In The Self-Donation of God, Jack Kilcrease argues that the speech-act of promise is always an act of self-donation. A person who unilaterally promises to another is bound to take a particular series of actions to fulfill that promise. Being that creation is grounded in God's promising speech, the divine-human relationship is fundamentally one of divine self-donation and human receptivity. Sin disrupts this relationship and therefore redemption is constituted by a reassertion of divine promise of salvation in the face of the condemnation of the law (Gen 3:15). As a new and effective word of grace, the promise of a savior begins the process of redemption within which God speaks forth a new narrative of creation. In this new narrative, God gives himself in an even deeper manner to humanity. By donating himself through a promise, first to the protological humanity and then to Israel, he binds himself to them. At the end of this history of self-binding, God in Christ enters into the condemnation of the law, neutralizes it in the cross, and brings about a new creation through his omnipotent word of promise actualized in the resurrection.

In The Self-Donation of God, Jack Kilcrease argues that the speech-act of promise is always an act of self-donation. A person who unilaterally promises to another is bound to take a particular series of actions to fulfill that promise. Being that creation is grounded in God's promising speech, the divine-human relationship is fundamentally one of divine self-donation and human receptivity. Sin disrupts this relationship and therefore redemption is constituted by a reassertion of divine promise of salvation in the face of the condemnation of the law (Gen 3:15). As a new and effective word of grace, the promise of a savior begins the process of redemption within which God speaks forth a new narrative of creation. In this new narrative, God gives himself in an even deeper manner to humanity. By donating himself through a promise, first to the protological humanity and then to Israel, he binds himself to them. At the end of this history of self-binding, God in Christ enters into the condemnation of the law, neutralizes it in the cross, and brings about a new creation through his omnipotent word of promise actualized in the resurrection.

This study is entitled: "Consecrated Life as Self-donation to God and to His cause." Thus, this study is descriptive. God of love and lover of life called the consecrated persons and offer them the necessary grace to respond to His divine initiative in profound freedom and self-surrender. The Church herself, in virtue of her God-given authority, receives the evangelical counsels of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience as loving gift of the Trinity to the consecrated persons who profess this form of life. The consecrated life is self-donation to God and to his kingdom. This dynamic process of self-donation to God is a permanent and lifelong loving gift of oneself to God in faith and inner joy. This state of life strengthens the bond between the consecrated person and Triune God, in the person of Jesus Christ. This bound of divine communion motivates the consecrated person to find his/her personality, identity and mission in Jesus. This study has been done in order to understand to deeper meaning of consecrated life in self-donation to God. This life self-donation is being experienced in living the evangelical counsels in communion and fraternal love in the model of Christ's self-emptying.

What if giving can change the world? Well, it can. In fact, it already has. And you have the opportunity to join in the movement that God has begun, a movement close to his own heart. Giving is how God changes the world. We're often focused on what we can take or receive from God and others. But in The Book of Giving, the author reveals that this is stunting the growth of our souls. The God who always gives-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-has invited us into his giving circle. In that circle, we don't just hope to receive. We hope to move the giving forward-to receive, give thanks, and give back. This movement of giving is at the center of all relationships. Join the author as he uses gifts as a perspective on who God is, who we are, and what the world is like. This book is packed with reader resources to help you study yourself and grow as a giver. It's not just a book to read; it's a book to eat, a book that will energize change in your daily life. The changes God will make in the world can start inside you with the smallest seeds, with a prayer, a conversation, a cup of coffee. Change starts with giving. And you'll be amazed at the results. Come see God from a fresh perspective and find yourself anew in The Book of Giving.

The observation that contemporary theological and philosophical discussions about ecumenism center on the issues of reception and the gift but neglect the basic act of giving is the starting point of God and the Gift. Risto Saarinen asks if we can approach these discussions from the perspective of giver? In God and the Gift Saarinen demonstrates that we do have theological resources that enable us to outline a theology of giving. He deals with basic philosophical and theological resources and outlines some specific modes of giving, in particular forgiveness, sacrifice and thanksgiving, and living by example. God and the Gift outlines a brief theology of giving by employing both classical theology and contemporary discussions. It also points out the ecumenical relevance of the theology of giving. For those who are more interested in particular theological and philosophical topics, some new interpretations are offered for further discussion. Among these are an interpretation of forgiveness as negative giving, a discussion on the relationship between sacrifice and divine non-violence, and a new proposal to conceptualize various types of Christian imitation. These aims are connected with the overall claim that instead of looking at reception and the gift itself we should focus on giving. Saarinen illustrates this shift of perspective with observations and examples. Though not discussed exhaustively, they serve as preliminary signposts showing us the way to proceed. Chapters are Introduction: Giving and Receiving," *The Gift: Contemporary Approaches, - *New Testament and Martin Luther, - *Forgiveness and Negative Giving, - *Sacrifice and Thanksgiving, - *Giving an Example - Being Gifted, - and *Ecumenical Sharing. - Risto Saarinen, ThD, PhD, is professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Helsinki and a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. He served as research professor at the Centre d'Etudes Oecumeniques in Strasbourg from 1994 to 1999. "

Seeing yourself as God sees you is essential to overcoming your deepest struggles, having healthy relationships, living in freedom, and fulfilling your life purpose. Yet most of us look at ourselves with warped mirrors, believing lies that lead to shame, guilt, fear, insecurity, and spiritual stagnation. The lies of our past keep us stuck, struggling with the same issues and habits for years. But according to the first three chapters of Ephesians, that's not how God sees us at all. Pastor and author Chip Ingram wants to open your eyes to your true self, the "new you" that God sees, the person who is immeasurably valuable and beautiful. In this Scripture-soaked book, he shows you how getting God's perspective - satisfies your search for significance - undoes your shame - makes you secure - frees you from comparing yourself with others - helps you discover your calling - and more Are you ready to see yourself as God sees you? Then let Chip Ingram show you how to silence the lies of your past and experience your true identity.

This book is written to start a communication between people of all ages to consider doing something outside of themselves. It is just one of the many experiences that you can have when you avail yourself to be used by God.

What you believe about God sets the foundation of the person you will become. In God Has a Name, pastor and New York Times bestselling author John Mark Comer invites you to rethink many of the prevalent myths and misconceptions about God and weigh them against what God actually tells us about himself. After all, what you believe about God will ultimately shape the type of person you become. We all live at the mercy of our ideas, and nowhere is this more true than our ideas about God. The problem is many of our ideas about God are wrong. Not all wrong, but wrong enough to form our souls in detrimental and disheartening ways. God Has a Name is a simple yet profound guide to understanding God in a new light--focusing on what God says about himself in the Bible. This one shift has the potential to radically alter how you relate to God, not as a doctrine, but as a relational being who responds to you in an elastic, back-and-forth way. John Mark Comer takes you line by line through Exodus 34:6-8--Yahweh's self-revelation on Mount Sinai, one of the most quoted passages in the Bible. Along the way, Comer addresses some of the most profound questions he came across as he studied these noted lines in Exodus, including: Why do we feel this gap between us and God? Could it be that a lot of what we think about God is wrong? Not all wrong, but wrong enough to mess up how we relate to him? What if our "God" is really a projection of our own identity, ideas, and desires? What if the real God is different, but far better than we could ever imagine? No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God Has a Name invites you to step into a fresh and biblically rooted vision of who God is that has the potential to alter your life with God and shape who you become.

Whether the issue of the day on Twitter, Facebook, or cable news is our sexuality, political divides, or the perceived conflict between faith and science, today’s media pushes each one of us into a frustrating clash between two opposing sides. Polarizing, us-against-them discussions divide us and distract us from thinking clearly and communicating lovingly with others. Scott Sauls, like many of us, is weary of the bickering and is seeking a way of truth and beauty through the conflicts. Jesus Outside the Lines presents Jesus as this way. Scott shows us how the words and actions of Jesus reveal a response that does not perpetuate the destructive fray. Jesus offers us a way forward—away from harshness, caricatures, and stereotypes. In Jesus Outside the Lines, you will experience a fresh perspective of Jesus, who will not (and should not) fit into the sides.