Christ And The Monsters In Me

This book may read like a novel, but John Brian Passler lived it. Growing up in a home with changing and uncertain core values, John was a mischievous child, and later, a troubled teen. He takes us through his U.S. Air Force experiences in Viet Nam and his pursuit of purpose, and success. Though successful in business at a young age, his worldliness led to moral failure, broken marriages and eventually addictions. When John met Jesus Christ, suddenly a new chapter unfolded. Read how God transformed him and transferred him from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His Son, Jesus. John describes many of the challenges of the Christian life and the secrets to winning them. As he says, “God didn’t save us just so we can go to heaven. He saved us so He could sanctify us, conform us to the image of His Son, and use us to change our world.” Let this book challenge you to reexamine your relationship with God and see it as it really is. It will help prepare you for a fulfilling journey with God. God created you with a plan in mind. Discovering your place in His plan and crowning Him Lord of your life will fill you with love, joy, and peace.

If you asked a millennial or younger person in your church, "What do I need to believe to be a Christian?" what would they say? At a time when "truth" is up for grabs, a journalist-turned-pastor wants to help believers understand what they believe. How? By using the simple lyrics "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." In this winsome book, bestselling author John S. Dickerson clearly and faithfully explains essential Christian beliefs, using simple stories that have resonated with his congregation of thousands. He guides readers into these basic beliefs, and most importantly, he illustrates why these beliefs matter. The result is an easy-to-read primer, designed for a time when Christianity is questioned and challenged. It is a great study for young adults, new believers, and long-time believers who want to reclaim the essentials. For anyone who wants their small group, church, or loved ones to embrace the authority of Scripture and the nonnegotiable doctrines of Christianity. "What does it mean to be a genuine Jesus follower in an age when most people, including many self-described Christians, believe that God is well-pleased with a life lived in alignment with a 'designer faith' of their own making? In Jesus Loves Me, John Dickerson answers that question with a deep dive into the simple but profound gospel that Jesus taught as the only kind of faith the Heavenly Father would be well-pleased with. As Dickerson points out, we can't be true Jesus followers if we don't know who He is or what He said and never bother to actually live like He told us to live. Whether you are a brand-new Jesus follower or a longtime veteran, this book will help you nail down the basics of what it means to genuinely know and follow Jesus."--Larry Osborne, author and pastor, North Coast Church "Most Christians would tell you they believe the Bible to be God's Word. And yet many of those same Christians could not even articulate what the core beliefs are to the Christian faith. In Jesus Loves Me, John Dickerson does a great job of helping believers understand the basic teachings of Scripture. This is a great resource for any Christian who needs to build a stronger foundation to their faith."--Steve Poe, lead pastor of Northview Church, Carmel, Indiana

Monster Studies is a rising academic topic. Despite hesitancy at first, the subject is now examined by scholars of various academic interests and backgrounds. However, the dominant monster investigations are from the post-1900s. This volume focuses on Premodern monsters. The purpose of this volume is to examine various monsters from diverse cultures in order to indicate how each monstrous discourse derives from their mythology’s socio-cultural context. The volume examines several Monsters within their socio-cultural matrix. This includes a variety of monstrosities from diverse cultures and periods. Namely, the examined creatures, or perceived creatures, stem from the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament (Pauline epistles), Reformation England, the Japanese Noh play Dōjōji, Yamauba Myths, and Yōkai Relics from early modern Japanese Buddhism.

Eason provides an extensive overview of the mythology, legends, and folklore surrounding fabulous and strange fantasy creatures from diffferent lands and ages, from Chinese dragons and the Native North American thunderbird to the demon hounds of Celtic and Norse legend. She describes how in various ages and cultures people have identified with the idealized qualities of wise creatures as a source of power and better understanding of their own personalities and used the behavior of birds and other sacred creatures to gain oracular information in Ancient Egypt and the Classical and Celtic worlds. This book offers both traditional and little known folklore and legend about familiar real life creatures such as the horse, the cat, and the raven and delves into the weird and wonderful world of saints who claimed to change into deer and modern cryptozoological monsters such as Bigfoot, Mothman, and lake and sea monsters, as well as the rationale behind animal or headed deities of the Aztecs, Egyptians, and Celts in whose name people went to war.

“As Rick removed his bandana, I got a clearer view of the man with half a face. It was not a face scarred from surgical intervention. It was not a face marred with cancerous sores or a few necrotic pits. Half of Rick’s face was gone …” (—from Chapter 22). “I glanced up at a tree standing next to the van. I had a fleeting thought that the tree could pose a potential danger. Within a few minutes of the thought, the tree fell through the roof of the van, right in front of where I was sitting. The entire back of the van was smooshed …” (—from Chapter 13). “Shellan, this is Lou from Bleep Loan and Trust. Gib has not made a payment in over four months and if we don’t collect soon, we will repo the truck. Just letting you know there’s a good possibility we will come to you for the balance owed …” (—from Chapter 6). “I interrupted the lad at some point … to tell him that if he thinks he is damned by God, he obviously does not know the truth of God. I tried to share about God’s unconditional love; how God does not leave or forsake us but we are the ones who turn away. The young man did not appear to hear my words as he continued to ramble about his plight. Somewhere in all his anxiety, he stated that he had prayed for God to send him an angel—from how he was going to hell … how successful he used to be with big money, houses, and nice cars but now only a bicycle could he call his own … how he was going to hell … how he was going to hell … he was going to hell …” (—from Chapter 20).

Monsters aren't real. As reasonable adults, we know this. But we also know that, while fake, the monsters of fairy tales, movies, and Netflix series embody our very real fears. Large, powerful beings that hunt us in the dark make us feel small, weak, vulnerable. When characters in these stories run away, they temporarily feel safe, but it's not until the monster is faced head-on that the story can have a happy ending--and, more importantly, the hero can become all he or she was created to be. The same is true of the monsters of the spiritual life. The monsters of comparison (I am what others say about me), more (I am what I have), and success (I am what I do) are powerful enemies of a healthy spiritual life. But ignoring them solves nothing. Pastor and speaker Luke Norsworthy wants you to face your monsters, get to know them, and discover how they are inviting you into a deeper understanding of yourself and a more intimate connection with God. You'll never completely eradicate your fears, but if you befriend them, they can lead you into becoming God's intention for you.