How Resurrection Shakes Our World
LENTEN RESOURCES FROM
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EASTER EARTHQUAKE How Resurrection Shakes Our World James A. Harnish
6-week study • Includes suggestions for small-group interaction and outline for meetings
Have you ever been in an earthquake? Earthquakes shake our most basic assumptions: that the ground will remain steady beneath our feet, that the world’s current existence is the way it will always be. But when the ground shakes beneath our feet, it rattles the bedrock assumptions on which we build our lives. The Gospel of Matthew reports that on the first Easter morning, PAPERBACK $13.99 eBOOK $9.99 an earthquake rocked the 978-0-8358-1716-5 978-0-8358-1718-9 earth, ripped open the tomb, KINDLE $9.99 eCOURSE $19.00 and scared the Roman guards 978-0-8358-1717-2 available at at the tomb, who “shook with eLearning.UpperRoom.org fear and became like dead men” (Matthew 28:4).This is the second earthquake recorded by Matthew.The first one took place on Good Friday, when the noonday sky turned black and Jesus died. In Easter Earthquake, James Harnish invites us to place the Resurrection at the center of our Lenten journey.This 6-week study explores how Christ’s resurrection shakes some of our most basic assumptions about ourselves and God. “The earthshaking promise of Easter is that God has not forsaken any of us,” Harnish writes.“The risen Christ will meet us along the confused, chaotic, fearful paths of our lives and speak the same words the women hear at the tomb:‘Do not be afraid.’ ” This book reverses the usual focus of Lenten studies by starting at the empty tomb and seeing the entire journey in light of the Resurrection. Join James Harnish in this energizing exploration that will inspire you to live as a more faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.
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For more information on studies, visit PathsofStudy.UpperRoomBooks.com/Lent
What’s the advantage of a Lenten study that starts at the empty tomb? Many who will use this resource have done Lenten studies that focus primarily on the cross. Starting at the empty tomb and seeing the entire journey through Lent in light of the Resurrection may give them a different perspective on the Passion and bring fresh energy into their lives as followers of Christ. For those experiencing the Lent-to-Easter journey for the first time, this study will connect them with scripture in a way that leads them to a more personal, practical, and powerful life of discipleship. What is included this book? This study is created for individual and group study starting on Ash Wednesday and continuing through Easter. Each week contains 5 readings, a prayer focus, suggestions for small-group interaction, and a hymn.The book also includes a guide for daily meditation and prayer, plus an outline for small-group gatherings. Contents • There Was a Great Earthquake • The Invitation • Ash Wednesday: Beginning Where Our Stories End • First Week in Lent: Shaking the Powers • Second Week in Lent: Surprising Hope • Third Week in Lent: Beyond Belief • Fourth Week in Lent: Healing Scars • Fifth Week in Lent: New Life in the Graveyard • Holy Week: Descending into Glory • Easter: After the Earthquake • A Guide for Daily Meditation and Prayer • A Guide for Small-Group Gatherings Praise for this book “Jim Harnish invites the devotional reader or study group to share a warm and winsome conversation about the nature of the journey through Lent to Easter. Easter Earthquake is a gift from a pastor’s heart to all who seek to explore more fully the season the ancients called the springtime of the soul.” —Rev. Paul L. Escamilla, Senior Pastor, St. John’s United Methodist Church, Austin,Texas
For more information and free samples, visit EasterEarthquake.UpperRoomBooks.com
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WORSHIP IN LIGHT OF THE CROSS Meditations for Lent John Indermark
6-week study • Includes a Leader’s Guide Many of the world’s great cathedrals are built in the shape of a cross, and when people enter to worship, they literally enter into the cross.Whenever we gather as a community of faith, we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection and we learn how to follow Jesus. In this 6-week study for Lent, John Indermark urges us to focus on the cross, its impact on how we worship as a community, and how it transforms our discipleship. Organized around elements of traditional worship, the daily readings inspire us to connect corporate PAPERBACK $12.99 worship with our lives. 978-0-8358-1572-7
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KINDLE $9.99 eCOURSE $19.00 Individuals are encouraged to take available at time each day to read and reflect on 978-0-8358-1573-4 eLearning.UpperRoom.org a question or action. Leaders will find ideas for creating a worship center to emphasize each week’s theme.
Why is this topic so important for the church? Many people ask why we worship the way we do. Worship in Light of the Cross explains the Christian tradition and components of worship and explores the link between the Lenten journey and the repercussions of the cross.This book bids you to discover in cross-formed worship what it means to be a disciple of the Christ we confess is not only risen but also was crucified. How can my church use this book as a small-group study? The book contains a Leader’s Guide with a session outline and ideas for each week, including a worship center based on the weekly theme.There are six readings per week except for Holy Week, creating a weekly sabbath day with no reading. Ideally, that would be the day for a group session. Praise for this book “John Indermark’s masterful blend of thought-provoking readings and questions has created an outstanding daily devotional with ample opportunities for group discussion. Packed full of wisdom and insight, his engaging storytelling both invites and challenges us to reflect on the ways the cross impacts our worship and discipleship.” —Sharon Harding, writer and educator
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PAUSES FOR LENT
40 Words for 40 Days Trevor Hudson
40 days • Includes reflection questions Sometimes a pause is good for the soul. It gives us the chance to regroup, reflect, and refocus on God. In Pauses for Lent, Trevor Hudson offers a beautifully minimalist book in which he focuses on one word for each day of Lent.You are invited to pause, focus on the word, read a scripture and a brief meditation related to the word, and then offer a prayer. Pausing in this way will help you carve out time for God and refresh your spirit. Hopefully, you will sense God’s presence in a new way and discover that God wants to meet you in the midst of your life as it PAPERBACK $8.99 is, muddles and all. 978-0-8358-1504-8
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Observing the 40 days of Lent helps KINDLE $9.99 978-0-8358-1529-1 us prepare for Easter in a thoughtful, meaningful way. Each meditation includes a scripture, Hudson’s unique and applicable insights, and a closing prayer that gives you a thought to take into your day. Why are the daily practices important? Daily spiritual practices provide stability and structure and give us opportunity to open ourselves to God.The discipline of doing a practice regularly helps it become a habit. In Pauses for Lent, Hudson suggests a simple practice each day that does not require much time.The practices are intended to reinforce the word for the day and to encourage readers to realize that God wants to meet them in the midst of their everyday lives. Can this book be used as a small-group study? Yes. Hudson encourages you to study this book with at least two or three others. Meet once a week to reflect together on your experiences of the daily practices, and share how you sense God speaking to you through the word for each day. Praise for this book “This one-word-a-day devotional during Lent was very powerful and thoughtprovoking in my morning study time. I purchased some extras to share next year with my family. I plan to reuse it again next year. It would start off my morning journaling and quiet time and get me focused! I wish I had 365 days of ‘words’ to use ALL year.” —Amazon customer
For more information on studies, visit PathsofStudy.UpperRoomBooks.com/Lent
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7-week study • DVD includes Leader’s Guides for adults, youth, and children
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THE GOD WE CAN KNOW
Exploring the “I Am” Sayings of Jesus Rob Fuquay
Jesus asked his disciples,“Who do you say that I am?” Each of us must also answer this important question.Was Jesus just a good man? A great spiritual teacher and prophet? Or was he more than all these? Who do you believe Jesus is? Every day our actions and words reveal what we believe about Jesus’ identity. Join Rob Fuquay in exploring Jesus’ “I am” statements about his identity in the Gospel of John. In this easy-to-use 7-week study for small groups and congregations, Fuquay will lead you to examine your beliefs about Jesus and find an answer to Jesus’ most essential question,“Who do you say that I am?” Enhance your study with video filmed in the Holy Land, showing Rob Fuquay on the sites where Jesus made several “I am” statements.Videos are available on one DVD, or you can purchase them individually by session. How long are the sessions in this series? The age-level guides are designed for 45-minute sessions and include additional material for midweek groups that meet for 60–90 minutes.You can tailor the content to fit your setting. The video sessions for this study are as follows: Introduction:“Knowing the Great I Am” —10:07 Session 1:“I Am the Bread of Life” —8:45 Session 2:“I Am the Light of the World” —6:35 Session 3:“I Am the Good Shepherd” —8:03 Session 4:“I Am the True Vine” —8:24 Session 5:“I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” —8:56 Session 6:“I Am the Resurrection and the Life” —7:59
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Praise for this book “This is an outstanding resource for churches, small groups, and individual Christians to grow in their faith as Rob Fuquay explores the ‘I Am’ sayings of Jesus. Rob is an outstanding teacher and guide, and I look forward to studying this resource in my own small group.” –Adam Hamilton, pastor and author of The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus For more information and free samples, visit TheGodWeCanKnow.UpperRoomBooks.com
A WORLD WORTH SAVING
Lenten Spiritual Practices for Action George Hovaness Donigian 6-week study • Includes a Leader’s Guide with outline for small-group meetings For anyone who dismisses Lent as a seemingly endless time of self-sacrifice and introspection, this 6-week study offers a breath of fresh air. It connects prayer and other inner spiritual practices with outward actions of mercy and compassion. George Donigian guides you to grow in your spiritual life by praying about daily news reports, discovering the needs around you, and responding with love and compassion.You will discover ways to: • serve others • feed the hungry PAPERBACK $13.99 • seek justice and fight injustice 978-0-8358-1211-5 • offer healing KINDLE $9.99 • extend friendship
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The author’s conversational style and use of well-known hymn texts will engage you in this energizing Lenten study.This book includes exercises for spiritual growth, questions for reflection, and a Leader’s Guide with a simple pattern for small groups. God thinks the world is worth saving and invites us to believe this too. If we, like Jesus Christ, believe the world is worthy of redemption, we will want to serve others as Jesus did.We will speak and act against injustice.We will help redeem the world through our caring actions. What makes this book unique? Rather than emphasizing Lent as a time of self-denial, A World Worth Saving moves us to show our concern for the world through action. Not only does it communicate the encouraging message that God thinks the world is worth saving, but it also suggests ways we can assist God in redeeming the world through our caring actions. This study will help you deepen your commitment to God’s work in the world as you pray about daily news reports, discover the needs of persons around you, and consider ways to respond with love and compassion. How can your church use this book as a small-group study? A World Worth Saving offers daily reflection exercises and questions. The Leader’s Guide suggests a simple pattern for group meetings. As you read and reflect on particular topics, you may want to converse with others in your community who share a passion for justice and mercy. Decide together on ways to extend the love of God to your community. Praise for this book “Excellent and very practical for those desiring to put ‘feet’ to their faith. I highly recommend this book, not just for Lent, but for anytime and anyone wanting to live authentically as a disciple of Jesus Christ.” –Amazon customer For more information on studies, visit PathsofStudy.UpperRoomBooks.com/Lent
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A CLEARING SEASON
Reflections for Lent Sarah Parsons
6-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide Have you ever thought of Lent as a gift? Lent offers us time to pause, look at our lives, and identify obstacles that keep us from God. “If we picture all the obstructions between us and God as a wilderness, Lent presents us with time to clear and cultivate a part of that wilderness, to create an open space in it,” Sarah Parsons writes. “We can transform this wilderness and make it our home, our garden, a place that invites God in and asks God to stay.”
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Consider Lent as your annual invitation to come closer to God. Learn how to clear away your barriers to God and experience the joy of God’s presence in your daily life.
GOSPELED LIVES
Encounters with Jesus, A Lenten Study John Indermark 6-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide What are “gospeled” lives? They are lives profoundly affected by an encounter with Jesus. Explore the stories of people who met Jesus and the various ways they responded to him. Some responded with joy and gratitude. Others ignored or rejected his offer of good news. Indermark’s powerful reflections on the various biblical characters, along with daily reading of scripture, written prayers, and suggested exercises, make an ideal 6-week study for individuals or groups. Each chapter contains 5 daily readings.
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REACHING TOWARD EASTER Devotions for Lent Derek Maul
8-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide Derek Maul beckons you to join him on a devotional pilgrimage through Lent. Imagine yourself sitting at the table with Jesus and his disciples. Walk with Jesus on the dusty path from Bethany to Jerusalem.Watch him closely and listen to his words of grace, hope, and challenge as he moves purposefully toward the cross. Reaching Toward Easter features 49 daily devotions that include in-depth Bible study, personal stories, and prayers. PAPERBACK $7.99
Maul hopes that you will arrive at Holy 978-0-8358-1061-6 Week refreshed rather than tired, inspired KINDLE $5.99 rather than discouraged, reflective rather 978-0-8358-1074-6 than overwhelmed.
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By the time you reach Easter, your pilgrimage will have prepared you to live as an “Eighth Day Believer”—a true follower of Jesus.
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SHADOWS, DARKNESS, AND DAWN A Lenten Journey with Jesus Thomas R. Steagald
6-week study • Includes an outline for small-group meetings How will you make more room for God in your life this Lent? Let Thomas Steagald be your travel guide as you journey through Lent with Jesus. Steagald skillfully moves you from being a mere observer to becoming an actual participant in the scripture stories. You’ll enter the wilderness with Jesus. Later, you’ll meet some of the people who are touched by Jesus.
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As Jesus bravely enters the thickening shadows of conflict and rejection, you will be led to explore shadows in your life.You will discover the power of Christ’s love to set you free from sin and the fear of darkness. Each of the 6 chapters contains 6 daily readings that end with thought-provoking questions or calls to action. Day 7 of each chapter encourages you to rest and reflect on the week’s theme, and to pray for yourself and others.
THE AWKWARD SEASON
Prayers for Lent Pamela C. Hawkins
6-week study • Includes plans for prayer group Lent always lasts 40 days, but those 40 days occur on different dates from one year to the next.The 40 days occur immediately before Easter, but because Sundays are excluded from the count, the days of this season are not consecutive. Unlike other holy seasons, which typically begin on a Sunday, this one commences midweek. Believers approach it in a variety of ways.
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Pamela Hawkins calls it “the awkward season.” Still, for all its curves and contours, Lent is rich with possibilities.While individual journeys through Lent may differ, they all lead to one destination: Easter. The Awkward Season offers Christian pilgrims a prayer path to follow through Lent. For each day of the week, prayers of invocation, confession, intercession, and thanksgiving are shaped around a theme prompted by the psalm for the day. A daily scripture reading is provided, but Hawkins welcomes readers to use a different passage if it comes to mind. A finger labyrinth at the back of the book serves as an optional prayer tool for those who wish to try it, and an order for Lenten praise and prayer provides a simple, beautiful way for groups who meet weekly to share this Lenten experience.
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THE MIRACLES OF JESUS Meditations and Prayers for Lent Wessel Bentley
40 days • Includes reflection questions and outline for small-group meetings What do the miracles of Jesus have to do with our lives today? Wessel Bentley describes Jesus’ miracles as complex events. Not only did they transform people’s lives through healing, multiplication, or resurrection, but they also challenged attitudes and beliefs.This is what makes Jesus’ miracles timeless: they can still touch our lives today just as they did the lives of people 2,000 years ago. Each daily reading begins with a scripture reading, followed by the author’s reflections on that passage. Rather than being a scholarly verse-by-verse dissection of the text, Bentley’s meditations invite you to listen to what God may be saying to you through the Bible passage.
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The daily meditations include thoughtful reflection questions, a prayer, and a prayer focus that lifts up persons or situations needing the touch of Jesus.To make each day’s reading even more relevant to your life, Bentley challenges you to remember at least one aspect of the meditation as you go through your day.
INTERRUPTIONS A 40-Day Journey with Jesus Jacob Armstrong
40 days • Includes reflection questions Life is full of interruptions.You have a flat tire on the way to work.Your phone buzzes, signaling yet another text or e-mail. Sometimes a major interruption blindsides you—the death of a loved one, a job loss, a family member in crisis, or a shattering diagnosis. Instead of viewing interruptions—even big ones—as negative, Jacob Armstrong suggests that interruptions can provide opportunities to hear from God, feel God’s presence, or share God’s love.
Interruptions provides a chance for you to set aside your stress for a bit and refocus on God. Armstrong looks at the life of Jesus and gives insights on how you might respond to all the interruptions in your life.The scripturebased meditations guide you to think about interruptions from various angles.
For more information on studies, visit PathsofStudy.UpperRoomBooks.com/Lent
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On the first Easter morning, an earthquake rocked the earth, ripped open the tomb, and scared the Roman guards, who shook with fear and became like dead men. James Harnish explores the meaning of the Easter Earthquake. This earthquake shakes up our assumptions about God and about our own lives. Join Harnish in this exciting and practical Lenten study that invites you into a God-soaked world energized by the presence of the risen Christ.
How Resurrection Shakes Our World James A. Harnish
EASTER EARTHQUAKE
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