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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Christian life & practice > Personal Christian testimony & popular inspirational works
Secure, content, competent, reasonably happy and fulfilled, such
persons of strength go their own way without any apparent
discomfort at having missed the benefits of the Christian faith. .
. . What do you say to the person who says, through his or her
neglect of the faith, "Thanks, but I don't need it"? -from the book
Bishop William Willimon brings the Gospel of Jesus Christ to life
for the person who has everything - happy, fulfilled human beings,
who don't feel the same level of need expressed by the downcast,
the outcast, the brokenhearted, and the miserable. Willimon says
that the church's message to the wretched and sad must not exclude
the strong and the joyous. In nine concise, inspired chapters, he
discusses these ideas: * Must one be sad, depressed, wallowing in
sin and degradation, immature, and childishly dependent in order
truly to hear the Good News? (See chapters 1 and 2.) * "What do we
say to the strong?" (See chapters 3 and 4.) * Speaking to the
strong and to the people who are weak and want to be stronger: a
particular kind of evangelistic message. They have their sins, but
these sins are not the sins of the weak (chapter 5). * Worship
which takes God's strong love seriously (chapter 6) * Ethics which
arise out of our response to that love (chapter 7) * Church as a
place of continual growth and widening responsibility (chapters 8
and 9)
If you find it hard to sleep, are anxious about tomorrow, are
paralysed by fear of failure, then you are not alone. Anxiety
disorders are the main mental health problem in the Western world.
We are suffering a 'blues' epidemic. Neil Anderson and Rich Miller
contend that the only satisfactory long-term solution is a
knowledge of God, and a right relationship with him. The fear of
God overcomes all other fears. The authors identify how mental
strongholds of fear and anxiety develop, then reveal powerful
biblical strategies for defeating them in Christ and finding home
for tomorrow. This careful, well-researched book is rooted in
pastoral experience over many years.
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