LITMIR.BIZ

"If I could only have been there . . ." Did you ever wish you could have been among those who actually encountered Jesus in person; mingled, perhaps, with those throngs beside the lake; feasted among the five thousand in a Galilean meadow; crowded along the village street as the carpenter from Nazareth passed by? This month of daily meditations seeks to accomplish just that; to place readers in the ways that Jesus walked; to assist those who pray or meditate their way across this thirty-day selection to experience the many moments of Jesus's ministry as narrated in the gospels, through the eyes and minds, the hearts and emotions of folk-ordinary folk for the most part- whose lives were touched and transformed as Jesus walked their way. For Lent, or Advent, or for any season of spiritual renewal, Faces by the Wayside can set you once again in the presence of the Master.

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". . . from expected death comes unexpected new life!"
The Gospel of Matthew does not shy away from the realities of struggle, suffering, doubt, and death. Yet, from the first names in the genealogy to the last words spoken by Jesus, the Gospel testifies to the promise that from expected death comes unexpected new life. Through the actions of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, we experience the expectation of death and the promise of unexpected new life. In the birth story of Jesus, Joseph suspects Mary of committing adultery. It is this dilemma that is the focus of the narrative. If he reveals her pregnancy, she could be killed. If he conceals her pregnancy, he will be going against the law of the Lord. What is a righteous man to do? In Joseph's dilemma, this experience of expected death, the Gospel of Matthew proclaims the promise of unexpected new life.
The promise of unexpected new life is a theme that continues throughout Matthew's Gospel in the life and ministry of Jesus. The call of his disciples is a call from death to new life. The teaching of Jesus focuses on the experience of death and the promise of new life. In both healing and curing, Jesus brings unexpected new life to those who face death. But it is the death and resurrection of Jesus that is the climax of unexpected new life in the Gospel of Matthew. Even as Jesus experiences a most horrific and humiliating death in the crucifixion, death and the grave do not have the final say. In bearing witness to Jesus' resurrection, the Gospel of Matthew proclaims the magnificent promise of unexpected new life.
Matthew J. Marohl invites you in these pages to read the Gospel of Matthew in a new way, from a fresh perspective. Integrating insights from the study of Mediterranean anthropology, Marohl makes the cultural world of the Gospel come alive, so that as you read Matthew again (or perhaps for the first time) you will certainly experience the powerful promise that from expected death comes unexpected new life!

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In this compact, fluently written survey of logical fallacies, Adam Murrell provides myriad examples of ways we go about being illogical–how we deceive ourselves and others, how we think and argue in ways that are uncritical, disorganized, or irrelevant. From billboards to bumper stickers to radio to television, fallacious arguments are seemingly everywhere we look. Reclaiming Reason was designed to teach people how to counter this trend, how to reason with clarity, relevance, and purpose at a time when passions and emotion frequently override sound judgment. This concise handbook is essential for Christians as they study logic, the art of reasoning well–of learning to think God's thoughts after him. A book of remarkable sensibility, Reclaiming Reason is unassumingly relaxed, informal, and easily digestible.

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Christianity is simple. Love God. Love your neighbor. The rest is commentary. Simple in theory becomes much more difficult when your neighbor is a man in a dress who stinks like urine and a decaying, unwashed body. And yet, that's exactly who you find on a downtown bus: the homeless, the unsavory, the just plain weird. Drawing on the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, this book explores one woman's complex and ambivalent interactions with the homeless. Stories about a persistent failure to acknowledge and honor the humanity of the homeless are evidence of the pervasive reality of human sin. But at the same time, there are moments of genuine kindness and humanity that stand as reminders that God brings new life from the brokenness of sin. These stories of days spent on a downtown bus move from unflinching self-reflection to a new awareness of God's presence. This is where the abstract becomes local, and where theology finally gets real.

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In Moses: A Stranger among Us, Rabbi Maurice Harris leads us to look beyond familiar and popular portrayals of Moses so that we can discover the Moses whose lesser-known attributes and experiences provide us with surprisingly fresh ethical and spiritual guidance. Harris offers many angles on his subject, interweaving traditional religious interpretations, academic Bible scholarship, psychological and sociological analysis, feminist readings, and more. Combining deep respect for the biblical text with a willingness to question received tradition, Harris reveals a complex Moses whose life story gives us important tools for better understanding issues like religious fundamentalism, intermarriage, identity confusion, civil disobedience, gay and lesbian equality, and the nature of sacred mythic storytelling. Written in a refreshing, plainspoken voice for people of all faiths or none, the result is a volume of creative, thought-provoking, and exciting readings of the Bible.

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We know guilt, if at all, by the message of badness that it seems to communicate to us. LeRoy Aden notes that our tendency is to silence the message, when in fact we need to listen to our guilt feelings carefully. A better understanding of the nature and operation of guilt and guilt feelings will help us evaluate the negative and the positive roles that they play in our search for fulfillment. In this book Aden examines real-life situations as well as literary works to illuminate the concrete details of this struggle with guilt and guilt feelings. He finds that sense of guilt can warn us when we lose our way and can put us back on the road to restored relationships and genuine fulfillment when we heed its call.

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What if the story of Eve and Adam was not meant to be a story about creation and the origin of life? What if Eve and Adam were not personifications of all women and men? What if the curse on the woman had nothing to do with the physical pain of giving birth? What if working by the sweat of the brow was a description of the slavery that existed under the monarchy? What if being cast out of the garden of Eden was a metaphor for the deportation of people from Judah to Babylon?
The author of this book takes readers on a journey of inquiry leading to the conclusion that the story of Eve and Adam was authored by the theological school of Jeremiah in order to dissuade the Judean people never to reinstate the monarchy after their return from Babylon–a monarchy that previously was responsible for so much infant mortality, subjugation of women, and enslavement of its own people. At the heart of this journey is the discovery that Eve and Adam actually are metaphors for Israel and Judah–two nations that chose to have a king like other nations and suffered the consequences.

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Today's technology offers thousands of applications–apps–to solve problems and to enhance lives. Whether it's making major financial decisions or planning a dinner menu–there's an app for that!
When it comes to dealing with life's inevitable difficulties, a pastoral visit and a prayer are helpful, but people of faith–and people in search of faith–need sacred assurance directly from God's Word. They need a Scripture app.
While many books reference Scriptures for use in tough times, this book includes the Scriptures in an easily accessible format. It also provides commentary based on the author's decades of pastoral care experience to help apply the ancient words to contemporary situations. Pastors, counselors, chaplains, anyone who cares for others, and all of us who need care, here are Scripture apps made easy!

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By bringing four contemporary companioning narratives into dialogue with gospel descriptions of Jesus' encounters with people, this book demonstrates how wonderfully diverse interpersonal ministry–pastoral care, counselling, chaplaincy, mentoring, spiritual companioning, and spiritual direction–is active participation in his shepherding, healing, restorative, and guiding purposes. Jesus' invitation, as the true shepherd, master guide, and companion, is to embody and reflect his humble, life-giving, and restorative dynamic. With the essence of his way encapsulated in the words, «Come unto me» (Matt 11:28-30), and gospel accounts opening to us his person and his interpersonal dynamic, we are invited and gifted to offer to pilgrims profound respect as persons created in the likeness of God; the accompaniment of a gentle and humble heart; welcoming and sacred spaces; relational solidarity; creative and often non-directive entry points into the deeper rhythms and flows of their human experience (noting Jesus' use of metaphor, imagery, enlivened imagination, parable, paradox, wakefulness, and attentiveness to the everyday); and, the prayerful attentiveness that will guide them to find rest for their souls. The encouragement is to get on the road with this master guide-companion and experience his kingdom breaking through, in, and around the lives of pilgrims and their companions.

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Las Vegas has long been characterized as «Sin City.» It is a common assumption of many outsiders that Las Vegas is a spiritual wasteland, devoid of any significant religious community and bereft of traditional values. This is most certainly not the case! In fact, Las Vegas has a strong, healthy, and growing religious dimension. Within this milieu is a strong and rapidly expanding Pentecostal dimension to the city's profile of faith. The Pentecostals in Las Vegas are a microcosm of Pentecostalism both nationally and globally. On the whole, this expression of Christian faith is certainly among the fastest growing religions in the world. Some sociologists and demographics experts identify Evangelicals and Pentecostals as the emerging religious majority in America's future. Most mainstream denominations are in decline, but Pentecostals continue to grow both in numbers and influence. This book will explore and analyze several local Pentecostal congregations and the dynamic relationship between the church and the «Strip.» It will focus on the interplay between one of America's most devout religious subcultures and one its most secular cities.

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