Jesus May Color Outside The Lines I Love A Good Mystery And Other Writings

With titles like Jesus Is Not Running a Carnival, Things God Wouldnt Say, Cloning the Savior?, On a Train Bound for Nowhere, Re-Examining Maslow, Not On Public Land, and forty-four more discussions, these pieces are sure to engage and sometimes amuse the reader while fortifying a faith based upon Gods Word.

The young ox was feeling more confident that, though he was not big and strong yet, he someday would be. Suddenly a deer was on the path, leaping out from nearby woods. The young ox said, “I see you are made to be graceful and fast—much faster than I am. I’m not made to be fast, but I’m supposed to be big and strong. Do I look strong to you?”

Twelve-year old Jennie lives on a farm. When she receives a compact digital camera for her birthday, she is eager to take pictures--but what should she take pictures of? Her father suggests she could make her own counting book, finding things around the farm. Her grandfather is happy to go with her, finding good pictures and teaching Jennie how to zoom, how to see if she got good pictures, and how to plan a good picture. When Jennie is at a loss to know what might be "Number 10," she gets a great idea. Along the way, Jennie learns how some wonderful pictures are discovered, and some are designed, and she develops a "good eye" for what makes a good picture.

Joseph was a carpenter. In this story, as Joseph has to take Mary with him to Bethlehem, he asks himself “What kind of carpenter would let his wife, about to have a baby, balance on a donkey for four days’ journey?” The traditional Christmas image has Mary riding a donkey the 70-plus miles to Bethlehem. The Gospel accounts don’t tell us. The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem would take three days, maybe part of a fourth, and when they arrive they find “no room in the inn.” Settling in a stable, Mary gives birth to Jesus, probably very soon. This would indicate she was a few days from delivery when they left Nazareth—all the more reason not to have her perched on a donkey. This story has Joseph the carpenter doing the right thing.

Through every turn of the biblical story, God's people are a wandering people. When they are rescued from slavery in Egypt, God sends them into the desert, where they wander for a generation. Jesus and his disciples wander from town to town. In fact, some of God's most important truths are imparted to people with dusty feet as they travel on the road. With his trademark thoughtful introspection, A. J. Swoboda boldly suggests that wandering is not an absence of faith but a central component of faith. In The Dusty Ones, he leads the restless, the frustrated, and the curious on a spiritual journey to uncover the answers to questions like - Do I wander because I'm failing or because God has left me? - Is the desert something I can overcome? - Why is God sometimes "hidden" in the Bible? - What do I do when the end seems nowhere in sight? This compassionate and contemplative book offers hope and peace to Christians and seekers alike as they make their way down the winding road of faith.

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.

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

Christianity Today Award of Merit in Spiritual Formation "Now, with God's help, I shall become myself." These words from Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard resonate deeply with Marlena Graves, a Puerto Rican writer, professor, and activist. In these pages she describes the process of emptying herself that allows her to move upward toward God and become the true self that God calls her to. Drawing on the rich traditions of Eastern and Western Christian saints, she shares stories and insights that have enlivened her transformation. For Marlena, formation and justice always intertwine on the path to a balanced life of both action and contemplation. If you long for more of God, this book offers a time-honored path to deeper life.