Candles made a relevant object lesson because they commonly illuminated homes and churches. Spurgeon presents many different kinds of candles, their accessories, their history and their uses, and teaches a corresponding spiritual lesson. Some examples include: “Grace is like the light of a candle helping those around it,” “Bibles which are never read are like lanterns which are never turned on,” and “Always put the weaker brother in the place of honor if you can, and thus make the best use of his light.” This book is richly illustrated to help explain the concepts.

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Just as the Lenten season reminds the Christian of Christ's journey to the cross, the seven candles and the weekly extinguishing of each one enhances that long, soon-to-be dark journey. When the last candle is extinguished and the darkness seems to be all-consuming, worshipers will feel the darkness of the soul at the time of Christ's crucifixion. Using one or two liturgists, flexible services are provided for every Sunday during the Lenten season as well as Good Friday and Easter Sunday, during which a Paschal candle is lighted. The beauty and symbolism of these services will add meaning and dimension to your Lenten worship as the congregation is reminded each Sunday of being one step closer in the journey to the cross. Robert S. Jarboe is pastor of Faith Chapel United Methodist Church in Huntington, Indiana. He is a graduate of Manchester College with a B.S. in music, majoring in piano and voice. He earned his M.Div. degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Using everyday items such as balloons, flashlights, and bubble gum, Bucky Dann -- a pastor popular with both children and adults -- demonstrates in 51 simple lessons how children can begin to understand the teachings of Jesus, Bible truths, and even the meaning of atonement and discipleship. In each practical sermon suggestion, Dann includes a Biblical text, an outline of the theme, a list of needed materials, a statement of goals, and techniques for teaching. He examines how children held a special place in Jesus' own ministry, how children are the future of the church, and how the childhood years are the most formative for establishing beliefs. Invaluable for pastors, church school teachers, and others who work with children, this unique and creative book offers effective ways to make children a vital part of the worship and ministry of the church.

A collection of worship and reflection resources for groups and individuals covering the weeks from All Saints' Day to Christmas Eve, including saints' days, Remembrance Day, World AIDS Day and Advent.

Volume 80- The Sword and the Trowel, Volume 1 Charles Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) is one of the church’s most famous preachers and Christianity’s foremost prolific writers. Called the “Prince of Preachers,” he was one of England's most notable ministers for most of the second half of the nineteenth century, and he still remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations today. His sermons have spread all over the world, and his many printed works have been cherished classics for decades. In his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to more than 10 million people, often up to ten times each week. He was the pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle) in London for 38 years. He was an inexhaustible author of various kinds of works including sermons, commentaries, an autobiography, as well as books on prayer, devotionals, magazines, poetry, hymns and more. Spurgeon was known to produce powerful sermons of penetrating thought and divine inspiration, and his oratory and writing skills held his audiences spellbound. Many Christians have discovered Spurgeon's messages to be among the best in Christian literature. Edward Walford wrote in Old and New London: Volume 6 (1878) quoting an article from the Times regarding one of Spurgeon’s meetings at Surrey: “Fancy a congregation consisting of 10,000 souls, streaming into the hall, mounting the galleries, humming, buzzing, and swarming—a mighty hive of bees—eager to secure at first the best places, and, at last, any place at all. After waiting more than half an hour—for if you wish to have a seat you must be there at least that space of time in advance—Mr. Spurgeon ascended his tribune. To the hum, and rush, and trampling of men, succeeded a low, concentrated thrill and murmur of devotion, which seemed to run at once, like an electric current, through the breast of every one present, and by this magnetic chain the preacher held us fast bound for about two hours. It is not my purpose to give a summary of his discourse. It is enough to say of his voice, that its power and volume are sufficient to reach every one in that vast assembly; of his language, that it is neither high-flown nor homely; of his style, that it is at times familiar, at times declamatory, but always happy, and often eloquent; of his doctrine, that neither the 'Calvinist' nor the 'Baptist' appears in the forefront of the battle which is waged by Mr. Spurgeon with relentless animosity, and with Gospel weapons, against irreligion, cant, hypocrisy, pride, and those secret bosom-sins which so easily beset a man in daily life; and to sum up all in a word, it is enough to say of the man himself, that he impresses you with a perfect conviction of his sincerity.” More than a hundred years after his death, Charles Spurgeon’s legacy continues to effectively inspire the church around the world. For this reason, Delmarva Publications has chosen to publish the complete works of Charles Spurgeon.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1962.

Among Christian devotional works, My Utmost for His Highest stands head and shoulders above the rest, with more than 13 million copies sold. But most readers have no idea that Oswald Chambers's most famous work was not published until ten years after his death. The remarkable person behind its compilation and publication was his wife, Biddy. And her story of living her utmost for God's highest is one without parallel. Bestselling novelist Michelle Ule brings Biddy's story to life as she traces her upbringing in Victorian England to her experiences in a WWI YMCA camp in Egypt. Readers will marvel at this young woman's strength as she returns to post-war Britain a destitute widow with a toddler in tow. Refusing personal payment, Biddy proceeds to publish not just My Utmost for His Highest, but also 29 other books with her husband's name on the covers. All the while she raises a child alone, provides hospitality to a never-ending stream of visitors and missionaries, and nearly loses everything in the London Blitz during WWII. The inspiring story of a devoted woman ahead of her times will quickly become a favorite of those who love true stories of overcoming incredible odds, making a life out of nothing, and serving God's kingdom.