The Church is a Mess, But I Can't Leave PDF Download

Author: Phenicia Johnson
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0359142966
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 124

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Book Description
Being a church girl can be hard at times but going to a church full of drama and betrayal can be even harder. Tarika is a single parent with a good job and she loves the Lord. Although, loving the Lord isnÕt as hard as trying to stay celibate, losing a fiancZ and dealing with a dead-beat dad. She has two good friends who are willing to help her through the tough times naturally and spiritually, but there are times when following what the Lord says just doesnÕt cut it. Tarika is tired of the celibate life and she is tired of the struggle of being a single parent. She thinks sheÕs willing to risk her morals, but isnÕt sure if the risk is worth it. And she canÕt go to her Pastor about it or risk having her problems preached back to her the next week. Is she just better off leaving the church and doing her own thing? If the Lord doesnÕt intervene, TarikaÕs life will endure a shift that will cause her to leave the church, but maybe thatÕs what she wants. The church is mess, but can Tarika leave?

Author: Sarah J. Robinson
Publisher: WaterBrook
ISBN: 0593193539
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
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.

Author: Carey Nieuwhof
Publisher: WaterBrook
ISBN: 0735291365
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
“A perceptive and practical book about why our calendars so rarely reflect our priorities and what we can do to regain control.”—ADAM GRANT “Carey’s book will help you reorganize your life. And then you can share a copy with someone you care about.”—SETH GODIN You deserve to stop living at an unsustainable pace. An influential podcaster and thought leader shows you how. Overwhelmed. Overcommitted. Overworked. That’s the false script an inordinate number of people adopt to be successful. Does this sound familiar: ● Slammed is normal. ● Distractions are everywhere. ● Life gets reduced to going through the motions. Tired of living that way? At Your Best gives you the strategies you need to win at work and at home by living in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. Influential podcast host and thought leader Carey Nieuwhof understands the challenges of constant pressure. After a season of burnout almost took him out, he discovered how to get time, energy, and priorities working in his favor. This approach freed up more than one thousand productive hours a year for him and can do the same for you. At Your Best will help you ● replace chronic exhaustion with deep productivity ● break the pattern of overpromising and never accomplishing enough ● clarify what matters most by restructuring your day ● master the art of saying no, without losing friends or influence ● discover why vacations and sabbaticals don’t really solve your problems ● develop a personalized plan to recapture each day so you can break free from the trap of endless to-dos Start thriving at work and at home as you discover how to be at your best.

Author: Tish Harrison Warren
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830892206
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 189

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Book Description
Framed around one ordinary day, this book explores daily life through the lens of liturgy, small practices, and habits that form us. Each chapter looks at something author Tish Harrison Warren does in a day—making the bed, brushing her teeth, losing her keys—and relates it to spiritual practice as well as to our Sunday worship.

Author: John Pavlovitz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780578682501
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
Over the past few years, John Pavlovitz's blog, Stuff That Needs To Be Said, has become a virtual hub for millions of people from all over the world, drawn there by his clear, compelling words on compassion, equity, love, and justice. This expansive, like-hearted community transcends race, orientation, gender, religious tradition, political affiliation, and nation of origin--and finds its affinity in the deeper place of our shared humanity, which is the True North of his writing. This collection lovingly pulls together some of John's most widely-read and most beloved essays on faith, politics, grief, and the elemental parts of being human. It is an encouraging, inspiring, challenging storehouse of "stuff that needs to be said."

Author: Darlene Schacht
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1400206219
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
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.

Author: John S. Dickerson
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493423398
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
If you asked a millennial or younger person in your church, "What do I need to believe to be a Christian?" what would they say? At a time when "truth" is up for grabs, a journalist-turned-pastor wants to help believers understand what they believe. How? By using the simple lyrics "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." In this winsome book, bestselling author John S. Dickerson clearly and faithfully explains essential Christian beliefs, using simple stories that have resonated with his congregation of thousands. He guides readers into these basic beliefs, and most importantly, he illustrates why these beliefs matter. The result is an easy-to-read primer, designed for a time when Christianity is questioned and challenged. It is a great study for young adults, new believers, and long-time believers who want to reclaim the essentials. For anyone who wants their small group, church, or loved ones to embrace the authority of Scripture and the nonnegotiable doctrines of Christianity. "What does it mean to be a genuine Jesus follower in an age when most people, including many self-described Christians, believe that God is well-pleased with a life lived in alignment with a 'designer faith' of their own making? In Jesus Loves Me, John Dickerson answers that question with a deep dive into the simple but profound gospel that Jesus taught as the only kind of faith the Heavenly Father would be well-pleased with. As Dickerson points out, we can't be true Jesus followers if we don't know who He is or what He said and never bother to actually live like He told us to live. Whether you are a brand-new Jesus follower or a longtime veteran, this book will help you nail down the basics of what it means to genuinely know and follow Jesus."--Larry Osborne, author and pastor, North Coast Church "Most Christians would tell you they believe the Bible to be God's Word. And yet many of those same Christians could not even articulate what the core beliefs are to the Christian faith. In Jesus Loves Me, John Dickerson does a great job of helping believers understand the basic teachings of Scripture. This is a great resource for any Christian who needs to build a stronger foundation to their faith."--Steve Poe, lead pastor of Northview Church, Carmel, Indiana

Author: Gregory Coles
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830890939
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
In an age where neither society nor the church knows what to do with gay Christians, Greg Coles shares his story—a story about a boy in love with Jesus who, at the fateful onset of puberty, realized his sexual attractions were persistently and exclusively for other guys. This honest, hopeful account shows life through one man's eyes and assures all people: "You are not a mistake."

Author: Belinda R. Barksdale
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 146280196X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 85

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Book Description
Seasons Change is a contemporary work of fiction that explores the lives of several Christians who are at various seasons in their lives. The main character, Renate, struggles with past hurts from a previous relationship but puts on a brave and happy façade as if all is right in her world. The reality is that she has to acknowledge her hurts but not allow them to hinder or dictate her future. The other characters have struggles too as they try to reconcile walking the path that God has laid before them, i.e, walking into their destiny vs. choosing their own path and being outside of the will of God. This book is guaranteed to give you something to think about as we all face different seasons in our lives. No matter what seasons you are on, stay on the course and let God lead the way.

Author: Patrick Allen
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1725267748
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
Love at Its Best When Church Is a Mess is a collection of fifteen meditations, drawn from 1 Corinthians 13, perhaps the most well-known passage about love in Holy Scripture, and certainly one of the most beloved passages found anywhere in the English language. It is the centerpiece of many marriage ceremonies, but as it turns out, the Apostle Paul was not writing to young couples in love. In fact, he was writing to a church in a mess, a big mess, and what he told them has relevance for Christians today. Most of us will face a mess at one time or another in church. Why? Because church life is messy. If you don’t find a mess, a mess will find you. Each chapter contains personal stories, a meditation, and an examination of an aspect of love drawn from 1 Corinthians 13, the wisdom of Scripture, some spiritual formation “next steps,” and questions for reflection and discussion. Suited for personal devotions or small discipleship groups, Love at Its Best When Church Is a Mess invites all of us to an adventure of grace, healing, and spiritual growth. Clearly, faith sends us on a spiritual journey, hope keeps us going, but it is love at its best that bids us home.