Here are just a few of the new titles you can find in the church Resource Center this coming Sunday, August 31.
(All text copy from Goodreads unless otherwise stated):
Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome (1987/2008) R. Kent Hughes, Barbara Hughes
Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministry convinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he and his wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what God had to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from a biblical point of view.
This book describes their journey and their liberation from the "success syndrome" - the misguided belief that success in ministry means increased numbers. In today's world it is easy to be seduced by the secular thinking that places a number on everything. But the authors teach that true success in ministry lies not in numbers but in several key areas: faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and a Christlike attitude. Their thoughts will encourage readers who grapple with feelings of failure and lead them to a deeper, fuller understanding of success in Christian ministry.
Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World (2013) Alexia Salvatierra, Peter Heltzel
With so many injustices, small and great, across the world and right at our doorstep, what are people of faith to do? Since the 1930s, organizing movements for social justice in the U.S. have largely been built on assumptions that are secular origin - such as reliance on self-interest and having a common enemy as a motivator for change. But what if Christians were to shape their organizing around the implications of the truth that God is real and Jesus is risen? Alexia Salvatierra has developed a model of social action that is rooted in the values and convictions born of faith. Together with theologian Peter Heltzel, this model of "faith-rooted organizing" offers a path to meaningful social change that takes seriously the command to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself.
The Art of Helping Others: How Artists Can Serve God and Love the World (2014) Douglas C. Mann
At the heart of it, what true artists do whether in music or painting or film or simply the art of living is a matter of creative incitement: by looking at the world in particular ways, they see it more clearly, and they invite the rest of us to see it more clearly, and to love it more perfectly. In that respect, the life of faith is a matter of art of creative enticement. The Christian's view of the world can inspire hope for the hopeless and redemptive action for people who have forgotten their responsibility to act. Mining his experiences as a missionary, a music industry professional and a visual artist, Douglas Mann offers this call to artists of every stripe from musicians to missionaries and everywhere in between to a life of creative incitement to the glory of God."
I Beg to Differ: Navigating Difficult Conversations with Truth and Love (2010, 2014 reissue) Tim Muehlhoff
How do we communicate with people who disagree with us? In today's polarized world, friends and strangers clash with each other over issues large and small. Coworkers have conflicts in the office. Married couples fight over finances. And online commenters demonize one another's political and religious perspectives. Is there any hope for restoring civil discourse? Communications expert Tim Muehlhoff provides a strategy for having difficult conversations, helping us move from contentious debate to constructive dialogue. By acknowledging and entering into the other person's story, we are more likely to understand where they're coming from and to cultivate common ground. Insights from Scripture and communication theory provide practical ways to manage disagreements and resolve conflicts. We can disagree without being disagreeable. And we can even help another see different points of view and learn from one another. Find out how.
