You long to be free but ...
Pornography has reached epidemic proportions. And in God's eyes porn is ugly. 'Unbearably ugly,' says Tim Chester, 'but for the grace of God.'
In the New Testament Paul warns, 'Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them.' Tim Chester points the reader to something infinitely better, something that captivates without causing shame, remorse or embarrassment: the glory and beauty of Christ. We are made to be satisfied with God alone, and told to avoid the sin that hinders our relationship with him.
Tim exposes the lies and deceptions of porn, inviting us to be fully free, and showing positively and practically how this can be possible in daily life.
We can be captured by a better vision.
592
The Land Between The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions
In The Land Between, author Jeff Manion uses the biblical story of the Israelite's journey through Sinai desert as a metaphor for being in undesired, transitional space. After enduring generations of slavery in Egypt, the descendants of Jacob travel through the desert (the land between) toward their new home in Canaan. They crave the food of their former home in Egypt and despise their present environment. They are unable to go back and incapable of moving forward. The Land Between explores the way in which their reactions can provide insight and guidance on how to respond to God during our own seasons of difficult transition. The book provides fresh biblical insight for people traveling through undesired transitions (e.g. foreclosure, unemployment, parents in declining health, post-graduate uncertainty, business failure, etc.) who are looking for hope, guidance, and encouragement. While it is possible to move through transitions and learn little, they provide our greatest opportunity for spiritual growth. God desires to meet us in our chaos and emotional upheaval, and he intends for us to encounter his goodness and provision during these upsetting seasons.
Throughout the Bible, you find stories of fear, suffering, and joy, when, least expected, those involved spontaneously fall into a genuine moment of worship. In Surprise by Worship, Beth Moore joins her dear friend Travis Cottrell in showing you how to fully experience God's presence at surprising times and places in your own life.
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God and the Art of Happiness God and the Art of Happiness
Western Christian theology is skittish about happiness. We hope for future, eternal happiness, but we avoid considering happiness in this life as if we suspect such a thing is not allowed. That You May Have Life offers a refreshing interpretation of happiness as a way of life grounded in scripture and the incarnate Christ.
Ellen Charry here reveals how the Bible encourages the happiness and joy that accompany obedience to the Creator, enhancing both our own life and the lives of those around us. This advances the well being of creation, which, in turn, causes God to delight with, in, and for us.
With this original theory of the Christian life, this book will encourage intelligent readers to take part in truly abundant life.
595
The Other Jesus The Other Jesus: Rejecting a Religion of Fear for the God of Love
According to recent surveys, many Americans associate the label "Christian" with judgmental attitudes, hypocrisy, a fear of hell, and a commitment to right-wing politics. Author Greg Garrett suggests another way, arguing that a faith that focuses solely on personal morality and the afterlife misses much of the point of Jesus' message.This other way of following Christ is not concerned with an array of commandments or with holding the "right" beliefs. Rather it is centered on loving each other and loving God, what Garrett calls "love where the rubber meets the road, where faith meets the world."
Personal and moving, the book relates Garrett's experiences growing up in--and leaving--a disapproving conservative church and then finding his way back into a different kind of Christian community, one that is communal, missional, just, and loving. Garrett draws on popular culture to illustrate his spiritual points, showing how authentic Christian truth can be found in unlikely places, and suggests how the richness of the Christian tradition contains continued truths for the 21st Century.
596
Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
Common Prayer helps today's diverse church pray together across traditions and denominations. With an ear to the particulars of how various liturgical traditions pray, and using an advisory team of liturgy experts, the authors have created a tapestry of prayer that celebrates the best of each tradition. The book also includes a unique songbook composed of music and classic lyrics to over fifty songs from various traditions, including African spirituals, traditional hymns, Mennonite gathering songs, and Taize chants. Tools for prayer are scattered throughout to aid those who are unfamiliar with liturgy and to deepen the prayer life of those who are familiar with liturgical prayer. Ultimately, Common Prayer makes liturgy dance, taking the best of the old and bringing new life to it with a fresh fingerprint for the contemporary renewal of the church. Churches and individuals who desire a deeper prayer life and those familiar with Shane Claiborne and New Monasticism will enjoy the tools offered in this book as a fresh take on liturgy.
597
The Cure for the Chronic Life The Cure for the Chronic Life: Overcoming the Hopelessness That Holds You Back
A breast-cancer survivor and an HIV-positive pastor share their experiences of hopelessness and how God's CURE——Compassion, Understanding, Response and Encouragement——helped them overcome their difficult situations, offering words of hope for anyone struggling through life.
Instead of regarding work as a diversion from the spiritual life, R. Paul Stevens and Alvin Ung are convinced that it is an arena and an incentive for spiritual growth. However, they acknowledge that this is not without its challenges.
This book examines life in the workplace through an innovative exploration of both the seven deadly sins and the ninefold fruit of the Spirit. This approach provides a framework to reveal how the Spirit has given Christians powerful gifts to overcome struggles the face in the challenges of daily work in a globalized world. The authors interact both with one another and with the wisdom of great spiritual writers of history in order to draw out real-life dilemmas and to suggest practical tips for becoming vibrant disciples in the workplace.
In addition to filling a critical need for a resource on spiritual growth at work, the book has an intercultural approach the authors are from Canada and Malaysia that is particularly dynamic and engaging.
600
Of Pilgrims and Fire Of Pilgrims and Fire: When God Shows Up at the Movies
Every human being, Roy Anker points out, is a pilgrim searching for a destination that promises meaning and welcome. We seek a glimpse of light or fire pointing the way to a place that soothes the soul. This light often shines most clearly in the stories we love to see on film.
In Of Pilgrims and Fire Anker explores some of cinema's most profound moments of pilgrims looking for light. His movie choices are rarely those we might consider “religious,” yet he argues that they may be truer depictions of God's light because of their lack of overt Christianity. These select films depict the struggles of ordinary people trying to find some measure of light to make sense of the world and of themselves — sometimes running into surprising renditions of what God might look like.
Each section begins with a basic filmography of the pictures discussed, including awards and ratings. Anker also provides a preview of each film and suggests what the filmmaker seems to convey. Finally each chapter includes a series of questions to guide personal or group discussion. Like the movies he chooses, Anker avoids the preachy or didactic and strives to make viewing and reflecting both enjoyable and provocative.