Discipleship Resources - Grace at Fort Clarke Church of Gainesville Fl

We have listed here some of our favorite and inspiring resources that have helped us along our journey and given encouragement and understanding. Most of these books are available at local Christian bookstores like Family Christian Stores.You can also readily get them online at places like Christianbooks.com or Amazon.com. Give some of them a try and it will assist you in your walk with Christ. Feel free to call us at 352-332-8770 for more information and other resources. Or you can email me at cwise@gracefl.org.

For more than 15 years, Manning's bestseller The Ragamuffin Gospel has reminded us that Jesus did not come for the pretty, pious and powerful. Instead, he came for the "bedraggled, beat-up and burnt-out" ragamuffins who desperately need his grace. Dispelling the myth that you must work to receive God's gift of grace and joy, Manning, a fellow ragamuffin, reveals the true nature of a freely-given and unrelenting grace that's available to all. Drop the burden of never measuring up and revel in the comfort of a God who loves you for who you are - not for who you think you should be.

In Radical, David Platt challenged Christians to take a hard look at their faith and ask whether they were truly following Christ or pursuing a life of comfort and material wealth as dictated by the American dream. Radical Together takes the next step and lays out six foundational ideas for faith communities seeking to serve and live a "Radical" lifestyle. Filled with Scriptural insight and stories from around the world, Platt will help you apply the commands of Christ to your church in new, practical ways.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZfC7vAbte4

Have you ever wondered if we're missing it?

It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe-the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor-loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.

Whether you've verbalized it yet or not. we all know something's wrong.

Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts-it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same.

Because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.

In the muddle of day-to-day life, have you somehow forgotten that Christianity is a living, vibrant relationship with a personal God? During a train trip from Chicago to Texas in the late 1940s, A.W. Tozer began to write The Pursuit of God. He wrote all night, and when the train arrived at his destination, the rough draft was done. The depth of this book has made it an enduring favorite. In this classic bestseller, The Pursuit of God reminds and challenges you to renew your relationship with your loving God. In each of the 10 chapters, Tozer explains one aspect of hungering for God and ends with a prayer.

Brother Lawrence was a man of humble beginnings who discovered the greatest secret of living in the Kingdom of God here on earth. It is the art of "practicing the presence of God in one single act that does not end." He often stated that it is God who paints Himself in the depths of our soul. We must merely open our hearts to receive Him and His loving presence, where ever we are, be it in a bustling kitchen or on our knees in prayer.

Renowned author and ragamuffin Brennan Manning presents a love story for the brokenhearted. For those who are burdened by heavy religion. For those who feel they can never measure up. It is a provocative and poignant look at the radical, no-holds-barred love of our Heavenly Father. It is a message that will forever change how you view God.

Using the biblical Samson as a model, Larkin offers 'The Samson Society,' a coming together of evangelical men to encourage and help each other on the road to a full Christian life. Though blessed with great strength and a pleasing physique, Samson suffered from moral lapses and a lack of clarity about his mission. In the end, this would be his undoing. Larkin uses Samson's story to show how he and his fellow churchmen the "pirate monks" of the subtitle must focus more fully