I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die
Author: Sarah J. Robinson
Publisher: WaterBrook
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2021-05-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0593193539

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.

Teaching Tenets of Faith in Worship

Teaching Tenets of Faith in Worship
Author: James Akerson
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 94
Release: 2019-04-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1532662998

Western culture no longer has a broad Christian understanding. In fact, much of what American media dishes out is pantheistic or anti-religious. Sociological research indicates that a multitude of beliefs have crept into Christian understandings of faith. This situation is not new. As early as the fifteenth century, Erasmus asserted that the greatest concern of his time was that Christians were most often "rank heathens" when it came to their orthodoxy. It is also apparent that attendance at Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and other gatherings has fallen at a great rate. The author believes providing Christian education in the context of worship is therefore the best opportunity for reaching believers with historical elements of faith. A twenty-four-part lectionary-based catechetical curriculum is provided for worship. With it, congregations can dwell in a sermon series that is surrounded by supportive full-bodied worship.

The World and the Word: Making Sense of Social Science in an Age of Conflict, Opposition, and Grace

The World and the Word: Making Sense of Social Science in an Age of Conflict, Opposition, and Grace
Author: Dr. Herbert L. Green Jr.
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 800
Release: 2017-08-24
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1543425623

Jesus very presence as the New Testament age unfolded (1st century A.D.), engendered opposition, created confl ict, while ushering in grace. His ideas were considered radical. Why is this so? The NIV Archeological Study Bible (2005), NIV Student Bible, et al. and corroborating Extra-Biblical evidence provide a context for the Word view about Jesus in Biblical history, and supports aspects of the social and physical sciences in terms of cultural, socio-economic, political, historical, archeological, and philosophical (apologetics) evidence. As the pages of this book unfold, there is an internal consistency with social science and The Bible. However, where such consistency appeared to diverge, this author attempts to fi lter out the noise by applying critical thinking criteria to a Worldview that may not be consistent with the Word view. The goal of this book therefore is to provide some exposition (Greek apologia) of the Word and see how the World fi ts. Born again Christians can be credible scientists and not compromise Gods Word. After thoughtful reading please send refl ective comments to Dr. Herb Green, Jr. at [email protected]

Grace in Tension

Grace in Tension
Author: Claire McGarry
Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2021-10-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 168192644X

We all face stress and tension in our daily lives. We might even wonder why our God of abundant goodness doesn’t remove the everyday struggles we face. Jesus’ interactions with Martha and Mary in the Gospel provide us the key to understanding how God shows us his love by allowing tensions in our lives. As we follow the sisters’ transformative journeys through their own struggles, reflecting on what transpires between Scripture verses, we see their initial tension become the catalyst that drives both Mary and Martha to the feet of Jesus — the place where all discover peace. Grace in Tension explores the areas where stress arises in our own lives. Each chapter ends with a thought-provoking prayer to inspire us to go to God with our problems, followed by questions for reflection to help us see all the ways he’s working for our good. God doesn’t create any of it, but he does show up amid life’s difficulties, ready to lead us through. No matter how big or small our struggle, when we seek him out, he reveals what we need to do to resolve our tension, transforming it into grace. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Claire McGarry is the founder of MOSAIC of Faith, a ministry for mothers of infants to school-aged children to explore their faith through motherhood. She contributes regularly to CatholicMom.com and blogs at ShiftingMyPerspective.com. She is the author of Lenten devotional With Our Savior, and her work has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Keys for Kids, These Days, and Focus on the Family magazine. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Truly Well and Joyful

Truly Well and Joyful
Author: Paula M. S. Paquette MTS MPA
Publisher: WestBow Press
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2015-08-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1490886613

In the parables, Jesus of Nazareth taught many lessons. The wisdom he gives us is timeless and certain to help us find happiness, joy, peace, purpose, and fulfillment. We look for fulfillment and meaning on a daily basis in the lives we lead. We search for peace and restoration when the events of life are difficult. Jesus teachings give us everything we need to know in order to gain and maintain a steadfast, ever-present calm in the storms of life. In Truly Well and Joyful: What the Parables Promise, all of Jesus parables are presented and discussed. Taken as a whole, the parables tell us all we need to know in order to live truly well and joyful lives. They also teach us how to overcome grief, how to live in the holy present moment, how to find joy in service to others, how to find peace in responsibility, how to live, love, and create more fully. This book will be a timeless resource that you can refer to again and again to refresh and strengthen yourself through the truest words ever spoken: the parables.

God Is Not Great

God Is Not Great
Author: Christopher Hitchens
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2008-11-19
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1551991764

Christopher Hitchens, described in the London Observer as “one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time” takes on his biggest subject yet–the increasingly dangerous role of religion in the world. In the tradition of Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris’s recent bestseller, The End Of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope’s awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix.

Leaving Church

Leaving Church
Author: Barbara Brown Taylor
Publisher: Canterbury Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2013-01-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1848253575

Tells how a renowned preacher left her ministry to rediscover the authentic heart of her faith. A moving reflection on keeping faith amidst the relentless demands of modern life.

Finding God in Other Christians

Finding God in Other Christians
Author: Lorraine Cavanagh
Publisher: SPCK
Total Pages: 70
Release: 2012-04-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0281065861

As we journey in faith, many of us begin to find God in the context of more than one kind of churchmanship. Even if we feel happy where we are, we may benefit greatly from getting out of our particular church 'comfort zone' in order to encounter God in new ways through Christians whose priorities and styles of worship are at variance with our own. This book calls us to a deeper and more compassionate approach to the challenges of diversity among Christians. It addresses issues such as: Are Christians meant to be more than friends?; Jesus Christ as our common identity; Violence between Christians; Radical hospitality; Dealing with difference; The meaning of God among us, and finally, Christians in Christ and for the world.