God invented marriage. So it seems rather obvious to look to our Maker for marriage instructions. Yet by nature we prefer to work it out for ourselves, starting with our own needs, hopes and desires. This book turns our thinking upside down. The author examines the Bible's teaching on marriage, while remaining firmly earthed in the twenty-first-century world where messing up, heartbreak, divorce and sexual chaos are distressingly common. Starting with God's grace applied to our pain and failure, the author centres on God's plan for sex and marriage, one of service. Whether you are an engaged couple preparing for marriage, or have been married for many years, this Biblical wisdom will help you grow your love and commitment both to one another and to God.

Christopher Ash and Steve Midgley explore the root and character of human anger, examine the righteous anger of God, and offer readers practical wisdom about the way the gospel can gradually transform a heart of anger into a heart filled with the love of God.

This ESV Bible includes study notes, articles, and daily devotionals written especially for men by more than 100 of the world’s leading Bible scholars and teachers, helping readers understand God’s Word more deeply and apply it to their lives.

Why God cares about your sex life. Everyone is talking about sex. Be true to yourself--love whomever and however you want. The world claims to be affirming and inclusive. But Jesus says to deny yourself. Is Christianity repressive? In How Should Christians Think about Sex?, Christopher Ash turns to the Bible to find the wisdom and beauty in God's good design. What is marriage? What is sexuality for? Only God's word makes sense of it all. Jesus' way is better, more liberating, and more affirming. Experience the freedom that comes through living not for your own gratification, but for God's glory. The Questions for Restless Minds series applies God's word to today's issues. Each short book faces tough questions honestly and clearly, so you can think wisely, act with conviction, and become more like Christ.

Why does a good God allow innocent suffering? Why does a just God act unfairly? Why does a sovereign God let disease and evil run rampant? These are not questions asked from the onlooker's armchair, nor from the academic's desk, but from the anguish of the sickbed and the frustration of the wheelchair: The problem of pain is considered with the heart as well as the head. In Out of the Storm: Grappling With God in the Book of Job, Christopher Ash leads us through the biblical story of Job as we wrestle with these questions today. He explores honestly the lonely and cruel nature of suffering and whether or not God can be found in the midst of it. He exposes the shortcomings of Job's friends, who deny the possibility of innocent suffering and are unaware of the roles that evil, the fall and the cross have to play. With compassion and clarity he takes the reader through Job's long debate with God towards a humbling-and hopeful-resolution. Christopher Ash is Principal of the Cornhill Training Course in London, a teaching ministry of the Proclamation Trust . He is married to Carolyn and they have four children.

Offering us a God-centered view of marriage, this book will help men and women experience the joy and fulfillment that result when a husband and wife focus on loving and serving God first and foremost.

The way of a man with a maiden was too wonderful for the writer of Proverbs to understand. Preoccupying so many thoughts and dreams, the subject of countless songs, films and fairy tales, the love between a man and a woman has always been a profound and perplexing mystery. And yet we do not live happily ever after. Four out of ten marriages will end in divorce. Couples now choose to live together rather than marry, and those relationships are even less likely to last. People are having fewer children, later, and with a succession of partners. Ironically, just when so much is expected of love, Western societies are witnessing lower levels of public commitment in sexual relationships than ever before. The scale of this change amounts to a revolution, a major historical paradigm shift. The statistics mask a depth of pain that every pastor and counsellor knows only too well. We must face the inevitable questions: if faithfulness is no longer esteemed, why get married at all? What is marriage? What did God intend when he gave us marriage? Christopher Ash argues that our modern idolization of the sexual relationship contains within itself the seeds of its own destruction. To begin to rebuild a biblical confidence in marriage, we need to understand that the primary blessing and purpose of marriage is not sexual intimacy, but rather serving God in partnership. This in turn leads to the blessings of love, friendship, children, and order in society, and will help us to rediscover that faithfulness which is the heart of marriage. One of those precious rarities - a major piece of biblical scholarship which addresses an issue in todays headlines directly and warmly. One to own, not to borrow. --David Field Deeply scholarly, extraordinarily thorough and biblically faithful, as well as courageously fresh in rethinking the role of marriage in Gods intention for human life. -- David Wright Christopher Ash studied at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and then joined the staff at St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge. From there he headed to a church plant and is now Rector of All Saints, Little Shelford. He is married to Carolyn and they have four children.

First in a series of looking at culture & context of preaching & teaching. Bible Delight unlocks Psalm 119 and explains - How to be delighted in the Bible How to get your bearings in the longest psalm What each of the 22 sections means What your reaction should be through Personal Response Questions "This is the first in a series of books that looks at the culture and context of preaching and teaching God's Word. We need help not just in 'how to preach Bible books', but clarity on the point and purpose of preaching and teaching. The books in this series will be short and accessible, ideal for personal use, group study or for training. Christopher Ash's book is an excellent foundation for the series. It gets us to the heart of our motivation to preach and teach. In his own words: 'we preach out of Bible delight in our own hearts and for Bible delight in our hearer's souls.' Christopher's Bible material is Psalm 119 - the great psalm of Bible delight! "While the primary purpose of the book is to stimulate Bible delight in teachers and hearers of God's Word, the book would be ideal guide to tackling a preaching or teaching series on Psalm 119." David Jackman & Robin Sydserff

The way of a man with a maiden was too wonderful for the writer of Proverbs to understand. Preoccupying so many thoughts and dreams, the subject of countless songs, films and fairy tales, the love between a man and a woman has always been a profound and perplexing mystery. And yet we do not live happily ever after. Four out of ten marriages will end in divorce. Couples now choose to live together rather than marry, and those relationships are even less likely to last. People are having fewer children, later, and with a succession of partners. Ironically, just when so much is expected of love, Western societies are witnessing lower levels of public commitment in sexual relationships than ever before. The scale of this change amounts to a revolution, a major historical paradigm shift. The statistics mask a depth of pain that every pastor and counsellor knows only too well. We must face the inevitable questions: if faithfulness is no longer esteemed, why get married at all? What is marriage? What did God intend when he gave us marriage? Christopher Ash argues that our modern idolization of the sexual relationship contains within itself the seeds of its own destruction. To begin to rebuild a biblical confidence in marriage, we need to understand that the primary blessing and purpose of marriage is not sexual intimacy, but rather serving God in partnership. This in turn leads to the blessings of love, friendship, children, and order in society, and will help us to rediscover that faithfulness which is the heart of marriage. One of those precious rarities - a major piece of biblical scholarship which addresses an issue in todays headlines directly and warmly. One to own, not to borrow. --David Field Deeply scholarly, extraordinarily thorough and biblically faithful, as well as courageously fresh in rethinking the role of marriage in Gods intention for human life. -- David Wright Christopher Ash studied at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and then joined the staff at St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge. From there he headed to a church plant and is now Rector of All Saints, Little Shelford. He is married to Carolyn and they have four children.

This ESV Bible includes study notes, articles and daily devotionals written especially for men by more than 100 of the world's leading Bible scholars and teachers, helping readers understand God's Word more deeply and apply it to their lives.

""This little book is written for ordinary ministers who preach regularly to ordinary people in ordinary places... Most of us preach in gatherings that are smaller than we would wish and tougher than we might have hoped when we entered pastoral ministry... There is a voice on our shoulders who whispers as we prepare, and then as we preach, 'Is it really worth it?""From The Introduction Christopher Ash tell us that it is worth it. More than that, he sets out a charter for preaching that draws from the very roots of the Old Testament - showing us that nothing in the world is more worthwhile - for preaching is God's strategy to rebuild a broken world.

Life can be hard, and sometimes it seems like God doesn't even care. When faced with difficult trials, many people have resonated with the book of Job--the story of a man who lost nearly everything, seemingly abandoned by God.

In this thorough and accessible commentary, Christopher Ash helps us glean encouragement from God's Word by directing our attention to the final explanation and ultimate resolution of Job's story: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Intended to equip pastors to preach Job's important message, this commentary highlights God's grace and wisdom in the midst of redemptive suffering.

Taking a staggeringly honest look at our broken world and the trials that we often face, Ash helps us see God's sovereign purposes for adversity and the wonderful hope that Christians have in Christ.

Ruth and Esther are two prophetic pictures of the same gospel. One speaks of a last-minute rescue from death, the other of a long-awaited filling of a terrible emptiness. One ends with a baby; the other concludes with an annual remembrance of an amazing escape. But neither really ends, until they find their fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Part of the Teaching series, this book is designed to help the pastor/preacher, small group leader, or youth worker in preparing and presenting studies.

The Psalms can be sung, spoken or read - but they were written to be prayed. Until we pray them from the heart we miss their purpose. The two volumes of Teaching Psalms aim to get the reader's heart engaging with this beautiful book of the Bible. If you love, or want to love, or think perhaps you ought to love the Psalms, these volumes are for you. Volume 1 acts as a handbook: - How to pray the Psalms - How to teach the Psalms - The difficulties we face in the Psalms - Integrating the Psalms into the Bible story Volume 2 picks up on the groundwork laid and begins with an overview of the structure of the Psalter. It then goes through the book of Psalms, giving an introduction to each one. It does not seek to compete with a commentary in that it does not approach each verse individually; however it offers what few commentaries attempt - a careful look at the message behind the book as a whole.

The Psalms can be sung, spoken or read - but they were written to be prayed. Until we pray them from the heart we miss their purpose. If you love, or want to love, or think perhaps you ought to love, the Psalms, this first instalment of a two-volume set on the Psalter is for you. Christopher Ash gives us a practical and theological handbook to equip us to pray and to teach the Psalms. He faces the difficulties and shows how praying them in Christ does justice to their original meaning and context as well as their place in the whole bible.

The book of Romans brings us face-to-face with the wonderful glory of God?'s grace grace to unify our churches and to inspire us to reach our world with the barrier-breaking message of Christ . The sheer scale and depth of Romans make it challenging to teach but Christopher Ash leads us step-by-step through understanding and communicating this life-changing book. Teaching Romans Volume 2 covers chapters 9-16. This series gives the Bible teacher suitable tools to understand the context of Biblical books, the key teaching points and how to communicate that message to the hearer. Whilst very useful for preachers, this book is also aimed at equipping small group study leaders, youth workers and other Bible teachers. The books are purposefully practical, working systematically through suggested preaching or Bible study series. Preaching outlines and Bible study questions are included for each passage.

The book of Romans brings us face-to-face with the wonderful glory of God?'s grace grace to unify our churches and to inspire us to reach our world with the barrier-breaking message of Christ . The sheer scale and depth of Romans make it challenging to teach, but Christopher Ash leads us step-by-step through understanding and communicating this life-changing book. Teaching Romans Volume 1 covers chapters 1-8. This series gives the Bible teacher suitable tools to understand the context of Biblical books, the key teaching points and how to communicate that message to the hearer.Whilst very useful for preachers, this book is also aimed at equipping small group study leaders, youth workers and other Bible teachers. The books are purposefully practical, working systematically through suggested preaching or Bible study series. Preaching outlines and Bible study questions are included for each passage.

I don't mean to be rude but, sorry to say, you defecate on us, you urinate on us, you dump your toxic garbage on us, you even spill your god damn oil on us. - AQUARIS "Don't Mess With The Mermaids " is a romantic story about love between two people of different cultures and worlds, mixed with a battle against local Mafia and bearing a clear environmental message. Three girls, refugees from North Africa, are to be sold to a whorehouse as sex slaves by terrorists, human traffickers, Mochta and Ahmed. Next to Sardinia's coast the policeman Riccardo tries to save the girls. Under unknown circumstances Riccardo is forced to let go of Valeria's hand and she slips into the deep waters. But she is saved by the mermaids Coralia and child mermaid Krystalia. Childless Aquaris, the king of the UK (Underwater Kingdom) decides to adopt her and rename her after him, Aquaria. So Aquaria becomes the first mermaid in the world, who wasn't born in the bosom of water but has taken mermaid values of life. The whole time Aquaria thinks about the handsome policeman but Riccardo appears to be happily engaged to Marta, who is the mayor of the city. The local people call her "The Sea Witch " or "The Mother." Only the naive and honest Riccardo doesn't know the truth about her... When the new factory without a proper waste system starts to operate, polluting the sea, Aquaria tries to protect her new home. But it is not an easy task to fight against the local Mafia, which is run by "The Mother..".

Conscience is the Cinderella of the contemporary world. We hardly speak or think about our conscience. She is left behind while we get on with the party of life, untroubled by any serious self-examination. And yet conscience is a God-given part of being human, with tremendous potential for good - if it is cleansed and kept clean - or for harm - if it becomes hardened or calloused. 'This book is about the joy of a clear conscience in every day of living and in the day of death,' enthuses Christopher Ash. 'With a clear conscience, we can enjoy not just the stuff we think of as 'spiritual', but all sorts of things like sleep, sport, friendship and holidays. With a good conscience none of these things ever leaves a sour taste in our mouths.' Christopher is eager to get all of us thinking about conscience again: 'I want you to take your conscience out of the cupboard, dust it down, bring it back into daily life and discover its power to do you good.'