Are all film stars linked to Kevin Bacon? Why do the stock markets rise and fall sharply on the strength of a vague rumour? How does gossip spread so quickly? Are we all related through six degrees of separation? There is a growing awareness of the complex networks that pervade modern society. We see them in the rapid growth of the internet, the ease of global communication, the swift spread of news and information, and in the way epidemics and financial crises develop with startling speed...

"I can't tell you how many times I have preached and afterward promised God I would never embarrass Him like that again." — Joseph M. Stowell.Unnatural. Supernatural. A gift. Hard work. Exhilarating. Terrifying. These words only begin to describe the challenge and reward each pastor experiences. So what can assist today's pastors in such an endeavor?The Moody Handbook of Preaching. With contributors like Michael Easley, Joseph Stowell, and George Sweeting, ...

This indispensable study tool will help you develop a personal Bible memorization plan—starting with 52 key verses of scripture. Featuring full scripture text (in the King James Version, New International Version, and New Living Translation), brief devotional insights, and memorization tips, Bible Memory Plan provides the impetus, structure, and encouragement you need to begin the challenging—but life-changing—habit of memorizing scripture. Its handy size goes anywhere, tucking ea...

Know Your Bible is a concise, easy-to-understand guide to God's Word-giving you a helpful and memorable overview of all 66 books. For each Know Your Bible provides data on the author and time frame, a ten-word synopsis, a longer (50-100 word) summary, thoughts on what makes the book unique or unusual, a listing of key verses, and a "So, What?" section of practical application. It's a fantastic resource for individuals and ministries!

The leading introductory book on data mining, fully updated and revised!When Berry and Linoff wrote the first edition of Data Mining Techniques in the late 1990s, data mining was just starting to move out of the lab and into the office and has since grown to become an indispensable tool of modern business. This new edition—more than 50% new and revised— is a significant update from the previous one, and shows you how to harness the newest data mining methods and techniques...

Many find it difficult to take words that were written thousands of years ago and apply them to twenty-first-century life in the Western world. How do we read God's unchanging Word in a world that is increasingly defined by change?How to Read the Bible in Changing Times shows everyday Christians how to interpret and apply the Scriptures regardless of time and culture. Rather than seeing the Bible as a magic answer book, a list of commands to obey, or a series of promises t...

Networks of relationships help determine the careers that people choose, the jobs they obtain, the products they buy, and how they vote. The many aspects of our lives that are governed by social networks make it critical to understand how they impact behavior, which network structures are likely to emerge in a society, and why we organize ourselves as we do. In Social and Economic Networks, Matthew Jackson offers a comprehensive introduction to social and economic networks, drawin...

Spiritual discernment is good for more than just making monumental decisions according to God's will. It is an essential, day-to-day activity that allows thoughtful Christians to separate the truth of God from error and to distinguish right from wrong in all kinds of settings and situations. It is also a skill-something that any person can develop and improve, especially with the guidance in this book.Written by a leading evangelical blogger, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment...

This updated classic leads the reader through the inductive Bible study process, showing practically how to study the Bible for one's self.With this tool, Christians can learn to relevantly apply God's Word to their lives as His Spirit leads them personally, rather than as some other leader might direct. Originally published in 1986, Finzel's style remains very accessible—providing practical examples that walk the reader through the steps of unpacking Scripture, us...

A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Christian Communicators.This extensive encyclopedia is the most complete and practical work ever published on the art and craft of biblical preaching. Its 11 major sections contain nearly 200 articles, comprehensively covering topics on preaching and methodology, including:Sermon structure and “the big idea.”The art of introductions, transitions, and conclusions.Methods for sermon prep, from out...

Networks pervade social and economic life, and they play a prominent role in explaining a huge variety of social and economic phenomena. Standard economic theory did not give much credit to the role of networks until the early 1990s, but since then the study of the theory of networks has blossomed. At the heart of this research is the idea that the pattern of connections between individual rational agents shapes their actions and determines their rewards. The importance of connections has ...

Some of the leading voices in evangelical Christianity reaffirm the importance of preaching biblical theology for the health of our churches.Loving, teaching, and rightly dividing the Word of God is every pastor's privilege and responsibility. If a pastor understands what the Word says about God, man, and the curse, about Christ and his substitutionary atonement, and about the call to repentance and sacrifice, he will develop and preach a sound theology. And sound theology...