Martin Saunders – författare

'A gift to the church.' Christianity MagazineThe Man You're Made to Be by author Martin Saunders starts by asking, What makes a man?The answer used to be easy. You chopped wood, you wrestled bears, and never showed an ounce of emotion.Today, thankfully, we've started leaving some of those ill-fitting gender stereotypes behind. But what replaces them? How do you make sense of masculinity in a world of mixed messages?If you're a young man growing up in this world, The Man You're Meant To Be is your invite on an adventure to explore the issues that confront us as guys - from conducting relationships, setting healthy boundaries and processing emotions, to handling money and behaving online - and to discover a better way of living through faith in Christ. If you're a youth worker or parent nurturing a young man, then this book is also a must read for you.Drawing on personal stories - mainly about the sorts of mistakes you don't have to make - and looking at Jesus as a role model who provides a much better blueprint for growing up well as a man, Martin Saunders provides an entertaining, easy-to-read way to ask the biggest questions: who am I, and why on earth am I here?

You are not the centre of the universe.When we’re so focused on our own lives and concerns, it’s easy to forget that the world doesn’t revolve around us. This book unpacks seven core values of the Christian life – with God at the centre – exploring whether this in fact is a much more fulfilling way to live.Offering a new vision of the Christian faith for today’s generation, this lively, engaging look at discipleship is full of warmth and practical advice, making it the perfect introduction for young people looking to follow Jesus.

Prayer is the key to knowing and communicating with God, unlocking a lifelong faith and being the primary bedrock of Christian faith.Signal Fire explores the myriad of different ways in which we can connect with God, both together and alone. This handy guide provides opportunities to try out different aspects of prayer, equipping young people with a prayer life of their own.Prayer is a refuge in times when everything else is failing; it's a compass when we're lost and a firework when we're joy-struck. Prayer is the subject of a thousand distinct metaphors, and they're all both true and insufficient. Why? Because prayer is direct connection with God, and the pathway to making sense of life itself.Signal Fire encourages young people to develop a life of prayer and connection with God and invest in this key practice of lasting faith. Martin Saunders, Director of Innovation at Youthscape, writes an accessible and practical book for teenagers with some points for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter.This book can be used alone by a young person or used by youth workers to work through with a group.

Here are 500 prayers for every occasion. Prayers for relationships; for problems; for saying thank you; for crying out in anger or pain; for times of spiritual dryness; for times of starting again. They can be used for worship together, and for worship alone. They can open up new possibilities, and help to bring a bad day to a better close.The 500 prayers will be split into thematic sections, including:- Seasonal (Including: Christmas, Easter, Pentecost)- Thanksgiving;- Praise and worship; School (including exams, bullying, relationship with teachers)- Relationships (including friendships, sex, and boyfriend/girlfriend)- Justice (including prayers about the environment, poverty etc)- Knowing God (including prayers for spiritual gifts)- Pain and problems (including bereavement and illness).The prayers themselves will be numbered but continually varied - featuring a mix of ancient prayers (approx 20%), and prayers written by the author and by young people. They are written in a variety of styles, and are preceded by a short introduction where necessary. An extensive index is included alongside features to help young people in developing a prayer life.

Packed with practical activities, engaging stories, and relevant explanation, this photocopiable resource will be a powerful tool to help young people develop a deep-rooted and lasting faith.Martin believes that many young believers today practise a dangerously brittle faith. They need to be led deeper, to a faith rooted not in the personalities of their leaders or the hype of big events, but in a disciplined direct relationship with God.This book will provide practical tools to help youth leaders to teach their teenagers to pray, study the Bible, live more simply, and discover the value in other ancient disciplines such as confession, fasting, solitude, study and worship. There will be 12 short chapters, each suitable for one session. Each will begin with background information for the leader, then provide a photocopiable study section with practical exercises.Each will conclude with questions suitable for discussion in small groups.

'Youth Work from Scratch' offers practicing Youth Workers practical advice and instruction for establishing, revitalizing and growing a Church Youth Project.Mark Saunders, editor of 'Youthwork Magazine' and experienced leader, has seen too many Churches plough finance and resources into youth work projects without clear vision and solid planning. Now Mark has written a how-to guide for new and existing projects to establish a firm, meaningful foundation that will become a spiritually healthy group.Inside you'll find advice and help for:- Jumpstarting an Old Project- Envisioning the Whole Church- Recruitment and Training Your Volunteers- Establishing Spiritual Disciplines and Prayer Support- Things To Do in your First Term- Encouraging Young Leaders- Building for the Long Haul- Recognizing Your Own Boundaries (When To Rest)With both practical and spiritual help, this book is a lifeline to fresh on the job youth works. When applied with faith, enthusiasm and confidence the contents of this fantastic book could help build a successful career and a stand-out ministry that will draw young people towards Church and faith.

Games with Purpose mixes energizing, entertaining games with learning points to create an invaluable resource that will provide a fun introduction to hundreds of staple topics. There is something to suit every situation, from games needing little or no preparation or equipment, to big, memorable games that will stay with the group for a long time. The collection consists of mainly original game ideas, meeting the regular requirement for stimulating new games and icebreakers.Unlike other resources that simply seek to provide entertainment, Games with Purpose is categorised around popular topics providing youth workers with inspiration and ideas to help them to include games as a core component of their sessions, rather than just an add-on to dissipate surplus energy.Using themes from discussion starter resources The Ideas Factory and The Think Tank, this collection provides youth leaders with a complete solution - the book stands alone but by pairing these games with the discussion starters, youth leaders will have all they need to build a complete session.

The Ideas Factory is a priceless resource for anyone working with young people. It contains 100 adaptable discussion starters: a brief story, usually factual, followed by a series of provocative questions.The stories explore topics relevant to young people, including relationships, technology, and emotions; an important biblical concept, such as giving, the afterlife, or love; and the main stories and themes of the Bible.The questions begin with general issues, before moving on to what the Bible has to say. Extra questions are included for use with unchurched young people.This revised and updated edition has up-to-date examples and references to connect with today's young people.

A fantastic resource for youth workers. God, the Great Storyteller, chose to communicate with us through story - in fact a great library of stories, filled with heroes, villains, sex, violence, intrigue, sacrifice and redemption.The Think Tank gives young people an opportunity to meet that incredible Bible narrative - perhaps for the first time.This book contains 100 stories designed to provoke discussion, followed by penetrating questions which relate the stories to biblical bedrock.The stories are in four parts:* WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT? - Unbelievable stories, all absolutely true!* INSPIRING INDIVIDUALS - Stories of celebrities, public figures and other people of note making a positive difference.* WHAT WOULD YOU DO? - Ethics explored through stories, many based on real events.* AT THE MOVIES - A major bonus: 25 movie clips that pack a punch with young people, and all the background and questions you'll need to facilitate discussion around them.

Arthur White was a world champion power-lifter, a successful businessman, and a happy family man, until his life spiralled out of control. Cocaine, steroids, and an affair changed everything. Arthur lost his business, family, and his own health was severely threatened. Death seemed the only way out until an incident with a knife.....Arthur's life story is straight out of the annals of crime thriller and his conversion to the Christian faith dramatically demonstrates the reality of God's amazing grace.