Depressed by Winterval? Put 'Christ' back into Christmas with a fresh understanding of the Christmas story, based on daily Advent readings and meditations.If you are troubled by the noise, pressure and materialism of secular Advent with its emphasis on material and commercial rather than spiritual preparation for Christmas, this book will help you to read and think about Advent and Christmas in a new way.Co-authored by a New Testament specialist and a pract...

The encouragement we crave—when we’re most in needOut of the deepest hurts of the human condition, Randy Alcorn brings into clear focus our most pressing questions about evil and suffering—including those that wrench our souls when we or someone we love is victimized by evil or assaulted by disease.He faces these questions with seasoned sensitivity, skillful insight, and a heart of compassion. He dodges none of the difficulties, and never lapses into platitu...

In this perceptive and provocative new look at the Gospels, John Dominic Crossan begins by observing that the parabolic stories told by Jesus seem remarkably similar to the resurrection stories about Jesus. 'Were the latter intended as parables just as much as the former?' he asks. Could it be that we have been reading parables, presuming them to be history, and misunderstanding both? In other words, could Jesus' use of parables have inspired the Gospel writers to create meaningful, metaph...

Who was Luke? Was he one of Paul's companions? Was he a doctor? We do know that he was educated and cultured, writing for people far away from where Jesus lived.In his Gospel, we find the foundation of our Christmas stories and the best-loved parables, those of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. We see Jesus' concern for the poor and the marginalized, especially women and children. And it's Luke who tells us of the repentant thief on the cross and of the rise...

Tom Wright has completed a tremendous task: to provide comprehensive guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to furnish them with his own fresh translation of the entire text.Making use of his true scholar's understanding, yet writing in an approachable and anecdotal style, Wright captures the urgency and excitement of Matthew's Gospel in a way few writers have.Each short passage is followed by a highly readable commentary with helpful background ...

Luke is the story of how God came to earth in the form of a man, and how that arrival turned the world upside down. Filled with the lyric melodies and thoughtful text you've come to expect from Michael Card, this new album explores the mystery ofincarnation as it was revealed to a historian, doctor and slave named Luke.

Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministry convinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he and his wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what God had to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from a biblical point of view.This book describes their journey and their liberation from the "success syndrome"-the misguided belief that success in ministry means increa...

New York Times bestselling author and pastor Timothy Keller concludes his Encounters with Jesus eBook series with The Mother of God, an exploration of the Annunciation and how Mary’s reaction to her blessing can help us grow in our understanding of Christianity.Jesus’ mother, Mary, was the first person to learn that he was the Son of God. By examining her response to the angelic announcement, Timothy Keller, pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyter...

More and more people are now looking for ways to celebrate the Advent season. This modern favorite from Calvin Miller, now in a cozy jacketed hardcover edition, features brief everyday devotions for the entire month of December that bring readers back to the very first Christmas. Each devotion includes a full-page Scripture reading, main message, call-out quote, and written prayer. For anyone who desires a longer stay, there’s an additional passage to read from outside the Gospel accounts ...

Vaughan Roberts explores seven of the difficulties Christians may have to endure and positive ways to deal with them.The Bible warns of a mixed experience in this life. We live in a fallen world and have to fight continually against earthly temptations, but we do so as heaven's citizens, already enjoying some of salvation's great blessings.Vaughan Roberts calls us to realism. Christians will struggle with battles such as image, lust and doubt. But he also urges us to seek s...

In Our Gay Son, David Robert-John described how he came to realise that the Bibles view of homosexuality was at odds with modern understanding. That was an extremely unsettling discovery for an evangelical Christian whose beliefs were based entirely on biblical teaching. In this sequel, the author continues his quest for truth by examining the Bible and asking how much traditional Christian belief can be derived with any certainty from its narratives. The disturbing answer seems to be very...

From the angel Gabriel's announcement of God's plan for her, through the adversities presented by Christ's work on earth, Mary, the mother of Jesus, exhibited courage and humility. In this study, readers will walk beside Mary the teenager, the wife, the mother, the widow, the church member. Women of all ages will discover how to:Sustain a humble spirit with overflowing prayerHold God's assurances deep within Walk humbly through good times and bad with a heart fixed on God