Program Resources
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Final Days Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$15.99Add to cartThis Lent ponder the themes of justice, poverty, freedom, and love. The Leader Guide contains discussion questions and session plans for a six-week study of The Final Days by Matt Rawle. It includes opening and closing prayers, optional activities, and session goals for each week and is designed to be used with the book and DVD. The four New Testament Gospels aren’t the same story, but they offer the same Resurrection hope. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John devote most of their story detailing Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem, all highlighting Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city, the suffering and humiliation of the cross, and the empty tomb come Sunday morning, but the stories they tell aren’t quite the same. Each Gospel offers a different lens through which we understand Jesus’ Passion. One portrait reveals Jesus to be in control, while another emphasizes his suffering. In one story Jesus offers hope to the thief on the cross, and in another Jesus only receives derision. These different perspectives aren’t a reason to dismiss the Gospels; rather the reveal an abundant, diverse, and complementary picture of God’s work in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
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Final Days : A Lenten Journey Through The Gospels
$17.99Add to cartThis Lent ponder the themes of justice, poverty, freedom, and love. The four New Testament Gospels aren’t the same story, but they offer the same Resurrection hope. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John devote most of their story detailing Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem, all highlighting Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city, the suffering and humiliation of the cross, and the empty tomb come Sunday morning, but the stories they tell aren’t quite the same. Each Gospel offers a different lens through which we understand Jesus’ Passion. One portrait reveals Jesus to be in control, while another emphasizes his suffering. In one story Jesus offers hope to the thief on the cross, and in another Jesus only receives derision. These different perspectives aren’t a reason to dismiss the Gospels; rather the reveal an abundant, diverse, and complementary picture of God’s work in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Other components for the study include a leader guide, and teaching video are available.
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Message Of Jesus (Large Type)
$20.99Add to cartA fresh encounter with the words of Jesus.
More than 3 billion people claim to follow Jesus. But aside from a few verses, how many actually know what he taught? In fact, much of what people think Jesus taught, he never said. In this six-week study, pastor and best-selling author Adam Hamilton explores six of the most important themes in Jesus’s teachings, why they matter, and how they speak to us today. The book will explore Jesus’s preaching on the Kingdom of God, the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, the “I am” sayings in John, and more. Jesus’s message is not only life-changing, but world-changing. Join Adam Hamilton in studying The Message of Jesus: Words That Changed the World. Other components for the study include a leader guide, teaching videos, and sermons and worship.
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Message Of Jesus Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$15.99Add to cartA fresh encounter with the words of Jesus.
This Leader Guide contains everything needed to facilitate a 6-week study on The Message of Jesus, by Adam Hamilton. Helps include opening prayers, summaries, discussion questions and more. More than 3 billion people claim to follow Jesus. But aside from a few verses, how many actually know what he taught? In fact, much of what people think Jesus taught, he never said. In this six-week study, pastor and best-selling author Adam Hamilton explores six of the most important themes in Jesus’s teachings, why they matter, and how they speak to us today. The book will explore Jesus’s preaching on the Kingdom of God, the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, the “I am” sayings in John, and more. Jesus’s message is not only life-changing, but world-changing. Join Adam Hamilton in studying The Message of Jesus: Words That Changed the World. Other components for the study include a leader guide, and teaching video are available.
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Message Of Jesus
$19.99Add to cartA fresh encounter with the words of Jesus.
More than 3 billion people claim to follow Jesus. But aside from a few verses, how many actually know what he taught? In fact, much of what people think Jesus taught, he never said. In this six-week study, pastor and best-selling author Adam Hamilton explores six of the most important themes in Jesus’s teachings, why they matter, and how they speak to us today. The book will explore Jesus’s preaching on the Kingdom of God, the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, the “I am” sayings in John, and more. Jesus’s message is not only life-changing, but world-changing. Join Adam Hamilton in studying The Message of Jesus: Words That Changed the World. Other components for the study include a leader guide, teaching videos, and sermons and worship.
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Message Of Jesus DVD (DVD)
$44.99Add to cartA fresh encounter with the words of Jesus.
Video sessions feature Adam Hamilton walking viewers through the key points of The Message of Jesus in six engaging video sessions based on the book. More than 3 billion people claim to follow Jesus. But aside from a few verses, how many actually know what he taught? In fact, much of what people think Jesus taught, he never said. In this six-week study, pastor and best-selling author Adam Hamilton explores six of the most important themes in Jesus’s teachings, why they matter, and how they speak to us today. The book will explore Jesus’s preaching on the Kingdom of God, the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, the “I am” sayings in John, and more. Jesus’s message is not only life-changing, but world-changing. Join Adam Hamilton in studying The Message of Jesus: Words That Changed the World. Other components for the study include a leader guide, and teaching video are available.
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33 Days To Morning Glory
$24.95Add to cartThe international bestseller 33 Days to Morning Glory returns in a new expanded study edition designed specifically for group retreats. Supplementing the original text of 33 Days to Morning Glory are thought-provoking questions for each day to answer and discuss in a group setting. This new volume also provides exclusive access to retreat videos posted on DivineMercyPlus.org, to enrich the consecration experience and encourage group discussion. Using 33 Days to Morning Glory: Group Retreat & Study Guide, readers will discover in a nurturing group setting that belonging completely to Mary is the quickest, easiest, and surest way to Jesus.
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Meeting Jesus At The Table
$17.00Add to cartThe Gospels are full of stories of Jesus sharing meals with disciples, friends, even tax collectors and Pharisees. Whether multiplying bread to feed a whole crowd, relaxing with his inner circle, or telling curious elites stories about even greater banquets, Jesus imparts wisdom as he shares the wine and grants forgiveness as he distributes the fish. This eight-chapter resource provides biblical insights along with thought-provoking queries regarding our own time, such as whom should we invite to Sunday dinner and who is left out and left behind in our culture today.
Illustrations by artist Kevin Burns complement each chapter and invite further meditation on the Gospel story and its meaning for our lives.
Each chapter includes questions for small group discussion or personal reflection. A guide for church leaders offers suggestions for preaching this book as a sermon series and incorporating food-related outreach and hospitality efforts.
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Finding Jesus In The Psalms Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$15.99Add to cartA meaningful encounter with Jesus and the Psalms through the season of Lent with Barb Roose.
In this six-session study, Bible study author Barb Roose guides the reader through a meaningful encounter with the Psalms through the season of Lent. Combining an interpretation of the psalms with prayerful engagement, the study moves through the familiar words of Psalm 23 toward the painful cries of Psalm 22 uttered by Jesus on the cross. The study includes invitations to pray the Psalms and develop new prayer practices in the context of Lent. Additional components for this six-week study include a book and DVD/Video Sessions featuring Barb Roose.
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What We Believe
$15.95Add to cartDiscover the Amazing Riches of the Catholic Faith
What is the Catholic Church all about? What does it mean to be Catholic? What do Catholics actually believe? The Catholic Church is extraordinary. Founded by Christ himself, the Catholic Church is where we encounter God in his Word, his sacraments, and his saints. The Church faithfully proclaims the fullness of faith, leaving no truth out. It proclaims the fullness of life, leaving no person out. It calls all to repent and to believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the source of all life and salvation.
Maybe you’ve been Catholic your entire life. Maybe you’re just beginning to explore the Catholic Faith. Wherever you are in your journey, you will be profoundly moved by the beauty and the richness of the Catholic Church.
Written by Marcellino D’Ambrosio and Andrew Swafford, What We Believe presents and explains the essential teachings of the Catholic Faith in a readable, approachable way. In it you will discover:
*What Catholics truly believe*Who Catholics are and how we are called to live
*The blessings of Creation, redemption, and newness of life in the Holy Spirit
*The profound gift of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of our Faith
*How to imitate Christ through prayer, through personal conversion, and through love for others.
*And more!
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Witness At The Cross
$17.99Add to cartExperience Holy Friday from the perspective of those who watched Jesus die: Mary his mother; the Beloved Disciple from the Gospel of John; Mary Magdalene and the other women from Galilee; the two men, usually identified as thieves, crucified with Jesus; the centurion and the soldiers; Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Jews and Romans, friends and strangers, the powerful and the powerless, the hopeful and the despairing.
In Witness at the Cross, Amy-Jill Levine shows how the people at the cross each have distinct roles to play in the Gospels. For each, Jesus has a particular meaning and message, and from each, we learn how those meanings and messages cross the centuries to any who would come to the cross today.
Additional components for a six-week study include a DVD featuring Dr. Levine and a comprehensive Leader Guide.
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Totally Catholic : A Catechism For Kids And Their Parents And Teachers
$19.99Add to cartAre you looking for a way to accessibly communicate the faith to your kids, but are at a loss for words? Is your older child preparing for receiving the sacraments, but needs to catch-up on their religious education? Do you want to brush up on your knowledge and grow in your faith, especially in celebration of the Year of Faith?
In this comprehensive resource for faith formation, children ages 9-12 and the grown-ups in their lives are provided with child-appropriate, helpful, and theologically-correct language to explain the faith…from A to Z! Whether you are a parent, grandparent, teacher, or catechist, this guidebook of all things totally Catholic offers you an exciting way to share and pass on the faith!
Drawing from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and using ‘hip’ terminology and acronyms such as “BTW” and “VIP,” content is presented in a way that reaches out to young people-and even to adults looking for an accessible window into the faith. Analogies illuminate difficult concepts, bolded key terms are defined, and a pronunciation aid accompanies more advanced language. Clip art style illustrations and call-out boxes present the faith in a fun way.
From Bible stories, to the sacraments, to Church hierarchy, to the fruits of the Holy Spirit, this resource covers all bases. It also responds to contemporary societal issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and homosexuality, along with issues that kids might directly deal with in their day-to-day lives such as cheating, plagiarism, and gossip.
Containing extensive information on what Catholics believe and how they live as members within the community of believers, this manual not only equips you with knowledge of the faith, but also encourages you to engage in it. Each chapter is framed in the form of a question and contains the following sections:
*Brainstorm: prompts to connect the faith to everyday life
*Scripture Link: a story from Scripture that reinforces the faith
*BTW: supplemental tidbits of information
*Did You Know?: interesting, quick facts
*A Catholic VIP: portraits of saints or blesseds containing brief biographies and feast days
*From My Heart: an assortment of prayers
*Now Act!: ideas for how to live the faith
*Recap: a summary of important points to remember -
Bread For The Journey
$9.95Add to cartWorship involves the senses. The light filtering in from the stained-glass windows, the colors of the vestments, and even the words we read in our Bibles and prayer books fascinate us visually in worship. The sounds of musical instruments and voices raised in song grip us audibly. The feel of the wood on the pews and the altar or the leather on our Bibles can engage our sense of touch. All of these sensations come together to form our worship experience.
In Bread for the Journey, Rolf Svanoe has sought to attract our other senses, enhancing our encounter with God. This Lenten worship series offers sermons for Ash Wednesday, each week in Lent, and services for Holy Week and Easter. This book also includes recipes for breads that can be baked and distributed during the services, each scent and taste offering an additional insight into the Lenten worship experience. Whether it is the sweetness of Welcome Bread or the bitterness of Betrayer’s Bread, each bread takes us on a journey through the season of Lent, culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Pastors and other ministers will be able to use this resource to draw their congregations into a deeper and more fulfilling Lenten worship. Bread for the Journey is a resource that will feed a congregation, both spiritually and physically.
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Word Into Life Year A (Revised)
$13.99Add to cartJourney of Faith: The Word into Life contains exercises to assist Christian initiation groups of all ages “break open” the Word of God in the Sunday Scriptures. Includes cross-referencing to help you use Journey of Faith catechetical handouts in a lectionary-based approach to Christian initiation.
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Word Into Life Year C (Revised)
$13.99Add to cartJourney of Faith: The Word into Life contains exercises to assist Christian initiation groups of all ages “break open” the Word of God in the Sunday Scriptures. Includes cross-referencing to help you use Journey of Faith catechetical handouts in a lectionary-based approach to Christian initiation.
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Word Into Life Year B (Revised)
$13.99Add to cartThe Word into Life is a valuable tool that will help leaders of Christian initiation groups “break open” the word of God proclaimed in the Sunday liturgy. Whether group participants are adults, adolescents, or children, The Word into Life offers commentary and questions for discussion to bring the Sunday Scriptures alive
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Hey Joseph
$12.95Add to cartCreate stimulating, family-oriented Lenten worship that captivates the imagination with this engaging “dramily” series. Six humorous sketches, interwoven with brief homilies highlighting key points, update the familiar Old Testament story of Joseph and his brothers for contemporary audiences ? providing an instructive and entertaining resource for midweek programs. Additional messages and dramas for Holy Week and Easter Sunday shift the focus to Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.
By touching on such universal experiences as family squabbles, sibling rivalry, parental favoritism, jealousy, hatred, false accusations, reconciliation, trust, and healing, Hey Joseph! is certain to resonate with the people in the pews. It offers pastors, worship leaders, and drama groups a thematically unified total package that’s flexible and easy to adapt for any size church. A complete list of simple props is included, along with helpful illustrations for constructing “Joseph’s Granary,” which may be stocked with food donations for local pantries. -
Worship Aids Series 1 Year 1
$18.95Add to cartPreparing to lead a congregation in worship Sunday after Sunday is a formidable and pressure-filled responsibility. That’s why busy worship planners will love this handy, easy-to-use resource with several prayers and a worship theme for every Sunday throughout the year. Each week’s material includes three scripture texts, with a call to worship, an invocation/collect, a prayer of confession, and suggested hymns relating to each passage. This complete collection offers a wide selection of practical aids for creating sincerely reverent, meaningful worship.
“The creative task of a worship leader requires useful resources, both practical and spiritual, for use in public worship as well as personal devotions. This volume provides a source for meditation, prayer, and fellowship with God and the people of God. The genius of the book is couched in the connection Kirkland makes between his own spirituality, the poetry of the biblical texts, and the spiritual quest of the worshiper and the worship leader.”
Ernest S. Lyght
United Methodist Bishop
New York, New York
“Every busy pastor appreciates well-organized and theologically sound help when planning worship each week. Kirkland’s vast pastoral experience and deep spiritual commitment can greatly enhance worship in our congregations. Worship Aids will prove to be a very useful tool in every pastor’s study.”
F. Herbert Skeete
United Methodist Bishop Emeritus
Riverdale, New York -
Wheres Noah
$19.95Add to cartWhere’s Noah? features the classic biblical story of Noah, the flood, and God’s salvation in a worship format that engages all generations. This resource features monologues, brief pithy sermons, the exchange of animal tokens, crossword puzzles, an Easter Sunrise play, and other creative worship/learning experiences.
Worship leaders, clergy, and drama players will find this a refreshing series for congregational unity and growth.
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Lenten Resources For Worship Leaders
$12.95Add to cartThese field-tested materials represent the creative effort of many denominations. Each includes ideas for preparation, items needed, suggestions for use, number of parts, and the time for best use.
This complete Lenten volume for busy ministers includes:
Shadows Around The Cross: A Tenebrae
A Good Friday Vigil
The Service Of Diminishing Lights — for Sundays in Lent
Justified By Greed: Monologue Of A Pharisee — for Lent
The Passover Haggadah: A Traditional Seder Service
Litany For Forgiveness
Litany For Palm Sunday
Litany For Easter
Meditation: Forgiveness Is Peace
Meditation: You Make The Difference
Litany Of Confession
Litany For Peace -
Worshiping Well : A Mass Guide For Planners And Participants
$14.95Add to cartThe current Order of Mass has been used for over twenty-five years, yet the challenge of implementing it fully and celebrating it well continues. Much of what has been done, and much of what still needs to be done in many places, is simply the careful and thoughtful implementation of the official rites as they have been set forth in the Sacramentary, the Lectionary, and in other liturgical books and documents. Worshiping Well provides a solid foundation for liturgy planners and offers helpful insights for anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of this central worship experience of the Catholic Church and improve that experience in their parish community.
In Worshiping Well, Father Mick stresses the importance of reviewing the different parts of the celebration and the various options in the rite. He looks at the Order of the Mass in detail-including the forthcoming changes in the revised Sacramentary-for those seeking a deeper understanding of this worship experience and suggests ways to improve the experience in parish communities. Questions for reflection and discussion conclude each chapter.
Worshiping Well offers readers an opportunity to review their own parish’s worship step by step. It answers such frequently asked questions as
*How well have we understood the changes we experienced?
*How well have we implemented those changes?
*What mistakes have we made in using the new ritual order?
*What is the history and background of each part of the Mass?
*Have we made full use of the options allowed in the current liturgical books?
*Should we have other options?
*Do we need a whole new Order of the Mass?
*How could we improve the experience of Sunday worship for the majority of parishioners?
*What steps might a parish take to begin a revival of liturgical renewal on the local level?Good pastoral liturgy must flow from solid liturgical principles, based on an understanding of the purpose of each ritual element of the liturgy and the theological issues involved. Worshiping Well provides a solid foundation for liturgy planners, guiding them in their efforts to prepare good liturgy. Priests, musicians, and parish liturgy planners, as well as special ministers-lectors, communion ministers, and ushers-will discover helpful insights into their ministries, along with concrete practical suggestions for carrying them out well.
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Visions Of Lent Year 3
$12.95Add to cartA new and unusual service for Lent…!
At the beginning of Lent each family in the congregation is invited to lend a plant from home (silk or live), following a Jewish Shavuot custom. The following Sundays in Lent build on this focal point as an object is added each week. Two readers participate in a dialogue explaining the symbol for that day. A child brings the symbol forward and holds it during the dialogue. In this way several families are able to participate.
Visions of Lent Year 3 also includes:
* Sample bulletin insert prior to Lent
* Example of plant reminder that can be used in bulletin
* Sample Torah for bulletin inserts
* A suggested worship service for Palm/Passion Sunday -
Visions Of Lent Year 2
$7.95Add to cartVisions of Lent Year 2 — Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) offers congregations a weekly presentation to be included in the regular Lenten worship service. This follow-up to Volume 1 (which concentrated on the Feast of Passover) focuses on the Palm Sunday story and six elements within that story that were significant parts of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. The festival is rooted in Leviticus 23:33f, where God commanded Moses to declare the festival to the people of Israel as a reminder of the temporary shelters they lived in when He delivered them out of Egypt.
Preparation for this worship series is very simple. Lent I begins with a plain, “symbolic” booth which is placed somewhere within the sanctuary. For the next five weeks objects are gradually added inside the booth.
Objects include:
Lent 2 — citron (or other citrus fruit) in an attractive yet simple container
Lent 3 — musical instruments (flute, cymbal, lyre, harps, trumpets, etc.)
Lent 4 — donkey figure or picture
Lent 5 — a large crown
Lent 6 (Palm Sunday) — palm branchesEach presentation involves four participants including: minister, a youth and two other readers. Parts are brief and need not be memorized.
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Restore Me
$12.95Add to cartRestore Me includes a large collection of Lent and Easter season worship resources created to draw congregations into closer relationship with God.
Specific chapters for both Lent and Easter include:
Calls to worship
Common prayers
Prayers of dedication
Benedictions
Prayers of confession and pardon
Gospel dialogues“These resources grew out of my continued interest in the whole use of scripture in weekly worship,” Craig M. Sweet writes. “The dialogue use of scripture adds an extra dimension to the ‘dramaturgical’ experience of worship.”
In the gospel dialogue section are scripture readings based upon various lectionary texts. Dialogues are offered for Ash Wednesday, the Sundays of Lent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.
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Symbols Of Sacrifice Year 3
$7.95Add to cartThe sacrificial life of Christ is a major focus of Lent. Symbols Of Sacrifice provides the congregations with opportunities to create visual worship aids representing Christ’s life during worship.
Each weekly presentation builds a growing reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for the congregation.
This series offers a list of symbols and explanation of the symbols. These are provided for the Sundays of Lent and Easter Sunday.
Symbols are:
Sandals
A globe of the world
Money
A lantern
A grain of wheat
A cloak
A white robeThis is one book in a three-part series of Symbols Of Sacrifices. Other books in this series are Year 1 and Year 2.
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Alive For Everymore
$7.95Add to cartAlive For Evermore is a collection of seven worship services compiled by CSS. It recognizes the need of pastors to have in one volume, orders of service for important celebrations of the church during Lent and Easter.
You will find in this compact volume complete services for:
Ash Wednesday
Palm Sunday
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday (two services)
Easter Sunrise
Easter MorningEach suggested service includes an order of worship, liturgy, scripture, and hymn possibilities. Copy privileges are available with each service. The seven services include congregation involvement in various forms. The Sunday sunrise service invites participation from a family in the congregation.
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At Noon On Friday
$8.95Add to cartAt Noon On Friday is a volume of reflections on the seven last words of Jesus as he hung on the cross. In his usual masterly fashion, Dr. Richard C. Hoefler holds up before his listeners the cross of Christ and calls for a devotional response not merely an intellectual one. The goal of these sermons is to prompt something important, different and decisive to happen to both speaker and listener. They were written in such a way as to create an experience of participating in the three hours our Lord suffered. In the author’s words: “The seven words of Christ are like seven panels of one single stained glass window, reflecting forth the light of the total act of our Lord’s crucifixion.”
