The Alabaster Box

The Alabaster Box is not a devotional book containing a series of entries designed to inspire the Christian reader with an uplift ing story or thought for the day. It is, as the subtitle suggests, a years worth of worship activities; the implementation of which will require some intensive mental exercise. It is not the book for those wanting a feel-good read. Nor is it for those unwilling or not yet ready to accept a challenge to their typical weekly worship experience. The Alabaster Box is a guidebook for the followers of Christ who long to take their worship of Him to a deeper place than they have ever gone. The objective is that at the end of the years adventures, the reader emerges forever changed. The aroma of the perfume could not be recaptured and returned to the alabaster box broken by the devotee of Jesus day once it had been released. In the same way, no disciple who worships Him today in an extraordinary manner should ever be content to offer anything less thereafter. Nor should he or she be able to view certain aspects of the Christian experience in a simplistic manner after having viewed them through the broken pieces of the alabaster box. All of the followers of Christ need help with their worship and daily walk with Him. Marla Cross provided a tool with this worship guide for each week of the year to assist us with this challenge. She is a creative person and writer who is using these God-given gifts for His glory. Dr. Paul Dixon Chancellor, Cedarville University

A banqueting feast inviting the reader to partake of the Lavish Grace of God, unveiling truth in such a way as to draw the reader on a journey of discovery and encounters of the extravagance of God's Love and eternal plan for them and releasing them through revelation from the treadmill of performance Christianity. Scripture passages are examined to open eyes to the radical pure Gospel of grace, to convey the contrast between religion and grace, to impart understanding regarding the issue of sin, to reveal the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, and to present the unconditional heart of love that God has towards each of us. May you experience joyful ecstasy and indescribable rest as you behold the Master, Jesus, in the light of His glory and grace!

Who are you? Where did you come from? How did you get to where you are today? What's your story? Everybody has a story, whether one is a policeman, a CEO, a bagger in a grocery store, or a murderer, he/she has a story. However, the stories of the back stabbings, the cheating, the sacrifices, the cruelties, the lies, the hard work and the good deeds that result in the person one becomes are more than likely never revealed to his/her closest ally. The patients in Cassom's Asylum for the Criminally Insane have stories too. They are criminals. They are insane. What's their story?

GLAM

Tanita Washington is BREAKING THE ALABASTER BOX and releasing everything within, because EVERYTHING MUST GO TO BE NAKED & UNASHAMED! Clothed with failures, insecurities, selfishness, mistakes, mistrusts, depressions, stressors, unholiness, unkindness, unworthiness etc. she realized that the clothes she put on no longer fit or had any meaning. She was broken and in her brokenness she found the most expensive thing she had to offer was to be poured on Jesus for Him to wear in order for her to be free! Once she realized her worth she gently started looking at how God had already designed her to unclothe so she could display who she truly was. By exposing her story others will be able to see they are not alone and it is okay to be broken, let go and be unashamed.

My Alabaster Box . . . Poetry, Prose, and Prayer is the compilation of life experiences written in verse and expounded upon through scripture, enlightened by Holy Spirit wisdom, and sealed with heartfelt prayers. Filtering life through the Christian worldview is demonstrated in the pages of My Alabaster Box. Both new believers, mature followers of Christ, and pre-Christians will find words of encouragement and direction. The author takes identifiable daily struggles and crafts a verse that expresses the emotion of the struggle, the joy of the understanding, or the pain of the loss in rhythm and rhyme that resonates with the soul. A gift from the Lord, the ability to connect heartfelt realities with pen and ink brings awareness to the reader that there is a higher power guiding our lives and that loves us all unconditionally. My Alabaster Box . . . was named from the account of the woman in the Bible who anointed the feet of Jesus with her own precious perfume. Before the sweet aroma was released throughout the house, however, she had to break the alabaster box that contained her life's savings. She held nothing back, even though the breaking of the bottle of oil made her vulnerable to people's reproach. Her response has taught us that in the presence of divinity passion preempts propriety. It is in the same vein of the broken vial that the author offers her own life experiences in verse as an oil of anointing poured out. May the worshipful words, not withheld, bring a wellspring of well-being to all who would venture within. Amen.

Every church ministry is driven by something. In this lively and refreshing book, Pedro Patrick unfurls the profound beauty of unction and shows that the Bible brightens everything. Anointing is the driving force behind all successful ministries. The pages of this book discuss this subject and boldly explain why the Christian world is not enjoying the anointing. Break the Alabaster Box stresses the missing nectar of life--the Holy Spirit--in our personal lives. The author teaches of unction with all force and clarity. Pedro Patrick offers to the hearts of readers an explanation of what unction is all about. The unction that he receives provides the framework for the action of this book. He points out that anointing is a part of our Christian spiritual character; without it, no one can be equipped to take action against demons in the same way that Jesus himself did. Deliverance from evil spirits is the one evidence that shows the world that the kingdom of God has come, and anointing seals that evidence.