Ira Brent Driggers examines the character of God as portrayed in the Gospel of Mark, paying particular attention to the way God factors into the unfolding conflict between Jesus and his disciples. Arguing that Mark depicts God as acting in two logically opposite ways, both independently of Jesus (as a distinct character) and through Jesus (possessing him from his baptism), he adds a level of complexity to Mark's portrayal of Jesus and sheds new light on the most enigmatic feature of Mark's narrative: the consistent and troubling misunderstanding of the disciples.
What you believe about God sets the foundation of the person you will become. In God Has a Name, pastor and New York Times bestselling author John Mark Comer invites you to rethink many of the prevalent myths and misconceptions about God and weigh them against what God actually tells us about himself. After all, what you believe about God will ultimately shape the type of person you become. We all live at the mercy of our ideas, and nowhere is this more true than our ideas about God. The problem is many of our ideas about God are wrong. Not all wrong, but wrong enough to form our souls in detrimental and disheartening ways. God Has a Name is a simple yet profound guide to understanding God in a new light--focusing on what God says about himself in the Bible. This one shift has the potential to radically alter how you relate to God, not as a doctrine, but as a relational being who responds to you in an elastic, back-and-forth way. John Mark Comer takes you line by line through Exodus 34:6-8--Yahweh's self-revelation on Mount Sinai, one of the most quoted passages in the Bible. Along the way, Comer addresses some of the most profound questions he came across as he studied these noted lines in Exodus, including: Why do we feel this gap between us and God? Could it be that a lot of what we think about God is wrong? Not all wrong, but wrong enough to mess up how we relate to him? What if our "God" is really a projection of our own identity, ideas, and desires? What if the real God is different, but far better than we could ever imagine? No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God Has a Name invites you to step into a fresh and biblically rooted vision of who God is that has the potential to alter your life with God and shape who you become.
Daily meditations taken from the works of an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and preacher who has articulated what he sees with a freshness and clarity and energy that hails our stultified imaginations.
Do you want your life to count for Christ? Would you like to make a real impact for God's kingdom in this world? You can -- and you don't have to be a great leader for it to happen. Just a good follower. In Following Christ, Joseph Stowell shows why Christ's command to "Follow me" isn't merely the starting point of Christianity. It's the very heartbeat of vibrant, effective faith. And it's not just for a few gifted leaders, but for all believers. Stowell shows you what happens when an ordinary man or woman pursues not the trappings of Christianity, but Christ himself. You'll discover - What a "non-negotiated follower" looks like - Why God does his best work through followers - Why self-directed living is a recipe for emptiness - What makes Christ so worth following - What it means to pick up your cross - Why a close walk with Jesus is the key to effective living -- Following Christ paints a compelling portrait of Christianity the way God intended it, marked by simplicity, vigorous faith, purpose and direction, soul-winning impact on others . . . and above all, a joyous, growing closeness with Christ.
The earliest of the four Gospels, the book portrays Jesus as an enigmatic figure, struggling with enemies, his inner and external demons, and with his devoted but disconcerted disciples. Unlike other gospels, his parables are obscure, to be explained secretly to his followers. With an introduction by Nick Cave
"This is the first commentary on the Gospel of Mark to systematically apply a multidisciplinary approach, called 'socio-literary method.' Myers integrates literary criticism, socio-historical exegesis, and political hermeneutics in his investigation of Mark--the oldest story of Jesus--as 'manifesto of radical discipleship'."--
Drawing on Jesus's example of walking, bestselling author Mark Buchanan explores one of the oldest spiritual practices of our faith. What happens when we literally walk out our Christian life? We discover the joy of traveling at the speed of our soul. We often act as if faith is only about the mind. But what about our bodies? What does our physical being have to do with our spiritual life? When the Bible exhorts us to walk in the light, or walk by faith, or walk in truth, it means these things literally as much as figuratively. The Christian faith always involves walking out, as again and again we find the holy in the ordinary. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, and then he was off. The most obvious thing about Jesus's method of discipleship, in fact, is that he walked and invited others to walk with him. Jesus is always "on the way," "arriving," "leaving," "approaching," "coming upon." It's in the walking that his disciples are taught, formed, tested, empowered, and released. Part theology, part history, part field guide, God Walk explores walking as spiritual formation, walking as healing, walking as exercise, walking as prayer, walking as pilgrimage, suffering, friendship, and attentiveness. It is a book about being alongside the God who, incarnate in Jesus, turns to us as he passes by--always on foot--and says simply, "Come, follow me." With practical insight and biblical reflections told in his distinct voice, Buchanan provides specific walking exercises so you can immediately implement the practice of going "God speed." Whether you are walking around the neighborhood or hiking in the mountains, walking offers the potential to awaken your life with Christ as it revives body and soul.
The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.
