In this unique collection of daily meditations, theologian and psychologist Rev Dr Simon Gibson brings together spiritual wisdom and psychological insight to create a powerful resource for living life to the full and making every day count!

Life is a hot mess. There's the bedlam of getting out the door in the morning. The constant breaking down of our homes and bodies and the cars we drive. And the institutions that promise to help are often no better. We are surrounded by the constant disorder of governments and disappointed by "organized" religion, the very entities that tell us they can provide us sanity and security. Instead, they leave us scratching our heads or licking our wounds. Chaos surrounds us, and at times, it seems to rule our souls, our families, and our world. But does chaos always end in failure or flaw? What if chaos was more than the check engine light of lost causes? What if chaos was the raw material out of which God creates? In the beginning God brought order from chaos, filling the chaos with a beautiful creation, and he's been doing it ever since. Where you and I may experience confusion and disorder, God sees an opportunity for something new--for a rebirth, a renewal, and a renovation. God did this in the beginning, he did it again at the cross, and with renewed vision for our disordered world today, we look to God to do it again. Inspired by the powerful picture of creation in Genesis 1:2, author Jessica LaGrone challenges the hope-destroying belief that God has abandoned us in our broken relationships, our pain, and our grief. In the midst of our out-of-control lives, God is there, and he specializes in making new things from the chaos threatens to drown us. When we experience chaos in our own lives and everything feels like it is falling apart, God is just getting started. When the Spirit of God hovers, chaos can give birth to hope.

In this commentary, Broadhead explores the Gospel of Mark for literary designs which might guide modern readers. He gives special attention to structure, strategy, significance and the appropriation of meaning, and his analysis shows the Gospel as a sequential account which employs a strategy of reciprocity among its episodes. Clear signs are created within this Gospel, the meaning of which is negotiated by the first readers in the aftermath of the Temple's fall. Modern readers are encouraged to connect these signs to their own world and to initiate a new performance of this Gospel.

Professor Rofe seeks to clarify the contents and unity of each section of Deuteronomy, its literary history, the origin of the single laws and their relation to other kindred laws in other documents of the Pentateuch.

In its wanton celebration of violence, the book of Nahum poses ethical challenges to the modern reader. O'Brien offers the first full-scale engagement with this dimension of the book, exploring the ways in which the artfulness of its poetry serves the book's violent ideology, highlighting how its rhetoric attempts to render the Other fit for annihilation. She then reads from feminist, intertextual and deconstructionist angles and uncovers the destabilizing function of the book's aesthetics. Finally, she demonstrates how mining Nahum's ambiguities and tensions can contribute to an ethical response to its violence. This is a reprint of the 2002 edition.

This is a ground breaking analysis of the "Song of Deborah" through a comparative study of heroic poetry that elucidates the otherwise enigmatic role of Yahweh.The so-called "Song of Deborah" celebrates a decisive victory during the era of the Judges, and praises Jael and the Israelites for their defeat of a Canaanite coalition led by Sisera. Despite generations of scholarship, virtually every aspect of the poem remains disputed because it has been misunderstood in previous research. This study explains both the enigmatic role of Yahweh of the poem and its heroic ethos through a comparative study of heroic poetry.Over the last 30 years this pioneering series has established an unrivalled reputation for cutting-edge international scholarship in Biblical Studies and has attracted leading authors and editors in the field. The series takes many original and creative approaches to its subjects, including innovative work from historical and theological perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and more recent developments in cultural studies and reception history.

This critically acclaimed series provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The authors are scholars of international standing.

Morning is a time to embrace renewed opportunity, fresh perspective, and an overall sense of rejuvenation. Morning Reflections is a collection of powerful and inspirational reading that is dedicated to helping you begin each new day in a positive way. Christian and inspirational author and poet Karen Jean Matsko Hood has woven together poems, prayers, and Biblical verses to fill your soul and spirit with peace and understanding. Just like a hearty morning meal strengthens your physical body, it is equally important to center your emotions and nourish your spirit with the sure footing that can only come from a personal connection with the Creator. Morning Reflections offers enlightenment and wisdom through blending encouraging prose and Scripture passages. This truly insightful new book of reflections makes for a perfect bedside companion or as a topic of conversation over the coffee table. This book is a wonderful gift to friends and family for daily morning prayer and appreciation of Christ's teachings. It is also for those with whom we are given the opportunity to share and experience it.