Easter And Beyond

We know people whose eyesight limits them to reading only text written in large print or who may be completely dependent on caregivers to read aloud to them yet they cling faithfully to Gods Word as their life and their light. This book is for them. Thank God for so great a cloud of witnesses. A preview of whats inside: Sermon 1 Easter is known for a single event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But did any other events take place on that day? Lots! Sermon 3 After the resurrection, did Jesus just go into retirement? Did he just decide to sit back and watch how events would unfold? Not hardly. Sermon 5 Just add Jesus sounds like a phrase from a cookbook. Well, if it is then God is the gourmet chef who preparest a table before me. Sermon 6 Christian perseverance: We started inspired by Jesus sacrifice on the cross. We made it this far sustained by the risen Christ. Now we need to finish strong looking forward to the home Jesus has prepared for us. Sermon 7 Islam is not just another religion: Islam is the only religion with a holy book that specifically denies that Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Sermon 9 I know I get joy from things like seeing a friend succeed, or watching a child open a present. But what is this thing called the joy of the Lord? Sermon 10 Scientists take pride in giving us the history of the universe from a scientific perspective going from the big bang, to the formation of the solar system, to the final end of everything. But theologians dont often try to give the big picture of the universe from a Christian perspective. So lets fill that gap!

Easter Bunny! Eggs! Candy! Scavenger Hunts! That's what Easter is all about, right? WRONG! Young Ashlynn is excited for a fun day of searching for eggs and filling her belly full of delicious candy. Could there possibly be a better day? But Ashlynn's parents want to make sure that she understands the REAL meaning of Easter, and the sacrifice that Jesus made all those years ago. She learns the symbolism behind the Easter egg, and gains a new appreciation for the holiday that she loves so much. Buy it now to teach your children the real reason for the season.

Common Life looks at the various meanings of common, especially its senses of familiar and widely known; belong or relating to the community at large; and its twinned notions of simple and rudimentary and vulgar and profane. The book's perspective is religious, and is grounded in the epigraph from the Psalms: "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." The "waiting" that is required has to do with three things: first, our desire, as Charles Wright puts it, "to believe in belief" rather than believe; secondly, the need for a setting aside of the self, an abandonment of "every attempt to make something of oneself, even...a righteous person" in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer; and thirdly, the "waiting" must be as Eliot wrote in the Four Quartets a waiting "without hope for hope would be hope of the wrong thing." If we learn to wait in these ways, the final section of the book suggests that we have the chance of opening ourselves to all that is graceful within life's common bounds.

The current age marks the transition from modernity to postmodernity, a period as impactful to the Western sensibility as any previous era. The role of religion and the future of Christianity are at stake. At this time of transition, many thoughtful individuals find themselves at a quandary, having reached a critical stage in their spiritual journey. Prompted by academia, science, reason, culture, and their own experience, they feel compelled to choose between the beliefs they inherited as children and the claims of science, reason, pluralism, and secularism. Beyond Belief suggests that one need not take an either/or approach on these issues; there is a better way, one that embraces adventure and ambiguity, science and religion, reason and faith, evolution and creation, and finds ways to live creatively with realities for which there are no easy explanations. Building on a paradigmatic journey of faith that involves three stages (precritical, critical, and postcritical understanding), Beyond Belief describes the quest for God and for authentic faith in the twenty-first century. The key point for this understanding is to replace belief with faith, acknowledging that belief in doctrines is not central, since they are themselves unprovable. This new theological perspective requires rethinking many of our cherished doctrines, including our understanding of God, Jesus, Scripture, prayer, miracles, and revelation.

Mary Grey takes the reader on a contemporary Lenten journey through a series of profound theological reflections on the search for peace and reconciliation in Israel/Palestine. Along the way she explores the core Christian concepts of redemption, atonement and resurrection from the perspective of justice-making in the real world, pursuing a spirituality of perseverance and steadfastness ('sumud') deriving from her work with Middle Eastern Christians. The book draws on all four Gospels and the book of Revelation, providing biblical inspiration for the quest for peace.

This book is a collection of writings on the topic: Beyond Easter: Ascension and Pentecost. The season following Easter gets less attention than Easter, but really is a time when Jesus passionately taught the disciples with a sense of urgency, knowing that He would soon leave their presence and ascend to heaven. Forty days after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, Jesus ascended into heaven as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He is seated at the right hand of Almighty God until He returns again to earth at the end of the age.On Pentecost, The Holy Spirit appeared to the disciples and others gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. A strong wind occurred, and what appeared to be tongues of fire anointed them. They were empowered to accomplish many tasks to begin the work of the Church. Jerusalem residents and visitos from all over the world were amazed to hear the disciples able to tell of Jesus' life and resurrection in their own languages. On that day alone, over 3,000 people were baptized after hearing Peter preach. This book is based on the two events as part of a gallery exhibition at Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Palm Bay, Florida. Under the direction of Worship Leaders Paxson and Allison Jeancake, artists, musicians, and writers have created pieces in honor of Ascension and Pentecost under the title God Is With Us: The Ascension and Outpouring. Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Faith Promise Ministry for Missions. This church has established over twenty new churches in the last five years around the world and locally. They are evidence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.