New Releases by Bill Hybels

True stories about the highs and lows of life with God.What is it about the Psalms that creates their ageless appeal? What draws us to them time and again to find courage, hope, and joy? Perhaps it’s the way these ancient songs so faithfully mirror our own experience. With depth and passion, the Psalms reflect the many-faceted relationship between humans and God in the ever-changing proving grounds of life. In Meeting God, you’ll learn about God’s heart toward you—and what He looks for in your heart toward Him. You’ll find a road map for life. Discover a source of courage in the face of fear. Expand your heart with a fresh realization of God’s greatness. And deepen your relationship with a very present, personal Creator.Interactions—a powerful and challenging tool for building deep relationships between you and your group members, and you and God. Interactions is far more than another group Bible study. It''s a cutting-edge series designed to help small group participants develop into fully devoted followers of Christ.

How do you hand the tough challenges of parenting?Parenting. Nothing gives us more joy—or greater challenges. “How do I balance my work and family time? What’s the best way to handle my teenager''s attitude? Can I do a better job of raising my kids?”Parenting helps you and your groups tackle the thorny issues parents face today. Each session covers a topic that''s key to effective parenting, from raising well-balanced kids to overcoming the mistakes you make along the way. This practical, hands-on discussion guide helps you create a home where children can thrive. You''ll develop confidence and competence in your God-entrusted role as a parent and enjoy watching your kids grow into vibrant, godly adults.Interactions—a powerful and challenging tool for building deep relationships between you and your group members, and you and God. Interactions is far more than another group Bible study. It''s a cutting-edge series designed to help small group participants develop into fully devoted followers of Christ.

The floodwaters of life are rising; the current races faster. You feel yourself slipping. You need a secure foothold . . . and you need it now! We have all experienced the heart-pounding feeling of losing our stability in the storms of life. We want to stand strong as followers of Christ, but the world presses against us with staggering force. Where can we find an unshakable foundation for life? In the book of 1 Peter, you and your small group will find a rock-solid basis for living in a precarious and uncertain world. God offers you hope, love, purpose, service, submission, and victory. You can stand strong against the flood as you anchor yourself to the bedrock of Jesus Christ.

Evangelism doesn''t have to be frustrating or intimidating. We just need encouragement and direction. In Crossing the Line of Faith you will discover how to build spiritually strategic relationships, to direct conversations toward matters of faith, and to share biblical truths in everyday language. This easy-to-read book presents a blueprint for starting a spiritual epidemic of hope and enthusiasm for spreading the Gospel.

It takes the power of God to produce the character of God.Putting others’ needs ahead of our own: it’s the ultimate expression of love—and the hardest. Fortunately, we don’t have to go it alone. In Fruit of the Spirit, you’ll learn about the life-transforming qualities God wants to cultivate inside you. And you’ll discover the supernatural Agent who empowers you to attain them: the Holy Spirit, working within you to produce each kind of spiritual “fruit.”In the Holy Spirit’s power, you can live a supernatural life that transforms every relationship you have. And in the process, you’ll discover the one route to a truly satisfying life: serving others.Interactions—a powerful and challenging tool for building deep relationships between you and your group members, and you and God. Interactions is far more than another group Bible study. It''s a cutting-edge series designed to help small group participants develop into fully devoted followers of Christ.

The essentials of faith. You can build a life on them.Like a house built on a firm foundation, the Christian faith is founded on some key, enduring truths. Do you know what they are? If not, you owe it to yourself to find out whether you’re building your life—and your eternity—on solid ground.Essential Christianity is your invitation to spiritual discussion with others as you explore the basics of faith—principles deeper and more far-reaching than you may have imagined. You’ll learn what it means to really know Christ. You’ll discover the secret to confident living, how to grow spiritually, how to handle your failures, how to follow Jesus in a world that’s anything but devoted to Him, and the different ways God wants to guide you in the practical concerns of life.Interactions—a powerful and challenging tool for building deep relationships between you and your group members, and you and God. Interactions is far more than another group Bible study. It''s a cutting-edge series designed to help small group participants develop into fully devoted followers of Christ.

In this made-for-use guidebook, Bill Hybels provides the exact steps needed for ministry leaders to translate the principles described in his book Holy Discontent into practical and effective action. What is the one aspect of this broken world that, when you see it, touch it, or get near it, you just can’t stand? What reality is so troubling that it thrusts you off the couch and into action? This is what Bill Hybels refers to as a holy discontent: a personal “firestorm of frustration” that, although sparked by that which is terribly wrong, can catalyze fierce determination to set things right. It is often during these eye-opening, heart-hungering moments of engagement when you will hear God whisper, “I feel the exact same way about this situation. Now, let’s go solve it together!” Here are the steps and the guidance you need to make that happen. This companion to Holy Discontent includes: • Interactive processing exercises that encourage you to ask the tough questions of your ministry strategy, your supporting organizational structure, and the key people with whom you collaborate • Sidebar stories of ministry leaders who are living and leading from their holy discontent in a variety of contexts • Insightful prompts to help you act on what you learn • Space for personal reflection

Experience the Transforming Presence of God What if you could look over the shoulders of great saints from the past and learn from their example? Suppose you found a diary that contained the prayers, confessions, and dreams of some of history’s most godly people. What might you learn? How might God teach you? The book of Psalms captures lessons that span the scope of human experience. How do I deal with guilt? Can I overcome fear? What will help me grow to trust God in uncertain times? Where can I find true blessedness? What leads to peace in relationships? These are just some of the life-changing lessons God wants to unfold in your heart as you dig into the teachings of the Psalms.

Come Close and Meet the One Who Loves You How do you jog your memory and restore your vision of God? A fresh encounter! Look into the face of the Father and see him smile with delight as he gazes adoringly at you. Open your eyes and stand amazed at the glory and intricacies of creation and remember the vastness of God’s handiwork. Peek behind the veil of eternity and get a glimpse of heavenly worship and be swept into the party of praise. The book of Psalms opens our hearts and eyes to the presence, power, and character of God. In this ancient prayer book we discover how to connect with the One who loves us more than we dare to dream.

Face the Tough Times with Confidence The question is not, “Will I face challenges?” The issue is, “How will I deal with the tough times that come my way?” No one travels far down the road without confronting the sobering reality that life can be hard. The book of Nehemiah is a case study in overcoming life’s challenges. Wave after wave of pain pounded on the shores of Nehemiah’s life, but he kept standing strong. A tsunami of relational, financial, and spiritual attacks came, but he withstood it all in the power of God. As we meditate on Nehemiah’s story, we discover the hope and victory that come when we walk in God’s wisdom through the challenges of life.

The book you hold resonates with this conviction: that leaders such as you have the potential to be the most influential forces on planet Earth. Yours is the staggering responsibility and the matchless privilege of rallying believers and mobilizing their spiritual gifts in order to help people who are far from God become fully devoted followers of Christ. Life transformation and the eternal destinies of real people depend on the redemptive message entrusted to the local church. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to lead your church effectively so God’s message of hope can change the world? Then this book is for you. Courageous Leadership is Bill Hybels’ magnum opus, a book far too important to be written before its time. Only now, after nearly thirty years leading his own church from a handful of people with a burning vision into a globe-spanning kingdom force—only after almost three decades of victories and setbacks, of praying hard and risking big—is Hybels ready at last to share the lessons he has learned, and continues to learn, about Christian leadership. Too much is at stake for you not to maximize your spiritual gift of leadership, insists Hybels. In this passionate, powerful book, he unpacks the tools, tasks, and challenges of your calling. You’ll discover the power of vision and how to turn it into action. You’ll gain frontline insights for developing a kingdom dream team, discovering your leadership style, developing other leaders, making decisions, walking with God, embracing change, staying your God-given course, and much, much more. Drawing on his own richly varied life experiences, Hybels fleshes out vital principles with riveting firsthand stories. This is far more than another book on leadership strategies and techniques. You’ll find those topics in here, to be sure. But beyond them, you’ll find the very essence of one of today’s foremost Christian leaders—his fervent commitment to evangelism and discipleship and his zeal to inspire fellow church leaders even as he seeks to keep growing as a leader himself. If unchurched people matter to you . . . if you love seeing believers serve passionately with their spiritual gifts . . . if God’s heartbeat for the church is your heartbeat as well . . . then this book is a must. Courageous Leadership will convince you to lead with all your might, all your skill, and all your faith. And it will give you the tools to do just that.

When Leadership and Discipleship Collide Using stories from his own life and ministry, Bill Hybels shows how the laws for leadership success can sometimes crash headlong into another reality: an inner prompting of the Spirit showing you a different approach. The decisions you make at that point could affect not only you, but the ultimate destiny of those you lead.

Pastor Bill Hybels believes that there is a new reality in America. The church has entered an era of growth and unprecedented spiritual opportunity to share the Gospel, yet at the same time we face a shrinking economy and a world in crisis. This poses a great resource challenge for the church. In order to reach out to people who are spiritually hungry, the church needs more people to be equipped to serve others. Hybels passionately believes the key to the future of the church is the equation "X (paid staff) + Y (volunteers) = Z (bearing much fruit for God’s glory)." Churches cannot afford to continue hiring more and more staff with limited budgets. The key to resourcing the church is what Hybels calls "the Y factor." The Y factor is the pool of volunteers in every church. The great need of the church is to grow the church’s volunteer base through the equipping ministry of church staffs. As churches recover the message of Ephesians 4:11-12 to "equip God’s people for works of service" they will launch a Volunteer Revolution. People are just waiting to discover the gifts and passions that God has given them to serve others and then be invited to use those gifts and passions through the local church in order to advance the kingdom of God on Earth. Hybels believes that every church staff should be helping people discover their spiritual gifts, passions and place of service in order to meet the growing needs in our churches and world. Hybels makes a clarion call to move beyond volunteer retention to volunteer acquisition. By attracting, connecting, training, and sustaining volunteers, churches will mobilize people into places of service that will bring new meaning to their lives and understand why God put them on planet Earth. Hybels also outlines how we can build lifelong volunteers in the church through community, celebration, and commendation.

Where do we find hope, strength, and comfort? Through faith in Jesus we can be connected to the heart of the Father with inseparable love. Romans chapter eight contains a message of hope-filled optimism. We are loved children and our Father will never let go of us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God...nothing.

What is the one aspect of this broken world that, when you see it, touch it, get near it, you just can’t stand? Very likely, that firestorm of frustration reflects your holy discontent, a reality so troubling that you are thrust off the couch and into the game. It’s during these defining times when your eyes open to the needs surrounding you and your heart hungers to respond that you hear God say, “I feel the same way about this problem. Now, let’s go solve it together!”Bill Hybels invites you to consider the dramatic impact your life will have when you allow your holy discontent to fuel instead of frustrate you. Using examples from the Bible, his own life, and the experiences of others, Hybels shows how you can find and feed your personal area of holy discontent, fight for it when things get risky, and follow it when it takes a mid-course turn. As you live from the energy of your holy discontent, you’ll fulfill your role in setting what is wrong in this world right!

FOR DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE THE USA. Winning leaders have winning points-of-view---succinct, practical, portable leadership proverbs that help them arbitrate decisions and arouse troops to action. In Axiom: The Language of Leadership, Pastor Bill Hybels reveals sixty God-given, from-the-gut truths that continue to raise his game and his vision, thirty-plus years into his local-church leadership experience.

Jesus knows what an overwhelming incline feels like. He carried the cross up a hill and became our model of enduring faith. Through his example we can discover practices that serve as a source of spiritual fuel to help us when we face the steep hills of life.

In Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels brings personal evangelism into the twenty-first century with a natural and empowering approach modeled after Jesus himself. When Christ ''walked'' clear across the cosmos more than 2,000 years ago, he had no forced formulas and no memorized script; rather, he came armed only with an offer of redemption for people like us, many of whom were neck-deep in pain of their own making. This dynamic four-week experience is designed to equip and inspire your entire church to participate in that same pattern of grace-giving by taking simple walks across rooms---leaving your circles of comfort and extending hands of care, compassion, and inclusiveness to people who might need a touch of God''s love today. Expanding on the principles set forth in Hybels'' book of the same name, Just Walk Across the Room consists of three integrated components:Sermons, an implementation guide, and church promotional materials provided on CD-ROM to address the church as a whole Small group DVD and a participant''s guide to enable people to work through the material in small, connected circles of community The book Just Walk Across the Room to allow participants to think through the concepts individually

Gain insight into six roles Jesus filled -- man, teacher, physician, servant, shepherd, and king -- to steadily arrive at a better understanding of the character and person of Christ.. 6 SESSIONS

This study will help you recognize and cooperate with God''s transforming influence in your life. You''ll learn proven ways of responding to God''s guidance that will keep you growing closer to Him.. 6 SESSIONS

Identify the trappings of Christianity and trade them for a vibrant faith that integrates Christian values into your everyday life. Discover the inconsistent areas of your life, proven ways to align them with the teaching of the Bible, and find a new joy that comes from growing closer to God. (6 Sessions)

Network is a six-session dynamic program to help Christians understand who God has uniquely made them to be and mobilize them to a place of meaningful service in the local church. Each participant in Network will work through a series of assessments to discover their unique blend of spiritual gifts, personal style, and ministry passion.

Focusing on the key aspects of Christian life--prayer, character, and wisdom--this one-year devotional shows believers how to know God more deeply and discover how he works in them.

This Willow Creek Resources evangelism course for churches and groups of all sizes is designed to equip believers for effective evangelism by showing them how they can share the Gospel in a natural and powerful way while being the person God made them to be.

Modern man has come up with a host of formulas for life. You can read countless books telling you how to get rich, find love, or reach your hidden potential. But all this advice pales next to the timeless wisdom contained in God''s original set of operating instructions. Those directions are found in--of all places--the Bible. They are known as the Ten Commandments. For those who want to live life according to the manufacturer''s specifications, they are the ultimate "how-to" for life.

As you study this powerful sermon of Jesus in six sessions, it will help you transform relationships with others.

In this greatest of all sermons, Jesus inspires, encourages, and challenges his followers to love God and love others in fresh and practical ways.

Contains dramas that model & bring to life evangelistic skills that students can use every day - with powerful results.

Mittelberg presents a proven process for raising the value of evangelism in your heart and in your church. He spells out strategies for training all of a church''s members to naturally communicate their faith and offers ideas for initiating outreach ministries and events. Includes inspiring stories of lives and churches that have been changed as a result of these practical, biblical approaches.