Follows the events of the Christian year, from Advent and Christmas through Easter and All Saints' Day back to Advent, and explains the meaning and symbolism of each holy day.

How is our Christian hope both expressed and experienced in contemporary worship? In this Dynamics of Christian Worship volume, pastor, theologian, and songwriter Glenn Packiam explores what Christians sing about when they sing about hope and what kind of hope they experience when they worship together.

Michael A. Rogers: "It is refreshing to see biblical theology so thoroughly integrated with practical directives for developing the worship service." (Eternity) Clifford E. Bajema: " Out of Rayburn's rich experience as a teacher and as a preacher who has served five pastorates, he gives us a book which should further liturgical interest and discussion on Reformed circles... All in all Rayburn's book is very much worth reading." (Calvin Theological Journal) William F. Hunter: "Will hopefully stimulate evangelicals to explore a relatively unknown aspect to the corporate life of believers." (Journal of Psychology and Theology) Donald Macleod: "A very ambitious survey...it is a very comprehensive treatment of the worship responsibilities of the everyday parish ministry." (Princeton Seminary Bulletin) Garry Harris: "A critical self-analysis of the short-comings in the evangelical liturgical experience. (It) should serve as a guide to more meaningful corporate worship." (Seminary Review) R. O. Zorn: "A useful volume which will make ministers and their congregations more conscious of the nature and significance of public worship." (Vox Reformata) Laurence H. Stookey: "Those evangelicals who conduct worship services which are casual and uncoordinated and who shun the riches of catholic prayer and hymnody are presented with a thoughtful challenge by a writer with impeccable evangelical credentials." (Homiletics)

Something is listening to the prayers of St. Paul's United Church, but it's not the god they asked for; it's something much, much older.A quiet Sunday service turns into a living hell when this ancient entity descends upon the house of worship and claims the congregation for its own. The terrified churchgoers must now prove their loyalty to their new god by giving it one of their children or in two days time it will return and destroy them all.As fear rips the congregation apart, it becomes clear that if they're to survive this untold horror, the faithful must become the faithless and enter into a battle against God itself. But as time runs out, they discover that true monsters come not from heaven or hell… ...they come from within.

“What is at stake is authenticity. . . . Sooner or later Christians tire of public meetings that are profoundly inauthentic, regardless of how well (or poorly) arranged, directed, performed. We long to meet, corporately, with the living and majestic God and to offer him the praise that is his due.”—D. A. CarsonWorship is a hot topic, but the ways that Christians from different traditions view it vary greatly. What is worship? More important, what does it look like in action, both in our corporate gatherings and in our daily lives? These concerns—the blending of principle and practice—are what Worship by the Book addresses.Cutting through cultural clichés, D. A. Carson, Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes, and Timothy Keller explore, respectively:· Worship Under the Word· Following in Cranmer’s Footsteps· Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom· Reformed Worship in the Global City “This is not a comprehensive theology of worship,” writes Carson. “Still less is it a sociological analysis of current trends or a minister’s manual chockfull of ‘how to’ instructions.” Rather, this book offers pastors, other congregational leaders, and seminary students a thought-provoking biblical theology of worship, followed by a look at how three very different traditions of churchmanship might move from this theological base to a better understanding of corporate worship. Running the gamut from biblical theology to historical assessment all the way to sample service sheets, Worship by the Book shows how local churches in diverse traditions can foster corporate worship that is God-honoring, Word-revering, heartfelt, and historically and culturally informed.

A beautiful invitation to discover your place in God's heart and let him set the pace for your life—from a wife and mother, singer-songwriter, and worship leader for Passion Conferences and IF:Gathering “Christy Nockels is a gentle, strong voice shepherding us into a fuller life with Jesus at the very center. This book will restore your weary soul.”—Jennie Allen, New York Times bestselling author of Get Out of Your Head and founder and visionary of IF:Gathering Christy Nockels knows firsthand how easily our desire to serve God—even when using the gifts He has given us—can overshadow our delight in simply being with Him. When God called her to lay down her ministry for a season, Christy was forced to confront how her sense of purpose and worth had become tangled up in her work. God then lovingly invited her to discover true rest in His presence as she learned to live as the Beloved. In The Life You Long For, Christy shows us how to let go of hustle and achievement and instead find our identity in the quiet center of God’s love. As we delight in being with Him, we are filled to overflowing with contentment and love that propel us into an entirely new way of being, one in which every act of service and every encounter with the people around us arise from a heart at rest. With irresistible warmth and grace, this book calls you to step fully into the life you didn’t even realize you’ve been seeking, as you find your highest calling not in a duty to uphold but in a beautiful identity to live out.

Harold M. Best casts a holistic vision for worship that transcends narrow discussions of musical style or congregational preference, corrects errors in how Christians have viewed the arts and misunderstandings about the use of music, and offers instead a more biblically consistent approach to artistic action.