Book picks similar to
Advent: a thread in the night by E.M. Welcher


poetry
advent
mbc-recommended-books
devotional-reading

Leaving Buddha: A Tibetan Monk’s Encounter with the Living God


Tenzin Lahkpa - 2019
    Unable to change his fate, he wholeheartedly embraces his life as a monk and begins a quest for full enlightenment through the teachings of Buddhism. From his local monastery to the famed Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, he learns deep mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism. Yearning to study with the current Dalai Lama, he eventually escapes from China by means of an excruciating, two-thousand-mile, secret trek over the Himalayas—barefoot, with no extra gear, changes of clothing, or money. His dream is realized when he finally sits under the Dalai Lama himself. But his desire to go deeper only grows, leading him to unexpected conclusions…. Follow the fascinating, never-before-told, true story of what causes a highly dedicated Tibetan Buddhist monk to make the radical decision to walk away from the teachings of Buddha and leave his monastery to follow Jesus Christ. Discover the reasons other monks want him dead before he can share his story with others.Leaving Buddha dares to expose the mysterious world of Tibetan Buddhism, with its layered teachings, intricate practices—and troubling secrets. Ultimately, it tells a moving story about the search for truth, the path of enlightenment, and how no one is beyond the reach of a loving God. This gripping narrative will resonate with people from all backgrounds and nations.

Pray the Scriptures from Your Heart!


Adam Houge - 2015
    By His word He made all things, and through it He created life. When His words enter your heart, He has promised that they will not return to Him void. They will go forth and prosper your soul in the fruit of God. Nothing could be more for a believer than to absorb the word of the Lord through prayer and daily meditation. Knowing this, consider taking the next 90 days to be renewed and changed by praying your way through God’s word. Come out from the distractions around you and spend some time being recharged in His Spirit through prayer. ***This Book Is A Boxed Set*** 4 Books for only $0.99! The Collection: Praying the Words of Jesus from Your Heart The Power of Praying Ephesians from Your Heart The Power of Praying Philippians from Your Heart The Power of Praying Colossians from Your Heart

What if Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops


Laura Story - 2011
    Chapter Titles include, What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? (a signature line in the song), and He Loves Us Too Much To Give Us Lesser Things. Each chapter contains thoughts, prayers and quotes along with a journaling page for you to recall blessings you have seen in your own life.

Lovely Things in Ugly Places


Mattie Montgomery - 2016
    In Lovely Things in Ugly Places, he invites us to come with him as he revisits the moments in his ministry (some incredible, some hilarious, and some tragic), that shaped him most substantially. Known for his bold and fearless proclamation of the Gospel, Montgomery writes with vulnerability and transparency, beckoning the Body of Christ into a radical lifestyle of love. He challenges his readers to lay down the labels we use to identify people, and to see them (and ourselves) as God does, reminding us that if we are willing to look, we too will find Lovely Things in Ugly Places.

The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and Women's Work


Kathleen Norris - 1998
    Definitely not "for women only." +

Servant on the Edge of History


Sam James - 2005
    Bombs fall in a nearby shopping district. Enemy soldiers terrorize neighboring homes. Crossfire decimates civilian cars at a roadblock. War infuses every quarter of Vietnam. Most Americans long ago have left for safety. The James family remains. Sam James and his wife, Rachel, and their four children sit tight in ravaged South Vietnam to share Jesus when the Vietnamese most need ministry--as the country falls to communism. Even during the frightening Tet Offensive, Sam communicates Christ's love and peace as he helps Vietnamese believers start churches and gird up spiritually for the dark days ahead. What makes one man willing to stare death in the face to obey God's call to serve the Vietnamese? And what becomes of all the seeds planted among these fledgling Christians as communism oppression advances? Servant on the Edge of History describes the Vietnam War from a perspective seldom heard: from a missionary who loved the Vietnamese people, who refused to become an American spy, but who also loved his own country. James offers insights into where and how God was at work in this war-ravanged country, where he risked all for the sake of the Gospel. About the author: Sam James for 43 years has served with the International Mission Board in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. He has been a church planter, administrator and missionary statesman in troubled areas as well as speaker for retreats and conferences in 100 countries. Sam and his wife, Rachel, are parents of four grown children, two of whom are on the mission field. Today, they reside in Richmond, Virginia.

Reckless Abandon: A Modern-Day Gospel Pioneer's Exploits Among the Most Difficult to Reach Peoples


David Sitton - 2011
    Leaving Texas with a Bible, a suitcase (and a surfboard), he took the gospel into cannibalistic areas to people who had never heard the name of Jesus. For thirty-four years God has used him to help train missionaries, spread the gospel and establish dozens of churches in remote regions. Through this book, experience the amazing things God did as David recklessly abandoned his will to the will of God.

The Afterlife


Larry Levis - 1977
    A reissuing of The Afterlife, poetry by Larry Levis.

I Found Myself in Tuscany


Lisa Condie - 2016
    As Lisa explored the streets of Florence, she felt invigorated and fulfillled wandering through the famed architecture and spectacular galleries; a deep sense of peace enveloped her as she discovered the rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside, where Condie sought out wineries and olive groves, and monasteries and churches for answers and inspiration. The imposing Duomo that dominated the Florence skyline and the city’s awe-inspiring bridges and meandering rivers beckoned her to leave her Utah home. The sights of Florence not only healed her, they became her muse.

The Voice: Listening for God’s Voice and Finding Your Own


Sandi Patty - 2018
    And yet, off the stage, Sandi struggled to have a voice at all.Through deeply intimate stories of her life and the empowering spiritual truths she’s learned, Sandi offers readers wisdom to navigate the journey from voicelessness to discovering the voice God has given you. With a poignant history of sexual abuse, infidelity, divorce, and crises of self-image, Sandi lived much of her life feeling unworthy of love or value. And like so many of us, she coped by living through the voices of others, allowing other people to prescribe her identity. As she performed around the world, Sandi met others just like her, who hid wounds behind quiet smiles and struggled to live with fractured identities.Sandi’s warm and invitational writing will draw you to the voice of God who sings over your life saying you are seen, you are loved, and your voice is worth hearing. With timeless wisdom, The Voice will help you uncover your God-given identity and a voice of your very own.“God heard my voice even when I couldn’t hear it myself and then his voice broke through my walls and wounds, insecurities and self-doubts. I am voiceless no more!”

Devotions for Lent


Anonymous - 2010
    This year at Lent, orient your life toward Jesus Christ with this unique devotional taken from Holy Bible: Mosaic. Encounter Christ by reflecting on the words of Scripture and the art and writings of Christians across time and cultures. Includes full-color artwork; contemporary and historical writings; prayers, poems, and hymns from throughout church history. Full text of each weeks devotional Scripture readings is also included.

Spurgeon: A New Biography


Arnold A. Dallimore - 1984
    This book will meet the need of those completely ignorant of Spurgeon and his vast achievements, but will stir also the interest of all who value his unique ministry.

Found Art: Discovering Beauty in Foreign Places


Leeana Tankersley - 2009
    After a whirlwind courtship, a move across the world, and the unexpectedly difficult re-entry from a year overseas, Leeana finds her life (and her soul) has been changed forever.With an artist’s eye, Tankersley uses each chapter to piece together moments and memories from her journey—a handwritten note from Kuwait, a braid of fringe from a Persian rug, an original poem, a bit of basting thread, a swatch of black silk from a borrowed abaya, a mesquite leaf, a Navy SEAL trident, a receipt from the Russian-Georgian restaurant on Louisiana Street—to create a work of unexpected beauty.Found art emerges … a literary collage created from salvaged stories of loss, hope, and belief that just might change your soul, too.

God Has Better Things to do Than My Laundry (and Other Observations by an Overly Dramatic Mom)


Heather Nestleroad - 2012
    Heather Nestleroad gathers all of her blog posts from the last few years into a comprehensive book that can be enjoyed by parents, chocolate lovers, and coffee drinkers of all types. Read about how Heather learned to like (and order) coffee, explores her questions about the purpose of our lives, bares her neurotic confessions, and details conversations you'll swear you just had with someone in your family.

Stolen Jesus: An Unconventional Search for the Real Savior


Jami Amerine - 2017
    Thank God for honest authors like Jami Amerine who are brave enough to write about life as it is.”  Paul Ellis, author of Stuff Jesus Never Said and Letters from Jesus  Candid, vulnerable, and raw, popular blogger Jami Amerine delivers a hilarious memoir of her search for an authentic relationship with Jesus in a sea of impersonators.    Raised in the Mormon church, Jami Amerine was excommunicated for apostasy before she was even old enough to be baptized. This experience left her curious about all things religious and set her on a path that would introduce her to many apparitions of Jesus over the years. It wasn’t until Jami stole a portrait of Jesus from a local YMCA storage closet and gave Him a home on her mantel that she began to ponder why the bad stuff of religion tends to stick the hardest. In Stolen Jesus Jami sets out to strip all her preconceived notions of Jesus to discover His genuine character.  In doing so she discovers the real Jesus when she stops trying to fit Him in a box and allows Him to be her all-in-all. Jami’s frank, tell-it-like-it-is writing style is full of the kinds of self-deprecating anecdotes that will have you laughing and crying all at the same time.