Only a Soldier Understands


Book Description

This book is personal. And it's about you. Nobody understands what it feels like to be a soldier except another soldier. It's about your family back home. It's about trying to gain respect. It's about achieving something important after feeling like a failure. It's about living far from home and feeling lonely. It's about discovering women. It's about good and bad bosses. It's about successes and failures, excitement and frustration. Sound like you yet? And the book will bring back memories. I'll share my story while you reflect upon your own. In fact, it will draw you back to your childhood, and spur visions of your future. No soldier's story is dull if you have a sense of humor. And you'll laugh at my story as well as your own as we quickly turn the pages together. It's an easy read, too. Stories of my life in the military are a quick, two-page read for the most part. I follow up with a few questions directed to you about your own story. That's why sometimes a bunch of guys might get together over lunch and read some of these together. It gets you laughing and sharing about your own journey down the road. This book is a chronological collection beginning with the decision to join the military, and continues the trip in 37 short pieces. There's a pretty good table of contents if you want to target a special spot in your career. Volumes 2-4 continue the journey if you'd like to travel on! This book is for the new recruit. This book is for the naive soldier. This book is for the career guys. It's for the lonely guy who needs a quick read. It's for hooch-mates to laugh about. It's food for the soul, like having a chaplain in your pocket. I'd like to be like your secret big brother, who comes from the same thread, who has been on the same road trip with you, and won't leave your side. One more thing. If you've had a hard time of it, if your life hasn't gone the way you had hoped, if you screwed it all up - then you need t




Only a Soldier Understands - A Military Devotional and Bible Study for Warriors with a Story Book 2: Training


Book Description

Nobody understands what it feels like to be a soldier - except another soldier. In Only a Soldier Understands Volume 2: Training, Vietnam veteran Dr. Clay Lifto continues to examine his early days in the Army, sharing feelings and milestones that are universal to young men and women entering the military and finding their identity. This book takes a look at the deeply personal journey of a new soldier. It's about family back home, and gaining their respect. It's about living far from home and feeling lonely. It's about good and bad bosses. It's about successes and failures, excitement and frustration. But most of all, it's about gaining insight and perspective about your life-changing experiences. Told in a series of short anecdotes full of humor and honesty, this book offers you the opportunity to compare and contrast your own feelings and facts, and provides questions designed to help you delve deeper, as well as compassionate advice from the best Commander of all. If you're stuck in a particular place in your career, the Table of Contents can guide you to the section you need most right now. But each of the 38 stories has something valuable for you. Equally relevant to both the new recruit and the career soldier, Only a Soldier Understands gives you a mentor you can trust, and a colleague who's been where you are. About the Author: Dr. Clay Lifto, Professor Emeritus of Marketing and Management, has served at Kirkwood College since 1982. Among his many professional accomplishments, he has founded a property management company operating in three states, and established a college program focused on supervisory management. He holds a BS in business management, a BA in Russian studies, a master's in education, and a doctorate in pastoral leadership. Currently he is pursuing his second doctorate, as well as an MBA in global management. Since 1993, Dr. Lifto and his wife Ruth have been involved with missionary humanitarian projects in Ukraine, where they have been teach




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.




Half the Church


Book Description

Women comprise at least half the world, and usually more than half the church, but so often Christian teaching to women either fails to move beyond a discussion of roles or assumes a particular economic situation or stage of life. This all but shuts women out from contributing to God’s kingdom as they were designed to do. Furthermore, the plight of women in the Majority World demands a Christian response, a holistic embrace of all that God calls women and men to be in his world. The loudest voices speaking into women’s lives in the twenty-first century thus far come from either fundamentalist Islam or radical feminism. And neither can be allowed to carry the day. The Bible contains the highest possible view of women and invests women’s lives with cosmic significance regardless of their age, stage of life, social status, or culture. Carolyn Custis James unpacks three transformative themes the Bible presents to women that raise the bar for women and calls them to join their brothers in advancing God’s gracious kingdom on earth. These new images of what can be in Christ free women to embrace the life God gives them, no matter what happens. Carolyn encourages readers with a positive, kingdom approach to the changes, challenges, and opportunities facing women throughout the world today.




1–2 Samuel


Book Description

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) "Gospel Glimpses" highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) "Whole-Bible Connections" show how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) "Theological Soundings" identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on every page of the Bible. In this 12-week study through the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, pastor Ryan Kelly offers insights into God's character through the stories of the prophet Samuel and Israel's first kings, Saul and David. With the inauguration of a monarchy in Israel, we see God's continued care for his people as he raises up leaders and promises to be faithful to his covenant by establishing a kingdom that will never pass away.




A Little Exercise for Young Theologians


Book Description

Zusammenfassung: This classic little book for new and experienced theologians alike offers wise counsel on the difficulties-- and vital importance-- of maintaining one's spiritual health in the course of academic theological study. Since the book's first appearance in English translation in 1962, thousands of beginning theological students have had the opportunity to eavesdrop, as it were, on the opening lecture of a theological seminar by one of the twentieth century's leading Christian thinkers, Helmut Thielicke. More experienced pastors and theologians have also returned to it again and again for the valuable insights that Thielicke brings to bear on their vocation. (Publisher)




Bulletproof Marriage


Book Description

Together you can make it through anything. We live in a troubled society, and those maintaining order and justice are some of the most overworked, unappreciated, and underpaid. The nature of their jobs is taxing both personally and relationally. Bulletproof Marriage is a 90-day devotional that applies biblical principles to support and strengthen the marriages of military members, law enforcement officers, and first responders. Each day includes a Bible verse, inspirational reading, quick tips, action steps for both husband and wife, and a prayer. Learn how to: • transition smoothly from duty to home. • resolve conflicts and develop healthy communication habits. • manage lifestyle stressors and cultivate resilience. • build trust and encourage intimacy. Sometimes the greatest love is not to sacrifice your life but to live a life of sacrifice. Invite God to help you make your marriage bulletproof.




Fervent, LeatherTouch Edition


Book Description

You have an enemy . . . and he’s dead set on destroying all you hold dear and keeping you from experiencing abundant life in Christ. What’s more, his approach to disrupting your life and discrediting your faith isn’t general or generic, not a one-size-fits-all. It’s specific. Personalized. Targeted. So this book is your chance to strike back. With prayer. With a weapon that really works. Each chapter will guide you in crafting prayer strategies that hit the enemy where it hurts, letting him know you’re on to him and that you won’t back down. Because with every new strategy you build, you’re turning the fiercest battles of life into precise strikes against him and his handiwork, each one infused with the power of God’s Spirit. New York Times bestselling author Priscilla Shirer, widely known for her international speaking, teaching, and writing ministries, brings her new role from the 2015 film War Room into the real lives of today’s women, addressing the topics that affect them most: renewing their passion, refocusing their identity, negotiating family strife, dealing with relentless regrets, navigating impossible schedules, succeeding against temptation, weathering their worst fears, uprooting bitterness, and more. Each chapter exposes the enemy’s cruel, crafty intentions in all kinds of these areas, then equips and encourages you to write out your own personalized prayer strategies on tear-out sheets you can post and pray over yourself and your loved ones on a regular basis. Fervent is a hands-on, knees-down, don’t-give-up action guide to practical, purposeful praying.




The Few, the Humble, the Church


Book Description

In this verse-by-verse study of Ephesians we will travel back to the creation of the Church by God through Jesus and discover all that God intended His Church to be. Find out what it means to be Christ-like, while learning why and how to use your spiritual gifts. We are all God's children whether we are a husband, wife, child, employee or employer, study how we are to relate to one another. The second part of this study is devoted to spiritual warfare. In this section you will use both the Old and New Testaments to witness God's character and read His promises to us as we fight in this unseen realm. He has given us armor and weapons to fight and defend ourselves while telling us the battle is His. Stephanie Pavlantos truly loves God's word. Raised in Dayton, Ohio as one of six children in a loving Christian family, she was strongly influenced by her father who she says modeled the importance of prayer and studying Scripture. Stephanie also credits a "godly mentor" who taught her the truths of God's word. She earned a B.S. degree in Biology from Ohio Northern University and is a certified histotechnologist. In addition to other experiences, Stephanie spent two years of her career doing cancer research. Throughout her life, she has always been active within the church, teaching many women's Bible studies as well as both children and adult Sunday school classes. She and her husband Mike have three children who she home schooled. Currently she is a stay-at-home mom, a church board member, and Sunday school superintendent.




Faithful to Christ: A Challenge to Truly Live for Christ


Book Description

Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. - 1 Samuel 12:24 If there is a true faith, there must be a declaration of it. If you are a candle, and God has lit you, then let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens (Matthew 5:16). Soldiers of Christ must, like soldiers of our nation, wear their uniforms; and if they are ashamed of their uniforms, they ought to be drummed out of the army. I believe that many Christians get into a lot of trouble by not being honest in their convictions. For instance, if a person goes into a workshop, or a soldier into a barracks, and if he does not fly his flag from the beginning, it will be very difficult for him to run it up afterwards. But if he immediately and boldly lets them know, “I am a Christian, and there are certain things that I cannot do to please you, and certain other things that I cannot help doing even though they might displease you” – when that is clearly understood, after a while the peculiarity of the thing will be gone, and the person will be let alone. However, if he is a little dishonest and thinks that he is going to please the world and please Christ too, he can depend on it that he is in for a rough time. If he tries the way of compromise, his life will be like that of a toad under a harrow or a fox in a dog kennel. That will never do. Come out. Show your colors. Let it be known who you are and what you are. Although your course will not be smooth, it will certainly not be half as rough as if you tried to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, which is a very difficult piece of business. - Charles H. Spurgeon List of Chapters Ch. 1: Pride Ch. 2: Broken Keys Ch. 3: Double-Mindedness Ch. 4: Labor that Doesn’t Satisfy Ch. 5: The Table of the Reprobate Ch. 6: The Self-Righteous Guests Ch. 7: Drunk with the World Ch. 8: Going through the Fire Ch. 9: Laziness Ch. 10: Faith Ch. 11: Awaken, Oh Sleeper! Ch. 12: An Innkeeper’s Prayer Ch. 13: Punishment of Evildoers Ch. 14: Priceless Life Ch. 15: No Excuse for Ignorance Ch. 16: We Must Pray Ch. 17: Popular Errors Ch. 18: Don’t Wait Until You’re Dying Ch. 19: Our Days Are Numbered Ch. 20: How the World Gives Ch. 21: Have Courage Ch. 22: Be Faithful Ch. 23: The Light of Evening Ch. 24: Beds That Are Too Short Ch. 25: Mistaken Zeal Ch. 26: Selfish Ease Ch. 27: Be Sober Ch. 28: Through Floods and Flames Ch. 29: Show Your Colors Ch. 30: Keep Your Own Garden Ch. 31: A Talk about Death Charles H. Spurgeon – A Brief Biography