While some suggest the problems we face today can be solved by updating Christianity or ridding ourselves of religion altogether. The God Who Is Here demonstrates how the rediscovery of the contemplative way can lead to a deeper relationship with God and a vibrant way of worship. This work draws on the rich tradition of Christian mysticism and contemplative prayer (as expressed through the work, most recently, of Fr. Thomas Keating). With deep biblical insight and poetic expression, The God Who Is Here speaks to those longing for spiritual guidance with the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Centering Prayers is a collection of inspired prayers crafted as brief preludes or postludes to periods of personal, contemplative prayer. Each radiates God’s love. Tailored for the seasons and months of the year, they integrate a spiritual theology with certain mystical depth. You will want to read them slowly and pray them quietly, one day at a time. "In Daily Companion, Peter Haas offers intimate prayers that rest on the deep rooted tradition of his faith. His vulnerability and longing lead you to your own journey. His fearless asking: Strengthen me in love. Draw me into your life, draw you to deeper places. He acknowledges, You are the shadow that crosses near in the silence of prayer. Praying these prayers with Haas becomes a daily chant reminiscent of those in monasteries the world over, kneeling in prayer in the silent hours before dawn." Paula D'Arcy Author of Gift of the Red Bird, Waking Up to This Day
Growing up as a pastor's daughter, Becoming Living Stones author Denae Haas gained a broad knowledge of Scripture and its interpretation. Knowledge and understanding without relationship, though, is ineffective. It lacks life. When Denae's knowledge of God, of the Holy Spirit, became relational--experiential--a greater bond formed and new life blossomed. When her belief in God collided with doubt, a faith struggle began. Here the Holy Spirit began to cultivate experiential knowledge of His presence, His love, and the ability to truly know His constant transformative working in our lives. In this groundbreaking book, readers both witness this transformation in Denae and are led into their own journey with God. A journey both rooted in Scripture and alive in the Spirit. The result is a deepening relationship with God, emerging from a broader understanding of God's immense personal love for His children. Ultimately, this growing faith and relationship bring healing and restoration. Denae's experience of the Holy Spirit combined with knowledge is rich soil from which readers are drawn and invited to meditate and pray for their own transformation--for new life in the Spirit.
Are you soul-weary? Do you struggle to make time for God in the midst of a packed schedule? Or do you sometimes stay so busy doing things for God that you can't relax and just "be"? Jesus faced amazing pressure and overwhelming demands throughout his ministry, but he did not experience the burnout so common today among Christian ministers and laypersons. You can learn the rhythm of living that Jesus demonstrates — the Cycle of Grace — throughout the Gospels. Use this workbook and accompanying video about the Cycle of Grace either individually or in a small group. The Cycle of Grace examines 4 components of a grace-filled life: Acceptance Sustenance Significance Fruitfulness Trevor Hudson, a dynamic pastor, author, and speaker, introduces each part of the Cycle of Grace in a short video segment (available on YouTube). The video segments are titled as follows: Cycle of Grace 1: Acceptance Cycle of Grace 2: Sustenance Cycle of Grace 3: Significance Cycle of Grace 4: Fruitfulness Cycle of Grace 5: A Grace-filled Way to Live In the workbook Jerry Haas provides practical exercises for individuals and groups, complete with suggestions for journaling and preparing for group sessions. This 6-week study will help you know that God loves you nurture your spiritual life understand who you are called to be in the world learn how to restore balance to your life The workbook includes a Leader's Guide and several useful appendixes. A must-have resource for clergy and lay leaders, The Cycle of Grace is also an excellent text for seminary and college classes preparing students for ministry.
If you are just looking for the highlights of our study, here you go! Generosity in its simplest form is giving. Giving of your time, talent and treasure towards something or someone you value. Kingdom Generosity is a big, big deal. What is at stake here? The financial integrity of the greatest endeavor that man has ever participated in... the expansion of the Kingdom of God! When Jesus came, He preached and said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). As He ascended back to heaven, He gave His disciples a mandate to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth and to make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20). We call that mandate the Great Commission. The Christian family has a responsibility to fulfill this mandate in our generation. This will take time, talent, and treasure. Two of the biggest challenges to the Great Commission are 1) Christians willing to spread His Word 2) Christians willing to give to His work. In this book, we are writing about how to fund the mission. It is time to transition our thinking from the organizations financed to the primary funder- the Christian family. The financial health and vision of the Christian family is critical for reaching the world for Christ in this generation and in your children’s generation and your grandchildren’s generation, too.
Ever since Calvin wrote his Institutes of the Christian Religion, admonishing the reader that “it would not be difficult for him to determine what he ought especially to seek in Scriptures, and to what end he ought to relate its contents,” scholars have endeavoured to identify a doctrine or theme at the heart of his theology. In his landmark book The Concept of Equity in Calvin’s Ethics, Guenther Haas concludes that the concept of equity is the theme of central importance in Calvin’s social ethic, in a similar way that union with Christ lies at the heart of his theology. Haas provides, in Part One, a brief survey of the development of the concept of equity from Aristotle to the scholastics, and as it was used by Calvin’s contemporaries. Haas also examines the influences on Calvin’s thinking before and after his conversion to Protestantism, with special attention paid to those influences that employed the concept of equity. In the heart of this study, Part Two, “Equity in Calvin’s Ethics,” Haas presents a thorough exposition and analysis of the extensive role the concept of equity plays in Calvin’s ethics, demonstrating that Calvin’s approach to ethics is not restricted to meditation of Scripture text. This book will force a re-examination of approaches to Calvin studies that have not appreciated the historical context and background of Calvin’s thought. The Concept of Equity in Calvin’s Ethics establishes that the Protestant tradition in Christian ethics, founded by Calvin, has a distinctive and vital contribution to make to Christian ethics, as well as to the broader discussion of social ethics as they are practised today.
Pop-science meets theology in an engaging book from Peter Haas. Approaching Scripture with comedy, stats, and story-telling, a Minnesota minister explores some counter-intuitive twists behind happiness and promotion. Diving deeper than others would dare, this gutsy writer wrestles with theological issues many leaders would avoid on Sunday. He asks, What if your prayers could reveal your promotability or odds of happiness? and Did you know some people who survive traumatic events report higher levels of happiness? Get the book and youll see all of his other brilliant prompts. This authors bold goal is to tweak peoples minds. He hopes to increase the time and energy you and the people you know are investing in prayer, thinking, and even blogging.
Why do we have such a desire to explore? What can we do to fully experience life and how can we use those experiences to better understand the world, spirituality and ourselves?The world has an unimaginable number of lessons to teach us. These lessons hide on every inch of the earth, but we aren't always open to hearing what the world has to tell us.Thoughts Across the Map is a compilation of life lessons learned while traveling across the world. Each of the stories within seeks to consider how much the world has to teach us. These thoughts are not part of a How To book, but rather the opening to a conversation about how we can better understand ourselves, the world and God. Wherever we have been, whatever we have done, life has a way of teaching us lessons. Experience is the greatest of all teachers and the more we wander, the more we master.
Grow your faith daily. Transform your life. Experience God in deeper ways by spending time in God’s Word. Daily Bible Study is the perfect resource for individuals who want to grow in their relationship with God and enhance their engagement with lessons in Adult Bible Studies. Designed to meet the needs of busy people, each daily reading includes a Scripture reference, a personal faith-related question, an explanation and application of the biblical text, and a prayer, all on one page. Available in print, eBook, and as an app. Fall 2024 Theme: Claiming Identity This fall's series of readings supporting the theme “Claiming Identity.” These readings help us better understand how life circumstances and events and our responses to them help shape us and how we find and embrace our true identity as followers of Christ. The daily readings come from Old and New Testament texts, prepare us for the lessons in Adult Bible Studies, and are written by Betsy Haas, Taylor Mills, and Rhoda Preston.
Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,5 (A), University of Heidelberg (Anglistics), course: EPG: A Survey of Fantasy Literature, language: English, abstract: Tolkien himself wrote in one of his letters: ‘The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like ‘religion’, to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.’1 Tolkien was a Catholic to whom religion was a very important part of his life. Considering this background, it seems logical to assume he made religion an important part of his stories, too. But Tolkien states that he deliberately left out religion of the imaginary world and only included it on a meta-level. This means that we will not find direct references to religion or Christianity in The Lord of the Rings, but still Christian ethics and values, maybe as well as myths and stories, can be found on many levels and as parallels to different story- lines. The base of all Christian religion and belief is the person Jesus Christ, who saved all men from death by taking their sins and burdens and eliminating them in his death and resurrection. If Tolkien can call The Lord of the Rings ‘a fundamentally religious and Catholic work’, one could argue that this base of Christian religion has to be found somewhere in his story. In this paper, I would like to discuss if there is anything like a single ‘saviour’-character in The Lord of the Rings, how and by which features one might identify him or her, and which function he or she was given. 1J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 142
Civil war in the United States is now a mainstream topic due to apparent signs of ongoing planning. This book reveals why in several ways. First, four major ideological drivers of possible conflict are identified. Next, ten arenas of ongoing nonviolent civil war are traced as increasingly for micro-level violence. Then several dozen alternative scenarios are traced to explain how civil war could break out very soon. Finally, measures are delineated about how the country might prevent calamity. Anarchists, Christian Nationalists, Libertarians, and Triumphalists are determined to impose their views on the diverse nation and reduce opponents to second-class status. They demonstrate their blatant determination through nonviolent political contests involving conspiracy theories, cultural differences, verbal contestation, anti-elitism, racism, well-armed groups with nationwide membership, political demonization, media disinformation, Congressional hyperpartisanship, reducing constitutional rights, and legal fights by some states against others. But often they go beyond and commit violence out of sheer enjoyment in making opponents suffer. Beyond Polarized American Democracy: From Mass Society to Coups and Civil War suggests remedies for each of ten types of nonviolent civil war, but most are long-term solutions that cannot deal with an imminent threat. Accordingly, the book reviews governmental and military resources as well as efforts to counteract the ideological contest through political innovations. The analysis flows from the sociological Mass Society Paradigm, which argues that democracy’s survival depends upon the ability of civil society to relay the needs of the people to institutions of government and provide effective pressure for corrective action. As developed to explain the rise of Nazism in Germany, the analysis applies lessons from studies of coups and civil wars to identify how to prevent the loss of democracy in the United States.
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