MacDonald uses the massive foundations of bridges not visible to the eye but essential to long term viability as a metaphor for the spiritual life of Christian leaders.

In The Life God Blesses, author and pastor Gordon MacDonald asks the question, are we prepared to weather the storms of life? In this book, MacDonald steers us toward the disciplines, convictions, silence, beauty, and spirit that feed and prepare the soul to recognize and recieve God's blessing. MacDonald reaches into the Bible and into the experiences of godly men and women of history to discover what can be done to lead a blessed life, then leads you through the steps that are necessary to develop a mature soul.

The future of the Christian faith will not be determined by the number of people who fill the pews but by the spiritual depth of those people. Pastor Gordon MacDonald revisits the fictional New England congregation of his critically acclaimed book Who Stole My Church to deal with a new dilemma: What's his church's story? What is it doing that justifies its existence? The importance of these questions is anything but fiction. Through a series of e-mails and discussions with friends and parishioners, Pastor Gordon's search for their story leads him to realize that the future of the Christian faith, and thus the church, is at risk. As MacDonald says, "We seem to know how to get unchurched people to visit our buildings. We even seem to know how to draw them across the line into a declaration of personal faith in Jesus. But what we do not seem to know is how to cultivate spiritually deep people. Tomorrow's church could be headed for trouble." Deep people. People who possess spiritual awareness and maturity, people with solid, grounded, life-altering faith. MacDonald shows that the church needs people with a passion for God's presence and a desperate hunger to seek him above all things. Join Pastor MacDonald and his congregation on their quest to cultivate spiritual depth and grow into a community of believers whose hearts and minds are truly focused on God.

Includes index.

A challenging, innovative approach to a delicate subject. It’s sure to benefit church leaders and members of all ages who dream of a “reinvented” church. —Publishers Weekly Has your church been stolen out from under you? A storm hits a small New England town late one evening, but the pelting rain can’t keep a small group of church members from gathering to discuss issues that lately have been brewing beneath the surface of their congregation. They could see their church was changing. The choir had been replaced by a fl ashy “praise band.” The youth no longer dressed in their “Sunday best.” The beautiful pipe organ sat unused. How will this group overcome a deepening rift in their fellowship and nourish the relationship between the young and old? Can their church survive or even thrive? Who Stole My Church? is a fictional story that tells the all too real tale of many church communities today. In this book you can walk alongside an imaginary community, led by real life pastor Gordon MacDonald and his wife, Gail, and discover how to meet the needs of all believers without abandoning the dreams and desires of any.

We’ve all seen it before—experienced leaders failing due to some type of transgression. Author Tom Yeakley believes this happens because character flaws that were always present begin to come forward. Based on his 30-plus years of discipleship and coaching experience, Yeakley has developed Growing Kingdom Character to help current leaders challenge emerging leaders to intentionally developing their character. Teaching, exercises, and Bible study make this practical handbook a must-have for those involved in mentoring young leaders. The fruit will be integrity, maturity, and wisdom in a new generation of leaders.

In this extraordinary Caldecott Medal winner and New York Times bestseller by David Wiesner, a beach day is the springboard to a wildly imaginative exploration of fantastical mysteries of the deep—and of human connections through time. A young boy comes to the beach eager to collect and examine flotsam—anything floating that has been washed ashore. But nothing among his usual finds compares with the discovery of a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera with its own secrets to share...and to keep. Meet unexpected underseas denizens and enter fascinating worlds within worlds in this entrancing celebration of imagination, creativity, and the impulse to share that which delights and amazes us. A beautiful picture book by a master of the form, David Wiesner, who has been awarded the Caldecott Medal three times and the Caldecott Honor twice.