It S A Matter Of Faith

Does it seem to you that some Christians seem to get all the breaks and things seem to always go their way? Have you wondered why this happens to them and not you? This book explains how one person has gotten God's attention and favor in her life and how you can get it, too. Learn how she stood in faith when everything around her looked totally impossible. See how God miraculously saved a home from foreclosure just in the nick of time. Read about the two-year journey of believing for a car that was provided the day before it was desperately needed. There are examples to follow throughout God's Word. Find out how Abraham, Noah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and others received favor from God just by believing what God told them was the absolute truth and standing on His promises. Learn how to truly grow in faith and favor by following those examples. Philippians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." You can experience the power of prayers prayed in faith, believing and see the miraculous happen in your life. God does not exclude people. If He does it for one person, He'll do it for you.

This book, one of a three-part series, is a narrative reflection on Dr. Martin Luther's Small Catechism. Its uses are many: - A companion guide for catechism classes. - A manual for new adult member classes. - A preaching resource. - Inspirational reading for those who want to know more about the faith-life of a Christian. The book began as a video series broadcast on the Michigan City, Indiana, cable system. The series was also used in the catechetical instruction of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Michigan City, where Dr. Albertin is a pastor. David M. Albertin has for over a quarter of a century been a Lutheran pastor in addition to being a psychiatric counselor and college professor. He is a graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary (M.Div.), St. Louis, Missouri, and the State University of New York at Buffalo (Ph.D.). Throughout his ministry he has been active in radio and television and has served the church at large in the area of communications. He is a native of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, and currently resides in Michigan City, Indiana.

Designed for those who wish to review their faith and life, each chapter, in this series can serve as Catechism companions/supplements, personal devotional material, or as curriculum for a study class. Questions and thought-provokers included with each chapter work well for private reflection or group discussion.

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.

From the author of the acclaimed Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope comes a book that addresses the question that has plagued humans for centuries—what is our purpose? As Christians, what are we to do with that ambiguous time between baptism and the funeral? It's easy to become preoccupied with who gets into heaven; the real challenge is how we are going to live in the here and now. Wright dispels the common misconception that Christian living is nothing more than a checklist of dos and don'ts. Nor is it a prescription to "follow your heart" wherever it may lead. Instead, After You Believe reveals the Bible's call for a revolution—a transformation of character that takes us beyond our earthly pursuit of money, sex, and power into a virtuous state of living that allows us to reflect God and live more worshipful, fulfilling lives. We are all spiritual seekers, intuitively knowing there is more to life than we suspect. This is a book for anyone who is hoping there is something more while we're here on Earth. There is. We are being called to join the revolution, and Wright insightfully encourages readers to find new purpose and clarity by taking us on an eye-opening journey through key biblical passages that promise to radically alter the work of the church and the direction of our lives.

From the author of Catching Genius, a novel of a young man's search for faith-and its unintended consequences. At age twelve, Marshall Tobias saw his best friend killed by a train. It was then that he began his search for faith-delving into one tradition, then discarding it for another. His parents, however, have little time for spiritual contemplation. Their focus has been on his little sister Megan, who suffers from severe food allergies. Now Marshall is home from college with his first real girlfriend, but there is more to Ada than meets the eye-including her beliefs about the evils of medical intervention. What follows is a crisis that tests not only faith, but the limits of family, forgiveness, and our need to believe.