How to be God's man in relationship with a woman.
Few men would ever embark on an important project, a significant career change, or a major athletic challenge without gathering all the tactical knowledge possible to insure a good outcome. Yet, when it comes to relationships with women, most men fail to apply the simple principles that make them successful in other areas of life.
It may be easy to get into a relationship with a woman, but it's not so easy to make the relationship work well. It takes energy. It demands effort. It requires education and understanding.
God is available to help. But there's a catch: God's man must connect with God's purposes before he can truly connect with his wife (or wife-to-be). God uses the marriage relationship to promote growth in men's lives, because it shows us our character gaps and drives us to Him for solutions.
If you want true intimacy and connection with a woman, you'll need to grow up and graduate from God's school of character. This book, "Being God's Man by Understanding a Woman's Heart, " is the perfect start.
Special Features:
-Practical studies facilitate personal encounters with God and other men
-Questions encourage genuine reflection and help build godly convictions
-"Real Life" case studies show how the truths you discover have worked out in other men's lives
-"Standing Strong" section gives you the opportunity to form and express your action steps with God and your group

This French work presents an exegetic and theological interpretation of Qoheleth's speech on riches (Ecclesiastes 5:9-6:6). The detailed exegetic analysis distinguishes the existential meaning from the anthropological and theological meaning, and develops a rhetorical figure of wisdom which is characterised by two aspects - either the denial of God or the reference to God. Using a parallel to the Book of Job, the intertextuality of the discourse of wisdom becomes clear. To the extent that the critical literary and the hermeneutic approach foregrounds the text in its final form, it points directly to the internal tension of the text, which is marked by contrasts, and questions the conditions of the process of composition. This approach also provides a new access to Qoheleth's provocative thinking.

Good and evil, clean and unclean, rich and poor, self and other. The nature and function of such binary oppositions have long intrigued scholars in such fields as philosophy, linguistics, classics, and anthropology. From the opening chapters of Genesis, in which God separates day from night, and Adam and Eve partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, dyadic pairs proliferate throughout the Hebrew Bible. In this groundbreaking work melding critical exegesis and contemporary theory, Saul M. Olyan considers the prevalence of polarities in biblical discourse and expounds their significance for the social and religious institutions of ancient Israel. Extant biblical narrative and legal texts reveal a set of socially constructed and culturally privileged binary oppositions, Olyan argues, which instigate and perpetuate hierarchical social relations in ritual settings such as the sanctuary.

Focusing on four binary pairs--holy/common, Israelite/alien, clean/unclean, and whole/blemished--Olyan shows how these privileged oppositions were used to restrict access to cultic spaces, such as the temple or the Passover table. These ritual sites, therefore, became the primary contexts for creating and recreating unequal social relations. Olyan also uncovers a pattern of challenge to the established hierarchies by nonprivileged groups. Converging with contemporary issues of power, marginalization, and privileging, Olyan's painstaking yet lucid study abounds with implications for anthropology, classics, critical theory, and feminist studies.

In the Gospels of the Bible there are a few comments about Mary Magdalene here and there. But in the Gnostic scriptures that have been discovered, there are tantalizing hints that both her relationship to Jesus and her role among Jesus' disciples may have been profoundly important. Among several schools of Gnostic Christianity, Mary plays an essential role in the revelation of the gospel.
Here, for the first time in print, is a Sophian Gospel of St. Mary Magdalene. No secret oral tradition as extensive as this has ever been recorded, and none has ever presented a Gnostic view of Mary Magdalene as she is portrayed in this groundbreaking work-as a powerful holy woman, the innermost disciple and beloved wife of Jesus, and a Christed woman who is coequal with Jesus in the Christ revelation.

The study examines the thesis widely held in religious studies and theology that in the ancient world there was a close link between the possession of citizenship and the chance - and also the obligation - to engage in cult. There is a critical discussion of different versions of this thesis. The study presents, translates and interprets epigraphic and literary sources on cultic practice and religious law from the Hellenistic Age from Greek poleis, Rome and Judaism.

Spirit-filled believers will find new resources for understanding the Bible and applying biblical themes to their day-to-day lives in these interactive study guides.

Written from a Pentecostal/Charismatic viewpoint, these interactive studies introduce believers to the books of the Bible and offer a thorough and balanced understanding of key themes of the Bible.

By studying the themes of the books, as well as the books themselves, these interactive studies offer groups and individuals a Spirit-filled perspective of the Bible's message for today.

"The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible "delivers Stanley's cherished values to benefit every Christian in their life's pursuits.

With almost 200,000 in print, "The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible "communicates the life principles Dr. Stanley has gleaned from the Word through his years of Bible teaching and pastoral ministry. The result is a Bible overflowing with practical articles, notes, and sidebars that help readers understand what the Bible has to say about life's most important questions.

Features include:

• 30 "Life Principles" articles highlight essential teachings.
• "What the Bible Says About . . . "bring scriptural insight.
• "Answers to Life's Questions "equip you to face daily challenges.

Part of the "Signature Series" line of Thomas Nelson Bibles

The New King James Version--More than 60 million copies sold in 30 years

In this study the author is concerned with how human life is understood in the biblical book of Qoheleth (the Preacher). In Qoheleth, insight into one's own mortality leads to a new evaluation of happiness in life. Both the various areas of human life (for example work and rest, poverty and wealth, youth and old age) and the relationship of human beings to God are developed by Qoheleth between the poles of "death" and "happiness in life."

The author here presents a contribution to the Gospel literature of the New Testament. In his analysis of Luke 8-21 as an integral part of Luke-Acts, he deals with this section in a literary-critical and traditio-historical way. Ever since Schleiermacher the hypothesis of a "travel narrative" or a corresponding "central section" (the term employed in the English-speaking world) beginning in "Luke" 9:51 and covering about ten chapters, has been dominant in research of the "Third Gospel". The author shows that this hypothesis is "un-Lukan". This in turn makes a new access to the total Lukan project possible. One part of the analysis of the text, for example, is a comparison with the narrative techniques of bios literature in classical sources.

Why don't I get what I pray for? Do I wait in faith for God to change a bad situation, or do I step out in faith to look for change? Why don't I feel more confident that God will help me? If you ever struggle with uncertainties about faith, you'll find good company in the pages of the Bible. Dale and Sandy Larsen lead you through nine Bible studies on people who struggled with faith to encourage you in your journey to deeper trust. This revised LifeGuide Bible Study features additional questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with expanded leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each study.

Joseph faced hard times--more than once. He was sold into slavery by his brothers. He spent years imprisoned because of a false accusation. And yet Joseph was able to live in forgiveness and hope, and God did great things in his life every step of the way. Paul Borthwick invites you to explore Joseph's story as a way toward discovering how God's dreams might be fulfilled in and through you. This LifeGuide Bible Study features questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each study.

About LifeGuide Bible Studies We're updating and revising our bestselling LifeGuides to make them even more effective for small group Bible study! New features of the revised LifeGuides include special options for group activities, additional questions for personal reflection, a "Now or Later" section with practical follow-up activities for use after the study or between sessions, expanded and improved leaders' notes and an attractive, redesigned format for easier reading. For some of us the Lord's Prayer is simply a formal prayer. If so, we are missing out on a rich resource. This study guide unpacks the Lord's Prayer section by section with additional texts that help us go deeper into Jesus' teaching about prayer.

We're updating and revising our bestselling LifeGuides to make them even more effective for small group Bible study!

New features of the revised LifeGuides include special options for group activities, additional questions for personal reflection, a "Now or Later" section with practical follow-up activities for use after the study or between sessions, expanded and improved leaders' notes and an attractive, redesigned format for easier reading.

Beginning with the new guides Miracles and Pleasing God (released in February 1999), all new LifeGuides will be presented in the new format. In addition more existing volumes will be revised every year to ensure that all our LifeGuides continue to be effective Bible study resources for the twenty-first century.

After you've met Jesus, you are never the same again. His teaching challenges your thinking. His love turns your life around. In this guide evangelist Leighton Ford will lead you through twelve studies from the four Gospels that will open your eyes anew -- or for the first time -- to Jesus Christ.

There have been many studies of the women in the Gospels, but this is a new kind of book on the subject. Rather than offering a general overview of the Gospel women or focusing on a single theme, Richard Bauckham studies in great depth both the individual women who appear in the Gospels and the specific passages in which they appear.

This unique approach reveals that there is much more to be known about such women than previous studies have assumed. Employing historical and literary readings of the biblical texts, Bauckham successfully captures the particularity of each woman he studies.

An opening look at the Old Testament book of Ruth introduces the possibilities of reading Scripture from a womans perspective. Other studies examine the women found in Matthews and Lukes genealogies, the prophet Anna, Mary of Clopas, Joanna, Salome, and the women featured in the Gospel resurrection narrative. A number of these women have never been the subject of deep theological enquiry.

Unlike most recent books, Bauckhams work is not dominated by a feminist agenda. It does not presume in advance that the Gospel texts support patriarchal oppression, but it does venture some of the new and surprising possibilities that arise when the texts are read from the perspective of their female characters.

Astute, sensitive to issues of gender, and written by one of todays leading theologians, "Gospel Women will be of interest to a wide range of readers.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer teaches readers how to create change in their lives and truly receive God's blessings. Includes powerful Scriptures covering over 50 topics, such as patience, loneliness, and wisdom.

In plain language and with ample illustration, Paul D. Wegner presents an overview of the history and methods, aims and results of textual criticism of the whole Bible--the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. You will gain an appreciation for the vast work that has been accomplished in preserving the text of Scripture and find a renewed confidence in its reliability.

Penguin Academics compact but complete-and always at a reasonable price! For more than 60 years, instructors and their students have looked to Penguin trade paperbacks for state-of-the-art scholarship, accessibility, and fair prices. Longman, Penguin's sister company, aims to meet those same expectations with textbooks in our series, Penguin Academics. We've created the Penguin Academics series with ease of use in mind-the books are conveniently portable and highly readable, with engaging typefaces and interior designs. Concise yet thorough in their coverage of the basics, Penguin Academics titles are ideal for use either by themselves or in combination with other books. Related Penguin paperbacks can be found at the back of most Penguin Academic titles. In "Darwin and the Bible: The Cultural Confrontation, "authors Richard Robbins and Mark Cohen help readers understand the nature, history, and passions behind the debate between scientific and religious versions of creation and human origin. Rather than focusing solely on scientific backgrounds, the text's chosen readings provide historical, theological, social, and political backgrounds as well. The readings are divided into three sets:

• The first addresses how scientists and theologians have tried to resolve the apparent contradictions between Darwin and the Bible.
• The second examines the different historical and cultural settings that defined the parameters of the debate, as well as their implications for religion and science on a global scale.
• The third describes how the debate came to center on education and explores the impacts on both teachers and students.

An experienced and respected teacher of homiletics offers seven practical steps (and attendant missteps to avoid) for all preachers who seek to improve their homiletic style and content.

What does it mean to "seek first the kingdom of God" in our relationships, values, ambitions, finances and commitments? Jesus' answer to these questions amazed those who first heard the Sermon on the Mount. In this study guide, you'll dig deep into his startling and challenging message--the greatest sermon ever preached. This LifeGuide Bible Study features questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection. Leader's notes are included with information on study preparation, leading the study and small group components as well as helps for specific Bible passages covered in the study. Presented in a convenient workbook format and featuring the inductive Bible study approach, LifeGuides are thoroughly field-tested prior to publication; they're proven and popular guides for digging into Scripture on your own or with a small group.

An unlikely cast of characters reinterprets the first five books of the Bible, as divided into the 54 Torah portions that are traditionally read over the course of the year. Writers include: Damon Lindelof, creator of the television series Lost (on Abraham's binding of Issac); essayist Sloane Crosley on the Ten Plagues; novelist Aimee Bender on the Tower of Babel; and Joshua Foer on Esau's brotherly spat with Jacob. Other contributors include actor/director Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother); Go the F**k to Sleep's Adam Mansbach; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Auburn; Sam Lipsyte; Rebecca Odes; Susan Dominus; A.J. Jacobs; and more.

Why is the Bible so often used as a tool for division and exclusion? And why are so many intelligent and compassionate people embarrassed to say they find wisdom and comfort in the Bible? In this groundbreaking book, the man Time magazine called one of the seven best preachers in America provides answers to these questions and shows what the Bible says about topics that concern Lis all, including joy, suffering, evil, and goodness. With compassion, humor, and insight, lie gives readers the tools and understanding they need to make the ancient wisdom of the Bible a dynamic part of their modern lives.

Christian faith is centered in the cross. And the Christian life is likewise rooted in the cross. The studies in this guide, written by John Stott and based on his book The Cross of Christ, are designed to bring us to the heart of the cross with an understanding of what was accomplished there on our behalf. We begin with an individual perspective but move on from there into a deeper understanding of what it means to live as a community under the cross. Our worship, our call to mission, our ability to love our enemies and to face the perplexities of suffering--the cross transforms everything These studies provide the ever-increasing understanding of the cross needed by every believer.

In The Holy Spirit: Works & Gifts Donald Bloesch aptly brings his grasp of historical and systematic theology together with his deep concern for spirituality. The fruit of a lifetime of study and devotion, this work masterfully interweaves biblical study, historical overviews, and reflection on contemporary developments and issues to shed light on faith in God the Holy Spirit. On a topic that sadly threatens to divide the church, Bloesch strives to build bridges between the various traditions of Christian faith, especially between Reformed theology and the Pentecostal movement.

Building on the inaugural volume of the Christian Foundations series, A Theology of Word & Spirit, Bloesch guards against the equal dangers of a subjective spiritualism and a cold formalism. He speaks out of the perspective of the Protestant Reformation with its emphasis on the complementarity of Word and Spirit and the priority of grace over works. But he also acknowledges the Pentecostal perception that the work of the Spirit involves empowering for witness as well as sealing for salvation. Bloesch likewise finds truth in the mystical tradition of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy that the Spirit calls us to holiness of life as well as to a decision of faith.

This wide-ranging and in-depth reflection on the presence, reality and ministry of the Holy Spirit serves as a landmark guide to those seeking a faithful theological understanding of the Holy Spirit as well as those searching for a renewing and empowering hope for the church of Jesus Christ.