Expecting Emmanuel

Journey through Advent and Christmas with the women of Jesus’ family line. Christmas is about so much more than twinkle lights, sugar cookies, and perfect family photos. It’s about the world-changing, transforming, and sometimes messy reality of “God with us.” As we dive deep into the biblical accounts of Jesus’ female ancestors and reflect on God’s presence in their complicated lives, we can begin to release our expectations of a “perfect Christmas” and instead seek the experience of a holy season. Through invitational spiritual practices and reflections, this daily devotional centers the stories of five women in Jesus’ genealogy—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary—plus three additional female figures connected to Jesus’ early life in the days leading up to Epiphany. You will also find resources for exploring the lives of these women in worship, small group, and retreat settings. This Advent and Christmas season, step into the true power of the Incarnation as we journey together to the manger and encounter the omnipotent God who has come to us in the vulnerable Christ-child. ​Original artwork by Michelle Burkholder

Julia, single at 33, dreams of love with a big L and to have children. The day when Jean, her gay best friend and lifetime fantasy admits that he regrets never doing it with a girl, a crazy idea flourishes in Julia's mind.

Barber Shop Chronicles is a generously funny, heart-warming and insightful new play set in five African cities, Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos, Accra, and in London. Inspired in part by the story of a Leeds barber, the play invites the audience into a unique environment where the banter may be barbed, but the truth always telling. The barbers of these tales are sages, role models and father figures who keep the men together and the stories alive. Inua Ellams's celebrated play was first produced by the National Theatre, Fuel and Leeds Playhouse in 2017.

More than 100 Original Illustrations Bonus Content: The Life of John Bunyan, by William Brock For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the lords of this age, rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in the heavens. (Ephesians 6:12) What if you were able to see your life from a spiritual perspective and see the actual reality of the verse above? How does our enemy, Diabolus, plan and carry out his attacks? How do his demons help, and what are their objectives? Why and how must we petition Emmanuel to get His attention and help in this great, holy war? Written four years after The Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan followed up with this second allegorical classic, which has touched hearts and minds of readers for generations. The epicenter of this book is the town of Mansoul, its people (such as Conscience, Self-Denial, and Do-Right), and its gates (Eye-gate, Ear-gate, Mouth-gate, Nose-gate, and Feel-gate). The attack by Diabolus and his demons, all of whom have appropriate names, is carefully planned and executed. As still happens to men today, Mansoul fell hard. Emmanuel is of course willing to help, but can only do so on special, seemingly strict terms. As you watch this intense battle unfold, you'll be emboldened to fight with new vigilance, to guard the gates with tenacity, and to rely on Emmanuel's sovereignty like never before. It should be noted that John Bunyan focused not so much on biblical sequence or even perfect accuracy in every aspect. Instead, he honed in specifically on the spiritual battle being waged for each individual soul, filling in other details as needed to create the scenes. In this edition, we updated the text to clarify the meaning of each scene and inserted Bible verses in key areas to bring to light the depth and spiritual meaning of this powerful allegory.

The expectation of an end to time and the yearning for a millennial paradise have been recurring themes in Western religious thought. But when we speak of expectation of the world's end we are mindful of the fact that generation after generation of millenarians have been disappointed. Their endtime hopes and prophecies have not come true. What happens, one might ask, when prophecies fail? Does failure spell the end of the very movements that embrace such expectations? The aim of this anthology is to gather together in one volume the essential research from the fields of sociology and psychology that seeks to answer this intriguing question as first raised by Festinger in his 1956 work, When Prophecy Fails. Cross-cultural and comparative, this collection chronicles forty years of research into failed prophecy and response to the attending cognitive dissonance it produces that is at once timely and informative.

As a boy, being reared in a highly religious atmosphere, the idea of a man living on earth two thousand years ago going about doing good, giving sight to the blind, healing the sick, and, eventually, dying for our sins was indeed perplexing in light of the fact that there was no living being to whom I could relate to Jesus Christ. This confusing phenomenon became more chaotic in my mind as I grew older and realized that individuals who claimed to be Jesuss prophets were seemingly His oppositedriving luxury cars, preaching against welfare handouts, condemning rather than forgiving those who found themselves taking the wrong path. If Jesus lived today, I meagerly reasoned, would He drive luxury cars? Would He own several Rolls Royces? Would He condemn those who did not contribute money to the cause of the kingdom? Would He go on television and radio condemning abortion? What would a present-day Jesus really be like? Over a period of many years, I jotted down thoughts, taped ideas, took notes of sermons, and studied the Gospels hoping to someday coordinate all of these into a novel depicting a present-day Jesus Christ. The present book is the result of that.

This collection bridges the gap between research and practical applications by showcasing the latest research developments on business English as a lingua franca and the ways in which they might better inform language teaching practice. Featuring contributions from both established and emerging researchers in the field, this book brings together research findings on business and workplace English pedagogy with a focus on addressing issues and challenges around spoken communicative needs in the workplace. The volume explores spoken communication in the business context across a diverse range of settings and media, including oral presentations, small talk, meetings, business negotiations, and interviews. Taken together, the book offers an up-to-date synthesis of research on key topics at the intersection of spoken workplace communication and language teaching toward facilitating more engaged, empirically grounded business English as a lingua franca teaching. This book will be of particular interest for students and scholars in business communication, workplace communication, and English for specific purposes.

Two men of God left Spain for the new world. One of them was a fully ordained member of the elite Jesuit society, and the other was his protégé. The faith of the Jesuit was deeply ingrained and unwavering, while the faith of his student was weak and questionable at best. They each left Spain with different goals. The goal of the Jesuit was to save the souls of the pagan tribes thought to occupy west central Florida, while the goal of the youth was exploration and adventure. The apprentice had witnessed horrific events as a child, events that were approved and encouraged by the church and the inquisition. He would later witness events that would destroy his fragile faith and turn his life in a completely different direction. He became a realist. Although he still searched for truth and honor, he was convinced he would not find it in the teachings and actions of the Jesuits or the Spanish. He renounced his heritage, and the teachings of the Jesuits became irrelevant. He would find his truth and honor in the most unlikely of places, among the so-called pagan savages called the Calusa.