Written for early readers, The Beginner's Bible includes 95 classic Bible stories, rewritten in a language children can understand. From the baby Moses ("A Basket Boat") to the baby Jesus ("The Most Special Baby"), from Noah ("The First Rainbow") to David and Goliath ("The Giant"), children are introduced to timeless stories and basic biblical concepts. Beautiful illustrations throughout. (Ages 4 to 8)

Max Anders Jesus. No other figure has influenced two thousand years of history and life more than He. Written in a warm and inviting style, What You Need to Know About Jesus will help you understand who Jesus is and how He relates to your life today.

ArleneFlancher Akaloo Handbook. 201 Pages.

Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker It’s handy, it’s powerful, it’s designed specifically for older teenage boys and young adult men: Every Young Man’s Battle Guide reflects the same format and purpose as Every Man’s Battle Guide, but with a distinctive approach designed for a younger audience. Young men struggling with sexual temptation, masturbation, Internet or video pornography, and other situations will find this collection of 520 Scripture passages, along with stories, advice, and comments from the authors’ books, to be a vital part of their arsenal in the struggle to become the kind of man God wants them to be.

Kristen Baltrum No children's pastor or Christian education director should be without this handy resource! Busy pastors often find themselves scrambling to put together their children's sermons...The Humongous Book of Children's Messages puts an end to unnecessary stress, offering more than 170 brief messages (5 to 10 minutes!) on everything from major holidays and common children's topics to 75 key Bible stories. Indexed by topic and Scripture reference, this massive collection and trusty companion makes it easy to prepare great sermons in a snap.

Ruth Haley Barton Although women have unprecedented opportunities and options today, their lives are still often filled with the mundane, the difficult, the downright tragic. And the challenges of life become even more difficult when there doesn?t seem to be any purpose for them.

Without a sense of purpose, our lives can become unmanageable and unfulfilling. These studies will help you discover God?s purposes in your life—in your creation, your salvation, and your giftedness; in your work and home life?and will give you the framework you need to live a purposeful life that brings glory and honor to him.

Dorothy C. Bass, Don C. Richter

Bryan Belknap Now you can use clips from today's most popular movies to vividly illustrate what the Bible has to say about the critical issues teenagers face. These clips are great as attention-getting openings, memorable closings, or as starting points to build a lesson on. Reach students through a medium they appreciate and understand!

Bryan Belknap

Rob Bell We know there’s something more. We sense it, we feel it, we know it. And we want it. We want an authentic spirituality.

Wilfred Bockelman Gives practical suggestions for offering care and comfort, plus provides guidelines for using Scripture and sharing faith in reaching out to others.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer After his martyrdom at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer continued his witness in the hearts of Christians around the world. His Letters and Papers from Prison became a prized testimony to Christian faith and courage, read by thousands. Now in Life Together we have Pastor Bonhoeffer's experience of Christian community. This story of a unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years reads like one of Paul's letters. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The role of personal prayer, worship in common, everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, almost biblical, words. Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." With these words, in The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave powerful voice to the millions of Christians who believe personal sacrifice is an essential component of faith. Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor and theologian, was an exemplar of sacrificial faith: he opposed the Nazis from the first and was eventually imprisoned in Buchenwald and hung by the Gestapo in 1945. The Cost of Discipleship, first published in German in 1937, was Bonhoeffer's answer to the questions, "What did Jesus mean to say to us? What is his will for us to-day?" Bonhoeffer's answers are rooted in Lutheran grace and derived from Christian scripture (almost a third of the book consists of an extended meditation on the Sermon on the Mount). The book builds to a stunning conclusion: its closing chapter, "The Image of Christ," describes the believer's spiritual life as participation in Christ's incarnation, with a rare and epigrammatic confidence: "Through fellowship and communion with the incarnate Lord," Bonhoeffer writes, "we recover our true humanity, and at the same time we are delivered from that individualism which is the consequence of sin, and retrieve our solidarity with the whole human race." —Michael Joseph Gross

A Barbour Book This book contains over 1000 promises from the Bible arranged alphabetically by subject. Categories include God's love, forgiveness, peace, help in times of trouble, success, and many more.

Thomas C. Brisco

Steve Case, Fred Cornforth Here's a practical, step-by-step plan for developing your group's service lifestyle—and reaping the benefits. Walk through the four Stages of Service Involvement, learn how to organize sure-fire success, and turn any service project into a powerful community witness. This guide offers over 100 dynamic ideas to help your kids put their faith into action through service—inside and outside the church.

Steven Case This collection of scripted services, blessings, and prayers meet the growing desire of students to step outside the “noise” of their lives and worship in a more settled way. Geared toward all denominations and all levels of ministry involvement, The Book of Uncommon Prayer 2 creates an essential set of worship experiences that will draw your students to the still, quiet, love of Christ.

Steven L. Case Provides the framework for a variety of worship services—including prayers, group readings, devotionals, scripture index, and a music CD. A flexible worship -planning resource for youth workers, camp counselors, and retreat leaders.

Foster W. Cline, Jim Fay PARENTING TEENS FOR THE REAL WORLD.

When kids hit their teen years, parenting takes on a whole new dimension. As they struggle toward independence and autonomy, some dicey issues emerge. And the real world you want them to be ready for can make you shudder-kids today face life-and-death decisions long before they're on their own.

So what do you do? Hover over them so they won't get hurt? Drill them so they'll do the right thing? According to Jim Fay and Foster Cline, hovering and drilling won't prepare teens for the real world. Because they learn responsibility like they learn everything else: through practice.

That's where love-and-logic parenting comes in. Love means giving your teens opportunities to be responsible and empowering them to make their own decisions. Logic means allowing them to live with the natural consequences of their mistakes-and showing empathy for the pain, disappointment, and frustration they'll experience.

When you parent with love and logic, it's a win-win situation. You win because you'll learn to love in a healthy way and effectively guide your teens, without resorting to anger, threats, and power struggles that will haunt them along the path to adulthood. And your teens win because they'll learn responsibility and the logic of life by solving their own problems and acquiring the tools they'll need to cope with the real world.

As a parent, you face no greater challenge-and no greater opportunity-than to guide your children through their teen years toward productive, happy, and responsible adulthood. Parenting Teens with Love and Logic will help you meet that challenge and rejoice in that opportunity.

"With love and logic parenting skills, I no longer need to blow up every time my teenage son yanks my chain. In fact, we've never gotten along better!"-Fran Cook, parent

"At last-a parenting approach that doesn't require a doctorate in psychology to understand and use! Every parent in America needs to know about love and logic."-Dawn Degenhardt, executive director, Maine Adoption Placement Service

"Every parent longs to see a child becoming more responsible. This book shows how to encourage mature behavior while not destroying the relationship."-Connie Podesta, M.S., L.P.C., Marriage & Family Counselor; president, CommuniCare

"This is timely, on-target information needed by all educators to help with the many problems of today's young people."-Dr. Gary L. Peevely, superintendent, Rogersville City Schools, Rogersville, TN

"Love and Logic has been required reading for all the parents I see in my practice. It is the best practical reference for parenting I've found. This new teen version is fantastic."-Bud Kuecke, licensed clinical social worker

Gary Collins Everyone faces problems, and it is likely that we can help people more than we realize. Best-selling author Dr. Gary R. Collins helps readers become more sensitive to the needs of others.

Kenda Creasy Dean, Ron Foster

Mark Devries For everyone from youth pastors to discipleship and church growth coordinators, DeVries offers an approach to youth ministry that brings teens into one-to-one relationships with older Christians; involves the whole church family from singles to seniors; frees youth pastors and church leaders from worrying about attendance, budget and competition with other programs; and encourages and guides youth toward mature Christian commitment.

John Duckworth Skits work wonders in youth ministry—they make learning fun and drive home important truths. These 30 sure-fire skits let you cast practically anybody in any role—regardless of acting ability—and still get great results.

John Eldredge If Christian men are going to change from a pitiful, wimpy bunch of "really nice guys" to men who are made in the image of God, they must reexamine their preconceptions about who God is and recover their true "wild" hearts, writes bestselling author John Eldredge in Wild at Heart: Discovering a Life of Passion, Freedom, and Adventure. Eldredge throws down the gauntlet—men are bored; they fear risk, they refuse to pay attention to their deepest desires. He challenges Christian men to return to authentic masculinity without resorting to a "macho man" mentality. Men often seek validation in venues such as work, or in the conquest of women, Eldredge observes. He urges men to take time out and come to grips with the "secret longings" of their hearts. Although the book succeeds best in its slant toward a male audience, it also strives to help women understand the implications of authentic masculinity in their relationships with men. Eldredge frames the book around his outdoor experiences and appealing anecdotes about his family, sprinkling the text with touches of humor and overlying everything with heartfelt passion. Even as he mixes eclectic ideas about masculinity from popular movies such as Braveheart with classic words from Oswald Chambers, and lyrics from the Dixie Chicks with stories from the Bible, he points to only one answer for men searching for their true wildness of heart. Writes Eldredge, "The only way to live in this adventure ... with all its danger and unpredictability and immensely high stakes ... is in an ongoing, intimate relationship with God." —Cindy Crosby

Doug Fields The definitive volume for youth ministry today, detailing nine foundations for purpose driven ministry - from the Youth Pastor of Rick Warren's acclaimed Saddleback Church.

Doug Fields The sequel to the first bestseller, Purpose-Driven® Youth Ministry, this book addresses twelve valuable steps that will help readers take the first steps as they begin their ministry. An invaluable resource for anyone in youth ministry and ideal for first-timers, veterans, or college students in youth ministry.

Doug Fields Doug Fields, youth ministry survivor for more than 25 years, is giving you permission—no, he’s telling you—to learn to say no and say it often so you can say yes to what’s most important. If you want to do more than just survive, if you want to thrive in youth ministry, this may be the most important lesson you’ll learn.

Doug Fields, Brett Eastman These six new study guides have six sessions each and enable small groups to explore the power and life application of Jesus’ teaching on the five biblical purposes of a Christian life by closely examining Christ’s model in the Gospels.

Doug Fields, Eddie James Lists of teachable video clips from over 100 movie titles, indexed by topic and Scripture, provide the framework of this powerful tool for anyone who works with teenagers or adults.

Doug Fields, Laurie Polich, Duffy Robbins Humorous, lively, and effective, these impromptu skits help performers and observers see, experience, and understand the meaning of stories from the Bible in new and innovative ways.

Doug Fields, Laurie Polich, Duffy Robbins This volume from Youth Specialties contains 24 more impromptu skits from the Old and New Testaments (with a modern, humorous twist) that help bring Bible stories to life.

Doug Fields, Duffy Robbins To equip youth workers (paid and/or volunteer), Sunday school teachers, and pastors to be more effective communicators of the gospel in the context of youth ministry.

Tom Finley

Augsburg Fortress This exciting new Bible features the NRSV translation as well as introductions, notes, and articles written by over sixty Lutheran pastors and teaching theologians. This resource is designed to invite readers to experience the Bible and its message through solid background material, unique Lutheran insights, and opportunities for faith reflection. Reader-friendly, inviting, and engaging, this is the perfect study Bible for youth and adults.

Ben F. Freudenburg, Rick Lawrence

Diana R. Garland Voted a 2000 Book of the Year by the Academy of Parish Clergy!In today's fragmented and frenetic world, families face all kinds of pressures. Accordingly, those ministering with families need a multifaceted, well-informed sense of both the Christian purpose of family and the complex world our families inhabit. Writing out of years of experience in the church and academy, Diana Garland here offers just such a broad and comprehensive introduction to this crucially important subject.Family Ministry begins with several chapters placing the family in its modern context, then considers the history of families and their interaction with the church. Having thoroughly contextualized the family and its concerns as they are now understood, Garland dedicates three chapters to biblical understandings of the family. The remaining ten chapters of her book are devoted to the practice of family ministry, including guidance on promoting strong families and dealing with crises such as divorce and spousal abuse.All this, based on careful research and seasoned reflection, makes Family Ministry not only a key text for students of family ministry but also an indispensable guide and resource for pastors and those in the helping professions.

Nikki Grimes "Once upon a time there was no time. There was no earth, or sky, or sea. There was only darkness and the waters of the deep and a father and son who watched over them."

So begins this awe-inspiring retelling of the creation story. In At Break of Day, God the Father and God the Son are artists who delight in their creation. Nikki Grimes' poetic text celebrates the wonders of the universe and its creatures and the loving collaborative effort that brings it into existence. Paul Morin's bold, textured paintings capture the intense excitement of a universe called into being out of nothingness and powerfully convey the raw splendor of a new creation.

Group

Group, Jan Kershner

Douglas John Hall In these dialogues with doubt, Hall enters into an earnest search with a young inquirer who is on the edges of Christian faith, asking, "Why be Christian?"

In a passionate and personal way, Hall probes fundamental religious questions and wrestles with the basic Christian convictions about Jesus and God, religious belief and the human predicament, unauthenic forms of Christianity, and what is missing in human life today.

Jim Hancock, Kara Powell Through the use of video, an extensive youth leader's guide, and a student book called What Almost Nobody Will Tell You About Sex, the Good Sex curriculum is an upfront, truthful, process-centered resource that invites students to consider, understand, and surrender their sexuality to the God who loves them and who made them sexual beings. Includes youth leader's guide, 1 student journal (What Almost Nobody Will Tell You About Sex) (each sold separately), and 1 60-minute video. 7 sessions (flexible format).

Lucy Hulme

Zach Hunter Our world is broken, but your students can change that. Zach Hunter is a teenage activist, working to end modern-day slavery, and he believes his generation can be the one to change our world for the better. Inside teens will read stories of real students changing the world, and find tangible ideas they can use to be the generation of change.

Chip Ingram, Tim Walker Young adults are fed up with our sex-saturated culture. They realize that there's more to sex than what the media feeds them, and they realize that there's more to responsibility that "just wait until you're married." Youth want to have God's perspective. Not only that, they want to show their peers there's a better way to relate to the opposite sex. It's time for a revolution. A 180-degree turn is underway. Sex 180 is a guide to that revolution. It's more than a book that preaches abstinence before marriage. Sex 180 shows teens what's wrong with the way people talk and think about sex and challenges them to think differently. With solid biblical teaching, interactive sidebars, and real-life stories, teens, parents, and youth leaders will start to think about sex in a whole new way.

James Innes-Smith, Henrietta Webb A hair-raising journey through the era when big was king.

In the beginning, there was the hair. And some of the hair was bad, but it was small. As men and women everywhere worked to improve and increase their lot, however, they stumbled onto some of humankind's most miraculous innovations: spray, gel, mousse, crimping irons, and of course, the perm. With these new tools, people everywhere suddenly found themselves able to coax their lank, lifeless tresses toward glorious new heights. The age of big hair had begun.

Now, the greatest of these bouffants, afros, rakes, beehives, and Flock-of-Seagulls have been plucked from their spots in hairdressers' windows and given the respect they so clearly demand. Bigger and badder than you ever dreamed possible, Big Hair goes out to all those people of yesteryear who were unafraid to think BIG.

Dan Jessup, Helen Musick, Crystal Kirgiss Targeted for high school freshmen and sophomores, Guys presents 10 lessons dealing with what it means to be a young man in Christ. In a non-prescriptive way, this curriculum will give guys a chance to explore the concept of a being a godly man in the midst of an image-driven society.

George Johnson Beyond Guilt: "When a person is hungry, tomorrow is a long way away" - an African saying. Johnson teases us into a fresh, dangerous encounter with the core of faith. Indeed, his rendering is a conversation with the most poignant voices among us. Guilt can get us to donate. Fear can drive us to act. But George Johnson wants us to experiance a paradox: to kow the world's suffering with new depth and to find hope, even joy, and a lifetime of engagement. His book lets us believe that we each are capable of making this discovery.

Len Kageler Youth pastors often burn out, bail out, and are pushed out of ministry. In this book, you'll be given practical insights and action steps to help you build fences against failure.

Thomas a Kempis The Thomas à Kempis fan club includes St. Ignatius, Thomas Merton, Thomas More, and even Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. (She reads a chapter of The Imitation of Christ every night before sleep.) Imitation has exerted immense influence on Christian worship, ethics, and church structure, because it gives specific yet broad-minded guidance about the central task of Christian life—learning to live like Jesus. Better to read this book a little here and there, now and then, than to try gobbling it cover to cover. Imitation is no triumph of orderly thinking, but it's a great monument and incentive to deep living. —Michael Joseph Gross

Patricia O'Connell Killen When asked their religious identification, more people answer none in the Pacific Northwest than in any other region of the United States. But this does not mean that the region's religious institutions are without power or that Northwesterners who do attend no place of worship are without spiritual commitments. With no dominant denomination, Evangelicals, Mainline Protestants, Catholics, Jews, adherents of Pacific Rim religious traditions, indigenous groups, spiritual environmentalists, and secularists must vie or sometimes must cooperate with each other to address the regions' pressing economic, environmental, and social issues. One cannot understand this complex region without understanding the fluid religious commitments of its inhabitants. And one cannot understand religion in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska without Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest.

Scott Larson

C. S. Lewis Six by Lewis is an excellent introduction to the work of C.S. Lewis, the 20th century's premier Christian apologist. This special six-book collection includes The Abolition of Man, a defense of objective morality, which comprises the basis of his Christian apologetics; The Great Divorce, a Christian perspective on Heaven and Hell; Miracles, an examination of the possibility and probability of the miraculous; The Problem of Pain, an in-depth look at the tough issue of human suffering; The Screwtape Letters, a fictional discussion between two demons illustrating the frailties of the human conscience; and Mere Christianity, Lewis's crowning achievement, a rational defense of Christianity.

C. S. Lewis C.S. Lewis, one of the world's most celebrated authors, writes cadidly, clearly and from the heart about the deepest human concerns of faith, joy and love in the outstanding collection of four of his best loved works:

Surprised by Joy

Reflections on the Psalms

The Four Loves

The Business of Heaven

David Lynn This volume of TalkSheets includes 50 newly improved, ready-to-use discussion starters to get your high schoolers thinking and talking about real life issues.

George MacDonald, Glenn Edward Sadler This new one-volume edition of The Gifts of he Child Christ gathers all the best shorter fairy tales and stories that George Macdonald wrote. Also included are the illustrations of MacDonald's stories by Arthur Hughes and others.

Joanne Marchausen

Josh McDowell Since its release, More Than a Carpenter has been challenging readers to ask the question, "Who is Jesus?" Author and renowned speaker Josh McDowell acknowledges that while the topic of God is widely accepted, the name of Jesus often causes irritation. "Why don't the names of Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius offend people? The reason is that these others didn't claim to be God, but Jesus did." By addressing questions about scientific and historical evidence, the validity of the Bible, and proofs of the resurrection, McDowell helps the reader come to an informed and intelligent decision about whether Jesus was a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. This short, 128-page gem does not employ fancy theological words, forsaking the layman, but reads more like an intimate research document laying out the facts with veracious accuracy, from reliable sources ranging from secular scientists to conservative seminarians. A skeptic himself for many years, McDowell always believed that Christians were "out of their minds" but now insists that "never has an individual been called upon to commit intellectual suicide in trusting Christ as Savior and Lord." McDowell adeptly articulates fundamental answers to poignant questions that cause the skeptic to consider whether Jesus was a liar causing countless martyrs to die in his wake, a lunatic deserving death, or actually the Lord of the universe. —Jill Heatherly

Dan McGill

Dennis R. McLaughlin, Michelle Anthony Be ready for fun times at an instant's notice with this big book of games for teenagers! With brain-stretching games, friend-making games and holiday games, kids will have a blast...make new friends, exercise their minds, and celebrate odd holidays, too! More than 300 games are included, so they'll never get bored with the same old thing.

Dennis "Tiger" McLuen, Chuck Wysong Whether you're starting from scratch or already have a team of student leaders, this all-in-one curriculum shows the way for you and your student leaders to reach out to their peers, organize ministry teams, and plan and execute their own youth ministry programming!

Scott T. Meier This brief, practical, nuts and bolts primer of counseling covers the basic elements of counseling in an abbreviated outline format. Meier presents information that is essential for beginning counselors to know and for experienced counselors to remember, including what counseling is as well as what it is not. This handy reference focuses on relationship building, the counseling process, and self-exploration, the foundation upon which further intervention is laid. This book is unique in that it is not intended to be the primary text for a course, but is rather a quick reference for both counselors in training and practitioners, designed to give them immediate access to information without having to read pages of commentary.

Beth Miller

Patricia A. Miller, Keith R. Miller

Walt Mueller 1995 Gold Medallion Award winner!
Teens today face tough issues and tough choices. Parents and youth leaders can make a difference by really understanding the culture in which teens live. Without such understanding, attempts to provide direction may not be heard and may even be misguided. Understanding Today's Youth Culture is a complete guide for parents, teachers, and youth leaders on music and the media, sex, peer pressure, substance abuse, cyberspace and the Internet, teen depression, and suicide.

Walt Mueller Before we can reach today's youth with the turth of the gospel, we need to see what they see and hear what they hear. We need to catch the messages encrypted in their culture and understand what's really being communicated.

In Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture Walt Mueller, founder and president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, helps us to navigate the troubling and confusing terrain of teen worldviews so that we can effectively and compassionately pass along good news: our God is their God, our Savior can be their Savior.

Helen Musick, Dan Jessup, Crystal Kirgiss Targeted for high school freshmen and sophomores, Girls presents 10 lessons dealing with what it means to be a young woman in Christ—in the midst of a confusing, image-driven society.

Helen Musick, Duffy Robbins Here are 45 easy-prep, high-interest object lessons perfect for representing, dramatizing, and illustrating ideas and principles in Bible lessons and talks in junior and senior high youth groups. All that is followed by suggested segues, applications, and directions youth leaders can take in continuing the study or talk.

Henri Nouwen The Wounded Healer is a hope-filled and profoundly simple book that speaks directly to those men and women who want to be of service in their church or community, but have found the traditional ways often threatening and ineffective. In this book, Henri Nouwen combines creative case studies of ministry with stories from diverse cultures and religious traditions in preparing a new model for ministry. Weaving keen cultural analysis with his psychological and religious insights, Nouwen has come up with a balanced and creative theology of service that begins with the realization of fundamental woundedness in human nature. Emphasizing that which is in humanity common to both minister and believer, this woundedness can serve as a source of strength and healing when counseling others. Nouwen proceeds to develop his approach to ministry with an analysis of sufferings — a suffering world, a suffering generation, a suffering person, and a suffering minister. It is his contention that ministers are called to recognize the sufferings of their time in their own hearts and make that recognition the starting point of their service. For Nouwen, ministers must be willing to go beyond their professional role and leave themselves open as fellow human beings with the same wounds and suffering — in the image of Christ. In other words, we heal from our own wounds. Filled with examples from everyday experience, The Wounded Healer is a thoughtful and insightful guide that will be welcomed by anyone engaged in the service of others.

Henri J. Nouwen Bold, honest and heartwarming message about Christian leadership.

Mark Oestreicher In Youth Ministry 3.0, you’ll explore, along with Mark Oestreicher and the voices of other youth workers, why we need change in youth ministry. You’ll get a quick history of youth ministry over the last 50 years. And you’ll help dream about what changes need to take place in order to create the next phase of youth ministry—the future we need to create for effective ministry to students.

Ginny Olson, Diane Elliot, Mike Work This is a manual for quick and convenient access to the spectrum of administrative and managerial tasks that face youth workers every day with a companion CD-ROM that includes not only a student contact database, but all the book’s forms in editable format.

Richard P. Olson

Steve Parolini

Steve Parolini

Les Parrott III This practical resource tool and handbook for counselors, pastors, and youth workers details over thirty common teenage problems arranged alphabetically from abuse to suicide, including such hot topics as anger, depression, drugs and alcohol, homosexuality, loneliness, masturbation, peer pressure, pornography, and shyness. Bound into the back of the book is a Counseling Guide that includes information on special issues in counseling and 43 Rapid Assessment Tests.

Les and Leslie Parrott Designed for college students, young adults, singles, and dating couples, this book teaches the basics of healthy relationships including friendship, dating, sexuality, and relating to God. It is accompanied by a 48 page workbook.

Roger R. Pearman, Sarah Albritton Answers the eternal question, what is normal? A treasure chest of insights for those who seek a greater self-understanding.

Mary Pipher Why are more American adolescent girls prey to depression, eating disorders, addictions, and suicide attempts than ever before? According to Dr. Mary Pipher, a clinical psychologist who has treated girls for more than twenty years, we live in a look-obsessed, media-saturated, "girl-poisoning" culture. Despite the advances of feminism, escalating levels of sexism and violence—from undervalued intelligence to sexual harassment in elementary school—cause girls to stifle their creative spirit and natural impulses, which, ultimately, destroys their self-esteem. Yet girls often blame themselves or their families for this "problem with no name" instead of looking at the world around them.

Here, for the first time, are girls' unmuted voices from the front lines of adolescence, personal and painfully honest. By laying bare their harsh day-to-day reality, Reviving Ophelia issues a call to arms and offers parents compassion, strength, and strategies with which to revive these Ophelias' lost sense of self.

William Pollack Featuring a new preface by the author on how parents can make a difference.

With author appearances on Good Morning America, The Today Show, 20 /20 and NPR's Fresh Air, and featuring articles in Newsweek, Time, and The New York Times, Real Boys is one of the most talked-about and influential books published this year.

Based on William Pollack's groundbreaking research at Harvard Medical School over two decades, Real Boys explores why many boys are sad, lonely, and confused although they may appear tough, cheerful, and confident. Pollack challenges conventional expectations about manhood and masculinity that encourage parents to treat boys as little men, raising them through a toughening process that drives their true emotions underground. Only when we understand what boys are really like, says Pollack, can we help them develop more self-confidence and the emotional savvy they need to deal with issues such as depression, love and sexuality, drugs and alcohol, divorce, and violence.

Wayne Rice, Mike Yaconelli Even more great games for groups of all sizes. Includes active games, quiet games, mixers, relays, seasonal games, and more!

Ronald W. Richardson A self-help guide to change through Family of Origin therapy

Denny Rydberg

Ray E. Short

Kristofer Skrade, James Satter The essential field guide for all things Lutheran. Confirmands — or anyone hiking the trails of life's adventures and challenges — will want to pack this handy illustrated field guide to Lutheran theology and culture. This enjoyable, easy-to-read, reliable, all-in-one collection helps you understand the essential information about our theology, culture and Lutheran way of life. Organized by Church Stuff, Everyday Stuff and Bible Stuff with how-to's like "How to Forgive Someone" and lists like "The Top-10 Bible Villains." Encapsulates essential principles of the Christian life, making many of the complexities of our religious tradition accessible for contemporary seekers.

Randy Southern With questions about the future lurking in most teenage minds, now is the time for this youth curriculum to come along. The author explores the book of Revelation, a glimpse into what is to come, and truth that can bring ease to troubled hearts.

Pam Stenzel A brutally frank and totally sympathetic look at sex—written for Christian girls and guys who may or may not be practicing abstinence.

Merton P. Strommen, Dick Hardel

Joan Sturkie, Valerie Gibson

David K. Switzer

Inc., Highway Video, Rick Bundschuh Each of the five lessons in this DVD curriculum contains sections to help you customize material for middle school, high school, and even general church use. Five unforgettable productions—dramas, comedies, interviews, music videos, documentary/mockumentary formats—are biblically based with practical application-points, about understanding God’s will, decisions and dreams, and your identity.

Walter Wangerin The perfect gift to make a child feel special—-like part of the most wonderful family in the world. Beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Gerardo Suzan, this is a wonderfully imagined story of God's power and love joined in the baptism event—-a story that will grow richer in meaning each time the book is read.

Plus, following the story are pages of illustrated thoughts and ideas to trigger family discussions about the significance of baptism, its links to God's biblical story, and to the lives of the readers.

Rick Warren The thesis of The Purpose Driven Church is that when churches think first about their health, growth is sure to follow. "If your church is healthy," writes Rick Warren, "growth will occur naturally. Healthy, consistent growth is the result of balancing the five biblical purposes of the church." These five purposes are to "Love the Lord with all your heart," "Love your neighbor as yourself," "Go and make disciples," "[Baptize] them," and "[Teach] them to obey." And those purposes can only be accomplished, argues Warren, when church leaders stop thinking about church-building programs and shift their focus to a "people-building process" involving fellowship, discipleship, worship, and evangelism. Warren, the founder of the fastest-growing Baptist church in American history, has taught seminars to thousands of pastors from all over the world, many of whom have successfully implemented his techniques.

James Watkins

Granger E. Westberg Here is a volume to be kept close at hand. It can be used over the years as you encounter a wide variety of grief experiences or as you assist friends in moving beyond grief to "good" grief.

H. Norman Wright It you help you prepare ahead of time, so that you won't be at a loss during the critical first 72 hours of a crisis. Here are practical solution to specific problems as well as biblically based strategies that will equip you to face life's emergencies.

Mark Yaconelli Youth ministry isn’t about what to say, what to do, or how to be; it’s about serving the needs of the students God has put in your life. This book is an attitude overhaul that creates a more organic approach to youth ministry that helps you create meaningful silence, covenant communities, and contemplative activities that allow your students recognize the presence of Jesus in their everyday lives.

Michael Yaconelli JUMP FIRST. FEAR LATER.

Remember the thrill of thinking you could fly? The adventure of going places in your imagination? The joy and abandon of running and jumping and playing hard-without worrying about what "might" happen?

In Dangerous Wonder, Michael Yaconelli invites you to recapture the joy of being a child and apply it to your relationship with God. You'll be encouraged to ask difficult questions about faith and take Jesus at His word when He says, "Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

If you're looking for the joy and freedom of faith, Dangerous Wonder will open your eyes and your life to the possibility of an exciting adventure in relationship with God.

"Mike Yanconelli has written a book about wonder that is truly wonderful. It made me laugh, cry, and pray that God would help me grow up enough to become a child again. After reading this book, I felt my spirit loosen its tie, kick off its shoes, and run out to play in the sunshine of God's grace."-Dr. Donald W. McCullough, president, San Francisco Theological Seminary and author of The Trivialization of God

"Sea-lover, loner, sky-sentry, gifted writer, faithful friend, Mike Yanconelli awakens and befriends the child within and guides us to a place where Jesus says we all belong."-Brennan Manning, author of The Boy Who Cried Abba and Abba's Child TABLE OF CONTENTS: Introduction: The Place All Children Know About Chapter 1: Dangerous Wonder Chapter 2: Risky Curiosity Chapter 3: Wild Abandon Chapter 4: Daring Playfulness Chapter 5: Intense Listening Chapter 6: Irresponsible Passion Chapter 7: Happy Terror Chapter 8: Naive Grace Chapter 9: Childlike Faith

Mike Yaconelli "I Guess I’m Not a Very Good Christian . . ."

Do you feel like:
I don’t pray enough
I don’t read my Bible enough
I don’t share my faith enough
I don’t love God enough
I’m not committed enough
I’m not spiritual enough

Then this book is for you. Messy Spiritualtiy was written for the silent majority of us who have been convinced that we just don’t do Christianity right. We spend most of our lives worried about what we don’t do instead of what we have done, focused on our imperfections instead of God’s fondness for the imperfect. Why? Because we’ve been bombarded with books, tapes, talks, seminars, and movies convincing us that real Christianity is all about perfection.

Michael Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided . . . and gloriously liberating.

What if genuine faith begins with admitting we will never have our act completely together? Maybe messy disciples are exactly the kind of imperfect people Jesus came to earth for and whose company he actually enjoyed—and still enjoys. If you want to find Jesus today, look for him in the midst of burned-out believers, moral misfits, religious incompetents . . . men and women whose lives are, well, messy.

Messy Spirituality is a strong antidote for the spiritual perfectionism in us all. Here are truths that can cut you loose from the tyranny of ought-to’s and open your eyes to the deep spirituality of being loved, shortcomings and all, by the God who meets you and transforms you in the midst of a messy and unpredictable life.

Mike Yaconelli Years after his death, Christians across the world turn to the words of Mike Yaconelli to uncover the divine mischief, the shameless truth-telling, the love of kids, and the passion for Jesus that makeyouth ministry an irresistible calling.