ANCHOR YOUR FAITH IN THE STORY OF GOD BEFORE-AND DURING-THE STORMS Drawing on his own experiences with losses and tragedies through the death of his young wife and, more recently, the death of his sixteen-year-old son, John Mark hicks tells the story of God through his own experiences of suffering. He does not explain suffering because, as he describes, that cannot be done; rather, he walks with sufferers through the valley of loss. He grounds them deeply in the story of God's love, listening, empathy, sovereignty, and victory. This path is not only for those who seek to persevere in the midst of their suffering but also for those who want to prepare for the suffering that comes to all. In addition to helping sufferers, John Mark provides guidance for those who want to sit with people who are suffering. He offers advice to help comforters provide comfort. There are no easy answers. Our questions, in fact, are never fully answered. Despite this, however, there is a path of assurance, comfort, and trust that yields perseverance, peace and hope. The "anchors" are found in God, who loves us listens to us empathizes with us gives meaning to our suffering ultimately triumphs over all suffering These anchors ground us in God's redemptive story. JOHN MARK HICKS has taught at institu-tions affiliated with Churches of Christ since 1982, including Harding School of Theology from 1991 to 2000 and Lipscomb University from 2000 to the present, where he is currently a professor of Theology. He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books and contributed articles to several books and peri-odicals, both academic and popular. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Jennifer, and together they share five living children and two deceased. They also have six grandchildren.

MOVING FROM A "BLUEPRINT HERMENEUTIC" TO A THEOLOGICAL ONE In this book, John Mark Hicks tells the story of his own hermeneutical journey in reading the Bible. Lovingly and graciously, he describes his transition from a "blueprint hermeneutic" to a theological one. Some suggest that moving away from a patternistic command-example-and-necessary-inference approach for understanding what God requires leaves no other alternative, or at least none that both respects biblical authority and seeks to obey the gospel of Jesus the Messiah. In Searching for the Pattern, John Mark offers just such an alternative. His theological hermeneutic is deeply rooted in the way the Bible presents itself as a dramatic history of God's plan to redeem the world as well as his own experience of growing up among Churches of Christ. Seeing the gospel of Jesus as the center of the biblical drama reorients us to what provides our Christian identity and unites us as disciples of Jesus. ********** I pray this book is received with open hearts and open minds because I believe this work could go a long way in helping to bring unity to our fractured fellowship. --Wes McAdams, Preaching Minister for the church of Christ on McDermott Road, Plano, Texas This excellent book helps us understand the inner workings of Bible interpretation among Churches of Christ and provides a persuasive proposal for Bible interpretation that is built on the story of God we find in Scripture--a story into which God calls us. --James L. Gorman, Associate Professor of History, Johnson University Knoxville, Tennessee Finally, a trellis across the chasm! Throughout this book, Hicks does not compromise his high regard for both the church and the Scriptures; and through the grace found therein, he composes this urgent invitation back to the Table, where obedience cooperates with mystery, and we--estranged or conflicted--can find our place as one within God's magnificent story. --Tiffany Mangan Dahlman, Minister at Courtyard Church of Christ, Fayetteville, North Carolina John Mark Hicks is Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught for thirty-eight years in schools associated with the Churches of Christ. He has published fifteen books and lectured in twenty countries and forty states and is married to Jennifer. They share six children and six grandchildren.

With over one million books sold in her career, Joyce Rupp presents her newest undertaking: a unique collection of daily meditations that draw from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and other sources, offering wisdom and insight about the God who is beyond all names. Bestselling author Joyce Rupp once again proves herself a wise and gentle spiritual midwife, drawing forth 365 names of God from the world’s spiritual treasury. Fragments of Your Ancient Name—whose title comes from a poem by German mystic Rainer Maria Rilke—assembles a remarkable collection of reflections for each day of the year. This unique and profound devotional will heighten awareness of the many names by which God is known around the world. Whether drawing from the Psalms, Sufi saints, Hindu poets, Native American rituals, contemporary writers, or the Christian gospels, Rupp stirs the imagination and the heart to discover a new dimension of God. Each name is explored in a ten-line poetic meditation and is complemented by a simple sentence that serves as a reminder of the name of God throughout the day.

For more than thirty years, Joyce Rupp has been writing bestselling spiritual books that have accompanied readers through the seasons of life and helped them glimpse the Divine. In Anchors for the Soul, prayers, poems, blessings, and meditations from Rupp’s many works are brought together to offer daily wisdom that will guide you and keep you anchored to God throughout the year. It’s easy, as we rush from one important thing to the next, for our days to feel off-balance, overwhelming, or even lacking in purpose. In Anchors for the Soul, bestselling author and retreat leader Joyce Rupp helps you root each day in the Holy One’s love and the promise of his faithfulness. Anchors for the Soul, compiled by Kathy Reardon—a spiritual director, retreat leader, and nurse—contains pieces from such Rupp classics as The Circle of Life and Fragments of Your Ancient Name as well as such perennially popular works as The Cup of Our Life and Praying Our Goodbyes. This daily devotional touches on the themes that have marked Rupp’s work as you travel through the seasons of the year. She walks with you as you experience grief, embrace stillness, and see in your daily life the fingerprints of the Divine. She helps you welcome new life, practice selfless acts of kindness, and remember the gift that is the people in your life, all the while showing you glimpses of the heart of God. Filled with Rupp’s characteristic prayers, poems, meditations, and blessings, this treasury provides a daily retreat to center yourself in the warmth of the Divine embrace and begin the day feeling renewed. Each day’s reading concludes with a practice to carry with you for the rest of the day that brings you back to your center and reminds you to be light to the world.