Grace in Tension

Grace in Tension PDF Author: Claire McGarry
Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
ISBN: 168192644X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Book Description
We all face stress and tension in our daily lives. We might even wonder why our God of abundant goodness doesn’t remove the everyday struggles we face. Jesus’ interactions with Martha and Mary in the Gospel provide us the key to understanding how God shows us his love by allowing tensions in our lives. As we follow the sisters’ transformative journeys through their own struggles, reflecting on what transpires between Scripture verses, we see their initial tension become the catalyst that drives both Mary and Martha to the feet of Jesus — the place where all discover peace. Grace in Tension explores the areas where stress arises in our own lives. Each chapter ends with a thought-provoking prayer to inspire us to go to God with our problems, followed by questions for reflection to help us see all the ways he’s working for our good. God doesn’t create any of it, but he does show up amid life’s difficulties, ready to lead us through. No matter how big or small our struggle, when we seek him out, he reveals what we need to do to resolve our tension, transforming it into grace. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Claire McGarry is the founder of MOSAIC of Faith, a ministry for mothers of infants to school-aged children to explore their faith through motherhood. She contributes regularly to CatholicMom.com and blogs at ShiftingMyPerspective.com. She is the author of Lenten devotional With Our Savior, and her work has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Keys for Kids, These Days, and Focus on the Family magazine. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Grace in Tension

Grace in Tension PDF Author: Claire McGarry
Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
ISBN: 168192644X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 112

Get Book

Book Description
We all face stress and tension in our daily lives. We might even wonder why our God of abundant goodness doesn’t remove the everyday struggles we face. Jesus’ interactions with Martha and Mary in the Gospel provide us the key to understanding how God shows us his love by allowing tensions in our lives. As we follow the sisters’ transformative journeys through their own struggles, reflecting on what transpires between Scripture verses, we see their initial tension become the catalyst that drives both Mary and Martha to the feet of Jesus — the place where all discover peace. Grace in Tension explores the areas where stress arises in our own lives. Each chapter ends with a thought-provoking prayer to inspire us to go to God with our problems, followed by questions for reflection to help us see all the ways he’s working for our good. God doesn’t create any of it, but he does show up amid life’s difficulties, ready to lead us through. No matter how big or small our struggle, when we seek him out, he reveals what we need to do to resolve our tension, transforming it into grace. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Claire McGarry is the founder of MOSAIC of Faith, a ministry for mothers of infants to school-aged children to explore their faith through motherhood. She contributes regularly to CatholicMom.com and blogs at ShiftingMyPerspective.com. She is the author of Lenten devotional With Our Savior, and her work has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Keys for Kids, These Days, and Focus on the Family magazine. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Messy Grace

Messy Grace PDF Author: Caleb Kaltenbach
Publisher: WaterBrook
ISBN: 1601427379
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
Sometimes, grace gets messy. Caleb Kaltenbach was raised by LGBT parents, marched in gay pride parades as a youngster, and experienced firsthand the hatred and bitterness of some Christians toward his family. But then Caleb surprised everyone, including himself, by becoming a Christian…and a pastor. Very few issues in Christianity are as divisive as the acceptance of the LGBT community in the church. As a pastor and as a person with beloved family members living a gay lifestyle, Caleb had to face this issue with courage and grace. Messy Grace shows us that Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” doesn’t have an exception clause for a gay “neighbor”—or for that matter, any other “neighbor” we might find it hard to relate to. Jesus was able to love these people and yet still hold on to his beliefs. So can you. Even when it’s messy. “Messy Grace is an important contribution to the conversation about sexual identity for churches and leaders. Caleb's story is surprising and unique, and he weaves it together compellingly. He states his views clearly, leaves room for disagreement, and champions love no matter where you are in this conversation.” —Jud Wilhite, Sr. Pastor, Central Christian Church

My Hope Is Found

My Hope Is Found PDF Author: Joanne Bischof
Publisher: Multnomah
ISBN: 1601424264
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Gideon O’Riley has been given another chance at a life with Lonnie. But will the fight for her heart risk it all over again? After finally finding love with his sweet bride Lonnie, Gideon’s heart was torn when a woman from his past claimed to be his true and rightful wife, forcing him away from his family. God’s merciful hand saw Gideon through the heartache, and with Cassie’s blessing, he is able to return home. But his journey back through the Blue Ridge Mountains will hold a trial he never anticipated. Meanwhile, Lonnie determines to seal off her heart from Gideon, convinced he is lost to her forever. Strengthening her resolve to move on is her growing fondness for the handsome Scotsman, Toby McKee—the young reverend she has come to care for deeply. His proposal of marriage offers a bright future for her and her young son. Yearning to allow joy back into her life, Lonnie must put aside the broken pieces of her heart that still love Gideon. When he returns to find her betrothed to another, he has to place his hope in God, trusting that the One who redeemed their love once can do it again. “Joanne has hit a home run with her Cadence of Grace series… With memorable characters and struggles aplenty, this is the kind of story that will have readers telling their friends, ‘You’ve got to read these books.’” —Lauraine Snelling, best-selling author of the Red River of the North series and Wild West Wind series

The Grace of God

The Grace of God PDF Author: Andy Stanley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 9780849948145
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
ôGrace. ItÆs what we crave most when our guilt is exposed. ItÆs the very thing we are hesitant to extend when we are confronted with the guilt of othersùespecially when their guilt has robbed us of something we consider valuable. Therein is the struggle, the struggle for grace. ItÆs this struggle that makes grace more story than doctrine. ItÆs the struggle that reminds us that grace is bigger than compassion or forgiveness. That struggle is the context for both. When we are on the receiving end, grace is refreshing. When it is required of us, it is often disturbing. But when correctly applied, it seems to solve just about everything. This struggle is not new; it has been going on since the beginning.ö ùAndy Stanley We find in the pages of Scripture that the stories found there often mirror our own stories, and that we too need the very thing we do not deserve: the grace of God. From the beginning, the church has had an uneasy relationship with grace. The gravitational pull is always toward graceless religion. The odd thing is that when you read the New Testament, the only thing Jesus stood against consistently was graceless religion. The only group he attacked relentlessly was graceless religious leaders. Even now as you think about grace, there might be a little voice in your head whispering, ôIt canÆt be that easy!ö ôWhat about obedience?ö ôWhat about disobedience?ö ôWhat about repeated misbehavior?ö ôWhat about bad habits?ö ôWhat about justice?ö ôWhat about repentance?ö ItÆs this tension that makes grace so slippery. But thatÆs the beauty and the truth of grace. We donÆt deserve it. We canÆt earn it. It canÆt be qualified. But God gives it to us anyway because he loves us unconditionally. The story of grace is your story. And as you are about to discover grace plays a larger role than you imagine.

Rhythms of Grace

Rhythms of Grace PDF Author: Kerri Weems
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310330793
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Life is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. These well-known words of wisdom remind us to pace ourselves in the journey of life so we reach the finish line with no regrets. Pacing yourself is not as easy as it sounds. Life tends to take on a pace of its own which when left unchecked, will drive us toward burnout and fatigue. We can easily become driven by care, worry, and ambition rather than led by the Holy Spirit. We may tend to think of burnout as a modern problem, but we can see that people in Jesus’ day felt their own kind of spiritual and emotional fatigue. Why else would Jesus have said these comforting words? Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly (Matt. 11:28-30; The Message). Even though he spoke these words more than two millennia ago, Jesus’ call to rest and peace seem tailor-made to fit this generation. Author Kerri Weems had let the pace and rhythm of her life get out of control. At first the consequences were only physical, but they quickly impacted her spiritual life. Since then, God has been teaching her to walk in time with him; he is teaching her to be led rather than driven. In this book, she opens up her life and shares this journey with the reader. God’s best for each of us is that we go the full distance of our race, and not just crawl exhausted across the finish line. God wants us to enjoy the race and cross the line with our heads held high, a smile on our faces, and our arms lifted in a double fist-punch! Getting to that moment is all about learning the rhythms of grace and pacing ourselves for the long run.

The Book of Grace

The Book of Grace PDF Author: Suzan-Lori Parks
Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
ISBN: 155936646X
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Book Description
A new play by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Topdog/Underdog.

Grace and Fury

Grace and Fury PDF Author: Tracy Banghart
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0316471399
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
Bold, brutal, and beautiful, this must-read fantasy is full of fierce sisterhood, action, and political intrigue for fans of The Selection series, Caraval, and The Handmaid's Tale. Serina Tessaro has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace—someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. It's her chance to secure a better life for her family, and to keep her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, out of trouble. But when Nomi catches the Heir's eye instead, Serina is the one who takes the fall for the dangerous secret her sister has been hiding. Trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one option: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to save Serina. But this is easier said than done...a traitor walks the halls of the palazzo, and deception lurks in every corner. Meanwhile, Serina is running out of time. Imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive, surrounded by women stronger than she is, one wrong move could cost her everything. There is no room for weakness on Mount Ruin, especially weaknesses of the heart. Thrilling and captivating, Grace and Fury is a story of fierce sisterhood, and survival in a world that's determined to break you.

No Place of Grace

No Place of Grace PDF Author: T. J. Jackson Lears
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022679444X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
"T. J. Jackson Lears's No Place of Grace is a landmark book in the fields of American Studies and history, known for its rigorous research and original, near-literary style. A study of responses to the culture of corporate capitalism at the turn of the twentieth century, No Place of Grace charts the development of modern consumer society through the embrace of antimodernism, the effort among many middle and upper class Americans to recapture feelings of authenticity, vigor, depth, and connection. Rather than offer true resistance to the increasing corporate bureaucratization of the time, however, antimodernism helped accommodate Americans to the new order-it was therapeutic rather than oppositional, a forerunner to today's self-help culture. And yet antimodernism contributed a new dynamic as well, "an eloquent edge of protest," as Lears puts it, which is evident even today in anticonsumerism, sustainable living, and other practices. This edition, with a lively and discerning foreword by Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, celebrates the book's 40th anniversary"--

Extravagant Grace

Extravagant Grace PDF Author: Barbara R. Duguid
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781596384491
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Why do Christians even mature Christians still sin so often? Why doesn't God set us free? We seem to notice more sin in our lives all the time, and we wonder if our progress is a constant disappointment to God. Where is the joy and peace we read about in the Bible? Speaking from her own struggles, Barbara Duguid turns to the writings of John Newton to teach us a theology with a purpose for our failure and guilt one that adjusts our expectations of ourselves. Her empathetic, honest approach lifts our focus from our own performance back to the God who is bigger than our failures and who uses them. Rediscover how God's extravagant grace makes the gospel once again feel like the good news it truly is

Grace and Glory

Grace and Glory PDF Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin
ISBN: 0369760336
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 459

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Book Description
"A swoony, supernatural smash that's impossible to put down!" —Abigail Johnson, author of Even If I Fall Danger, betrayal, and enticing forbidden love... Trinity Marrow has lost the battle and her beloved Protector. Even with both demons and Wardens on her side, Trin may not win the war against the Harbinger. Bringing Lucifer back to the world to fight the Harbinger is probably a really, really bad idea, but they’re out of options—and the world’s ultimate fallen angel is the only being powerful enough to impact the outcome. As Trin and Zayne form a new and more dangerous bond and Lucifer unleashes Hell on earth, the apocalypse looms and the world teeters on the end of forever. Win or lose, one thing is certain—nothing will ever be the same. The story continues in the rest of The Harbinger Series, now available with enhanced decorating: Book 1: Storm and Fury Book 2: Rage and Ruin Book 3: Grace and Glory