Bless the Imperfect

Bless the Imperfect
Author: Kathleen Montgomery
Publisher: Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2014
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1558967192

Blessed

Blessed
Author: Kate Bowler
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2013
Genre: History
ISBN: 0190876735

Gospels -- Faith -- Wealth -- Health -- Victory -- American blessing -- Megachurch table -- Naming names.

The Lives We Actually Have

The Lives We Actually Have
Author: Kate Bowler
Publisher: Convergent Books
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2023-02-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0593193717

Warm and witty blessings found within the struggles of our shared humanity, from the New York Times bestselling authors of Good Enough Blessed are you, the strange duck. You with the very intense hobbies. Or the collection of movies or mugs or sneakers. You with the hometown or home team that makes you very, very proud. You, my dear, in all your intricacies . . . are a marvel. We live in a world that demands relentless perfection. Happy marriages and easy friendships. Bucket list–level adventures and matching family photos. But what if our actual lives don’t feel very #blessed? Might our everyday existence be worthy of a blessing too? Even an average Tuesday? Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie offer creative, faith-based blessings that center gratitude and hope while acknowledging our real, messy lives. Formatted like a prayer book, The Lives We Actually Have is an oasis and a landing spot for weary souls, with blessings that focus on the full range of human moments: garbage days, lovely days, grief-stricken days, and even (especially) completely ordinary days. These heartfelt blessings are a chance to exhale when we feel everything from careworn to restless, devastated to bored. Let’s have a reminder that we don’t need to wait for perfect lives when we can bless the lives we actually have.

The Imperfect Marriage

The Imperfect Marriage
Author: Darryl Strawberry
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2015-02-24
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1476738777

From legendary baseball Hall of Famer and his wife comes a marriage guidebook for the not-so-perfect marriage—filled with extremely candid, practical, and biblically based principles—proven to make any relationship successful. Darryl and Tracy Strawberry admit they have “made every possible mistake you can make in marriage.” Together, this devoted couple has suffered through—and survived—adultery, addiction, financial destruction, and many other all-too-familiar struggles. A no-holds-barred account of their personal journey, The Imperfect Marriage provides a step-by-step program that will help you and your partner understand the key issues that could be causing damage in your relationship and recognize turning points on the journey toward marriage restoration. Darryl and Tracy Strawberry know firsthand what it takes to make it through the battle and how to come out victorious. Beginning with putting God at the center, their words will inspire you to transform your marriage into an enduring and vital relationship. The Strawberrys keep it real and preach it real. They deal with real people, real problems, and offer solutions for the present. Through candid anecdotes, a great deal of self-awareness, and a true sense of honesty, Darryl and Tracy offer the vision, encouragement, and practical advice that every healthy marriage needs in order to thrive. Whether you and your partner are looking to heal a broken relationship, or avoid the mistakes that doomed a past one, The Imperfect Marriage offers the guidance and “brutal honesty…[that] will be inspiring for many” (Publishers Weekly) and will help make your marriage a success.

The Psalms (Volume 4, Psalms 101–150)

The Psalms (Volume 4, Psalms 101–150)
Author: Christopher Ash
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 719
Release: 2024-07-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433564009

Commentary from Christopher Ash Sets Out a Deeply Christian Study of Psalms 101–150 While reading Psalms, it is common for commentaries to focus on Old Testament meaning, without connecting it deeply to Christ's fulfillment in the New Testament. By studying Scripture this way, believers miss out on the fullness of God's word. The key to experiencing authentically Christian worship is learning a Christ-focused approach to praying and singing the Psalms. In this thorough commentary, Christopher Ash provides a careful treatment of Psalms 101–150, examining each psalm's significance to David and the other psalmists, to Jesus during his earthly ministry, and to the church of Christ in every age. Ash includes introductory quotations, a deep analysis of the text's structure and vocabulary, and a closing reflection and response, along with selected quotations from older readings of the Psalms. Perfect for pastors, Bible teachers, and students, this commentary helps readers sing and pray the Psalms with Christ in view. Exhaustive: Christopher Ash's exegesis explores how the Psalms are quoted and echoed throughout the New Testament Applicable and Heartfelt: Explains how a Christ-centered approach to reading the Psalms influences doctrines of prayer, prophecy, the Trinity, ecclesiology, and more Ideal for Pastors and Serious Students of Scripture: Written for Bible teachers, Sunday school and youth leaders, and small-group leaders

Imperfect Women

Imperfect Women
Author: Araminta Hall
Publisher: MCD
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0374718008

FROM THE AUTHOR OF OUR KIND OF CRUELTY "A stunning, dark novel about who women want to be and the reality of who they are.” —Samantha Downing, author of His Lovely Wife "Promises to please those who enjoy psychological thrillers and all those who love Elena Ferrante but wish her series was just a bit (okay, a lot) more twisted." —Molly Odintz, Lit Hub "A psychological thriller in the truest sense of the word . . . At points I was folding pages repeatedly.” —Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a Scandal "Creeps on you slowly, like a fog, until you find yourself enveloped in this tangled skein of relationships, eager to see how all this is going to play out, who is going to betray whom and in what way." —Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review When Nancy Hennessy is murdered, she leaves behind two best friends, an adoring husband and daughter, and a secret lover whose identity she took to the grave. Nancy was gorgeous, wealthy, and cherished by those who knew her—from the outside, her life was perfect. But as the investigation into her death flounders and her friends Eleanor and Mary wrestle with their grief, dark details surface that reveal how little they knew their friend, each other, and maybe even themselves. A gripping, immersive novel about impossible expectations and secrets that fester and become lethal, Imperfect Women unfolds through the perspectives of three fascinating women. Their enduring, complex friendship is the knot the reader must untangle to answer the question Who killed Nancy? Imperfect Women explores guilt and retribution, love and betrayal, and the compromises we make that alter our lives irrevocably. With the wickedly sharp insights and finely tuned suspense that has drawn comparisons to Patricia Highsmith and Paula Hawkins, Araminta Hall returns with another page-turning, thought-provoking tour de force.