Scary, Gross & Weird Stories from the Bible


Book Description

Some of the best stories in the Bible are also some of the most unexpected and unusual. And they're not for the faint of heart. These Bible lessons truly are sick...and totally interesting! Surprise your teenagers with the "disgusting" truth! Each of the 13 easy-to-use lessons focuses on a relevant topic related to a scary, gross or weird Bible story and includes a challenging "Fear Factor"-like activity (like eating daring treats), a fun game and thought-provoking discussion questions that help teens uncover life application. These peculiar & profound lessons will grab everyone's attention! Allow one hour per lesson. Includes: 13 easy-to-use Bible lessons for teenagers Great for any time Try one during youth group time, start up a weekly study, or create a Scary, Gross, and Weird retreat. Provides a creative way to reach teens Each lesson delivers approximately one-hour of teaching




Icky Sticky, Hairy Scary Bible Stories


Book Description

The stories in the Bible are not always nice and happy. Some are messy and dangerous. Some are about foolish, strange, or awful things. This collection of short, funny poems is sure to capture the attention of any reader. Each poem shows that God works in the ugly, icky, gross world we live in and helps us out of our messes. This resource intersperses poems with paraphrases of biblical wisdom.




Not-so-nice Bible Stories


Book Description

Jael killed Sisera by hammering a tent stake into his head. Jezebel was thrown out a window, trampled, and attacked by dogs. Judas hanged himself.




The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark


Book Description

In this groundbreaking book, Dennis R. MacDonald offers an entirely new view of the New Testament gospel of Mark. The author of the earliest gospel was not writing history, nor was he merely recording tradition, MacDonald argues. Close reading and careful analysis show that Mark borrowed extensively from the Odyssey and the Iliad and that he wanted his readers to recognise the Homeric antecedents in Mark's story of Jesus. Mark was composing a prose anti-epic, MacDonald says, presenting Jesus as a suffering hero modeled after but far superior to traditional Greek heroes. Much like Odysseus, Mark's Jesus sails the seas with uncomprehending companions, encounters preternatural opponents, and suffers many things before confronting rivals who have made his house a den of thieves. In his death and burial, Jesus emulates Hector, although unlike Hector Jesus leaves his tomb empty. Mark's minor characters, too, recall Homeric predecessors: Bartimaeus emulates Tiresias; Joseph of Arimathea, Priam; and the women at the tomb, Helen, Hecuba, and Andromache. And, entire episodes in Mark mirror Homeric episodes, including stilling the sea, walking on water, feeding the multitudes, the Triumphal E




Christ in the Gospel


Book Description

Live the Gospel from a disciple’s point of view! Inspired by the words of the Gospels, and updated and arranged for daily reading, Christ in the Gospel is an indispensable pocket devotional. Designed specifically to bring Christ into your busy life, each day features Our Lord’s words as well as a how to incorporate them into your daily life.




Harriet Gets Carried Away


Book Description

From the author and illustrator of the bestselling Not Quite Narwhal comes a sweet and funny story about remembering where you belong, no matter how far you roam, or what you’re wearing when you get there. Harriet loves costumes. She wears them to the dentist, to the supermarket, and most importantly, to her super-special dress-up birthday party. Her dads have decorated everything for the party and Harriet has her most favorite costume all picked out for the big day. There’s just one thing missing—party hats! But when Harriet dons her special penguin errand-running costume and sets out to find the perfect ones, she finds something else instead—real penguins! Harriet gets carried away with the flock. She may look like a penguin, but she’s not so sure she belongs in the arctic. Can Harriet manage her way back to her dads (and the party hats!) in time for her special day?




Reluctant Prophets and Clueless Disciples


Book Description

A college-level introduction that invites students into biblical studies through creative, humorous re-telling of the basic biblical narratives. The Bible is foreign territory for students encountering it in introductory classes. Even those who have spent many years in church have rarely read much of it. To most of us it looks like a big collection of rules, lists, and theological arguments. But in reality, most of the Bible is made up of stories. Sometimes they re inspiring, sometimes they re funny, sometimes they re weird, but they re never dull. The best way to get into the Bible, says Robert Darden, is to get to know its stories. In this new approach to introducing the Bible to students, Darden covers the major biblical stories and characters, retelling them in such a way as to bring out their original humor and pathos, and inviting the student to encounter them more fully by moving into the text itself.




I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die


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.




Amara and the Bats


Book Description

Amara loves bats, so when she learns there are none near her new home due to habitat loss, she overcomes her feelings of helplessness and inspires her community to take action. Includes facts about bats and bat houses.




Murder-Bears, Moonshine, and Mayhem


Book Description

This humorous book is full of new insights into ways we’ve been missing the point of so many beloved Bible stories. Approximately 80 percent of Americans admit they haven’t read the Bible. If they did, they’d be pleasantly surprised by its impressive quantity of sex and poop jokes. David danced naked. Noah was basically a moonshining hillbilly. Ezekiel baked poop bread. Herod was eaten by worms. Jesus cursed a fig tree, just to prove he could. Mark went streaking. Hosea married a prostitute. Lot was date-raped by his own daughters. It turns out, there’s a lot of weird stuff in the Bible. Murder-Bears, Moonshine, and Mayhem is a funny look at some of the stranger tales in the Bible. From Elisha, who loosed homicidal bears on some kids because they called him bald (it’s a long story), to the story of Ehud, who gets away with assassinating a tyrannical king because his servants think said king is taking a dump (also a long story), this book examines and casts new light on some of the Bible’s stranger moments. Organized by topic (poop, genitalia, weird violence, prostitution, gratuitous nudity, seemingly pointless miracles, and other fun stuff), Murder-Bears, Moonshine, and Mayhem is a thoroughly researched (really!), reverent, and insightful look at the amazing book at the center of our faith.