If these or other questions have ever wandered through your mind as you were reading the Bible, you'll thrill with the possibilities as you view these stories through the imagination of Ronald Gadberry. InGodsonghis fictionalized yet educational journey through the Bible, readers will discover that Ronald's forty-plus years of Bible study, prayer, and research have produced a profound appreciation for the characters and events recorded in Scripture. Readers will also find that though the stories are fictionalized,Godsongoften captures truths often overlooked by the casual observer. Dig deeper and join Ronald on this incredible trek through the Bible inGodsong.

A fresh, strikingly immediate and elegant verse translation of the classic, with an introduction and helpful guides to each section, by the rising American poet. Born in the United States into a secularized Hindu family, Amit Majmudar puzzled over the many religious traditions on offer, and found that the Bhagavad Gita had much to teach him with its "song of multiplicities." Chief among them is that "its own assertions aren't as important as the relationships between its characters . . . The Gita imagined a relationship in which the soul and God are equals"; it is, he believes, "the greatest poem of friendship . . . in any language." His verse translation captures the many tones and strategies Krishna uses with Arjuna--strict and berating, detached and philosophical, tender and personable. "Listening guides" to each section follow the main text, and expand in accessible terms on the text and what is happening between the lines. Godsong is an instant classic in the field, from a poet of skill, fine intellect, and--perhaps most important--devotion.

Imagine Gods book of poetry, the Psalms, written as poems that rhyme that have a variety of metrical patterns that remain true to meaning of Scripture that help us hear Gods voice in a new way Jehovah, Thou searchest me deeply; My nature dost Thou understand; Whenever I sit, Thou ponderest it; Whenever I rise, Thou dost realize My thoughts and the deeds I have planned. Psalm 139 Jehovahs mine, my Shepherd divine; No want will He fail to surpass; He makes me dine, be filled, and recline In pastures of tender, young grass. Psalm 23 The panting hart seeks most and first For water-brooks, to quench its thirst, Lest it should die; So pants my soul, O God, for Thee Who art the God of life to me: Let me draw nigh! Psalm 42 I have been teaching the Psalms for more than thirty years, and yet, as I read through these poems, I found myself repeatedly stopping to reflect on things I had never considered before, and being blessed by that exercise. Dr. David Howard, Professor of Old Testament, Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN

EACH POEM IS LIKE A SONG- A FLEETING RHYTHM THAT TELLS A STORY FAMILIAR TO ALL. God Song is a compilation of poems inspired by the layers of emotions we all experience, but do not always understand. Much like in nature, people go through seasons. Whether of joy or sadness, love or despair, wonder or contrition, each poem is a story of feelings, obsessions, mysteries, desires and disappointments; the complex and the mundane, told in poetic form. The influence of faith and the macro-environment resonates in this poetry. Many of the poems in God Song explore the mysteries of the spiritual connection between people, God and nature. The poems reflect upon the painful loss and joyful restoration of hope- like the brilliance of the sun breaking through clouds after a summer storm. These distinct elements; God, faith, aspects of our co-existence with nature, and people in our glorious and our inglorious state, have always fascinated me.

Taking seriously the practice and not just the theory of music, this ground-breaking collection of essays establishes a new standard for the interdisciplinary conversation between theology, musicology, and liturgical studies. The public making of music in our society happens more often in the context of chapels, churches, and cathedrals than anywhere else. The command to sing and make music to God makes music an essential part of the DNA of Christian worship. The book’s three main parts address questions about the history, the performative contexts, and the nature of music. Its opening four chapters traces how accounts of music and its relation to God, the cosmos, and the human person have changed dramatically through Western history, from the patristic period through medieval, Reformation and modern times. A second section examines the role of music in worship, and asks what—if anything—makes a piece of music suitable for religious use. The final part of the book shows how the serious discussion of music opens onto considerations of time, tradition, ontology, anthropology, providence, and the nature of God. A pioneering set of explorations by a distinguished group of international scholars, this book will be of interest to anyone interested in Christianity’s long relationship with music, including those working in the fields of theology, musicology, and liturgical studies.

(Integrity). This instructional book by songwriters Paul Baloche and Jimmy & Carol Owens covers basic songwriting principles like how to develop a song after inspiration comes, 30 characteristics that make a song memorable, 16 shared qualities of great worship songs and 12 keys to unlock writer's block. You will also learn how to gain the listener's attention quickly, find fresh ways of expressing worship and choose just the right words. God Songs also contains advice on how to make your song its best before releasing it, how to get your songs heard and used by others, and ways to minister most effectively with your music. Song stories and advice from writers and publishers such as Darlene Zschech, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Bart Millard, Craig Dunnagan and Rita Baloche are also included. Softcover, 304 pages.

We live in an era defined by a sense of separation, even in the midst of networked connectivity. As cultural climates sour and divisive political structures spread, we are left wondering about our ties to each other. Consequently, there is no better time than now to reconsider ideas of unity. In The Ethics of Oneness, Jeremy David Engels reads the Bhagavad Gita alongside the works of American thinkers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman. Drawing on this rich combination of traditions, Engels presents the notion that individuals are fundamentally interconnected in their shared divinity. In other words, everything is one. If the lessons of oneness are taken to heart, particularly as they were expressed and celebrated by Whitman, and the ethical challenges of oneness considered seriously, Engels thinks it is possible to counter the pervasive and problematic American ideals of hierarchy, exclusion, violence, and domination.