Download or read book Messy Grace written by Caleb Kaltenbach and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2015-10-20 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sometimes, grace gets messy. Caleb Kaltenbach was raised by LGBT parents, marched in gay pride parades as a youngster, and experienced firsthand the hatred and bitterness of some Christians toward his family. But then Caleb surprised everyone, including himself, by becoming a Christian…and a pastor. Very few issues in Christianity are as divisive as the acceptance of the LGBT community in the church. As a pastor and as a person with beloved family members living a gay lifestyle, Caleb had to face this issue with courage and grace. Messy Grace shows us that Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” doesn’t have an exception clause for a gay “neighbor”—or for that matter, any other “neighbor” we might find it hard to relate to. Jesus was able to love these people and yet still hold on to his beliefs. So can you. Even when it’s messy. “Messy Grace is an important contribution to the conversation about sexual identity for churches and leaders. Caleb's story is surprising and unique, and he weaves it together compellingly. He states his views clearly, leaves room for disagreement, and champions love no matter where you are in this conversation.” —Jud Wilhite, Sr. Pastor, Central Christian Church

Download or read book Messy Truth written by Caleb Kaltenbach and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of Messy Grace, a former pastor raised by gay parents, comes a compassionate playbook to help Christians, church staff, and ministry leaders create a culture of belonging without sacrificing theological convictions. What should we do? This is a question many Christians are asking as they face shifting societal norms, conflicting opinions, and often inaccurate scriptural interpretations regarding those who identify as LGBTQ+. Caleb Kaltenbach believes there’s a more helpful question:What am I willing to do to keep and build influence with ______________? Caleb knows our love for others is best measured by the lengths we’ll go to help them. He also recognizes that people find and follow Jesus better in community than in isolation. As a child raised by three activist gay parents, Caleb experienced firsthand the outrage of some Christians. That’s why he is committed to creating a sense of belonging for all people. True community can happen only when Christians are intentional in infusing their attitudes, systems, and values with grace and truth. This hopeful, practical book offers tools for encouraging church involvement, strengthening personal relationships, increasing empathy, and engaging in pivotal conversations about grace and truth with our whole community. Fostering a culture of belonging is a messy process, but it holds a massive possibility for everyone involved: a growing relationship with Jesus.

Download or read book Everyday Sacrament written by Laura Kelly Fanucci and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2014-12-01 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting Laura Kelly Fanucci sees the Catholic sacraments through the smudged and sticky lens of life with little ones. From dinnertime chaos to bath-time giggles to never-ending loads of laundry, Laura stumbles into the surprising truth of what the seven sacraments really mean: that God is present always, even in the messes of motherhood. A spiritual memoir of parenting’s early years and a sacramental theology rooted in family life, Everyday Sacrament offers an honest, humorous, and hopeful look at ordinary moments as full of grace.

Download or read book Messy written by A. J. Swoboda and published by Kregel Publications. This book was released on 2012-04-13 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christianity is messy. Unanswered prayers. Painful choices. Unresolved regrets. We’re called to have faith, and yet we doubt. We try to be perfect, but we fall short. This is the chaos. It’s all around us. There’s no limit to it. And there’s no quick fix for it.Both annoyingly honest and refreshingly humorous, Messy reassures Christians that God can reveal Himself in their clutter. Author and pastor A.J. Swoboda offers biblical insight and vivid, personal stories to redefine faith from something that must be perfect to something that is imperfect, but can still give beauty, meaning, and purpose to a messy life. As entertaining as it is challenging, this book teaches Christians what it means to trust in each other, in grace, in hope, and in a Savior who defied the rules of death. Here’s to finding joy in your chaos!

Download or read book Messy Faith written by A. J. Gregory and published by Revell. This book was released on 2008-10-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While most of us trudge toward the cross with the best intentions, at times our lives just don't pan out the way we've planned. Messy Faith addresses the muddled adventure that we call "working out our salvation." It is being sure and unsure, whole and broken, warring, losing, and winning. It is being right and being wrong and having no clue, but believing anyway. And it is trusting in God to perfect the final product of our flawed, human lives. Author A. J. Gregory explores her own personal experiences, and those of a handful of flawed biblical heroes and others who have endured painful or simply ordinary realities in the journey to belief. This honest book will comfort anyone who has had a less-than-straight path to belief and those who continue to struggle.

Download or read book Messy Beautiful Love written by Darlene Schacht and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2014-09-23 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Messy Beautiful Love delivers an incredible testimony of grace that offers hope for today’s marriages and a spark for rekindling love. Love gets messy. Financial problems, sickness, aging parents, a chronically unhappy spouse . . . trials will inevitably come that threaten your marriage. No matter how long you’ve been married or how strong your relationship is, sooner or later you are going to have a mess to clean up. Messy Beautiful Love is about cleaning up messes God’s way, exchanging your ideas for His, and being prepared for both the best and the worst that marriage has to offer. When you surrender your relationship to God, then and only then will you experience the blessing of marriage as He intended. This is the blessing of obedience. Messy Beautiful Love is an invitation to that obedience. The cynical world says marriages don’t last, but God knows better. Tune out the world and tune in to Him. When you do that, a beautiful marriage is not only possible, it’s inevitable.

Download or read book Detoured written by Jen Babakhan and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2019-07-09 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does having it all even exist? Former marketing executive turned third-grade teacher, Jen Babakhan never expected her transition to stay-at-home mom would bring feelings of grief and loss. She felt God was calling her to be home with her newborn son, and she wanted to be with him—yet she felt conflicted about giving up her career. Detoured chronicles the often-bumpy path Jen took to contentment and peace in her new role at home. She honestly shares the struggles and joys of being home, and the truth she uncovered about “having it all.” She invites you to walk beside her on this journey and find: a new confidence and peace in your decision to place your career on hold an invitation to discover your true identity that has nothing to do with your job title a sense of community and the knowledge that you are not alone in your motherhood journey Stay-at-home motherhood isn’t easy—but it can be the most beautiful detour you ever take.

Download or read book God of Tomorrow written by Caleb Kaltenbach and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a voice of reason and grace, pastor Caleb Kaltenbach challenges the church to choose the path of hope in response to polarizing cultural issues that are straight from the front pages of today’s newspapers. Divergent politics, immigration issues, bullying, re-defining family, racism, terrorism, new ways of categorizing people, and multiple other issues are negatively impacting our communities today. Some feel the country we live in now isn't the same one they lived in twenty years ago. Culture is consistently changing, and many Christians are nervous about what tomorrow will bring. However, we don't need to worry, because we serve the God of tomorrow. Culture will always change, but God never changes. God owns tomorrow. He has been in tomorrow, prepared tomorrow, and will walk with us into tomorrow. He will help us handle our ever-shifting culture as we journey forward. Every cultural issue we deal with today is something that Jesus dealt with in his day. The issues are the same, they just look different. Yet Jesus trusted the God of Tomorrow and knew that he was in complete control. Because of his trust in God, Jesus engaged culture in a very intentional way, and we can do likewise. God of Tomorrow includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter, providing a great platform for small groups to dialogue about these culturally-relevant topics.

Download or read book Of Mess and Moxie written by Jen Hatmaker and published by HarperChristian + ORM. This book was released on 2017-08-08 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life is messy for each of us. But Jen Hatmaker reminds us that it's okay to admit that we're all in the same boat. Join New York Times bestselling author and honorary big sister Jen as she shares hilarious tales, shameless honesty, and unconditional hope for the woman who's forgotten her moxie. We will endure discouragement, heartbreak, failure, and suffering. All of us. And more than once. But we are the very same folks who can experience triumph, perseverance, joy, and rebirth. More than once. And in more than one category. And in more than one season. And that? That's moxie. Moxie reaches for laughter, for courage, for the deep and important truth that women are capable of weathering the storm. We are not victims, we are not weak, we are not a sad, defeated group of sob sisters. Yes, life is hard, but we are incredibly resilient. Of Mess and Moxie shines a light on Jen's own triumphs and tragedies into a sigh of relief for all normal, fierce women everywhere. Whether it's the time she drove to the wrong city for a fourth-grade field trip or the way she learned to truly forgive, she offers a reminder to those of us who sometimes hide in the car eating crackers that we do actually have the moxie to get back up and face our messes head-on. After all, this race is not a contest--there's enough abundance to go around. This book will give you the encouragement you need to remember that: Your mess is normal You are not in competition with your peers--your seat at the table is secure You have incredible gifts to offer Come alongside Jen as she teaches us that we can all choose to live undaunted and in the moment, no matter what the moments hold, and we really can lead vibrant, courageous, grace-filled lives.

Download or read book Messy Beautiful Friendship written by Christine Hoover and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2017-04-18 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women long for deep and lasting friendships but often find them challenging to make. The private angst they feel regarding friendship often translates into their own insecurity and isolation. Christine Hoover offers women a fresh, biblical vision for friendship that allows for the messiness of our lives and the realities of our schedules. She shows women - what's holding them back from developing satisfying friendships - how to make and deepen friendships - how to overcome insecurity, self-imposed isolation, and past hurts - how to embrace the people God has already placed in their lives as potential friends - and how to revel in the beauty and joy of everyday friendship With stories of real friendships and guidance drawn from Scripture, Hoover encourages women to intentionally and purposefully invest in one of the most rewarding relationships God has given us.

Download or read book Messy Church written by Ross Parsley and published by David C Cook. This book was released on 2012-07-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When you look at the church today, what do you see? A corporation with a CEO at the helm? A social organization that does good things for the community? Pastor Ross Parsley believes that neither of those pictures is God’s desire. Instead, God wants His church to function as a family—a group of real people who love each other and care for one another’s needs, no matter how messy. Our culture is dying for the kind of community that only the church can provide—if we are living as God intended: as a family, protecting one another, extending grace, and loving unconditionally. We are not called to be consumers who ask what the church can offer us. We are called to love deeply, fight fairly, and bring hope to a generation of people starving to belong to something greater than themselves. Welcome to the family. You belong here.

Download or read book Self Care for the Wounded Soul written by Steve Austin and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you have ever felt hopeless, if you have ever believed that all the bad things in your life were beyond redemption, if you have ever felt unworthy of being loved or accepted, if you have ever feared what would happen if people found out whatever it is that haunts you - I get it. I have been there, too. Maybe you are recovering from abuse, addiction, or a suicide attempt like me. Maybe you are struggling with anxiety or depression and don't know why yet. No matter what your starting point is, the tools in this journal will help you begin to answer the question, "Now what?" You're tired of living this way. You want to change your life, and you don't know where to begin. I hope this 21-day self-care journal will help you answer that question. It's time to take ownership of your life, and that begins with good self-care. It's hard work, but you can do it. No more running, no more hiding, no more masks. No matter what your journey has looked like so far, recovery is possible. I am living proof.

Download or read book Messy Spirituality written by Mike Yaconelli and published by HarperChristian + ORM. This book was released on 2009-12-15 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Find freedom from legalism's should's and discover the deep spirituality of being loved by the God who meets and transforms you in the midst of a messy and unpredictable life. Do you ever feel like you don't pray enough, read your Bible enough, share your faith enough, love God enough . . . and ultimately that you're not a very good Christian? Welcome to the club. Messy Spirituality was written for the silent majority of us who are convinced we just don't do Christianity right. Mike Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided . . . and gloriously liberating. In these pages, he challenges you to let go of the legalism that holds you back and embrace the grace freedom that God offers. He opens your eyes to the one-size-fits-all spirituality churches often want us to embrace and shares what it truly means to walk with God in a deep, intimate, life-changing way. Full of innovative ideas and concepts, Messy Spirituality is a classic that offers timeless wisdom for anyone ready to be free from the bonds of perfectionism. Spanish edition also available.

Download or read book The Wild Messy Grace of God on display written by Newton R. Francis and published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2022-11-03 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Wild Messy Grace of God on Display is the book everybody has been waiting for, that everybody can relate to, and where everybody can find the purpose of GodaEUR(tm)s will for their abundant life in this life and in the world to come. This book is written for kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers, governors, mayors, legislators, judges, prosecutors, doctors, nurse, teachers, men and women of all walks of life, boys and girls of all ages, sexual abusers, dictators, pimps and prostitutes, drug dealers and users, addicts and bullies, adulterers, gangsters, broken families and sufferers of injustice. EveryoneaEUR(tm)s life in some way is lying under the cover of this book with the solution to improve who God created you to be. This book, like the Bible, will change your life and perspective on your present situation. Grace is the answer for your fears and doubts and insecurities of lifeaEUR(tm)s overwhelming pressures.Read this book and see how grace unraveled the web of your lifelong struggles to preserve and prevail. All 170 scriptures on grace the Bible contains are under this cover to laser-beam distract you from the lies of the devil that have wedged you in bondage for so long. Today you are loose from all shackles of his deceptions. By grace you are saved, through faith. Set free to be free indeed. ItaEUR(tm)s my humble pleasure in ChristaEUR(tm)s grace, the inspired power of the Holy Spirit, to present you grace for your new life to begin today. Thank you. Grace infatuated me.

Download or read book Phenomenologies of Grace written by Marcus Bussey and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-05-13 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the place of the body and embodied practices in the production and experience of grace in order to generate transformative futures. The authors offer a range of phenomenologies in order to move the philosophical anchoring of phenomenology from an abstracted European tradition into more open and complex experiential sets of understandings. Grace is a sticky word with many layers to it, and the authors explore this complexity through a range of traditions, practices, and autobiographical accounts. The goal is to open a grace-space for reflection and action that is both futures-oriented and enlivening.

Download or read book MESSY GRACE written by Caleb Kaltenbach and published by City on the Hill Productions. This book was released on 2016-10 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Messy Grace line of resources is based on the book Messy Grace, a 2016 Christian Book Award finalist, by Caleb Kaltenbach. The resources combine Calebs Biblical teaching with powerful testimonies from Christians whove been personally affected by LGBT issues and identity. This four-episode series will inspire and empower Christ followers to truly love all their LGBT neighbors while maintaining fidelity to the Scriptures. The Journal is the participant's guide to the Series. This daily guide helps you go deeper through personal devotions, thoughtful questions and bible verses for reflection

Download or read book God of Tomorrow written by Caleb Kaltenbach and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a voice of reason and grace, pastor Caleb Kaltenbach challenges the church to choose the path of hope in response to polarizing cultural issues that are straight from the front pages of today’s newspapers. Divergent politics, immigration issues, bullying, re-defining family, racism, terrorism, new ways of categorizing people, and multiple other issues are negatively impacting our communities today. Some feel the country we live in now isn't the same one they lived in twenty years ago. Culture is consistently changing, and many Christians are nervous about what tomorrow will bring. However, we don't need to worry, because we serve the God of tomorrow. Culture will always change, but God never changes. God owns tomorrow. He has been in tomorrow, prepared tomorrow, and will walk with us into tomorrow. He will help us handle our ever-shifting culture as we journey forward. Every cultural issue we deal with today is something that Jesus dealt with in his day. The issues are the same, they just look different. Yet Jesus trusted the God of Tomorrow and knew that he was in complete control. Because of his trust in God, Jesus engaged culture in a very intentional way, and we can do likewise. God of Tomorrow includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter, providing a great platform for small groups to dialogue about these culturally-relevant topics.