Book picks similar to
Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels by Julie M. Smith
religion
new-testament
abandoned
gospel
A Change Is Coming
Hector Sosa Jr. - 2015
was born in Puerto Rico. He began having visions of future events asa young boy, a gift he inherited from his mother. At age 13 he and his family joinedthe LDS Church, and the visions he had been receiving began to make sense as helearned more about the prophecies and doctrines taught by church leaders. Amongthe events he has foreseen are:�� Earthquakes in Utah�� A national financial collapse�� Plagues and sicknesses�� Concentration camps on U.S. soil�� An invasion from foreign troops�� The Saints prevail against the enemyHector's visions are specifically meant to serve as warnings to his own family, but hehopes that by sharing what he has seen, it will help others prepare for the challengingtimes that will soon come upon the world.
An Introduction to the Way of the Buddha: Buddhism for Beginners
Shalu Sharma - 2016
Here’s what you will learn in this book; you will learn about the Buddha, history of Buddha and Buddhism, teachings of Buddha, about Buddhist philosophy, the 3 universal truths, noble truths, sufferings, eight fold path, divisions of Buddhism, the 5 precepts, how to practice Buddhism and more.Download your book today and learn Buddhism plain and simple.
The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance
Elna Baker - 2009
Every year, Elna Baker attends the New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance. This year, her Queen Bee costume (which involves a funnel stinger stuck to her butt) isn't attracting the attention she'd anticipated. So once again, Elna finds herself alone, standing at the punch bowl, stocking up on Oreos, a virgin in a room full of thirty-year-old virgins doing the Funky Chicken. But loneliness is nothing compared to what Elna feels when she loses eighty pounds, finds herself suddenly beautiful...and in love with an atheist.
God In My Head: The true story of an ex-Christian who accidentally met God
Joshua Steven Grisetti - 2016
During the supernatural encounter, God explained the meaning of life, revealed the mysterious truths behind the writings of the Bible, unveiled the secrets of the afterlife and, most importantly, dramatically altered the spiritual course of one young man's life. This odd, irreverent spiritual memoir chronicles Josh's journey with blunt comic undertones, undercutting the lofty gravitas typically associated with the "heaven tourism" genre (including best-sellers like Heaven is for Real, To Heaven and Back and Proof of Heaven). While making no claims regarding "proof" of God, heaven or any particular theological truth, this true story is an entertaining and thought-provoking journey into the psychology of religion and the existence of God.
Led by Divine Design: Seeking for and Recognizing the Spirit
Ronald A. Rasband - 2018
But what does it mean to always have the Lord's Spirit with us? And how can we recognize the presence and guidance of the Holy Ghost in our lives?Paired with both inspirational and personal photography, this new book brings together some of Elder Ronald A. Rasband's greatest stories and counsel about recognizing the divine hand of the Lord in our lives. Get to know Elder Rasband and his teachings as he draws upon personal experiences from his younger life and his ministry as an Apostle. Through his own experience, he helps us learn first how to seek the Spirit and then how to recognize and respond to divine guidance in our families, with friends and colleagues, in our Church service, and during times of trial.Each of these short quotes, heartfelt stories, and brief messages is an important reminder that the Lord is in the small details of our lives. He is interested in our success and eternal happiness, and He has provided the Holy Ghost to offer divine guidance and lead us back to Him.
The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others
Scot McKnight - 2004
But the next part of Jesus' answer would change the course of history. Jesus amended the Shema, giving his followers a new creed for life: to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength, but also to love others as themselves.This is what Scot McKnight calls the 'Jesus Creed'. He has written this book for all Christians who want to find out how it can transform their lives - and the lives of those around them.
The New Copernicans: Millennials and the Survival of the Church
David John Seel Jr. - 2018
You may think of this group as millennials—those born between 1980 and 2000—but millennials resist this label for good reason: the national narrative on them is pejorative, patronizing, and just plain wrong.Here's what we do know:
Of Americans with a church background, 76 percent are described as "religious nones" or unaffiliated—and it's the fastest growing segment of the population.
Close to 40 percent of millennials fit this religious profile.
Roughly 80 percent of teens in evangelical church high school youth groups will abandon their faith after two years in college.
It's unlikely that the evangelical church can survive if it is uniformly rejected by millennials, and yet:
Millennial pastors and youth ministers are disempowered; their perspective is often not taken seriously by senior church leadership.
Most millennial research is framed in categories rejected by millennials; that is, left-brained, analytical communication is lost on right-brained, intuitive millennials.
Evangelicals' bias toward rational left-brained thinking makes the church seem tone-deaf.
What's next? Read on. John Seel suggests survival strategies—communication on-ramps for genuine human connection with the next generation. It can be done.
In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith
Todd M. Compton - 1997
These were passionate relationships which also had some longevity, except in cases such as that of two young sisters, one of whom was discovered by Joseph’s first wife, Emma, in a locked bedroom with the prophet. Emma remained a steadfast opponent of polygamy throughout her life. The majority of Smith’s wives were younger than he, and one-third were between fourteen and twenty years of age. Another third were already married, and some of the husbands served as witnesses at their own wife’s polyandrous wedding. In addition, some of the wives hinted that they bore Smith children—most notably Sylvia Sessions’s daughter Josephine—although the children carried their stepfather’s surname. For all of Smith’s wives, the experience of being secretly married was socially isolating, emotionally draining, and sexually frustrating. Despite the spiritual and temporal benefits, which they acknowledged, they found their faith tested to the limit of its endurance. After Smith’s death in 1844, their lives became even more “lonely and desolate.” One even joined a convent. The majority were appropriated by Smith’s successors, based on the Old Testament law of the Levirate, and had children by them, though they considered these guardianships unsatisfying. Others stayed in the Midwest and remarried, while one moved to California. But all considered their lives unhappy, except for the joy they found in their children and grandchildren.
The Eleventh Brother: A Novel of Joseph in Egypt
Rachel K. Wilcox - 2015
But Joseph is no common slave. Imprisoned and forgotten by all but God, he interprets a dream that reveals the future and alters his destiny. Now with his privileged Egyptian-born wife, Asenath, at his side, Joseph's transformation from the boy in the pit to the ruler of Egypt is nearly complete. But position and power cannot erase the bitterness he holds deep inside. When he suddenly comes face to face with the family that betrayed him, Joseph devises a plot to test his brothers' true character. Yet even revenge may not fill the aching hole in Joseph's heart, and the influence of a beautiful woman may be his only hope for redemption.
Increase In Learning: Spiritual Patterns For Obtaining Your Own Answers (Spiritual Patterns, #1)
David A. Bednar - 2011
Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. But how can we best learn the things we need to know and do?Elder Bednar emphasizes concepts, patterns, and processes that invite each of us to act and learn fundamental truths for ourselves. Declaring that answers to our questions always are found in the doctrines and principles of the restored gospel, he provides a framework in this book for learning those doctrines and understanding with our hearts.
Small Grain of Sand
Pamela Carrington Reid - 2013
Her female coworkers, however, are more focused on the allure of the children’s enigmatic single father, Phillippe Durand. When the handsome Frenchman is faced with a trip abroad with his children, he approaches Jennifer with an offer: a summer job as the twins’ nanny—on the idyllic island of Tahiti. Amid swaying palm trees and blazing sunsets, Jennifer forges a tentative friendship with her employer and begins to put together the pieces of this mysterious man. Phillippe, a former member of the Church, is haunted by a past fraught with death and heartbreak. Determined to help him rekindle the flame of his faith, Jennifer is caught off guard by the spark of romance that grows more undeniable by the day. But when Phillippe’s painful past threatens their blossoming relationship, will true love really have the power to conquer all?
Through the Window of Life: A Vision of the Glorious Future Awaiting the Lord's Followers
Suzanne Freeman - 2005
In the Bible we find that the Savior himself foretold such events. But we are also told that the Lord's followers will find refuge from the storm. How will that occr, and where will that happen?
The 7-Day Christian: How Living Your Beliefs Every Day Can Change the World
Brad Wilcox - 2014
At the very least, most Christians know what it is like to end up on the "wrong" side of a"politically correct" conversation. More than ever before, we needbelieving and behaving disciples- men and women who are ready tostand up, stand together, and change the world one righteous choiceat a time.Filled with personal experiences and heartwarming stories, this bookemphasizes the importance of living in accordance with Christianvalues seven days a week and offers practical suggestions for how toactually pull it off. In addition to finding personal peace and havinga positive impact on others, choosing to live as a daily disciple opensthe door for tremendous personal development.
Ordinary Lives Extraordinary Mission: Five Steps to Winning the War Within
John R. Wood - 2012
There is only one solution to the problems we face saints! Becoming a saint is a choice, and we must begin choosing the saint within each of us. The biggest crisis of our time is not economic, health care, or vocations, but is an identity crisis. We have forgotten our mission to become saints and forgotten our story as Catholics. We must rediscover that mission and hold each other accountable to accepting responsibility for that mission. We need heroic Catholicism. Everything we need to accomplish our mission is in the Church but the Catholic Church is a sleeping giant. It is time we wake the sleeping giant! This book is a five step guide to choosing the saint within you. The world doesn't need another John Paul II or Mother Teresa. The world needs you. Your ordinary life has an extraordinary purpose.
“This Is My Doctrine”: The Development of Mormon Theology
Charles R. Harrell - 2010
This book shows that these doctrines did not originate in a vacuum but were rather prompted and informed by the religious culture from which Mormonism arose. Early Mormons, like their early Christian and even earlier Israelite predecessors, brought with them their own varied culturally conditioned theological presuppositions (a process of convergence) and only later acquired a more distinctive theological outlook (a process of differentiation).In this first-of-its-kind comprehensive treatment of the development of Mormon theology, Charles Harrell traces the history of Latter-day Saint doctrines from the times of the Old Testament to the present. He describes how Mormonism has carried on the tradition of the biblical authors, early Christians, and later Protestants in reinterpreting scripture to accommodate new theological ideas while attempting to uphold the integrity and authority of the scriptures. In the process, he probes three questions: How did Mormon doctrines develop? What are the scriptural underpinnings of these doctrines? And what do critical scholars make of these same scriptures? In this enlightening study, Harrell systematically peels back the doctrinal accretions of time to provide a fresh new look at Mormon theology.“This Is My Doctrine” will provide those already versed in Mormonism’s theological tradition with a new and richer perspective of Mormon theology. Those unacquainted with Mormonism will gain an appreciation for how Mormon theology fits into the larger Jewish and Christian theological traditions.