Your God Is Too Somber

Your God is too somber if your posture before him lacks a spirit of joy and a commitment to rejoice as much as possible. While life has its sadness and tragedy, the good news of Jesus Christ is that God’s kingdom has won; and the suffering we face for a time is shorter compared with the endless delight that God promises. So, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Your God is too somber if you embrace a theology of tears, rather than a theology of laughter. Of course, salvation and Christ’s sacrifice are serious business, and we should engage in moments of penitential reflection, confession, and atonement. But all of this so we can shake off the shackles of our shortcomings and celebrate God fully and joyfully. Your God is too somber if you fail to see the humor in the Bible: the calls to joy, paradox, irony, burlesque, play, and wordplay. God laughs, sometimes with us, sometimes at us, and Jesus’s humor is evident in parables and sayings, with the goal of teaching us the truth. Is your God too somber? This book aims to help you answer that question.

Do you worship the God of the Bible, or a fictional character? This book will bring us back to the God of the Bible. Not the God we like or the way we wish He were, but the very God of the Bible—unembellished, unvarnished—as He really is. This does not mean we will like Him. Many times we are embarrassed by the God of the Bible, especially the God of the Old Testament. We are even embarrassed by the teachings of Jesus when it comes to His being the only way to be saved, as well as God’s right to judge and reward or condemn. We attempt to manage God’s PR and fix His image in the modern world. We are tempted to modify and mold God into what we want Him to be—what we think He should be. Instead we should be finding out where God is and meet Him there, even if that takes us out of our comfort zones. This book will challenge you to give up your conception of what you would like God to be and come to know Him as He really is. Other Books by R.T. Kendall: Word and Spirit (2019) ISBN-13:978-1629996493 Total Forgiveness (2010) ISBN-13: 978-1599791760 Whatever Happened to the Gospel? (2018) ISBN-13: 978-1629994710 Popular in Heaven Famous in Hell (2018) ISBN-13: 978-1629995519 The Presence of God (2017) ISBN-13: 978-1629991573 Holy Fire (2014) ISBN-13: 978-1621366041

Addressing a variety of views on hell, the Bible, and the character of God, offers an eloquent response to the recent media storm surrounding questions of eternal destiny.

Popular children's author Karyn Henley, author of The Beginner's Bible, has created a unique tool to help children establish Bible-reading habits for a lifetime—with an investment of just seven minutes per day. In this revised version of God's Story, daily Bible readings lead readers ages seven and up through the Scriptures in just one year. The Day by Day Kid's Bible bridges the gap between a Bible storybook and a full-text Bible since the Scriptures are simplified for young readers. New features include dated Bible readings for every day of the year, two-color interior, and full-color pictorial time line of events.

Here's a thoughtful, probing exploration of why Christians get stuck in the place of complacency, dryness, and tedium -- and how to move on to new levels of spiritual passion! Buchanan shows how the majority of Christians begin their spiritual journey with excitement and enthusiasm -- only to get bogged down in a "borderland" -- an in-between space beyond the "old life" but short of the abundant, adventurous existence promised by Jesus. Citing Jonah, he examines the problem of "borderland living" -- where doubt, disappointment, guilt, and wonderlessness keep people in a quagmire of mediocrity -- then offers solutions ... effective ways to get unstuck and move into a bold, unpredictable, exhilarating walk with Christ. Inspired writing!

In search of a way to worship that is relevant today and into the twenty-first century, Moeller proposes an approach based on the "great commandment" to love God and one's neighbor as oneself. With special attention to the time, space, sounds, sights, touches, and symbols that form the context of every worship service, she argues for a collaborative approach to the worship service in which the participants are involved from preparation to celebration. Illustrating this highly evocative, thoroughly feminist theology of worship is a sample service that pays particular attention to how the process and design of worship impact the experience of the worshipers.

365 Days of Undaunted, Unstoppable Living You don’t have to be a superhero to change the world. You just have to listen for God calling your name. Drawing from her bestselling book Undaunted as well as several of her other inspirational writings, author and advocate Christine Caine presents 365 thought-provoking devotionals that will inspire you to overcome your life circumstances, create change, and bring the hope of Christ to a dark and troubled world. Each daily reading offers the wisdom, encouragement, and companionship you need to begin your own mission of adventure. Even if, like Christine, you began your story unnamed, unwanted, and unqualified, you can be fueled by an unstoppable faith and filled with Christ’s relentless love and courage. The world is waiting. Do you hear God calling your name?