Talking Seriously About God PDF Download

Author: Esther Fleece Allen
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310344778
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. If you've ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it is to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. When life hurts, we often feel pressure--from others and ourselves--to keep it together, suck it up, or pray it away. But Scripture reveals a God who lovingly invites us to give honest voice to our emotions when life hits hard. For most of her life, Esther Fleece Allen believed she could bypass the painful emotions of her broken past by shutting them down altogether. She was known as an achiever and an overcomer on the fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you've done the same. Esther's journey into healing began when she discovered that God has given us a real-world way to deal with raw emotions and an alternative to the coping mechanisms that end up causing more pain. It's called lament--the gut-level, honest prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament, taking you on a journey down the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God's own language to come closer to him as he leads us through our pain to the light on the other side, teaching you that: We are robbing ourselves of a divine mystery and a divine intimacy when we pretend to have it all together God does not expect us to be perfect; instead, he meets us where we are There is hope beyond your heartache, disappointment, and grief Like Esther, you'll soon find that when one person stops faking fine, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

Author: Asle Eikrem
Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster
ISBN: 3643907419
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
Talk about God is often the source of controversy. Theists and atheists are equally passionate when making their stand for or against belief in God. In this book, a wide range of philosophers of religion have come together to discuss how serious talk about God ought to be conducted for theists and atheists alike in what should be their common pursuit for truth. The essays both address methodological questions and provide a range of concrete samples of serious God-talk, spanning from political, religion, and classical proofs of God's existence to the problem of evil. (Series: Nordic Studies in Theology / Nordische Studien zur Atheism, Vol. 4) [Subject: Religious Studies]Ã?Â?Ã?Â?

Author: Raymond Carver
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 1101970588
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
The most celebrated story collection from “one of the true American masters” (The New York Review of Books)—a haunting meditation on love, loss, and companionship, and finding one’s way through the dark that includes the iconic and much-referenced title story featured in the Academy Award-winning film Birdman. "Raymond Carver's America is ... clouded by pain and the loss of dreams, but it is not as fragile as it looks. It is a place of survivors and a place of stories.... [Carver] has done what many of the most gifted writers fail to do: He has invented a country of his own, like no other except that very world, as Wordsworth said, which is the world to all of us." —The New York Times Book Review

Author: Jason Meyer
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493419250
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Book Description
A fallen world is full of reasons to lose heart. From the large-scale tragedies of war, famine, and natural disasters, to the more personal tragedies of broken relationships and broken dreams, it can be difficult to avoid discouragement--even for the believer. And yet, Scripture calls us to a life of hope, based not on wishful thinking or avoiding our problems but based on who God is, what he has done, and what he is still doing. In this short, giftable book, pastor Jason Meyer shows you that though the reasons for discouragement seem strong, the reasons we have to take heart and hold on to hope are stronger yet. Through biblical truth and personal stories, Meyer encourages the weary and anxious believer by shining light on the nature of reality, the nature of God, and the intersection of the two in our daily, rubber-meets-the-road lives. The result is a book that lifts our spirits in a world that too often seeks to drag us down.

Author: John Piper
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1581346522
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Explaining how to become a Christian hedonist, a bestselling author offers guidance on how to find spiritual joy to readers who are unsure of where to seek it.

Author: Tony Stoltzfus
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781492177357
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Ever asked Jesus what he likes best about you? Jesus longs to speak to your deepest desires. These powerful yearnings for things like love, approval, freedom, belonging, and significance animate our lives and lie at the root of the thorny behaviors we most want to change. Our true desires were designed to be filled in our relationship with Jesus. But most of us never learned how to ask. Questions for Jesus takes you on the exhilarating adventure of hearing Jesus speak to the deepest places of your heart. Your own desires will surface as the meditations help you enter into the thoughts and feelings of characters in the gospel of Matthew. After watching Jesus touch that person's desire, the book will launch your own heart encounter with with five creative, intimate questions for Jesus, like these: “Jesus, what are you proud of in me today? How am I touching your desire?” “Jesus, what will it be like for you to tell the story of the life you and I have lived together to all of heaven?” “How am I valuable to you? What makes me worth your time and attention?” “So what's it like for you to not be afraid of anything?” “Who do you say that I am, Jesus?” Written by a master of the art of asking, the 52 meditations in Questions for Jesus will help you or your small group add an exhilarating new dimension to your prayer life, and encounter Jesus in profound new ways. Using this BookWritten in a devotional format, Questions for Jesus focuses on the passages in the book of Matthew where Jesus touches an individual's deep desire. The author weaves each scene into a powerful story that brings the bible to life, putting you inside the thoughts and feelings of the characters (Jesus included!) Then, you simply take one of the five desire prayers given for each story and ask Jesus that question. You'll talk about what Jesus was experiencing in those situations, how he feels about waiting for and preparing for your arrival in heaven, what your meeting there will be like, Jesus' own deep desires, and much more. Talking with Jesus is much easier when you are asking the right questions! With 52 devotional meditations (each with five questions) this book can provide a year's worth of encounters with the goodness of God. Facing pages offer space to journal your answers, and pithy articles spaced throughout the text show you how the heart works, how to create your own desire prayers, ways to overcome obstacles to hearing God speak, etc. A free Questions for Jesus Group Guide is also available, letting you use Questions for Jesus with small groups, leadership teams or churches.

Author: D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310531012
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 301

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Book Description
Spiritual Depression is one of the great classics of the modern Church and tackles the big question: If Christianity is such "good news" why are its followers often unhappy? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was possibly the greatest Christian preacher and teacher of the twentieth century. A medical doctor by training, Spiritual Depression draws together his professional understanding of the mind with a profound understanding of Christian teaching and the Bible. Spiritual Depression diagnoses the causes of the ill feeling that many Christians experience. It prescribes the practical care that is needed to lift people's spirits and bring them freedom, power and joy. Spiritual health is possible and this book explains how everyone can grasp it for themselves.

Author: Natasha Crain
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493412302
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
Christian parenting is hard work--and it's getting harder. Parents have a deep desire to pass on their faith, but fear that today's increasingly skeptical and hostile world will eventually lead their kids to reject the truth of Christianity. That leaves many parents feeling overwhelmed--uncertain of what they can do to help their children, given the difficulty and extent of the faith challenges they will face. This practical and timely resource gives parents the confidence of knowing what to discuss with their children and how to discuss it in order to facilitate impactful conversations that will form the basis of a lifelong faith. In a friendly, parent-to-parent voice, Natasha Crain identifies 30 specific conversations about God that parents must have with their children, organizing them under the categories of - the existence of God - science and God - the nature of God - believing in God - the difference God makes Chapters are sequenced in a curriculum-oriented way to provide a cumulative learning experience, making this book a flexible resource for use in multiple settings: homes, church classes, youth groups, small groups, private Christian schools, and homeschools. Every chapter has a step-by-step conversation guide with discussion questions and tips, and content is readily adaptable for use with kids of any age (elementary through high school). Endorsements: "My prayer is that God will use this book to both motivate and equip you to help your kids develop convictions about their faith."--From the foreword by Sean McDowell, PhD, Biola University professor, speaker, and author of more than eighteen books, including A New Kind of Apologist "I can't think of a more relevant or more needed book for parents raising kids in today's culture. This book on apologetics will lead parents in critical conversations that will help grow and guide kids to be lifelong followers of Christ."--Kristen Welch, author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World "Hey parents: Do you want to reduce the chances that your child will follow the crowd to the point of rejecting Christ and the values and truths you hold so dearly? Then you need to have the conversations that Natasha Crain so brilliantly describes in this book. Prevent heartbreak later by reading and heeding this book now!"--Frank Turek, PhD, president of CrossExamined Ministries and author of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist and Stealing from God "May this book lead to thousands more Moms and Dads engaging with their kids through an intelligent faith. And may there be tens of thousands more kids who feel loved because the adults in their lives take their questions seriously."--Jeff Myers, PhD, president, Summit Ministries

Author: Loren Cunningham
Publisher: YWAM Publishing
ISBN: 9781576582442
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
In a time before youth were welcomed in short-term missions, Loren Cunningham founded Youth With A Mission to unlock the world for millions. He called young and old, women and men, and every ethnicity to go. Loren Cunningham's dream began with a vision - waves of young people from every nation going to every nation, telling everyone, everywhere about Jesus. How did God move Loren's dream from vision to reality and take him to every country on earth? Loren and his wife, Darlene, grew through tough lessons on hearing and obeying the Lord. This exciting story of Youth With A Mission shows how hearing God's voice is for every believer. Translated into 150+ languages, Is That Really You, God? is a practical guide to hearing God's voice and following His direction to change our hearts and our world. In this legacy edition, read a special new chapter On to Eternity, on "the biggest vision I can imagine" where Loren unveils his final call, to rally this generation to translate the Bible orally into every mother tongue on earth. In addition, see a special tribute called 'Grateful Reflections" on Loren's life from dear friend and senior YWAM leader David Joel Hamilton from his up close and personal experience serving Loren over the decades.

Author: T.M. Luhrmann
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307277275
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 466

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Book Description
A New York Times Notable Book A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2012 A bold approach to understanding the American evangelical experience from an anthropological and psychological perspective by one of the country's most prominent anthropologists. Through a series of intimate, illuminating interviews with various members of the Vineyard, an evangelical church with hundreds of congregations across the country, Tanya Luhrmann leaps into the heart of evangelical faith. Combined with scientific research that studies the effect that intensely practiced prayer can have on the mind, When God Talks Back examines how normal, sensible people—from college students to accountants to housewives, all functioning perfectly well within our society—can attest to having the signs and wonders of the supernatural become as quotidian and as ordinary as laundry. Astute, sensitive, and extraordinarily measured in its approach to the interface between science and religion, Luhrmann's book is sure to generate as much conversation as it will praise.