"An overwhelming number of us are lonely," writes Marva Dawn. "Sometimes we are lonely for a specific reason: our spouse has recently died or left us; our children have just gone from home or have been tragically killed; we are fighting a particular battle against illness or suffering the ravages of chemotherapy; we are new in the neighborhood; our values are different from those of our work colleagues; it is a Friday night and all our other single friends have dates. Sometimes our loneliness is a general, pervasive alienation: we just don't feel as if we belong in our place of work, in our community, in our family, even in our church." Our struggle with loneliness often results in a lament directed at God. We might say something like "How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" When we cry out words like these, we find ourselves praying the words of the Psalms. In My Soul Waits, Dawn guides us through psalms that reveal the burdens of our souls to God, and in turn reveal God's profound, intimate concern for our pain and a promise to abide with us in it. Readers feeling the sting of loneliness will take great comfort in this very personal book. Those who strive to support the lonely among them will take wise counsel from the Scriptures it expounds. All will encounter a renewed hope in the One who lists our tears only to wipe them all away.

Following up on her best selling Reaching Out without Dumbing Down, Marva Dawn offers biblically grounded, experience-based insights to help churches navigate beyond today's destructive worship wars and to stimulate renewal in the worship and life of congregations. The first major section of the book examines the postmodern, media-saturated, consumerist culture that makes worship difficult yet absolutely essential. The next section focuses on keeping God at the center of worship. Other sections of the book explore issues of taste, forming faith in children, word choices, hospitality in worship, and the challenges of -being church for the world.- The book also includes nine Scripture-based sermons and questions for further discussion. In contrast to writers who advocate worship for utilitarian purposes, Dawn concentrates on worship's royal dimension, its God-ward focus. A Royal -Waste- of Time amplifies Dawn's earlier argument that churches need to wrangle seriously with the true purpose of worship in order to employ the tools and forms that best enfold participants in the splendor of worshiping God. Only worship filled with the splendor of God, Dawn writes, will lead to genuine adoration of God and faithful formation of his people.

Neither a commentary on the book of Revelation nor a devotional work -- though it offers aspects of both -- "Joy in Our Weakness is instead a theological and practical guide that ushers readers into the very presence of Christ and His Lordship over the powers of evil. Marva Dawn writes compassionately for those who suffer, for this book was born out of her own struggles with physical limitations and chronic illness, and it is intended to help the whole Church learn how to find Joy in every circumstance of life, especially in trials and sufferings.

After outlining some important foundational principles in three introductory chapters, Dawn guides readers through the whole book of Revelation, pointing out the errors of those who try to calendarize the end of the world and instead delineating how The Revelation reveals Christ's Lordship, exposes the workings of the powers, and sustains those who suffer until evil is ultimately defeated. Now thoroughly revised for a wider readership, "Joy in Our Weakness highlights The Revelation's original purpose -- to comfort afflicted, suffering believers -- and spells out a biblically grounded theology of weakness, offering a rare gift to the Church today. A wealth of insight and encouragement truly awaits the readers of these pages.

In this prophetic call to faithful Christian living, Marva Dawn identifies the epidemic socio-cultural attitudes that destroy hope in our modern lives. Because affluent persons don't know what to value--how to choose what's important and weed out the rest--we remain dissatisfied with what we have and are compelled to want more. Dawn demonstrates, however, how Christians can organize their lives to live in ways that allow them to love God and neighbor and, in the process, alleviate the despair in their lives and in the lives of others in the world.

This book is composed of eight articles written by Ellul and not previously translated into English. The eight were chosen not necessarily for their clarity or power to convince, but because they are the earliest formulations of some of Ellul's key ideas.

Completely revised more than fifteen years after its first printing, To Walk and Not Faint is Marva J. Dawn's popular first book. Her devotional reflections examine the fortieth chapter of Isaiah as it deals with many of the critical issues of daily life. Dawn's meticulous study opens up each verse of Isaiah 40 to challenge us with significant insights for faith and profound motivation for growth in discipleship.

Many writers have decried the lack of intimacy and community in our contemporary culture. Few of them, however, provide a fully biblical description of community or give specific methods for its recovery. Through an intensive study of Romans 12, Marva Dawn here offers precisely this kind of practical guidance for building vital Christian community life. Originally published as The Hilarity of Community, this volume continues to be one of the best sources for understanding what it means to live together as the church of Christ.

Why do churches fight -Worship Wars?- Why do discussions about how to conduct worship often split into two vitriolic polarities over -traditional- versus -contemporary- styles or into two opposing camps, such as organists/ guitarists, baby boomers/elders, returnees/loyalists or clergy/musicians? These -worship wars- prevent us from being the Church. In Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, Marva Dawn writes to help local parishes and denominations think more thoroughly about worship and culture so that they can function effectively in contemporary society. She roots her discussion of worship issues in a careful assessment of significant aspects of the present technological, boomer, post-modern society and names criteria by which to judge the various cultural influences. She then sketches essential attributes of worship. Dawn recognizes that the vitality and faithfulness of our personal and corporate Christian lives and the effectiveness of our outreach to the world depend on the character that is formed in individuals and communities. How can churches best reach out to society without -dumbing down- this essential character formation? Dawn discusses music, preaching, and all the accouterments of worship and offers practical suggestions for choosing the best tools and forms to deepen worship life, nurture faith development, and increase believers' outreach throughout the universal church and to the world.

Aiming to combat the widespread confusion today regarding sexual issues, Marva Dawn offers here a clear biblical understanding of human sexuality. Her fresh perspectives in "Sexual Character" will challenge and encourage persons living in our sex-saturated society.To establish the necessary foundations for new thinking about sexual issues, Dawn explains the importance of distinguishing between social and genital sexuality (a distinction generally not made), discusses the forces in our technological society that jeopardize true intimacy, and outlines the "ethics of character" that forms the basis for discussion in the rest of the book.Holding to a positive biblical vision for sexual character leads Dawn to raise many provocative questions that apply in very practical, relevant ways to such issues as friendship, marriage, divorce, teenage dating, homosexuality, and abortion. Dawn ends the book by putting forth a hopeful vision of "sexual shalom" for individuals and Christian communities.Written in an engaging, non-preachy style, "Sexual Character" will benefit all thoughtful Christian adults ministers, parents, youth group leaders, college students and provide solid material for church discussion groups.

Marva Dawn has an insider's view of the many spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, and physical difficulties encountered by people with chronic illness and disabilities. She knows from experience how to nurture hope in spite of infirmity.Filled with insight and practical help, each chapter of Being Well When We're Ill focuses on one particular kind of struggle, such as worry, guilt, the loss of meaning, or the loss of confidence and trust that God is present and personally loving. Each chapter details one or more appropriate ''finds'' - spiritual resources, emotional supports, intellectual answers, or practical solutions - that enable a person with infirmities to persevere through them and to be well in spite of them.For each issue she explores, such as loss of dreams, loneliness, physical pain, depression, ingratitude, side effects and more, Dawn includes discussions of biblical texts - not only texts that help lament losses but texts that bring wholeness. Readers will find themselves companioned in their sufferings and encouraged with new ways to surmount them.