There’s more to life than computerized slippers and sexy ring tones. The world revolves around something greater than ourselves, and we all burn for intimacy, crave community, and struggle for eternity. This is a book about sex, sushi, and salvation—a book of snapshots—the ups and downs, the failures and fortunes. If you hunger for a raw faith that satisfies the soul, read on.
There are books on how to worship God with our marriages, our money, and our sex lives. Books on how to “think biblically” about movies, television, and the arts. Books on how to vote Christianly and how not to vote Christianly. But there is little thoughtful, Christ-centered writing on the subject that drives most of men’s banter with each other and consumes the bulk of their free time- Sports. Written in the vein of Rick Reilly (Sports Illustrated), Chuck Klosterman (Spin, Esquire), and David Foster Wallace (A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again), The Reason for Sports will both entertain and shed light on some of today’s most pertinent sports issues (race, drugs, hero worship, and more)- all through a biblical lens.use he drowns puppies, or that you should cheer for all American QB Tim Tebow because he etches a Bible verse on his eye-black before every game. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about all of these people. But I’ll invite you to begin formulating your own theology of sports with me.
"There’s nothing worse than catatonic Christians standing still in a world of falling people." Godology is for those who crave to know more about God and why it matters. Think Knowing God meets Celebration of Discipline, for twenty-somethings. In each chapter, Christian George discloses a biblical reality about the nature of God, a spiritual discipline that connects us to Him, and a practical way to express our faith. Using humorous experiences and honest reflections, George grapples with real-life issues like purpose, despair, triumph, and tragedy. In an age when thinking about God can be academic and abstract, George invites you to really know God. But be warned: it will change everything.
Too many discipleship books are written for clean, perfect people who know all the right Sunday school answers. The Imperfect Disciple is for the rest of us--people who screw up, people who are weary, people who are wondering if it's safe to say what they're really thinking. For the believer who is tired of quasi-spiritual lifehacks being passed off as true, down-and-dirty discipleship, here is a discipleship book that isn't afraid to be honest about the mess we call real life. With incisive wit, warm humor, and moving stories, Jared Wilson shows readers how the gospel works in them and in their lives when - they can't get their act together - they think God is giving them the silent treatment - they think church would be better without all the people - they're not happy with the person in the mirror - and much more Wilson frees readers from the self-doubt and even the misplaced self-confidence they may feel as they walk with Jesus down the often difficult road of life. The result is a faith that weathers storms, lifts burdens, and goes forth to make more imperfect disciples.
Christians are too often guilty of pledging their allegiance to the influential principalities and powers of this age rather than to Christ alone. In Holy Subversion, Trevin Wax challenges such behavior by urging a return to the subversive lifestyle of the earliest Christians. Their proclamation and demonstration that "Jesus is Lord" directly opposed the Caesar worship of their day. Today, Christians in the West must choose between Jesus and our "Caesars": self, success, money, leisure, sex, power. What would it look like, asks Wax, if today's church reclaimed the communal, subversive nature of the gospel, intentionally undermining all contenders for our devotion? How would the message that "Jesus is Lord" change our thinking about our jobs, our families, and our church participation? Here this gifted pastor-theologian offers help in taking our faith public, dethroning modern-day Caesars, honoring the Lordship of Christ, and understanding the church as the ultimate counterculture-an embodiment of Christ's supremacy over all.
People love their metaphors for the Bible. The Bible is a sword, a mirror, a script, a score, a cathedral, a rule book, a user’s manual, a lamp, a love letter. But how did metaphor, which in the eighteenth century was seen as a deceptive rhetorical trick, become such a prominent tool for speaking of Scripture? And how does one judge between a good metaphor and a bad one? This book explores the theological use of metaphor to describe the nature and interpretation of Scripture. It interrogates three such models—the Bible as musical score (Anthony Thiselton), the Bible as theo-dramatic script (Kevin Vanhoozer), and the Bible as light (John Feinberg)—seeking to evaluate their faithfulness to Scripture and church tradition, their fittingness to the current culture, and their fruitfulness for understanding and practicing the biblical text. The author then proposes and explores what he considers a better model, one drawn from the Bible itself, namely that of Scripture as food.
Why are we artists? How does God experience art? What is the artist’s calling in relation to God, the church, and the world? Drawing from his experiences performing Mozart, playing “dive bars", and leading worship and the arts in the church, author Manuel Luz seeks to answer the questions that artists often ask. Laced with humorous and sometimes poignant anecdotes, Imagine That is a thought-provoking journey through the convergence of art and faith. Luz has been a working musician, writer, pastor, and even amateur cartoonist for more than 40 years, and in Imagine That he lays out his case for a uniquely Christian approach to the vocation of artist, using theologically rich and artist-friendly language. In the end, Imagine That affirms and equips Christian artists for the special kind of ministry that only they can do.
How Christianity's Unmatched Truth Answers the Deepest Longings of Every Human Heart To the popular objection Aren't all religions basically the same? pastor and author Jared Wilson answers with an enthusiastic No! Christianity is not merely one among many similar options. It is categorically different--and it's these differences that make it so compelling. In Unparalleled, Wilson holds up the teachings of the Bible to the clear light of day, revealing how Christianity rises above every other religion and philosophy of the world, and how its unmatched truth answers the deepest longings of every human heart. He provides an overview of Christianity's key claims showing how, from top to bottom, it is distinct from all other competing ideologies, religious and secular. Christians will come away with a fresh sense of the truth of their faith and nonbelievers will be compelled to consider the relevant claims of Christianity in a drastically new light.
People yearn for many things, but only Jesus Christ can satisfy the deepest cravings of the human heart. Many individuals, however, have settled for a cultural Christianity and lost their vibrant, day-by-day relationship with Him. This collection of short, real-life stories from an exciting young author reveals that life with God can be a surprising, challenging, and richly satisfying journey. Readers of Donald Miller and Anne Lamott will love these vignettes of people who... talk to strangers about God—and find out why sharing their faith can actually be enjoyable answer their calls—and delight in godly obedience floss every day—and discover the rewards of daily prayer Sometimes humorous, occasionally tender, and always thought-provoking, these slices of life connect with 20- and 30-somethings who crave a deeper level of intimacy with God.
This is a spiritual journey that has taken place in my life over the course of over three decades. It is the struggles, tests of faith, and the essence of my soul on paper. So many young people today are disheartened about their future and their purpose and I want them to know that God is real and has a specific wonderful purpose for each of their lives. I am no better than anyone, so if He can change my life with a willing heart, He can do it for any and everyone who is willing. To God be the glory!
