From This Day Forward--Rethinking the Christian Wedding

From This Day Forward--Rethinking the Christian Wedding PDF

Author: Kimberly Bracken Long

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

Published: 2016-06-01

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 1611646715

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Weddings have become a billion-dollar industry, with the average cost of a wedding estimated at $30,000. Taking into account dramatic shifts in attitudes toward marriage in recent years, many pastors are confused and frustrated about their role. This book offers a foundational understanding of marriage for today's North American church. Exploring current sociological analyses of marriage and the history of Christian marriage rites, Kimberly Bracken Long suggests that the church rethink its involvement in weddings and offers a distinctively Christian understanding of marriage. Today's church, Long contends, needs to reinterpret classic biblical metaphors and expand the range of scriptural sources that inform our understanding of marriage. Long also looks closely at each element of the wedding service and what makes a marriage liturgy faithful, inclusive, and sensitive to pastoral concerns. She provides practical suggestions for music and Scripture during wedding services as well as guidance on how to respond faithfully to those who are divorced or divorcing. Packed with constructive pastoral wisdom, From This Day ForwardRethinking the Christian Wedding delivers a practical theology of marriage that will be of help to clergy, seminarians, and others interested in this topic.

From This Day Forward

From This Day Forward PDF

Author: Ted Haggard

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 9781400072552

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Every aspect of the wedding ceremony, from the candles to the vows, reflects God’s incredible love relationship with His people–and His ideal design for marriage. Yet amid all the planning and preparations, we often miss the underlying meaning and beauty of the ceremony. To help you more fully enter into the exquisite wonder of the wedding day,From This Day Forwardoffers a unique look at the truths symbolized by each element of the traditional marriage ceremony, including ·the lighting of the unity candle ·the entrance of the groom and his men ·the presentation of the rings and flowers ·the giving away of the bride ·the exchanging of vows ·the presence of witnesses From This Day Forwardwill open your eyes to the spiritual importance of the wedding ceremony as a beautiful expression of God’s love–and of His divine design for marriage. The wedding ceremony signifies so much more than a commitment between two individuals; it’s a living portrait of God’s love for His people. The whole drama of God’s love and plan for all of us is represented in the rites of the traditional wedding ceremony and the daily experience of marriage. God designed marriage to reveal His love relationship with His people, His bride. When others look at an excellent marriage they see a husband gladly setting aside his own desires to care for his beloved, just as Christ abandoned His life for all of us. And they see a wife who, having taken on her husband’s name and calling, loves to please him and spend time in his presence, just as believers in Christ respond eagerly to God. When your eyes are open to these realities, your marriage–and your relationship with God–will shine with the wonder of this divine romance. From This Day Forwardbeckons you into a joyful celebration of the wedding ceremony and marriage relationship as you embark on the everyday adventure of love as God designed it to be. Ted Haggardis senior pastor of the 11,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, which he founded in 1985. The author of ten books, he is a well-respected leader who currently serves as president of the National Association for Evangelicals and as a spokesperson for the Presidential Prayer Team. Ted and his wife, Gayle, have been married for twenty-seven years and are the parents of five children.

Christian Weddings, Second Edition

Christian Weddings, Second Edition PDF

Author: Andy Langford

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2010-09-01

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 142671971X

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Since its publication, Christian Weddings has become the necessary tool for engaged couples and pastors to plan unique and meaningful wedding services. It allows users to select the different elements from their wedding liturgy from a menu of choices in ceremonies from over twenty denominational traditions around the world. Christian Weddings serves many purposes. Pastors can offer new options in planning Christian weddings; couples of mixed religious denominations or traditions can celebrate a wedding day that meets their Christian needs; and couples who want a special service can successfully create a beautiful, personalized ceremony. This new edition includes additional ceremonies from an expanded range of sources, giving couples even greater freedom to plan a ceremony that fits their needs.

I Kissed Dating Goodbye

I Kissed Dating Goodbye PDF

Author: Joshua Harris

Publisher: Multnomah

Published: 2012-01-11

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1588601579

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Joshua Harris's first book, written when he was only 21, turned the Christian singles scene upside down...and people are still talking. More than 800,000 copies later, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, with its inspiring call to sincere love, real purity, and purposeful singleness, remains the benchmark for books on Christian dating. Now, for the first time since its release, the national #1 bestseller has been expanded with new content and updated for new readers. Honest and practical, it challenges cultural assumptions about relationships and provides solid, biblical alternatives to society's norm.Clear, stylish typeset, with user-friendly links to referenced Scripture.

For Every Matter under Heaven

For Every Matter under Heaven PDF

Author: Beverly Zink-Sawyer

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2022-12-08

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1506465803

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"For everything there is a season," as the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us, and that includes preaching. Beyond ordinary Sunday morning worship, many other "seasons"--special occasions--arise for preaching in the life of the church, whether by virtue of the secular calendar or celebrations or circumstances in the congregation or community. For Every Matter under Heaven: Preaching on Special Occasions offers preachers a process for creating sermons that are biblically grounded and relevant to the occasion. Two obvious occasions of this sort are weddings and funerals; however, church anniversaries, dedications of new buildings or furnishings, commitment of pledges in stewardship season, and ordination and installation services also call for preaching on a special theme or topic. In addition, some congregations acknowledge secular holidays, such as the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving Day, in worship. Pastors are often called on to preach at events outside the church. And all congregations face local or national tragedies and crises that call for a word from the Lord. These occasions require a different kind of sermon--or at least a different process of preparation. Most preachers have been taught that sermons begin with a biblical text, usually a text prescribed by a standard lectionary. Beverly Zink-Sawyer and Donna Giver-Johnston offer preachers a process for finding appropriate sermon texts for special occasions by considering the occasion itself, the listeners who might be gathered, and the ways God is at work in that time and place. Through this process, preachers can offer a word for every matter under heaven.

A Christ-Centered Wedding

A Christ-Centered Wedding PDF

Author: Catherine Parks

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Published: 2014-05-01

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1433681137

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Wedding planning has spawned a major industry. The average cost of the occasion now exceeds $25,000, and societal pressure to create the “perfect day” is so strong that even Christian couples forget what God originally intended for the sacred marriage ceremony. While paying attention to the good fun that follows that special proposal (the dress, the flowers, the cake, the gatherings, etc.), A Christ-Centered Wedding first serves as a guide to believers who want their wedding to portray the relationship of Christ with the church and to reflect the gospel to all in attendance. From the start, this thoughtful book looks to the Creator of weddings for guidance in planning by emphasizing the sacrificial love of the Savior more than the modern world’s idealistic view of romantic love. There are chapters filled with practical information about everything from pre-marital counseling and choosing a wedding location to other resources like a planning checklist and timeline, music suggestions, guidance on potential issues of conflict, a listing of traditional financial responsibilities, sample vows, and other great ideas from couples who have successfully put together a Christ-centered wedding.

Accompany Them with Singing

Accompany Them with Singing PDF

Author: Thomas G. Long

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0664233198

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Reviews the beliefs, customs, and rituals associated with Christian funerals; discusses the growing acceptance of cremation and memorial services; and explains how to plan a spiritually meaningful funeral service.

Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality

Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality PDF

Author: Mark Wingfield

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2019-12-03

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1506458580

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Journalist and pastor Mark Wingfield describes how the congregation he serves undertook a detailed study of how the church should respond to the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members. The study was conducted by a nineteen-member blue-ribbon task force that included wide representation of the church's various constituencies. The author served as a staff liaison, recording secretary, and resource to the study group, keeping meticulous notes of the process and the aftermath of the study. Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality is written for clergy and lay leaders in Protestant congregations of all kinds who need a helpful guide to conversations about human sexuality within congregations. The book also has in mind anyone who wants to understand the controversial debates about human sexuality and the Christian church today and who desire to follow a process to discuss the topic and make decisions about how congregations and individuals will respond to matters of ministry and sexuality. This book not only details the process used at Wilshire but also tells the human story of why the study was undertaken and what happened to the lives and faith of real people inside and outside the church. The author's hope is to provide a resource to other clergy and church leaders to understand why this issue must be addressed, how difficult it is to address, and what to expect along the way. As the title indicates, even though this is a difficult conversation to have, churches must have the conversation anyway.

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