Focuses on the times in the liturgical calendar surrounding Advent and Christmas and Lent and Easter.

We often go to church on Sunday, then lose touch with God's word amid the craziness of our weekly routine. This series helps the entire family stay in touch with the word proclaimed in liturgy. For every Sunday and holy day of the year, each book offers three sets of prayerful reflections that parallel the lectionary: one for adults, one for teens, and one for small children. A thematic index is included for easy reference. These books are ideal for liturgy planning, and they're perfect for helping the entire family stay focused on prayer--all week long. In Touch with the Word: Cycle B for Ordinary Time is for the year 2009 and every third year thereafter.

At bedtime, a mother and child think about their day and remember one thing each is sorry for, then the child recalls five things to be grateful for, takes a peaceful breath, and falls asleep. Includes notes for children and adults.

Drawing on the rich imagery of rocks and stones in scripture, these powerful messages center around the compelling metaphor of stones (and our willingness to throw them) as representative of our sins. As worshipers enter the sanctuary they are invited to pick up stones as a concrete symbol of each sermon's theme; then as the message concludes the stones are placed at the foot of the cross. When the stones disappear on Easter (just like the stone sealing Jesus' tomb), it's a vivid illustration of how the Lord also removes our stones of sin. Each chapter includes several thought-provoking discussion questions to spur further reflection. With messages for Ash Wednesday, five weeks of Lent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, this is an excellent resource for Lenten midweek programming. Molin takes us on a journey of prayerful and honest repentance -- a powerful and life-changing journey of celebration, of grace, of awe at the miracle of the empty tomb and the promise of life.... Pastor Molin is one of the best sermon story-tellers I've heard. But each sermon and every story also teaches a biblical text. These sermons are grounded in the living Word of God... (from the Foreword) Glenndy L. Sculley, Bishop's Associate Minneapolis Area Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Steven Molin is the senior pastor of Our Savior's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Stillwater, Minnesota. He has also served parishes in Oregon and South Dakota, and been an area director for the youth ministry organization Young Life. Molin is a graduate of Concordia University (St. Paul, Minnesota) and Luther Theological Seminary.

With laugh-out-loud humor anchored by spiritual truths, author Tim Schenck helps us maintain our spiritual sanity through the often-frenetic chaos of Advent and Christmas. Illustrated by popular cartoonist Jay Sidebotham, "Dog in the Manger" also explores the major characters of the season in new ways, including John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph and of course, Jesus. Thoughtful questions following each section make "Dog in the Manger" ideal for personal or group use.

‘On this Day’ is a prayerful and meditative work, consisting of daily reflections and prayers on Scriptural passages used in season of Ordinary Time-cycle 1. Its content, as spiritual food, comes out of the enlightening Scriptural words, proclaimed by the Church during everyday Masses. We are pilgrims in this world walking, marching, jogging, or running to reach our ultimate life’s destiny for which God has designed and created us. Every day is so important because, as the Bible points out, today is the only Day God has entrusted to us to prepare for our meeting Him. It is the only Day every human has in hand to please God. It is the only Day every God’s child is given to reciprocate to his Father’s Covenantal Love. It is the author’s earnest desire that ‘On this Day’ may assist his readers in their spiritual and religious exercises through which they gain sufficient heavenly energy to make each day pleasing to the Lord and to magnify His Glory.

This booklet is a primer for those who serve as prayer leaders of Children's Liturgy of the Word. Offering valuable insight into the role that Children's Liturgy of the Word plays in child development, this guide explains how prayer leaders can best meet the unique developmental needs of children. This booklet is an essential resource for parish training programs and ongoing formation for both new and experienced prayer leaders. This booklet provides an understanding of the origins and practice of this liturgy; an overview of the order of service and the role of the prayer leader; practical suggestions for leading prayer, navigating through the Lectionary, crafting a reflection and the Prayer of the Faithful, and preparing the liturgical environment; ways to help children pray, understand the Scriptures, and participate the liturgy; answers to frequently asked questions, and definitions for liturgical terms.

I have always been troubled by a church that is too enamored of "the big business of religion" and too hungry for the world's applause and approval. The church is first of all called to be faithful to the gospel, to be a sign of God's coming gracious kingdom in this world, and only secondarily to be a successful and competent institution in this world. This book is driven by the fear that the church has too often forgotten the former and succumbed to the latter. -- from the Preface While thoroughly grounded in scripture and sound theology, Steven Albertin has a way of contemporizing the message of the gospel, making it easy to understand but not necessarily easy to fulfill. After reading or listening to one of these sermons, you'll be left with a very clear understanding of its central message, expressed with such carefully chosen and forceful words that it will not be easily forgotten. Chapter titles include: - What's In It for Me (Mark 10:35-45) - Baptism and Self-Esteem (Mark 12:28-34) - Breaking the Taboo (Mark 12:38-44) - Having the Last Word (John 18:33-37) - No Freudian Slip (Matthew 6:25-33) Steven E. Albertin is currently pastor of Christ Lutheran Church of Zionsville, Indiana. He previously served parishes in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Albertin has received degrees from Concordia College (B.A.), Concordia Seminary in Exile, St. Louis (M.Div), Christ Seminary - Seminex (S.T.M.), and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (D.Min.).

All children love stories and these wonderful saint stories are no exception. They put children in touch with the key events in the saints life, but also with the Churchs liturgical year. Using symbols and seasons to great advantage, the author creates here beautiful and meaningful moments for sharing these stories. She believes that celebrating the saints gives children at least two experiences they rarely encounter, both vital to a healthy spirituality: taking time for reflection and learning the language of symbols. Whether in a religion class or at home, children will love hearing about Nicholas, Lucia, John Bosco, Bridget, Bernadette, Peter, Martin de Porres, Mary, and twenty-eight others.