A Groundbreaking Resource for Preaching

If the church wishes to converse effectively with a culture, it must learn the culture’s language. Today, shifts in technology mean that language is increasingly one of symbols and metaphors, stories and images—not words.

So what does this mean for the sermon, that long-standing, word-based tradition of Christianity?

In this ground-breaking resource, bestselling author Leonard Sweet offers an alternative to traditional models of preaching, one that is fitting to a new culture and a new mode of thinking. The first book of its kind to move preaching beyond its pulpit-centric fixation and toward more interactive, participatory modes of communication, Sweet presents both a challenge and a path forward for a church struggling to maintain its relevance in a post-modern, media-saturated culture.

Accompanying images and interactive content is included in the audiobook companion PDF download.

“FOLLOW ME.” These two words echo the heart-defining call of our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples. Sadly, this life-changing invitation has lost much of its original meaning. Immersed in a society that worships success, we have succumbed to a trendy fixation with leadership. In I Am a Follower, author Leonard Sweet explains how Christians in a twenty-first-century corporate-obsessed culture have shifted away from a Jesus art of following toward a popularized form of leading. Through a colorful mélange of practical applications, imaginative metaphors, and probing biblical exposition based in gospel truth, Sweet reveals that the summons of Jesus and the message of the New Testament point clearly to an emphasis not on imitation but on incarnation, not on leading but on following. Join Sweet on an exciting and intentional journey from leadership cult to followership culture. Discover for yourself the way, the truth, and the abundant life of following Jesus Christ and what it truly means to “Follow Me”! “At times I felt like I was reading Jeremiah, challenging the shepherds of Israel. This is a much needed and long overdue book.”—BOB ROBERTS, senior pastor, Northwood Church “If there was ever a leader who could convince me that it’s really never been about leading, that would have to be Len Sweet. May we all, like Len, become followers.”—MARK BATTERSON, lead pastor, National Community Church

Introducing a new kind of Jesus biography: Transform the tired and familiar way you have read the Bible into an electrifying journey of rediscovering Christ. In this compelling work, authors Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola reclaim the entire Bible as a gripping narrative about Jesus Christ.

Jesus says, “The Scriptures point to me!” (John 5:39 NLT). But what does that mean exactly?

Virtually every other “Jesus biography” begins with the nativity account in Bethlehem. In this innovative book, Sweet and Viola begin before time, in the Triune God, and tell the complete interconnected story of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.

Jesus: A Theography is the first book ever written to combine historical Jesus studies with biblical theology, crafting together one breathtaking saga that tells the Jesus story in both Old and New Testaments. This groundbreaking book clearly demonstrates that every bit of Scripture is part of the same stunning drama – what the authors refer to as the theography of Jesus Christ.

Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola (authors of Jesus Manifesto and Jesus Speaks) unfold the greatest story ever told in a fresh and invigorating way. Whether you are a seasoned Christian scholar, a new believer, or someone who is intrigued by Jesus, this book unveils the discoveries of a lifetime, transforming the tired and familiar way we have read the Bible into an electrifying journey of rediscovering Christ.

Jesus: A Theography:

• Tells the complete and interconnected story of Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation
• Combines historical Jesus studies with biblical theology
• Proves that the main subject of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ
• Second, standalone volume in the JESUS trilogy

Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola set out on a journey of discovery with one goal: to help restore the sovereignty of Jesus Christ above all else. This led to their national bestseller, Jesus Manifesto. Two years later, they released Jesus: A Theography, beautifully establishing that all Scripture unveils a person—the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2016 they released the final volume in the trilogy: Jesus Speaks. All three volumes of the JESUS trilogy will lead the reader to a deeper understanding of Christ.

The gospel presents a life-changing NUTS wisdom that conflicts with normal ways of making sense of the world. There is the World According to Normal. There is the World According to NUTS . . . where NUTS is an acronym for Never Underestimate the Spirit. The wisdom of Jesus is a NUTS wisdom.—From the book All people are different, but some are more different than others. Christians are meant to be the most different of all. Yet we often “normalize” God. We judge what is a successful Christian and a successful church by the world according to Normal, not the world according to NUTS, the wisdom of Jesus.In Jesus Drives Me Crazy!, Leonard Sweet reminds us of the “crazy wisdom” of Christ and how our lives and our churches can and should be different from the way “normal” people live. He says, “Jesus wants to drive you crazy . . . crazy in love with God, with life.” Jesus Drives Me Crazy! challenges you to make the upside-down wisdom of God your own, inspiring you to live an extraordinary Christian life that does not conform to the world, but transforms the world.When you truly grasp the freeing truth that we do not have to conform to this world, then you can become the crazy, zany, unpredictable, but powerful force for Jesus you were intended to be. Jesus Drives Me Crazy! shows how, by losing your mind, you can find your soul.

What is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology and not a philosophy. Christianity is the Good News that beauty, truth, and goodness are found in a Person. And conversion? It’s more than a change in direction; it’s a change in connection.

No one shapes our heritage or affects our legacy like our mother.

Most people know Leonard Sweet, one of the world’s most influential evangelicals, as a sharp cultural critic who helps us see how to get in front of the future rather than be bowled over by it. One of his greatest influences was his mother, a groundbreaking (and sometimes controversial) minister who defied convention while honoring tradition. In this exceptionally personal work, Len Sweet opens his mother’s memory box, and in the process he helps us all embrace the future with confidence while tethering us to a faith that transcends time. Through Len’s experience, we all will better understand and process how our own heritage affects our legacy.

An ideal resource for mothers, adult children, and families seeking resources to set up their kids to flourish.

Getting a Christian worldview is all the rage these days. But how about a Christian worldlife? Got one of those?Leonard Sweet wants to show you the ins and outs of living an old-fashioned faith in these newfangled times. In his engaging wonderful, thought-bytes style, Sweet invites you to….*Mezuzah your universe*Do dirt and do the dishes*Cycle to Church*Give history a shove*Cheer rivals from the bench*Dance the salsaSoulSalsa unpacks it all in ways that can change how you live if you let them. You can be a man or woman who walks the ancient path of a disciple in the world of the future. Because the future is NOW- and now is the time to practice the “17 Lifestyle Requirements for Membership in the Postmodern Body of Christ.” Time to enter the dance of a culture that desperately needs to see your moves.

Since the release of Halftime in 1994, more than 150,000 people have purchased the book and begun a journey from success to significance. In a way that no one could have predicted, this book has started a widespread movement that views midlife as an opportunity rather than a crisis. It helped men and women between the ages of 35-50 realize that they have at least another thirty years of active, vibrant living ahead of them and that retirement is not the optimal option.But now, readers feel stuck. More than eighty percent of people who began the journey got sidetracked. Now they want to know how to get “unstuck.” Stuck in Halftime is written for the person who is trying to successfully make it through the midlife journey of “half time.” It shows readers how to get past the barriers that stand in the way. It outlines eight “myths of half time” that distract people trying to move from success to significance. It also explains the new rules of this journey, since the old rules of the first half do not work anymore. And it uses stories of those who were stuck in a similar way to illustrate ways to become unstuck. This book is of enormous help to those who heard the “still, small voice of God” calling them to a life of significance. It is a book of encouragement, hope, and practical guidance.

2012: An ancient prophecy quietly unfolds as a fragmenting world accelerates its descent into massive chaos.

Then, in 2048, the prophecy comes to fruition. US president Matthew Serafino is sworn into office, and University of Virginia historian Paul Binder receives a cryptic but summoning message. Strange circumstances and bizarre discoveries lead Paul to London, where he meets a brilliant and beautiful manuscript specialist, Angela Matthews Krall, in order to decipher an unknown Syrian manuscript with special powers. Together, they uncover clues that lead them both down a mysterious, life-or-death path.

Global intrigue, cascading natural catastrophes, and a complexity of characters, motives, and symbolic traditions intersect as Paul and Angela delve into forgotten traditions and lost meanings. Life-changing discoveries force them to struggle with questions about their own faith and the nature of truth and hope. Suddenly they find themselves positioned either to lead humanity into a new future or to watch as the earth dissolves into total destruction.

The Seraph Seal combines apocalyptic intrigue with a journey of love and discovery that blurs the lines between fact and fiction. It will lead you into a world where only you can determine the future of the earth as we know it.