Author and former pastor Jim Palmer should be dead. Over the course of a year that included two near-death experiences, as Palmer set out to disentangle Jesus from the religious machinery of Christianity, he discovered a profound and unexpected answer to the question on his mind: “What would Jesus do?” Exploring what it really means to “be Jesus” in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, Palmer learns that Jesus was special not because he was more divine than the rest of us, but because he was courageously more human than most. Unfortunately, this realization crystallized for him while he was hanging upside down in his overturned car, expecting to die. When Palmer was miraculously pulled from the wreckage alive, he emerged with a new courage to embrace his life as never before. In Being Jesus in Nashville, Palmer shares his personal stories, ideas, concepts, and an innovative approach to humanity as he learns that being Jesus means seeing people as they truly are; letting it happen, not making it happen; being at peace, whatever happens; putting no limitations on God; living without separation from God; following your own path; living as everyone’s neighbor. With spiritual insight and refreshing theological glimpses, Palmer shares how he traded in his Christianity for Jesus and how this brought him closer to God.

What if the path to a life of abundance and blessing isn't what we expected? What if the way forward begins with going backward? In our constant search for a life filled with blessing and abundance, we often follow our human instinct and then wonder why we come up short. But it doesn't have to be that way. Join pastor and author Alex Seeley as she teaches us that God always has a better idea -- we just have to move in a new direction. In?The Opposite Life, Seeley explains that the secret to living a powerful and abundant life lies in the upside-down kingdom of God. Each chapter of The Opposite Life explores the opposite-life principles that can start to shift our mindset for the better, diving deeper into the natural contradictions between: death and life fear and faith hate and love worry and worship impossible and possible Along the way, she offers encouraging and simple challenges to help us align our lives with God's subversive plan. As we learn to exchange our default instincts for the surprising teachings of Jesus -- our pioneer of the unlikely -- we discover a life of transformational power, abundance, and more blessing than we ever thought possible. Praise for The Opposite Life: "Our broken earth longs for just this type of unveiling. It is time for us to remember who we are and respond as sons and daughters of the Most High God. There is a desperate longing for His goodness in the face of overwhelming anger, pain, and confusion. The Opposite Life is a drink of living water in a dry and arid land." --Lisa Bevere, New York Times bestselling author of Without Rival and Girls with Swords

One of the great spiritual writers of our times, Jim Palmer, is calling for anarchy - inner anarchy! Since 2005, Palmer has been exploring the terrain of spirituality beyond the mindsets of organized religion, and has written four books, including the widely acclaimed works, Divine Nobodies, and Notes from (Over) the Edge. In his provocative new book Inner Anarchy, Palmer shows how the Christian religion has twisted the true life and message of Jesus, and has preached a powerless gospel that is preventing millions of people from being free. He challenges the reader to inner anarchy, "We must dethrone and tear down the mindsets and ideologies that are ruling our world from within us and taking us further down a road of certain doom." Whether you are a Christian, Atheist, or whatever religious or spiritual background you may have, Palmer offers a hopeful place for all human beings to explore the possibility of birthing a new reality in our world. He writes, "Jesus announced the inauguration of a new age-the likes of which we have never seen but have dreamed of. His words are compelling and fascinating. He implied that this age is hidden in the human heart and is now ready to be birthed into existence. Jesus said it would come in the midst of great turmoil and would be led not by religious preachers and Bible scholars, but by those who open up their minds, become like a child and trust what is deep inside their hearts.""Inner Anarchy is not a book; it's smelling salts." - Jacob Byrne"An admonition to the Christian church, an invitation to birth a new world, and a challenge to tear down what is ruling us from within." - Maria Armstrong "...brings God out of the sky to the center of our lives. Inner Anarchy shows the way to the future." - Jim High"It has changed everything I thought I knew about God." - Byron Johnson "Remember the sixties? Inner Anarchy could spark a movement that finishes the job!" - Carson Kavanagh "Gritty. Deep. A message to rattle your cage, and change the world." - Lucas Farrell "... will speak to you at your core and trust the truths that lie within you." - Reuben Goff

What does a Hip-Hop artist, Waffle House waitress, tire salesman, and disabled girl have to do with discovering spiritual truth? What if embracing authentic Christianity is a journey of unlearning? Welcome to Jim Palmer's world! Don Miller meets Anne Lamott meets Brian McLaren in this tale of shedding religion and plunging into uncharted depths of knowing God. Jim Palmer, emergent pastor, shares his compelling off-road spiritual journey and the unsuspecting people who became his guides. "Perhaps God's reason for wanting me," writes Palmer, "is much better than my reason for wanting him. Maybe God's idea of my salvation trumps the version I am too willing to settle for. Seeing I needed a little help to get this, God sent a variety pack of characters to awaken me." For all those hoping there's more to God and Christianity than what they've heard or experienced, each chapter of Divine Nobodies gives the reader permission and freedom to discover it for themselves. Sometimes comical, other times tragic, at times shocking, always honest; Jim Palmer's story offers an inspiring and profound glimpse into life with God beyond institutional church and conventional religion. "I am tempted to say that Jim Palmer could well be the next Donald Miller, but what they have in common, along with an honest spirituality and extraordinary skill as storytellers, is a unique voice . . . Divine Nobodies is a delight to read, and it was good for my soul to read it." -BRIAN MCLAREN Author of The Secret Message of Jesus "You hold in your hands an amazing story of a broken man finding freedom in all the right places-in God's work in the lives of some extraordinarily ordinary people around him. You will thrill to this delightful blend of gut-wrenching honesty and laugh-out-loud hilarity, and in the end you'll find God much closer, the body of Christ far bigger and your own journey far clearer than you ever dreamed." -WAYNE JACOBSEN Author of Authentic Relationships

What happens when we praise God? What are the benefits of praising Him? Do you know what praise actually means? In Holy Roar, Chris Tomlin and Darren Whitehead share a fresh perspective from the worship practices of the ancient world. They take readers on a praise journey that answers questions and provides valuable insight. After reading Holy Roar, you will: Grow an understanding of praise with Darren's unique insights. Gain a deeper understanding of how to worship. Be inspired as Chris shares how those insights take shape in the stories behind some of your favorite worship songs, including "How Great Is Our God," "We Fall Down," and "Good Good Father." Holy Roar is for: Readers of all ages interested in growing their faith Pastors, worship leaders, and small group teachers leading believers In the ancient world, something extraordinary happened when God's people gathered to worship Him. It was more than just singing; it was a declaration, a proclamation, a time to fully embody praise to God for who He is and what He has done. In fact, in the Psalms, seven Hebrew words are translated into the English word praise, each of which represents a different aspect of what it means to truly praise God.

American church participation has plummeted in recent decades. Abuse scandals and hypocrisy hang in the air. Weekly, I talk to friends and neighbors who have left church, even as many still identify as Christians. I get what they're saying. When I consider the pain that so many have experienced in church life, the body of Christ sure seems broken. It's no wonder many don't find church to be worth it. But maybe there's more to the story. As a child, my family experienced deep crisis. I felt alone and vulnerable. Into that void, the church stepped in. I discovered a family, a people that have my back and forever changed my life. Even now, I see tangible ways the church works for the common good. The church possesses a resilient beauty that continually pushes through the brokenness. If we love Jesus, we have to eventually ask what Jesus loves. Surprising to me at times, Jesus loves the church, despite her brokenness. If we learn to see what Jesus sees, we'll discover a powerful, often untapped means towards human flourishing. No other social group offers what the church offers. Yes, the church is broken, but there's more. She's beautiful.

Abandon dead, dry, religious rule-keeping and embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved. Jefferson Bethke burst into the cultural conversation with a passionate, provocative poem titled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." The 4-minute video became an overnight sensation, with 7 million YouTube views in its first 48 hours (and 23+ million in a year). Bethke's message clearly struck a chord with believers and nonbelievers alike, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged to enraged. In his New York Times bestseller Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar contrasts that he drew in the poem--highlighting the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair, and hope. With refreshing candor, he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior. Along the way, Bethke gives you the tools you need to: Humbly and prayerfully open your mind Understand Jesus for all that he is View the church from a brand-new perspective Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he's not a pastor or theologian, but simply an ordinary, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. On this journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him with love beyond the props of false religion. Praise for Jesus > Religion: "Jeff's book will make you stop and listen to a voice in your heart that may have been drowned out by the noise of religion. Listen to that voice, then follow it--right to the feet of Jesus." --Bob Goff, author of New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody, Always "The book you hold in your hands is Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz meets C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity meets Augustine's Confessions. This book is going to awaken an entire generation to Jesus and His grace." --Derwin L. Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of Limitless Life: Breaking Free from the Labels That Hold You Back