Jesus in the Margins: Finding God in the Places We Ignore by Rick McKinley Paperback -  192 pages (February 2005)

Jesus in the Margins: Finding God in the Places We Ignore

Book Description: Good News Unpacked Jesus is our ultimate model for finding identity, acceptance, and legitimacy from the Father. As we pull back the curtain on His life, we discover that Jesus knows what it's like to be marginalized. He understands how it feels to have society shove you to the side, to not really be accepted, and in the end to be totally rejected. He can identify with life in the margins because when God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, He landed in the margins. On purpose. And He chose to land there because it's in the margins that broken lives get mended, prisoners are set free, and the poor hear the Good News.

Jesus is our ultimate model for finding identity, acceptance, and legitimacy from the Father. As we pull back the curtain on His life, we discover that Jesus knows what it's like to be marginalized. He understands how it feels to have society shove you to the side, to not really be accepted, and in the end to be totally rejected. He can identify with life in the margins because when God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, He landed in the margins. On purpose. And He chose to land there because it's in the margins that broken lives get mended, prisoners are set free, and the poor hear the Good News.

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"God doesn't give much weight to society's regard or cultural assumptions. He isn't afraid of what people might think. In his crazy purposes and plans, he comes to the scandalous margins of society in order to identify with those of us who live in those places." Rick McKinley

The Life Model: Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You

The Life Model is not just a theory - its a model. The Life Model does not just talk about growing - it gives you practical steps on how to mature. The Life Model does not just promote recovery - it identifies specific ways to heal traumas. And challenges you to change and grow and be the person that God designed you to be.

"The Life Model..." is a unifying approach to ministries of counseling, recovery, pastoral care, prayer ministry, deliverance, inner healing, child rearing, body life and health. Substance abuse recovery programs internationally are guided by The Life Model`s five principles. Because The Life Model develops strong maturity, it is widely used as a church model, particularly where people must face suffering. Missions have adopted The Life Model for restoring hurting missionary children. Almost every major ministry dealing with trauma and abuse in the USA uses The Life Model as part of their teaching.

The Pressure's Off

There are two basic approaches to life–two pathways. One creates pressure, the other provides freedom.

In the Old Way of life, as best-selling author, psychologist, and spiritual director Larry Crabb describes it, “you have decided that what you most want out of life is within your reach, and you are doing whatever you believe it takes to get it.” But in the New Way of life, “you have realized that what you most want is beyond your reach, and you are trusting God for the satisfaction you seek. You want Him. Nothing less, not even His blessings, will do.”

The Old Way–the way most Christians define life and pursue fulfillment–is fundamentally wrong and harmful. It leaves us tired, in bondage, and feeling distant from God. But the New Way brings true freedom and refreshment as we tap into the power to draw closer to God in a personal way.

“We can’t always make life work. But we can always draw near to God. There is a different way to approach our problems. There is a NEW WAY to live.” —Larry Crabb

Reviews

From Publishers Weekly: Expectations have never been higher. Without the most recognizable markers of success, many non-Christians and Christians alike feel dissatisfaction and a vague discontent with life. They seek after blessings and believe that the good life comes to those who follow the rules. Not necessarily so, states Crabb (Finding God), who has had his own trouble with such "linear" thinking. Crabb details how this behavior-leads-to-blessings theology has become endemic within the church today. This "Law of Linearity" no longer holds true, he claims. Instead, Christians can embrace the "Law of Liberty," discovering the embrace of God without the pressure to perform. For openers, Crabb lays the groundwork for his passionate plea to forsake restraints that bind. Far and above any blessing God may give, he says, Christians' most urgent need is for the Father himself. Crabb soberly describes how weary this generation of Christ's followers has become, and how far, to their own shame, they've distanced themselves from God's plan for humanity. While there's no simple cure for the rampant decay that results from self-centeredness, Crabb notes that genuine seekers can be recognized by where they expend their energies. Crabb, who at times reads as self-deprecating, offers statements that are catchy and thought-provoking but not gimmicky: "Only the mature value the blessing of presence over the blessing of presents." Crabb's message resonates convincingly, giving Christian readers who have embraced the gospel of good behavior some fresh food for thought  Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God by Brent Curtis & John Eldredge Paperback - 213 pages (May 1997)

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

Waking The Dead
by John Eldridge
Hardcover:

288 pages 

(July 2003)

  Waking the Dead

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 some of the book at Ransomed Heart Ministries web site. Click on the Heart link on their site.