Stephen A. Macchia

Praying the Parables of Jesus offers an immersive encounter with Scripture, guiding readers to connect more deeply with the teachings of Jesus through prayerful reflection on His parables. In a world that constantly pulls our attention in countless directions, these 40 devotions invite us to pause, focus, and rediscover the quiet assurance of living out our faith with conviction. Drawing inspiration from Eugene Peterson’s perspective on parables as tools that “force attention, participation, and involvement,” authors Macchia and Skinner guide us into each parable, training our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our feet to follow Jesus’ path. This book helps us recalibrate our spirits toward faithfulness and fruitfulness, aligning our lives with the Kingdom of God in the here and now of our daily lives. Using the text of The Message Bible, Praying the Parables of Jesus provides holistic, multisensory prompts that encourage readers to not only hear and respond to the Word but also to live into it. Features included:Key contextual insights into 40 of Jesus’ parables,A guided prayerful reading of each parable, using the ancient practice of Lectio Divina,A companion reflection on original art inspired by the parable, based on the ancient practice of Visio Divina. This transformative experience helps turn the prism of daily life in a redemptive direction, offering gentle guidance from Jesus the storyteller to cultivate a life rooted in truth, prayer, and grace.

SILENCE IS GOLDEN The Leadership Transformations team of 22 writers has assembled a year-long collection of soul-enriching reflections. Using Silencio as your guide into the life you long to live will be transformative for you and all who join you. This collection features 52 weekly reflections and 12 additional ones to accompany you in the church calendar. Each chapter contains an introduction to the theme, a public domain hymn for prayerful consideration, questions to ponder and exercises to practice, as well as a prayer and additional suggested resources. Silencio is Latin for silence, and often considered the first step into lectio divina, or sacred reading. Silence is the first rhythm of the deeper journey and the place where God often speaks the loudest. In silence we quiet ourselves in his love and prepare to receive the abundant life offered to us by our loving God. We know that the need for quiet, spacious encounters with God is universal. In our day of distraction and superficiality, our soul longs for profound, unhindered peace. Rhythms of grace guide us into sacred space in the presence of the living God. This unique resource will contribute to the depth of your soul and the vitality of your service in the Kingdom of God through the slow, steady, often hidden work of God.

Embark on a 25-day Advent journey that will prepare your heart for Christmas through a daily encounter with the prophetic promises of the Old Testament and the fulfillment of those promises in Jesus, the Messiah. For most, the Advent and Christmas seasons arrive each year with heightened anticipation and activity. We do what we can to keep up with our daily lives and all that these holy seasons entail, often to the neglect of our souls. This devotional will guide you through the first 25 days of December with a daily dose of: a prophesy fulfilled in Jesus, an opportunity for personal reflection, and a simple prayer. When Christmas day arrives, there are additional prayerful reflections for the 12 Days of Christmas, leading up to Epiphany. Join the shepherds, angels, and key personalities of the manger scene, and delight in the joy of waiting, watching, and wondering once more.

When is your heart most at home with God? In prayer...and the Scriptures are filled with prayers that inspire our soul and become templates for the longing of our heart. The invitation contained in this 31-day devotional is to join your heart with the prayers of God's people, recorded and preserved for us in the richness of the biblical text. Consider each reflection as a pathway that leads your soul back home to the embrace of God, regardless of the season you may be experiencing. Each prayer is offered to us in times of plenty or want, whether fruitful or fallow, hardened or abundant. Join the eternal chorus of prayer and discover afresh the delight of returning once more to your heart's true home.

In his nearly four decades of pastoral, parachurch and nonprofit ministry leadership Steve Macchia has come to understand his own brokenness. He writes: "I've experienced great success and a few embarrassing failures. . . . In essence, as much as I like to view myself as a good or even a very good leader, I'm more truthfully a blessed and broken leader, one who is daily in need of being . . . redeemed by the Spirit of God who resides in me." In these pages Steve offers the gifts of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 as the antidote to our brokenness. He writes with personal transparency from his own experience. Each chapter concludes with a powerful spiritual assessment tool to use in reflecting on our own leadership strengths and weaknesses. By embracing and befriending our own brokenness we can find true wholeness in God's strength. In these pages you will discover a new way to live in freedom and joy.

Welcome to the delightful journey of discipleship Jesus invites us to say an enthusiastic "Yes " to his beckoning call: Come close, draw near, and follow me. This is exactly what John the Beloved Disciple said long ago and it's our invitation to intimacy today. Becoming a "beloved disciple" of Jesus is the focus of the 31 reflections contained in this devotional guide. Each reading covers one of the 10 traits of a healthy disciple (taken from Becoming A Healthy Disciple) or one of the 21 chapters of the Gospel of John which feature different portraits of Christ.

In Becoming a Healthy Disciple, Macchia explores the ten traits of a healthy disciple, including a vital prayer life, evangelistic outreach, worship, servanthood, and stewardship. He applies to individual Christians the ten characteristics of a healthy church outlined in his previous book, Becoming a Healthy Church. Discipleship is a lifelong apprenticeship to Jesus Christ, the master teacher. Using the Book of John, Macchia looks to the beloved disciple as an example of a life lived close to Christ. Personal experiences as well as the experiences of others bring the traits of discipleship into modern context. Each chapter ends with a prayer and questions for reflection and renewal. Becoming a Healthy Disciple is excellent for laypeople who want to grow in discipleship, as well as pastors, church leaders, adult classes, and small groups.

Your personal rule of life is a holistic description of the Spirit-empowered rhythms and relationships that create, redeem, sustain and transform the life God invites you to humbly fulfill for Christ's glory. All of us have an unwritten personal rule of life. We wake at certain times, get ready for our days in particular ways, use our free time for assorted purposes and practice rhythms of work, hobbies, and worship. There is already a rule in place that you are following. Isn?t it time to give up your unwritten rule and prayerfully write one that more closely matches the heartbeat of God? In this practical workbook Stephen A. Macchia looks to St. Benedict as a guide for discovering your own rule of life in community. It is a process that takes time and concerted effort; you must listen to God and discern what he wants you to be and do for his glory. But through the basic disciplines of Scripture, prayer and reflection in a small group context you will be lead forward in a journey toward Christlikeness. The invitation is transformational, so brace yourself for sweet release. By letting go and trusting God, you will receive the gift of life in its fullest and richest form.