Hosteled Prodigal


Book Description

The narrative of Hosteled Prodigal is set in a millenial one-world environment governed by the United Federation of North American States (UFNAS, or "yoofnas," as popularly pronounced). Little has turned out well for Bill Scolan, employed as a bawdy house promoter, when his PhD thesis is scuttled by a hedonistic faculty still imbued with an outmoded new age ideology. One day in near depression, nightmares-in-head are interrupted by an intruder. The bouncer-pimp breaking in announces the murder of the house madam and Bill's half-sister, estranged snuggle partner, Julie. The self-reproach and shame incurred by the incestuous affair, while it lasted, is deepened when the brute also delivers the mob's "pink slip" to Bill. In a chronic pity-party, Bill's mood spirals downward. Life-style resentment has been building ever since childhood when his immature advances to a gang of older children were always rebuffed. Relocated in a cheap apartment, Bill fends off girls on the make for a pimp guardian. Through Ann, Bill becomes reacquainted with Mary, the daughter of the surrogate mother whom the child Billy furtively used to visit. Restored to more sociably interpersonal relations, the influence of these two erstwhile female judges-in-his-head eventually outweighs Bill's malign inclinations towards warped guilt and remorse.




The Prodigal Comes Home


Book Description

A painfully honest story of human weakness and God's unending forgiveness. Thirteen years ago, amidst scandal, sin, and shattered lives, Michael English fell from the pinnacle of the Christian music world. In 1994, newspapers around the world blared the headline, "Gospel Singer Named Artist of the Year Turns in His Awards After Confirming He Had an Affair with a Fellow Married Singer." From 1994 to 2002 Michael English's life went from bad to worse. Public shame, divorce, broken relationships, drug addiction, even homelessness. But in 2002, God reached out and rescued Michael from himself. Today Michael is whole again, and in this book he tells his story of redemption.







Daysprings


Book Description

“Dayspring, my dictionary tells me, is an archaic word meaning ‘dawn.’ But I have chosen Daysprings as the title for this collection of meditations for the several meanings in the ancient word and its components. I hope these brief reflections shed new light on old, familiar passages and illuminate the way through new ones. I also hope these pieces will prove to be springboards to new and creative meditation for readers, pastors, and preachers, and that they will find within these pieces an extra buoyancy for each day. Lastly, I hope these thoughts will flow like fresh, living waters through days of fast and feast, bringing refreshment. —from the Preface In his accompanying volume to Brightest and Best: A Companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts, Sam Portaro offers meditations for each of the weekdays for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. Following the lectionary texts for each day, he focuses on the seasonal themes of incarnation, manifestation, suffering, redemption, and resurrection, showing how the eternal truths of the gospel shed light on the ordinary and extraordinary events of our lives. Solidly grounded in the prayers and scriptures of these seasonal liturgies, Portaro’s meditations bring fresh and powerful—sometimes pointed—insights for those who follow the daily readings and prayers of these days of the weeks in the church year as found in Lesser Feasts and Fasts.




55th Anniversary of Ivan Barnes: Microbial Communities of Serpentinite-Hosted Ecosystems


Book Description

Serpentinization is a reaction that involves the hydration of ferromagnesium minerals (e.g., olivine, pyroxenes), resulting in the production of hydrogen gas and reduced carbon compounds. This reaction also leads to the formation of mineral carbonates, and highly alkaline and reducing fluids. Microorganisms have adapted to such extremes and robust microbial communities were discovered at several locations, including the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Mariana Forearc, the Cabeço de Vide Aquifer, the Cedars, the Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory, Hakuba Happo, the Samail ophiolite, the Voltri Massif, and the Zambales ophiolite. These locations represent a range of pressure and temperature conditions, demonstrating that serpentinization is a ubiquitous geologic process occurring at subduction zones, mid-ocean ridges, and passive margins. This process is also thought to have supported early life because of the availability of reduced products and the presence of geochemical disequilibria.




Rediscovering New Testament Prayer


Book Description

John Koenig presents a rich variety of prayer practices that reflect the real prayer experience of Christ and his followers. Recapturing the earliest believers' extraordinary encounters with the Holy, Koenig offers prayer as instruction for the mind, renewal of the spirit, and help in effecting positive change in one's life.




Leaps of Faith


Book Description

If you are passionate about participating in the recovery of preaching for the spiritual formation of God's people, then you will want to jump into this lively collection of biblically rigorous, culturally intuitive, grace-drenched sermons. Robert Dean sets the bar very high, even as he throws the gauntlet down, with these remarkable expressions of all that preaching was supposed to be and can still become. Animated by the conviction that the preached word is the playground of the Living Word, the pages of Leaps of Faith are populated by saints and sinners, pimps and prophets. Unexpectedly and delightfully, Bono works alongside Bonhoeffer, Dr. Phil learns a lesson from the Amish, and a discussion of body odor primes the senses for contemplating the mission of God. Rooted deeply in the lives of actual worshipping communities, these wonder-laden sermons from the prophetic imagination of an emerging pastor-theologian dare the reader to leap into the continuing story of the Triune God and, in doing so, discover that all of life has been taken up in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.




Jesus the Bridegroom


Book Description

Did Jesus claim to be the "bridegroom"? If so, what did he mean by this claim? When Jesus says that the wedding guests should not fast "while the bridegroom is with them" (Mark 2:19), he is claiming to be a bridegroom by intentionally alluding to a rich tradition from the Hebrew Bible. By eating and drinking with "tax collectors and other sinners," Jesus was inviting people to join him in celebrating the eschatological banquet. While there is no single text in the Hebrew Bible or the literature of the Second Temple Period which states the "messiah is like a bridegroom," the elements for such a claim are present in several texts in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea. By claiming that his ministry was an ongoing wedding celebration he signaled the end of the Exile and the restoration of Israel to her position as the Lord's beloved wife. This book argues that Jesus combined the tradition of an eschatological banquet with a marriage metaphor in order to describe the end of the Exile as a wedding banquet.




Stepparenting with Grace


Book Description

These devotions provide companionship, encouragement, understanding, and biblical insights from a veteran stepmom. This trusted resource will help you gain strength, wisdom, and comfort as you navigate the rocky terrain of creating a blended family. You will learn how to: Trust a loving God when the kids do not. Find unity in your new marriage and parenting through grace and understanding. Explore your worth in Christ amid rejection. Gain confidence in the stepparent role as you take on the armor of God. Persevere through challenges and obstacles toward healthy, thriving relationships. Each devotion begins with Scripture along with an encouraging thought for the day and closes with prayer.




The Fueling Station


Book Description

God is not only an awesome shepherd, but also an enduring fuel station where His followers can find renewal, discipline, and a refuge from temptation. In an inspirational compilation of thoughts, Thel intertwines spiritual insights with a fictional character's experiences, ultimately revealing a fresh perspective on who God really is and why He can help all of us. Priscilla Davis stands in the battle zone of life with her Bible clutched in hand. As Priscilla reflects back on her life, she rediscovers all the lessons she has learned from her experiences that include building up and inspiring her fellow brothers and sisters without passing judgment, acknowledging that God is the center of her life, performing good work that glorifies, studying scriptures on a daily basis, and walking by faith instead of by sight. The Fueling Station shares spiritual reflections that come to light through a fictional woman's experiences as she learns to rely on faith, hope, and love while living in a complicated world.