Do you wonder what God has designed you to do? Deborah Koehn Loyd helps you develop your personal vocational credo, using unique tools and practical guidance to help you discover how to live into your vocation. She walks you through the transformational journey of becoming the world-changer God has intended you to be.

If necessary, use words.When you think about evangelism, you probably think about what you need to say to an unbeliever. You imagine memorizing a five-point outline or a three-point plan. Christine Wood acknowledges that it is important to be able to express the truth of Christ. But in Character Witness she emphasizes that it is just as important to live a life that expresses who Christ is. St. Francis of Assisi put it this way: "Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words."Character Witness is about personal integrity in evangelism. It will help you develop qualities like graciousness, purity, wisdom and patience. And it will show you how to extend yourself to others in ways that express the fullness of the grace of Christ.Wood's message is simple, but revolutionary: Your character is your most valuable evangelism resource.

...[C]oncern about the [inherited doctrine of vocation and its relevance for modern life] was generated out of the complexities and frustrations especially of industrial life, and it has produced a voluminous literature of a popular and semi-popular kind which has served to drive home the problem of daily work upon the conscience of contemporary Christians, and also to provide certain resources for handling it. In addition to this varied literature, the last years have also seen a very general discussion of the question at every level of church life: in ecumencal conferences, in the curricular material of the major denominations, and in conferences and study groups of all kinds. About the urgency and importance of the problem of vocation there is now no doubt. But now we find that the rather simple formulae in which we have been dealing with it do justice neither to the Biblical and Reformation inheritance, nor to the profound dilemmas that appear not only in industry, but in every area of professional and commercial life. The problem now is not only to equip our lay-people with fuller theological resources for the understanding of the meaning of discipleship, but to utilize their practical experience of day-to-day dilemmas and day to-day decisions. ...Gustaf Wingren's conscientious analysis of Luther's teaching on the matter...remains our prime resource for the understanding of the relation of faith and works. Nothing could exceed the patience and thoroughness with which Wingren has combed through the Luther corpus.... [I]t will serve to put the full range of Luther's insight at the disposal of those who care for theology as part of their care of all the Churches. Alexander Miller Stanford University

What is the good work to which I am called? Gordon T. Smith acknowledges that this is not a simple question to answer in the midst of our very complicated lives. That's why he has written this brief and accessible book—to help us explore six core questions we need to ask in order to discover our calling, in community with God and others.

In Equipping Christians for Kingdom Purpose in Their Work, Tom Lutz and Heidi Unruh offer advice to those who seek to influence the faith of people outside the church. Pastors, Christian educators, life coaches, workplace mentors, college professors, and any Christian who considers their vocation to be one of discipleship will find nourishment in this book. Few resources are designed for personal disciplers—those who connect with other believers on a personal basis with a deep interest in their spiritual growth. This book fills the gap. This one-of-a-kind resource shows how to disciple others in and for their work. Most “faith and work” books focus on pastors and church programs, or they speak directly to workers. But this resource comes to the aid of those who offer spiritual guidance to working Christians. This guide makes faith-and-work discipleship accessible to anyone who influences the faith of another. With short, readable chapters filled with case studies, examples, and practical resources, readers will learn how to equip others to fulfill their kingdom purpose in their work. Sample topics include:Principles for Effectively Connecting with Adult LearnersStructure for One-on-One Discipleship MeetingsResearch on Vocational Discipleship and Kingdom-Centered Spiritual MaturityVarious Leadership ModelsScripture Passages on Being an Image-BearerSelected Scriptures for Faith and Work Principles

Experiencing racial marginalization in society and pressures for success in family, Asian American Christian young adults must negotiate being socially underpowered, culturally dissonant, and politically marginal. To avoid misunderstandings and conflicts within and without their communities, more often than not they hide their true thoughts and emotions and hesitate to engage in authentic conversations outside their very close-knit circle of friends. In addition, these young adults might not find their church or Christian fellowship to be a safe and hospitable place to openly struggle with all of these sorts of questions, all the while lacking adequate vocabulary or resources to organize their thoughts. This book responds to these spiritual-moral struggles of Asian American young people by theologically addressing the issues that most intimately and immediately affect Asian American youths' sense of identity--God, race, family, sex, gender, friendship, money, vocation, the model minority myth, and community-- uniquely and consistently from the contexts of Asian American young adult life. Its goal is to help young Asian Americans develop a healthy, balanced, organic sense of identity grounded in a fresh and deeper understanding of the Christian faith.

Vocation is more than a job. It is our relationships and responsibilities woven into the work of God. In following our calling to seek the welfare of our world, we find that it flourishes and so do we. Garber offers here a book for parents, artists, students, public servants and businesspeople—for all who want to discover the virtue of vocation.

In the twelve months before his sudden death, Hans Urs von Balthasar had been writing a series of reflections on the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed. These texts, which are undoubtedly among the last things he wrote, take on the character of a legacy, a spiritual testament. For they amount in their extraordinary compactness and depth to a little "summa" of his theology. What he had set out in detail in numerous books over five decades, he summarizes here in contemplative plainness and simplicity. All the characteristics that make von Balthasar's work so distinctive and valuable are to be found here: breadth of vision, loveliness of style, and an intuitive-contemporary passion that allows him to "pray intellectually and think 'cordially'." In his warm and extensive introduction to the book, Medard Kehl speaks of von Balthasar's "unclouded, almost childlike joy in the richness and beauty of the Mystery" of the threefold God, which "is evidenced in his interpretation of the creed."

Self-care and soul care are trending topics in Christian leadership circles because ministry leaders know they cannot care for their people unless they care for themselves. Pastors who are mothers know this too, and yet it can feel like just one more task to manage among the many they carry on their schedules and in their hearts. The biblical truth is that spiritual rest is a gift from God, not an achievement, a refreshing reminder for women who hold the dual roles of mom and minister. This book invites women leading in these spaces to remember that the God of the Old and New Testaments, the one who pours out replenishment for weary hearts, is a God who is Mother as well as Father, and mothers them with tenderness and strength. Starting here, in the arms of a mothering God who whispers “beloved,” changes the tone of spiritual care for her from a chore to an oasis of replenishment that grounds her in her identity in Christ as a daughter of Creator God.

A close-knit community of Christian women writers share compelling and courageous personal journeys of transformation and growth toward finding their unique voices and invite other women to join them on the beautiful journey. From matters of politics to education, from social justice to health and wellness and beyond, this has been a year for the voices of women to ring out, and the Women of Redbud Writers Guild add their voices to the swell: voices of honesty, faith, deep spirituality, and generous wisdom. In their new book, Everbloom: Stories of Deeply Rooted and Transformed Lives, edited by Shayne Moore and Margaret Ann Philbrick, they speak out on behalf of those women who might not have found their own voices yet, sharing stories of their own personal transformations, discoveries, and overcomings. In forty stories, from global campaigns against social injustice and poverty, to the most intimate retellings of miscarriages and stillbirths, these Women of Redbud Writers Guild share a clarion call to all women: there is no pain that cannot be redeemed by the grace of God, no God-given voice that should be silenced, no one for whom the love of God through Jesus Christ will ever fall short.