The heart of the biblical understanding of idolatry, argues Gregory Beale, is that we take on the characteristics of what we worship. Employing Isaiah 6 as his interpretive lens, Beale demonstrates that this understanding of idolatry permeates the whole canon, from Genesis to Revelation. Beale concludes with an application of the biblical notion of idolatry to the challenges of contemporary life.

Each year thousands of men and women from more than sixty countries journey by foot and bicycle across northern Spain, following the medieval pilgrimage road known as the Camino de Santiago. Their destination is Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of the apostle James are said to be buried. These modern-day pilgrims and the role of the pilgrimage in their lives are the subject of Nancy Louise Frey's fascinating book. Unlike the religiously-oriented pilgrims who visit Marian shrines such as Lourdes, the modern Road of St. James attracts an ecumenical mix of largely well-educated, urban middle-class participants. Eschewing comfortable methods of travel, they choose physically demanding journeys, some as long as four months, in order to experience nature, enjoy cultural and historical patrimony, renew faith, or cope with personal trauma. Frey's anthropological study focuses on the remarkable reanimation of the Road that has gained momentum since the 1980s. Her intensive fieldwork (including making the pilgrimage several times herself) provides a colorful portrayal of the pilgrimage while revealing a spectrum of hopes, discontents, and desires among its participants, many of whom feel estranged from society. The Camino's physical and mental journey offers them closer community, greater personal knowledge, and links to the past and to nature. But what happens when pilgrims return home? Exploring this crucial question Frey finds that pilgrims often reflect deeply on their lives and some make significant changes: an artistic voice is discovered, a marriage is ended, meaningful work is found. Other pilgrims repeat the pilgrimage or join a pilgrims' association to keep their connection to the Camino alive. And some only remain pilgrims while on the road. In all, "Pilgrim Stories" is an exceptional prism through which to understand the desires and dissatisfactions of contemporary Western life at the end of the millennium. 'Feet are touched, discussed, massaged, [and] become signs of a journey well traveled: 'I did it all on foot!' ...Pilgrims give feet a power and importance not recognized in daily life, as a causeway and direct channel to the road, the past, meaningful relations, nature, and the self'.

The busy pastor, Bible student, or teacher will find many "seeds" in these outlines that can lead to sermons or lessons filled with a deeper understanding of the truth of God's Word. They are expository in nature.

The NASB Preacher's Premier Collection Bible is the ideal combination of readability and elegance. The easy-to-read print, thick, opaque paper, and a line-matched double-column layout bring the words into clear focus. Featuring a supple goatskin leather cover, raised spine hubs, and stunning red and gold art-gilded page edges makes it a top choice for any preacher. Pairing the NASB Preacher's Premier Collection Bible with the NASB Pew and Worship Bible unlocks its true design ingenuity. While each Bible retains its distinct font and page layout, they were skillfully crafted so that the pages of these two different Bibles begin and end with the same word. That means you no longer have to preach from a pew Bible to be on the same page as your congregation. Universally recognized as the gold standard among word-for-word translations, the beloved New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition, is now easier to read with Zondervan's exclusive NASB Comfort Print (R) typeface. Features: The full text of the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition Matches page-for-page with the NASB Pew and Worship Bible Hand-bound in a supple goatskin leather cover with raised spine hubs Smyth-sewn and edge-lined construction for flexibility Art Gilt red-under-gold page edging, with gilt line and perimeter stitching Three satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide Premium European Bible paper, 36 gsm Black-letter, line-matched text Double-column, verse-by-verse format Exclusive Zondervan NASB Comfort Print typeface 10-point print size

What if you could grow closer to God and improve your health in just 21 days? This companion workbook to the popular book "The Daniel Fast" will help you do just that as it guides you through the actual fasting experience. Susan Gregory, "The Daniel Fast Blogger," is widely recognized as the expert on this 21-day fast inspired by the book of Daniel, and she has helped thousands of people discover a safe and healthy way to fast. Designed for churches, small groups, or individuals, her 5-week study contains an introduction, three sessions, and a conclusion (as well as bonus leader's resources). The principles you learn from "The Daniel Fast" will change the way you view food, your body, and your relationship with the one who created you.

Praise is something we are, not something we do. Musician David Crowder redefines our perspective of God and helps us develop a habit of praising Him by reflecting on targeted psalms from The Message//REMIX.Ideal for teens and those who love the beauty and music of the Psalms.

"In a Different Place" offers a richly textured account of a modern pilgrimage, combining ethnographic detail, theory, and personal reflection. Visited by thousands of pilgrims yearly, the Church of the Madonna of the Annunciation on the Aegean island of Tinos is a site where different interests--sacred and secular, local and national, personal and official--all come together. Exploring the shrine and its surrounding town, Jill Dubisch shares her insights into the intersection of social, religious, and political life in Greece. Along the way she develops the idea of pilgrimage-journeying away from home in search of the miraculous--as a metaphor for anthropological fieldwork. This highly readable work offers us the opportunity to share one anthropologist's personal and professional journey and to see in a "different place" the inadequacy of such conventional anthropological categories as theory versus data, rationality versus emotion, and the observer versus the observed.

Dubisch examines in detail the process of pilgrimage itself, its relationship to Orthodox belief and practice, the motivations and behavior of pilgrims, the relationship between religion and Greek national identity, and the gendered nature of religious roles. Seeking to evoke rather than simply describe, her book presents readers with a sense of the emotion, color, and power of pilgrimage at this Greek island shrine.