Most of us have prodigals in our lives, whether a child, brother, sister, husband, wife, or friend. The ache for these dear ones is like no other. They may hurt us and disappoint us, but somehow we cannot stop loving them. And yet we cannot live their lives for them. The Prodigal-Friendly Church looks at why people leave the church, how we can retain them, how we can reach those who have already gone, and how we can help those who return feel like they belong. Jeff Lucas offers no easy recipes for success, but plenty of truthtelling, hope, and encouragement. This book discusses the principles of: * Reach: How do we reach those who've already left the church? * Return: How do we help people return to the church? * Retain: How do we retain the people we've worked so hard to reach? Ultimately we are called to bring our prodigals to the cross of Christ, for there we find the mingling of our own utter helplessness and God's total power to intervene and save. When the Father's house is filled with the Father's love, there is hope that the prodigals will come home.

Creating a Prodigal-Friendly Church

Religion & Spirituality

Lucas, Jeff

Christian Books & Bibles

Zondervan

If you have had your heart broken by a prodigal, you know the pain of being hurt or disappointed by a loved one ... and the utter despair of seeing them turn away from Christ and the cross. In Will Your Prodigal Come Home? author Jeff Lucas delivers a message that is both challenging and comforting as he outlines the chaotic situations and emotions that families of prodigals face. Lucas acknowledges that every prodigal is different. Some have defied God. Some are lured by drugs, alcohol, or crime. Others have drifted until the emotional and physical distance feels unbearable. Still others are in church pews, with hearts closed to Jesus. Clearly, there are no easy answers. But through understanding, insight into the emotions that form within families, and an acknowledgement of the power of prayer, this book outlines a solid approach to help guide your prodigal home and help you keep your own faith as you wait.

Will Your Prodigal Come Home?: An Honest Discussion of Struggle and Hope

Business & Money

Personal Finance

Helen Sloane is in for one interesting year. Written as a series of journal entries, Heaven Help Helen Sloane is refreshingly honest, poignant, and often hilarious, documenting―in Helen’s own words―the daily struggles a young Christian woman must face. Helen’s new job as a social worker keeps her busy all day in a whirlwind of case notes and court papers, and at home she’s a house group leader for Frenton-on-Sea’s New Wave Christian Fellowship. She loves her church but she struggles with faith and doubt, exposed to the religious extremes of both hyper-spiritual friends and her New Age mom. And with her busy schedule, Helen also struggles to make time for love. Still, she finds two men in her life: a handsome worship leader who might not be as godly as he seems, and a former Christian turned Bohemian bad boy. Can she keep her faith strong in the midst of a chaotic life? Jeff Lucas answers this question through the joy, tragedy, love, and heartbreak revealed in the pages of Helen Sloane’s journal.

Heaven Help Helen Sloane: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

United States

Keeping your faith burning bright when all you want to do is burn out
In Faith in the Fog, bestselling author Jeff Lucas explores the pain and fear that many Christians feel when walking through a spiritual fog, when doubts about faith undermine the joy of belief.
After the Resurrection—when the disciples found themselves on the fog bank of unresolved shame, failure, and confusion—what Jesus did to help them and what he didn’t do is both enlightening and inspirational.
Here, you will focus on the person of Jesus and the way he approaches those who are worn out when life is tough. Who Jesus really is—rather than the way we instinctively perceive him emotionally and theologically—is what will make the difference and help clear the fog.
Through a broad approach, Faith in the Fog tackles the feelings of failure, uselessness, and shame, which are often the underlying causes of depression and burnout among Christians.

Faith in the Fog: Believing in What You Cannot See

All he wanted was another 1920s Hollywood Utopia! The Winds of Malibu is the true story of a boy whose father (a computer engineer with a grudge against Hollywood) has held on to a house in the movie colony of Malibu, California, after a bitter divorce. At the age of eleven, Lucas is fiercely bitten by the Acting Bug and does anything to act. What ensues is a war between him and his controlling father as to his Hollywood aspirations, amid crippling anxiety attacks. The story of an outrageous upbringing, where friends are preferable to parents and Lucas relies on his diary to guide him. Lucas's peers at school will become Hollywood's top actors in the coming decade. The ultra-quirky, stormy, funny account of an extraordinary boy's struggle to hang onto his dream.

The Winds of Malibu: An Unexplainable Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Lucas Bly Ltd.

If you have had your heart broken by a prodigal, you know the pain of being hurt or disappointed by a loved one ... and the utter despair of seeing them turn away from Christ and the cross. In Will Your Prodigal Come Home? author Jeff Lucas delivers a message that is both challenging and comforting as he outlines the chaotic situations and emotions that families of prodigals face. Lucas acknowledges that every prodigal is different. Some have defied God. Some are lured by drugs, alcohol, or crime. Others have drifted until the emotional and physical distance feels unbearable. Still others are in church pews, with hearts closed to Jesus. Clearly, there are no easy answers. But through understanding, insight into the emotions that form within families, and an acknowledgement of the power of prayer, this book outlines a solid approach to help guide your prodigal home and help you keep your own faith as you wait.

¿Regresará tu hijo pródigo? (Spanish Edition)

Vida

Notorious: An Integrated Study of the Rogues, Scoundrels, and Scallywags of Scripture by teaching pastor Jeff Lucas will take your congregation through nine weeks of personal and small group study time. You’ll see the antagonists of the Bible in new light and discover that there is much we can learn from their lives. Each session features: <ul>
<li>A group study with discussion questions, Scripture references, and a shared devotion</li>
<li>Seven days of individual devotions to deepen each member’s understanding of Scripture and appreciation for the featured character</li>
</ul>

Notorious: An Integrated Study of the Rogues, Scoundrels, and Scallywags of Scripture

David C. Cook

Everyone has to live with second choices--events and circumstances that they would not choose, some trivial, some tragic. Daniel was a man whose life was filled with second choices, but he did more than just survive; he stayed faithful to God and thrived. So what is there to learn from his story in Scripture? &nbsp; Pastor and author Jeff Lucas challenges readers to ask, "How can we, like Daniel, be faithful in the 'Babylon' of second choices?" Down-to-earth but inspirational, Singing in Babylon explores how the reader, like Daniel, can find purpose and meaning in life's second choices. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Singing in Babylon: Finding Purpose in Life’s Second Choices

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

Books by Lucas, Jeff

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

Creating a Prodigal-Friendly Church

Will Your Prodigal Come Home?: An Honest Discussion of Struggle and Hope

Heaven Help Helen Sloane: A Novel

Faith in the Fog: Believing in What You Cannot See

Faith in the Fog: Believing in What You Cannot See

The Winds of Malibu: An Unexplainable Memoir

The Winds of Malibu: An Unexplainable Memoir

¿Regresará tu hijo pródigo? (Spanish Edition)

Notorious: An Integrated Study of the Rogues, Scoundrels, and Scallywags of Scripture

Singing in Babylon: Finding Purpose in Life’s Second Choices