A Passion For Faithfulness

He was one of the Bible's greatest leaders. A man of action who took on the incredible task of rebuilding ancient Jerusalem. He was dedicated. Wise. A zealous man who saturated himself with prayer. In all of this he helped set the standard for godly leadership. And yet you probably know nothing about him. He was Nehemiah. Indeed, his Old Testament book reads like the memoirs of a pastoral leader and politician par excellence. In it Nehemiah tells how, with God's help and blessing, he went about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and renewing her people. It is a spirited, first-person account of spiritual renewal. Yet Nehemiah can equally be read as a testimony to God's involvement with man. Using a Bible-study approach J. I. Packer looks at how Nehemiah led the people and how God led Nehemiah—all to ultimately build up His Kingdom. Through this book you will discover a model for revival in your own church. A Passion for Faithfulness should be read by church and business leaders for its in-depth look at Nehemiah's example in these particular arenas. But anyone who thirsts for God and a sense of His presence in their everyday responsibilities will also be inspired by this book. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom trying to raise godly children or an employee who longs for God to make Himself real in even the most mundane task, this book will be a trusted help and a welcome reminder of God's desire to be involved in every facet of your life.

He was one of the Bible's greatest leaders. A man of action who took on the incredible task of rebuilding ancient Jerusalem. He was dedicated. Wise. A zealous man who saturated himself with prayer. In all of this he helped set the standard for godly leadership. And yet you probably know nothing about him. He was Nehemiah. Indeed, his Old Testament book reads like the memoirs of a pastoral leader and politician par excellence. In it Nehemiah tells how, with God's help and blessing, he went about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and renewing her people. It is a spirited, first-person account of spiritual renewal. Yet Nehemiah can equally be read as a testimony to God's involvement with man. Using a Bible-study approach J.I. Packer looks at how Nehemiah led the people and how God led Nehemiah & mdash;all to ultimately build up His Kingdom. Through this book you will discover a model for revival in your own church. A Passion for Faithfulness should be read by church and business leaders for its in-depth look at Nehemiah's example in these particular arenas. But anyone who thirsts for God and a sense of His presence in their everyday responsibilities will also be inspired by this book. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom trying to raise godly children or an employee who longs for God to make Himself real in even the most mundane task, this book will be a trusted help and a welcome reminder of God's desire to be involved in every facet of your life.

What is a preacher? What is preaching? Pastor Tony Merida asks these foundational questions to arrive at this overview of his widely anticipated book, Faithful Preaching: “Faithful preaching is the responsible, passionate, and authentic declaration of the Christ-exalting Scriptures, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of the Triune God. Expository preaching is the best approach for accurately explaining and applying God’s Word, and for maintaining a God-centered focus in preaching. It also offers wonderful spiritual benefits to both the preacher and congregation. To be faithful expositors today, we must avoid the common problems associated with expository preaching such as boredom, irrelevancy, and Christless messages. Faithful preachers will usher the people through the text passionately and authentically, pointing them to Christ.”

"I believe understanding our role as leader in our homes is key not only to revival in our homes, but to revival in our churches, and even to revival in our nation." A Faithful Man is drawn from Fox's own passion to be the man in his home that his family needs, and to help other men do the same. Starting with his own story of wanderings and failures, Fox leads the reader into a biblical and practical understanding of what it means to be a prophet, priest, protector and provider. "Most husbands and fathers have a desire to lead their families, but they testify that they don't know how to lead. J. Mark Fox has solved that problem in his book A Faithful Man. Flowing out of a passion for Jesus Christ to be glorified in the lives and families of those who bear His name, Mark provides clear, biblical, practical, doable encouragement for men as leaders of their families. The heart-warming personal stories, interesting illustrations, and helpful examples make the book relational as well as entertaining. As you read you feel like you're visiting with a friend, a fellowlaborer in the field of family life. A Faithful Man, written in a simple, easy-to-read style, invites you to read on attentively much like someone prospecting for gold stays at his task - the prospect of another treasure on the next page or in the next chapter. Any man who seriously desires to be a Christ-like leader of his family will be encouraged and equipped by J. Mark Fox's A Faithful Man." - Norm Wakefield, Author, Speaker, and Executive Director and Founder of The Spirit of Elijah Ministries International "J. Mark Fox has provided the men of the contemporary church with an insightful handbook on what it means to be a Christian father. Grounded in Scripture and theologically sound, Fox writes in such a way that allows any man, wherever he is in his Christian walk, to understand, act upon, and fulfill his God-given right and responsibility to his family. This is a necessary book for the Christian home both today and in the years to come. What is so refreshing about the manner in which Fox writes is that he is not afraid to admit and confess that he has had to learn much of what he writes about through trial and error. Even more refreshing is the fact that he readily acknowledges he is still learning. J. Mark Fox demonstrates through his excellent illustrations, his brilliant use of Scripture, and his own personal testimony that men are called and directed by God to live a lifestyle of discipleship within their families." - W. Ryan Steenburg, Ph.D., Associate Pastor of the Christian Home, First Baptist Church of Prospect, KY; Executive Director, The Council for the Family-Integrated Church; Founder and Director, Daddy Discipleship J. Mark Fox is the pastor of Antioch Community Church in Elon, NC, an adjunct instructor at Elon University, happily married to Cindy for 30 years, father of seven and grandfather of two, and the author of five other books, including Family-Integrated Church. He serves on the board for The Council for the FamilyIntegrated Church (C4FIC) and speaks

From acclaimed bestselling author James Runcie, a meditation on grief and music, told through the story of Bach's writing of the St. Matthew Passion. In 1727, Stefan Silbermann is a grief-stricken thirteen-year-old, struggling with the death of his mother and his removal to a school in distant Leipzig. Despite his father's insistence that he try not to think of his mother too much, Stefan is haunted by her absence, and, to make matters worse, he's bullied by his new classmates. But when the school's cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach, takes notice of his new pupil's beautiful singing voice and draws him from the choir to be a soloist, Stefan's life is permanently changed. Over the course of the next several months, and under Bach's careful tutelage, Stefan's musical skill progresses, and he is allowed to work as a copyist for Bach's many musical works. But mainly, drawn into Bach's family life and away from the cruelty in the dorms and the lonely hours of his mourning, Stefan begins to feel at home. When another tragedy strikes, this time in the Bach family, Stefan bears witness to the depths of grief, the horrors of death, the solace of religion, and the beauty that can spring from even the most profound losses. Joyous, revelatory, and deeply moving, The Great Passion is an imaginative tour de force that tells the story of what it was like to sing, play, and hear Bach's music for the very first time.

In her classic book, Elisabeth Elliot candidly shares her love story with Jim Elliot through letters, diary entries, and memories. She is honest about the temptations, difficulties, victories, and sacrifices of two young people whose commitment to Christ took priority over their love for each other. These revealing personal glimpses, combined with relevant biblical teaching, will remind readers that only by putting their human passion and desire through His fire can God purify their love. In a culture obsessed with dating, sex, and intimacy, the need for Elliot's freeing message is greater than ever. This beautifully repackaged edition will appeal to today's young people.

Of all the disciplines of the Christian life, prayer is perhaps the most neglected. Yet Jesus’ brief earthly life was permeated with it. A Passion for Prayer seeks to help you develop—or deepen—your communion with God. Drawing on personal experience and God’s Word, Pastor Tom Elliff shares principles for daily coming before the throne of grace.

Biblical exegesis doesn’t stop with the words alone. Faithful preachers exegete the emotion of the text as well. It’s easy to let our own personalities dictate the emotional dimension of our sermons, but the best preachers mirror the Bible’s emotive intent in their sermons. In Passion in the Pulpit, Jerry Vines and Adam Dooley will teach you how to exegete not just the verbal content of Scripture, but its emotional appeal as well. They show you the role the Bible’s emotional intent should play in each stage of sermon prep, and: Offer exegetical steps to discern the biblical pathos Teach you how to avoid manipulation while making your sermons emotional Help you determine the appropriate limitations of emotional appeal Give you verbal, vocal, and visual techniques to help convey the biblical emotional intent in your sermons When we elevate the Bible’s emotional intent above our own, we preach truth rather than personality.