“This is beautiful and brilliant stuff, profound and plain, incredibly human, wise and charming. I trusted and enjoyed every word.” –Anne Lamott, New York Times bestselling author about Looking for God in Messy Places For any who feel frustrated and world-weary, and who want more than just wishful thinking or superficial spirituality, this book is for you! In these pages, my friend Jake Owensby poignantly shows how LOVE is what can truly give us hope to carry on: real love, God's love for us, our love for each other, right here, right now in all the struggles of this messy life. And God knows, we need this book NOW! —Bishop Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and author of Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times Life is messy. We can get discouraged by setbacks, overwhelmed by busyness, and shaken by worry. Hope is the power that gets us out of bed in the morning and gives us the courage to face adversity. Looking for God in Messy Places by Jake Owensby is a book about how love gives us an inextinguishable hope. This book is for anyone who has ever been frozen in place by loss or regret, anyone who has endured suffering, cruelty, or rejection. From word to word and page to page, readers will experience themselves as God’s beloved—so that they can be hopeful. From the introduction [This book is] For those whose struggles have been long and for those who are growing weary from heavy burdens. For those facing an unforeseen crisis or for those enduring a slow personal train wreck. For those whose throats have grown raw from crying for justice and for those whose wounds have gone unhealed. This is a book about hope, and I have written it especially for those who refuse to yield to discouragement and despair. Topics include: - The power of love to give us hope - The ways that God shows up in our daily lives - Recognizing God’s call in our lives - Becoming your true self - Having a sense of belonging - Forming a friendship with Christ - Contemplative faith

Life isn't always black and white. But even when you're living in the muddled middle, God wants to shine His light into the events of your life; the mundane, the spectacular-even the dark corners. God of the Gray Areas is a book full of true stories, a fascinating glimpse into one woman's life that will reveal how God is at work in your own life. Like a spiritual reality show, it is a grab bag of surprises that will encourage you to come alive to the reality of God's truth-in living color. Jennifer Lopes shares her triumphs, her embarrassments, and her observations of life events, uncovering the comedy, the tragedy and the divine. These simple stories will show you how to hear God speak, and how to see through His eyes, whether you're at Disney World, on the ball field, or just learning to love your neighbor.

The Hebrew Bible is hardly what might be called a "unified" account of the national history of Israel. The texts, with their myriad genres and competing perspectives, show the forming and re-forming of Ancient Israel's social body in a number of geographical settings. The communities are shown in and out of political power. We read about in-fighting and peace, good kings and bad, freedom and subjugation. Ultimately, the Hebrew Bible is a text about nationhood and empire in the ancient world. Critical reflection on the intersections of religious and political life -- which includes such topics as sovereignty, leadership, law, peoplehood, hospitality, redemption, creation, and eschatology -- can be broadly termed "Political Theology." In Locations of God, Mark G. Brett focuses primarily on the historical books of the Bible, comparing them with selected prophetic and wisdom books, setting all of them against the lived realities under the shadow of successive empires. Brett suggests that national ideas and their imperial alternatives were woven into the biblical traditions by authors who enjoyed very little in the way of political sovereignty. Using political theology to motivate the discussion, Brett shows us just how the earthly situation of ancient Israel contributed to its theology as reflected in the Hebrew Bible.

Bestselling author and artist Joni Eareckson Tada invites readers to join her on a deeply personal journey as she explores the presence of a holy God in hidden places. Stories from Joni's life shine in this collection of gathered memories. Readers will recall quiet, out-of-the-way moments in their own lives when God was present--both in happy and sad times. Words of encouragement, comfort, and insight leave the soul satisfied and longing to be closer to a loving Father, who often shows up when least expected. Finding God in Hidden Places is the perfect size for bedtime reading or taking along for daytime moments of rest and reflection.

"God has placed before you an open door. What will you do?"

Imagine being inside of God's ear and hearing all the prayers, all the languages spoken in the world. Imagine walking on shiny red embroidery threads that are the heart strings of God. At one point, you must drive a six wheeled bus to move from one area to another. You are transported by thought, led by a Phoenix and instructed by the Major Angel. This book is an allegorical journey that will find a permanent home in your heart and in your library. Places in God is a delicate adventure that transposes a manner of wisdom into learning entertainment. It leads the reader on an allegorical journey through the inside of God's body. Five students follow the Major Angel, God's tour guide, into His ears and through His heart with stopovers in His attitudes and freedoms. They went to a boutique, a theater and sat in a boardroom. With excitement and awe they were absorbed. With breathtaking silent transports to and through phenomenal inner parts, they were literally digested and released. There is a spiritual increase that becomes apparent as you are propelled with them through Places in God.

These days more and more people are scheduling getaways to retreat centers for their spiritual well-being--over 1.2 million Catholics alone during 1997. Located throughout the United States and Canada, these centers cater to the needs of people seeking quiet time, regardless of religious affiliation. Retreat possibilities range from one day of solitude surrounded by nature, to a few days of quiet time under the guidance of a resident spiritual director, to a week experiencing the rigorous rhythms of community monastery life. In A PLACE FOR GOD, Timothy Jones shares the wisdom of his pilgrimages to retreat centers as diverse as a mountaintop hermitage overlooking the Pacific and a monastic oasis on Chicago's South Side. First he explains everything about retreats: what they are, why people go, how to prepare, what to pack, and what to do while there. Then he provides an extensive directory of over 250 retreat centers in all fifty states and Canada, complete with all the information readers need to contact the retreat center that is right for them. A PLACE FOR GOD is the perfect resource for anyone who wants to find spiritual fulfillment or simply a place to get away.

The traces of God can be found in the most unexpected places--an Atlanta slum, a pod of whales off the coast of Alaska, the prisons of Peru and Chile, the plays of Shakespeare, a health club in Chicago--yet many Christians have not only missed seeing God, they’ve overlooked opportunities to make him visible to those most in need of hope. In this enlightening book author Philip Yancey serves as an insightful tour guide for those willing to look beyond the obvious, pointing out glimpses of the eternal where few might think to look. Whether finding God among the newspaper headlines, within the church, or on the job, Yancey delves deeply into the commonplace and surfaces with rich spiritual insight. Finding God in Unexpected Places takes readers from Ground Zero to the Horn of Africa, and each stop along the way reveals footprints of God, touches of his truth and grace that prompt readers to search deeper within their own lives for glimpses of transcendence.

"Where does the sun go? Why does it rain? Why don't snowflakes all look the same?" These are some of the questions that a lively and inquisitive young girl named Hope dreams up. Her favorite pastime is asking questions — and she's good at it! She asks everyone she knows just about anything. One day her musings lead her to a really big question: Where does God live? She talks to her mom. She questions her animal friends. Finally, it is her wise and gentle grandmother whose lifetime of faith offers Hope, the answer that she and all of us can take into our hearts. It is an answer whose simplicity does honor to the Creator.

Have we missed the Bible’s consistent teaching that God is other, higher, stranger? Krish Kandiah offers us a fresh look at some of the difficult, awkward, and even troubling Bible passages, challenging us to replace our sanitized concept of God with a more awe-inspiring, true-to-the-Bible God. Allow yourself to be surprised by God as you find him in unexpected places doing the unexpected.