Jodie Berndt shows you how to make the Bible a book of prayers that can powerfully influence your children’s lives. You’ll discover how to pray specifically and expectantly for their faith, character, safety, relationships, and future. You’ll gain new, biblical perspectives on God’s purposes for your children. And through the encouragement of the Scriptures and true-life stories, you’ll find out what a huge difference your prayers really make in the lives of those you love most. Discover How to Pray God’s Will for Your Children’s Lives There’s no place like God’s Word to turn to when you want to pray confidently and effectively for your kids. “Prayers permeated with the Word of God bring about changes in our children and keep us in touch with God’s priorities. This is a wonderful resource that you will want to refer to over and over.” Fern Nichols, founder and president of Moms in Touch International “If I could choose only one book to help me pray for my children, this is it! Not only has Jodie given us a rich treasure of true stories, practical prayers, and relevant Scriptures for our children, but a surprise awaits! In reading this I found my own confidence if God growing. RUN and get this book for moms and grandmoms.” Susan Alexander Yates, author of How to Like the Ones You Love “I know of no one who can speak more authoritatively than Jodie Berndt on praying for your children. Every parent who wants their children to grow into godly men and women should read this book.

Providing a wealth of detail about childhood and family structure, this book explores the hidden lives of children at the origins of Christianity. "Let the Little Children Come to Me" pays careful attention to the impact of gender, class, and slave status on children's lives.

Unexpectedly suspenseful, but written with all the fluency and dark humor of Tom Perrotta's The Wishbones and Joe College, Little Children exposes the adult dramas unfolding amidst the swingsets and slides of an ordinary American playground. Tom Perrotta's thirty-ish parents of young children are a varied and surprising bunch. There's Todd, the handsome stay-at-home dad dubbed "The Prom King" by the moms of the playground; Sarah, a lapsed feminist with a bisexual past, who seems to have stumbled into a traditional marriage; Richard, Sarah's husband, who has found himself more and more involved with a fantasy life on the internet than with the flesh and blood in his own house; and Mary Ann, who thinks she has it all figured out, down to scheduling a weekly roll in the hay with her husband, every Tuesday at 9pm. They all raise their kids in the kind of sleepy American suburb where nothing ever seems to happen--at least until one eventful summer, when a convicted child molester moves back to town, and two restless parents begin an affair that goes further than either of them could have imagined. Perrotta received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for best screenplay for the film adaptation of Little Children, which was directed by Todd Field and starred Kate Winslet and Jennifer Connelly.

You cannot make it without God’s mercy. Do we just need God’s grace in dark and shameful moments? Are prayers for mercy only for those times when we really mess up? Jonathan Parnell says we need God’s mercy all the time. In fact, contrary to many church cultures, Parnell shows that asking God for mercy should be as regular as asking God for our daily bread. There’s no doubt that David was in a terrible predicament when he first prayed the words of Psalm 51. It was a dark and shameful moment in the Bible, and one so dark and shameful it seldom feels relevant to us today. But David’s most desperate prayer is really a prayer for all of us—and not just for our worst moments, but for our every moment. In these pages, you'll discover: how to pray a daily, memorable prayer derived from Psalm 51 how to practice daily repentance and soul care how to pursue God and experience his joy in the Christian life This is God’s mercy, and it’s Mercy for Today.

'Beautifully written and produced' 'Packed full of thought-provoking truths' 'A good devotional read or for anyone with a busy schedule' Part-serialised in Quiet Spaces, the prayer and spirituality journal from BRF. Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children ... 'These are radical words; potentially life-changing words. Yet how many of us truly believe that we need to become like little children? What might be the implications for our life and faith? As a Child is an exploration of this call to childlikeness, this call to littleness - a call made not to children, but to adults - not to those who are naturally childlike, but to those who have grown out of their childlike nature. It is a book for all who desire to grow in their faith, to enter into all that God has for us, to live the life God wants us to live and to be the people God wants us to be. For all are willing to respond to Jesus' call, and become like a little child.

Note to parents and teachers: This story is based on Matthew 18:1–6 and 19:13–15. It is helpful to read these Scripture passages to your children along with this book, especially if you have older children in your family or class. (List of books for back cover) Jesus Is Born! The Bethlehem Story Jesus Is Alive! The Empty Tomb in Jerusalem John 3:16 Jesus and Nicodemus in Jerusalem Saul becomes Paul The Conversion of the Apostle Paul Stephen—The First Christian Martyr A Story from Jerusalem Jesus Raises a Little Girl to Life A Miracle in Capernaum Jesus Heals a Little Boy A Miracle in Capernaum

It is said that everyone has a story to tell, a voice that deserves to be heard. There are many thousands of children with special needs who have long been ignored, rejected and excluded from our schools, our communities, and, sadly, from our Bible classes. We believe that these children are loved deeply and completely by our Lord and that they too are called to come unto Him. This book speaks to the heart and to the head. Teachers and pastors will find inspiration and information, reminding them that God calls us to include all children, no matter the challenge. In addition, the book includes wonderfully practical elements with many ideas that can be easily integrated into any classroom. By combining philosophy and strategies, this book will equip the typical church volunteer teacher to meet the needs of all the children in her classroom.

Verse-by-verse explanations with a literal translation Shouldn't a Bible commentary clarify what God's Word actually says? Going beyond questions of authorship, date, sources, and historicity, respected linguist and teacher Gundry offers a one-volume exposition of the New Testament that focuses on what is most useful for preaching, teaching, and individual study--what the biblical text really means. Providing interpretive observations in a "breezy" style that's easy to read and adaptable for oral use in pulpit or classroom presentations, Gundry directs his book to an evangelical audience. His crisp translation of the New Testament inserts various phrasings of passages in brackets, allowing for smooth transition from original text to alternative and contemporary readings. SAMPLE TEXT OF TRANSLATION JOHN'S PREDICTING A MORE POWERFUL BAPTIZER THAN HE (Mark 1:1-8) 1:1-3: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, God's Son, according as it's written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I'm sending my messenger before your face [= ahead of you], who'll pave your way [= the road you'll travel], [the messenger who is] the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.'" Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small-group leaders, and laypeople will welcome Gundry's non-technical explanations and clarifications. And Bible students at all levels will appreciate his sparkling interpretations of the NT Scriptures. A trustworthy guide for anybody wanting to delve deeper into God's Word. SAMPLE TEXT OF COMMENTS "Gospel" means "good news." Jews would associate this good news with Isaiah 52:7. Non-Jews would think of the good news of an emperor's accession to power, birthday, visit to a city, military victory, or bringing of prosperity to the empire. But Mark's good news has to do with the salvation and victory brought by Jesus over evil in all its demonic and physical forms. "The gospel of Jesus Christ" therefore means "the gospel about Jesus Christ" and refers to a proclaimed message ("the voice of one crying out"), not a book (though because books like Mark's contain that proclaimed message, the term came to refer to those books in the capitalized form of "Gospels" to distinguish them from the message, kept uncapitalized as "gospel").

Judas is an intimate story of the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ. His birth in Kerioth, and family relationship to the Shepherds of Kerioth, the shepherds of the sacred Temple flock begin his life. As a young man he follows, along with other disciples and ultimately bears the responsibility for betraying the Lord. Each Bible reference to Judas is incorporated in the historical narrative along with much of typical life of a Hebrew youth of his day. The results of the betrayal lead to a surprising ending and an influence that extends into todays Christian movement. Live with Judas as he falls in love, learns to hate, is forced to forgive, sharpens his skills, serves in the fulfillment of Scripture and serves as the Master has appointed him. Judas will become a window to the disciple band, a mirror to the reader and an inspiration to the will of God.

A well-known challenge of Jesus to his followers is to become like little children. Lacy Finn Borgo considers this invitation to childlike faith and explores seven different ways of welcoming the child within. Offering wisdom from years of experience as a spiritual director, Borgo explores practices to welcome and enliven your childhood self.