It is now generally accepted that the nature of human thought has much to do with the structure and function of the human body. In Spirituality in the Flesh, Robert C. Fuller investigates how our sensory organs, emotional programs, sexual sensibilities, and neural structures shape religious phenomena. Why is it that some religious traditions assign spiritual currency to pain? How do neurochemically-driven emotions such as fear shape our religious actions? What is the relationship between chemically altered states of consciousness and religious innovation? The body has recently become a subject of investigation among scholars of religion. Many such studies focus on the concept of the body as a cultural construct. Whereas these treatments helpfully demonstrate how cultures construct ideas about the body, Fuller asks how the body itself influences religious concepts. Seeking to establish a middle ground between purely materialistic or humanistic arguments, he skillfully pairs scientific findings with religious truths. Both perspectives could learn from the other: Fuller takes scientific interpreters to task for failing to understand the inherently cultural aspects of embodied experience even as he chides most religion scholars for ignoring new knowledge about the biological substrates of human behavior. Comfortable with the language of scientific analysis and sympathetic to the inherently subjective aspects of religious events, Fuller introduces the biological study of religion by joining our unprecedented understanding of bodily states with an experts knowledge of religious phenomena. Culling insights from scientific observations, historical allusions, and literary references, Spirituality in the Flesh provides fresh understandings that promise to enrich our appreciation of the embodied religious experience.

Serena Fass has attempted to illustrate Jesus' Great Commission: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved." (Mark 16: 15 - 16) and has presented a balance between the many different strands of the Christian faith, for each century, from the earliest Christians in Pompeii until today, and criss-crossing the globe from North to South: from Norway to Mozambique - and West to East: from Peru to Australia. Categories include architecture, painting, sculpture, ivories, textiles, metalwork, jewellery and portraits of people wearing crosses, as well as examples of the cross in nature.

1875. When Kathryn Walsh arrives in tiny Calvada, a mining town nestled in the Sierra Nevadas, falling in love is the farthest thing from her mind. Banished from Boston by her wealthy stepfather, she has come to claim an inheritance from the uncle she never knew: a defunct newspaper office on a main street overflowing with brothels and saloons, and a seemingly worthless mine. Moved by the oppression of the local miners and their families, Kathryn decides to relaunch her uncle’s newspaper―and then finds herself in the middle of a maelstrom, pitted against Calvada’s most powerful men. But Kathryn intends to continue to say―and publish―whatever she pleases, especially when she knows she’s right.

Matthias Beck, owner of a local saloon and hotel, has a special interest in the new lady in town. He instantly recognizes C. T. Walsh’s same tenacity in the beautiful and outspoken redhead―and knows all too well how dangerous that family trait can be. While Kathryn may be right about Calvada’s problems, her righteousness could also get her killed. But when the handsome hotelier keeps finding himself on the same side of the issues as the opinionated Miss Walsh, Matthias’s restless search for purpose becomes all about answering the call of his heart.

Everyone may be looking to strike it rich in this lawless boomtown, but it’s a love more precious than gold that will ultimately save them all.

Have you ever closed your Bible and thought, What did I just read? Whether you're brand-new to the Bible or you grew up in the second pew, reading Scripture can feel confusing or boring at times. Thankfully, The Bible Recap is here to help. Following a chronological Bible reading plan, the recaps explain and connect the story of Scripture, section by section. And this special edition--complete with floral accents, a ribbon marker, two-color interior design, and soft, imitation leather cover--makes a great gift for yourself and others. • Start the 365-day reading plan any time of the year, but feel free to go at your own pace • See how God's character is revealed throughout Scripture • Read, understand, and love reading God's Word in ways you've always hoped for You don't have to go to seminary. You don't need a special Bible. Just start reading this book alongside your Bible and see what God has to say about Himself in the story He's telling. "Tara-Leigh gets me excited to read the Bible. Period. I have found a trusted guide to walk me into deeper understanding of the Scriptures."--Michael Dean McDonald, The Bible Project

In this volume von Balthasar turns to the works of the lay theologians, the poets and the philosopher theologians who have kept alive the Grand Tradition of Christian theology in writings formally very different from the works of the Fathers and the great Scholastics. This volume contains studies of Dante, John of the Cross, Pascal, Hamann, Soloviev, Hopkins and Peguy.

Experience Jesus Really, Finding Refuge Strength and Wonder Through Everyday Encounters with God

In this present age we are all becoming disciples of the Internet. We are addicted to distraction. We idolize our instant access to a never-ending avalanche of information. We think we're finally holding the keys to a better life.
But if that's true, why are we wrestling with ever-increasing levels of anxiety, dissatisfaction, and despair? The fact is, we live in a world of weary, skeptical pragmatism--and it's keeping us from experiencing the God we are dying without.

John Eldredge presents a powerful alternative to the soulless, disenchanted world we find ourselves living in today: the path of the ordinary mystic. Readers who join Eldredge on this journey will:

• Regain childlike faith in the reality of God's constant, available presence to those who seek him;
• Discover the biblical foundations for the mystical tradition in Christianity; and
• Learn practices, habits, and prayers that will transform their ability to hear the voice of Jesus in their day-to-day lives.

Every human yearns to return to Eden, to a state of unbroken communion with the God who created us for adventure and intimacy with him. The mystic is awake to the truth that God is still with us--and we experience the refuge of his powerful, healing presence if we learn to open our hearts to him.

As a trauma-informed professional life coach, Janell Rardon spends a good deal of her day-to-day work with brokenness--broken families, broken relationships, broken hearts and souls. In response to the pleas of her clients, she developed a set of emotional health tools that help them repair the broken parts of their lives. In Stronger Every Day, she shares those powerful tools with you. In this heartlifting book, she helps you to - transform pain into meaning - experience secure attachment with God - shape healthy thoughts - shift from shame to self-compassion - practice healthy assertiveness - set mental and emotional boundaries - understand triggers and defense mechanisms - regulate emotional highs and lows - cultivate healthy human connection With inspiring Scriptures, quotes, prayers, personal stories, and case studies, Rardon sets you on the path of emotional health so that you can be stronger than ever--every day.

Do you really know the Holy Spirit? And what does the answer mean for your faith?

In The Familiar Stranger, Tyler Staton draws on Scripture, tradition, and spiritual practices to help you step into a genuine relationship with the Holy Spirit and discover a fully alive spirituality.

For a generation searching desperately for an experiential spirituality, there's good news: the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence to empower and transform is freely available. Yet, confusion and unfamiliarity surround the Holy Spirit, leading too many Christians either to sideline him or misunderstand what he means for their spiritual lives.

In The Familiar Stranger, Staton reintroduces this oft-neglected person of the Trinity, tracing the story of the Holy Spirit as it unfolds throughout the Bible, and inviting believers to close the gap between what Scripture reveals about the Holy Spirit and their lived experience. Along the way, readers will:

- dig into key biblical images and metaphors that reveal the Holy Spirit's nature, roles, and personality;
- learn about common misperceptions that keep believers and churches from experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit's power and presence;
- discover how the Spirit brings discernment and access to miraculous power to partner with God in the work he's doing in the world;
- reckon with the indispensable role of spiritual experience for walking with God; andunderstand how both Word and Spirit work together to draw people into a vibrant, intimate knowledge of God.

The Familiar Stranger will challenge, inform, and encourage believers from every background to become more deeply acquainted with the Person and work of the Holy Spirit - and experience his transformative, life-giving power in their lives.

Exodus is the Rosetta stone for unlocking the Old Testament and the thread of redemption throughout Scripture. The exodus served as the primary model of God’s idea of redemption, not just in the Old Testament but even in the New, where it is used as one of the keys to understanding the meaning of the cross of Christ. Over six sessions, participants in this Bible study will walk through the first 15 chapters of Exodus. You’ll relive the experience as God hears the cries of His people and responds by sending a deliverer, ultimately giving us a pattern for recognizing His work in the world. (6 sessions)

Session Topics:

• Problem
• Deliverer
• Discouragement
• Deliverance
• Redemption
• Worship