouldn't be sufficient enough to make a difference, it would've remained little. But that boy became part of an epic story on a day when Jesus took his small lunch and used it to show forth God's limitless Kingdom and infinite supply. Jesus uses inadequate people with limited resources to show forth His power, His provision, and His adequacy.This story found in all four gospels boldly underscores that great things can happen when our inadequacy meets Christ's sufficiency. I believe the Lord performed the miracle in this way to teach the disciples that His method for meeting the needs of a lost world is through people-utterly, seemingly insignificant, small people, I might add. That's what this short book is all about.Are you feeling a little inadequate today? Remember, God can perform miracles in ways that are infinitely beyond our capacity for understanding, yet the God of this universe wants us to know that our little means so much to him. Whatever your seemingly insignificant five loaves and two fish may be, in the hands of God, they are a miracle waiting to happen. Your little can never remain little in the hands of a big God.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

In this groundbreaking book, Dennis R. MacDonald offers an entirely new view of the New Testament gospel of Mark. The author of the earliest gospel was not writing history, nor was he merely recording tradition, MacDonald argues. Close reading and careful analysis show that Mark borrowed extensively from the Odyssey and the Iliad and that he wanted his readers to recognise the Homeric antecedents in Mark's story of Jesus. Mark was composing a prose anti-epic, MacDonald says, presenting Jesus as a suffering hero modeled after but far superior to traditional Greek heroes. Much like Odysseus, Mark's Jesus sails the seas with uncomprehending companions, encounters preternatural opponents, and suffers many things before confronting rivals who have made his house a den of thieves. In his death and burial, Jesus emulates Hector, although unlike Hector Jesus leaves his tomb empty. Mark's minor characters, too, recall Homeric predecessors: Bartimaeus emulates Tiresias; Joseph of Arimathea, Priam; and the women at the tomb, Helen, Hecuba, and Andromache. And, entire episodes in Mark mirror Homeric episodes, including stilling the sea, walking on water, feeding the multitudes, the Triumphal E

These studies provide a bridge for people to find their place in the Bible story. Designed to be used individually, they can also be followed thematically ' with twenty-five studies on Bible characters; twenty lessons from the life of Jesus; five studies from the Law and Prophets, and more. Each double-page spread has a Bible passage, supporting commentary, a series of questions and a prayer. -Have fun with these outlines,- writes Pen Wilcock. -May your home be a place of friendship, somewhere people can learn to love the Lord Jesus, a safe place to become more self-aware and awake to the beauty and the vulnerability of their fellow-pilgrims.

Sixty-two percent of food pantries and meal programs in the United States are faith-based. Most of these ministries are transactional; people needing food interact with church volunteers to earn access to direct service. Elizabeth Magill advocates relational ministry as a better model for food ministry. People donating food or money eat with the people who need food and get to know them as they serve alongside them. Those needing food share all aspects of the ministry, including planning, setting up, leading, serving, and cleaning. As volunteers become better acquainted with those they serve, they can form deep, meaningful relationships, creating a new way to be the church. Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers tells the stories of eight churches that share food ministry with people who need their services. Full of practical advice, this book emphasizes that building relationships and offering radical welcome is more important work for churches than efficiency or order. It helps congregations evaluate their outreach and advises them on how to do it differently.

If you're looking for a new Lenten experience, here are forty fresh ideas. Some will challenge you to deepen your prayer life; others will open your mind to new ways to serve others. Each of the forty ways includes a reflection to help you understand more about Lent and why it matters. You'll learn how to have a more creative experience of Lent. You'll discover positive, proactive ways to take action instead of the same old routine of giving something up. The result will be spiritual transformation and a closer walk with Christ—not only during Lent but throughout the year.

Introduce your child to a Happy Day(R) book about one of Jesus' miracles. Jesus takes care of all we need. And sometimes he even uses miracles!