Sifted Like Wheat

Winner of a Chicago Book Clinic Design Award A Fragile Stone explores the dynamic life of the apostle Peter, revisiting well-known passages and revealing unexpected insights. Author Michael Card sketches out Peter's life, showing how the impetuous fisherman of the Gospels was transformed into the pivotal leader of the early church. "The ultimate reason for getting to know Peter," Card explains, "is so together we might better know Jesus. For the story of Peter is the story of Jesus. Perhaps, if you and I do our best, the same will be said of us someday." Peter's life serves as a model for Christian discipleship, offering hope that we likewise can be changed as Jesus calls us to follow him.

Planting and leading a new church is not easy. There are the inevtiable setbacks and challenges that come with launching anything new. And the process will test and try a leader’s faith, as they face discouragment, loneliness, and failure. In this book, pastor and seasoned chuch leader Wayne Cordeiro speaks the truth in love, offering wisdom and insight to prepare leaders as they face the difficulties and hardships of church planting, while providing encouragement and inspiration for the journey. “Sifted” is based on Jesus’ encouragement to Peter in Luke 22 to keep his faith and minister to others from his weakness. An experienced practitioner, Wayne shares the things he wishes he’d known when he was starting a new church. With additional stories from other prominent, seasoned leaders, each chapter includes a thought provoking, challenge question to develop a heart that is surrendered to God, focused on “being and becoming” versus “doing and accomplishing.” Wayne writes about a healthy integration and balance of personal care and leadership amidst the difficulties of the church planting journey. Loneliness and discouragement are normal in church planting, but God cares more about our journey of faith and who we are becoming than our worldly accomplishments and the churches we build. Church planting is an ongoing process of surrender, personal growth and character development. The book will challenge leaders to persevere and rededicate themselves to their calling, their marriage, and their family. Instead of a “how to” book on models and methods, this is a combination of a self-assessment book that challenges leaders’ scorecards of success, encourages leaders to realize that they are not alone in what they are experiencing, and provides wisdom for the long haul to position younger leaders for a life of ministry and finish strong.

A cock crows as eyes lock and Peter remembers. Empty words, so many well intended promises and fixed convictions vaporize as one fisherman's noble vow sours in bitter tears. "Lord, I'm willing to go to prison and even to death with You." Jesus nods. He sees, He knows. His impact on this simple Galilean was as real as it was secure, but the work was by no means finished. How could this now crippled son of Jonah have possibly wrapped his brain around participation in Jesus's passion, that he had to be sifted like wheat? How about us? Our identification as believers with One who loved and gave Himself is more than a nod with grateful approval, a "thank you Jesus for what You've done." We too participate. Literally. Actually. Necessarily. Sifting takes a believer's personal know how and determination to the threshing floor where they are crushed and dismantled, crucified with Christ. See it as the place where even your best efforts and my highest aspirations are exposed for what they are, filthy rags! At the cross and nowhere else can we find genuine rest and consummate relief by way of brokenness that leads to surrender-life and that more abundantly.

"Discouraged by life's difficulties--both the life-shifting catastrophes and the drip-drip-drip of your daily troubles? Dissatisfied with the same-old pat answers about God's role in our hard times? Rick Lawrence takes you on a surprising ... journey into the deepest recesses of God's heart toward us. To get there, he drills deep into a single Scripture snapshot (Luke 22:31-23)"--Page 4 of cover.

In what shape do we find the doctrine of sola Scriptura today? Many modern Evangelicals see it as a license to ignore history and the creeds in favor of a more splintered approach to the Christian living. In the past two decades, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox apologists have strongly tried to undermine sola Scriptura as unbiblical, unhistorical, and impractical. But these groups rest their cases on a recent, false take on sola Scriptura. The ancient, medieval, and classical Protestant view of sola Scriptura actually has a quite different shape than most opponents and defenders maintain. Therein lies the goal of this book-an intriguing defense of the ancient (and classical Protestant) doctrine of sola Scriptura against the claims of Rome, the East, and modern Evangelicalism. "The issue of sola Scriptura is not an abstract problem relevant only to the sixteenth-century Reformation, but one that poses increasingly more serious consequences for contemporary Christianity. This work by Keith Mathison is the finest and most comprehensive treatment of the matter I've seen. I highly recommend it to all who embrace the authority of sacred Scripture." -R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries

The third in a series of classic, collectible cookbooks from Tartine Bakery & Cafe, one of the great bakeries, Tartine Book No. 3 is a revolutionary, and altogether timely, exploration of baking with whole grains. The narrative of Chad Robertson's search for ancient flavors in heirloom grains is interwoven with 85 recipes for whole-grain versions of Tartine favorites. Robertson shares his groundbreaking new methods of bread baking including new techniques for whole-grain loaves, as well as porridge breads and loaves made with sprouted grains. This book also revisits the iconic Tartine Bakery pastry recipes, reformulating them to include whole grains, nut milks, and alternative sweeteners. More than 100 photographs of the journey, the bread, the pastry and the people, make this is a must-have reference for the modern baker.

Sarah M. Wells had one degree in mind when she went off to college: to secure her Mrs. and become a stay-at-home mom. Ten years later, life does not look the way she expected. Instead of staying home, she’s the primary breadwinner while her husband raises their kids. Together, they’ve weathered miscarriages, job changes, role reversals, community shifts, family vacations, and even youth league recreational soccer. Now, in the midst of their tenth year of marriage, temptations saunter in and threaten to shake everything they’ve built together to the ground. In American Honey, Wells digs in deep to uncover the foundation of what made her and what it is that will help sustain her relationships. What keeps a marriage together? Could it fall apart? Through intimate details, vulnerability, humor, and love, Wells explores the depths of mercy and faith it’s going to take to weather the storms of married life.