God Laughs 42 More Surprising Facts About God That Will Change Your Life

Did you know that God sings? There are many things God does that you may not have thought about ever before - and the more we know, the better we can respond to Him. God sees. God winks. God hears. He cries, He waits and He runs. He is jealous and gets angry. He smiles, frowns and laughs! Reflecting on the attributes and activities of God is the best way to become like Him. In God Laughs, Elmer Towns and Charles Billingsley invite the reader to deeply consider God's character and qualities. They contend that it's only as we get to know Him that we can become more like Him, and it's only when we glimpse God for who He is that we can worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Readers are challenged to dig deeply into Scripture, where God reveals that He has a heart?.?.?. and a nose?.?.?. and that He whistles!

Did you know that God sings? There are many things God does that you may not have thought about ever before--and the more we know, the better we can respond to Him. God sees. God winks. God hears. He cries, He waits, and He runs. He is jealous and gets angry. He smiles, frowns, and laughs! Reflecting on the attributes and activities of God is the best way to become like Him. In God Laughs, Elmer Towns and Charles Billingsley invite the reader to deeply consider God's character and qualities. They contend that it's only as we get to know Him that we can become more like Him, and it's only when we glimpse God for who He is that we can worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Readers are challenged to dig deeply into Scripture, where God reveals that He has a heart . . . and a nose . . . and that He whistles!

Vital, Practical Teaching on Biblical, Effective Fasting from the Topic's Leading Author Fasting is one of the most misunderstood spiritual disciplines in the church today. And in a society where we want for nothing, abstaining from something we want carries little appeal. Yet fasting isn't about lack--it's about drawing closer to God and resting in his abundance. In this essential, foundational handbook to biblical fasting, Elmer L. Towns, one of the leading authors on the topic, will help you discover the amazing spiritual benefits of prayer and fasting. Not only does he lay out a biblical overview, but he also gives you a practical, easy-to-implement plan and answers your questions about this spiritual discipline. But more importantly, you will encounter a powerful new way to experience God's presence, to listen to him, to worship, and to pray more deeply.

This Time-Tested Book Will Strengthen Your Faith, Drawing You Closer to God This comprehensive book is for you if you seek a closer walk with God, whether you wonder how to fast or you've been practicing this spiritual discipline for years. As you learn the clear biblical reasons for fasting, you'll also be introduced to nine biblical fasts that God can use for specific physical and spiritual outcomes. These include · The Disciple's Fast--to free yourself and others from addictions to sin · The Ezra Fast--to solve problems, inviting the Holy Spirit's aid · The Saint Paul Fast--to bring clearer perspective and insight in critical decision-making · The Daniel Fast--to gain a healthier life or healing Each fast includes its purpose and biblical basis, why or when to practice this fast, and a practical step-by-step guide as you prepare for it. Now included in the book are new stories from people who have found spiritual breakthroughs in fasting, study questions for individuals or groups, biblical references to fasting, a fasting glossary, and more.

The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.