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Searching for God in Britain and Beyond: Reading Letters to Malcolm Muggeridge, 1966–1982
by David G. ReaglesWhen writer and media personality Malcolm Muggeridge unexpectedly converted to Christianity in the 1960s, fans around the world flocked to his devotional writings and television programs about his spiritual journey. Because Muggeridge was critical of institutional Christianity and initially refused to join a church, he inspired a special affinity in those who were disillusioned with mainstream religious authority. Readers from around the world sent him deeply personal letters describing their spiritual and religious lives, revealing their anxieties, doubts, and hopes about the future of Christianity.In Searching for God in Britain and Beyond David Reagles draws on nearly two thousand of these remarkable fan letters to explore the thoughts and feelings of ordinary Christians in a time of cultural and religious upheaval. In these candid letters, Muggeridge’s correspondents wrestled with their experiences of faith and doubt, the value of institutional religion, uncertainties about permissiveness in society, the proper role of Christian social activism, and the forces of secularism. For these fans and skeptics alike, reading and writing were a vital means of working out their religious identities and convictions amid the supposed decline of Christendom.Searching for God in Britain and Beyond provides a rare and fascinating glimpse into the inner worlds of ordinary Christians in the 1960s and 1970s, revealing how the secularization of postwar society felt to average people.
Searching for God Knows What
by Don Miller Donald MillerWith equal parts wit and wisdom, New York Times bestselling author Donald Miller invites you to reconnect with your faith. Miller shares what he's learned firsthand--that our relationship with God is designed to teach us about redemption, grace, healing, and so much more.Searching for God Knows What weaves together timeless stories and fresh perspectives on the Bible to capture one man's journey to discover an authentic faith that's worth believing.Along the way, Miller poses his own questions about faith, religion, and community, asking: What if the motive behind our theology was relational?What if our value exists because God takes pleasure in us?What if the gospel of Jesus is an invitation to know God?Maybe you're a Christian wondering what faith you signed up for. Or maybe you don't believe anything and are daring someone to show you a genuine example of genuine faith. Somewhere beyond the self-help formulas, fancy marketing, and easy promises, there is a life-changing experience with God waiting for you--it just takes a little bit of searching.Praise for Searching for God Knows What:"Like a shaken snow globe, Donald Miller's newest collection of essays creates a swirl of ideas about the Christian life that eventually crystallize into a lovely landscape...[He] is one of the evangelical book market's most creative writers." --Christianity Today"If you have felt that Jesus is someone you respect and admire--but Christianity is something that repels you--Searching for God Knows What will give you hope that you still can follow Jesus and be part of a church without the trappings of organized religion." --Dan Kimball, author of The Emerging Church and Pastor of Vintage Faith Church, Santa Cruz, CA"For fans of Blue Like Jazz, I doubt you will be disappointed. Donald Miller writes with the wit and vulnerability that you expect. He perfectly illustrates important themes in a genuine and humorous manner...For those who would be reading Miller for the first time, this would be a great start." --Relevant
Searching for God Knows What
by Donald MillerIn Searching for God Knows What, Donald Miller's provocative and funny book, he shows readers that the greatest desire of every person is the desire for redemption. Every person is constantly seeking redemption (or at least the feeling of it) in his or her life, believing countless gospels that promise to fix the brokenness. Typically their pursuits include the desire for fulfilling relationships, successful careers, satisfying religious systems, status, and escape. Miller reveals how the inability to find redemption leads to chaotic relationships, self-hatred, the accumulation of meaningless material possessions, and a lack of inner peace. Readers will learn to identify in themselves and within others the universal desire for redemption. They will discover that the gospel of Jesus is the only way to find meaning in life and true redemption. Mature believers as well as seekers and new Christians will find themselves identifying with the narrative journey unfolded in the book, which is simply the pursuit of redemption. "Miller ... writes on faith with candor and passion reminiscent of Frederick Buechner and Anne Lamott. "The Oregonian" Like a shaken snow globe, Donald Miller's newest collection of essays creates a swirl of ideas about the Christian life that eventually crystallize into a lovely landscape . . . [He] is one of the evangelical book market's most creative writers. " -Christianity Today"For fans of Blue Like Jazz, I doubt you will be disappointed. Donald Miller writes with the wit and vulnerability that you expect. Sharing stories of his upbringing and his journey in more recent years, he perfectly illustrates important themes in a genuine and humorous manner . . . For those who would be reading Miller for the first time, this would be a great start. -Relevant"Whenever people ask me about Donald Miller, I notice the first thing I say is, 'That guy can write. ' Having met Don, I also know he seeks to live what he writes, or better said, he writes what he lives. That, I think, is the top credential for a person who writes about ultimate concerns-spirituality, meaning, purpose, life, God, and joy. In Searching for God Knows What, you'll find more of his great writing, honest feeling, and spiritual insight to help you on your journey. -Brian McLaren Pastor, Author-www. anewkindofchristian. com
Searching for God Study Guide: Is There Any Reason to Believe in God Today?
by Holly LazzaroThe average person today may hold to a wide variety of beliefs about religion and Christianity, including:Good people go to heaven; bad people end up in hell.All religions are basically the same.It's about rules.It's about controlling people.No religion can be the only way to God or spirituality.In short, religion is an area of much confusion. The Searching for God Study Guide by Holly Lazzaro, a companion to the Searching for God Video Study featuring a number of top Christian thinkers and apologists, leads participants into exploring questions such as: What is Christianity? What are some of the ideas that have influenced the way people think about it? Is there any evidence for God?Most significantly, the Searching for God Study Guide examines the central event in the Christian story, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection is a historical claim, testable by evidence. So how credible is it? Lazzaro leads participants into reflecting more deeply on the insights provided in the video study by scholars such as Lee Strobel, William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, J. Warner Wallace, Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Copan, and many more.
Searching for Happiness : How Generosity, Faith, And Other Spiritual Habits Can Lead To A Full Life
by Martin ThielenThe key to happiness is being rich, successful, and beautiful…right? Martin Thielen, best-selling author of What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?, insists that this is far from the truth. Happiness, Thielen argues, does not come from external factors like getting a job promotion or finally reaching your goal weight. Rather, happiness is an inside job. <P><P>In brief, easy-to-read chapters, Thielen offers ten traits of happy and fulfilled people. Using psychological research, personal anecdotes, and Scripture, Thielen begins the path to contentment by showing how life circumstances—including income, health, physical appearance, and marital status—only account for about 10 percent of a person's overall life satisfaction. From there, he offers alternatives to the frequent methods we use to make ourselves happy. Instead of aiming to make more money, Thielen contends that expressing gratitude and cultivating optimism are surer paths to joy. Rather than focusing on constant advancement in our careers, let's practice our ability to forgive, to be generous, and to use trials as growth opportunities. These lessons, and much more, help readers who may be dissatisfied in their lives see that authentic contentment is closer than they ever imagined. <P><P>The book features a guide for group or individual study, which includes questions for reflection and a challenge for each individual to reflect on during the week.
Searching for Heaven on Earth
by David JeremiahDon't you deserve a little happiness?They are the questions that plague us:Is happiness within my reach?Why is life so frustrating?Is it too late for me?Or to put another way, "Where can I find a little heaven on earth?"History's most successful man, Solomon, wondered just that. As Dr. David Jeremiah shows us, he was a man who tested life's haunting questions head-on. And tasted life's riches full-on. And who found his answers in the last place he thought to look.Listen, then, to his voice. A voice that, if you pay attention, will speak directly to your flesh and bones and heart. A voice that admits: Maybe happiness is an empty hope. Or maybe we've simply been looking in all the wrong places. . .
Searching for Heaven on Earth Journal: How to Find What Really Matters in Life
by David JeremiahKey Bible verses, quotes from the book, reflective readings, and questions for self-discovery accompany the reader on the most crucial pilgrimage of all.
Searching for Home
by Jill WeatherholtCan three little matchmakers lasso a cowboy father? When injured professional bull rider Luke Beckett returns to his hometown to recover, he doesn&’t expect his B and B host and physical therapist to be his first and only love, Meg Brennan. He&’s also unprepared for Meg&’s adorable triplets to steal his heart. Luke&’s past has him doubting he&’s good enough for Meg and the children, but they might be just what the doctor ordered to help him heal… From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.
Searching for Hope: The Journey Study Series
by Billy Graham"You will only make this journey once. What kind of journey will it be?" - Billy GrahamHope is defined as, "a wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of ots fulfillment." We all need hope for today, tomorrow, and for eternity, but how can we sustain hope when life is often so difficult?God's love is the answer. If we understand this truth, it gives us hope-hope because God cares about us and wants to help us. Searching for Hope provides answers on how to find God's path to hope.The Journey Study Series is based on Billy Graham's best-selling book The journey, the culmination of lifetime of spiritual insight and ministry experience. Each chapter explores the joys, triumphs, and conflicts we all encounter on our journey through life.Use for self-study or shared experiences in small groupssix weeks of lessonssidebars offer a scriptural journey through God's wordquestions for starting group discussionsinsight-filled scripture passages to studyEach chapter includes thought-provoking questions, commentary, Scriptures, and insights to help you on life's journey. Each lesson teaches the secret of walking with God on life's path. Understanding God's truths will make life's journey easier and let Him fulfill His promise to lead you home.
Searching for Jesus: New Discoveries in the Quest for Jesus of Nazareth—and How They Confirm the Gospel Accounts
by Robert J. HutchinsonFor more than a century, Bible scholars and university researchers have been systematically debunking what ordinary Christians believed about Jesus of Nazareth. But what if the most recent Biblical scholarship actually affirmed the New Testament? What if Jesus was not a Zealot revolutionary, or a Greek Cynic philosopher, or a proto-feminist Gnostic, but precisely what he claimed to be: the divine Son of Man prophesied in the Book of Daniel who gave his life as a ransom for many? What if everything the Gospels say about Jesus of Nazareth—his words, his deeds, his plans—turned out to be true? Searching for Jesus changes &“what if?&” to &“what is,&” debunking the debunkers and showing how the latest scholarship supports orthodox Christian belief.
Searching for Right
by Brittney HolmesLauren, Jayda, Danielle, and Brenda are finishing their senior year of high school. They seem to have perfect lives, but these girls have more to worry about than finals and college applications. Lauren has an inextinguishable infatuation with her history teacher, and she will do whatever it takes to get what she wants, even if it means hurting herself, her friends, or someone who truly loves her. As she plans to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, she concentrates her attention on making it one she'll always remember. Jayda has the closest relationship with Lauren, but even she can't sway her friend from making decisions she will regret. Besides, she has her own problems. With her parents' marriage in turmoil, she has to be the backbone of her family. Can she balance that with her new love interest, who comes from a completely different background than she does? Danielle's a single mother who has enough on her plate without having to deal with her pessimistic mother always telling her that she can do nothing right. When she makes a new friend, he brings a breath of fresh air into her life. With his help, she's making strides to become the woman she's always hoped to be. Brenda is the brainiac of the foursome, but doesn't seem to be very smart when it comes to men. When she messes up something good with a great guy, she realizes where her problems lie and confronts her mother head-on.These young women on the brink of adulthood are struggling to handle their issues. As God is introduced to them in unusual ways, they find themselves on a journey they'll never forget.
Searching for Rose
by Dana BeckerCourageous and vulnerable, April has survived Philadelphia&’s tough city streets. But when her sister disappears, April&’s search will lead her to the Pennsylvania Amish countryside—where the peaceful setting belies a brand of danger all its own . . . With a childhood shattered by alcoholism and abandonment, April learned the hard way to trust only herself and her younger sister, Rose. But suddenly, Rose is gone without a word—and April&’s purpose in life is to find her. She has only one ally: Joseph Young, a handsome Amish man with whom she&’s struck up an unlikely flirtation in the bakery where she works. He&’s knowledgeable, steadfast—and when they join forces, April&’s life takes a radical turn . . . In the heart of Amish farm country, April and Joseph grow closer. Yet April fears there&’s no future for them. Especially when vicious, too-personal warnings and strange attacks make her wonder just whom Joseph is really trying to protect. And as her unconventional investigation roils a community with much to conceal, April will find some secrets are killer—and some dreams may be too lethal to trust . . .
Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church
by Rachel Held EvansNew York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans embarks on a quest to find out what it really means to be part of the Church. Like millions of her millennial peers, Rachel Held Evans didn't want to go to church anymore. The hypocrisy, the politics, the gargantuan building budgets, the scandals; church culture seemed so far removed from Jesus. Yet, despite her cynicism and misgivings, something kept drawing her back to Church. <P><P>And so she set out on a journey to understand Church and to find her place in it. Centered around seven sacraments, Evans' quest takes readers through a liturgical year with stories about baptism, communion, confirmation, confession, marriage, vocation, and death that are funny, heartbreaking, and sharply honest. <P><P>A memoir about making do and taking risks, about the messiness of community and the power of grace, Searching for Sunday is about overcoming cynicism to find hope and, somewhere in between, Church. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Searching for the Body: A Contemporary Perspective on Tibetan Buddhist Tantra
by Rae Erin DachilleIn the early fifteenth century, two Tibetan monks debated how to transform the body ritually into a celestial palace inhabited by buddhas. The discussion between Ngorchen Künga Zangpo and Khédrupjé Gélek Pelzangpo concerned the mechanics of this tantric ritual practice, known as body mandala, as well as the most reliable sources to follow in performing it. As representatives of the Sakya and emerging Geluk traditions respectively, these authors spoke for communities of Buddhist practitioners vying for patronage and prestige in an evolving Tibetan scholastic culture. Their debate witnessed clashes between imagination and deception, continuity and rupture, and tradition and innovation.Searching for the Body demonstrates the significance of the body mandala debate for understandings of Tibetan Buddhism as well as conversations on representation and embodiment occurring across the disciplines today. Rae Erin Dachille explores how Ngorchen and Khédrup used citational practice as a tool for making meaning, arguing that their texts reveal a deep connection between ritual mechanics and interpretive practice. She contends that this debate addresses strikingly contemporary issues surrounding interpretation, intertextuality, creativity, essentialism, and naturalness. Buddhist ideas about the construction of meaning and the body offer new ways of understanding representation, which Dachille illuminates in an epilogue that considers Glenn Ligon’s engagement with Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography. By placing Buddhist thought in dialogue with contemporary artistic practice and cultural critique, Searching for the Body offers vital new perspectives on the transformative potential of representations in defining and transcending the human.
Searching for the Holy Spirit: Feminist Theology and Traditional Doctrine (Gender, Theology and Spirituality)
by Anne Claar Thomasson-RosinghIs the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Christian theology good news or bad news for women? Is the Holy Spirit in traditional Christian doctrine the guardian of the status quo or does it offer the dynamic possibility for change? How do the gifts of the Spirit, ecstatic and relational, inform feminist thinking of the Christian God. Opinions on these key questions vary wildly but are often formulated without coherent theological argument. Feminist theology has a history of questioning God the Father and God the Son - this study begins the theological questioning of God the Holy Spirit. Searching for the Holy Spirit brings feminist pneumatology into discussion with more traditional doctrine of the Spirit, notably the very significant early Christian treatise by Basil of Caesarea, De Spiritu Sancto. The results offer exciting new possibilities for both theology and the place of women in the church.
Searching for the Messiah: Unlocking the "Psalms of Solomon" and Humanity's Quest for a Savior
by Barrie WilsonAn award-winning historian of religion examines the role a &“messiah&” plays in Western culture, from its pre-Christian roots to modern interpretations of a savior.Over the centuries, people have longed for a messiah, whether a religious figure such as Jesus, a political leader, or even in popular culture. The messianic quest emerges most acutely during difficult times when people experience a sense of powerlessness and desperation. But the concept of a messiah—a savior—has its root in the writings of ancient Judaism and early Christianity, evolving from an anointed leader to universal savior. Wilson turns to a little understood pre-Christian text, &“The Psalms of Solomon,&” which set the stage for messianic expectation just prior to the birth of Jesus. Known today only to a handful of scholars—in marked contrast to the &“Song of Solomon&”—these important pslams were composed not by a King, but by a devout 1st century BCE Jew who witnessed terrible atrocities under brutal Roman rule. This crucial work encourages us to ask: what is a messiah? Who is a messiah? How would we recognized one should he or she appear? And what is a messiah supposed to do? In his own lifetime, Jesus directed his followers to search for &“the messiah within&” in his parables. Later, Paul changed the concept of &“the messiah,&” to &“the Christ,&” when presenting his message to Gentiles instead of Jews. Jesus was no longer a Jewish messiah but a Hellenistic divine avatar. In Searching for the Messiah, Wilson reveals how this collective search for messiahs throughout modern human history has been fundamentally flawed. Jesus himself rejected the idea of an external fixer, instead formulating his teachings to focus on the role of the individual, their choices, and their actions. Searching for the Messiah is revelatory and illuminating work of scholarship that will challenge and inspire.
Searching for the Self (The Library of Wisdom and Compassion #7)
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama Venerable Thubten ChodronHis Holiness the Dalai Lama explores emptiness, one of the most central teachings in Buddhism, in the newest volume of the bestselling series The Library of Wisdom and Compassion.In Searching for the Self the Dalai Lama leads us to delve deeply into the topic of the ultimate nature of reality, presenting it from a variety of approaches while focusing on identifying our erroneous views and directing us to the actual mode of existence of all persons and phenomena. Placing our study of reality within the auspicious context of a compassionate motivation to benefit all sentient beings, the Dalai Lama explains why realizing emptiness is important and what qualities are needed to do that, and he evaluates various tenet systems&’ perspectives on this vast topic. He then helps us understand our perceptions and the mental states involved in both our ignorant and accurate cognitions. He examines inherent existence and other fantasized ways of existence that we seek to disprove through reasoned analysis and presents the Middle Way view that abandons all extremes. The closing chapters by Thubten Chodron discuss the three characteristics of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and not-self as explained in the Pali tradition and show how meditation on these can lead to the meditative breakthrough to realize nirvana. Engaging in this investigation with His Holiness will challenge our deepest-held beliefs and uproot false ways of viewing ourselves and the world that are so habitual we don&’t even notice them. Get ready to be challenged and intrigued, for realizing the nature of reality has the power to cut our defilements at the root and free us from cyclic existence forever!
Searching for Your Soul: Writers of Many Faiths Share their Personal Stories of Spiritual Discovery
by Katherine KursReflections on the importance of religion include contributions by such authors as Margot Adler, Rita Dove, Mary Gordon, James McBride, Kathleen Norris, and Malcolm X.
Searching for Zion: The Quest for Home in the African Diaspora
by Emily RaboteauFrom Jerusalem to Ghana to Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, a woman reclaims her history in a &“beautifully written and thought-provoking&” memoir (Dave Eggers, author of A Hologram for the King and Zeitoun). A biracial woman from a country still divided along racial lines, Emily Raboteau never felt at home in America. As the daughter of an African American religious historian, she understood the Promised Land as the spiritual realm black people yearned for. But while visiting Israel, the Jewish Zion, she was surprised to discover black Jews. More surprising was the story of how they got there. Inspired by their exodus, her question for them is the same one she keeps asking herself: have you found the home you&’re looking for? In this American Book Award–winning inquiry into contemporary and historical ethnic displacement, Raboteau embarked on a ten-year journey around the globe and back in time to explore the complex and contradictory perspectives of black Zionists. She talked to Rastafarians and African Hebrew Israelites, Evangelicals and Ethiopian Jews—all in search of territory that is hard to define and harder to inhabit. Uniting memoir with cultural investigation, Raboteau overturns our ideas of place, patriotism, dispossession, citizenship, and country in &“an exceptionally beautiful . . . book about a search for the kind of home for which there is no straight route, the kind of home in which the journey itself is as revelatory as the destination&” (Edwidge Danticat, author of The Farming of Bones).
A Searching Heart (Prairie Legacy #2)
by Janette OkeVirginia is torn between going off to college with Jamison and staying home to help her family and elderly neighbor.
Searching Her Own Mystery: Nostra Aetate, the Jewish People, and the Identity of the Church
by Mark Kinzer Jean Garrigues O.P.According to Mark Kinzer, Messianic Jewish scholar and Rabbi, in Searching Her Own Mystery, "Vatican II's Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian religions (Nostra Aetate) transformed the Catholic view of the Jewish people and the Jewish religious tradition." He notes "that the Church discovers her link to the 'stock of Abraham' when 'searching her own mystery.'" Further. he asserts that "Nostra Aetate intimated that the mystery of Israel is inseparable from the mystery of the Church. As interlocking mysteries, each community requires the other in order to understand itself." In his book, Kinzer argues "that the Church has yet to explore adequately the implications of Nostra Aetate for Christian self-understanding. The new Catholic teaching concerning Israel should produce fresh perspectives on the entire range of Christian theology, including Christology, ecclesiology, and the theology of the sacraments." To this end, "Kinzer proposes an Israel-ecclesiology rooted in Israel-Christology in which a restored ecclesia ca circumcisione--the 'church from the circumcision'--assumes a crucial role as a sacramental sign of the Church's bond with the Jewish people and genealogical-Israel's irrevocable election." In short, Kinzer, in this Searching Her own Mystery, discusses differences and similarities between Judaism and Catholicism, and hopes that this discussion will further repair the schism that exists between these different cultures and traditions. His aim is to reconcile the two religions and make each of them realize that they need each other and are interconnected. His book is replete with footnotes that he uses to couch and support his ideas and arguments.
Searching Issues: Tough Questions, Straight Answers (ALPHA BOOKS)
by Nicky GumbelAs we begin to think more deeply about the meaning of life, it's not long before we come across tough questions that deserve careful consideration. This book explores and discusses seven common objections to the Christian faith, including:- Why does God allow suffering?- What about other religions?- Is there a conflict between science and Christianity?Drawing on several years of talking through these issues with people looking for answers, Nicky Gumbel offers clear, accessible and reasoned responses to the questions that surround faith and Christianity in the modern world. He goes beyond the logic of each question and applies it to a wider understanding of God's identity and our own identity, with practical suggestions for dealing with these issues in everyday life.'Gumbel's combination of humour, anecdote, metaphysics, quotations from the Bible and complex theology are both persuasive and compelling.' - The Observer
Searching the Scriptures: James
by Danilo H. GomesThe Bible brings us valuable information and profound edification. How about exploring and growing through the Epistle of James? Despite being admired by many, the Bible is not easily understood by a large portion of its readers.Those new to the faith especially encounter great difficulties during the journey of biblical studies. The Holy Scriptures are the living Word of God and everyone needs to be filled with this precious treasure. The SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES series presents the reader with: an introduction to the biblical book containing technical information, popular verses accompanied by devotionals, the meaning of words according to their Greek roots and cross-references. Whether for Bible study or personal devotional, either way you will be edified by the Word. Have an excellent resource on hand for spiritual growth and Bible study.
Seaside Blessings (Starfish Bay)
by Irene HannonDon’t miss this classic romance from three time RITA Award winner Irene Hannon! Originally published in 2013. Starfish Bay could be a fresh start for Kristen Andrews…even if her new landlord isn’t exactly tossing down the welcome mat. Haunted by his past, Clint Nolan isn’t ready to open his heart to another woman. But Kristen’s also harboring a secret— the daughter she gave up for adoption nine years ago. When the little girl arrives in the California seaside town, upending Kristen’s entire world, the cop-turned-park-ranger can’t walk away from them. He’s beginning to feel part of the family of two. Can Clint convince Kristen it’s time to claim their long-overdue happy ending? Starfish Bay: Where dreams come true.
Seaside Blessings
by Irene HannonThe Healing PlaceStarfish Bay could be a fresh start for Kristen Andrews...even if her new landlord isn't exactly tossing down the welcome mat. Haunted by his past, Clint Nolan isn't ready to open his heart to another woman. But Kristen's also harboring a secret-the daughter she gave up for adoption nine years ago. When the little girl arrives in the California seaside town, upending Kristen's entire world, the cop-turned-park-ranger can't walk away from them. For he's beginning to feel part of the family of two. Can Clint convince Kristen it's time to claim their long-overdue happy ending?