In an open and inviting style, Bruce Main challenges college students to actively embrace young adulthood's time for identity formation, and intentionally begin to establish habits of discipleship that will create a foundation for a life of radical faithfulness. He raises the question, how might Jesus want young adults to use their college years? and explores answers through a number of relevant themes, including dating relationships, relationships with parents, learning tolerance, and the role of wisdom. This book is ideal for either personal or group study.

If Jesus Were a Sophomore: Discipleship for College Students

Religion & Spirituality

Main, Bruce

Christian Books & Bibles

Westminster/John Knox Press

Most people these days are overwhelmed by the busyness of life, and so they often miss the little evidences of God's presence and activity around them. In contrast, Jesus led a full life but never hurried. He took time to notice his surroundings, and he often saw and then pointed out great spiritual truths in the everyday experiences of life. Using Jesus as a model, Bruce Main explores the act of noticing as a means for spiritual growth. Filled with engaging, often poignant stories that illustrate acts of godly virtue, Spotting the Sacred will challenge and encourage readers to go through their day more attuned to God's work in their lives and the lives of others.

Spotting the Sacred: Noticing God in the Most Unlikely Places

Baker Books

No matter what their walk of life, everyone wants a sense of purpose and of being part of God's plan. God often gives ordinary people "holy hunches" that, when acted upon, accomplish the miraculous. We've all felt a nudge, a feeling, and wondered if it was God trying to tell us to do something or say something. Author Bruce Main knows all about these hunches: in 1988 he launched UrbanPromise, a ministry in Camden, New Jersey--which has been called the most dangerous city in America. Through his ministry he has seen those inner urgings from God lead people to do unbelievable things. In Holy Hunches, Main helps readers recognize and respond to holy hunches in their lives. Full of amazing real life examples to inspire and practical advice to guide readers, Holy Hunches shows us how to see the miraculous possibilities in the everyday and uncover the divine in the mundane.

Holy Hunches: Responding to the Promptings of God

Read it. Pray it. Do it. Pick it up when you can and put it down when you must. Grab a story during an in-between time, waiting for a kid to get out of choir practice or that moment when you’ve turned off the TV for the night but you’re not yet ready to call it a day. Or read a quote in the morning and let it bounce around your head as you drive that day. Feel free to make notes in the margins. Add your reactions, journal your progress. How is the Promise Effect happening in your life? This is not a book to be kept on a shelf in pristine condition. It wants to get ragged. This is your book, your challenge, your time with God, so you don’t need to follow any set schedule. However . . . If you’re in the habit of connecting with God in a special way once a week, this book is perfect for you. Whether it’s curling up on a Sunday afternoon or quieting down on a Saturday night, you could go through one of these chapters each week for a year. And if you’re not currently in that habit, this might be a great way to start. If you prefer a daily devotional time, you can still use this book. The different elements of each chapter can provide you with devotional material for each day of the week. You might consider a schedule like this: Monday: Read the main story and the “Live the Promise” challenge. Tuesday: Re-read the quote that starts the chapter and take some time to mull over it. Do you agree with it? If you could add anything, what would it be? What does it make you think about God, about life, about promises? Wednesday: Read the “Insight” portion of the chapter. How can that affect the way you minister to others in this world? Thursday: Read the “Bible Encounter” portion. If you wish, crack open your own Bible and follow along in the text. What is God teaching you here? Friday: Re-read the “Live the Promise” challenge and, if you haven’t already been working on it, consider how you might accomplish it over the weekend. Saturday/Sunday: Focus on the “Prayer” and “Reflection” portions and talk with God about the theme of the week. See how it connects with what you’re learning in church. There’s no single “right” way to use The Promise Effect. The only wrong way is not to use it at all.

The Promise Effect: Altering the Universe by Being God's Promise

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

It can be challenging—even uncomfortable—to step into the lives of people who are different than we are. Yet in a world that was governed strictly by geographical, religious, and social barriers, Jesus was audacious enough to cross the borders that kept people in safe categories. He demonstrated that the God-following life is one committed to entering the lives and stories of all people. Why Jesus Crossed the Road challenges readers to become “road-crossing Christians”—people who see border-crossing as a spiritual discipline essential for authentic transformation, both in their own lives and in the lives of those they meet along the way.

Why Jesus Crossed the Road: Following the Unconventional Travel Itinerary of Jesus

FaithHappenings Publishers