Ideal for small groups and classes as well as personal use. Includes questions for discussion and reflection. Discover the grand pattern of God's intention and purpose for your life If you feel that your life is a pile of puzzle pieces and you don't know where to begin, Putting the Pieces Back Together can help you discover God's pattern for integrity, wholeness, and reconciliation. You'll gain a richer understanding of the Christian faith and how God can help you put the pieces together into a coherent pattern. With biblical insight, inspiring stories of real people, and thoughtful questions for discussion, this guide takes you on a journey through the major themes of Christian belief as they intersect with real-life issues. Putting the Pieces Back Together will help you build a solid foundation of faith that nothing can ever shake or destroy.

Putting the Pieces Back Together: How Real Life and Real Faith Connect

Religion & Spirituality

Lawrenz, Mel

Christian Books & Bibles

Zondervan

'If you are in a position of positive influence, if you exercise leadership in any way, your faith in God gives you a power---a hidden power---that will allow you to make an enduring difference in the lives of other people and organizations. But how does that power work?' So says Mel Lawrenz in this fresh look at leadership which offers practical and biblical guidance to believers who want to have a deep influence and who want to know: What is the proper use of authority and power? Where do good ideas come from? How can we deal with failure? What does God expect of us? Drawing from more than thirty years of experience in pastoral ministry, Lawrenz writes for Christians in any position of influence. This book provides a new baseline for 21st century Christian leadership, addressing issues such as: * building integrity * seizing opportunities * exploring new horizons * speaking into crises * receiving power * accepting authority * promoting truth * managing expectations * dealing with criticism Using real-life examples, key Scripture passages, and history, Lawrenz shows that when believers align their responsibility to lead with the teaching of Jesus and the work of God's Spirit, their spiritual influence will have integrity and enduring effectiveness. 'Lawrenz gives us hope that the leadership pendulum which has swung from 'over- spiritualized' to 'de-spiritualized' in recent generations may have finally come to rest where it always belonged---upon Jesus Christ.' - Skye Jethani, Senior Editor, Leadership Journal, from the foreword 'It is exciting to think about believers at every level of society rising to a new call to exercise powerful spiritual influence. In his newest book, Spiritual Influence, Mel Lawrenz has given us all a new baseline for leadership that is personal, wise, and spiritual. It spans the generations and reaches across cultures. Just think what will happen if believers in positions of influence tie into the wisdom and the power that comes from God in order to bring restoration in our broken world!' - Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor, National Community Church in Washington, D.C..

Spiritual Influence: The Hidden Power Behind Leadership

"If you are in a position of positive influence, if you exercise leadership in any way, your faith in God gives you a power—a hidden power—that will allow you to make an enduring difference in the lives of other people and organizations. But how does that power work?"
So says Mel Lawrenz in this fresh look at leadership which offers practical and biblical guidance to believers who want to have a deep influence and who want to know: What is the proper use of authority and power? Where do good ideas come from? How can we deal with failure? What does God expect of us?
Drawing from more than thirty years of experience in pastoral ministry, Lawrenz writes for Christians in any position of influence. This book provides a new baseline for 21st century Christian leadership, addressing issues such as:
 • building integrity
• seizing opportunities
• exploring new horizons
• speaking into crises
• receiving power
• accepting authority
• promoting truth
• managing expectations
• dealing with criticism
Using real-life examples, key Scripture passages, and history, Lawrenz shows that when believers align their responsibility to lead with the teaching of Jesus and the work of God’s Spirit, their spiritual influence will have integrity and enduring effectiveness.
 "Lawrenz gives us hope that the leadership pendulum which has swung from 'over- spiritualized' to 'de-spiritualized' in recent generations may have finally come to rest where it always belonged—upon Jesus Christ." - Skye Jethani, Senior Editor, Leadership Journal, from the foreword
 "It is exciting to think about believers at every level of society rising to a new call to exercise powerful spiritual influence. In his newest book Mel Lawrenz has given us all a new baseline for leadership that is personal, wise, and spiritual. It spans the generations and reaches across cultures. Just think what will happen if believers in positions of influence tie into the wisdom and the power that comes from God in order to bring restoration in our broken world!” - Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor, National Community Church in Washington, D.C.

Spiritual Leadership Today: Having Deep Influence in Every Walk of Life

Business & Money

Management & Leadership

Praise for Whole Church "Mel is a thoughtful analyst of church life today. Best of all—he actually does what he writes about. This book can lead to new levels of engagement for your church." —John Ortberg, author and pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church "Mel Lawrenz's vision of a local church that actually reflects the wholeness and beauty of God as it engages with the Lord, one another, and the community is a much-needed call back to God's original Plan A – a plan that has too often been cast aside in the name of specialization, church growth, and expediency." —Larry Osborne, North Coast Church, and author, Sticky Church and Spirituality for the Rest of Us "Wow! This book is for every Christian leader who wants to move their church from a narrow self-focus to active engagement in the world with all the resources and possibilities of heaven." —Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church "While Mel Lawrenz's 'four kinds of engagement' aims at congregational application, it also creates a template that individual Jesus-followers can use for self-evaluation of what it means to be the church today. The final 'dynamics' section is worth the price of admission for church leaders." —Reggie McNeal, author, The Present Future and Missional Renaissance "Having known Mel Lawrenz for thirty-five years in various capacities as student, intern, colleague, and eventual successor as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church, I can testify to his keen mind, his profound respect for and knowledge of history, his forward-looking curiosity, and his undoubted communication gifts. Add all these to his many years as a seasoned practitioner of church ministry, and the result is this very helpful book, Whole Church." —Stuart Briscoe, author, Flowing Streams and broadcaster, Telling the Truth

Whole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement

Jossey-Bass

Do you ever wish you understood the Bible better? Almost everyone does. Mature believers and new believers. Young and old. Those who have read the Bible for years and those just starting out. This book, How to Understand the Bible: A Simple Guide, will help you gain an overall perspective on the flow and meaning of Scripture. It addresses questions like: <ul>
<li>What is the Big Picture of the Bible?</li> <li>What About Bible Translations?</li> <li>How Should We Understand the Stories of the Old Testament?</li> <li>How Should We Interpret What the Prophets Had to Say?</li> <li>How Should We Understand the Teachings of Jesus?</li> <li>What Was Jesus Teaching in the Parables?</li> <li>How Can We Hear God’s Voice in Scripture?</li> <li>What are the Proper Ways to Apply Scripture to Life Today?</li> </ul>
… and much more. Knowing the Bible better is about knowing God better. And then we are better able to handle the hard realities of life and to realize the love and truth of God.

How To Understand the Bible: A Simple Guide

WordWay

Product Description 
In 
I Want to Believe, Mel Lawrenz ignites a latent desire in all of us--the desire to believe in something bigger than ourselves. Lawrenz takes an honest dive into topics that are true areas of tension--doubt, rebirth, faith and action, and the essence of Christian faith. A fresh and engaging style draws readers into an unexpected conversation in which they receive concrete, concise descriptions of Christian faith in principle and in real life, and are shown contrasts with other faith alternatives. The chapters are skillful interweavings of narrative, illustration, and biblical reflection. Throughout the book, readers are assured that doubts are part of believing and that hardships in life do not contradict faith. For believers and seekers alike, 
I Want to Believe will fan the flame of faith and affirm the quest for believing. 
 About the Author 
Mel Lawrenz (MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; PhD, Marquette University) is senior pastor at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin. He has a passion for the ministry of the Word in writing for effective outreach, is author or coauthor of several books, and has been developing a multidimensional media ministry network, which includes his radio interview program, 
Faith Conversations.

I Want to Believe: Finding Your Way in an Age of Many Faiths

Baker Books

Discover how you can break the bonds of shame and guilt that keep you from enjoying the freedom of living in Christ. The authors show how these powerful emotions subtly manifest themselves in a number of ways. Through the use of illustrative case studies and Bible-based counsel, they guide you toward understanding why you suffer from shame and guilt, and how to receive release from God.

Why Do I Feel Like Hiding?: How to Overcome Guilt and Shame (Strategic Christian Living)

GREEN, Daniel

Baker Pub Group

The authors walk you step-by-step through a biblically based plan for counseling, enabling those in ministry to accomplish more in fewer sessions. Practical insight for both professional and layperson.

Encountering Shame and Guilt: Resources for Strategic Pastoral Counseling

The experience of loss and grief is nearly universal. This Strategic Christian Living series guide finds simple, nonthreatening ways to use recovery resources found in psychology and faith. The simplicity and empathy of this guide make it an exceptionally clear counseling handout, support group sharing tool, or gift book.

Life After Grief: How to Survive Loss and Trauma (Strategic Christian Living)

Whether it's the death of someone close, divorce, a job layoff, physical illness, a miscarriage, or another traumatic event, here's how to identify signs of grief and trauma and how to provide emergency and follow-up guidance based on biblical principles.

Overcoming Grief and Trauma (Strategic Pastoral Counseling Resources Series)

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Psychology & Counseling

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lawrenz, Mel. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Lawrenz, Mel