Stories are basic to life. Everybody loves a good story. We have been reading, listening to, or watching stories all of our lives, so we intuitively know a lot about how they work. Yet, more and more, Christians are unfamiliar with the stories of the Bible and how the grand narrative of God's Word fits together. Indeed, God gave us the stories of the Bible to reveal great truth about Himself and about our lives, and He wants to draw us into the ongoing story of what He is doing in the world. By focusing on the narrative framework of Scripture we can better understand what the Bible teaches and live out its instruction more effectively. Reading God's Story takes that clear narrative approach to the Bible, arranging the complete text into a fresh chronological reading plan developed for the Read the Bible for Life biblical literacy initiative. In this plan the books, chapters, and verses of the Bible are thoughtfully arranged so readers can track the story of Scripture, day by day, from beginning to end, understanding the flow of events and how all the different parts fit together to make sense. Reading God's Story features two-color interior page layout and is organized into 52 weeks of readings (six readings per week). It presents Scripture in three main acts (God's Plan for All People; God's Covenant People; God's New Covenant People) and seventeen total scenes, providing an introduction for each act and scene to orient the reader to its importance in the grand story. Unlike other chronological Bibles, this arrangement is not date specific (e.g. "January 1"), so a person can begin using this edition at any point in the calendar year.

A bestselling author lifts the blinders from our eyes, allowing us to focus on our Creator's face. Packed with Scripture references and day-to-day applications, this fascinating book can help readers in their pursuit of perceiving, recognizing, and understanding the wonders of God's person more strongly and clearly.

The Birth of the Church is Volume 2 of a continuing curriculum series highlighting New Testament characters responsible for leading the early church in its formation. Already adopted for use on the mission fields of North India, The Birth of the Church has proven to be a valuable tool in equipping the emerging churches and the training of its leaders. This curriculum which offers several weeks of study, is designed to deepen one's understanding of the Biblical characters God used to impact His Kingdom and establish His church. This book will equip present day readers to become the servants of the Most High God in today's world. Mary Ann Bishop is a Bible teacher, recording artist and conference speaker. Because of her heart for the lost, in 2000 she and her husband, David, founded White Harvest Trading Company and White Harvest Foundation, (www.whiteharvesttradingco.com) a ministry bringing hope to the unreached people of Southeast Asia. Presently David and Mary Ann work in China, Vietnam and Turkey providing business platforms for their partners who target people groups in these areas. Products from these groups are imported and sold in their store located in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. David and Mary Ann reside in Pawleys Island and are the parents of two children, Wesley and Elizabeth. Bruce Chandler teaches art classes, paints commissions as well as local and historical landmarks for prints. Bruce also paints murals for residences, churches and businesses, the largest of which is 79 feet long and located in Douglas Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina. The highest paintings are located in numerous Super Wal-Mart stores, and the most humorous can be found in a Litchfield, SC beach house. Bruce has illustrated four books, been featured in Craft and Design Magazine, and designed a painting for the cover of Seabreeze Magazine.

Alvin Toffler once coined the term future shockwhen people are overwhelmed by the future. Past Shock suggests that events from thousands of years ago strongly impact humanity today. It reveals why religion was created, what organized religion wont tell you, the reality of the slave chip programming that we all have, what really happened in the Garden of Eden, what the Tower of Babel was and why we were stopped from building it, how we were conditioned by gods to remain spiritually ignorant, and much more. Exposes the pretender godsadvanced beings who were not divine, but had advanced knowledge of scientific principles, including genetic engineering. Our advanced science of today has begun to unravel their secrets. Learn how to overcome the slave chip conditioning and begin living life as it was meant to be, as a spiritually fulfilled being.

Anyone who lacks true contentment may find it in this book. If not, it will be because that one would not follow the very clear and simple instructions given. The teaching is from the Bible, yet it must be described as unique. Nowhere else will you find such unusual, but Biblically authenticated thoughts: He will teach you that contentment lies in subtraction, not in addition; that the ABC's of Christianity are nothing like what you thought them to be; that there is a mystery of contentment, but that once you have learned the way from Christ's word, you will be able to attain such a depth of contentment as you never before dreamed existed. Book jacket.

In a day when the church's voice is increasingly silenced by the world's opposition, a call to stand for the good fight of faith must be made. But in God's call to His people, He asks them to stand up by first kneeling down. In an address to Solomon, God said: "If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves...then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." The first motion toward the awesome, sovereign God is downward, in humility. The title of the book, Before Honor, is taken from a verse from Solomon's Proverbs: "Before honor is humility." Before a hearing from heaven and preceding any honor to God or from Him is humility. The author of the book confirms this principle of humility with a plethora of Biblical evidence. Using a Biblical overview, the writer demonstrates the continuity of the theme from Genesis to Revelation, thus supporting the claim that humility is a fundamental attribute of God and the only attitude a follower can have that exalts and glorifies Christ. Though pride, the inverse of humility, is a destructive force, humility is a beneficent one. Humility is the hope of revival for all God's people.

For the non-specialist, Martin Marty traces the church's quest through twenty centuries for unity, sanctity, universality, and authentic witness. He delves into the disparity between the ideals of the church and historical realty in order to provide a brilliant, instructive, and eminently fair statement of the history of Christianity from its founding to the present day.In this second edition, revised and expanded, Marty has added an entirely new section entitled "Postscript and Prescript" in which he discusses the recent past and prospects. Fresh insights and revisions based on the most recent contemporary developments keep this volume abreast of the times, making it an up-to-date survey of the history of Christianity.

Like falling in love, this book argues that a relationship with God begins with surprise, proceeds with discovery, and shapes a life that comes to share a story of love. This book does not describe God, but pursues the nature of personally relating with the triune God. Consequently, it also engages how we relate with humans made in God's image. We finish the Face-to-Face series with this most mysterious and fulfilling encounter--a personal engagement with the Relational God, known as a community of persons who invite us to share in their life.

One of Augustine's most famous works, this book tells of the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the holy and righteous City of God from the ashes. While building a utopia much like The Republic does, Augustine uses sound theology to build the foundations of the cities morals and lawful authority. Many theologies, especially within the Catholic tradition, owe their beginnings to the teachings of Augustine and this work is one of the starts of the field. This is a revised version of Devoted Publishing's 1st edition of this work.