Kevin Johnson Books

Pray the Scriptures Bible | Sermon Outlines

I've crafted a four-part message series to help congregations learn to pray Scripture. It offers enough structure and content for an extended sermon or teaching progression without stifling your own creativity. Together with the Pray the Scriptures Bible, it can help launch your church into new experiences of prayer.

If you're not a pastor or teacher, give the free document a look anyway. It shows how and why to pray Scripture to draw closer to God.

Message One: How Does Prayer Fit into My Life?

Significant question: What is your experience of prayer right now?

Message Two: What Is “Praying the Scriptures”?

Significant question: Why do you read the Bible?

Message Three: How Do I Pray the Scriptures?

Significant question: How will you bring together the Bible and prayer to pray the Scriptures? 

Message Four: Pray the Scriptures Worship Service

Significant question: How will you make a habit of praying God’s Word?

 

Share this quick link to this post: bit.ly/psb-sermons 

The Pray the Scriptures Bible is an experiential Bible containing more than 4,500 Scripture-specific prayers and other features. It combines the accurate and readable God’s Word translation with a stream of prayers flowing from both heart and mind. It encourages a personal response to Scripture—a daily, constantly deepening conversation with God. Read all my posts about the Pray the Scriptures Bible.

 

Rock Solid Faith Study Bible | Finalist!

The Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for Teens from Zondervan is a finalist for Christian Retailing's Best award in the teen Bible category. More at the CBA web site. Bibles and books are judged "on their impact, including their ability to speak to people’s hearts and evoke emotion; open people’s minds to new ways of thinking; and encourage and affirm Christ-like living."

I had a small part in another finalist, the Deep Blue Kids Bible from Abingdon.

 

About Emmaus Road Church...

I've had the privilege of being pastor of Emmaus Road Church for the last three years. Here's a quick look at this sweet community. We meet 10am Sundays at the Hopkins Center for the Arts in the heart of downtown Hopkins, Minnesota.

 

 

Pray the Scriptures: A 40-Day Prayer Experience

Pray the Scriptures: A 40-Day Prayer Experience is my first follow-up to Pray the Scriptures Bible. It energizes prayer by showing how to take familiar Bible passages and pray them back to God. Prayer-starter phrases help you apply the text to your own life and circumstances. Each day's entry includes an introductory thought, a section of Scripture to pray, and concluding questions for reflection, group discussion, and further prayer. Coming in June 2013 from Bethany House Publishers.

 

 

 

Pray the Scriptures Bible | Resources

Are you a pastor or other church leader? I've developed four sermon outlines for teaching your congregation how to pray the Scriptures. And look for Pray the Scriptures: A 40-Day Prayer Experience in June 2013 from Bethany House Publishers.

Bookmark this post and check back for these resources and more.

 

Pray the Scriptures Bible | Now Available!

A lifetime and three years in the making, the full Pray the Scriptures Bible is available now. I trust that it will open your mind, heart, and words to the Giver and Lord of Life.

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Most people pray. Many of us struggle. We wonder what to say to God and how to say it. We worry if we will get what we ask for or if we can speak honest questions.

The Pray the Scriptures Bible shows that all of God's Word teaches us to pray. It's a unique experiential Bible. Alongside the full text of the highly readable and reliable God's Word translation, Pray the Scriptures Bible offers a stream of prayers inspired by Scripture. It's an avenue of conversation with the God who speaks to us through his Word. It's a response to Scripture that flows from living, pastoring, and teaching, as well as authoring more than 50 books for adults and youth.

Don't expect prayers too lofty for your real life. My goal was to stay close to the text and find words and themes that fit in everyone's mouth. You can pray these prayers for yourself. You can pray them for others. And you can pray them with others. I hope these prayers help you find your own voice with God.

Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott say, “For two decades Kevin Johnson’s writings have led students and adults deeper into the heart of God. Now he shows us how to use Scripture as the ultimate prayer book. We love it. This is powerful spiritual inspiration.”

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Read all my posts on the Pray the Scriptures Bible.

 

 

Rock Solid Faith Study Bible | Reviews

I never take kind reviews for granted, and I love this one from Dan Istvanik, an 18-year youth ministry veteran. I had the privilege of teaming up with Zondervan to concept the The Rock Solid Faith Study Bible and write the content apart from the book outlines, introductions, and back matter. I aimed to address issues that will forever mark this generation of youth:

"In a market flooded with a variety of teen Bibles and youth devotional books, The Rock Solid Study Bible for Teens at first glace just blends in with the crowd. Once you begin to go through it and take some time to read the sidebars and notes such as the Unshaken God and Rock Solid Truth, you begin to see depth in its simplicity. It does not try to use flashy graphics, cartoons and the usual overused clichéd stuff of other teen Bibles. The Rock Solid Study Bible is pretty much what it title claims: rock solid, with its excellent study helps, challenges and overall solid spiritual basics the average teen needs. It is a good resource to have available around the office for new believers or for students growing in their faith."

More reviews at YouthWorker. And Zondervan did a must-see video on Scripture for the Bible's release.

 

Pray the Scriptures Bible | Details

Here’s how my publisher describes the Pray the Scriptures Bible, pointing out a few of its highly useful features. Besides the stream of responsive prayers, there are articles and indexes to help you pray the Scriptures. Most significantly, someone apparently counted the number of prayers I composed. 

 

Your Daily Companion to a Life a Prayer

Making daily prayer a habit in your life is easier than ever with the Pray the Scriptures Bible. This first-of-its-kind Bible combines the full text of the God's Word translation with thousands of prayers to pray alongside the Scriptures that inspired them.

Ideal for anyone looking to grow closer to God through prayer, the Pray the Scriptures Bible includes these special features:

• more than 4,500 new Scripture-specific prayers
• a guide to praying the Scriptures
• introductions for each book of the Bible
• articles based on major categories of prayer
• index of prayers that appear in Scripture
• a topical prayer guide

The Pray the Scriptures Bible opens a powerful avenue of conversation with God as he speaks to us through his Word. You'll learn to pray with more confidence, apply Scripture to your life, and to pray words you know God hears--and answers.

 

Emmaus Road Church on the Move | Hopkins Center for the Arts

My primary work is pastoring a community of Christ-followers known as Emmaus Road Church. As of December 2, 2012, this vibrant and sane group of friends will move our worship services to the Jaycees Studio of the Hopkins Center for the Arts (1111 Main Street in downtown Hopkins, Minnesota). In the meantime we're at our current location a few miles away (6719 Cedar Lake Road in St. Louis Park).

We worship every Sunday at 10am, and we invite you to join us if you're anywhere near the Twin Cities. Find out more about us or download my weekly messages.

At Emmaus we keep things simple, putting everything we do through a grid with three all-important tasks:

We CONNECT. We’re all about doing life together.
We WORSHIP. Jesus comes first for us as individuals and as a group.
We SERVE. We spread God’s care nearby and far away.

We believe that if we miss out on any of those, we’re messing up what God wants us to be.

 

Pray the Scriptures Bible | Kind Words

I'm grateful that co-authors and friends have already offered up some kind words for Pray the Scriptures Bible. Here's what they say:

"I know firsthand that Kevin Johnson is biblically insightful and practical. Pray the Scriptures Bible will help you to pray deeply for yourself, your loved ones, and your world."

—Josh McDowell, speaker; bestselling author of More Than a Carpenter

“I strongly recommend Pray the Scriptures Bible. It launches and guides your prayers with the highest-octane fuel and most precise compass in the world: the living Word of God. Your prayers and your world will never be the same.”

—Ken Sande, president, Peacemaker Ministries; author of The Peacemaker and Resolving Everyday Conflict

“Even seasoned students of the Bible need help to make the living Word come alive again. Pray the Scriptures Bible brings together two tough spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and prayer—in a way that brings life to your soul. This is like rain on a parched field. Drink it in.”

—Bob Merritt, senior pastor, Eagle Brook Church; author of When Life's Not Working: 7 Simple Choices for a Better Tomorrow

“God has spoken and does speak in his Word. We respond in prayer. To listen without responding is rude, and to speak without listening is presumptuous. This tool will prove immensely in encouraging intimacy with God through hearing and responding.”

—D. Stuart Briscoe, minister-at-large, Elmbrook Church; founder, Telling the Truth

“For two decades Kevin Johnson’s writings have led students and adults deeper into the heart of God. Now he shows us how to use Scripture as the ultimate prayer book. We love it. This is powerful spiritual inspiration.”

—Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, founders, RealRelationships.com; authors of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts

 Thanks much!

 

Pray the Scriptures Bible | Sample

You can now flip through a 16-page online sample of the full Pray the Scriptures Bible, coming in late October 2012. It includes spreads from Exodus and John plus my introduction. The sample looks like the finished product with a bonus of animated page turns. And you can always see more in the already-published Pray the Scriptures Bible: Psalms and Proverbs.

The Bible will release in three trim styles and a Kindle edition and is already available for preorder. This first-of-its-kind project combines the full text of the readable and reliable God's Word translation with thousands of responsive prayers. It also includes book introductions, articles on authentic prayer, a topical index, and a second index of every prayer in the Bible. 

Learn more about Pray the Scriptures Bible.