A God Who Hides Himself


Book Description

Have you ever noticed this statement in the Bible—”a God who hides Himself”? Many Christians have never realized that God’s Word contains such an expression, but Isaiah expresses this thought most emphatically (Isa. 45:15). We may know God as the almighty One, as the righteous One, as One full of grace and compassion; but as the One who hides Himself, He may be unknown to us. “Our personalities are diametrically opposed to God’s personality. He likes concealment, we like display; He does not crave outward manifestations, we cannot be content without them. This divine disposition constitutes a great trial and test to us… I long that God’s children might realize the hidden nature of His working. Do not think that only mighty influences, great visions, and tremendous revelations are of Him. God’s surest work is done in the secret of our beings.”




Why God Hides


Book Description

Why does God hide – day-in and day-out – from those of us who yearn to hear His voice? When we do good, there’s no heavenly applause. When we do evil, no divine rebuke. And when great horrors visit us, He rarely intervenes. In good times and bad, there’s just silence . . . the awful silence of God. Now comes Why God Hides, this magnum opus of Fr. John Portavella, written after many decades of listening to God’s silence – in his own life and in that of thousands of his parishioners. Those years of listening, reading, thinking, and praying have made ever more clear to him – and with the help of this book, will make clear to you– that, in fact . . . God is not silent nor is He hidden, if only you know how to listen and learn where to look. Time and again in the events of salvation history and in the trials and joys of our daily lives, Fr. Portavella here unveils the Face of God and lets us hear His voice, speaking in every instance words of sweet love. Why God Hides is a remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime book that scatters the darkness of our minds, giving us myriad glimpses of our supposedly hidden God, bringing with each of those glimpses the consolation and joys we have yearned for so long.




Has God Failed You?


Book Description

As well-known Christians announce a newfound loss of faith, other believers face increasing pressure or doubt. We feel let down, ashamed to question God's goodness, and in need of assurance of our faith and answers to our pain. From a leading voice on issues facing Christians today comes a frank and insightful discussion about whether it's okay to doubt God and what to do about it. Michael L. Brown answers the very toughest questions, such as · Why are people leaving the church? · Why haven't my prayers been answered? · Why do people have to experience pain? · What if there is no God? · And more These pages will lead anyone who has been hurt, anyone with questions that will not go away, into a wonderful, fresh, life-transforming encounter with the living God.




The Suffering of God


Book Description

In this comprehensive and thought-provoking study, Terence Fretheim focuses on the theme of divine suffering, an aspect of our understanding of God which both the church and scholarship have neglected. Maintaining that "metaphors matter," Fretheim carefully examines the ruling and anthropomorphic metaphors of the Old Testament and discusses them in the context of current biblical-theological scholarship. His aim is to broaden our understanding of the God of the Old Testament by showing that "suffering belongs to the person and purpose of God".




Advent


Book Description

Advent, says Fleming Rutledge, is not for the faint of heart. As the midnight of the Christian year, the season of Advent is rife with dark, gritty realities. In this book, with her trademark wit and wisdom, Rutledge explores Advent as a time of rich paradoxes, a season celebrating at once Christ’s incarnation and his second coming, and she masterfully unfolds the ethical and future-oriented significance of Advent for the church.




The Book


Book Description

A revelatory primer on what it means to be human, from "the perfect guide for a course correction in life" (Deepak Chopra)—and a mind-opening manual of initiation into the central mystery of existence. At the root of human conflict is our fundamental misunderstanding of who we are. The illusion that we are isolated beings, unconnected to the rest of the universe, has led us to view the “outside” world with hostility, and has fueled our misuse of technology and our violent and hostile subjugation of the natural world. To help us understand that the self is in fact the root and ground of the universe, Watts has crafted a revelatory primer on what it means to be human—and a mind-opening manual of initiation into the central mystery of existence. In The Book, Alan Watts provides us with a much-needed answer to the problem of personal identity, distilling and adapting the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta.




Aloof


Book Description

In this narrative-driven book, Tony Kriz leads the reader on a journey of "orchestrated epiphanies" along the eternal quest to tangibly encounter God, including the unpredictable moments that give us hope, and even more so, the long gaps between those moments that challenge our faith.




The Shadow of Christ in the Book of Job


Book Description

The Book of Job has been a rich source of truth and comfort for its readers throughout the ages, but the crowning glory of this book is the prophetic testimony it bears to the sufferings that Jesus Christ would endure as the savior of his people. The Shadow of Christ in the Book of Job examines the historical character of Job as a typological figure, whose experience of suffering leading to glory was meant to portray the work of Christ, and provide assurance and comfort to all who bear affliction in faith.




The Holiness of God


Book Description

Central to God’s character is the quality of holiness. Yet, even so, most people are hard-pressed to define what God’s holiness precisely is. Many preachers today avoid the topic altogether because people today don’t quite know what to do with words like “awe” or “fear.” R. C. Sproul, in this classic work, puts the holiness of God in its proper and central place in the Christian life. He paints an awe-inspiring vision of God that encourages Christian to become holy just as God is holy. Once you encounter the holiness of God, your life will never be the same.




The Ministry of God's Word


Book Description

The most important work of God on earth is the speaking out of His word through man. In the Old Testament God's word was released through the ministry of the prophets, and in the New Testament it was released through the ministry of the Lord Jesus and later through the apostles. Even though God is pleased to allow us to speak His word, the greatest measure of our usefulness as a minister of the Word is not the amount of our Bible knowledge or even the ability to eloquently present the truth; rather, it is the degree to which our inward parts have been molded and shaped by the Holy Spirit. The Ministry of God's Word contains a series of messages given by Watchman Nee in 1948 and 1949 after nearly thirty years of ministry. These messages are deep, profound, subjective, and full of light, revealing both the depth of his experience and extent of our need to open to the Holy Spirit's inward operation.