God's people love the Psalms -- pray them, sing them, meditate on them. This book will help you understand them more deeply and love them more. Out of the depths of his own suffering and from his extensive study, Mark Futato has found in the Psalms a compelling portrait of Christ himself. The Psalms take us from lament to praise through a life-transforming encounter with their divine Author. Book jacket.

Compiles cultural, theological, and psychological perspectives on spiritual experience in worship from scholars and laity, paying particular attention to the role of the arts in facilitating spiritual transformation.

In 2014, Time magazine announced that America had reached the transgender tipping point, suggesting that transgender issues would become the next civil rights frontier. Years later, many peopleeven many LGBTQ alliesstill lack understanding of gender identity and the transgender experience. Into this void, Austen Hartke offers a biblically based, educational, and affirming resource to shed light and wisdom on this modern gender landscape. Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians provides access into an underrepresented and misunderstood community and will change the way readers think about transgender people, faith, and the future of Christianity. By introducing transgender issues and language and providing stories of both biblical characters and real-life narratives from transgender Christians living today, Hartke helps readers visualize a more inclusive Christianity, equipping them with the confidence and tools to change both the church and the world.

Rarely do we consider praise to be the key to a life of purpose, freedom and joy and yet it is the essence of life! In the Transforming Power of Praise, Phil Warren takes us on a journey into the exciting dynamic of praise in all its many forms, exploring each one as a passionate invitation to a life lived at its fullest. Here we discover God inhabits the praises of His people. His Presence is irresistibly drawn to our praise and His power is released when we find a myriad reasons to go deeper in our praise. Praise is what we are created for. Take hold of this key, open wide the gates, and be forever transformed. To live is truly praise. As well as being biblically well-researched on the subject, Phil writes with disarming honesty from his own life experience of praise encounters with his God. You will not fail to be spiritually enriched as you read this book and allow its content to permeate your life. As he rightly says, we are made for praise and reading this will bring you much blessing. John and Anne Coles, Leaders of New Wine Phil Warrens book opens up the reader to the richness and invitation of scripture particularly in its use of the Book of Psalms to any who would wish to explore a life of praise and service. The writer offers his own experiences both of being held in Gods love and of sharing that love with others. Its a book to be enjoyed and explored slowly and in depth. Take its learning and be enriched. Bishop Trevor Wilmot, Bishop of Canterbury Phil is a man that truly models and walks the life of a worshipper, one who lives in humility and adoration of Jesus, impacting many. Im thrilled at the release of this book, as it teaches, inspires and empowers the believer to live a lifestyle of praise that will birth greater joy, freedom and transformation in their life! Steve Tebb, UK Worship Leader Its not often that I read a book that caused me to stop reading every few minutes because unstoppable praise for Jesus spontaneously erupted on my lips, as the majesty of Christ, His Presence and the beauty of holiness overwhelmed me. Im so thankful to Phil for writing this book! Duncan Smith, President of Catch the Fire

Praying Christians are hungry to learn how to connect with God in a way that takes them beyond the typical grocery-list approach. Transforming Prayer explores the profound difference between seeking God's hand (what he does for people) and seeking God's face (who he really is). With captivating stories of the transformative power of personal worship and its connection with prayer, this book equips readers with practical tools for a more effective personal and corporate prayer life.

When early Christians began to study the Bible, and to write their own history and that of the Jews whom they claimed to supersede, they used scholarly methods invented by the librarians and literary critics of Hellenistic Alexandria. But Origen and Eusebius, two scholars of late Roman Caesarea, did far more. Both produced new kinds of books, in which parallel columns made possible critical comparisons previously unenvisioned, whether between biblical texts or between national histories. Eusebius went even farther, creating new research tools, new forms of history and polemic, and a new kind of library to support both research and book production. Christianity and the Transformation of the Book combines broad-gauged synthesis and close textual analysis to reconstruct the kinds of books and the ways of organizing scholarly inquiry and collaboration among the Christians of Caesarea, on the coast of Roman Palestine. The book explores the dialectical relationship between intellectual history and the history of the book, even as it expands our understanding of early Christian scholarship. Christianity and the Transformation of the Book attends to the social, religious, intellectual, and institutional contexts within which Origen and Eusebius worked, as well as the details of their scholarly practices--practices that, the authors argue, continued to define major sectors of Christian learning for almost two millennia and are, in many ways, still with us today.,

The gospel is often presented as little more than a "get out of hell free" pass. But is that all there is to it? What made it so compelling that the Apostle Paul would give up everything, enduring hardships and deprivation to preach good news? David deSilva argues that some Christians have unintentionally reduced the gospel to a message Paul would hardly recognize. The "gift of righteousness" is far richer than many of us have dared to imagine! In Transformation: The Heart of Paul's Gospel, deSilva examines the gospel message as presented in Paul's letters. He demonstrates that Paul had nothing less than in mind than the means to transform and renew all of creation--including ourselves. Prepare to let Paul's message of change and renewal transform your own thinking.

Spiritual formation is the key to the survival of our faith. According to worship leader Rory Noland, in order to stem the tide of nominal Christianity we need to reclaim our worship services as formative spaces that are substantive and purposeful. Combining discipleship and worship—what Noland calls transforming worship—he offers a vision for worship as spiritual formation.

Although Paul used language similar to the religions and cultures of his time, he had a unique understanding of the “mystery” of God. The once-hidden plan of God was revealed and fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Saul of Tarsus experienced a fundamental change when he encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. This vision gave him new direction and purpose and profoundly changed his understanding of God’s plan for humanity. Paul often uses the phrase “in Christ” or its variations to describe this plan. Being in Christ results in transformation into Christ’s likeness of holiness and love through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Those in Christ form a new community that crosses ethnic barriers, is bound together in fellowship with the Triune God, and fulfills its purpose of holiness before him. Paul’s answer to the struggles people face is simple: when one is united with Christ by dying to the old self and committing to his supremacy, one will find victory over any force opposed to us in this world. This book explores one of the most profound claims in the New Testament that demands a response of its readers.

"Britta, you are a master at what you do." —P!NK, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter As expecting parents, you’re bombarded with more information—and opinions—than ever about the “right” approach to pregnancy and childbirth. How do you navigate this ocean of information—not only to find the best practical solutions for you personally, but also to embrace this incredible opportunity for emotional and spiritual transformation that comes from bringing a child into this world? With Transformed by Birth, Dr. Britta Bushnell has created the transformative, intelligent, and empowering pregnancy and childbirth guide you’ve been waiting for. This book embraces birth as a metamorphic experience—a rite of passage in which you are initiated by opening to the unbidden, embodying your own wisdom, and gaining freedom from limiting beliefs. Our culture has inundated us with limiting ideals that prevent us from fully engaging in the journey of pregnancy and childbirth—including a need for control and certainty, vilification of pain, and reverence for technology and intellectual knowledge, among others. Dr. Bushnell helps you clear away unwanted beliefs and behaviors so you can open to the meaning and power of this uniquely life-changing experience. Here she offers daily practices, rituals, exercises, and more to help you cultivate resilience, power, and connection during this transformative time. Childbirth is more than just having a baby. Transformed by Birth invites you to discover childbirth as a transformational experience that alters your knowing of who you are and lasts long after pregnancy and birth are over.