In 2 Corinthians 12: 7 Paul makes the extraordinary admission that he was given a 'thorn in the flesh'. Although we can never be sure what that torment was, many of us will know what it feels like to experience a painful problem which does not seem to go away. In this book R. T. Kendall explains what a thorn in the flesh is, why we have it, and what we should understand by it. Looking with compassion at the kinds of acute situation in which we may find ourselves - an unhappy marriage, difficult working conditions, loneliness, sexual misgivings or chronic illness, for example - he shows how the grace of God is sufficient whatever our thorn, and how it can lead us into unimaginable intimacy with Jesus.

With the vote to bless same-sex marriages, the Episcopal Church becomes the largest U.S. denomination to officially sanction same-sex relationships. Homosexuality has become a flashpoint at the intersection of religion, family, and politics. A Thorn in the Flesh: How Gay Sexuality is Changing the Episcopal Church tells the story of how homosexuality has been used to further conservative political agendas, both here and abroad. It describes how African and Asian churches have been drawn into a conflict that began in the United States in the Episcopal Church, and raises vital questions of whether people with different understandings of authority and truth can live in harmony. This provocative book is not a history of the movement for gay inclusion, nor a history of the movement for a new, conservative Anglican church in the Americas. Instead, it is a comparison of the conservative and the liberal parts of the church. There are those, such as the Church of England, who have conservative theological orientation and are most likely to oppose fully including gays and lesbians in the church. Hall, also, explores the rapid changes that have happened in Western society in the past fifty years that have led to the acceptance of same-sex marriage and homosexuality. This change has not come easily and even after nearly four decades, gay marriage remains a politically divisive issue in the United States and England.

In this powerful and eye-opening book, Charles Capps writes the true nature of Paul's thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan. You will learn how that sometimes a messenger of Satan may be assigned to you, what that means, and how to be delivered from such an assignment.

The literature of late ancient Christianity is rich both in saints who lead lives of almost Edenic health and in saints who court and endure horrifying diseases. In such narratives, health and illness might signify the sanctity of the ascetic, or invite consideration of a broader theology of illness. In Thorns in the Flesh, Andrew Crislip draws on a wide range of texts from the fourth through sixth centuries that reflect persistent and contentious attempts to make sense of the illness of the ostensibly holy. These sources include Lives of Antony, Paul, Pachomius, and others; theological treatises by Basil of Caesarea and Evagrius of Pontus; and collections of correspondence from the period such as the Letters of Barsanuphius and John. Through close readings of these texts, Crislip shows how late ancient Christians complicated and critiqued hagiographical commonplaces and radically reinterpreted illness as a valuable mode for spiritual and ascetic practice. Illness need not point to sin or failure, he demonstrates, but might serve in itself as a potent form of spiritual practice that surpasses even the most strenuous of ascetic labors and opens up the sufferer to a more direct knowledge of the self and the divine. Crislip provides a fresh and nuanced look at the contentious and dynamic theology of illness that emerged in and around the ascetic and monastic cultures of the later Roman world.

Depicts the life of Saint Paul, discussing his religious teachings and travels.

"Besides Jesus, no one has kept me from despair, or taken me deeper into the mysteries of the gospel, than the apostle Paul." —John Piper No one has had a greater impact on the world for eternal good than the apostle Paul—except Jesus himself. For John Piper, this impact is very personal. He does not just admire and trust Paul. He loves him. Piper gives us thirty glimpses into why his heart and mind respond this way. Can a Christian-killer really endure 195 lashes from a heart of love? Can a mystic who thinks he was caught up into heaven be a model of lucid rationality? Can an ethnocentric Jew write the most beautiful call to reconciliation? Can a person who lives with the unceasing anguish of empathy be always rejoicing? Can a man's description of the horrors of human sin be exceeded by his delight in human splendor? Can a man with a backbone of steel be as tender as a nursing mother? If we know this man—if we see what Piper sees—we too will love him. Paul's testimony is a matter of life and death. Piper invites you into his relationship with Paul in the hope that you will know life, forever.

God's will is always to heal people, and this book proves it biblically. In this revised and expanded edition, Art Thomas unfolds down-to-earth arguments that are easy to read and understand. This will help you defend your own convictions about God's will to heal. With a new format and about 100 new pages of additional material, this book will be even more valuable to you as you grow in healing ministry. Part One: Eliminating Paul's Thorn in the Flesh What was Paul's "thorn in the flesh"? Was it a sickness or disease that God refused to heal? Was it an eye problem? Was it a demon? In this book, author Art Thomas tackles the matter of Paul's "thorn in the flesh" with clarity and faithfulness to Scripture. Part Two: Other Objections to God's Will for Healing We'll also look into some of the most classic objections to physical healing, including: Why isn't Everyone Healed? What about the Pool of Bethesda? What about All the Times God Afflicted People with Disease? What about King Hezekiah? What about Job? What about Jacob's Limp? What about Jesus' Hometown? What about Ananias and Sapphira? What about the Man at the Gate Beautiful? What about Timothy's Frequent Illnesses? What about Paul Leaving Trophimus sick in Miletus? What about God's Discipline? But Jesus was God! These questions have been used for years to argue that God does not always want to heal-a statement that is completely at odds with the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Part Three: Ten Things Jesus NEVER Said about Healing Derived from Art's popular sermon of the same title found on YouTube, this section further removes common unhealthy ideas about healing ministry by showing that they are at odds with the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus Christ healed every person who came to Him or called out to Him. He paid a very high price for healing, and He deserves to receive everything for which He paid. It is vital that we remove the "thorn" of doubt that skews our perspective of God. Get ready for some spiritual tweezers!

It has been over twenty years since the publication of The Ragamuffin Gospel, a book many claim as the shattering of God’s grace into their lives. Since that time, Brennan Manning has been dazzingly faithful in preaching and writing variations on that singular theme – “Yes, Abba is very fond of you!” But today the crowds are gone and the lights are dim, the patches on his knees have faded. If he ever was a ragamuffin, truly it is now. In this his final book, Brennan roves back his past, honoring the lives of the people closest to him, family and friends who’ve known the saint and the sinner, the boy and the man. Far from some chronological timeline, these memories are witness to the truth of life by one who has lived it – All Is Grace.