Malaysia-based online bookstore - 15 million titles - quick local delivery with tracking number
With keen insight and unwavering conviction, visionary pastor Kathy Escobar guides readers on a Lenten journey inspired by the ways of Jesus to dismantle the systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice.
From flipping the moneychangers' tables in the temple to uplifting the poor and marginalized, Jesus' actions and words turn the world's idea of power on its head.
With each week of Lent, readers will dig deeper into Jesus' challenge to the pervasive influence of privilege and oppression that have dominated since ancient times. Through poignant reflections and thought-provoking practices, readers will discover how they can harness the disruptive power of Jesus' teachings to effect meaningful change in their communities and beyond. Together, we can turn the tables and build a world where justice, healing, and greater equity reigns supreme.
The Westminster Study Bible (WSB) is the first entirely new study Bible to utilize the recently released New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition.
Soon to be an essential tool for all religious studies contexts, The Westminster Study Bible includes interpretive materials from over eighty leading biblical experts who, as teachers in a variety of educational settings, are sensitive to how the biblical texts have been received, what their cultural and social consequences have been, and how readers might hear them now in multiple contexts.
The Westminster Study Bible also pays close attention to the interdisciplinary connections that contemporary students, teachers, and other readers from diverse backgrounds will find both useful and relevant. It is an ideal textbook for a range of biblical studies courses, as well as courses in religion, philosophy, and the general humanities, whether introductory or advanced. The Westminster Study Bible's emphasis on the cultural framing of the Bible's theological, historical, literary, and philosophical elements allows it to be useful beyond the university and seminary classrooms, aiding teachers in religious congregations and organizations with their ministries as well.
Reading and engaging the Bible today is not as simple as discovering what it meant in its time in order to determine what it means for all time. All readers--whether students or instructors, clergy or general readers, religious or nonreligious--bring their own perspectives to the interpretation of the Bible. The themes and ideas that matter to twenty-first-century readers tend to resonate with our present situations in some way. The Westminster Study Bible takes this interactive dynamic between historical and contemporary interpretations seriously. Through study notes, thematic excursuses, and a range of illuminating essays, The Westminster Study Bible delves into the ancient contexts of the Bible, its continually evolving interpretations, and its contemporary reading and reception, critically exploring both the worlds of the text and the worlds of its many readers today.
Please visit www.wjkbooks.com/WSB for additional information and a more in-depth look at this exciting, new study Bible.
General Editors:
Beloved preacher and writer Anna Carter Florence brings winsome insight to an array of characters and stories in the Bible--some celebrated and some overlooked. From courageous Abigail to Zelophehad's daughters, and from an alabaster jar of ointment to Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree, Florence takes readers on an enchanting tour of the Old and New Testaments with reflections that reveal ancient wisdom and spark imagination anew.
There are only two places where the powerful and great in this world lose their courage, tremble in the depths of their souls, and become truly afraid. These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ.
No priest, no theologian stood at the cradle of Bethlehem. And yet, all Christian theology finds its beginnings in the miracle of miracles, that God became human.
These stirring words are among forty devotions that guide and inspire readers as they move thematically through the weeks of Advent and Christmas, from waiting and mystery to redemption, incarnation, and joy. Supplemented by an informative introduction, short excerpts from Bonhoeffer's letters, and passages from his Christmas sermons, these daily devotions are timeless and moving reminders of the true gift of Christmas.
Church historians have long known and appreciated Christianity's global history. Until recently, however, introductory textbooks on the history of Christianity focused almost exclusively on Europe and North America. Robert Bruce Mullins's A Short World History of Christianity, by contrast, offers a panoramic picture of the history of Christianity in its Western and non-Western expressions. It tells the story of the early church in the Greek East as well as the Latin West; of Christianity's spread into Asia as well as Europe during the Middle Ages; and its explosion around the world during the modern period. Mullins's highly readable narrative explores why global perspectives have emerged so strongly in our understanding of the story of Christianity and how they have impacted Christianity's perspective on its place in the world.
This newly revised edition adds information on such global phenomena as early Syriac-speaking Christianity; the growth of Pentecostalism around the world, especially in the southern hemisphere; and recent trends in Christianity, including the elevation of the first pope born in the Americas. A time line of key dates, call-out boxes, and other helpful study materials are also provided. Beginning students will appreciate this memorable introduction to the most important events in the history and development of Christianity.
When asked by his barber and good friend, Peter Beskendorf, for some practical guidance on how to prepare oneself for prayer, Luther responded by writing this brief treatise, first published in the spring of 1535. After 500 years, his instruction continues to offer words of spiritual nurture for us today.
Step into Advent with this captivating study and devotional, where angelic encounters come to life, echoing the timeless message of overcoming fear.
What would you do if you were not afraid?
Life can be daunting, filled with uncertainty and fears. It wasn't any different two thousand years ago when Jesus was born. An aged priest is told he is about to become a father for the first time. A young woman is told she is going to give birth - outside the protection of marriage. A simple carpenter is asked to believe the impossible. A group of shepherds' night on a hill is interrupted by a bright host of angels in the sky.
Yet, each of these encounters begins with the same refrain: do not be afraid.
Those words, though, are not just words of comfort; they are an invitation and a calling from God. In this captivating Advent study and devotional, pastor Erin Wathen challenges us to take this timeless message and apply it to our lives today. Calling All Angels asks us to contemplate what would change in our relationships, vocations, congregations, and communities if we have the courage to overcome our fears like Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, and the Shepherds in the story.
Included in this book are:
Free videos featuring the author are available online - perfect for beginning weekly studies, sparking meaningful conversations, and deepening your understanding of that week's story.
Step into Advent where stories of angelic encounters come to life, echoing the timeless message of overcoming fear. Just like the characters in the nativity story, we're invited to embrace courage and join in God's transformative work.
Think, pray, and reflect through the stories of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.
In this volume, N. T. Wright guides you on a journey through the Gospels and Scripture, compiling passages from his widely popular New Testament for Everyone series. We reflect on the practice of lament during Lent, the celebration of Easter, and how you cannot have one without the other.
Wright provides a daily devotional for the Lent and Easter season. Each day includes his translation of a Scripture passage, words of reflection, and questions for reflection or discussion.
In a world fixated on outward appearances, discover the joy of cultivating an inward relationship with the Spirit, where virtues like love, joy, and self-control blossom naturally.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. - Galatians 5:22-23a
The apostle Paul paints a beautiful picture when he describes the fruit of the Spirit but all too often, we reduce this list of virtues into a checklist of attributes to pursue and strive for. However, pastor and author Eugenia Gamble contends that this understanding is backwards. The Holy Spirit is the One who grows and develops those attributes within us as we pursue our relationship with God. By tending that relationship, the virtues of God develop and blossom as a fruit grows on a well-tended tree.
Tending the Wild Garden explores the true meaning behind each of the virtues in Paul's list, guiding us to discover anew what it means to be a deeply loved child of God indwelt by God's Spirit. Gamble helps us to move beyond the checklist mentality of traditional understandings of the fruit of the Spirit, to cultivate our relationship with God, and to uproot the weeds that could threaten the flourishing of the fruit in our lives.
Key Features of this Bible Study:
Let the fruit of the Spirit be more than just words on a page--they're the living expressions of God's love within you. Dare to cultivate a life overflowing with love, joy, peace, and so much more.
In Isaiah 9:6, a divine utterance is given to us using four royal titles--Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Names for the Messiah ponders each title and how the people understood it then, how Jesus did or did not fulfill the title, and how Christians interpret Jesus as representative of that title.
Christians have claimed from the beginning that Jesus was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. In this study, best-selling author Walter Brueggemann tackles the questions: What were these expectations? and Did Jesus fulfill them?
With this new lectionary commentary series, Westminster John Knox offers the most extensive resource for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes of the series will cover all the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with movable occasions, such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, Holy Week, and All Saints' Day.
For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays--one each on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. This gives preachers sixteen different approaches to the proclaimation of the Word on any given occasion.
The editors and contributors to this series are world-class scholars, pastors, and writers representing a variety of denominations and traditions. And while the twelve volumes of the series will follow the pattern of the Revised Common Lectionary, each volume will contain an index of biblical passages so that nonlectionary preachers, as well as teachers and students, may make use of its contents.
An urgent and passionate commentator, [John Pavlovitz] lives in the tension between despair and hope. - Presbyterian Outlook
John Pavlovitz's Worth Fighting For is a stirring playbook for Christians who strive to ensure that kindness triumphs over toxicity. Forthright and encouraging, Worth Fighting For envisions a grassroots revolution of love led by a 'compassionate coalition of those who give a damn.'-Foreword Reviews
John Pavlovitz has inspired millions to keep boldly loving both neighbors and strangers throughout the years of Trump's hate-mongering campaign and presidency and continues to be a voice of sanity and urgency when so much is still at stake.
It's a scary time for America, with rights for women and transgender people being rolled back, the truth about Black history and experience being silenced, and unrestricted gun violence on the rise. People who value inclusion, compassion, and the common good are understandably anxious and angry--but we can't give up hope. We need motivation to keep fighting for justice.
This inspiring volume features Pavlovitz's most important writing from the past several years alongside brand-new essays to provide the encouragement, stamina, and direction we need to keep going, even when things feel bleak.
Access free resources, including sermon series prompts and a group discussion guide, at www.wjkbooks.com/WorthFightingFor to expand the use of this book to communal and worship settings.
Armed with only six passages in the Bible--often known as the Clobber Passages--the conservative Christian position has been one that stands against the full inclusion of our LGBTQ siblings. UnClobber reexamines each of those frequently quoted passages of Scripture, alternating with author Colby Martin's own story of being fired from an evangelical megachurch when they discovered his stance on sexuality.
UnClobber reexamines what the Bible says (and does not say) about homosexuality in such a way that sheds divine light on outdated and inaccurate assumptions and interpretations. This new edition equips study groups and congregations with questions for discussion and a sermon series guide for preachers.
With this new lectionary commentary series, Westminster John Knox offers the most extensive resource for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes of the series will cover all the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with movable occasions, such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, Holy Week, and All Saints' Day.
For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays--one each on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. This gives preachers sixteen different approaches to the proclaimation of the Word on any given occasion.
The editors and contributors to this series are world-class scholars, pastors, and writers representing a variety of denominations and traditions. And while the twelve volumes of the series will follow the pattern of the Revised Common Lectionary, each volume will contain an index of biblical passages so that nonlectionary preachers, as well as teachers and students, may make use of its contents.
Updated 2022 Edition In this highly useful book, Earl S. Johnson, Jr. explores the role of the deacon in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The author explains the freedom for churches to define the roles of deacons while also supplying many helpful suggestions. Johnson examines the ministry as it is described in sections of the Book of Order and analyzes how the word deacon is used in Scripture. In addition, Johnson provides historical information regarding the inclusion of women and offers innovative ways to incorporate the ministry of deacons into the larger ministry of the church. Fully revised based on the new Form of Government of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), this book is invaluable for new deacons preparing for their roles, while also helping pastors and leaders who are training prospective deacons.
God is often at work through the ordinary: ordinary people, ordinary objects, ordinary grace. Through the ordinary, God communicates epiphanies, salvation, revelation, and reconciliation. It is through the mundane that we hear God's quiet voice.
In this devotional for the season of Lent, Jill J. Duffield draws readers' attention to ten ordinary objects that Jesus would have encountered on his way to Jerusalem: dust, bread, the cross, coins, shoes, oil, coats, towels, thorns, and stones. In each object, readers will find meaning in the biblical account of Jesus' final days. Each week, readers encounter a new object to consider through Scripture, prayer, and reflection. From Ash Wednesday to Easter, Lent in Plain Sight reminds Christians to open ourselves to the kingdom of God.
Joyful and daunting opportunities to live into God's dream of justice and beloved community are compelling and available. Hope, says Luther Smith Jr., is essential to the needed personal and social transformations that prepare us for such sacred opportunities. Yet genuine hope is often confused as merely wish fulfillment, optimism, or perceiving better tomorrows. In Hope Is Here! Smith describes how we truly perceive and join the work of hope, enlivening us to a life that is oriented toward immediate and future experiences of personal fulfillment, justice, and beloved community. Interpreting five spiritual practices for individuals and congregations to experience the power of hope, this book prepares us to engage racism, mass incarceration, environmental crises, divisive politics, and indifference that imperil justice and beloved community. It delivers the inner resources necessary to work for change through its interpretation of hope. Additionally, each chapter ends with questions that prompt readers to examine their experiences and their readiness to journey with hope. Written for Christians who want to commit themselves to justice and beloved community, this book will provide helpful guidance for a life sustained by God's gifts of hope and love. Hope is here for our responsibility and response-ability to live the fulfilling life that God dreams for us.
While Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the rest of the Peanuts gang have enjoyed the kind of success most cartoon characters can only dream about--becoming pop culture icons of the highest order and entering the global consciousness practically as family members--Robert Short's The Gospel According to Peanuts also has found a place in the hearts of many readers, with sales now totaling more than ten million copies. This anniversary edition features a new cover, a new interior design, and a new foreword by Martin E. Marty. Whether coming to the book for the first time or taking a second look, a delightful experience awaits in this modern-day guide to the Christian faith, fully illustrated with Peanuts.
The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus sharing meals with disciples, friends, even tax collectors and Pharisees. Whether multiplying bread to feed a whole crowd, relaxing with his inner circle, or telling curious elites stories about even greater banquets, Jesus imparts wisdom as he shares the wine and grants forgiveness as he distributes the fish. This eight-chapter resource provides biblical insights along with thought-provoking queries regarding our own time, such as whom should we invite to Sunday dinner and who is left out and left behind in our culture today.
Illustrations by artist Kevin Burns complement each chapter and invite further meditation on the Gospel story and its meaning for our lives.
Each chapter includes questions for small group discussion or personal reflection. A guide for church leaders offers suggestions for preaching this book as a sermon series and incorporating food-related outreach and hospitality efforts.