Where Has God Gone?

Where Has God Gone?
Author: Jean Maalouf
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 219
Release: 2015-06-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1503574415

GodGod is dead, declared Friedrich Nietzsche. Thank God! Who needs that God anyway? We now have the other gods weve created to fit our deep desires and make us feel that it is WE who are in charge, and not anyone else. We thought that these human-made gods were not only more convenient, more suitable, and much easier to worship, but they also held the key to freedom, security, and happiness. Did they? Who and what are these gods we love to worship? What kind of religious practices will we use in order to please them? Has religion become a sophisticated tool that allows us to hide from the true God? Has religion become a ready commodity we use every time we want to subdue an opponent? Is religion still needed when science and reason are now the light of our world? Is religion more than a good business after all? Does religion help to bring personal and world peace, or does it provoke violence and wars? Do we really need God to tell us what the truth is? How do we know what is good and what is wrong? In this book, you will find an answer to these questions and to many more. You also find an explanation for why religion, when it is reduced to an abstract concept or to the mere embodiment of human institutions, will not help men and women to achieve their life purpose and reach their highest potential and destiny. Instead, it may even be dangerous. A deformed religiona religion with a false god or without God at allcould become fanaticism, ideology, Puritanism, abstraction, a weapon to win an argument, humiliate the opponent, and even kill the adversary. A true religion preaches love, not hate. So tell me who you worship, Ill tell you who you are. This book is, in a sense, a heretical book. It is disturbing, bold, radical, and controversialintentionally controversial. Dr. Maalouf is hoping to shock readers out of apathy, indifference, compromises, and idolatry into the true reality of what being human with a divine destiny is. This is a must-read book for all those who seek God beyond their gods, the whole truth beyond their half-truths, and the depth of a divine connection beyond the letter of the law. It is a hard-hitting challenge to false beliefs and a much-needed wake-up call to refocus attention and desire on what is essential and most lasting.

When God is Gone Everything is Holy

When God is Gone Everything is Holy
Author: Chet Raymo
Publisher:
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2008
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

In what he describes as a "late-life credo," renowned science writer Chet Raymo narrates his half-century journey from the traditional Catholicism of his youth to his present perspective as a "Catholic agnostic." As a scientist, Raymo holds to the skepticism that accepts only verifiable answers, but as a "religious naturalist," he never ceases his pursuit of "the beautiful and terrible mystery that soaks creation." Raymo assembles a stunning array of scientists, philosophers, mystics, and poets who help him discover "glimmers of the Absolute in every particular." Whether exploring the connection of the human body to the stars or the meaning of prayer of the heart, these challenging reflections will cause believers and agnostics alike to pause and pay attention.

When God Isn't There

When God Isn't There
Author: David Bowden
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2016-10-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0718077687

Why does God feel so far away? Why is my worship so empty? Has God left me? David Bowden knows these questions firsthand, having wrestled for years with God’s apparent absence and studying what the Bible says about it. In this new book, Bowden tackles the subject head-on, finding the key to understanding it in the Bible’s depiction of a God who is infinitely far from us, free to move where he wants, but who chooses to come near in the person of Jesus. A resource of encouragement for those who struggle with feeling God’s absence and a wake-up call to those who take God’s presence for granted, When God Isn’t There will forever change your understanding of why God sometimes seems to vanish and how he can be found again. Praise for the work of David Bowden “Awesome and inspiring.”—Blake Mycoskie, Founder and Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS Shoes “David brings a fresh, engaging and highly impactful approach to Scripture. His passion for the Word is both contagious and inspirational.” —Roy Peterson, President of American Bible Society

When I Don't Desire God

When I Don't Desire God
Author: John Piper
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2004
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1581346522

Explaining how to become a Christian hedonist, a bestselling author offers guidance on how to find spiritual joy to readers who are unsure of where to seek it.

Lies We Believe About God

Lies We Believe About God
Author: Wm. Paul Young
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2017-03-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1501101412

From the author of the bestselling novel The Shack and the New York Times bestsellers Cross Roads and Eve comes a compelling, conversational exploration of twenty-eight assumptions about God—assumptions that just might be keeping us from experiencing His unconditional, all-encompassing love. In his wildly popular novels, Wm. Paul Young portrayed the Triune God in ways that challenged our thinking—sometimes upending long-held beliefs, but always centered in the eternal, all-encompassing nature of God’s love. Now, in Wm. Paul Young’s first nonfiction book, he invites us to revisit our assumptions about God—this time using the Bible, theological discussion, and personal anecdotes. Paul encourages us to think through beliefs we’ve presumed to be true and consider whether some might actually be false. Expounding on the compassion fans felt from the “Papa” portrayed in The Shack—now a major film starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer—Paul encourages you to think anew about important issues including sin, religion, hell, politics, identity, creation, human rights, and helping us discover God’s deep and abiding love.

No More Faking Fine

No More Faking Fine
Author: Esther Fleece Allen
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2017-01-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310344778

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.

Awakening to the Power of Peace—Love—Joy—Gratitude

Awakening to the Power of Peace—Love—Joy—Gratitude
Author: Jean Maalouf
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2019-08-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1796049735

Humankind is, at the present time, reaching a critical point in history. A disaster of apocalyptic proportions could erupt at any time. “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,” predicted Albert Einstein, “but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” What we are to do in order to prevent such catastrophic events? We are to change the way we think, insists philosopher Maalouf. We are to see people and things in different ways. We are to see with God’s eyes. We are to witness the birth of a new consciousness. For philosopher Jean Maalouf, who holds two Ph.D.s and who has published more than forty books, one needs to go beyond the symptoms, he affirms, and find the root causes of our crises. His new book, Awakening to the Power of Peace – Love – Joy -- Gratitude, goes straight to the very core of our crises and points the way to their solutions. The truth is that the battlefield is not primarily on the land where people confront and kill each other. The true battlefield is where decisions are made--in the people’s minds, hearts, and souls. This is also where solutions should be found. Dr. Maalouf invites us to change the way we perceive reality so that a new way of living can emerge. If we don’t learn to love one another and to live together in peace, we will continue to kill each other, and we will perish together. We are interconnected. We are interdependent. What we think about, how we see things, and what we say and do and the way we live our life matter greatly. We-ly (all of us together), we should live in peace, love, joy, and gratitude.

Reasonable Faith

Reasonable Faith
Author: William Lane Craig
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2008
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433501155

This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible.

A Sudden Glory

A Sudden Glory
Author: Sharon Jaynes
Publisher: Multnomah
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2012-08-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1601424086

Do you long for something more in your relationship with God? The good news is that “something more” does not mean “doing more.” God is not waiting for you to get your spiritual life “right.” He wants to be with you right where you are. The real question is not “What does God want from you?” but “What does God want for you?” Sharon Jaynes understands what it’s like to have a “glory ache”—a longing to experience God’s presence on a daily basis. She also knows how easily working for God can get in the way of intimacy with God. And she’s discovered that we tend to make our faith journey much too hard. In A Sudden Glory, Sharon uses Scripture and story to help you erase the line between your “spiritual life” and your “daily life” as you enter the sanctuary of God’s presence even in the middle of your busy, messy day. Here you will find your eyes opened to moments of sudden glory in which the Creator assures you of His love as you live and move and have your being in Him. Here you will discover true freedom—the freedom of experiencing God in a deeper and more intimate way than ever before. Includes Bible study and discussion guide.