The Life of God (as Told by Himself)
The Life of God (as Told by Himself)

Author: Franco Ferrucci

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2013-04-26

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 022607482X

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“Blessed are the readers, for this tale of God’s long insomnia will keep them happily awake . . . An extraordinary story.” —Umberto Eco, international bestselling, award-winning author At the center of Franco Ferrucci’s inspired novel is a tender, troubled God. In the beginning is God’s solitude, and because God is lonely he creates the world. He falls in love with earth, plunges into the oceans, lives as plant and reptile and bird. His every thought and mood serve to populate the planet, with consequences that run away from him—sometimes delightfully, sometimes unfortunately. When a new arrival emerges from the apes, God believes he has finally found the companion he needs to help him make sense of his unruly creation. Yet, as the centuries pass, God feels more and more out of place in the world he has created; by the close of his memoir, he is packing his bags. Highly praised and widely reviewed, The Life of God is a playful, wondrous, and irresistible book, recounting thousands of years of religious and philosophical thought. “‘God’s only excuse is that he does not exist,’ wrote Stendhal, but now Franco Ferrucci has provided the Supreme Being with another sort of alibi.” —James Morrow, The Washington Post Book World “The Life of God is, in truth, the synthesis of a charming writer’s . . . expression of his boundless hopes for, and poignant disappointments in, his own human kind.” —Jack Miles, The New York Times Book Review “Rather endearing . . . This exceedingly amusing novel . . . is a continuous provocation and delight; there isn’t a dull page in it.” —Kirkus Reviews

Peace with God
Peace with God

Author: Billy Graham

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2017-03-21

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 0718088093

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Billy Graham shares God's gentle, reassuring promise of spiritual calm and authentic peace in a world falling apart at the seams. In a culture that values "quality of life" and personal happiness above all else, why are so many of us unhappy, anxious, lonely, on the brink of despair? Why do so many of us feel empty, even though we live surrounded by plenty? In Peace with God, Reverend Graham takes you on a great quest to find the answers to life's purpose. Along the way, he answers essential questions to understanding the true hope at the foundation of the Christian faith—questions like: What is God like? Why did Jesus come? What is repentance? How can I be sure of salvation? How should a Christian live? "God's peace can be in your heart—right now . . .Whatever the circumstances, whatever the call, whatever the duty, whatever the price, whatever the sacrifice—His strength will be your strength in your hour of need. It's all yours, and it's free." Peace with God is a timeless message of hope for all those struggling with despair and loneliness. Billy Graham will beckon you on the path to lasting peace as he describes the basics of the biblical message, the problem of sin, the tenets of the Christian way of life, and the glorious hope for the future.

No More Faking Fine
No More Faking Fine

Author: Esther Fleece Allen

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2017-01-10

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 0310344778

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Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. If you've ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it is to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. When life hurts, we often feel pressure--from others and ourselves--to keep it together, suck it up, or pray it away. But Scripture reveals a God who lovingly invites us to give honest voice to our emotions when life hits hard. For most of her life, Esther Fleece Allen believed she could bypass the painful emotions of her broken past by shutting them down altogether. She was known as an achiever and an overcomer on the fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you've done the same. Esther's journey into healing began when she discovered that God has given us a real-world way to deal with raw emotions and an alternative to the coping mechanisms that end up causing more pain. It's called lament--the gut-level, honest prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament, taking you on a journey down the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God's own language to come closer to him as he leads us through our pain to the light on the other side, teaching you that: We are robbing ourselves of a divine mystery and a divine intimacy when we pretend to have it all together God does not expect us to be perfect; instead, he meets us where we are There is hope beyond your heartache, disappointment, and grief Like Esther, you'll soon find that when one person stops faking fine, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

Encouragement for Today
Encouragement for Today

Author: Renee Swope

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2013-09-24

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0310336295

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Pull away from the things that pull you down and find lasting encouragement for today. The women at Proverbs 31 Ministries offer 100 devotions of wit, wisdom, and encouragement for women. For twenty years the P31 team has equipped and encouraged nearly a million women to live in the power of God’s truths that apply to their everyday life. Written by women from every walk of life, you will find inspiration to live authentically and fully grounded in the Word of God. The P31 Team shares from the realities of everyday life including highs and lows, humorous stories and tender moments. You will be drawn toward the truths God offers and enabled to rise above and become all God created you to be.

How Jesus Became God
How Jesus Became God

Author: Bart D. Ehrman

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2014-03-25

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 0062252194

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New York Times bestselling author and Bible expert Bart Ehrman reveals how Jesus’s divinity became dogma in the first few centuries of the early church. The claim at the heart of the Christian faith is that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God. But this is not what the original disciples believed during Jesus’s lifetime—and it is not what Jesus claimed about himself. How Jesus Became God tells the story of an idea that shaped Christianity, and of the evolution of a belief that looked very different in the fourth century than it did in the first. A master explainer of Christian history, texts, and traditions, Ehrman reveals how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty, Creator of all things. But how did he move from being a Jewish prophet to being God? In a book that took eight years to research and write, Ehrman sketches Jesus’s transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus’s followers had visions of him after his death—alive again—did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God. And what they meant by that was not at all what people mean today. Written for secular historians of religion and believers alike, How Jesus Became God will engage anyone interested in the historical developments that led to the affirmation at the heart of Christianity: Jesus was, and is, God.

Risk Is Right
Risk Is Right

Author: John Piper

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2013-01-31

Total Pages: 64

ISBN-13: 1433535378

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A choice lies before you: Either waste your life or live with risk. Either sit on the sidelines or get in the game. After all, life was no cakewalk for Jesus, and he didn't promise it would be any easier for his followers. We shouldn't be surprised by resistance and persecution. Yet most of us play it safe. We pursue comfort. We spend ourselves to get more stuff. And we prefer to be entertained. We are all tempted by the idea of security, the possibility of a cozy Christianity with no hell at the end. But what kind of life is that really? It's a far cry from adventurous and abundant, from truly rich and really full, and it's certainly not the heights and the depths Jesus calls us to. Discover in these pages a foundation for fearlessness. Hear God's promise to go with you into the unknown. And let Risk Is Right help you see the joys of a faith-filled and seriously rewarding life of Jesus-dependent abandon! Risk Is Right is a significantly expanded version of a chapter previously published in the book Don't Waste Your Life (chapter 5).

God Will Help You
God Will Help You

Author: Max Lucado

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2020-12-29

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1400224411

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We all experience disappointing setbacks, overwhelming loneliness, and paralyzing fear at some point in our lives. It sometimes seems as if nothing will help. In God Will Help You, New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado encourages us to trust in the God who is working miracles in the big and small things. With God, no setback is too big to solve, and no prayer goes unnoticed. God is still working. Each chapter offers reassurance through miracles big and small that He will meet us in the midst of life's messes. God will help if you feel anxious, solve your problems, through fear if you are stuck, when you are lonely, in daily life in illness, during grief, with guidance, to forgive God Will Help You is an interactive book: filled with biblical miracles and current stories thoughts to ponder, prayers, Scripture, and journaling prompts with space for reflection with an easy-to-read and easy-to-use design and a beautiful ribbon marker This book is a great self-purchase for anyone struggling with anxiety, loneliness, grief, or fear. God Will Help You is a thoughtful gift for anyone who has recently lost a loved one, needs an encouragement, endures a difficult season, or struggles with daily stressors.

I Like Giving
I Like Giving

Author: Brad Formsma

Publisher: WaterBrook

Published: 2014-02-18

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1601425767

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Rich with inspiring stories and practical suggestions, I Like Giving will help you create a lifestyle of generosity. Choosing to live a generous life can transform you and the world around you. Something incredible happens when giving becomes your own idea, not something you do out of duty or obligation. When you move from awareness to action, miracles happen. As you make giving a lifestyle, you’ll realize you’re not only loving life more, you’re also creating a more generous world— a better world for all of us. Inside you’ll find tips about: • Thinking of giving as something you get to do, not something you have to do. • How to raise kids with a sensitivity to others’ needs. • Making a difference without being a millionaire. • Practical ideas for ways to give to people around you every day. I Like Giving shows you how to experience the joy of giving because we all have something to give. Beyond money or things, giving can be a listening ear, a touch, or simply the gift of time. Giving is living.