Messed Up Men Of The Bible

"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."--2 Corinthians 12:9 From schlubby sitcom heroes to mommy blogs to online articles, there is a broad cultural perception that men constantly mess up and women must fight an uphill battle to fix them. Men are a burden, constant works-in-progress, pushed toward perfection but always falling short. This book asks a revolutionary question: What if these messed-up men are actually a mighty tool for God? Tina and Dave Samples remind us that the Bible is filled with a cast of messed-up men—men who struggled and fell, and yet were used by God to accomplish His purposes. In fact, God has consistently chosen imperfect "clay pots" in which to place His light. David was a poor father. Peter had problems with integrity. Moses had anger issues, Gideon struggled with fear, and Elijah suffered from depression--the list goes on. Messed Up Men of the Bible offers encounters with these ancient men who faced the same emotions and questions that contemporary men face, in order to reveal fresh spiritual insights and hope for modern relationships. Through personal stories, practical advice, and useful exercises, Tina and Dave provide encouragement and hope for women dealing with the messed up men in their own lives.

Draws upon a wide range of historical sources to examine the factuality of the Old Testament, arguing that the Bible's stories are firmly based on fact and refuting evidence from modern scholars who claim otherwise.

Gather a study group and explore the entire Bible in one year Studying the Bible with others helps you open yourself up to greater meaning and reflection than studying alone. This small group workbook guides Christian men through the entire Bible every week for one year. Together, you'll explore prompts, questions, activities, and prayers that lead you from Genesis to Revelation. Written for men—Find thoughtfully curated discussion topics that focus on what it means to be a man of faith. Easy to manage—The readings are only a few pages long, paired with a schedule to fit every chapter of the Bible into 52 weeks. Opportunities to engage—Each week includes suggested passages to read, a short devotion, questions and exercises for the group, and a prayer to close each session. Get to know the Word in a new light and strengthen your relationship with Christ with this group Bible study for men.

Join Greg Laurie, pastor and bestselling author of Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon, as he takes you on a personal journey into the life and legend of Johnny Cash. At the peak of his career, Cash had done it all—living the ultimate rags-to-riches story of growing up on a cotton farm in the Deep South to becoming a Nashville and Hollywood sensation, singing alongside heroes like Elvis Presley and performing for several American presidents. But through all of this, Cash was troubled. By the time he released the iconic Man in Black album in 1971, the middle-aged icon was broken down, hollow-eyed, and wrung out. In his search for peace, Cash became embroiled in controversy. He was arrested five times in seven years. His drug- and alcohol-induced escapades led to car accidents and a forest fire that devastated 508 acres. His time was divided between Jesus and jail, gospel tunes and the “Cocaine Blues.” But by the end of his life, Cash was speaking openly about his “unshakeable faith.” What caused the superstar to turn from his conflicting passions to embrace a life in Christ? Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon dives deep into the singer’s inner demons, triumphs, and gradual return to faith. Laurie interviews Cash’s family, friends, and business associates to reveal how the singer’s true success came through finding the only Person whose star was bigger than his own.

Previously published: Sisters, Or.: Multnomah Publishers, c2000.

Completely Revised Second Edition with 23 new killings from the Apocrypha. Drunk With Blood includes a separate account for each of God's 158 killings. These stories fill the pages of the Bible, yet they are seldom read in church and are ignored by most Bible believers, which is a shame because God is so proud of his killings: "I kill ... I wound ... I will make mine arrows drunk with blood and my sword shall devour flesh." Deuteronomy 32:39-42 You've probably hear of a few of God's killings. Noah's Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, David and Goliath, maybe. But there are over 150 others that are unknown to pretty much everyone, believer and nonbeliever alike. Did you know, for example, that God: *Forced friends and family to kill each other for dancing naked around Aaron's golden calf? *Burned Aaron's sons to death for offering him strange fire? *Burned complainers to death, forced the survivors to eat quail until it literally came out their noses, sent "fiery serpents" to bite people for complaining about the lack of food and water, and killed 14,700 for complaining about his killings? *Buried alive those that opposed Moses (along with their families)? *Burned 250 men to death for burning incense? *Rewarded Phinehas for throwing a spear though the bellies of an inter-tribal couple while they were having sex? *Ordered, assisted in, or approved of dozens of complete genocides? *Accepted human sacrifice in the cases of Jephthah's daughter and Saul's seven sons? *Helped Samson murder thirty men for their clothes, slaughter 1000 with the jawbone of an ass, and kill 3000 civilians in a a suicide terrorist attack? *Smote the Philistines of several cities with hemorrhoids in their secret parts? *Killed a man for trying to keep the ark of the covenant from falling and 50,070 for looking into the ark? *Approved when David bought his first wife with 200 Philistine foreskins? *Killed King Saul for not killing every Amalekite as he told him to do? *Slowly killed a baby to punish King David for committing adultery? *Killed 70,000 because David had a census that he (or Satan) told him to do? *Sent a lion to kill a prophet for believing another prophet's lie, another lion to kill a man for not smiting a prophet, and some more lions to kill people that didn't fear him enough? *Killed 450 religious leaders who lost a prayer contest with Elijah and burned 102 men to death for asking Elijah to come down from his hill? *Sent two bears to rip apart 42 boys for making fun of Elisha's bald head? *Killed 27,000 Syrians by having a wall fall on them, sent an angel to kill 185,000 sleeping soldiers, interfered in human battles to kill a half million Israelite and a million Ethiopian soldiers? *Killed King Ahab for not killing a captured king, and then sent King Jehu on a series of mass murders to kill all of Ahab's family and friends who had ever "pissed against a wall?" *Killed Jehoram by making his bowels fall out? *Killed Job's ten children in a bet with Satan? *Killed Ezekiel's wife and told him not to mourn her? *Killed Ananias and Sapphira for not giving Peter all their money? *Killed King Herod by feeding him to worms? All of these killings, and more, are found in the Bible, and their stories are told in the 2nd Edition of Drunk With Blood.

If God were to write sixty-six books of various lengths and styles, and put them all together into one collection, what would He say to us? What information or content would He record? What would be the substance of His writings? Would He communicate an overall message through the multiple accounts? Would He write a story with a plot and an engaging conflict? Would the story have a heroic central character and a murderous, lying evil counterpart? Would there be a climactic scene, a surprise twist in the plot, a huge battle, and a "they all lived happily ever after" resolution at the end? Would we understand the big picture? What would be the sense of the collection of writings? Would the order of the books and letters give structure to the overall message and develop the composition? Would the placement of the books provide the timeline and assist in the continuity of the account? Would the order of the books indicate the progression of the events from beginning to end? What would be the significance of the sequence of the record? Within the pages of this book, one will find that God has written and ordered the Scriptures as a complete composition, a record from creation to eternal glory, a composition having substance, sense, and sequence.