The Desert Will Rejoice


Book Description

Does God still speak to his people today, through prophetic words, pictures and dreams? Does he still inspire his followers to take certain actions, as he did in Biblical times? The author certainly believes so and, in this book, describes two prophecies given by different women about the city of Birmingham. The first prophecy told of "new beginnings" and gave the name for three God-inspired projects that would be set up in the city: Gilgal, Jericho and Bethel. This book tells the story of how they came to be set up and resourced, through a series of miraculous interventions, and of how they are now helping the most disadvantaged people in the city. It should encourage and inspire anybody with an interest in urban mission and those who believe that God is leading them in new directions.




Festival in the Desert


Book Description

Life is often filled with trial, heartache, grief, and struggle. But, perhaps there’s a treasure to be found in those difficult seasons and that treasure is intimacy with God Himself. That should be reason enough to rejoice. So, how do we take God’s command to Pharaoh in Exodus 5 to “Let my people go so they may hold a festival for me in the desert” as a holy invitation to be stripped down and made whole, while still worshipping the one who allows the stripping? Through vulnerable and transparent stories, Laureen Alexa Trujillo shares her personal testimony of hardship and trial and all that God taught her through suffering. She highlights the faithfulness of God and brings attention to the purpose of her struggle: To learn dependency on God by being exposed to the barrenness of the desert, surrender the false comfort of our personal Egypt, and come out stronger and more refined for the Promise Land we were created to inherit. Through Festival in the Desert Laureen walks you through the question that confronted her: how do we learn and truly embrace the fact that God can and will work all things together for good as we seek Him and choose to love Him through uncertainty, fear, and hardship? The stories and interactive prompts will point us to the heart of the Father, reminding us that God is faithful, present, trustworthy, and more than capable of making a way for us when there doesn’t seem to be one, ushering in freedom, comfort, and renewed hope.




With Fresh Eyes


Book Description

What miracles do we miss when we close our eyes to the wonder of everyday moments? In this busy, jaded world of ours, we often take for granted what we see every day. We may set aside time to spend with God in a quiet room, but we struggle to see his hand in a traffic jam or while walking the dog. But for Karen Wingate, sight itself is something extraordinary, and what our eyes can reveal is even more astounding. Karen lived most of her life with severely limited sight due to a cluster of disorders stemming from a genetic defect. But through the chance outcome of a surgery, she regained sight in one eye that doubled her visual acuity—and allowed her to see things she had never seen before. And as she discovered a more detailed world for the first time, she also began to see God in every new discovery—from the prosaic numbers of a bathroom scale to the glory of sunsets. With Fresh Eyes invites readers to not only celebrate the gift of their own sight but also reawaken the wonder of what they observe in creation—great and small—and how God is working in everyday moments. In each of her sixty meditations, Karen's humor and whimsy draw a connection between physical sight and spiritual understanding that will leave readers with a renewed joy and delight in what is good and beautiful, and will reassure them that God still works in the lives of his people.




The Pleasures of God


Book Description

The author of Desiring God reveals the biblical evidence to help us see and savor what the pleasures of God show us about Him. Includes a study guide for individual and small-group use. Isn’t it true—we really don’t know someone until we understand what makes that person happy? And so it is with God! What does bring delight to the happiest Being in the universe? John Piper writes, that it’s only when we know what makes God glad that we’ll know the greatness of His glory. Therefore, we must comprehend “the pleasures of God.” Unlike so much of what is written today, this is not a book about us. It is about the One we were made for—God Himself. In this theological masterpiece—chosen by World Magazine as one of the 20th Century’s top 100 books, John Piper reveals the biblical evidence to help us see and savor what the pleasures of God show us about Him. Then we will be able to drink deeply—and satisfyingly—from the only well that offers living water. What followers of Jesus need now, more than anything else, is to know and love—behold and embrace—the great, glorious, sovereign, happy God of the Bible. “This is a unique and precious book that everybody should read more than once.” —J.I. PACKER, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia




Reading the Sermons of Thomas Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide


Book Description

Preaching was immensely important in the medieval Church, and Thomas Aquinas expended much time and effort preaching. Today, however, Aquinas’s sermons remain relatively unstudied and underappreciated. This is largely because their sermo modernus style, typical of the thirteenth century, can appear odd and inaccessible to the modern reader. In Reading the Sermons of Thomas Aquinas, Randall Smith guides the reader through Aquinas’s sermons, explaining their form and content. In the process, one comes to appreciate the sermons in their rhetorical brilliance, beauty, and profound spiritual depth while simultaneously being initiated into a fascinating world of thought concerning Scripture, language, and the human mind. The book also includes analytical outlines for all of Aquinas’s extant sermons. Reading the Sermons of Thomas Aquinas: A Beginner’s Guide is an indispensable volume for those interested in the thought of Aquinas, in the intellectual and spiritual milieu in which he worked, and in the manifold ways of preaching the Gospel message.




The Desert Will Bloom


Book Description




The Old Testament in Seven Sentences


Book Description

It's easy to see the Old Testament as confusing, out of date, or irrelevant. Using seven key sentences drawn straight from the Old Testament, Christopher J. H. Wright fits the pieces together, shows us the coherent whole, and points us toward Jesus. This short survey shows God's faithfulness and love for his people and illuminates how the Old Testament Scriptures prepared for the identity and mission of Jesus.




The Concise A to Z Guide to Finding It in the Bible


Book Description

This informative and easy-to-understand reference tool offers an "at your fingertips" guide to key Scripture references, Bible stories, and verses that relate to topics like •anger •controversy •employment •going "green" •happiness •leadership •money •relaxation •sex •worship The Concise A to Z Guide to Finding It in the Bible provides a quick and entertaining read for people interested in what the Bible has to say about a wide range of topics.




Aquinas, Bonaventure, and the Scholastic Culture of Medieval Paris


Book Description

By focusing attention on the importance of preaching, this book should spur a fundamental reconsideration of 'scholastic' culture and education.







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