Books
These books have really ministered to me and were used to change my life. I hope they will be a blessing to you too. There is also a page of books that Belinda recommends on Alternative Cancer Treatment
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There are few things more crucial to us than our own life. And there are few things we are less clear about. This journey we are taking is hardly down the yellow brick road. Then again, that’s not a bad analogy at all. We may set out in the light, with hope and joy, but eventually our path always seems to lead us through dark woods, shrouded with a low-lying mist. Where is this abundant life that Christ supposedly promised? Where is God when we need him most? What is to become of us? The cumulative effect of days upon years that we do not really understand is a subtle erosion. We come to doubt our place, we come to question God’s intentions toward us, and we lose track of the most important things in life. We have lost heart. We’re not fully convinced that God’s offer to us is life. We have forgotten that the heart is central. And we had no idea that we were born into a world at war. - John Eldredge, Introduction to Waking The Dead. Reviews There is a glory to life that most people - including
believers - never see. In this insightful new book, John
Eldredge presents the heart as central to life. Not only is
the heart essential; the heart God ransomed is also good.
Building on these precious truths, Eldredge shows us why real
Christianity is a process of restoration,whereby the broken
parts of our hearts are mended and the captive parts are set
free. Waking the Dead will lead you to understand how
to live from the heart, care for your heart like the treasures
of the kingdom, and give from fullness instead of emptiness.
Living from the heart will encourage you to love God and
others in a way never experienced before, revealing life's
purpose: fighting for the hearts of others. ***Note:*** You can read the first chapter online at Ransomed Heart Ministries homepage. Under: RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS, click on: Waking the Dead (Read Chapter 1) |
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Waking
The Dead 288 pages (July 2003)
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Reviews From Publishers Weekly |
| Messy
Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli Paperback: 151 pages (February 1998)
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Reviews Remember how it felt to chase butterflies in the sun . . . play hard without worrying about what "might" happen . . . daydream about imaginary places? Inviting you to rediscover the joy and freedom of youth, Yaconelli challenges you to take risks, color outside the lines, and abandon yourself to the kingdom of God---just like a child. |
| Dangerous
Wonder by Mike Yaconelli Paperback: 151 pages (February 1998)
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What's So Amazing About Grace?
On the heels of Philip Yancey's best-selling "The Jesus I Never Knew" comes his equally important and tautological treatment of grace, the engine that powers Christian love and pushes evil away with forgiveness . Reviews
Mention the word "grace" and what immediately comes
to mind for most of us is a bagpipe wailing the solemn notes
of "Amazing Grace." This grace is the true message of Jesus. All faiths have virtues and creeds and justice and truth, but Jesus speaks merely of receiving the love that God has for us. Accepting it, not earning it or making ourselves worthy of it. And frankly, accepting something we have not earned or are not worthy of is not an easy thing for most of us. In truth, grace is both utterly simple and utterly confounding. Little by little, Yancey guides us into a clearer understanding of grace by using stories, in much the same way Jesus did. We read stories of both grace and ungrace at work in people's lives. Sadly, it is stories of ungrace that are more prevalent today, the current culture wars painful acknowledgments of ungrace in our lives as Christians in this country. Yancey helps us understand that ungrace is that state of being in which self-righteousness and pride are a result of thinking that we have somehow earned God's approval and may now stand in judgment in his behalf. Philip Yancey was awarded the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year award for this book in 1998 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Readers concurred with this decision, making this book an immediate bestseller. Believers and nonbelievers alike should accept Yancey's challenge to become agents of grace rather than agents of vengeance or judgment or anger. In truth, we are each starving for grace, ready to grasp it tightly. And it is through grace that all other hungers--for justice, for righteousness, for love--are satisfied. Yancey opens his book by telling us that "grace" is the last best word, and in What's So Amazing About Grace?, he proves that he's right. --Patricia Klein, Amazon.com |
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What's
So Amazing About Grace? 304 pages (January 2002)
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Reviews
Brennan Manning wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel "for the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out," the marginalized folks to whom Jesus ministered: the children, the ill, the tax collectors, the women. In other words, the ragamuffins. Manning understands better than most that behind our facades of order and self-assurance are inadequacies that can find healing only in Jesus. While the powerful and religious elite challenged him, Jesus embraced and healed and fed the needs of the ragamuffins. Jesus delivered love, healing, and, most of all, grace. Grace is defined as "the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God." But, as Manning points out, we have "twisted the gospel of grace into religious bondage and distorted the image of God into an eternal, small-minded bookkeeper." In reality, God offers us grace immeasurable. Brennan Manning gently encourages us to embrace that grace in the face of our greatest needs. And Manning certainly knows whereof he speaks, having taken a journey from priesthood and academic achievement through a collapse into alcoholism. Manning came face to face with his need, finally abandoning himself to grace. And he invites us now to join him in a life of grace. Manning is without doubt one of the most eloquent writers on the subject of grace because he openly shares his own pain and struggle to help readers deal with failure and inadequacy. And he sweetly challenges them to do the same. --Patricia Klein --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Amazon.com |
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Ben Pearson 235 pages (June 2000)
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My Search For Grace in the Shadows When Jim Bakker was convicted in 1989 of defrauding followers of his PTL (Praise The Lord) ministry of $158 million, Jay Bakker lost everything. With his father in prison, his family shattered by divorce, and his name forever linked to a national scandal, Jay's already bizarre life came completely unglued. Here is the story—a parable of striking import—of a young boy whose life was almost destroyed by televangelist excess and greed. In his new street ministry, Revolution, Jay has found a unique way of preaching the gospel that is tailored to those most like him, the tattooed and pierced youth of downtown Atlanta. By advocating God's love for everyone, regardless of past sins, Jay found his path back to the faith—and picked up a large and growing following along the way. This is a hard-hitting account of finding grace in the shadows of the Right, where men like Jerry Falwell and Oral Roberts turned their backs on the Bakkers even while advocating forgiveness and redemption. Reviews Haunted by a traumatic childhood during which his parents rose to become the darlings of Christian television, then crashed, defrocked and hounded by the media, his father jailed, Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye, spent his adolescence searching both for answers to why this had happened to his family and for a reason to keep believing in God. In this autobiographical account of those turbulent years, Jay lays bare the fears and addictions that led to his loss of self. He turned to alcohol as a means of escape from the reality of his family's experience and his father's situation. Jay believed that his father had never done anything criminal, and he could not believe the treatment that Bakker was receiving from the Christian right, most of whom had been his staunchest supporters. Alcohol provided Jay with a temporary reprieve. When partying with his friends, he was able to push away all the anger and fear for a time, and he lost years drowning his uncertainty. What distressed Jay most was his belief that God had abandoned him and that he was unworthy of God's love. Through caring friends and mentors both in and out of the church, Jay's struggles with his faith finally subsided, and he came to understand the healing power of grace. VOYA Reviewer: Leslie Carter |
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Son of a Preacher Man by Jay Bakker Paperback - 256 pages (January 9, 2001)
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Living the Questions: Making Sense of the Mess and Mystery of Life Carolyn Arends, whose music has been acclaimed for its artistry and lyrical power, offers us a very special glimpse into "the cruel, short, beautiful, long adventure that is this life." In her humorous, tender, and passionate collection of personal stories, Carolyn examines many of the struggles we face in the light of her heartfelt belief that God guides each of us safely through the mess and mystery of life. Living the Questions, while resisting easy solutions, suggests that our questions themselves tell us much about a final Answer almost too wonderful to be imagined. Reviews "I dare to hope that you will recognize a bit of your own journey in these stories. And with a preposterous optimism I've come to recognize as faith, I pray that something here will draw you deeper in to the Mystery of a God who far surpasses our understanding and yet -- I believe -- stoops to dwell among us in love." - Carolyn Arends "As Carolyn gives voice to our unspoken questions, we feel as if we finally have a chance to lay it all out on the table, an opportunity for a hearing of our deepest concerns, and a safe vent to air our troublesome thoughts. But she doesn't leave us pondering, scratching our heads and puzzling over divine mysteries. By assuming the Almighty is big enough for our questions, Carolyn enlarges our view of the God who may not always choose to answer in a manner we consider timely, but who still send us dazzling red rocks red rocks in our dullest wilderness days. Provocative, stirring, emotional, and true, Living the Questions leads us to the place where hard truths and holy secrets intersect." Lorilee Craker, journalist/author |
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Living the Questions: Making Sense of the Mess and Mystery of Life by Carolyn Arends Paperback - 240 pages (July 2000)
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The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God Reviews In The Sacred Romance, authors Brent Curtis and John Eldredge inspire readers to enter into the greatest romance of all time--one with God. Many Christians have tried to satiate the hunger of their hearts by substituting the love of God with things from this world. Since "our heart is the key to the Christian life," this often leads to spiritual stagnation and unhappiness, while God, the "Great Lover," attempts to lavishly adorn us with His perfect love. Doubting God's goodness coupled with fear of trusting Him blind the believer and prevent him from being wooed by God into a rich relationship. Life can soon become empty, cold, and worthless. Through personal narrative, Curtis and Eldredge take turns convincing the reader not only that God is good, but that recklessly abandoning oneself to Him results in a fulfilling life of abundance and awe. In this portrayal of God's character, the obvious error lies in believing that He could need anything from His creatures, or that He could be "hurt" by their unrequited love. On the whole, however, this is a call to a more passionate relationship with the lover of our souls. A follow-up book, The Journey of Desire, was written by John Eldredge after Brent Curtis's tragic death. --Jill Heatherly, Amazon.com |
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The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God
by Brent Curtis & John Eldredge Paperback
- 213 pages (May 1997)
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The Sacred Romance Workbook and Journal Reviews In The Sacred Romance John Eldredge told readers, "It is possible to recover the lost life of our heart and with it the intimacy, beauty, and adventure of life with God." Now, in The Sacred Romance Workbook and Journal, Eldredge shows readers how to do that. This highly innovative workbook features Eldredge's profound writing style and guides readers through an experience of personal assessment and soulful reflection. Readers will gain a more passionate and personal relationship with God through interactive exercises that help them apply material from The Sacred Romance, a journaling section to document personal reflections on the thought-provoking questions raised in the workbook section, and even recommendations of film, music, and art to help them make emotional connections with the material. Readers will be guided away from a religion of duty and obligation toward a more deeply felt relationship with God. Amazon.com The Sacred Romance book and workbook - special package deal! |
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The Sacred Romance Workbook and Journal
by John Eldredge Paperback - 276 pages (August 2000)
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Anne Lamott claims the two best prayers she knows
are: "Help me, help me, help me" and "Thank you, thank
you, thank you." She has a friend whose morning prayer each day is
"Whatever," and whose evening prayer is "Oh, well."
Anne thinks of Jesus as "Casper the friendly savior" and
describes God as "one crafty mother." Reviews "Even at her most serious, she never takes herself or her
spirituality too seriously. Lamott is a narrator who has relished and
soaked up the details of her existence, equally of mirth and
devastation, spirit and grief, and spilled them onto her pages." --The
New York Times Book Review |
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by Anne Lamott Paperback - 288 pages (February 2000)
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Reviews This re-release of the best-selling novel Wisdom Hunter-with more than 100,000 copies already sold-is a novel about the hypocrisy of Christian legalism and a man's search for the only surviving member of his family. It's based on author Randall Arthur's own difficult experiences. The story's hero, Pastor Jason Faircloth, embarks on a journey that lasts eighteen years and takes him through four countries during his quest to find the granddaughter who is being hidden from him. In a process that mirrors our own spiritual journey, he discovers a rich relationship with God and the peace that finally comes with true faith. Amazon.com |
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Wisdom Hunter
by
Randall Arthur Paperback -
323 pages (November 1999)
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In Search of Authentic Faith: How Emerging Generations Are Transforming the Church Reviews While a number of recent books have explained and identified the postmodern Generations X and Y, Rabey (a freelance religion writer) discusses what is being done to attract them to Christian faith. Using the values that have become important to the Xers authenticity, community, religious experience, technology and a pop-culture literacy--different Christian leaders and churches have sprung up to meet their needs. Some have started ministries outside the traditional church, while others work from within, offering alternative services or starting a "second" congregation. Most of the churches profiled here are causal and nondenominational, featuring contemporary worship music and promoting philanthropic giving. The innovations that Rabey recounts are interesting and often unexpected. For example, Rev. Evan Lauer, who ministers to the surf culture of southern California, surfs and plays in a surf-rock band, prefers being present and involved in the community, communicates with computer and cell phone to avoid being holed up in an office and rides a skateboard to church. Evangelist Andrew Jones traverses the country in a Winnebago with his wife and four children, meeting daily with Generation X ministries. "Basically," Jones says, "our ministry is making friends, telling stories, and throwing parties. We are... trying to find a new way of doing church." Rabey's accessible and perceptive account is a good resource for anyone interested in evangelizing the rising generations--or in learning from them. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. Publisher's Weekly |
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In Search of Authentic Faith: How Emerging Generations Are Transforming the Church
by
Steve
Rabey
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With New Eyes: Fresh Vision for the Soul Reviews
Reviewer: trkdb from Waterloo, Belgium Margaret Becker is about as real as it gets. She writes in a personal, relaxed way (often disarmingly so) about her own life, struggles and joys and how her Christianity informs and undergirds relations to the famous and the obscure. One word to men folk: despite its artistic graphics and appearances, "With New Eyes" is not simply a touchy-feely "women's book" - do not dismiss it as such. Maggie writes for "real people" of all genders and ages -- and all faith traditions. Hers is a full-blooded faith, yet one unafraid to honestly confront doubts and admit mistakes. Even though I first read this book in 1998, five years later I recall her vivid word pictures, and reread certain chapters in order to share them with friends and family. As a priest and pastor, I return to "With New Eyes" frequently as both a stimulus for new ideas and interpretations in preaching and teaching, but as refreshment in the midst of "parched deserts" one encounters in the ministry. Maybe what I like best about this book - and why it's the fall 2003 selection for our Christian Education book group - is "With New Eyes" lack of "agenda". Maggie doesn't want to "save" her readers - nor shame them, impress them or convince them of the rightness of one position or another. This is a simple "Pilgrim" (Four Grammy nominations notwithstanding) generously and bravely revealing herself and her experiences to fellow Pilgrims - with no pretense, puffery or posturing whatsoever. Strange as it sounds, as I finish one chapter, I can almost hear Maggie saying, "...but enough about me! Won't you tell me your story?" And, what's more, somehow I know she'd listen. MY SUGGESTION- Purchase three copies of this book: one for yourself, one for your pastor/priest, and a third as a "loaner". This is as much a "keeper" as any Christian book I have ever owned - and like a fine wine, only improves as it ages (and so do I). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title Amazon.com |
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by Margaret Becker Paperback - 208 pages (July 1998) |
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| What's So Amazing About Grace? | The Ragamuffin Gospel | Son of a Preacher Man |
| Living the Questions | The Sacred Romance | The Sacred Romance Workbook |
| Wisdom Hunter | In Search of Authentic Faith |
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