In 1871 there were 252,539 miles of stone walls in New England and New York enough to circle the earth ten times.

Drawing on the rich imagery of rocks and stones in scripture, these powerful messages center around the compelling metaphor of stones (and our willingness to throw them) as representative of our sins. As worshipers enter the sanctuary they are invited to pick up stones as a concrete symbol of each sermon's theme; then as the message concludes the stones are placed at the foot of the cross. When the stones disappear on Easter (just like the stone sealing Jesus' tomb), it's a vivid illustration of how the Lord also removes our stones of sin. Each chapter includes several thought-provoking discussion questions to spur further reflection. With messages for Ash Wednesday, five weeks of Lent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, this is an excellent resource for Lenten midweek programming. Molin takes us on a journey of prayerful and honest repentance -- a powerful and life-changing journey of celebration, of grace, of awe at the miracle of the empty tomb and the promise of life.... Pastor Molin is one of the best sermon story-tellers I've heard. But each sermon and every story also teaches a biblical text. These sermons are grounded in the living Word of God... (from the Foreword) Glenndy L. Sculley, Bishop's Associate Minneapolis Area Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Steven Molin is the senior pastor of Our Savior's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Stillwater, Minnesota. He has also served parishes in Oregon and South Dakota, and been an area director for the youth ministry organization Young Life. Molin is a graduate of Concordia University (St. Paul, Minnesota) and Luther Theological Seminary.

In this interdisciplinary work, William L. Davis examines Joseph Smith's 1829 creation of the Book of Mormon, the foundational text of the Latter Day Saint movement. Positioning the text in the history of early American oratorical techniques, sermon culture, educational practices, and the passion for self-improvement, Davis elucidates both the fascinating cultural context for the creation of the Book of Mormon and the central role of oral culture in early nineteenth-century America. Drawing on performance studies, religious studies, literary culture, and the history of early American education, Davis analyzes Smith's process of oral composition. How did he produce a history spanning a period of 1,000 years, filled with hundreds of distinct characters and episodes, all cohesively tied together in an overarching narrative? Eyewitnesses claimed that Smith never looked at notes, manuscripts, or books—he simply spoke the words of this American religious epic into existence. Judging the truth of this process is not Davis's interest. Rather, he reveals a kaleidoscope of practices and styles that converged around Smith's creation, with an emphasis on the evangelical preaching styles popularized by the renowned George Whitefield and John Wesley.

There once may have been 250,000 miles of stone walls in America's Northeast, stretching farther than the distance to the moon. They took three billion man-hours to build. And even though most are crumbling today, they contain a magnificent scientific and cultural story-about the geothermal forces that formed their stones, the tectonic movements that brought them to the surface, the glacial tide that broke them apart, the earth that held them for so long, and about the humans who built them. Stone walls layer time like Russian dolls, their smallest elements reflecting the longest spans, and Thorson urges us to study them, for each stone has its own story. Linking geological history to the early American experience, Stone by Stone presents a fascinating picture of the land the Pilgrims settled, allowing us to see and understand it with new eyes.

How are we as Christians called to respond when cancer invades our lives, whether our own bodies or those of our friends and family? On the eve of his own cancer surgery, John Piper writes about cancer as an opportunity to glorify God. With pastoral sensitivity, compassion, and strength, Piper gently but firmly acknowledges that we can indeed waste our cancer when we don't see how it is God's good plan for us and a hope-filled path for making much of Jesus. Don't Waste Your Cancer is for anyone touched by a life-threatening illness. It first appeared as an appendix in Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. Repackaged and republished, it will serve as a hope-giving resource for healthcare workers, pastors, counselors, and others caring for those with cancer and other serious illnesses. The booklets are also available in packs of ten.