Limping but blessed by Jason Jones
After the unexpected, accidental death of his three-year-old son, Jason Jones went on a long, painful journey to make sense of how God could have let this happen to his son and best friend, Jacob, and to their family. And he struggled intensely with his faith after everything he thought about God disintegrated on June 12, 2011.
In Limping But Blessed, Jones explores struggling with faith and belief, dealing with his depression and grief, and searching for hope in a hopeless situation. The book includes tales of his darkest days, correspondence he had with Christian theologians, and what he's done to preserve his son's legacy.
At some point in each of our lives, something goes terribly wrong, and our faith is shaken to the core. This book is the story of one man's journey through the darkest time of life searching for answers and a grueling attempt to find a sliver of hope to keep holding on.
FIERCE: Women of the Bible by Alice Connor
Women in the Bible aren't shy or retiring; they're fierce and funny and demanding and relevant to 21st-century people.
Women in the Bible—some of their names we know, others we've only heard, and others are tragically unnamed.
Pastor and provocateur Alice Connor introduces these women and invites us to see them not as players in a man's story—as victims or tempters—nor as morality archetypes, teaching us to be better wives and mothers, but as fierce foremothers of the faith.
These women's stories are messy, challenging, and beautiful. When we read their stories, we can see not only their particular, fearsome lives but also our own.
Homebrewed Christianity: Everything you need to know about God the Almighty by Eric Hall
Is God the First Cause? The Unmoved Mover? Mr. Miyagi? In this latest installment of the Homebrewed Christianity series, edited by Tripp Fuller, Eric E. Hall approaches the question of God from various perspectives, including philosophy, personal revelation, Christian tradition, and other religions.
The classical conception of God is like the famously stoic-yet-lethal character in the Karate Kid. Competing versions of God include Your Hippie Aunt, St. Joan of Arc, and even the muscle-headed goons from Jersey Shore. Hall uses each of these analogies to elucidate a version of God that has held sway at one point or another. For each, he shows strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons.
After proposing this nouveau"pantheon, Hall takes on atheism, religion versus science, and popular images of Jesus. At the end of this romp through history and pop culture, Hall argues that the God you need may be the very God you rejected years ago.
Preaching from Home: The Stories of Seven Lutheran Women Hymn Writers by Gracia Grindal
This volume by Gracia Grindal introduces English-speaking readers to several significant yet unsung Lutheran women hymn writers from the sixteenth century to the present. After a brief introductory discussion of Elisabeth Cruciger, the first woman hymn writer of the Reformation, Grindal provides fascinating profiles of these talented Scandinavian women who "preached from home": Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Birgitte Hertz Boye, Berthe Canutte Aarflot, Lina Sandell, Britt G. Hallqvist, and Lisbeth Smedegaard Andersen.
Grindal not only gives a biographical account of each woman — her life, her piety, her times — but also offers sparkling new English translations of each writer's key hymns. In the last chapter Grindal recounts her own inspiring journey as a Lutheran woman hymn writer. Her Preaching from Home will open the door to a world previously unknown to most North Americans.
A Formula for Parish Practice: Using the Formula of Concord in Congregations by Timothy J. Wengert
This book combines a rich description of the (Lutheran) Formula of Concord (1577) with experiences in today's Lutheran parishes to demonstrate how confessional texts may still come to life in modern Christian congregations. Timothy Wengert takes the Formula of Concord, traditionally used as ammunition in doctrinal disagreements, back to its historical home, the local congregation, giving pastors, students, and theologians a glimpse into the original debates over each article.
The most up-to-date English commentary on the Formula of Concord, A Formula for Parish Practiceprovides helpful, concise descriptions of key theological debates and a unique weaving of historical and textual commentary with modern Lutheran experience. Covering the entire Formula of Concord the book includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter.
Augsburg Adult Bible Study Series
Augsburg Adult Bible Study is a year-round Bible study that is released quarterly and is based on a six-year cycle as found in the International Uniform Lesson Series (National Council of Churches). Written by an array of accomplished theologians, this series provides terrific insights into scripture through questions, prayer, suggested memorization, and daily readings.
Each session:
- Explores the meaning of the text for the original writer and audience, and for today
- Includes a list of related texts for daily Bible reading
- Provides extensive background on each text and recommendations for leading the sessions
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