The book is for those persons who have become somewhat disenchanted with the portrayal of religion as the end all answer to all of their most important questions relating to life and its peculiarities. Hence, an attempt has been made, after spending years in Seminary (Boston University) and working as an assistant to a pastor at a large Community Church in the Syracuse area. The book attempts to address those types of concerns and issues which have proved so challenging to persons who have begun to form their own opinions about topics which all persons confront over the course of their lifetimes.

Behold The Man is a sermon/study series for Lent inspired by the words of Pontius Pilate about Jesus. The theme is carefully explored from the First Sunday in Lent through Easter Sunday. For each Sunday a sermon, prayer, children's sermon, order of worship and discussion questions are provided. The purpose of these messages is to enable us to look at Jesus in the crucial times of his life and ministry. In beholding him as he was then we will be able to see him now. Sections include: - Behold the Man Who Was Tempted As We Are - Behold the Man Who Takes Away Sin - Behold the Man Who Taught By The Sea - Behold the Man Who Trained Disciples - Behold the Man Who Turned Toward Jerusalem - Behold the Man Who Tried To Be King - Behold the Man Who Took The Victory Thomas A. Pilgrim was born in LaGrange, Georgia, the son of a Methodist minister. He graduated from LaGrange College and Chandler School of Theology at Emory university with a Master of Divinity degree. He and his wife Shirley are the parents of three children. Pilgrim is the Senior Pastor at St. John United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He has served on mission trips to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. He is a member of The United Methodist Academy for Preaching.

A down-to-earth, practical introduction to the ins and outs of preaching for lay preachers, bivocational pastors, and others newly arrived in the pulpit. Recent years have seen a considerable increase in the amount of financial resources required to support a full-time pastor in the local congregation. In addition, large numbers of full-time, seminary trained clergy are retiring, without commensurate numbers of new clergy able to take their place. As a result of these trends, a large number of lay preachers and bivocational pastors have assumed the principal responsibility for filling the pulpit week by week in local churches. Most of these individuals, observes Clifton Guthrie, can draw on a wealth of life experiences, as well as strong intuitive skills in knowing what makes a good sermon, having listened to them much of their lives. What they often don't bring to the pulpit, however, is specific, detailed instruction in the how-tos of preaching. That is precisely what this brief, practical guide to preaching has to offer. Written with the needs of those for whom preaching is not their sole or primary occupation in mind, it begins by emphasizing what every preacher brings to the pulpit: an idea of what makes a sermon particularly moving or memorable to them. From there the book moves into short chapters on choosing an appropriate biblical text or sermon topic, learning how to listen to one's first impressions of what a text means, moving from text or topic to the sermon itself while keeping the listeners needs firmly in mind, making thorough and engaging use of stories in the sermon, and delivering with passion and conviction. The book concludes with helpful suggestions for resources, including Bibles, commentaries, other print resources and websites.

Children don t come with instructions! It has never been more challenging to be a parent -- or more hazardous to be a child. In Five Needs Your Child Must Have Met at Home, Ron Hutchcraft presents a practical roadmap for how to raise stable children in an unstable world. No matter how far you are on the parenting road, Hutchcraft can show you how to make the most of the days you have left with your children. Five Needs Your Child Must Have Met at Home details the five critical needs of every child: the need for a secure self, honest sexual answers, satisfying love, stable authority, and spiritual reality. You'll learn: how to identify and affirm your children's strengths, how to look beyond you children's deeds to meet their needs, and how to raise children of integrity."