During the last year(s), several of our ARUMC clergy have written devotions, papers, studies, and stories in book form, each a blessing in its own way. We want to celebrate our clergy who have shared pieces of their spiritual life with us and encourage you to consider adding these books to your Christmas list for your small group, your friends, or yourself.
Rev. Blake Bradford
Mission Possible For the Small Church
Small churches have an amazing capacity to bounce back over and over again. They are resilient. Since they often have less than a full-time pastor, there is a strong laity leadership preference ready to step in and do what it takes. Small churches also have what we refer to as a superpower that large churches can’t touch: the ability to be highly relational from the get-go. Small churches that have discovered and know how to leverage this superpower are vital, healthy churches having God-sized impact in their communities.
Too often, small churches concentrate on what they can’t do. We offer this resource to lift up what small churches can do!
Rev. Ben Crismon
40 Days: A Lenten Journey Through Exodus
In this forty-day devotional, Crismon invites readers to journey through a chapter of the Book of Exodus each day, providing historical context, deep spiritual insight, key verses, and practical reflection questions that connect the Scriptures to daily life. With pastoral warmth and theological depth, he illuminates the narrative of the Israelites in the wilderness: their faithfulness and failures, liberation and wandering, and the God who leads them through it all.
40 Days: A Lenten Journey Through Exodus is crafted to draw readers closer to God, prepare their hearts for Easter, and strengthen their commitment to following God’s leadership. Each day offers a thoughtful exploration of Scripture alongside personal application, making the devotional a meaningful companion for individuals, small groups, or congregations seeking a deeper walk with Christ during Lent.
“Lent is a time to take seriously what it means to wrestle with your faithfulness, dive into your relationship with God, and to prepare yourself for the glory that awaits on the other end of this time,” says Crismon. “My hope is that this devotional helps people see God’s faithfulness in history and experience God’s presence in fresh and powerful ways today.”
Rev. Jeffery Hampton
Warm Reflections & Ministry Moments
Find yourself challenged, inspired, and comforted by the thoughtful, scholarly proclamation of God’s word in Dr. Jeff Hampton’s meditations, devotions, prayers, and sermons within the pages of Warm Reflections & Ministry Moments. This book is faith in action.
Caring for Individuals and Families
The Caring for Individuals and Families Training Manual contains a portion of the history of caring at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church. Included are templates for groups seeking to evaluate and enhance their caring ministries.
Rev. Michelle Morris
Prophets To the Generations: From Desert Scrolls to Social Feeds: God’s Call Across Generations (available January/February 2026)
This book pairs each of the major prophets with one of the major generations to see what they have in common and how God’s word continues to speak to us today. This study can help communities nurture intergenerational understanding among all ages.
Rev. Michelle Morris with Rev. Zeke Allen, Rev. Jacob Lynn, Rev. Dan Read, Rev. Michael Roberts, Rev. Bill Sardin, and Rev. LaToya Shepherd,
More Favorite Sunday School Lessons: Adult Sunday School Lessons by Clergy of the Arkansas Conference is the third in a series of Adult Sunday School books by clergy of various annual conferences.
If you are a small group leader or Sunday School teacher, Michelle Morris and seven other clergypersons from the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church have just the book for you.
Rev. John Robbins
In I Love to Tell the Story, Dr. John Robbins invites readers to gather close and listen anew to the timeless, transforming power of the gospel. Inspired by the beloved hymn that has echoed through sanctuaries for generations, this collection of sermons brings “the old, old story” into the heart of our modern lives-meeting us where we are, yet calling us gently forward.
Like the parables Jesus shared on hillsides and by lakeshores, these sermons are woven with stories that shine light into everyday moments: stories of grace when life feels unsteady, of hope when faith flickers low, and of community when the world feels too divided to heal. With warmth, clarity, and a deep love for both scripture and people, Robbins reminds us that the good news is not stale or distant-it’s alive, spoken, and meant to be shared.
Whether you are a lifelong believer, a seeker returning home, or someone who simply loves a well-told story, this book offers a place to rest, reflect, and rejoice. Open these pages and hear again the story that has shaped generations-and may it inspire you, too, to keep telling it in your own way, wherever you are called.
Rev. Michael Roberts with Rev. Lauren DeLano Grosskopf
Awakening Through Wilderness invites readers on a transformative journey through Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, exploring timeless truths through the voice and vision of John Wesley. This third installment in Michael Roberts’ acclaimed series builds on his previous works, Wanting More and Radically Blessed, continuing his mission to make Wesley’s foundational teachings accessible and deeply relevant for today’s church.
Radically Blessed: The Core Teachings of Jesus Through the Sermons of John Wesley
Radically Blessed: The Core Teachings of Jesus through the Sermons of John Wesley invites readers into a life-transforming journey through the heart of Christian discipleship. Drawing from the Sermon on the Mount and the powerful, often-overlooked sermons of John Wesley, this book offers a fresh and devotional exploration of Jesus’ most foundational teachings.
Wanting More: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Dr. Michael Roberts, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas, delivers this powerful book containing two studies in one. First, Wanting More includes a six-week Advent study based on Advent sermons by Methodist founder John Wesley. The second half of the book includes a six-week study to be used during the season of Epiphany, also based on sermons by John Wesley.
Rev. Betsy Singleton Snyder and Gayle Fiser
New Tricks: How Dog Ministry Can Transform Faith Communities and Change Lives
New Tricks is a groundbreaking guide to bringing pet ministry into your faith community, offering practical steps and inspiring ideas to serve those who have pets, promote animal well-being, and embrace the unconditional love that animals bring into our lives. Written by a popular pastor and author and a lay leader who has helped train therapy dogs for decades, both of whom are passionate about animals, New Tricks is filled with heart-warming stories of how animals of all kinds minister to us and how we, in turn, can serve them and their families.
Weaving biblical and theological insight with real stories of healing and support, the authors provide a compelling case for and reasons why a pet ministry has an important place among other transformative ministries in your community — and how it can attract people to your faith community.
Rev. Tamira Wimbish Valley
Putting Down the Cape is more than a book—it’s a healing journey for every Black woman who has ever felt like she had to be everything for everyone. Rooted in truth, vulnerability, and liberation, this powerful work invites readers to release the burdens.