Passages from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's letters and sermons provide special encouragement as readers prepare themselves spiritually for Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Supplemented by an informative introduction to Bonhoeffer's life and a Scripture passage for each day of the season, these daily devotions are moving reminders of the true gift of Christ on the cross.

    Author Paul Copan has observed that many of these questions emerge as "anti-truth claims" that are part of today's skeptical mind-set. Christians defending their faith often hear slogans and questions such as:Ž It's all relativeŽ Everything is one with the Divine; all else is illusionŽ The Gospels contradict each otherŽ Why would a good God create hell?This book provides incisive answers to slogans related to truth and reality; theism, pantheism/Eastern religion, and naturalism; and doctrinal issues such as the incarnation and truth of Scripture. Each of the twenty-two chapters provides succinct answers and summary points for countering the arguments. Copan's book is accessible for all Christians who want to defend the plausibility of Christianity in the marketplace of ideas. It also includes helpful summary sections, additional resources, and additional documentation in the endnotes for review and discussion.

    We die a little inside when we think we aren’t living for something, and are ready to die when we think we can’t. But, Jennie Allen says that the restlessness we feel might not be a bad thing. When our restlessness awakens our longing for more of God, it can be a catalyst to living the life of purpose God designed for us.  In Restless, Jennie uses the story of Joseph to explain how his suffering, gifts, story, and relationships fit into the greater story of God—and how our story can do the same. In this study you will: Explore practical ways to identify the threads of your life Learn how to intentionally weave those threads together Discover how your gifts, passions, places, and relationships aren’t random; they’re deliberate and meaningful Speak the truth about your suffering: it’s possible it has produced the very thing you want to give back to the world The Restless Study Guide engages the mind and heart through stories, Bible study from the life of Joseph, and Threads—a tool to help you see your own personal story and to uncover and understand the raw materials God has given you to use for his glory and purpose.  Sessions include: Restless  God's Story Gifts Suffering Place People Passions Mystery Designed for use with the Restless Video Study (9780879922374), sold separately

    But whenever a storm blows in, he frets and asks Mama why God allows the rain to take the sun away. When Firebird is finally old enough, his mother gently instructs him to fly up through the thunder and lightning to see what’s on the other side.It’s a rough flight, and just when he’s about to give up, Firebird rises above the storm to discover the sun shining where it always had been.God never lets the storm take the sun away. With that truth in his heart, Firebird continues to bask in the sunshine, but just as important, he learns to rejoice in the rain.Firebird is a children’s book that parallels the life of Samantha Crawford, a storybook artist in the inspiring new film Unconditional (scheduled for a theatrical launch in fall 2012) who has lost sight of God’s love.

    The question he tackles in What Good Is God? concerns the practical value of belief in God. His search for the answer to this question took him to some amazing settings around the world: Mumbai, India when the firing started during the terrorist attacks; at the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; on the Virginia Tech campus soon after the massacre; an AA convention; and even to a conference for women in prostitution. At each of the ten places he visited, his preparation for the visit and exactly what he said to the people he met each provided evidence that faith really does work when what we believe is severely tested. What Good Is God? tells the story of Philip's journey -- the background, the preparation, the presentations themselves. Here is a story of grace for armchair travelers, spiritual seekers, and those in desperate need of assurance that their faith really matters.

    This text manages a pleasing balance, succeeds in whetting the appetite and supplying excellent online resources for the reader who wishes to find out more. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Creation in Norse Mythology ✓ The Nine Worlds ✓ Major Gods and Goddesses ✓ Valhalla ✓ Ragnarok ✓ The Sagas ✓ The Influence of Norse Mythology on Our Lives Today The author quotes generously from the most important relevant source which is freely available via the Project Gutenberg, and you are left with the sounds and taste of the times... ringing in your ears and tingling on your tongue.

    I also think that there is a place for us to find hope and community within the church. Because of these two beliefs, I truly think, distant though it may be, that we may even get to a place of peace within our souls and a place of forgiveness for those who hurt us so much.This is a book that has no easy answers and will offer none. This is a book that tries to get behind the tough questions of why God permits such abuses to occur in this world. Using his own story of childhood abuse, Mez McConnell tells us about a God who is just, sovereign and loving. A good father who knows the pain of rejection and abuse, who hates evil, who can bring hope even in the darkest place.'It's not a pagan rags to Christian riches story. It's real, raw and radical. I suspect that there will be as many people shocked by the Bible teaching that Mez wrestles with, as there will be those shocked by the abuse he suffered. With chapters like 'The glorious, wonderful reality of Hell' and 'The terrible reality of Heaven', there is no chance of this book being perceived as comfortable.' - David Robertson, Christian Today https: //christiantoday.com/article/my-favouri...

    Why Does It Have to Hurt? The Meaning of Christian Suffering

    You're likely among an increasing number of post-evangelicals: Christians growing restless within the bounds of the evangelical orthodoxy they were raised in or trained in---especially its culturally-influenced precepts and mores---and thirsting for something deeper. Something that makes sense.Author Dave Tomlinson encountered these same issues in Great Britain as he approached the writing of The Post-Evangelical. He quickly discovered that many in the church are hungering for a safe place to express their questions, doubts, and insights without being branded 'liberals' or---worse yet---'heretics.'Far from skewering its subject, The Post-Evangelical actually endorses steps toward rather that away from the roots of evangelicalism---while stridently challenging its man-made rules and regulations that have, for all intents and purposes, become 'gospel.'A best-seller and paradigm-buster in the U.K. for several years, we now present the expanded and updated North American edition of The Post-Evangelical. It includes: *A forward by Dallas Willard and an updated introduction.*Sidebar commentary from Mark Galli, Timothy Keel, Doug Pagitt, Mike Yaconelli, and Holly Rankin Zaher.*A completely new chapter on the history of evangelicalism in the U.S.If you've wandered from the evangelical fold---publicly or privately---you're not necessarily a backslider. Spend some time with The Post-Evangelical and be encouraged.

    Lev, an orphaned shepherd boy, begins a journey of discovery when he’s hired to play as a musician before the prophets. He soon learns that his father’s knife holds a deadly secret about his hidden past. As he is drawn deeper into the world of prophecy, Lev fights to unearth his true self while the clouds of war gather around him. Rooted in the Ancient Oral and Mystical Traditions Authors Dave Mason and Mike Feuer spent years researching the Oral and Kabbalistic traditions detailing the inner workings of prophecy and the world of Ancient Israel. The Epic Story Brought to Life The backdrop for The Age of Prophecy is the epic conflict between King Ahav and the Prophet Eliyahu (more commonly known as Ahab and Elijah in English). Learn the inner story of the battle, in a way that will reframe all you've ever heard about the Israelite Kings and Prophets. Unlock Your Past, Unleash Your Future!

    The promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, Judas joins the Nazarene’s followers, ready to enact the change he has waited for all his life.But Judas’ vision of a nation free from Roman rule is crushed by the inexplicable actions of the Nazarene himself, who will not bow to social or religious convention—who seems in the end to even turn against his own people. At last, Judas must confront the fact that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man bent on a drastically different agenda.Iscariot is the story of Judas—from his tumultuous childhood and tenuous entry into a career and family life as a devout Jew, to a man known to the world as the betrayer of Jesus. But even more, it is a singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus himself that forces us all to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in history.

    With an intelligent, engaging style, Russell puts the tools in your hands that enable you to study different styles of biblical writing in depth. And this fuller understanding of God's Word unleashes a heart-transforming power that burns away your defenses like fire, bringing radical change to your life.

    Paul Billheimer warns Christians not to waste their sorrows, but to transform them.

    Reveals the history, culture economic state, and political life of the Byzantine culture from the fourth to the fifteenth century.

    And like so many of us, she assumed she was struggling not because life is inherently difficult but because she was personally failing in some way. She knows firsthand what it is to bully yourself, to put yourself down for not being able to keep it all together, to compare yourself to others and find yourself lacking. But she's also discovered that all of the hurt and hostility and pain only add up to a life of holding your breath. What if we could exhale and let go?Breathing Room is her beautiful release of self-condemnation, her discovery of the rest that comes when we give ourselves some space to breathe. She draws readers in through shared experiences of perfectionism, jealousy, and striving and shows them how to let go, how to be radically on their own team, and how to experience the broad grace that Christ has offered all of us.Anyone who has been trying to do it all, who has been putting on a strong front and yet secretly struggling, will find in Breathing Room both a trusted friend and a generous Savior.