The Alabaster Box is not a devotional book containing a series of entries designed to inspire the Christian reader with an uplift ing story or thought for the day. It is, as the subtitle suggests, a years worth of worship activities; the implementation of which will require some intensive mental exercise. It is not the book for those wanting a feel-good read. Nor is it for those unwilling or not yet ready to accept a challenge to their typical weekly worship experience. The Alabaster Box is a guidebook for the followers of Christ who long to take their worship of Him to a deeper place than they have ever gone. The objective is that at the end of the years adventures, the reader emerges forever changed. The aroma of the perfume could not be recaptured and returned to the alabaster box broken by the devotee of Jesus day once it had been released. In the same way, no disciple who worships Him today in an extraordinary manner should ever be content to offer anything less thereafter. Nor should he or she be able to view certain aspects of the Christian experience in a simplistic manner after having viewed them through the broken pieces of the alabaster box. All of the followers of Christ need help with their worship and daily walk with Him. Marla Cross provided a tool with this worship guide for each week of the year to assist us with this challenge. She is a creative person and writer who is using these God-given gifts for His glory. Dr. Paul Dixon Chancellor, Cedarville University

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A banqueting feast inviting the reader to partake of the Lavish Grace of God, unveiling truth in such a way as to draw the reader on a journey of discovery and encounters of the extravagance of God's Love and eternal plan for them and releasing them through revelation from the treadmill of performance Christianity. Scripture passages are examined to open eyes to the radical pure Gospel of grace, to convey the contrast between religion and grace, to impart understanding regarding the issue of sin, to reveal the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, and to present the unconditional heart of love that God has towards each of us. May you experience joyful ecstasy and indescribable rest as you behold the Master, Jesus, in the light of His glory and grace!

Margaret Starbird’s theological beliefs were profoundly shaken when she read Holy Blood, Holy Grail, a book that dared to suggest that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalen and that their descendants carried on his holy bloodline in Western Europe. Shocked by such heresy, this Roman Catholic scholar set out to refute it, but instead found new and compelling evidence for the existence of the bride of Jesus--the same enigmatic woman who anointed him with precious unguent from her “alabaster jar.” In this provocative book, Starbird draws her conclusions from an extensive study of history, heraldry, symbolism, medieval art, mythology, psychology, and the Bible itself. The Woman with the Alabaster Jar is a quest for the forgotten feminine--in the hope that its return will help restore a healthy balance to planet Earth.

Who are you? Where did you come from? How did you get to where you are today? What's your story? Everybody has a story, whether one is a policeman, a CEO, a bagger in a grocery store, or a murderer, he/she has a story. However, the stories of the back stabbings, the cheating, the sacrifices, the cruelties, the lies, the hard work and the good deeds that result in the person one becomes are more than likely never revealed to his/her closest ally. The patients in Cassom's Asylum for the Criminally Insane have stories too. They are criminals. They are insane. What's their story?

My Alabaster Box . . . Poetry, Prose, and Prayers is the compilation of life experiences written in verse and expounded upon through scripture, enlightened by Holy Spirit wisdom, and sealed with heartfelt prayers. Filtering life through the Christian worldview is demonstrated in the pages of My Alabaster Box. Both new believers, mature followers of Christ, and pre-Christians will find words of encouragement and direction. The author takes identifiable daily struggles and crafts a verse that expresses the emotion of the struggle, the joy of the understanding, or the pain of the loss in rhythm and rhyme that resonates with the soul. A gift from the Lord, the ability to connect heartfelt realities with pen and ink brings awareness to the reader that there is a higher power guiding our lives and that loves us all unconditionally. My Alabaster Box . . . was named from the account of the woman in the Bible who anointed the feet of Jesus with her own precious perfume. Before the sweet aroma was released throughout the house, however, she had to break the alabaster box that contained her life's savings. She held nothing back, even though the breaking of the bottle of oil made her vulnerable to people's reproach. Her response has taught us that in the presence of divinity passion preempts propriety. It is in the same vein of the broken vial that the author offers her own life experiences in verse as an oil of anointing poured out. May the worshipful words, not withheld, bring a wellspring of well-being to all who would venture within. Amen.

Like Marys Alabaster Box with the precious ointment that she poured over Jesus to anoint Him, we have packed My Alabaster Box full of precious help, advice, support, and guidance, with little pockets of inspiration for the Christian journey. My Alabaster Box outlines the origin and foundation of the Faith, why there is a need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and how the world came to be in the situation it is in. It dispels some of the myths, misconceptions, and misunderstandings that have penetrated our society, becoming firmly intertwined into the Faith. If you are looking for a basic understanding of Christianity in simple terms, have been silently struggling through the years, have fallen away and are seeking to find a way back, or have more questions than answers, you will be strengthened by My Alabaster Box with its delicate balance between Bible doctrines, teachings, and simple guidance. Learn how to develop and nurture your relationship with God through prayer, fasting, and studying the Bible. My Alabaster Box brings all the elements of the Christian journey together into one overarching summation that can be understood by someone with little or no experience of the Faith. Guidance is based on scriptural references taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Learn how to flow in your calling. Just as a young river springs up, flows quickly over stones and around large rocks then matures as it runs deep and fast, aging into gentle meanderings with its ebbs and flows, creating lakes, watering the land, and joining with other rivers and lakes to avoid becoming dry at the end of the course. Finally, making its way out into the vast ocean.

It is in the broken places of your life that you find your purpose. Hidden within the pages of this book, you will find some of the most broken times I have ever encountered during my life. I finally realized after thirty years that it would take a broken alabaster box to produce my purpose, to release my destiny, and to become an overcomer by the word of my testimony. God loves turning us from rags to riches and taking broken people and making them into His masterpieces. I was created for a purpose; you were created for a purpose. The question is, will you let go and break your alabaster box to find it? I pray that as you read my story, it will encourage you to search out what you have hidden inside of your box. It is time we fight back and become an overcomer!

Discover Pastor Paula's strength in her inspiring faith journey as well as your own spiritual gifts through her honest and stirring story. Early in Paula's life, she didn't know God, but there was always a pull to something greater. Once she prayed for salvation at the age of eighteen, Paula finally understood the meaning of grace and purpose, and realized God had been taking care of her the whole time. Paula shares her journey of faith in Something Greater, what she calls "a love letter to God from a messed up Mississippi girl." She details feeling led to a higher calling as a child, how she came to serve others as a female pastor, and what led to being asked to become spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump. Something Greater encourages readers to know and understand the "something greater" that is in all of them, and will teach them how to cling to Jesus Christ in times of need and abundance.