Isabella Lilias Trotter (1853-1928) was an artist and a missionary for over 38 years to the Muslims of Algeria. John Ruskin, the famous art critic, didn't believe that ladies could paint before he met Lilias. He changed his mind after he met her and believed that if she would give her life to painting she could become the greatest painter of the nineteenth century. Ruskin believed that if she would devote herself to art "she would be the greatest living painter and do things that would be immortal. " He was unhappy that she was spending so much time on the streets of London, helping with the YWCA, when he thought she ought to be painting. Lilias, however, decided to give up her career in art in order to serve God. She always remained a good friend of Ruskin's though, and they wrote many letters when she was in Algeria. She also wrote several books - beautifully illustrated by herself, including: Parables of the Cross (1894), Parables of the Christ-Life (1899), and a book for Sufi Muslims, The Way of the Sevenfold Secret.

"Parables of the Christ-life" by I. Lilias Trotter offers readers a collection of insightful reflections that delve into the spiritual significance of Christ's parables. Trotter's unique perspective and profound understanding of biblical teachings shine through as she explores the deeper meanings behind the parables. With eloquence and spiritual depth, the author invites readers to contemplate the timeless lessons embedded in these narratives. Trotter's thoughtful interpretations make "Parables of the Christ-life" a spiritual guide that encourages personal reflection and a deeper connection to the teachings of Christ.

Must we stumble through sorrow and tragedy without understanding or is there a lighted way--a path--through suffering? Elisabeth Elliot plots the treacherous passage through pain, grief, and loss a journey most of us will make many times in our life. Through it all, she says, there is only one reliable path, and if you walk it, you will see the transformation of all your losses, heartbreaks, and tragedies into something strong and purposeful. In this powerful moving book, Elisabeth Elliot does not hesitate to ask hard questions, to examine tenderly the hurts we suffer, and to explore boldly the nature of God whose sovereign care for us is so intimate and perfect that he confounds our finite understanding. A Path through Suffering is a book for anyone searching for faith, comfort, and assurance.

Parables of the Cross is a didactic look at the parables in the Bible. I. Lillias Trotter explores openly and indiscriminately the lessons to be divined from the most famous book in the world. Excerpt: "There was deep insight in those old words. For man's natural thought of death is that of a dreary ending in decay and dissolution. And from his standpoint he is right: death as the punishment of sin is an ending. But far other is God's thought in the redemption of the world. He takes the very thing that came in with the curse and makes it the path of glory. Death becomes a beginning instead of an ending, for it becomes the means of liberating a fresh life."

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

Kenneth E. Bailey draws on his expertise in both the New Testament and Middle Eastern culture to interpret the parable of the prodigal son from a Middle Eastern perspective. When we approach it with the correct cultural lens, Bailey argues, the parable's true Christological character is revealed.

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.

Gerhard Forde examines the nature of the "theology of the cross, noting what makes it different from other kinds of theology. His starting point is a thorough analysis of Luther's Heidelberg Disputation of 1518, the classic text of the theology of the cross.