Wrestling for the Blessing: When 'Bad' Things Happen to 'Good' People

Wrestling for the Blessing: When 'Bad' Things Happen to 'Good' People

Author: Sara Thompson

Publisher: PublishAmerica

Published: 2013-09-13

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1629074373

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"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though NOTHING is a miracle, and the other is as though EVERYTHING is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein and I believe on miracles—join us! In fact, if I could just say one thing to you, it would be; ‘Always, always, always… Expect a Miracle!’ Through the pages of my book you will find sometimes graphic and possibly disturbing situations. But, don’t give up—please continue reading—I promise you, I reveal the blessings hidden deep inside all of those uglier ‘messings’. Together, we will uncover: The blueprint to wrestling for your very own blessings The secrets to revealing your personal miracles The process to doubling your blessings by paying them forward.


The Magnificent Defeat

The Magnificent Defeat

Author: Frederick Buechner

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 1985-05-08

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 006061174X

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In The Magnificent Defeat, Frederick Buechner examines what it means to follow Christ, the lessons of Christmas and Easter, the miracles of grace, and "the magnificent defeat" of the human soul of God.


Gospel Medicine

Gospel Medicine

Author: Barbara Brown Taylor

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 156101110X

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Gospel medicine is Barbara Taylor's metaphor for the healing power of God seen in the active and ongoing restoration of this broken world. In this new collection of sermons she practices the old-fashioned art of gospel home remedies like a true evangelist, summoning with piercing clarity and wit the Old and New Testament stories that have the power to mend our spirits, strengthen our weaknesses, and restore us to wholeness. Scripture comes to life in the contemporary people and places of which Taylor speaks. Georgia apple-growers become God's sharecroppers of the gospel parable; through Mary's embracing of her role as God-bearer we are dared to take risks in our own discipleship; in Jonah's angry stand-off with God we see reflections of our own struggles with a God who is more forgiving than we want him to be; with tender awe after years of waiting Sarah wipes her hands on her apron and goes to tell Abraham she is to bear a child. Through the stories of Scripture, Taylor addresses with moving simplicity the contemporary wounds of anger, abandonment, fear of judgment, and a longing for home, healing, and mercy.


On Job

On Job

Author: Gustavo GutiŽrrez

Publisher: Orbis Books

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 1608331245

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One of this century's most eminent theologians addresses the eternal questions of the relationship of good and evil, linking the story of Job to the lives of the poor and oppressed of our world.


Wrestling for Blessing

Wrestling for Blessing

Author: Marilyn McCord Adams

Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.

Published: 2005-02-01

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 0898699193

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Why are the sermons of Marilyn Adams so great? First, she has the most extraordinary intimacy with Holy Scripture; it's truly a living, breathing body of work in her experience. Second, as a human being she remains passionately in the given moment; her acute awareness of raw life all around her is fresh and surprising. Third, Marilyn Adams belongs to an authentic, queer, visionary breed; she is a prophet. The Rev. Canon Malcolm Boyd author of "Are You Running with Me Jesus?" This collection of sermons offers the reader a series of reflections that are both profound and intimately playful. The reflections are oriented toward justice in the public sphere, yet remain focused on Christian personal growth and transformation. Known internationally for her academic and historial writings, in this work, Professor Adams brings her powerful theological and philosophical conclusions to bear on the practical and pastoral questions of contemporary Christian life. Mostly preached in various parishes in Los Angeles, California, where Adams is in residence at St. Mary in the Palms, these sermons seek to integrate difficult issues?such as the plurality of religions, questions of sexuality, race, and inequality?with the daily life of the Christian community.


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.


Teach Me To Feel

Teach Me To Feel

Author: Courtney Reissig

Publisher: The Good Book Company

Published: 2020-01-01

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1784985139

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Meditations on the Psalms helping women to express their feelings and grow in their faith. Many of us suppress our feelings because we’re worried they are ungodly. Others of us are so led by our emotions that we let them dominate everything, including our faith. In these honest, personal and uplifting meditations on 24 selected psalms, Courtney Reissig looks at emotions we all experience, ranging from shame, anxiety, and anger through to gratitude, hope, and joy. For each, she shows how the psalms give us permission to acknowledge how we feel before God, and how they can help us to use those feelings productively and faithfully. This inspiring book will give women a language to cry out to God in order to help them process their feelings, as well as help them to grow in their faith. Can be used as a daily devotion.


The 21 Most Effective Prayers Collection

The 21 Most Effective Prayers Collection

Author: Dave Earley

Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Published: 2014-05-01

Total Pages: 794

ISBN-13: 1630580872

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Find out why so many people enjoy Dave Earley’s writing with The 21 Most Effective Prayers Collection. Dave wrote The 21 Most Effective Prayers of the Bible in 2005—and produced four follow-up books in a series that has sold more than a quarter million copies. Now, all five books are available in an omnibus edition: The 21 Most Effective Prayers of the Bible, The 21 Most Encouraging Promises of the Bible, The 21 Most Dangerous Questions of the Bible, 21 Reasons Bad Things Happen to Good People, and The 21 Most Amazing Truths about Heaven. Always personable and readable, Dave Earley’s books provide encouragement and hope for Christians of all ages and backgrounds.


The Book of Job

The Book of Job

Author: Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag

Published:

Total Pages: 69

ISBN-13: 3849677494

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The Book of Job is among the other Old Testament Books both a philosophical riddle and a historical riddle. Controversy has long raged about which parts of this epic belong to its original scheme and which are interpolations of considerably later date. The doctors disagree, as it is the business of doctors to do; but upon the whole the trend of investigation has always been in the direction of maintaining that the parts interpolated, if any, were the prose prologue and epilogue and possibly the speech of the young man who comes in with an apology at the end. This work contains Chesterton's assumptions and thoughts on this mysterious scripture.


I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

Author: Sarah J. Robinson

Publisher: WaterBrook

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0593193539

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A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.