Download or read book Life as a Vapor written by John Piper and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2009-01-16 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 31 meditations from the founder of Desiring God that will connect you to a fresh understanding of God and renew your faith. "You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Living knowing that your life is a vapor is different than just living. Things here are passing away. You’ve got to hold on to what will stand. Savor what matters. This collection of thirty-one articles is full of that heart-longing after Christ that distinguishes Piper’s preaching ministry. You will feel as though you have stumbled into a garden as you enter these pages. The Scripture cuts, Christ is exalted in God, and we worship Him. Life Is Short. Eternity Is Long. Live Like It. You will exist forever. You and God are both in the universe to stay—either as friends on His terms, or enemies on yours—which it will be is proven in this life. And this life is a vapor. Two seconds, and we will be gone. In these thirty-one meditations, John Piper will connect you to a fresh understanding of God and a renewed relationship with Him. You’ll find your faith stirred to make every day count for Christ when you consider life as a vapor. Story Behind the Book Time is precious. We are fragile. Life is short. Eternity is long. Every minute counts. Oh, to be a faithful steward of the breath God has given me. Three texts resound in my ears: “Redeem the time” (Ephesians 5:16 ); “It is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:2); “His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10 ). Surely God means for our minutes on earth to count for something significant. Paul said, “In the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain” (Philippians 2:16). In the same way, I have good hope from the Lord that my “labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58 ).

Download or read book Jesus in the Mist written by Paul Ruffin and published by Univ of South Carolina Press. This book was released on 2012-06-05 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fourteen darkly comic and artfully crafted Deep South tales in the spirit of O'Connor "Mister, most stories about people are sad. The ones about animals sometimes turn out all right, but not them about people," muses a character in master storyteller Paul Ruffin's yarn of obsession and quest "In Search of the Tightrope Walker." Raging against this fated sadness—and often against a deadening and inescapable status quo—the characters in Ruffin's newest collection, Jesus in the Mist, populate an imaginative vision of the hardscrabble Deep South where history, culture, and expectations are set firmly against them. Like Flannery O'Connor before him, Ruffin views the South as dark with humor and rife with violence. He writes of places and times where religion, race, class, sex, abuse, poverty, mythology, and morbidity coalesce to expose humanity at its basest and its most redeeming. Peppered with the vivid dialogue, colorful descriptions, and idiosyncratic comedy that define Ruffin's work, this volume is divided into two sections: the first group of stories addresses complexities of relationships between men and women, and the second recounts episodes of initiation in which characters grapple with divided loyalties. Collectively these stories paint a panoramic view of Southern culture as dynamic characters take a stab at their destinies—and sometimes at each other. Whether they are facing the visage of Christ in a motel bathroom mirror, blasting a murder of crows with military-grade artillery, outrunning a mythical beast through moonlit woods, or taking an armed stance against integration at a gas station water fountain, many of Ruffin's characters are zealots on the edge of reason. Here confidence men, thugs, and rednecks push their agendas on unsuspecting audiences. But there are those as well who search for a lost childhood love, exorcise a sexual predator from the home, return to a discarded life, and spare a man's life when no one would be the wiser. These individuals long for restoration, redemption, and righteousness. Both populations come together in Ruffin's South, where madness and faith hold equal sway and no amount of sadness can keep yearned-for possibilities from still being perceived as attainable.

Download or read book Ecclesiastes Through New Eyes written by Jeffrey Meyers and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bible-reading is more of an art than a science. The Bible is a story, not a lexicon of systematic theological definitions. With this in mind, The Through New Eyes Bible Commentary Series builds on the foundational Biblical-theology work of James B. Jordan and other like-minded scholars in bringing you a set of commentaries that will help you read, teach and preach through the Bible while picking up on the rich symphonic themes and the literary symbolism of the Scriptures. Because they are written for thoughtful Christians without being overly academic, these commentaries will serve as valuable resources for family worship, Sunday school or Bible studies.

Download or read book The Mist of God written by Peter Longley and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2011-07-26 with total page 704 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With vivid prose and compelling characters, The Mist of God offers a captivating glimpse into Biblical times. The destinies of Linus Flavian, Maria of Magdala, and their son, Marcus, play out in this dramatic first-century story that spans the extremities of the known world of that time, from Britannia to India. The Roman Empire is rising to its height while a fledging religious sect of Judaism reconciles itself with the mystery of its crucified leader, Joshua of Nazareth. Growing from a clash between nationalistic Judaism and a messianic universalism, followers from Saul of Tarsus to Simon Cephas take the fledgling faith out to the Gentile world on the trading routes of the House of Arimathea. Their witness, however, differs from the very personal understanding of divinity that Maria believes she learned from her lover, the crucified Lord. Nevertheless, she passes this legacy on to her son, Ben Joshua, the child Joshua never knew. Ben Joshus finds this message enchanced when he travels to India as a partner in the House of Arimatheabut his survival is anything but certain. The third in the dramatic series The Magdala Trilogy, The Mist of God provides a fascinating commentary on the origins of Christianity that is both challenging yet plausible, incorporating traditional beliefs, fictitious thoughts, and new controversial interpretations.

Download or read book In His Presence written by Tommy Combs and published by Living Word Books. This book was released on 2019-03-12 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is no touch like God's touch!Each chapter of this book introduces the reader to individuals who gained identity, destiny, and faith through an encounter with God.Meet Biblical heroes like Deborah, Abraham, Dr. Luke, and John the Baptist. You will also discover how the same anointing that fell on the prophets of old descended on men and women such as Smith Wigglesworth and Kathryn Kuhlman. But this book is not just about them . . . it is about you.The ultimate focus of In His Presence is to catapult the reader toward the crucible where the fire of Holy Spirit forges a faith and a passion that are undeniable and irresistible.

Download or read book Radical written by David Platt and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2010-05-04 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times bestseller What is Jesus worth to you? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily... But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

Download or read book Beyond the Mist written by Tim Hill and published by Pathway Press. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beyond the Mist is more than a book. It is the cry of a church leader, the prayer of a pastor, and the motto of an evangelist. For More than 30 years, Tim Hill has led many into a river experience with God. Spiritual lethargy is his enemy and it comes through in this book. We have the choice of existing in a mist of mediocrity or flourishing in a river of revival. The choice is clear. A "beyond the mist" experience translates into a more intimate walk with God and results in a powerfully effective ministry.

Download or read book Buried Dreams written by Lindsey R. Dennis and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2018-09-18 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finding hope when faced with the devastating loss of your most precious dreams. At 20 weeks pregnant, Lindsey Dennis and her husband were told the child she was carrying would not live due to a fatal diagnosis. Later, in another stunning blow, they were told the same news with her second pregnancy. They chose to celebrate both lives alongside a community, both local and online, of hundreds of thousands as she carried each child to term only to bury them 14 months apart from each other. Through the crushing of their hopes and dreams, they came to know the kind of resurrection hope that can rise from the grave. This experience of infant loss revealed to Dennis how sorrow and suffering are instruments in the hands of God to forge in us a greater joy and hope than one can ever know. This kind of joy can only be discovered when we walk through the deep pain of burying our most precious dreams. Buried Dreams offers an uplifting perspective, sharing how devastating loss of personal dreams can give way to unimaginable hope and how death can give way to life. Framing her own story of staggering loss and soaring hope with biblical perspective, Dennis highlights that we can never plan for the unexpected turns of this life that sometimes lead to great personal suffering, but we can reach for the One who is there with us in the loss. Product Features: Shares how unrealized dreams can give way to unimaginable hope. Shows how sorrow and suffering are instruments in the hands of God. Rekindles hope for those who have experienced loss.

Download or read book The God Diagnosis written by Greg E Viehman and published by Big Mac Publishers. This book was released on 2010-11-17 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The God Diagnosis" is the unique journey of a successful surgeon who finds the fulfillment of all his life dreams empty, lonely, and depressing. Embarking on a quest for truth and the answers to life's basic questions, Dr. Viehman finds himself at the epicenter of the most mind blowing diagnosis of his life. In a riveting journey through investigation, testing, and personal struggles Dr. Viehman recounts his journey from death to life in a way that will resonate with anyone seeking the facts and examining the evidence for themselves. Dr. Viehman uses his medical mind to come at these issues in a profound way that is striking, refreshing and fascinating. He is vulnerable, transparent and has the utmost integrity as he sorts out fact from fantasy. This new author is exciting, enjoyable to read and intriguing in his unique approach to this topic. I believe we will hear much more from him and it will shake up many long held beliefs about Christ, Christians and the Church. --- Big Mac Publishers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Viehman was born and raised in Wilmington, DE. He attended and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Delaware. He attended medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania graduating number one in his class. He completed an Internship in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and a dermatology residency at Duke University Medical Center, where he was chief resident. Dr. Viehman completed his fellowship in skin cancer surgery also at Duke. Dr. Viehman co-founded the Cary Skin Center in Cary, North Carolina, and worked there 1998-2008. He is now in solo private practice at Sea Coast Skin Surgery in Wilmington, NC. Dr. Viehman has lectured nationally on dermatologic surgery and authored several published scientific research articles. He has multiple interests, including, running, cross-fit training, and missionary work for orphans in Ukraine with New Life Ministries, and collecting rare Bibles. Dr. Viehman's family includes his wife Ruth, two sons, Brendan and Cameron, a daughter, Hannah and a border collie named Pepper.

Download or read book T T Clark Handbook of Jesus and Film written by Richard Walsh and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-01-14 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The T&T Clark Handbook of Jesus and Film introduces postgraduate readers to the critical field of Jesus and/on film. The bulk of biblical films feature Jesus, as protagonist, in cameo, or as a looming background presence or pattern. The handbook assesses the field in light of the work of important biblical film critics including chapters from the leading voices in the field and showcasing the diversity of work done by scholars in the field. Movies discussed include The Passion of the Christ, The King of Kings, Jesus of Nazareth, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Son of Man, and Mary Magdalene. The chapters range across two broad areas: 1) Jesus films, understood broadly as filmed passion plays, other relocations of Jesus, historical Jesus treatments, and Jesus adjacent cinema (privileging invented characters or “minor” gospel characters); and 2) other cinematic Jesuses, including followers who imitate Jesus devotionally or aesthetically, (Christian) Christ figures, antichrists, yet other messiahs, and competing Jesuses in a pluralist world. As one leaves the confines of Christian theology, the question of what a film or interpreter is doing with Jesus or Christ becomes something to be determined, not necessarily something traditional.

Download or read book The Gospel in the Dock written by Bryan M. Christman and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: C. S. Lewis famously penned the phrase "God in the Dock" and proposed that there was a "great divide" between ancient and modern humans, in that our ancestors would have rightly seen themselves "in the dock" before God, while we moderns have placed God there before us. But what if what God's love most desires for us, the gospel or "good news" of the only way of life for humanity, has been "in the dock" before us from the time of Adam and Eve? And what if it is also the case that the gospel is often "in the dock" as though it is not good--even for the church? This book builds upon and expands the "life and death" stakes Lewis proposed by demonstrating that the gospel way of faith itself has been placed in the dock by us and in many ways ruined our relationships with God, with our own selves, with one another, and even with the natural world itself which we are meant to "steward" for its good. In these pages the reader will discover why the gospel that requires faith is good news, but why we so tragically default to our divisive and self-destructive ways.

Download or read book Next Level Spiritual Warfare written by Venner J. Alston and published by Chosen Books. This book was released on 2019-04-30 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does it seem as though your prayers aren't being answered? Even after praying fervently, do you feel that God isn't listening, that God isn't speaking or acting? Most of us have felt this way. Are there tools and strategies we can implement to break through the barriers? Keying in on two vital areas of spiritual warfare--restoration and retribution--apostle and speaker Venner J. Alston reveals strategies for engaging heaven with the expectation of answers to your prayers. You will learn how to recognize the demonic structures operating against you and understand the biblical response necessary for answers to be manifested. Prayer is a fundamental aspect of Christian living and imperative for spiritual warfare. Learn the principles for receiving justice for what has been lost, taken, or delayed by the kingdom of darkness. Spiritual weapons are available for you to overthrow every assignment of hell that comes against you. Take up your arms and fight back!

Download or read book I Love Jesus But I Want to Die written by Sarah J. Robinson and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book What Jesus Demands from the World written by John Piper and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2006 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: for every healthy tree bears good fruit --; Demand #28 : love your enemies--lead them to the truth --; Demand #29 : love your enemies--pray for those who abuse you --; Demand #30 : love your enemies--do good to those who hate you, give to the one who asks --; Demand #31 : love your enemies to show that you are children of God --; Demand #32 : love your neighbor as yourself,

Download or read book The Things which My Father Saw written by Daniel Belnap and published by Deseret Book. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2011 Sperry Symposium volume explores the rich symbolism of Lehi's dream and Nephi's vision, placing such symbols as the mists of darkness, the great and spacious building, and the church of the Lamb of God in the context of the last days.

Download or read book Marriage by God s Design written by Shaun McElderry and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2015-11-23 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In our global society, almost anyone can receive licensure for marriage with the simple words of "I do" without proving they understand what marriage entails. It also seems that almost anyone can redefine the marriage union as it suits them. If one were to search global history of the deliberate evolution of marriage, one would find cases of legally sanction immoral and debased practices under the guise of Holy Matrimony. Fluctuating statistical data depicts those in Christendom faring just as poorly in marriage as those in secular society. The Holy Bible is the only inspired instructional manual for marriage known to mankind. From it, I have outlined three basic marital designs: God's Design, the Hebraic Design, the Judeo-Christian Design, and the Secular Design. This book covers the differences in the four marriage designs and their impact on global society. Also, this book show God's plan and order for lovingly harmonious marriage and the power that is released as prescribed in His promises.

Download or read book Reading Phinehas Watching Slashers written by Brandon R. Grafius and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-03-20 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tale of the “zeal” of Phineas, expressed when he killed an Israelite man and a Midianite woman having sex and thus stopped a “plague” of consorting with idolatrous neighbors in the Israelite camp (Numbers 25), has long attracted both interest and revulsion. Scholars have sought to defend the account, to explain it as pious fiction, or to protest its horrific violence. Brandon R. Grafius seeks to understand how the tale expresses the latent anxieties of the Israelite society that produced it, combining the insights of historical criticism with those of contemporary horror and monster theory. Grafius compares Israelite anxieties concerning ethnic boundaries and community organization with similar anxieties apparent in horror films of the 1980s, then finds confirmation for his method in the responses of Roman-period readers who reacted to the tale of Phineas as a tale of horror. The combination of methods allows Grafius to illumine the concern of an ancient priestly class to control unsettled and unsettling community boundaries‒‒and to raise questions of implications for our own time.