A Curious Faith

Author: Lore Ferguson Wilbert
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493437577
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Book Description
God created us to be curious. We innately wonder about the world, one another, ourselves, and our Creator. But fear of the unknown, cultural taboos, technology, or even church leaders can smother our curiosity. Popular writer Lore Ferguson Wilbert has belonged to Christian communities that discouraged curiosity. The point of the Christian life was to have the right answers, and asking questions reflected a wavering faith. But Wilbert came to discover that the Bible is a permission slip to anyone who wants to ask questions. Reflecting her own theological trajectory toward a more contemplative, expansive faith, Wilbert invites readers to foster curiosity as a spiritual habit. This book explores questions God asks us, questions we ask God, and questions we ask each other. Christianity is not about knowing good answers, says Wilbert, but about asking good questions--ones that foster deeper intimacy with God and others. A Curious Faith invites readers to go beyond pat answers and embrace curiosity, rather than certainty, as a hallmark of authentic faith. Foreword by Seth Haines.

Beyond the Darkness

Author: Clarissa Moll
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
ISBN: 1496458931
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Book Description
The Bible says that "God is near to the brokenhearted," but what does that look like when you're lost in the darkness of agonizing grief? How do you engage with your sorrow when the world tells you to shoulder through or move on?Award-winning writer and podcaster Clarissa Moll knows this landscape of loss all too well. Her life changed forever in 2019 when her husband, Rob, died unexpectedly while hiking--leaving her with four children to raise alone. In her debut book, Beyond the Darkness, Clarissa offers her powerful personal narrative as well as honest, practical wisdom that will gently guide you toward flourishing amidst your own loss. --amazon.com.

The Way of Belonging

Author: Sarah E. Westfall
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 1514008548
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 145

Book Description
What if belonging isn't something to attain, but someone to become? Sarah E. Westfall takes our longing to belong as an invitation to embrace and extend God's love. Teaching a posture of welcome in the way of the Father, she guides us toward a deep connection where our humanity draws us closer to people and envelops us in the heart of God.

Peace in the Dark

Author: Jessica Herberger
Publisher: ACU Press
ISBN: 1684268761
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
How do we stay faithful as we wait on God? The time after Good Friday but before Easter Sunday is one of the most overlooked portions of the Bible. We tend to rush ahead to the empty tomb seeking to find the resurrected Lord, but our lives don’t come equipped with a fast-forward button. We all face seasons of waiting where we long for a new or better future. Peace in the Dark invites you to look again and acknowledge the reality of Holy Saturday. The example of the early disciples in those in-between hours offers a depth of wisdom about what to do when things have gone wrong. Their practices can serve us as we face our own disappointments, trials, and even traumatic experiences. There is a way to not just live but to experience peace when God seems silent. Rooted in Scripture, nature, and her personal experiences of years of trial, Jessica Herberger guides us through what was happening on that day, why it matters, and how we can approach our Holy Saturdays with hope and faithfulness.

Your Jesus Is Too American

Author: Steve Bezner
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493447866
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 191

Book Description
"An invigorating look at the current state of the American church and what might be done to move it forward."--Publishers Weekly The American church faces a discipleship crisis. Instead of following the values of Jesus, many Christians are chasing after what our culture prizes: power, money, and political influence. In Your Jesus Is Too American, Baptist pastor Steve Bezner invites Christians to rediscover what Jesus treasured and incorporate those kingdom values into the church's witness. With a pastoral voice, Bezner shares the lessons he has been teaching in his church community for 11 years--humble service rather than worldly success, healing relationships across religious and ethnic divides, repairing harm against marginalized groups, giving generously, and providing a political witness rooted in the local church. Bezner shows that Jesus's vision of discipleship points toward a different way of being in the world. The book offers a welcome perspective for church leaders and congregants alike who are frustrated with the way many churches pursue values that are not in line with Jesus's teachings and are worried about the American church's credibility crisis. It includes a foreword by Beth Moore.

The Ways of the Leader

Author: Bill Mowry
Publisher: NavPress
ISBN: 1641586699
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Book Description
Leaders: Are you feeling overwhelmed in this post-pandemic world? The one-size-fits-all approaches no longer work. You need creative strategies based on godly wisdom that bring people together and break new ground. In The Ways of the Leader, Bill Mowry unpacks four competencies for everyday leaders in churches, ministries, communities, and businesses. To generate wisdom as a leader, you must become a lifelong learner who views your life and leadership as God's classroom for discovery; collaborator who engages people to explore, create, and implement new approaches; cultural detective who examines assumptions and values where you lead and live; and ministry innovator who discovers solutions that are crafted to the specific needs of your community. Rise up against the chaos of today as you nurture the wisdom to choose what is good (what brings life and nourishes people) and right (what is just and fair) and impact those right where you are with practical solutions.

Seek and You Shall Find

Author: Taizé
Publisher: GIA Publications
ISBN: 9781579995928
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 156

Book Description
Short meditations about the nature of God are offered as answers to questions such as "Why do we call God "Father"?" "Is God a judge?"and"What does it meanto believe? "The answers emphasize the humanlonging for a meaningful life and offer starting points for further investigation in Biblepassageswith commentary on the Resurrection and Jesus'smessage of love andforgiveness."

Avicenna and I

Author: Manoucher Parvin
Publisher: Ibex Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 1588140482
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Book Description
"Avicenna and I" is a love saga spanning here and the hereafter; it is a journey of spirits toward immortality. Together two lovers explore the city of Hamadan in north-west of Iran, one of the oldest residences of civilisation, where the tomb of one of history's most remarkable thinkers, Avicenna, lies. To ascend from what they are to what they dream to be, the lovers seek and find the spirit of Avicenna. From him-the prince of medicine and the leading wise man-they learn how to heal the body, the mind, the spirit and even love, and how to tend to a wounded nature. They discover the path to immortality. "Avicenna and I" strips history naked of its pretensions and shatters the myth of the East as a place of unreason-deserving to be subjugated by the West -- and establishes that the Italian Renaissance was merely a continuation of the Persian Renaissance which occurred in the Golden Era of Avicenna. In this unforgettable novel the future and the past recreate one another and set the present afire with passion for immortal wisdom, and immortal love and truth. The reader is invited to view the mind and the universe, intuition and reason, science and faith, and life and death with a profoundly new understanding. The trials and tribulations of the characters, even history, on their transcendental journey are recounted with a pen searching for the beginning and the end of everything -- for the answers God never created. So humans must invent the answers as we have invented many things God did not create. This novel is a chapter in the book of answers.

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

Author: Sarah J. Robinson
Publisher: WaterBrook
ISBN: 0593193539
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

The Dusty Ones

Author: A. J. Swoboda
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493401599
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 275

Book Description
Through every turn of the biblical story, God's people are a wandering people. When they are rescued from slavery in Egypt, God sends them into the desert, where they wander for a generation. Jesus and his disciples wander from town to town. In fact, some of God's most important truths are imparted to people with dusty feet as they travel on the road. With his trademark thoughtful introspection, A. J. Swoboda boldly suggests that wandering is not an absence of faith but a central component of faith. In The Dusty Ones, he leads the restless, the frustrated, and the curious on a spiritual journey to uncover the answers to questions like - Do I wander because I'm failing or because God has left me? - Is the desert something I can overcome? - Why is God sometimes "hidden" in the Bible? - What do I do when the end seems nowhere in sight? This compassionate and contemplative book offers hope and peace to Christians and seekers alike as they make their way down the winding road of faith.