LITMIR.BIZ

Kids and Kingdom challenges the traditional view that Jesus was deeply concerned over children. Instead, it is argued that despite the Synoptic authors' attempts to convince us that children are fully included in the kingdom of God–that «Jesus loves the little children»–their presentations fail to conceal images of household disruption and alienation of children brought about by Jesus' eschatological movement.
After establishing what Greco-Roman and Jewish sources reveal about children by the end of the first century, a deconstructive literary approach is applied to the Synoptic Gospels, foregrounding children over other characters in relation to Jesus' adult ministry. Murphy scrutinizes prominent healing narratives involving children, and teachings involving children such as «The Child in the Midst» (Mark 9:36-37 and parallels), «One of These Little Ones» (Mark 9:42 and parallels), and «Let the Young Children Come to Me» (Mark 10:13-16 and parallels). These are examined against sayings of Jesus relativizing family ties and the lifestyle indicative of the radical call to discipleship in the Synoptic narratives. Fundamentally, this study does not seek to resolve but to highlight the tensions in the Synoptic Gospels between attempts at child inclusivity and the radical demands of discipleship.

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Readers of the Gospels are typically attuned to the words of Jesus while paying comparatively little attention to what other characters in the narratives say about him. This innovative study of John's Gospel looks at the text through the lens of a routinely misunderstood mode of speech, namely, gossip. Focusing on talk about Jesus in John, the author unpacks the intricate relationship between gossip and various social dynamics of Jesus' world, demonstrating how they collude to construct Jesus' identity. Ultimately, it is suggested that John presents a Jesus whose identity is elusive to both outsiders like the Pharisees and insiders like his disciples, and thus models the importance, if not the sheer necessity, of the ongoing public discourse around the question «Who is Jesus?»

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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales, meaning that each day more than fifteen million people earn their keep by persuading someone else to make a purchase.
The Excellent Persuader has the unique ability to reach sales professionals, sales managers, and organizational leaders at every level. All sales professionals, whether entry-level, veteran, or manager, will be guided through the ART of how to become an excellent persuader by utilizing the techniques and specific strategies outlined in this resource. Through the use of sales, human resource development, management, and leadership techniques, The Excellent Persuader provides the tools in a reader-friendly manner to alter the paradigm through which struggling, average, above average, or overeager sales professionals approach their professions. Concerns voiced by sales leaders are addressed throughout, as well as specific techniques to educate, re-frame, or re-invent individuals' approaches to sales.

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The presence of the Divine is everywhere. That is both a comfort and a challenge. We are consoled to know that God is with us, but being human we need a sign, something to touch, see, hear, taste, smell. We need something of the ordinary to name the non-touchable, invisible, unable-to-be-heard, tasteless, odorless God's presence with us. So, we employ metaphors, figures of speech which literally denote one kind of object in place of another, to suggest a likeness or analogy. In this book, the metaphors used for God come out of the Bible; they are the four elements of nature for the Greeks: wind, water, earth, and fire. Wind is a metaphor for God's Spirit. Water refers to God as the source of life. Earth, from which we are created, bears God's fingerprints and footprints. And fire reminds us of the God who purifies and draws all creation to himself. This nature spirituality book consists of four chapters–wind, water, earth, fire–each of which contains twenty, four-part exercises of prayer: a few verses from Scripture, a reflection, a journal exercise, and a concluding prayer.

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Therapeutic preaching is badly in need of rehabilitation. Administering mini-doses of psychological self-help from the pulpit simply will not do. Therapeutic preaching that is theocentric draws listeners more deeply into God's healing love. It involves setting up a creative conversation between divine and human therapy. In a novel and deeply insightful way, Neil Pembroke shows how metaphors and analogues drawn from psychotherapy can be employed to draw out the power in divine therapeia.

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In the Bible's introduction are embedded foundational perspectives on «who God is» and «who humans are and what we should be doing» that are developed throughout the book. Genesis 1-3 is the story of beginnings, depicting who the Creator-God is, what this God intended for the creation, especially for the human creation, how humans messed up, and at least a hint of what God is doing about this. Like Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and early church leaders, when we want to know what God intended, we listen to the Bible's introduction. The Story of Beginnings deals with such questions as «What is the Image of God?» «Who were Adam and Eve?» «What does blessing the Sabbath mean?» and «How shall we understand 'the Fall' and its implications today?»

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Conservative evangelical women are least likely to be trained in the areas of teaching and preaching. It's a tragic state of affairs, given the central value that our tradition places on the Scriptures. In this book, Jackie Roese examines the forces, both past and present, that have discouraged women from becoming trained. We'll discover that women are indeed called, gifted, and mandated in Scripture to herald the Word of God. The first half of the book will focus on encouraging women to become as fully equipped as our male counterparts, and to use their uniquely female voice in proclaiming truth to other women in various settings outside pulpit preaching. But encouragement isn't enough. Many women who already teach Bible studies, or who desire to teach, are in no position to pursue formal studies in a seminary. To that end, the second half of She Can Teach is dedicated to developing homiletic skills. Together we will learn how to study a passage, find the main idea, and build and deliver a biblical message. By the end of this book, the reader will be better equipped to proclaim truth, through her uniquely female voice, to her female audience.

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For Paul, the gospel message is simple, yet profound: Be subject to God. But, subjection for Paul means recognizing that the gift of God to one is the capacity to acknowledge and appreciate the gift of God in another. Paul argues that God's reconciling work in the world is manifest through the process of all people (Jews and Gentiles) understanding themselves in a mutually indebted relationship with each other. The power of the gospel, according to Paul, empowers these groups to function out of a mutually indebted mindset and enables them to discern and demonstrate the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God.
In establishing his argument Paul gives considerable attention to hypotassō (subjection), dokimazō (discern), phronēma/phroneō (mindset/way of thinking), and metamorphomai (transform) as key theological concepts. In this light, Monya Stubbs analyzes the ways in which Paul speaks about subjection, engages in reflection, and exhorts his readers to transformation–a type of transformation necessary for those to whom he exhorts to walk in the nearness of God's salvation power. Focusing on these categories, Stubbs helps us recognize the ways in which the text explores ideological systems of convictions and their implications for human relationships.

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Preachers are often caught in a double bind–they would like to be more witty and creative, but they aren't sure whether these capacities fit with the serious business of preaching the gospel. Pastor and preaching professor Blayne Banting addresses both the «why» and the «how» of the roles of humour and imagination in preaching. With Wit and Wonder is designed to take the preacher from a solid theological and theoretical grounding in both humour and imagination to how these two God-given gifts might be employed to enhance the preaching ministry of today's communicator.

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Even on a bumper sticker, grace is irresistible.
Grace Sticks: The Bumper Sticker Gospel for Restless Souls is light-hearted spiritual memoir and theological travel guidance for restless souls looking for more direction, more truth, and more life. Robb-Dover invites readers to reflect on how the bumper stickers they affix to their cars or entertain at traffic lights are themselves spiritual aspirations of sorts pointing to One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. In their meanderings, with bumper stickers as pit stops, readers will laugh, cry, be provoked, and be inspired to look for God in the most seemingly frivolous and unlikely of places. They'll discover in the process there's as much grace to be found in the journeying itself as in the destination.

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