Getting To Know God For Strangers

I was led by the spirit to write this book. On my journey in life, I have had my ups and downs. I remember when I was a young man. I was carefree, did not have a worry in the world. I had my strength and that was all I thought I need. I was strong, like a flower when the sun heats the morning dew. I had the job and all that came with it. I was doing good as a young man. I had been raised in the church as a child, and now I was of age and independent, had my own place, and no one could tell me what to do anymore. I even had the nerve to tell God I was too young to come and serve Him. I had everything a young man could ask for in the palms of my hand. I would go to the parties, stay out late—all the things that young people do. Little did I know what was lying ahead. I started getting hit with the storms of life. I was like a sheep caught in the dark in the forest. It took me years to get back on the track my mom started me on when I was a little child. I have been back on the trail for over thirty years. I know what it is to be in darkness and believe everything is all right. I kept stumbling along in this life in the dark. I really thought I was seeing things clearly. I have a high tolerance for pain, so I stayed in darkness longer than I had anticipated. Life pain was taking a toll on my life. Those things I thought were fun took more pain to have the fun. This life I loved did not love me anymore. One day I saw some people getting out of their car and going up the steps to the church. I said, “Lord, if you would change my life to be like them church folks, I will serve you the rest of my life.” You know, it is said that the deeper that you were in darkness, the more loyal you would be to God. Now I’m in the light. I see with insight, not as much with eyesight over the years. I come to see some things that require our immediate attention. This can’t wait. We have been brought to the light so we can show others how to get to the light, and there is a lot of work to do as a child of God. It is our responsibility to carry out God’s will. We can’t push it on the next person. We have to step up and do it. This book can help people to learn to treat people like they would like to be treated, and it gets you to know about the Lord. You can practice this in your daily life. I’m a new creature. Old things I don’t do any more. I thought that my old behaviors would be with me all my life until I was shown the light. Now I must share the light and show others how to get here.

Accessible, challenging, funny, and one of the best reads on how to love others in any situation. Love and hospitality can change the way you see the world and others. That's exactly what modern-day theologian, Richard Beck, experienced when he first led a Bible study at a local maximum security prison. Beck believed the promise of Matthew 25 that states when we visit the prisoner, we encounter Jesus. Sure enough, God met Beck in prison. With his signature combination of biblical reflection, theological reasoning, and psychological insight, Beck shows how God always meets us when we entertain the marginalized, the oppressed, and the refugee. Stories from Beck's own life illustrate this truth -- God comes to him in the poor, the crippled, the smelly. Psychological experiments show how we are predisposed to appreciate those who are similar to us and avoid those who are unlike us. The call of the gospel, however, is to override those impulses with compassion, to "widen the circle of our affection." In the end, Beck turns to the Little Way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux for guidance in doing even the smallest acts with kindness, and he lays out a path that any of us can follow.

Marriage is great, but it’s not forever. It’s until death do us part. Then come eternal rewards or regrets depending on how we spent our lives. In his latest book, Francis Chan joins together with his wife Lisa to address the question many couples wonder at the altar: “How do I have a healthy marriage?” Setting aside typical topics on marriage, Francis and Lisa dive into Scripture to understand what it means to have a relationship that satisfies the deepest parts of our souls. In the same way Crazy Love changed the way we saw our personal relationship with God, You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity will radically shift the way we see one of the most important relationships in our life. Jesus was right. We have it all backwards. The way to have a great marriage is by not focusing on marriage. Whether you are single, dating or married, You and Me Forever will help you discover the adventure that you were made for ­­and learn how to thrive in it. 100% of the net proceeds from this book will support various ministries including those that help provide shelter and rehabilitation for thousands of children and exploited women around the world. For more information, please visit: youandmeforever.org

We live in a world of oppositional relationships and increasing in-group/out-group divisions. Christian sociologist Matthew Vos explains how the problem of the stranger lies at the root of many problems humanity faces, such as racism, sexism, and nationalism. He applies classic sociological theory on "the stranger" to matters of faith and social justice, showing that an identity in Christ frees us to love strangers as neighbors and friends. The book also includes two guest chapters, one on intersex persons and the church and one on stranger-making in the "correctional" system.

Deep inside each of us a miraculous yearning to be known is sewn into the places God knows best. From the first movements within the womb to the last breath we take, "know me" is whispered throughout our lives. Author Lynn McLeod's,Loving Strangers by God, collides the two adages we were raised with - "stop to smell the flowers" and "don't talk to strangers." Happening amid the impact is where she reveals some of God's most mysterious artwork. What if strangers were actually disguised flowers? What if secrets within us could only be unlocked through their eyes? And what if the beauty in God's creation is especially miraculous when found there? Most of us can point to an unlikely encounter with a stranger that held a powerful new appreciation for how we could be known. Told through short stories, each chapter skillfully studies how God's mighty, powerful, and unfathomable hand touches us with the strangers who cross our path. Among those you will meet are a young girl accepting bubblegum from a stranger who teaches her the protection found in truth, a man in an elevator who redirects the path of a troubled woman as he prays, a millionaire who refuses to allow changes in life change her, a blind author who encourages a clear vision, and a nurse who comforts a critically injured patient by finding her missing dog. InLoving Strangers by Godyou will begin to recognize not only how strangers impact your own life, but also how as a stranger you impact the lives of others. "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13 Now promise me with the loving guidance of our Heavenly Father you will take the very best care . . . then share it! Blessings of light, joy and peace!!!

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City. To the Green-eyed Lovebird: We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House. You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more. We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other. Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding… I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello. After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half? M

Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. If you've ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it is to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. When life hurts, we often feel pressure--from others and ourselves--to keep it together, suck it up, or pray it away. But Scripture reveals a God who lovingly invites us to give honest voice to our emotions when life hits hard. For most of her life, Esther Fleece Allen believed she could bypass the painful emotions of her broken past by shutting them down altogether. She was known as an achiever and an overcomer on the fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you've done the same. Esther's journey into healing began when she discovered that God has given us a real-world way to deal with raw emotions and an alternative to the coping mechanisms that end up causing more pain. It's called lament--the gut-level, honest prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament, taking you on a journey down the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God's own language to come closer to him as he leads us through our pain to the light on the other side, teaching you that: We are robbing ourselves of a divine mystery and a divine intimacy when we pretend to have it all together God does not expect us to be perfect; instead, he meets us where we are There is hope beyond your heartache, disappointment, and grief Like Esther, you'll soon find that when one person stops faking fine, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

"What began as a response to a random bulletin board posting would ultimately challenge Sister Marilyn Lacey's life - and the life of countless refugees. Nhia Bee, along with his wife and five children, had been placed for a few weeks at [her] convent upon arriving in California from a refugee camp in Thailand. When the family was moved to permanent housing, Sr. Lacey realized, to her own surprise, just how much the family had lodged itself in her heart. Not long after, she had a dream that changed the course of her life. ..."--Back cover.