"After moving to the countryside, ten-year-old bird expert Xavier is appalled to encounter Clementine hunting birds with her slingshot, until he learns of their fantastical nature and malevolent role as Carriers"--

Ir-rev-rend (ir REV rund) noun 1. a pastor who is somewhat critical of what is generally accepted or respected 2. a pastor who is trying to make sense of life, love, the church and other confusing things from a slightly satirical point of view; an irreverent sense of humor. 3. a "normal" guy pursuing God Whatever you may think about the "typical" pastor, throw it out. Do they make bad decisions? Yes. Commit sin and experience severed relationships? Yes and yes. Pastor Greg Surratt is not perfect, and he unashamedly tells the stories that have strengthened his faith. He writes that the choice to follow Christ is never clean, is often scary, is usually clothed in mystery, and is always an adventure. For some people, God appears in dark, dirty, lonely, or just plain odd places. Greg found God while huddled under a grand piano, hiding from overzealous friends and family trying to accost him during an altar call at a Pentecostal revival. So began a life of sharing stories of God's endlessly creative and often surprising work and seeing God's transforming power in unexpected ways. Despite years of vocational ministry, Greg never underestimates the power of divine/human encounters in some of teh least "churchy' places on earth. Humorous, insightful, and challenging, IR-REV-REND is a revealing and joyous look at real-life Christian living. As Greg himself affirms, if God can use his missteps and blunders, God can use anybody's.

Historical-critical scholars have often thought that writing a coherent theology of Isaiah 56-66 is impossible because it contains such historically and ideologically diverse materials. However, a canonical approach to the chapters is open to considering Third Isaiah as a complex but coherent theological unity. Leaning on this approach, this book attempts to construct a theology of Isaiah 56-66. Arguing that the theology of Third Isaiah has eschatology (both prophetic and apocalyptic) at its core, it identifies four major themes and explores their significance through four key texts (56:1-8; 59:15b-21; 60:1-22; 65:13-25). The covenant concept (56:1-8) forms a framework for the eschatology in these chapters. People are invited to walk in the covenant, which is worked out as eschatological salvation. The coming of YHWH as the Divine Warrior initiates the eschatological era (59:15b-21) and, bringing judgment, restores the covenant. As the Temple-city-paradise (60:1-22) into which the nations flow, the glorified Zion is the eschatological fulfilment of the covenant, Zion, and Servant traditions. The New Heavens and Earth (65:13-25) is a return to the primordial paradise, where the natural world is restored, as the problem of sin is resolved.

An empire on the rise. Sin City struggling to survive. Rules are meant to be broken. Digby Graves is done running. He wants to make good on his declaration of war, which means he's going to need allies and a land to call his own. That's where Las Vegas comes in: what better kingdom could a necromancer ask for than the city of Sin itself? With an opportunist turned kingpin, an army of fanatics, and a hive full of monsters standing in his way, the stakes have never been higher. It will take every spell and underhanded tactic in his arsenal to carve out a victory. Even though he's drawing in allies, the cards are stacked against him. Henwick is bent on ruling the world, and is willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to win. The only power that might sway the odds in Digby's favor has been locked down by his enemy... for now. With everything on the line, Digby is going to need an ace up his sleeve to come out on top. It's time to assemble a crew and pull off the heist of the millennium.