"The devil has come down with great wrath," and he is bent on catapulting Christians out of church fellowship. This lively book provides an excellent resource for just about anyone who has struggled in their relationship with the church. Regardless of your church experience, you will find every chapter oozes with practical principles helpful for surviving and thriving in a big, small, dead, divided, scandal-torn or gossip-ridden church. WARNING! Reading this book will probably cause laughter, tears and an enduring increase in love, courage and personal commitment!

“They made me take care of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I neglected.” (Song of Songs 1:6b) Paul urged Timothy to learn this vital principle when he was still young. It contains one of the keys in Christian work: If someone in ministry is not all right, the quality of their ministry will be affected. In Christian ministries, it is easy to find workers who never think of themselves. While selflessness is a Christlike trait, at times we can push ourselves too far, leading to the paradigm of stressed and burned-out people. In order to love God and serve others, we often need to be still, take a rest, and be refreshed. This book will help Christians find the balance between ministry and “monastery,” between the urgent work of service and the place of rest and restoration. Caring for our own “vineyard”—the talents, gifts, and emotional resources of our personality—is not only a privilege but a duty. It is part of good stewardship, an act of obedience as disciples of Christ. Far from being a sign of a more spiritual attitude, neglecting our own needs can be a serious mistake and even a sin.

"A seasoned and proven leader providing immensely practical, purpose-driven wisdom." -Jack W. Hayford, in his foreword

New Book From Best-Selling Author of You Are Next. There is a biblical antidote to change your world. Do you want to change the world? Then you must live a holy, healed, healthy, happy, humble, hungry, honoring life. There are seven words that guide every decision, every sermon, and every statement Rev. Rodriguez makes. If you allow these keys to guide you, you will experience the greatest outcomes, the greatest open doors, and the greatest blessings. Every person leaves a legacy of success or failure based on the values that guide them. The foundation for your destiny needs to become personal. If the success of a business or ministry can be directly connected to the kinds of values that business or ministry espouses, it must be true that values can have a direct impact on personal success as well. In From Survive to Thrive, Rodriguez shares seven words that serve as guiding beacons for life, marriage, ministry, relationships, management, and beyond. Get ready to live a HOLY, HEALED, HEALTHY, HAPPY, HUMBLE, HUNGRY, HONORING LIFE so that you can change the world! If you embody these values, you won’t have to always seek God’s blessing, because the favor of God will be attracted to you. This book will instill in you seven biblical principles that keep you rooted on the path to your destiny.

Why does one well-equipped, well-meaning person in ministry succeed while another fails? Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman and Donald Guthrie undertook a five-year intensive research project on the frontlines of pastoral ministry to answer that question. What they found was nothing less than the DNA of thriving ministry today.

A challenging and encouraging manual for day-to-day life in ministry written specifically for couples who want to do more than survive the process of church planting and leadership—who want to actually thrive and grow in faith together as a family. Though we may feel like we can't show it, every aspect of planting a church is personal. Church planters and those in ministry leadership roles give so much to starting and growing healthy, thriving churches that when some people inevitably criticize the church, or leave altogether, it's hard not to take it personally. Brian and Amy Bloye know firsthand the emotional and relational toll that planting churches can take. In It's Personal—part of the Exponential series, inspiring and equipping next-generation church planters—the Bloye's get personal about finding the right balance of family and ministry. Planting a church is more than a ministry—it's a calling that touches every aspect of your life in very personal ways. With intimacy and wisdom, Brian and Amy discuss topics like: How to protect your marriage while planting a church. How to respond to growth and change. How to lead well while still maintaining space and time for family. How to know when it’s becoming too personal. With a forward by Andy Stanley, It's Personal will challenge and encourage you to avoid some of the pitfalls of planting a church and be equipped to build both strong and prevailing ministries, and healthy marriages and families. Each chapter includes interviews with church-planting couples who share their personal joys and struggles, giving you authentic insight into the issues families face when planting a church.

The bad news: Statics tell us that half of all people who go to church while growing up leave the church once they become adults. But there is good news: Bruce and Stan, who grew up in the church and survived, recommend the church experience to anyone adventurous enough to give it a shot. They're so positive about the church that they've written this book to show people how to do what they've done: Survive and thrive in the church. Drawing upon nostalgic memories and positive experiences, these two veteran churchgoers make a case for appreciating rather than avoiding it. Bruce and Stan had only two rules to guide them: First, don't take yourself too seriously. Second, take God very seriously. It all adds up to an encouraging and often funny look at the world's greatest institution (and they mean that in a good way).