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This book is for anyone who yearns to enter more fully into the world Jesus inhabited, not as an intellectual exercise, but as an aid to authentic personal devotion. The King of the Jews ponders five defining moments from the ministry of Jesus and lingers at a series of events that, historically, must have unfolded rapidly. Within twenty-four hours of his arrest, Jesus was dead, yet these events are so momentous that they repay careful meditation: first upon the night of trials, and then the seven sayings from the cross, and finally, the ten thrilling post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Each meditation adds up to a whole message that presents the King who came to take his throne and who does finally take it. But he takes it not by force, but by facing down evil through the agony of the cross, and now invites the hurting to share in his triumph.

Jesus told simple stories about common items; yet his parables profoundly address our hearts and minds. We offer an interpretation, not only about what we read, but also what we think and feel. Parables of Parenthood presents modern biblical scholarship in an accessible writing style in order to model how these ancient stories continue to enrich life in the twenty-first century. Andrew Taylor-Troutman closely analyzes each parable with deep appreciation before applying these interpretations to his life, because he believes the genius of the parables offers a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven in our everyday experience. By interpreting from the author's head and heart, Parables of Parenthood gives new luster to well-known, narrative gems about sowing seeds and lost sheep through personal insights about anxiety and hope. Lessons about wise builders and wicked tenants are illustrated with anecdotes about a baby's food and a grandmother's rocking chair. Through interpretations of other parables, moments as diverse as a beach trip and an ultrasound appointment invite movement from fear to faith. Through the combination of his informed Bible study and practical life experience, Taylor-Troutman empowers readers to connect the teachings of Jesus to our world in comforting and challenging ways.

The first year for any missionary is filled with adventure and trials. Assimilating to a new culture requires more than any book can offer. This is the story of a young woman who stepped out of her college years directly into the mission field. She was vastly unprepared in language, experience, and spiritual discipline, but she encountered the Lord in a way she never could while growing up in America. The transition from an American college campus to the sandy streets of a developing country was not easy physically or emotionally. The excitement of adventure soon waned in the face of homesickness and culture shock. Through it all, she found that the practices she had been taught for years in church and student ministry were vital for survival and that there is no hope, no strength, and no joy that can sustain you outside of what is found in Christ.

""If it ain't broke, don't fix it.""But it's no secret that the Christian church is ""broke,"" and does need fixing. Despite great effort, things are going badly for us. We've tried trendy and tech-savvy, entrepreneurial and coffee-house gritty. They're not helping. Our problem is deeper than that. Our problem is our instincts--instincts informed by our story. There was a time when the Christian church was a powerfully transformative presence in society. It can be again--but it will require radical rethinking of the story that informs our instincts. And it's time! It's been five hundred years since the Reformation, our last major update. Today is a pivotal moment in history. With our worldview upended by quantum physics, history is demanding we renew the Christian story for our times. Rethinking Our Story reframes the elements of the Christian narrative for the new era. It explores ""quantum"" ways of thinking about God, human nature, Jesus, salvation, and the afterlife. The future of the church and the health of our society depend on our willingness to rethink, retell, and live out a better story. We will either update our instincts and contribute to the earth's well-being--or disappear into oblivion.

At a time when pews are not as full as they used to be, many churches are struggling to stay open. But no matter how creative or hard-working, some congregations are unable to revitalize their ministry. Is it time to talk about closing your church? Are there any other options for your future?Toward the Better Country tells the stories of real congregations that have faced a significant downsizing, merger, or closure and found positive ways to move forward in ministry. While no local church is meant to live forever, congregations that have chosen to faithfully complete their ministry are finding hope in the new ventures born from passing on their spiritual and material legacies. Based on over thirty interviews with church leaders from various denominations, this practical resource offers guidance to lay leaders, clergy, and regional leaders as they deal with the grief and discernment process of struggling churches. Designed for group study, each chapter includes reflection questions for discussion. A listing of additional resources is also included.

Eugene Friends of Jung is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the evolution of consciousness, to the pursuit of meaning in life through psychological insight and creative expression, and to the continuing education for the human spirit through psychology, spirituality, and the arts and humanities.EFJ works to fulfill its mission of expanding the relationships between the Depth Psychology of C. G. Jung, art, nature, and humanity through lectures, seminars, and film discussions that bridge cultures.

Description:If you find books such as Richard Dawkins'' The God Delusion compelling but your faith heritage is also important to you, this book shows how you can affirm both. Taking a cue from Marcus Borg''s contention that ""scriptural literalism"" is for many people a major impediment to authentic spirituality, Carl Jech describes how all religion can and should be much more explicit about its symbolic, metaphorical, and artistic nature. With a particular focus on mortality and the relationship of humans to eternity, the book affirms a postmodern understanding of ""God"" as ultimate eternal Mystery and of spirituality as an artistic, (w)holistic, visionary, and creative process of becoming at home in the universe as it really is with all its joys and sorrows. Religion as Art Form is a must-read for those who think of themselves as spiritual but not religious.Endorsements:""If you''re looking for a way to make sense of your life and your world, but you don''t get much (or any) satisfaction from slick, glib, outdated, unworkable, arrogant, or cocksure religious ''answers,'' this is your book. If you''re looking for trustworthy answers that don''t demean, insult, or ridicule, this book is a good place to start. . . . By the time you finish this book, you''ll find there are no supernatural, sacred cows left in the corral. What you will find is a new way of thinking about language and life.""--Michael Luther Sherer, editor emeritus of the MetroLutheran""Critical issues central to the purpose of religion are woven in an intricate tapestry that utilizes every conceivable strand of expressive art available to elucidate the topics addressed. The style of writing itself is reflective of an art form, as ideas flood each page in a stream of consciousness, expressive of the dynamic, progressive posture that permeates each page. Readers seeking an alternative approach for expressing and experiencing their spirituality will find this book scintillating and stimulating.""--Robert H. Albers, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Pastoral Theology, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities""Separating God from the sterile options between theism and atheism and seeing God as a verb to be lived, not a noun to be believed, are the themes of this book. Religion as Art Form is both groundbreaking and riveting.""--John Shelby Spong, author of The Fourth GospelAbout the Contributor(s):Carl L. Jech (ThM, Harvard) is Instructor in Humanities at DeAnza College in Silicon Valley. He has served as parish pastor and college chaplain in Michigan, Wisconsin, and California, and has taught at other colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Description:The poems in this collection are offered along two related lines. In the first part of the book the poems and etchings coalesce to form what the author calls a family portrait of grace and faith, representing the fruit of a process of biblical study and reflection, which will be of interest to both the lay person and pastor in his or her preparations for teaching and preaching. In the second section of the book the author provides a variety of poems disclosing the dynamics of life in its multiplicity of patterns and expressions. Together the two sections seek to express the grace of God in the commonalities of life.About the Contributor(s):Albert J.D. Walsh is pastor of Heidelberg United Church of Christ in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Reflections on Death and Grief and United and Uniting. Patrick Lee Walsh is a freelance artist specializing in both landscapes and abstract forms. Patrick studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and has exhibited his abstract paintings with the prestigious National Academy of Design Museum in New York City.