God In Us is a radical representation of the Christian faith for the 21st century. Following the example of the Old Testament prophets and the first-century Christians it overturns received ideas about God. God is not an invisible person 'out there' somewhere, but lives in the human heart and mind as 'the sum of all our values and ideals' guiding and inspiring our lives. This new updated edition includes a foreword by Bishop John Shelby Spong and an afterword from the author.

The Story of God with Us is a fully illustrated book that tracks through the Bible following the primary storyline of God's relentless pursuit to be with his people. The story moves from Genesis all the way to Revelation by featuring various mountains that appear throughout the Bible.

They say the Bible is true, but does it ring true? Does it resonate? In this journey through the Gospel of Matthew, Matt Woodley considers the audacious idea of a God with us--confronting us in the midst of all we've invested ourselves in and dedicated ourselves to, and encouraging us with the promise that the God who made us has a better life in mind for us. The Resonate series recovers the ancient wisdom of Scripture for a complex world. The stories and insights of each book of the Bible are brought into conversation with contemporary voices of hope and lament--the cultural messages we interact with on a daily basis. The Scriptures become a meeting ground where God is confronted with the pressing concerns of our day, and we are confronted in turn with a fresh experience of God's truth.

And if the answer is yes, why does it often feel like he's so far away? God isn't surprised by our wariness and distrust. But he has never been content to be misunderstood, either. John's gospel tells us that God sent his Son to explain himself to us-to the distant, the wounded, the skeptical, the afflicted, the ashamed, the betrayed. Walk with Abby as she follows Jesus through the book of John. In thirteen stories, we discover, through Jesus, who God is-and we also see thirteen very different modern-day believers awake to these truths in their own lives. These personal and biblical stories, along with further Scripture and application and discussion questions, will show us that God is for us, not against us. He will draw our hearts back to himself. Book jacket.

Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. If you've ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it is to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. When life hurts, we often feel pressure--from others and ourselves--to keep it together, suck it up, or pray it away. But Scripture reveals a God who lovingly invites us to give honest voice to our emotions when life hits hard. For most of her life, Esther Fleece Allen believed she could bypass the painful emotions of her broken past by shutting them down altogether. She was known as an achiever and an overcomer on the fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you've done the same. Esther's journey into healing began when she discovered that God has given us a real-world way to deal with raw emotions and an alternative to the coping mechanisms that end up causing more pain. It's called lament--the gut-level, honest prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament, taking you on a journey down the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God's own language to come closer to him as he leads us through our pain to the light on the other side, teaching you that: We are robbing ourselves of a divine mystery and a divine intimacy when we pretend to have it all together God does not expect us to be perfect; instead, he meets us where we are There is hope beyond your heartache, disappointment, and grief Like Esther, you'll soon find that when one person stops faking fine, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

For many, the struggle over civil rights was not just about lunch counters, waiting rooms, or even access to the vote; it was also about Christian theology. Since both activists and segregationists ardently claimed that God was on their side, racial issues were imbued with religious meanings from all sides. Whether in the traditional sanctuaries of the major white Protestant denominations, in the mass meetings in black churches, or in Christian expressions of interracialism, southerners resisted, pursued, and questioned racial change within various theological traditions. God with Us examines the theological struggle over racial justice through the story of one southern town--Americus, Georgia--where ordinary Americans sought and confronted racial change in the twentieth century. Documenting the passion and virulence of these contestations, this book offers insight into how midcentury battles over theology and race affected the rise of the Religious Right and indeed continue to resonate deeply in American life.

Author Jeremy Pierre and illustrator Cassandra Clark want to awaken children to a brave journey―a journey home. This beautifully illustrated tale traces the theme of God’s presence through the storyline of Scripture. People were created to be with God but lost their nearness to him at the fall. So God sent his Son Jesus Christ to cross that distance, making a way for people to follow him on their own journey home. This book seeks to connect a child’s experience of a hurting world with the larger story of God’s redemption of all things, inspiring them to courage and to joy for their journey. Immersive illustrations and poetic wordplay throughout will keep your child returning to the pages of this book. God With Us presents your children with: One Panoramic Theme: Your children will see in panoramic display one grand theme at the heart of Scripture’s story, from Genesis to Revelation: the presence of God. Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is presented to your children as the fulfillment of everything they were made to be. Realism About Life: This is an honest storybook about a fallen world, full of excitement and joy as well as sadness and fear. Luxurious Visuals: The full-color illustrations are intentionally arranged to move between large sweeping landscapes and small arresting moments, evoking in children a sense of awe at the grand scale of life, even in the daily moments. An Experience for the Eyes, Ears, and Heart: Art―in visual, audible, and verbal form―makes beautiful the things that God calls beautiful. This book will capture your children’s imagination. This dramatized, Read-Aloud Edition brings each chapter to life with narration, music, sound effects, and visual cues for children to enjoy.