Most of the current scholarly literature on biblical intertextuality--or the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament--exhibits a high degree of variance regarding methodological approach. The variety of methods employed naturally yields a variety of results. Semiotics, or the study of signs and how they communicate, offers an avenue for approaching intertextual references that focuses on communication theory and meaning. In addition, semiotic theory provides an overarching methodological framework for examining intertextual references. As such, a semiotic approach can assist in creating greater methodological consistency and clarity for this nuanced area of New Testament study. The purpose of this book is to explore the use of semiotics as a viable approach to biblical intertextuality. The intertextual references to Isaiah in 1 Peter will serve as the test case for an application of the method. A semiotic approach is promising because it offers a solution to the pervasive problem of methodology in intertextual studies. Moreover, the investigation of 1 Peter's use of Isaiah provides a fresh perspective on how Peter utilizes this important source in the construction of his epistle and the communication of his message.

When darkness fell, it gave rise to the worst atrocities mankind had ever seen. Now, one man stands between terrifying acts of violence and innocence. Thomas Criver once kept the peace as a private security guard. After the world collapsed, he’s left carrying heavy burdens: help the unfortunate or barter his limited resources to live another day. Haunted by his past and surrounded by evildoers, his resolve falters until an unlikely encounter gives him a new purpose. Amir lost everything. When a kindred spirit arrives in the form of a broken man, a hint of hope comes with him, but that hope to survive the machinations of an evil tyrant run short as the clock ticks. Will a man with no ties to him be the one who can save him or will they lose what little they have left? Keywords: EMP, emp survival, Post-Apocalyptic, EMP Fiction, survival books free, dystopian, EMP Apocalyptic Survival Fiction, End of the World Survival Fiction, SHTF Fiction, Post Apocalyptic Survival Fiction No Zombies, End of the World Survival Fiction, Prepper Survival Fiction, EMP Apocalyptic Survival Fiction, prepper fiction, post survival fiction

Enjoy this steamy Protector Romance with a reclusive former Navy SEAL hero and a heroine on the run from a killer by award-winning military romance author Patricia D. Eddy. Wyatt I'm no hero. Don't much care that the Navy disagrees with me. My years as a SEAL left me with a ledger full of blood, a permanent limp, and a complete inability to function in polite society. Up in the mountains, no one bothers me. Hell, no one even knows I exist. It's better that way. So why did I bring the beaten and bloodied woman back to my cabin? Because when I found her trapped in an SUV hanging upside down at the edge of the cliff, she whispered three words I couldn't ignore. "He'll kill me." No, he won't, darlin'. Because anyone coming for you? They'll have to go through me. No one messes with a SEAL and survives. Hope One night, one mistake, and I’m trapped. My boyfriend-turned-captor will never let me go. Unless I take matters into my own hands and escape. But even then, he finds me, and now the car I stole is hanging upside down, balanced on a tree, on the side of the mountain. In a snowstorm. When a stranger comes to my rescue, I don’t want to trust him, but I don’t have a choice. Will this bearded mountain man be my salvation? Or will the man who wants me dead kill Wyatt too? ~~ Defending His Hope is a found family, steamy protector romance featuring a reclusive, grumpy former Navy SEAL who'd prefer to be left alone, a heroine on the run from her evil ex, and an adorable Belgian Malinois dog named Murphy. Each book in the Away From Keyboard series is a standalone, but past characters do reappear in future books so you'll never have to say goodbye to any of them.

Overwhelmed by the news cycle and the state of affairs in our world? Pastor, blogger, and powerful voice in the Resistance, John Pavlovitz has the answer: this rousing and inspirational guide, drawing from lessons of our favorite superheroes, for how we can band together, live more heroically (and meaningfully), and save the world. It’s exhausting to give a damn these days, isn’t it? Perhaps you’re feeling anguished about what you see on the news or in your social media timeline, or by your personal circumstances, and are paralyzed waiting for political or religious leaders, or celebrities, to rescue us from it all. But what if you didn’t have to wait for someone else? What if you could be the hero? This book—a spirited call to action—shows you how. In these pages, John offers a path away from the vitriol and toward com­passion, and a plan to transform our burdens into dreams and our outrage into activism. Drawing from lessons of beloved fictional superheroes, John shows us how to identify our origin story, build protective suits of armor, guard against our personal kryptonite, and vanquish our villains. He also identifies ten specific “superpowers” that we can enlist to make our lives and our world better. Along the way, he shares inspiring anecdotes and profiles about ordinary people who saw a gap in the world in empathy or kindness or gratitude and decided to fill it. Hope and Other Superpowers is an invitation to anyone hoping to be the kind of person the world so desperately needs—the kind who can save it. In other words: it’s an invitation to you.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A legal thriller that’s comparable to classics such as Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent . . . tragic and shocking.”—Associated Press NOW AN EMMY-NOMINATED ORIGINAL STREAMING SERIES • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly • Boston Globe • Kansas City Star Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. He is respected. Admired in the courtroom. Happy at home with the loves of his life: his wife, Laurie, and their teenage son, Jacob. Then Andy’s quiet suburb is stunned by a shocking crime: a young boy stabbed to death in a leafy park. And an even greater shock: The accused is Andy’s own son—shy, awkward, mysterious Jacob. Andy believes in Jacob’s innocence. Any parent would. But the pressure mounts. Damning evidence. Doubt. A faltering marriage. The neighbors’ contempt. A murder trial that threatens to obliterate Andy’s family. It is the ultimate test for any parent: How far would you go to protect your child? It is a test of devotion. A test of how well a parent can know a child. For Andy Barber, a man with an iron will and a dark secret, it is a test of guilt and innocence in the deepest sense. How far would you go? Praise for Defending Jacob “A novel like this comes along maybe once a decade . . . a tour de force, a full-blooded legal thriller about a murder trial and the way it shatters a family. With its relentless suspense, its mesmerizing prose, and a shocking twist at the end, it’s every bit as good as Scott Turow’s great Presumed Innocent. But it’s also something more: an indelible domestic drama that calls to mind Ordinary People and We Need to Talk About Kevin. A spellbinding and unforgettable literary crime novel.”—Joseph Finder “Defending Jacob is smart, sophisticated, and suspenseful—capturing both the complexity and stunning fragility of family life.”—Lee Child “Powerful . . . leaves you gasping breathlessly at each shocking revelation.”—Lisa Gardner “Disturbing, complex, and gripping, Defending Jacob is impossible to put down. William Landay is a stunning talent.”—Carla Neggers “Riveting, suspenseful, and emotionally searing.”—Linwood Barclay

No one likes to eat alone; to approach a table filled with people, only to be told that despite the open chairs there isn't room for you. The rejection stings. It leaves a mark. Yet this is exactly what the church has been saying to far too many people for far too long: “You're not welcome here. Find someplace else to sit.†How can we extend unconditional welcome and acceptance in a world increasingly marked by bigotry, fear, and exclusion? Pastor John Pavlovitz invites readers to join him on the journey to findâ€"or buildâ€"a church that is big enough for everyone. He speaks clearly into the heart of the issues the Christian community has been earnestly wrestling with: LGBT inclusion, gender equality, racial tensions, and global concerns. A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, Hopeful Spiritual Community asks if organized Christianity can find a new way of faithfully continuing the work Jesus began two thousand years ago, where everyone gets a seat. Pavlovitz shares moving personal stories and his careful observations as a pastor to set the table for a new, more loving conversation on these and other important matters of faith. He invites us to build the bigger table Jesus imagined, practicing radical hospitality, total authenticity, messy diversity, and agenda-free community.

US Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell is lucky to be alive. Three of his fellow agents have died in unusual circumstances in the past ten weeks. Luke is devastated by the loss of his friends and colleagues, and his inability to locate the killer feels like a personal failure. He's an expert at shielding others, but now the protectors are in need of protection. FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is driven to succeed and confident in her ability to solve every case she's assigned. She's been put in charge of the investigation into the unprecedented attacks, and with Luke's life in danger, the stakes have never been higher. But it's hard to know how to fight back when you don't know who the enemy is. As more agents are targeted, Luke and Faith will have to work together to bring a killer to justice and prevent any more names from joining their fallen brothers and sisters on the Secret Service Wall of Honor. Award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn pulls out all the stops in this brand-new romantic suspense series that will have you holding your breath one minute and swooning the next.

Defending Hope is an inspiring collection of first-hand accounts by Palestinians and Israelis who movingly describe how their lives have been shaped by conflict and who are united by a common goal: to bring about a just peace for the land they call home. Time and again these human rights defenders choose love, nonviolence and human connection over division and fear. Their stories will transport you to the olive groves near Bethlehem, the rubble of Gaza and into the law courts in Jerusalem. This book offers a hopeful counter-narrative in an otherwise bleak political landscape and celebrates the indomitable power of the human spirit in the midst of grave adversity. TESTIMONIALS: "These essays are voices of conscience which remind us that, in spite of so much suffering, the darkness is often pierced by the light of courageous Palestinian and Israeli human rights defenders. We take hope when we hear the voices of these extraordinary people." - Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate and cofounder of the Community of Peace People "This inspirational work provides a much-needed reservoir of sanity, humanity and positivity to counter the forces of oppression and disrespect for the rule of law being displayed by major states on the world stage." - Michael Mansfield QC, human rights barrister and member of the jury for the Russell Tribunal on Palestine and the judicial panel for the People's Tribunal on Iran "If there is to be peace in the Middle East it will be because human rights defenders have found hope in the face of the great adversity they face in their everyday work. This work gives us a glimpse of how that hope can be unearthed in these challenging times." - Michel Forst, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.