This book is an exploration of the biblical and theological themes in the Common Worship Eucharistic texts. The theological formation of many Christians takes place during their weekly celebration of the Eucharist. The language of the Eucharist has a deep impact on the way that people think about God and about themselves. The problem today is that fewer and fewer Christians have any idea about the content and significance of many of the allusions that can be found in the liturgical texts.
God is already at work in your life, whether or not you recognize it. Participants in this twelve-week small group Bible study will experience the whole Bible as the story of God. Plus, they will become aware of God's story continued in everyday life as they practice listening to the stories of others and to life. In Echoing the story, Brady Bryce provides a simple way for people to tell the scattered stories of their lives and re-imagine them in a bigger story. His innovative, narrative approach invites curious skeptics, casual followers of God, and committed disciples of Jesus into community through listening to shared stories.
Where is Jesus when we need him most? An influential pastor shares how despair can lead us to discover true hope and a deeper relationship with God, helping us emerge stronger and more joyful from times of crisis. “May this careful look at pain in the context of Jesus’s life open up avenues of discovery and healing.”—Mindy Caliguire, cofounder and president of Soul Care We all experience difficulties and hardships. But how can we learn to live richly in the midst of them? And even grow spiritually because of them? The answer is found in the hopeful humanity of Jesus. As the Son of God, Jesus wasn’t exempt from suffering, disappointment, or injustice. He lived in the real world as a real person. He wept for those he loved. He felt hunger and thirst. He endured temptation, betrayal, and ridicule. He died after being unjustly tortured. And somehow through it all, he embodied hope—by defeating death and opening a new world of life for us. In Echoing Hope, influential pastor and blogger Kurt Willems reveals how understanding the humanity of Jesus can radically transform our identity and empower us to step into our pain-filled world in a new way. Combining rich theological insight with personal stories and practices for response, he shows how we can overcome despair and encounter the beautiful potential of our lives.
Named to the 2020 Hal Clement list and the 2020 ALA Rainbow List An original young adult novel of the Alien universe Olivia and her twin sister Viola have been dragged around the universe for as long as they can remember. Their parents, both xenobiologists, are always in high demand for their research into obscure alien biology. Just settled on a new colony world, they discover an alien threat unlike anything they’ve ever seen. And suddenly the sisters’ world is ripped apart. On the run from terrifying aliens, Olivia’s knowledge of xenobiology and determination to protect her sister are her only weapons as the colony collapses into chaos. But then a shocking family secret bursts open—one that’s as horrifying to Olivia as the aliens surrounding them. The creatures infiltrate the rich wildlife on this untouched colony world—and quickly start adapting. Olivia’s going to have to adapt, too, if she’s going to survive... An Imprint Book “An electrifying adventure ... Olivia and Kora are smart, strong young women, and their romance, born in the midst of unspeakable horror, is believable. ... A worthy and terrifying addition to a classic sci-fi/horror franchise.” —Kirkus Reviews “Mira Grant blends gritty science fiction, complex characters, and nail-biting horror in Alien: Echo! A spellbinding novel of courage and terror.” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times–bestselling author of Broken Lands and editor of Aliens: Bug Hunt
First in the mystery series from the New York Times-bestselling author: “Anyone who loves novels that revolve around books will savor this tasty treat.”—Library Journal (starred review) A quirky club in small-town North Carolina holds the keys to health, happiness, friendship—and even solving a murder—all to be found within the pages of the right book… Strangers flock to Miracle Springs hoping the natural hot springs, five-star cuisine, and renowned spa can cure their ills. If none of that works, they often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked “comfort” scone, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That’s Nora’s special talent—prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person’s deepest pain. So when a visiting businessman reaches out for guidance, Nora knows exactly how to help. But before he can keep their appointment, he’s found dead on the train tracks. Stunned, Nora forms the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, a group of damaged souls yearning to earn redemption by helping others. To join, members must divulge their darkest secret—the terrible truth that brought each of them to Miracle Springs in the first place. Now, determined to uncover the truth behind the businessman’s demise, the women meet in Nora’s cozy bookstore. And as they untangle a web of corruption, they also discover their own courage, purpose, and a sisterhood that will carry them through every challenge—proving it’s never too late to turn the page and start over… “Adams kicks off a new series featuring strong women, a touch of romance and mysticism, and both the cunning present-day mystery and the slowly revealed secrets of the intriguing heroines’ pasts.”—Kirkus Reviews
When a man speaks words against or in favor of another man, whether he knows it or not, he is speaking those very same words against or in favor of himself. The Bible tells us to do unto others the things that we would want done unto us or in our behalf. Well, that is the very same principle that God set down with words. What we say to others should be what we would want said to us. And whether we want them to or not they will come to pass in our lives. There is a law of nature that says that when you plant a seed you will, in time, reap a harvest. Just so, when you speak a word, since your word is a seed, you will reap a harvest. Given the right amount of time you will reap what you sow. Jesus said that if you had faith and you wanted that faith to grow plant it and it will grow. Jesus gave you seeds for whatever you need, they are called words. But you decide; are your words going to be good or bad? Either way they will grow and you will reap what you sow.
Uncovering Wordsworth's influence on TennysonThis book explores Tennyson's poetic relationship with Wordsworth through a close analysis of Tennyson's borrowing of the earlier poet's words and phrases, an approach that positions Wordsworth in Tennyson's poetry in a more centralised way than previously recognised. Focusing on some of the most representative poems of Tennyson's career, including 'The Lady of Shalott', 'Ulysses' and In Memoriam, the study examines the echoes from Wordsworth that these poems contain and the transformative part they play in his poetry, moving beyond existing accounts of Wordsworthian influence in the selected texts to uncover new and revealing connections and interactions that shed a penetrating light on Tennyson's poetic relationship with his Romantic predecessor.Key FeaturesFirst book-length study of Tennyson's poetic relationship with WordsworthBy focusing on echoes or parallel passages, book reevaluates Tennyson's poetic relationship with Wordsworth Reveals Wordsworth as the lynchpin of Tennyson's poetryRecalibrates critical estimates of Tennyson as poet, Poet Laureate and Post-Romantic poet
Challenging the central place that "practices" have recently held in Christian theology, Lauren Winner explores the damages these practices have inflicted over the centuries Sometimes, beloved and treasured Christian practices go horrifyingly wrong, extending violence rather than promoting its healing. In this bracing book, Lauren Winner provocatively challenges the assumption that the church possesses a set of immaculate practices that will definitionally train Christians in virtue and that can't be answerable to their histories. Is there, for instance, an account of prayer that has anything useful to say about a slave-owning woman's praying for her slaves' obedience? Is there a robustly theological account of the Eucharist that connects the Eucharist's goods to the sacrament's central role in medieval Christian murder of Jews? Arguing that practices are deformed in ways that are characteristic of and intrinsic to the practices themselves, Winner proposes that the register in which Christians might best think about the Eucharist, prayer, and baptism is that of "damaged gift." Christians go on with these practices because, though blighted by sin, they remain gifts from God.
Helene Cixous (1937-), distinguished not least as a playwright herself, told Le Monde in 1977 that she no longer went to the theatre: it presented women only as reflections of men, used for their visual effect. The theatre she wanted would stress the auditory, giving voice to ways of being that had previously been silenced. She was by no means alone in this. Cixous's plays, along with those of Nathalie Sarraute (1900-99), Marguerite Duras (1914-96), and Noelle Renaude (1949-), among others, have proved potent in drawing participants into a dynamic 'space of the voice'. If, as psychoanalysis suggests, voice represents a transitional condition between body and language, such plays may draw their audiences in to understandings previously never spoken. In this ground-breaking study, Noonan explores the rich possibilities of this new audio-vocal form of theatre, and what it can reveal of the auditory self.
