Sometimes we get so caught up in the power of Jesus shouting from the cross, "It is finished!" that we forget that Jesus started something too. Uncovering the inner dynamics of Jesus's work with the disciples, veteran church planter Steve Addison reminds us that Christianity is a movement with a unique design for expansion.

2014 Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year (Church Health) Sometimes we get so caught up in the power of Jesus shouting from the cross, "It is finished!" that we forget that Jesus started something. What Jesus started was a movement that began small, with intimate conversations designed to build disciples into apostles who would go out in the world and seed it with God's kingdom vision. That movement grew rapidly and spread wide as people recognized the truth in it and gave their lives to the power of it. That movement is still happening today, and we are called to play our part in it.

Are you wondering what saying yes to following Jesus really means? Do you want to know more about Christianity but you’re not sure what, or how, to ask? Are you just beginning in a new faith in Jesus Christ? Then Start Here. Written by two authors who also know what it’s like to seek God, Start Here answers questions such as: If God is real, now what?What is the relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?What does the church have to do with my life and my faith?Why did Jesus have to die?Isn’t grace too good to be true?Can I accept that Jesus is the way to God? Following Jesus isn’t about rules—it’s all about relationship. So start here to find practical help and encouraging stories about what authentic Christianity looks like. Welcome to the journey of a lifetime. --

2019 Best Book Awards, Finalist: Religion—Christianity 2020 Catholic Press Association, 3rd Place: Future Church 2020 International Book Awards, Winner: Religion—Christianity Take a moment and ask yourself: does every activity in my parish point more deeply to Jesus? Julianne Stanz wants to help you and your parish community make sure the answer to this question is a resounding, "Yes!" Serving parishes in her diocese as the Director of New Evangelization, Stanz has recognized a practical and motivational way to restructure a parish's mission – start with Jesus. Start with Jesus is a book about people, process, and culture, rather than an emphasis on quick fixes or unsustainable efforts. She aims to help regular people be transformed from the inside out by growing in relationship with Jesus Christ through individual and group experiences, thus transforming our parish communities. Start with Jesus will be an essential resource for decision-makers and thought-leaders in parishes, but its true strength lies in its value for the countless Catholics longing for peace, healing, and hope in the context of our parish communities. It will be an inspiration to Catholics who come to Mass each week, parents trying to instill the faith in their children, leaders searching for an effective and sustainable approach to parish renewal, and to all who are curious about developing a relationship with Jesus. ​

What if you could live your remaining life feeling completely full? Full of energy, passion, and direction...You have only one chance to find your destined purpose in this life. Time is your most valuable resource and this world is vying for your attention in each and every moment. Professional, personal, and spiritual balance is becoming more difficult to maintain as you are constantly bombarded by the needs and distractions of your unique world. Amidst the surrounding chaos and constant pressure to achieve, something within you desperately desires to find hope and know peace; a quiet voice calls for you to know a critical truth.The revealing of this personal truth is found in The Jesus Purpose, a nonfiction journey of faith and knowledge applicable to people in all walks of life. Inside the personally transparent pages of this hoped-filled story, William Thrasher highlights the key to finding hope and peace in this one-chance life. The result of this exploration delivers a specific revelation to the heart of what every person questions deep within. What is this life all about? What is the purpose of life? Answers to these life-impacting questions are revealed within The Jesus Purpose: Born to Die, Created to Live.This is not your normal Christian self-help book. In a "non-preachy" manner, from a counterculture perspective, The Jesus Purpose looks beyond typical religious practices and uncovers a revolutionary point of view to who Jesus was, is, and WILL BE.

In this volume, a thoroughly revised and expanded version of The Mystery of God's Word, Father Raniero Cantalamessa engages the profound idea of the Eternal Word that becomes Life. The main and constant focus of the book is to show how the word of God illuminates and engages our existence. Cantalamessa uses the words of Scripture, particularly those of Jesus, to reflect on the meaning of a God who speaks, a God who is in relationship with humanity. By encountering these words in prayer and liturgy, we are invited to allow them into our minds and hearts so that we may be bearers of the word of God in the world. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, taught the history of Christian origins at the Catholic University of Milan and served on the International Theological Commission. He devotes his ministry to preaching and writing, and since 1980 he has been the Preacher to the Papal Household. Cantalamessa is author of Come, Creator Spirit; Mary: Mirror of the Church; The Eucharist: Our Sanctification; Easter: Meditations on the Resurrection; The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus; The Mystery of Easter; The Mystery of Pentecost; and Life in Christ (al published by Liturgical Press).

Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James

Jesus Christ is arguably the most famous man who ever lived. His image adorns countless churches, icons, and paintings. He is the subject of millions of statues, sculptures, devotional objects and works of art. Everyone can conjure an image of Jesus: usually as a handsome, white man with flowing locks and pristine linen robes. But what did Jesus really look like? Is our popular image of Jesus overly westernized and untrue to historical reality? This question continues to fascinate. Leading Christian Origins scholar Joan E. Taylor surveys the historical evidence, and the prevalent image of Jesus in art and culture, to suggest an entirely different vision of this most famous of men. He may even have had short hair.

Steve Addison gleans the characteristics of the dynamic missionary movement from biblical, historical and contemporary case studies. Addison shows how these factors recur in every period of Christian expansion, and suggests that Christianity's distinction as a historical movement lies in its power to outlast the centuries.

“Scholarly, pastoral, prophetic, and eloquent. The invitation to follow Jesus instead of worshiping Christ could not come at a more important time, or be issued by a more credible source.” — Desmond Tutu “Robin Meyers emerges in Saving Jesus from the Church as a national voice for a new Christianity. He is a well read scholar and a superb communicator. He writes with a refreshing honesty and a disarming authority. This book is a treat.” — John Shelby Spong, author of Jesus for the Non-Religious Robin Meyers, a rising star of liberal Christianity, restores the true mission of the faith that captures the heart of Jesus’s concern for people over “right belief.” Saving Jesus from the Church will resonate deeply with those who enjoy the works of John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg, and John Dominic Crossan.