Joyful Darkness

This book is about the Invisible apparent: its narratives investigating what it is to be alive with the concealed, i.e., its anchors, caresses, respect, stains, tests, threats and zaps entangling us in myriad ways.

Prepare for the coming of Christ with this popular and inviting annual guide. During the especially busy Advent and Christmas seasons, this book offers brief, down-to-earth reflections that bring prayer and Scripture into everyday life in a thought-provoking and lasting way. Through Mary DeTurris Poust’s reflections on lectionary readings from the weekday and Sunday Masses, readers will grow in their understanding of the word of God. This book will help busy people achieve their goal of enriching their prayer life during the seasons of Advent and Christmas.

When darkness suffocates, look for the light. Depression and suicide cases are rising at an alarming rate, with suicide being a leading cause of death in the United States. For Christians, particularly those in vocational ministry, the stigma surrounding mental illness and mental health often creates an atmosphere of secrecy where the enemy's lies reign. But when science and religion mingle in the recovery of a believer, not only are minds stabilized but true hope is found. Julie Busler understands the pain of mental illness and has learned that trials not only humanize us but increase our capacity to be used by God. In Joyful Sorrow, she invites us into her own journey where a mental breakdown took her from being a missionary to a suicidal patient in a Turkish psychiatric hospital. With vulnerability and grace, Julie walks us through how to find help and hope and demonstrates that even in the sorrow of mental illness, joy can coexist.

Do you get angry at your children easily? Do you often feel like giving up and throwing in the towel? You DO NOT have to feel or react like this anymore! It is difficult to watch your children do things "their way," especially when it looks like it is totally the opposite of God's way. You want to shout, "Stop!" because you clearly see the danger ahead. Mary Hudson shows you how as a parent you can look past your hurt and love your children despite their actions. "Joyful Parent = Happy Home" will encourage you to love your way into your kids' world. Loving your children unconditionally is the primary ingredient to becoming a Joyful Parent. Once you figure out what is stealing your joy, you have won half the battle. The enemy is the one that is stealing your JOY not your children. This is a spiritual battle. The enemy's most effective weapon is deception. And if you fall for his lie that your child is never going to change and will always live a certain way, you have been duped by one of the devil's oldest tricks. You will be surprised you will get a brand-new view of parenting when you appropriate a brand-new attitude toward your children. We have to encourage our children with a vision for their future, with the plans that the Lord has for them. We need to remind them that the world will use and abuse them, but God will never fail them. Start speaking life to your children no matter what they are up to or what they are up against. Then, you will start to see life arise in them!

Joyful Transformation is a message of meditation based on the Bible and written by one of the most important Christian writers of all time. A devotional message of faith and hope for you. Charles Haddon (CH) Spurgeon,19 June 1834 - 31 January 1892) was a British Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He was a strong figure in the Reformed Baptist , defending the Church in agreement with the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith understanding, and opposing the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies in the Church of his day. It is estimated that in his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to around 10,000,000 people,Spurgeon was the pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle) in London for 38 years. He was part of several controversies with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and later had to leave the denomination. In 1867, he started a charity organisation which is now called Spurgeon's and works globally. He also founded Spurgeon's College, which was named after him posthumously. Spurgeon was a prolific author of many types of works including sermons, an autobiography, commentaries, books on prayer, devotionals, magazines, poetry, hymns and more. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime. Spurgeon produced powerful sermons of penetrating thought and precise exposition. His oratory skills held his listeners spellbound in the Metropolitan Tabernacle and many Christians have discovered Spurgeon's messages to be among the best in Christian literature.

"Dad. I've got very, very, very bad news. Peter was killed tonight . . ." With that middle-of-the-night phone call, life for the Mayer family plunged from "best-ever year" to months and years of dealing with the oppressive presence of Peter's unending absence. A letter from his father to the freshly deceased Peter, intended for the memorial service, became the first in a torrent of letters from his dad to Peter, though which his dad poured out agonized and angry grief. In the letters, Peter's dad laments the way events otherwise beautiful for Peter's wife, five-year-old daughter, and the rest of the family are relentlessly punctuated with the pain of the loss. "Dammit, Peter, why didn't you . . .?" Ultimately, slowly, the letters begin to reflect on the strange mystery of healing. How is it that in spite of the pain, in spite of the unending loss, comfort does come, opening the way once again for unbelievably deep joy? "It was all so rich and beautiful that with a certain private touch, and exchange of glance, your mom and I signaled an agreement . . . slipped to our cave . . . with playful freedom and deep gratitude." So for Peter's dad, the confirmation of the odd observation from Jesus: "How blessed are those who grieve!"

In a world where advertisements lead us to hope for a life free from suffering, facing the reality of suffering can be a particular challenge. Yet the reality of suffering is one that we all face in the course of our lives. While Christianity often has the reputation of a tradition that promotes the idea that all suffering is good for you and makes you a better person, there is, in fact, much more variety and nuance to the tradition. While there are those who advocate a wholesale acceptance, there are others who question the source of suffering and call for it to be fought against. This book delves into the world of five theologians--Gregory the Great, Julian of Norwich, Jeremy Taylor, C. S. Lewis and Ivone Gebara--to understand their perspectives and draw on their approaches as a way of understanding what Christian responses to suffering look like. This book constructs a contemporary theology that affirms the importance of the call to combat unjust suffering through acts of love and mercy, while also affirming that acceptance of the reality of endemic suffering, found in all five theologians, can provide us with opportunities to grow spiritually, live more faithfully and to experience the blessings in the midst of suffering that are a foretaste of heavenly bliss.