Bible readings, reflections and worship resources from Iona Community members and associates - Helen Boothroyd, Ruth Burgess, David Coleman and Zam Walker, John Davies, Leith Fisher, Ian M Fraser, Kathy Galloway, Tom Gordon, John Harvey, Peter Millar, Jan Sutch Pickard, Norman Shanks, Thom Shuman, Alison Swinfen, Brian Woodcock. May this book be a friend through the joy and euphoria of Christmas and New Year, and may it feed you, challenge you, in the in-between times. There are good-hearted, human companions here for our journey through this bewildering and beautiful world.

What do the fields, rivers, and streams that provide food have to do with the God who created them? How do we become at home in this world where so many hunger for food, for companionship, or for the presence of God? "Scripture is also a feast." As an invitation to feast at the table of God's word, The Hunger for Home explores the deepest human longings for home through the simple ingredients of bread, water, wine, and stories. Matthew Croasmun and Miroslav Volf read the meals of the Gospel of Luke as stories of God eating with God's people. By making a common home with us in this way, God turns all our meals into invitations to eat in God's home-a home with a seat open for all who are willing. No longer is bread simply fuel for getting through the day, but also a call to be present to the agricultural workers, grocers, chefs, friends, and strangers with whom food connects us: everyone God is calling to the banquet. As Croasmun and Volf show, Luke gives us an image of creation at home by bringing God into the home, as it was always meant to be.

What if we lived in a world of abundance? In the Beatitudes, Jesus offers nine sayings that move us beyond our first instincts and instead embrace the deeper reality of the kingdom of God. They name the illusions and false beliefs that have kept us chained and imprisoned. We've learned to live from a mentality of anxiety and greed, but what if a world of abundance with solace and comfort are actually near? We've learned to live by striving, competition, and comparison, but what if we all have equal dignity and worth? Mark Scandrette shows how the Beatitudes invite us into nine new postures for life. Instead of living in fear, we can choose radical love. It's often assumed that the good life is only for the most wealthy, attractive, and powerful. Poor, sad, and suffering people are left out. But the ninefold path of the Beatitudes is for everyone. Whatever your story, whatever your struggle, wherever you find yourself, this way is available to you.

Experience the love of Christ in a new light this Lenten season and renew your heart for the resurrection with the help of America's favorite devotional, Daily Guideposts. In just five minutes each day, these devotions will invite you to enjoy a timeless Bible verse, a personal story, and a prayer to help you apply the day's message as you prepare your heart for Easter. For the six weeks of Lent, you will take a closer look at Jesus's life, death, burial, and resurrection, learning valuable lessons about: The gift of new life Truly letting go Looking for signs of hope Come with Karen Barber as she learns about the days leading up to Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection. Instead of giving something up, learn a new spiritual practice with Erin MacPherson, who observes Lent by giving something away. With Eric Fellman, meet biblical men and women--believers and seekers just like us--who were touched and changed by Jesus. Travel with Roberta Rogers as she follows Jesus through the streets of first-century Jerusalem in search of faith and hope for our lives today. Join the community of over a million Daily Guideposts readers on this remarkable and deeply personal spiritual journey, allowing you to grow closer to God and hold on to hope, never losing sight of the spring that is coming.

This book offers an exploratory approach that enables students to engage with the text for themselves, and not simply to be passive learners. It offers activities and challenges at introductory and intermediate levels, key background information needed to work at the required level, and ideas for further theological thought and reading. Students will discover the major themes and theology of the Pentateuch, the purpose and structure of the texts, the major scholarly questions concerning the texts and how it can be seen as relevant today.

The Christian Prayer has hours of morning prayers, daytime prayers, evening prayers, nightime prayers, and office of readings.

The latest in the popular Keswick Ministries devotional series: 30 days of readings

Can we be sure of God? Do we trust his purposes and promises? Biblical confidence doesn't mean we won't ever shed tears or have doubts. It certainly doesn't mean that we'll grow in popularity or assertiveness. But it does mean that we can trust God's character and his Word. Trusted Bible teachers Alistair Begg, Steve Brady, Raymond Brown, Andrew Dow, Jonathan Lamb, Alex Motyer, Hugh Palmer, Vaughan Roberts and Keith Weston unpack this theme. See that God is who he says he is, and that what he says, he means, even on our darkest days. So, even when we suffer, or our prayers appear unanswered, or it feels like God isn't in control, we can still trust him. Our confidence is rock solid, whatever life throws at us.

Lent is traditionally a time of repentance and penitence but it also offers an opportunity to see the world afresh, with a new sense of wonder. These readings, up to Easter and beyond, encourage us not only to regard ourselves with a healthy realism and accept responsibility for our shortcomings, but also to recognise the nature and purposes of God and the never-ending renewal of possibility, both within ourselves and in the world.

After an unforgettable three years, the charismatic teacher who called you and your brother James to follow him says, 'Right, let's go to Jerusalem' It's thrilling to be setting out on the next stage of the adventure. But life in the company of Jesus is not for the faint-hearted. Certainly there's fun, as lark about with the other young disciples. But it's pretty edgy too, not knowing who is going to turn up next and what might be expected of you. And as the days pass by, the huge demands on Jesus as he heals and teaches invoke both a strange tenderness, and a growing dread of why exactly you are journeying to the holy city . . . Looking through the eyes of the disciple John, The Journey follows Luke's chronology from Luke 9.51, as Jesus 'set his face to go to Jerusalem' Absorbing, exuberant and affective, it offers daily (weekday) readings for Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday, with a poem for each Saturday. It is suitable to use individually or in groups.

This Vision book for youth 9 - 15 years old tells the thrilling story of one of America's greatest missionaries who came down from Canada with explorer Louis Joliet to explore the mighty Mississippi River, the "great river" bordered by Indian tribes who killed white men on sight. Of the few who had dared explore this immense waterway, none had lived to return and report where it emptied. If he could travel to the mouth of the "great river," Fr. Marquette hoped to obtain new lands for France and new souls for Jesus Christ. He braved the dangers of tomahawks and tortures to bring the Word of God to the Indians of the New World. Rapids, floods, Indian superstitions, tribal warfare - these are only a few of the obstacles Father Marquette and Louis Joliet encountered in trying to meet their challenge. Illustrated.

Following Christ is a dynamic venture in faith. God may call his people to step into the unknown, but he travels with them on their way. This collection of daily readings, activities and prayers provides a valuable resource for the journey. Nick Aiken highlights the discoveries and liberating truths which await the traveller. Here are the essentials for survival: learning to let go, how to be spiritually equipped, how to deal with the excess baggage we carry, and how we can embrace our ultimate destination - the place where God's love enfolds and fulfils us. As we move on towards a glorious future, we can also experience God's presence in the strains and stresses of everyday life. Deeply practical and profound, this guidebook addresses the needs of both seasoned Christians and new disciples who have just started out on their journey with Jesus.

Stephen Ahearne-Kroll examines the literary interaction between the Gospel of Mark's passion narrative and four Psalms of Individual Lament evoked in it. These four psalms depict a David who challenges God's role in his suffering, who searches for understanding of his suffering in light of his past relationship with God, and who attempts to shame God into acting on his behalf only because he is suffering. Mark alludes to these psalms in reference to Jesus; David's concerns become woven into the depiction of Jesus. Reading David's challenge to God as part of Jesus' going 'as it is written of him' (i.e., suffering and dying according to Scripture; Mark 14:21) calls into question the necessity for Jesus' death within an apocalyptic framework of meaning. Finally, the suffering King David offers a more appropriate model for Jesus' suffering in Mark than that of the servant from Deutero-Isaiah.

This multifaceted volume artfully blends the functions of an introduction and a commentary. Without overwhelming the student with details, it discusses a wide range of issues that are important for the interpretation of Isaiah. The book consists of three parts. In the first part, Herbert Wolf discusses the more traditional introductory questions: the world of Isaiah, the theories of multiple authorship, the structure of Isaiah, and Isaiah's poetry. The second part is a detailed paragraph-by-paragraph analysis of the prophecy itself. The last part of the book discusses Isaiah's christological and eschatological emphases. Detailed footnotes and an extensive bibliography facilitate further study.

"May this unique chronological panorama of God's interaction with mankind inform, inspire, and draw you higher." -F. LaGard Smith When you want to go deeper in your chronological study of Scripture, these 365 original readings will enrich and expand your time in the Word. Each devotion goes beyond the narrative contents of The Daily Bible (R) to more clearly illuminate the practical truths, faith foundations, and biblical promises found in each day's passage. As you journey through The Daily Bible (R) Experience, you will better understand how to... follow God's call in every aspect of your life embrace His certainty in times of trial and hardship feel the momentum and might of God's sublime love and mercy This collection of thoughtful devotions can be used alongside TheDaily Bible (R) or by itself, and includes space for you to journal your own reflections. The Daily Bible (R) Experience will help you meditate on the mystery and power of faith, and provide a year of encouragement, strength, and inspiration that will have you seeking God with ever more reverence and wonder.

Lent is not about giving up or taking up, but a radical opening up: the opening up of our lives to God's transformative kingdom. That is the challenge Trystan Owain Hughes sets in Opening Our Lives. Through practical daily devotions he calls on us to open our eyes to God's presence, our ears to his call, our hearts to his love, our ways to his will, our actions to his compassion and our pain to his peace.

Packed with resonant and thoughtful reflections, chosen as indispensable signposts for all who wish to make the best possible progress on life's journey. Offering inspiration for any situation you might face, Bible Verses to Lift the Soul is the perfect easy-to-use life companion, full of invaluable insights to steer you through your days and weeks. Reflection helps us to become more self-aware, and guided journaling is a great tool to enhance our everyday self-reflective practice. The Bible offers timeless wisdom - the 52 verses with accompanying prompts in this journal have been carefully selected to help you navigate life's challenges. Let faith, strength, love and truth guide you to greater peace.

Does the Old Testament have an optimistic outlook for the people of God, ancient Israel, or is it pessimistic? The strands of optimism and pessimism seem to be juxtaposed throughout. In this study of Deuteronomy, a lynchpin book within the Old Testament, the so-called tensions between optimism and pessimism are shown to cohere theologically. Despite the faithlessness of Israel, Yahweh's faithfulness to his promises results in the triumph of grace. This book is a textual and theological analysis of the interaction between the sin and faithlessness of Israel and the grace of Yahweh in response, looking especially at Deuteronomy chapters 1-3, 8-10, and 29-30. The author argues that the grace of Yahweh is determinative for the ongoing relationship between Yahweh and Israel and that Deuteronomy anticipates and fully expects Israel to be faithless.

Since the time of the Reformation, considerable attention has been given to the theme of justification in the thought of the apostle Paul. The ground breaking work of E. P. Sanders in 'Paul and Palestinian Judaism' (1977) introduced the 'new perspective on Paul', provoking an ongoing debate which is now dominated by major protagonists. Foundational theological issues are at stake. In this new study, Mark Seifrid offers a comprehensive analysis of Paul's understanding of justification, in the light of important themes including the righteousness of God, the Old Testament law, faith and the destiny of Israel. A detailed examination of the theme in the epistle to the Romans is followed by a survey of the entire Pauline corpus. The analysis incorporates a critical assessment of the 'new perspective', challenging its most basic assumptions; an evaluation of the contribution of recent German scholarship; and a reaffirmation of the 'Christ-centred' theology of the Reformers. In this wide-ranging exposition of the biblical message of justification, Dr Seifrid provides a fresh, balanced reworking of Pauline theology.