BMH Books of Winona Lake, Ind., is pleased to announce the release of It’s Only a Demon by Dr. David Appleby of the Liberty University counseling and psychology staff.

The book, subtitled “A Model of Christian Deliverance,” is based on more than 25 years of ministry experience by the author in dealing with helping people get released from control of dark spiritual forces.

“Counseling and deliverance can be two sides of the same coin,” says Appleby. Reflecting on his years as a counselor and pastor, he adds, “I am convinced that deliverance has a valuable role to play in the world of counseling and that counseling has a valuable role to play in the world of deliverance. Neither … is a cure-all for the individual … the two practices can work hand in hand so that people can truly be set free.”

Appleby received a B.A. degree from the University of Delaware, an M. Div. from Denver Seminary, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Northern Colorado. He received a second Ph.D. from the University of Delaware. In addition to his teaching and counseling practice, he was in the pastoral ministry for 16 years. He is currently professor in the Center for Counseling and Family Studies at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Each of the 17 scripturally-based chapters is followed by a gripping true personal story of someone who has been set free from spiritual bondage. Chapter topics include “Can a Christian Be Demonized?,” “Doorways: Points of Entry,” “What Actually Happens in Deliverance?” “Deliverance in Children and Adolescents,” and others.

“David Appleby walks where angels fear to tread. And he does it well,” says Dr. Tim Clinton, president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, says. “He takes a hard look at spiritual warfare and engaging the enemy. Offering a fresh look at a practice that we otherwise tend to deny altogether or obsess about far too much, this book is a balanced, excellent resource I highly recommend it.”

The 331-page paperback retails for $19.99 and is available through bookstores everywhere, from bmhbooks.com, or by calling 1-800-348-2756. The ISBN number is 978-884690948.

Further information on Dr. Appleby’s ministry is available at spiritualinterventions.org.

By Ron Dorner
We are fast approaching that special time of year–Christmas. The decorations, family get-to-gathers, and gift-giving can be so exciting. But for many people, this Christmas may not be like those in the past. The economy is forcing some to re-think the traditions that have come to be associated with Christmas.

A generation or so ago, most Christians in the U.S. enjoyed great Christmas times despite a lack of monetary resources. By making a concerted effort to place the focus on Jesus Christ and celebrate His birth, Christians of this day may be able to return to those simpler times. The expensive portion of Christmas is minimized with the objective of making Christ the center of gift giving. Why not make it a family project to give a significant gift to Christ this Christmas?

The notion of family gift-giving seems to be lost to our culture. Adults continue to buy gifts they cannot afford for each other, gifts that remain unused or are returned eventually. This type of giving displays a minimal amount of love. Adults, instead, should be able to give gifts that say,  “You are special and I offer you this gift of my work and/or time.” Gifts like babysitting, baked goods, a piece of handmade furniture, etc., show love. It has more memories attached than the conventional gift card, shirt, sweater, or book. If the number of individuals one buys for is significant, try exchanging names. This will allow more time to consider the gift creatively and complete the project.

Children have come to expect to be the center of attention at Christmas. While it is appropriate to give gifts to children and grandchildren at Christmas, it should not be done at the expense of wrecking the family budget. The more Christmas plans focus on Christ, family outings, and holiday games, the less importance gifts have to children. For children, the concentrated time with the whole family (investing in creative activities like cookie making, winter outings, fireside game times, etc.) is what will last in their memories. The two-story doll house with furniture will be long forgotten, but the Christmas that Uncle Jim mowed down the hot chocolate stand while ice skating will not.

Start making your Christmas plans directly after Thanksgiving. Make the Christmas celebration unique this year. Don’t just go to the church Christmas program – be a part of it. Make a reasonable budget and stick to it. String popcorn and decorate the tree or mantle with it. Create Christmas games for the kids. Play a mystery game of presenting a gift every evening before Christmas. Any of these pastimes can even be fun for adults, too.

Keep Christ in Christmas; after all it is His birthday.

Ron Dorner is director of Biblical Money Management. BMM has been helping believers handle their finances and estate planning since 1984. Online counseling is available at www.BiblicalMoneyManagement.com.

Grace Brethren International Missions sponsored several cycling tours in October to raise funds for the Day of Generosity. This group started from a bicycle shop in Winona Lake, Ind. Other tours were held in Wooster and Columbus, Ohio. More than $3,800 was raised through the tours.

Grace in Action usa (GiA) has been awarded a second grant from the July Kosciusko REMC (KREMC) Round-Up Fund, according to Gladys Deloe, founder and president of GiA. The $2,000 award will be used to help with Fall and Winter Discovery Club, an after-school club for students from Jefferson Elementary School in Winona Lake, Ind.

The sessions will cover life skill training, including: personal care, learning about love, being a kid with character, dollars and sense, and my personality and potential. The program will be directed by Patti Miller, a Grace College junior from Ohio, who also assisted with the pilot program at Jefferson School in the winter of 2009.

GiA, which is a cooperating organization in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, also has given assistance to an after school program in Jackson, Ky., where volunteer teachers train teens who then tutor younger children how to develop basic life skills.

For more information about Grace in Action usa or the LifeTime Learning Curriculum, contact Gladys Deloe at (574) 527-6160 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the website graceinactionusa.org.

By Tom Hocking
Non-discipleship is the unmentionable elephant standing in the foyer of the Evangelical Church. Perhaps the most compelling evidence that genuine disciples are not being made is the fact that followers of Jesus, though apparently numbering in the millions as a collective group, seem to have little redemptive impact on our culture.

I’m convinced one of the reasons for our negligible influence is that we spend a very small percentage of our time in the community of God’s presence. Most pastors are delighted if a follower of Jesus shows up for two or three hours on Sunday morning and spends another couple hours in a small group during the week. If that same member serves in the church or in a ministry to the community for an additional hour or two, we would call that person a pillar of the church.

All of us have approximately 112 waking hours each week (based on eight hours of sleep a night). So if a follower of Christ spends eight hours in fellowship, worship, or service with other Christians from his or her local church, what is he or she doing with the remaining 104 hours? Couldn’t some of those hours be “redeemed” (Col. 4:5)? What would happen if we began to connect redemptively with other followers of Christ—even if they attend another church—in the routine non-religious spaces of our lives?

In the last issue of the FGBC World, I introduced the concept of a Spring of Life to provide just such a connection. In a Spring of Life, believers intentionally connect with each other for the sake of the gospel in places they frequent—neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, coffee shops, or clubs, for example —so that they might become transformational disciples and make transformational disciples. A transformational disciple is a follower of Jesus who is actively arranging his or her life in order to reflect the character and conduct of Christ. Such a disciple will be transformational in his or her relational and physical contexts.

A Spring of Life, therefore, can be viewed as a small disciple-making community located outside of the local church congregation involving a place, a partner, and a plan. In order to begin such a community, first need to choose a place—a space in your normal life routine that you might adopt as your personal mission field.

Not far from our home is a coffee shop that my wife and I have turned into our personal Spring of Life. We frequently go there to intentionally connect as a couple with non-Christian baristas and customers.

Obviously the task of picking a partner for our Spring of Life wasn’t difficult. But what if you don’t know any Christians at the place where you want to start a Spring of Life? Begin to pray that God would direct you to someone who is—or might soon become—a follower of Christ and your redemptive partner. Jesus sent His disciples out in teams for a reason.

Finally, listen carefully to the Spirit in prayer as you and your partner craft a plan to live out the gospel in tangible peace-building ways in your Spring of Life. Brothers and sisters, we live in a world that is thirsty for hope and peace! May God give us the grace to transform the ordinary places of life into “a place of refreshing springs” (Ps. 84:6b) so that dehydrated people can drink deeply and “never thirst again” (Jn. 4:14).

(Editor’s Note: The 2009-2011 moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, Tom Hocking is challenging Grace Brethren churches in the U.S. to unite in a commitment to make disciples through planting churches, training leaders, and adopting holistic ministries. He is the pastor of the Bellflower Brethren Church in Bellflower, Calif.)