Born into a pack of religiously divided siblings with a devout mother and an agnostic father, Sponheim finds the triad of faith/unfaith/many faiths central in telling the tall tale of God. Through his half-century of teaching and writing, the doctrine of creation becomes decisive for Sponheim, featuring a God who has a “very big operation going in this world.” Drawing on such diverse mentors as Søren Kierkegaard, Alfred North Whitehead, and feminist authors, he offers a deeply relational conception of the “tallness,” the height, humankind seeks. In his own family he sees God’s operation in such diverse worlds as music, science, and athletics. Personally, he has witnessed the saving work of the Creator in such worldly affairs as inner city social change programs, a domestic abuse project, and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Without compromising a present-time “ethic of risk,” he closes with an eschatological exploration, asking "What future would do, if it were true?" And "Is it true?”

Born into a pack of religiously divided siblings with a devout mother and an agnostic father, Sponheim finds the triad of faith/unfaith/many faiths central in telling the tall tale of God. Through his half-century of teaching and writing, the doctrine of creation becomes decisive for Sponheim, featuring a God who has a "very big operation going in this world." Drawing on such diverse mentors as Soren Kierkegaard, Alfred North Whitehead, and feminist authors, he offers a deeply relational conception of the "tallness," the height, humankind seeks. In his own family he sees God's operation in such diverse worlds as music, science, and athletics. Personally, he has witnessed the saving work of the Creator in such worldly affairs as inner city social change programs, a domestic abuse project, and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Without compromising a present-time "ethic of risk," he closes with an eschatological exploration, asking "What future would do, if it were true?" And "Is it true?"

What difference does Jesus Christ make for the way we teach the Christian faith? If he is truly God and truly human, if he reveals God to us and us to ourselves, how might that shape our approach to teaching Christianity? Drawing on the work of Søren Kierkegaard, Karl Barth, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Adam Neder offers a clear and creative theological and spiritual reflection on the art of teaching the Christian faith. This engaging book provides a wealth of fresh theological insights and practical suggestions for anyone involved in teaching and learning Christianity.

In this funny, genuine, and clever book, Allyson Apsey shares relatable stories and practical strategies for living a meaningful life regardless of the craziness happening around you. You'll discover that you really do have the power to choose the kind of life you live-every day.

Filmed on location in the Holy Land, Jesus: the Way, the Truth, and the Life is a new and fresh look at Jesus -- who he is, what he is really like, what he taught, and what he did for our salvation. This encounter with Christ will inspire and empower you to center your entire life around him as you come to know and love him in an ever-deeper and more intimate way.

A guide to awakening the power of learning that lies within each of us, this accessible book offers deep, research-based insights into the ideal process of learning and guides you in identifying your dominant style. --

This book presents a history of spiritual exercises from Socrates to early Christianity, an account of their decline in modern philosophy, and a discussion of the different conceptions of philosophy that have accompanied the trajectory and fate of the theory and practice of spiritual exercises. Hadot's book demonstrates the extent to which philosophy has been, and still is, above all else a way of seeing and of being in the world.

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.