We read the Bible and interpret Scripture in order to live in grace-filled relation to God's divine purpose.When we approach the Bible as Scripture author, Joel Green, takes seriously the faith statement that the Bible is our Book; these scriptures are our Scripture. We are not reading someone else's mail--as though reading the Bible had to do foremost with recovering an ancient meaning intended for someone else and then translating its principles for use in our own lives. When we recall that we are the people of God to whom the Bible is addressed as Scripture, we realize that the fundamental transformation is not the transformation of an ancient message into a contemporary meaning, bur rather the transformation of our lives by means of God's Word. This means that reading the Bible as Scripture has less to do with what tools we bring to the task, however important these may be, and more to do with our own dispositions as we come to our engagement with Scripture. We come not so much to retrieve facts or to gain information, but to be formed and ultimately, transformed. Scripture does not present us with texts to be mastered but with a Word, God's Word, intent on mastering us, on shaping our lives.

In Refugia Faith, Debra Rienstra explores nature's refugia--places where life endures in a crisis--and applies this model to faith. Drawing from theology, nature writing, and science, she examines how Christian spirituality and practice must adapt for a climate-altered planet.

Whether readers are facing insurmountable challenges or just the mundane tasks of daily life, Expect the Extraordinary, will inspire them to press through to the miraculous. Jerry Savelle reveals the extraordinary is easy for almighty God and how readers can rise up to receive His miraculous power in their own lives. Confidence is the beginning of expectancy and expectancy is the door to the miraculous. Readers' hope will rise as Jerry Savelle shares real-life stories of miracle after miracle. They will gain powerful insight into the scriptures revealing God's design for believers to live abundant, successful lives - even in the most dire of circumstances.

Life is filled with opportunities to practice nonviolence. If we kept track, we'd be surprised at how often we get to choose a violent or nonviolent response to a given situation. Seizing these moments is a spiritual practice that shapes a nonviolent heart. Many people doing this together shapes the heart of a nonviolent world. This book is a humble and accessible approach to nonviolence based on the belief that no one is perfectly nonviolent. We are all works in progress. Each chapter presents an imaginative interpretation of a scripture story about seizing a nonviolent moment that sheds new light on nonviolence and its spirituality. Stories of contemporary peacemakers woven throughout offer lessons for living a spirituality of nonviolence for our times. Prophetic words from the US Catholic bishops emphasize the essential role of peacemaking in renewing the earth. Questions following each chapter inspire personal reflection and make the book a welcome resource for classrooms, parishes, and small groups. The more we seize the nonviolent moments in our lives, the more we are transformed by them. And the more we experience the power of nonviolence within ourselves, the more we believe in its potential to transform our troubled world.

Living on high alert drains your energy and steals your joy. There is a better way and Seizing the Good Life will help you find it as it takes you through the Gospel of John. If our chaotic culture has left you drained of joy, here's some good news: there is a way to get it back—and keep it. Let’s face it. Joy is becoming as scarce in our culture as fresh eggs at the grocery store. Constant headlines about one catastrophe after another, along with living in a society bent on erasing God from our consciousness, can leave us stressed out and working hard just to get by—far from the good life of abundant joy Jesus promised us. And yet, He did promise us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. So how do we go about seizing the good life from the jaws of depression and hopelessness that threaten us now? Shellie Rushing Tomlinson has walked this path and knows the way. With the Gospel according to John as her roadmap—and plenty of personal stories, insights, and a healthy dollop of humor for good measure—she can help you not only rediscover the peace and joy found in friendship with Jesus, the Lover of your soul, but maintain it over the long haul. God never intended for you to hold on to a dry faith with chewed-up fingernails. You really can know peace and joy in the middle of our anxious and angry culture. A deep dive into this study will help you seize the good life once again.