Having Nothing, Possessing Everything

Having Nothing, Possessing Everything PDF Author: Michael Mather
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 1467451401
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 163

Get Book Here

Book Description
Pastor Mike Mather arrived in Indianapolis thinking that he was going to serve the poor. But after his church’s community lost nine young men to violence in a few short months, Mather came to see that the poor didn’t need his help—he needed theirs. This is the story of how one church found abundance in a com-munity of material poverty. Viewing people—not programs, finances, or service models—as their most valuable resource moved church members beyond their own walls and out into the streets, where they discovered folks rich in strength, talents, determination, and love. Mather’s Having Nothing, Possessing Everything will inspire readers to seek justice in their own local communities and to find abundance and hope all around them.

Having Nothing, Possessing Everything

Having Nothing, Possessing Everything PDF Author: Michael Mather
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 1467451401
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 163

Get Book Here

Book Description
Pastor Mike Mather arrived in Indianapolis thinking that he was going to serve the poor. But after his church’s community lost nine young men to violence in a few short months, Mather came to see that the poor didn’t need his help—he needed theirs. This is the story of how one church found abundance in a com-munity of material poverty. Viewing people—not programs, finances, or service models—as their most valuable resource moved church members beyond their own walls and out into the streets, where they discovered folks rich in strength, talents, determination, and love. Mather’s Having Nothing, Possessing Everything will inspire readers to seek justice in their own local communities and to find abundance and hope all around them.

Spiritual Classics

Spiritual Classics PDF Author: Richard J. Foster
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060628723
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 402

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Brightest Lights of the Christian Tradition St. Augustine, Thomas Merton, Fredrick Buechner, Evelyn Underhill, A.W. Tozer, G.K. Chesterton, Thomas More, Martin Luther King, Jr., Amy Carmichael, Simone Weil, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Hildegard of Bingen, John Milton, Dorothy Day, Leo Tolstoy, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and more. . . From nearly two thousand years of Christian writing comes Spiritual Classcs,fifty–two selections complete with a profile of each author, guided meditations for group and individual use, and reflections containing questions and exercises. Editors Richard Foster and Emilie Griffith offer their expertise by selecting inspirational writings and including their own commentary and recommendations for further guided reading and exploration.

I Know This Much Is True

I Know This Much Is True PDF Author: Wally Lamb
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780060391621
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 884

Get Book Here

Book Description
With his stunning debut novel, She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman's painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal--this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world. When you're the same brother of a schizophrenic identical twin, the tricky thing about saving yourself is the blood it leaves on your bands--the little inconvenience of the look-alike corpse at your feet. And if you're into both survival of the fittest and being your brother's keeper--if you've promised your dying mother--then say so long to sleep and hello to the middle of the night. Grab a book or a beer. Get used to Letterman's gap-toothed smile of the absurd, or the view of the bedroom ceiling, or the influence of random selection. Take it from a godless insomniac. Take it from the uncrazy twin--the guy who beat the biochemical rap. Dominick Birdsey's entire life has been compromised and constricted by anger and fear, by the paranoid schizophrenic twin brother he both deeply loves and resents, and by the past they shared with their adoptive father, Ray, a spit-and-polish ex-Navy man (the five-foot-six-inch sleeping giant who snoozed upstairs weekdays in the spare room and built submarines at night), and their long-suffering mother, Concettina, a timid woman with a harelip that made her shy and self-conscious: She holds a loose fist to her face to cover her defective mouth--her perpetual apology to the world for a birth defect over which she'd had no control. Born in the waning moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950, the twins are physical mirror images who grow into separate yet connected entities: the seemingly strong and protective yet fearful Dominick, his mother's watchful "monkey"; and the seemingly weak and sweet yet noble Thomas, his mother's gentle "bunny." From childhood, Dominick fights for both separation and wholeness--and ultimately self-protection--in a house of fear dominated by Ray, a bully who abuses his power over these stepsons whose biological father is a mystery. I was still afraid of his anger but saw how he punished weakness--pounced on it. Out of self-preservation I hid my fear, Dominick confesses. As for Thomas, he just never knew how to play defense. He just didn't get it. But Dominick's talent for survival comes at an enormous cost, including the breakup of his marriage to the warm, beautiful Dessa, whom he still loves. And it will be put to the ultimate test when Thomas, a Bible-spouting zealot, commits an unthinkable act that threatens the tenuous balance of both his and Dominick's lives. To save himself, Dominick must confront not only the pain of his past but the dark secrets he has locked deep within himself, and the sins of his ancestors--a quest that will lead him beyond the confines of his blue-collar New England town to the volcanic foothills of Sicily 's Mount Etna, where his ambitious and vengefully proud grandfather and a namesake Domenico Tempesta, the sostegno del famiglia, was born. Each of the stories Ma told us about Papa reinforced the message that he was the boss, that he ruled the roost, that what he said went. Searching for answers, Dominick turns to the whispers of the dead, to the pages of his grandfather's handwritten memoir, The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings. Rendered with touches of magic realism, Domenico's fablelike tale--in which monkeys enchant and religious statues weep--becomes the old man's confession--an unwitting legacy of contrition that reveals the truth's of Domenico's life, Dominick learns that power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed, and now, picking through the humble shards of his deconstructed life, he will search for the courage and love to forgive, to expiate his and his ancestors' transgressions, and finally to rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his twin. Set against the vivid panoply of twentieth-century America and filled with richly drawn, memorable characters, this deeply moving and thoroughly satisfying novel brings to light humanity's deepest needs and fears, our aloneness, our desire for love and acceptance, our struggle to survive at all costs. Joyous, mystical, and exquisitely written, I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary reading experience that will leave no reader untouched.

Comforts from the Cross

Comforts from the Cross PDF Author: Elyse M. Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433522519
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 154

Get Book Here

Book Description
Daily comforts from the gospel of Christ provide busy Christian women with brief but deep reminders of how his truths powerfully connect to their daily lives. Nothing comforts a woman's soul more than a fully understood and embraced gospel. But many women aren't finding solace in their relationship with Christ because they don't see how his life, death, and resurrection connect with soccer practices and swim lessons. Besides, they just don't have time to sit down and read a theology book, no matter how much they might hunger for God's truths. That's where Elyse Fitzpatrick's latest book comes in. Comforts from the Cross provides those well-intentioned women with bite-sized readings to remind them of their place in Christ and of his love and ministry in their busy lives. It also dusts off the facts of the gospel to show how ancient truths such as justification, sanctification, and redemption can free and enliven their souls every day. Even more, these five-minute celebrations of the gospel relieve readers of legalistic condemnation and empower them for joyful obedience by engendering fresh love for the Savior. A perfect choice for gift-giving or personal encouragement, Fitzpatrick's book helps active women grasp the practicality of the gospel message and experience its deep comforts.

Who Is God?

Who Is God? PDF Author: Henry Loyd Copeland
Publisher: Author House
ISBN: 1463463278
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 380

Get Book Here

Book Description
About Who Is God? Who is god? is written for all humankind. It contains a most powerful message about two way communications between the reader and God. Getting to know God requires communication. In other words, the prerequisite to getting to know is two way communications between the reader and God. The reader actually becomes interactive with God. A fundamental communications model is presented illustrating some of the simplicities and some of the complexities associated with communicating. However, the book proceeds to make two-way communicating quite simple between the reader and God. This simplicity is achieved by identifying, defining, and elaborating on terms relevant to good communications. The reader asks: "Who am I?", and an answer is provided. This is followed by an introduction to God, followed by an introduction to Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, The Holy Trinity, and love. With this background, the reader communicates with God, and God communicates with the reader. Who is god? informs the reader as to how God communicates with the reader; how the reader communicates with God; some of Gods messages to the reader; some of the reader's messages to God; and finally the reader's conclusions after knowing himself or herself and God better. The profound impacts of Who is god? on the reader are: 1) recognition of the true God, God of the Holy Bible; 2) realization that God has established the ultimate communication model; and 3) realization that this type of relationship with God is both: a) the source of peace and joy, and b) the solution to terrorism, crime, addiction, prejudice, and deprivation.

The Workbook on the Beatitudes

The Workbook on the Beatitudes PDF Author: Maxie Dunnam
Publisher: Upper Room Books
ISBN: 083581730X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 333

Get Book Here

Book Description
Want to become more Christlike in your daily life? Best-selling, father-daughter authors Dunnam and Reisman will help you do that through this 8-week study. "When we wrote our previous workbook on the 10 Commandments, we intended to add a workbook on the Beatitudes," said Dunnam and Reisman. "The 10 Commandments from Mount Sinai and the Beatitudes from the mount in Capernaum combine to provide a way to be, to walk, and to relate. They offer critical values and principles to guide our every decision." While the 10 Commandments bear the notion of terrible judgment and what not to do, the Beatitudes offer promise and blessedness to the humblest, the weakest, the weariest. Jesus' masterpiece sermon is the blueprint for Christlike living. Journey to the slopes above Capernaum where Jesus delivered history's greatest, most sublime sermon. Be challenged to view the Beatitudes not just as a code of conduct to obey but as ethics of grace leading to kingdom living. As with other workbooks by Dunnam, this book connects wisdom from the Bible, Christian tradition, and theological insight with how you live your life each day. You'll find these helpful tools: daily readings tied to biblical text exercises for reflection and blank space to record responses practical suggestions for weaving ideas into your life detailed plans for weekly group meetings Live the lifestyle of the new creation by adopting the true "Jesus way" of life!

JourneyWise

JourneyWise PDF Author: Shane Stanford
Publisher: Whitaker House
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 197

Get Book Here

Book Description
JourneyWise: Finding meaning in each step along the path of life and being transformed by the journey as a whole. A common thread binds us together: the broken and winding roads we all travel. Most of us carry with us some form of spiritual, emotional, or physical baggage. That type of weight takes its toll. Our paths can be difficult or daunting if we try to journey them on our own. In JourneyWise, noted pastor and author Shane Stanford offers us a different understanding of our life's path, enabling us to reframe our journey into one that is healed and redeemed. He begins by asking these questions: What if you could have Jesus Himself as your life’s companion? What if you had access to His innermost thoughts, tapping into His wisdom? What if your story could intimately intertwine with His and of others who closely follow Him? And what if all of this were possible by purposefully applying only a few paragraphs of His teachings? The Beatitudes are more than just poetic verse used to begin Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. They are the essence of Jesus’s message from beginning to end. These familiar words establish the overall tone of Jesus’s teaching ministry and reveal His most deeply held values. To be JourneyWise is to discover and live out the simple yet powerful truths of the Beatitudes. It is through the Beatitudes, which literally mean “blessings,” that Jesus gives us a new definition of significance before leading us to reflect on the deeper meaning of life, our relationship with God, and the interconnections we have with others. They speak to our friendships, actions, fears, prejudices, and joys. They are pragmatic, powerful lessons wrapped in simple words. In their simplicity and accuracy, the Beatitudes yield amazing results when practiced faithfully. This book will stir your spirit and touch your emotions to bring healing so you can follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Writing with honesty, poignancy, and compassion about the complexities of our daily existence, Shane shows how, in each beatitude, Jesus provides a foundation for developing a significant and spiritually formed life. Here, you will find words of hope and the infinite possibilities of Christ’s simple blessings. JourneyWise with Jesus.

Exploring Second Corinthians

Exploring Second Corinthians PDF Author: B. J. Oropeza
Publisher: SBL Press
ISBN: 0884141241
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 916

Get Book Here

Book Description
A multi-faceted commentary that breathes fresh insight into Paul's letter In Second Corinthians, Paul responds to reports of the Corinthian congregation questioning his competency as a divinely sent messenger. Through apologetic demegoria and the use of graphic imagery related to triumphal processions, siege warfare, and emissary travels and negotiation, Paul defends his constancy, persona, and speaking abilities as he extends the offer of clemency and reconciliation to his auditors. Oropeza combines rhetorical pictures (rhetography) with interpretative layers (literary features, intertextuality, socio-cultural, ideological, and sacred textures) to arrive at the rhetorical impact of Paul's message for ancient Mediterranean discourse. Features: A visual, sensory, and imaginative interpretation of the scripture A comprehensive commentary An avant-garde approach to biblical interpretation

Seek, Wait, Trust

Seek, Wait, Trust PDF Author: Mary Morgan Brown
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1664275746
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 217

Get Book Here

Book Description
If you long to draw nearer to the Creator, crave to feel the Spirit’s comfort, or yearn to follow Jesus along the journey of faith, you will treasure the humble wisdom that has crossed your path. Seek, Wait, Trust: Poems for Navigating the Spiritual Journey contains the pensive, poetic voice of Mary Morgan Brown and the compelling prayers of Rev. Dr. Gregg Brown. “These are not just literary offerings, but also testimonies of what God can do and will do,” Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. observes in his Foreword. “In many of these poems, scripture verses have morphed into direct advice not so much to be quoted, but actions to be taken. Listen not so much for rhymes or meter, literal or symbolic intent. Listen with your heart to hear the voice of God. God has heard the interrogatives, intercessions, petitions, and gratitude of your soul and has lovingly placed an answer in your spirit...If you do not discern the meaning on your first reading, read again and again. When you are finally ready, say ‘Speak Lord, your servant child is ready to hear!’” This book is a boat of wisdom for those on a quest for deeper meaning and purpose in life. The foreword is the bow; the poetry, the hull; and the prayers, the stern. Take the helm. Seek and chart a steady spiritual course. Wait for God’s navigating guidance. Trust your entire destination to the living Lord. • “Mary’s pensive, piercing insight and Gregg’s vigorous, Heaven-bound prayers will leave the reader revitalized and transformed for a closer walk with God and more loving interactions with people.” – Jackie Wright, publicist, President of Wright Enterprises • “Ms. Brown’s poignant, tender, and always relatable poems render new insight to scripture, bridging the peaks and valleys of an ongoing spiritual search.” – Robin Fletcher, writer, Founder of RdF Consulting Services • “It is a poetic dance and masterpiece of movement through self-discovery...it is the essential traveling case required of believers.” – Rev. Dr. Clarence L. Johnson, Senior Pastor, Mills Grove Christian Church, Disciples of Christ

Paul and Isaiah's Servants

Paul and Isaiah's Servants PDF Author: Mark S. Gignilliat
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0567121453
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Get Book Here

Book Description
Paul's reading of the Old Testament continues to witness to the significance of reading the Old Testament in a Christian way. This study argues that a theological approach to understanding Paul's appeal to and reading of the Old Testament, especially Isaiah, offers important insights into the ways in which Christians should read the Old Testament and a two-testament canon today. By way of example, this study explores the ways in which Isaiah 40-66's canonical form presents the gospel in miniature with its movement from Israel to Servant to servants. It is subsequently argued that Paul follows this literary movement in his own theological reflection in 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:10. Jesus takes on the unique role and identity of the Servant of Isaiah 40-55, and Paul takes on the role of the servants of the Servant in Isaiah 53-66. From this exegetical exploration conclusions are drawn in the final chapter that seek to apply a term from the history of interpretation to Paul's reading, that is, the plain sense of Scripture. What does an appeal to plain sense broker? And does Paul's reading of the Old Testament look anything like a plain sense reading? Gignilliat concludes that Paul is reading the Old Testament in such a way that the literal sense and its figural potential and capacity are not divorced but are actually organically linked in what can be termed a plain sense reading.