The church is in the desert today!! The arid conditions existing in the church leave the people parched, thirsty and longing for refreshing. Many church leaders do not know how to get the spiritual water for themselves and therefore they cannot lead God’s people into the Promised Land of true fellowship and discipleship. This sad state of the church causes many church buildings to stand empty because people are tired of church leaders committing gross indecencies and leading people astray with messages that “tickle their ears” or boring them to tears with sermons that contain no life-changing truths. In The Wellspring of Life: Why the Church is Dying of Thirst, Dr. Meyer van Rensburg addresses the issue by pointing out many of the mistakes that have been made (from spraying people with “Doom” insecticide in Africa to church leaders refusing to be criticised because they see themselves as “little gods”, as well as the vacuous Sunday services that leave people in the same state that they came to church, instead of inspiring them and changing their lives). The church is dying of thirst in the desert and the condition can only be treated by discovering the living water to quench that thirst. Too many church leaders do not know how to hear the voice of God and therefore cannot lead people to the living water. By following the listing of the well in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, this book demonstrates that the church needs the living water the Wellspring of Life provides. Each mention of the well is dealt with separately to show the significance of what is revealed there, to prove how these Scriptures were specifically put in this order to provide a systematic study of the importance of the well to the church and to point out the mistakes people in the church make. For instance, with Hagar, the fact that the well existed in the desert is first explored and then the fact that it had to be revealed for her to see it. Many people live next to the Well, but it has never been revealed to them that it can change their lives. Further revelations follow with each mention of the well: from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through to David and the prophets. This continues to the New Testament and the Book of Revelation to show how God will provide for us if we can but follow His instructions regarding the Wellspring of Life. The truths discovered are applied as lessons for the church today. Pastors and ministry professionals will find this book illuminating as it covers new ground, yet it is aimed at the church-going public. It can also serve as a handbook in colleges, as it has many references and quotes, yet it is not written in high academic language.

Grow Where You’re Replanted Today’s spiritual landscape is littered with churches on their last legs, forcing us to reconsider how we keep the Body of Christ alive and strong. The solution, according to visionary pastors Darrin Patrick and Mark DeVine, is to infuse new blood into the body and by seeking God’s presence and guidance. Avoiding cookie-cutter steps or how-to formulas, Replant describes the story of a church resurrection, a story that offers a multitude of divinely inspired, and practical possibilities for church planters. The result is a harvest of inspiring ideas on how to inspire new church growth. Discover a new openness to churches merging with other congregations, changing leadership, and harvesting fresh spiritual fruit—inviting us all to re-think how churches not only survive, but thrive.

Acclaimed church leader, blogger, founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan unpacks the lifecycle of a typical church, identifies characteristics of each phase, and provides practical next steps a church can take to move towards sustained health. Think about your church for a moment. Is it growing? Is it diminishing? Is it somewhere in between? Acclaimed church leader, blogger, and founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan has identified the seven stages of a church's lifecycle that range from the hopeful and optimistic days of launch, to the stagnating last stages of life support. Regardless of the stage in which you find your church, it carries with it the world's greatest mission—to "go and make disciples of all the nations . . ." With eternity at stake the Church should be doing most everything within its power to see lives changed forever. The Church should strive for the pinnacle of the lifecycle, where they are continually making new disciples and experiencing what Morgan refers to as "sustained health." In The Unstuck Church, Morgan unpacks each phase of the church lifecycle, and offers specific and strategic next steps the church leader can take to find it's way to sustained health . . . and finally become unstuck. The Unstuck Church is a call for honest an assessment of where your church sits on the lifecycle, and a challenge to move beyond it.

The church does not cope very well with dying. Instead of using its own resources to mount a positive end-of-life ministry for the terminally ill, it outsources care to secular models, providers, and services. A terminal diagnosis typically triggers denial of impending death and placing faith in the techniques and resources of modern medicine. If a cure is not forthcoming, the patient and his or her loved ones experience a sense of failure and bitter disappointment. This book offers a critical analysis of the church's failure to communicate constructively about dying, reminding the church of its considerable liturgical, scriptural, and pastoral resources when it ministers to the terminally ill. The authors, who have all been personally and professionally involved in end-of-life issues, suggest practical, theological bases for speaking about dying, communicating with those facing death, and preaching about dying. They explore how dying--in baptism--begins and informs the Christian's life story. They also emphasize that the narrative of faith embraces dying, and they remind readers of scriptural and christological resources that can lead toward a "good dying." In addition, they present current best practices from health professionals for communication among caregivers and those facing death. The book includes a foreword by Stanley Hauerwas.

God’s will. God’s way. God’s timing. Do you have a deep longing in your heart to do something great for God, but you don’t know how? In Walking in Your Prophetic Destiny, internationally recognized author and speaker Jennifer LeClaire helps you discover the seed of your destiny and how to grow it into something larger than yourself. She offers specific ways to discover your spiritual gifts, discern God’s timing, defeat the Enemy, and fulfill your calling. Life offers more when you travel on the road of your prophetic destiny. Your divine purpose maneuvers you to fulfillment—past challenges, pain, and failures. Jennifer presents an opportunity to blend the practical with the spiritual that will satisfy a deep hunger for significance that comes in walking with God. You can discover and live God’s unique call on your life.

Our history, mythologies, and even popular entertainment are filled with stories upholding the concept of sacred vows and covenants-between warriors, rulers and subjects, friends, and allies. Take, for example, King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table or the Three Musketeers. However, the concept of "blood brothers" and sworn oaths is not a product of Western Civilization as we might suspect; the history of covenants goes back to the days before Christ. So where did it originate? And how did it develop? Here Dr. Meyer van Rensburg seeks to answer these questions while also addressing the significance of covenant in the Christian's life today. Covenant: God's Love-deal with us provides a vast survey of the meaning behind such vows and the far-reaching history of these bonds. Largely setting his foundation in Scriptural references to what makes a covenant and the many examples of Biblical covenants, Dr. van Rensburg emphasizes the ritual of the nine required steps to a covenant and their meanings then and now (consider the elements of a typical wedding ceremony) to see how adherence to these covenant steps continues today. Furthermore, the many covenants God made with man throughout early history (with Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Moses, and especially Jesus) continue to touch Christians' lives: these are dealt with in detail by the author. However, he also goes beyond these Scriptural models and the covenants between God and man to explore the history of covenants between men throughout the world, and particularly the existence of covenants in Africa and their role in the history of the continent, past and present. Through this wealth of examples and attention to ritual, Dr. van Rensburg reveals a path to agape love and peace if only one adopts the principles of the covenant. Dr. Meyer's books can be seen on Amazon and his oil paintings on UK craft fairs.