Looking for God in Messy Places PDF Download

Author: Jake Owensby
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1791013236
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
“This is beautiful and brilliant stuff, profound and plain, incredibly human, wise and charming. I trusted and enjoyed every word.” –Anne Lamott, New York Times bestselling author about Looking for God in Messy Places For any who feel frustrated and world-weary, and who want more than just wishful thinking or superficial spirituality, this book is for you! In these pages, my friend Jake Owensby poignantly shows how LOVE is what can truly give us hope to carry on: real love, God's love for us, our love for each other, right here, right now in all the struggles of this messy life. And God knows, we need this book NOW! —Bishop Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and author of Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times Life is messy. We can get discouraged by setbacks, overwhelmed by busyness, and shaken by worry. Hope is the power that gets us out of bed in the morning and gives us the courage to face adversity. Looking for God in Messy Places by Jake Owensby is a book about how love gives us an inextinguishable hope. This book is for anyone who has ever been frozen in place by loss or regret, anyone who has endured suffering, cruelty, or rejection. From word to word and page to page, readers will experience themselves as God’s beloved—so that they can be hopeful. From the introduction [This book is] For those whose struggles have been long and for those who are growing weary from heavy burdens. For those facing an unforeseen crisis or for those enduring a slow personal train wreck. For those whose throats have grown raw from crying for justice and for those whose wounds have gone unhealed. This is a book about hope, and I have written it especially for those who refuse to yield to discouragement and despair. Topics include: - The power of love to give us hope - The ways that God shows up in our daily lives - Recognizing God’s call in our lives - Becoming your true self - Having a sense of belonging - Forming a friendship with Christ - Contemplative faith

Author: Catherine McNiel
Publisher: NavPress
ISBN: 1631469797
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
In this beautiful and broken world, God is here. The heavens declare the glory of God . . . but are we listening? Yes, God created this world, but sometimes we forget that he hasn’t left—that his redemptive, creative work happens still today, right here under our feet. So when we seek for God and study his truth, how much are we missing if we don’t awaken to all he has placed in the soil and sky? God made this world of light and darkness, summer and winter, life and death. What does he intend to teach us in these ever-repeating cycles and seasons? Seamlessly weaving biblical truths into everyday life, Catherine McNiel will help you discover an unbelievable reality: God meets and transforms you in the mess and abundance of every mundane moment.

Author: Caleb Kaltenbach
Publisher: WaterBrook
ISBN: 1601427379
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
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

Author: Bishop William H. Willimon
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1791027903
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
Hope and help for pastors and congregations who are asking, What now? And What’s next? Some pastors and congregations have managed remarkable innovation, creation of new ministries, courageous pruning of old programs, and rediscovery of core Wesleyan convictions in recent years. Others have experienced a long, slow-motion, downward cycle of loss. We might be tempted to ‘sit down’ wherever we are, looking back at all that’s happened, shaking our heads in disbelief. But it’s time to stand up, to move forward. Will Willimon shows what that could look like. He spent a year committed to asking questions and careful listening in conversations with clergy, organizational leaders, and parishioners across the U.S. What’s next for Methodist church folk? As you read, join in the process of asking and listening. The honesty, wisdom, and inspiration you find here may point you in new directions. What do you think God is up to in the present moment? What should we stop doing and begin doing, responding to God’s call now? What are the biblical texts, stories from our past, and core Wesleyan convictions that might guide us from this point? And are we at Good Friday or at Easter? As Willimon writes in his Introduction, “Let’s have a decent burial for yesterday’s good intentions and then partner with the Holy Spirit in creating tomorrow’s church.” This is a book to read and reflect on with colleagues, congregants, and Methodist friends. What others are saying! “Based on his lifetime as a Methodist, Will Willimon takes us on a personal journey through the formation of the Wesleyan movement, a painful critique of the forces that are now tearing apart The United Methodist Church, and ultimately, biblical hope for the future. This book blends history, theology, personal narrative, and biblical scholarship to offer pastors and congregations concrete ways to move forward to a reformed church of which John Wesley would be proud.” —Andy Langford, senior pastor, Central United Methodist Church, Concord, NC; scholar and expert on worship, evangelism, and preaching; editor of The United Methodist Book of Worship “Don’t Look Back brings good news for weary, sad, and cynical Methodists: You are loved and chosen. There is a place and future for you in the relentless renewing work of God in our world. Drawing deeply from wells of ministry and faith, Will Willimon shares the wisdom we need for this season. His insights are tough and encouraging, practical, clear eyed, honest, relational, humble in service, Christ-centered, and so hopeful! This book invites us to dig deeper into our faith and ultimate mission beyond denominational mechanics and brokenness—bearing witness to what God is doing. This is a word not only for Methodists but for anyone who shares a radical Christian commitment and calling.” —Joni Sancken, professor of homiletics, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH “In Don’t Look Back Will Willimon is an ‘equal opportunity’ truth teller. No one and nothing is off limits, including himself and especially not the institutional church. He encourages healthy grieving for what is no more but eschews syrupy nostalgia. He preaches, teaches, meddles, prods and probes all in the hope that we will fasten our attention on the resurrected Jesus and join him where he is at work.” —Gregory V. Palmer, resident bishop, Ohio West area, The United Methodist Church

Author: Ruthie Delk
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 0802489877
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
"I was stuck. I believed the gospel changed people, but I knew it wasn’t changing me. My head was filled with knowledge about God, but my heart was not convinced He even knew my name. How could I live as His child while feeling like a spiritual orphan?" — Ruthie Delk Are you stuck? Craving something but don’t know what? Ruthie Delk shares a clear and concrete way to preach the gospel to yourself. We all need to be reminded of the gospel, the real gospel that brings freedom and life and hope, a gospel that is worth celebrating and sharing. This book will empower you to move from a cycle of resistance, separation, and loneliness to a life of restoration and freedom.

Author: Rick White
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1490886907
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 101

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Book Description
Why does God have us wait? Why cant my prayers be answered the way I want, when I want? Is there a purpose in the delay? There are answers to those questions, and you will find them in Pastor Rick Whites book, They That Wait. The word wait can have several different perspectives, and each one can have a unique purpose. Discover the purpose of your wait within the pages of this book. Learn how God works during the silent times of your spiritual journey. Mary and Martha said, Lord, if you had only been here. They were looking for a healing, but Gods delay brought about a miraculous resurrection.

Author: Michael T. Dickman
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1664296174
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 572

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Book Description
This 365-day devotional can bring out the messes. Some touch on issues not brought up in churches. The significant part about this book is we can start anytime! Day one to 365! I prayed and wrote to get to the deepest parts of us. We realize we are a mess, then surrender it. We allow His Spirit to release the bondages. We become less of a mess. Whose mess are you? Remember, we can choose to be God’s messes. In His hands, struggles turn into something amazing! I pray this devotional will be a great tool for all of us as we draw closer to the Lord we love.

Author: Shawnt' Williams
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1641145307
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
What would happen if one day the Lord said to you, "I need you to dedicate yourself to a year of doing what I say, when I say it, and I want you to journal about your experience as you go through it"? Would you think that you were hearing things or maybe God could not possibly be making this kind of request of you? Would you run toward or away from this spiritually divine opportunity? Well, this is exactly what happened to me. One very ordinary day, the Lord spoke to my spirit in an extraordinary way and asked me to commit my daily life to Him to do what He says, eat what and when He says, wake and sleep when He says, read my Bible, and pray constantly and daily. Another major component of this request was for me to honestly journal my experience (the good, the bad, and the ugly or, better yet, the great, the revealing, and the humbling), and without the slightest hesitation, I said, "Yes, Lord!" Journaling with Jesus is a close and personal written journey of what happens when you submit to a year of-what I like to call-VIP status with the Lord. Come along with me as I walk, talk, and experience the Lord, up close and personal. Imagine sitting at the feet of our Savior as He pours into you His wisdom, His power, and, most of all, His love. After reading these journal entries, you too will be ready and willing to say yes to VIP status with the Lord, without any hesitation.

Author: Matt Roberts
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0785220429
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Nearly everyone has someone in their circle of acquaintances who struggles—an out-of-control friend or relative whose habits or relationships are in chaos. Is there any hope, or is he or she doomed to self-destruction? Pastors Rob Cowles and Matt Roberts say God is equal to the challenge! New beginnings are possible, no matter how broken, devastated, or crazy someone’s life may be. Yet today’s churches don’t do messy very well. The Genesis Project is a network of believers whose goal is to plant churches in dark places, targeting people who don’t normally “do” church. Reaching drug addicts, convicts, strippers, and gang members, they’ve seen God do some amazing things with seemingly hopeless lives. The God of New Beginnings tells these dramatic stories, offering practical wisdom for breaking through the darkness in a person’s life: Pursuing real relationships Opening up true stories Pulling together safe communities Getting honest about sin Extending God’s forgiveness and freedom Helping people reset their lives and habits Coping with ongoing complications Not giving up when setbacks occur Freely sharing the victories Keeping the faith life simple Love never fails. And when we incorporate God’s love into our lives and relationships, redemption is possible.

Author: Debie Thomas
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666706248
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
He was a disrupter and a peacemaker, a rebel and a rabbi. His friends were the riffraff, and his enemies the religious elite. He was the wounded man who healed the sick, the homeless man who fed the hungry, the convicted criminal who released the captives, and the dead man who conquered the grave. The stories he told were scandalous, and the stories he lived changed the world. To reflect on the Jesus of the Gospels is to reflect on paradox, mystery, wonder, and messiness. It is to find God in the shadows, the tensions, and the ambiguities of life on earth as it is. These essays on the stories of Jesus are invitations to faith in all its complexity and untidiness. The Jesus who emerges here is not the sanitized Christ of piety and platitude, but the Christ of complicated joys and transcendent sorrows. The Christ who weeps, wonders, loses, learns, and seeks. These are the stories of the Incarnate God who finds and loves us in the messiness of our lives.