Weird Church

A wake-up call to anyone who still thinks church revitalization is simply a matter of doing better the things that used to come so easily. However, for the innovators whose ministries cannot fully be measured or understood by the old paradigms of members and money, Weird Church offers compelling vindication and encouragement that may cause them to stand and cheer

Explores haunted places, local legends, crazy characters, and unusual roadside attractions found in New Jersey.

"I want to love my neighbor, but I don't know how." Most of us feel guilty about Christ's command to love our neighbor, but let's be honest--we don't even know most of the people living around us. How can we love people we don't even know? Besides, doesn't it count as "loving our neighbor" when we send money to missionaries and put out yard signs for our church? Are we supposed to just knock on our neighbors' doors and tell them about Jesus? "They'll think I'm weird." How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird helps you overcome fears about getting to know your neighbors and sharing your faith. You'll learn simple, practical ways to get to know your neighbors, using your God-given personality. As you venture out of the comfort of your living room and into the lives of your neighbors, you'll form authentic friendships, create a safer community, and find fulfillment in obeying Christ's #2 command. Loving your neighbor isn't a random command; it's God's perfect plan. "A very timely book for a very isolated culture. Amy Lively offers practical help and guidance in the neglected practice of hospitality."--Dr. Dennis Rainey, president, FamilyLife "This ministry is changing lives. Amy has followed God's leading into an untapped area of people that need Jesus. What a simple idea of reaching out to your neighborhood--the area that God placed you in for His purposes. Amy's ideas and excellent resources have offered a no-excuse zone for this ministry. The Lord said, 'Love me and love your neighbor.' He chose Amy to show us the way. Thank you for this amazing resource!"--Chrissy Dunham, director of women's ministry at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas "Amy knows God has given each of us a corner of the world to share the love of Jesus and the hope found in His Word. Her book equips women, spiritually and practically, to answer this call and open their hearts and homes to friends and neighbors."--Wendy Blight, Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and author "Amy's brilliant approach to engaging our neighbors is natural, fun, and life-changing! She provides every single thing you will need, including courage. This book and practice is a must for everyone desiring to honor and obey the Lord."--Debbie Stuart, church and leadership development director, Women of Faith " Amy gives us the keys to really connect with those who live around us--not with an agenda, but with a heart toward real relationships. A must-read for anyone who believes that 'Love thy neighbor' really starts at your front door."--Kathi Lipp, coauthor of The Cure for the Perfect Life and author of The Husband Project "With hundreds of friends on social media, why are we so lonely? In her amazing book, Amy Lively identifies the heart-need for deep connection that's not being met through a screen and offers a simple solution: Actually meet the people who live near you. Amy's openness to share her successes and failures at reaching out will inspire you to try it yourself.'"--Glynnis Whitwer, author of Everyday Confetti; executive director of communications, Proverbs 31 Ministries "Amy shows us, step-by-step, how to conquer our fears, connect with our neighbors, and have fun too! Highly recommend!"--Cindy Bultema, speaker, Bible teacher, and author of Red Hot Faith "What does 'love your neighbor as yourself' really mean? In this book, Amy Lively will give you the tips, tools, and techniques you need to love your neighbor in your own unique way."--Jennifer Rothschild, author of Lessons I Learned in the Dark; founder of Fresh Grounded Faith events and womensministry.net

Jesus is different. Go and do likewise. Many Christians have become comfortable letting the world mold them instead of being set apart by God. And many churches have traded in their biblical roots for complacent conventionality. But Jesus and the church are anything but conventional. The hallmark of our faith is that it sees the world differently than the world sees itself. We are called to be eccentric—off center, unique, different; not conformed to the patterns of the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds. By the grace of God we are not only dissatisfied by sin but increasingly uncompelled by conventionality. So resist the allure of acceptability. Get back to the unsafe roots of our faith. Be equipped to surprise the world with the Good News it didn’t even know it was waiting for. Challenge the way things are by living a life that has been truly set free by Christ.

"When people describe my lifestyle or family as weird, I find comfort," writes author Craig Groeschel. He then shares a Christ-centered philosophy, on everything from money to scheduling to purity, to help you break out of the normal rut and live according to the rhythms of God’s grace and truth of his word. Normal people are stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Many of their relationships are, at best, strained and, in most cases, just surviving. Even though we live in one of the most prosperous places on earth, normal is still living paycheck to paycheck and never getting ahead. In our oversexed world, lust, premarital sex, guilt, and shame are far more common than purity, virginity, and a healthy married sex life. And when it comes to God, the majority believe in him, but the teachings of scripture rarely make it into their everyday lives. Simply put, normal isn't working. Groeschel’s WEIRD will help you break free from the norm to lead a radically abnormal (and endlessly more fulfilling) life.

Covering all 50 states, "Weird U.S." takes an unconventional look at the oddities, outcasts, and just plain strange things to see or do in America.

Massachusetts and weird: not too much of a stretch, some would say. But the authors dug a little deeper and found all kinds of local legends, bizarre beasts, surprising cemeteries, and uncovered the best kept secrets from all over the Bay State. If it's unusual or unexplainable or fantastic, and in the Bay State, you'll find it all here.

Do you lead a small church? Big churches get all the love. Articles, books, conferences—they mostly feature leaders of large congregations. Yet big churches are a small part of the ecclesial landscape. In fact, more than 90 percent of churches have fewer than 200 people. That means small churches play a big part in what God is doing. Small Church Essentials is for leaders of these smaller congregations. It encourages them to steward their role well, debunking myths about small churches while offering principles for leading a dynamic, healthy small church. Based on the popular six-hour lecture that Karl Vaters delivers to church leaders across the country, Small Church Essentials will affirm small church leaders and show them how to identify what they do well, and how to do it even better. Readers will: Be assured that leading a small congregation does not make them ministry failures Come away inspired to lead with passion, regardless the size of their church Have field-tested principles for leading a church in their context Possess new metrics for biblically measuring vitality in small churches Have a toolkit of resources to use in their everyday ministry Karl Vaters has been a small church pastor for 30 years, is the author of The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches, and the Small Thinking that Divides Us (2013), and travels extensively to churches and conferences to speak about leading a small church well. If you are pastoring a small church, this book will be a breath of fresh air. It will affirm your calling while giving you fresh tools to help you lead. It will help you: Stop believing lies about small churches Lead your church to fulfill the role only small churches can Understand your congregation’s strengths and weaknesses Turn around a dying or unhealthy church Identify good trends and bad in church and culture