Leonard Sweet

Whether or not we are aware of it, everyone is being ""baptized."" While the church baptizes people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the culture in which we live is baptizing us into the trinitarian values of consumption, production, and acquisition. The respective baptism we choose to immerse ourselves in is consequential for the type of people we are becoming. Wade In the Water alerts us to the presence of these formative forces, so that we can choose the sacred ways that form us in the Jesus Way. ""In this thoughtful and powerful book, Eric Peterson pulls on the thread of Christian baptism, and by the time he is done the whole fabric of the Christian life has been gathered up. Read this book alone for encouragement, read it with others for strength, proclaim it from the pulpit for courage and guidance."" --Thomas G. Long, Professor, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia ""More than merely a quaint church photo op for babies and their parents, Peterson shows how baptism is the pattern for a way of life in the midst of an increasingly toxic culture. We find here a compelling demonstration of practical theology as related to the meaning and practice of baptism that is biblically engaged, historically informed, theologically insightful, and always pastorally wise."" -- Gordon S. Mikoski, Associate Professor, Director, Editor, Theology Today, Princeton Theological Seminary Eric E. Peterson is the founding pastor of Colbert Presbyterian Church in Eastern Washington where he has served since 1997. Eric is married to Elizabeth; together they are the grateful parents of six children.

We become what we say. How do you grow your church in its health and mission? Sometimes our communities lack focus or vision. We lose sight of our ministry priorities, or our people don't have concrete reminders of why we do what we do. We need concise, memorable tools for cultivating culture, communicating ministry vision, and developing leaders. The language we use shapes our communities. Pastors J. R. Briggs and Bob Hyatt share seventy-five short and memorable mantras they use to cast vision, inspire ministry, and create a healthy church culture. These brief chapters provide a wealth of practical wisdom for leadership, discipleship, community, and witness, embodying best practices with vivid stories of on-the-ground ministry. These bite-sized ministry insights are ideal for church leaders to discuss with their teams and implement in their communities. They provide accessible handles for growing the health of your local church, for the sake of the kingdom.

Jesus Manifesto presents a fresh unveiling of Jesus, seeking to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ in a world—and a church—that has lost sight of Him. Christians have made the gospel about so many things—things other than Christ. Religious concepts, ideas, doctrines, strategies, and methods that begin to eclipse the beauty, the glory, and the reality of the Lord Jesus Himself. We know a lot about our Lord, but we don't know Him very well. We know a lot about trying to be like Jesus, but very little about living by His indwelling life. Jesus Manifesto provides clarity on the most important points of our faith. It is a prophetic call to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ in a world and church that has lost sight of Him. This manifesto emphasizes ten crucial areas of restoring the supremacy of Jesus Christ, noting:Christians don’t follow Christianity; they follow ChristChristians don't proclaim themselves; they proclaim ChristChristians don’t point people to core values; they point people to the CrossChristians don't preach about Christ; they preach ChristRead this book to see your Lord like you've never seen Him before and restore the sovereignty of Jesus in your life.

Jesus Christ is the most influential human to ever walk the earth. We've heard and seen so many depictions of Him that we think we know Him better than we actually do. If we took the time to really look at Him, we might be surprised at what we'd find. In 52 Weeks with Jesus, author and pastor James Merritt leads you on a transformational journey as he shares what he's learned over a lifetime of studying Jesus' life and ministry. As you join Dr. Merritt on this journey, you will come to know and encounter Jesus in new and surprising ways and be inspired anew to embrace His invitation, "Come, follow Me." Filled with practical applications and surprising truths, this book will help you more ably answer that ancient question that's as timely today as when it was first posed: "Who do you say that I am?"

When Christians answer the clarion call to be missional, too often it is primarily to feel good or to grow in their own faith. But ultimately we remain unsatisfied because, in the end, it's still about "me"--my church, my faith, my salvation. Then sometimes inspiration dries up. We forget that Jesus is the head of the Church, which exists at God's pleasure and disposal. God is birthing a new Social Gospel, meant to reclaim mission and justice ministries as prime directives for the Church, and not with the naive thinking of the 19th or 20th centuries. What are the characteristics of this new Social Gospel? There is an expectation that mission is "with" and not "for" others. There is an acknowledgement that tolerance is not a dirty word and we have to find a peaceable way to live in our intercultural world. It carries the Wesleyan impulse to change the world by working to build God's kingdom in this world. It offers the grace and salvation of Christ to those in need, believing that none are free unless all are free. It means that we feed the hungry, educate to poor, and equip the powerless in tangible ways.

A Groundbreaking Resource for Preaching If the church wishes to converse effectively with a culture, it must learn the culture’s language. Today, shifts in technology mean that language is increasingly one of symbols and metaphors, stories and images—not words. So what does this mean for the sermon, that long-standing, word-based tradition of Christianity? In this ground-breaking resource, bestselling author Leonard Sweet offers an alternative to traditional models of preaching, one that is fitting to a new culture and a new mode of thinking. The first book of its kind to move preaching beyond its pulpit-centric fixation and toward more interactive, participatory modes of communication, Sweet presents both a challenge and a path forward for a church struggling to maintain its relevance in a post-modern, media-saturated culture.

“FOLLOW ME.” These two words echo the heart-defining call of our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples. Sadly, this life-changing invitation has lost much of its original meaning. Immersed in a society that worships success, we have succumbed to a trendyfixation with leadership. In I Am a Follower, author Leonard Sweet explains how Christians in a twenty-first-century corporate-obsessed culture have shifted away from a Jesus art of following toward a popularized form of leading. Through a colorful mélange of practical applications, imaginative metaphors, and probing biblical exposition based in gospel truth, Sweet reveals that the summons of Jesus and the message of the New Testament point clearly to an emphasis not on imitation but on incarnation, not on leading but on following. Join Sweet on an exciting and intentional journey from leadership cult to followership culture. Discover for yourself the way, the truth, and the abundantlife of following Jesus Christ and what it truly means to “Follow Me”!“At times I felt like I was reading Jeremiah, challenging the shepherds of Israel. This is a much needed and long overdue book.”—BOB ROBERTS, senior pastor, Northwood Church“If there was ever a leader who could convince me that it’s really never been about leading, that would have to be Len Sweet. May we all, like Len, become followers.”—MARK BATTERSON, lead pastor, National Community Church

2012: An ancient prophecy quietly unfolds as a fragmenting world accelerates its descent into massive chaos. Then, in 2048, the prophecy comes to fruition. US president Matthew Serafino is sworn into office, and University of Virginia historian Paul Binder receives a cryptic but summoning message. Strange circumstances and bizarre discoveries lead Paul to London, where he meets a brilliant and beautiful manuscript specialist, Angela Matthews Krall, in order to decipher an unknown Syrian manuscript with special powers. Together, they uncover clues that lead them both down a mysterious, life-or-death path. Global intrigue, cascading natural catastrophes, and a complexity of characters, motives, and symbolic traditions intersect as Paul and Angela delve into forgotten traditions and lost meanings. Life-changing discoveries force them to struggle with questions about their own faith and the nature of truth and hope. Suddenly they find themselves positioned either to lead humanity into a new future or to watch as the earth dissolves into total destruction. The Seraph Seal combines apocalyptic intrigue with a journey of love and discovery that blurs the lines between fact and fiction. It will lead you into a world where only you can determine the future of the earth as we know it.