"Hymn singing reflects a congregation's spiritual vitality and their response to God's grace.

(Foreword by Cliff Barrows) More inspiring stories behind the hymns of past and contemporary favorites.

This book shares the inspiring true stories behind 101 favorite hymns. With a collection of uplifting, informative hymn stories, 101 Hymn Stories includes each hymn's full text and musical score, as well as information about the author, composer, and Scripture that inspired the song. Some of the hymns included are: - A Mighty Fortress - Amazing Grace - Fairest Lord Jesus - Holy, Holy, Holy - How Great Thou Art - It Is Well with My Soul - Jesus Loves Me - Rock of Ages - Silent Night - The Old Rugged Cross Excellent for uses like devotional reading, sermon illustrations, and bulletin inserts, as well as historical or biographical research, 101 Hymn Stories has been a beloved resource for forty years. Now a new generation can discover the beautiful foundations of faith upon which these songs were built. "A fascinating book that is enjoyable for general reading or reference." --Christian Life "This book is a valuable source of illustrations for pastors and teachers, and it provides a wealth of background information for song leaders. But it should be introduced to all Christians as a personal and family devotional book." --Bookstore News

This full-color, illustrated gift edition includes twenty-eight of Osbeck's most popular hymn-story devotions, including "Amazing Grace"; "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"; "Holy, Holy, Holy"; and "It Is Well with My Soul."

This collection of carol stories will add special meaning to each Christmas season. Perfect for personal or family Advent devotions.

Presents the stories of fifty-two Bible characters through short monologues.

Author Simeon Rosete is an experienced speaker and pastor, who has gathered together a collection of resources mixed with new, never-before-seen inspirational, educational, entertaining, and Bible-based thoughts. This book is a treasure trove that contains a wide variety of materials for personal daily devotions. It is also a good source for teachers, pastors, and speakers who are searching for materials to use in the classroom, newsletters, or sermons. These stories and quotations are emotionally inspiring, wisdom-filled, thought-provoking, heart-warming, healthful, witty, fun, and spiritually uplifting. Much of the material is spiritually challenging to the reader on a personal level, and most include a short biblical discussion, Bible scripture quotations, and applications for life. These will brighten your day, challenge you to become a better person, teach you life lessons, and encourage you on your journey through life.

Becca Whitla uses liberationist, postcolonial, and decolonial methods to analyze hymns, congregational singing, and song-leading practices. By way of this analysis, Whitla shows how congregational singing can embody liberating liturgy and theology. Through a series of interwoven theoretical lenses and methodological tools—including coloniality, mimicry, epistemic disobedience, hybridity, border thinking, and ethnomusicology—the author examines and interrogates a range of factors in the musical sphere. From beloved Victorian hymns to infectious Latin American coritos; congregational singing to radical union choirs; Christian complicity in coloniality to Indigenous ways of knowing, the dynamic praxis-based stance of the book is rooted in the author’s lived experiences and commitments and engages with detailed examples from sacred music and both liturgical and practical theology. Drawing on what she calls a syncopated liberating praxis, the author affirms the intercultural promise of communities of faith as a locus theologicus and a place for the in-breaking of the Holy Spirit.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. Psalm 28:7 NIV Men face challenges to their faith at work and at home. Daily Strength for Men offers a daily dose of wisdom for men who seek to draw strength from God’s Word. Each devotional covers two days, offering flexibility and freedom to contemplate the message in depth. You will find:a reading that applies to your lifeinspirational Bible verses from the Old Testamentcontextual Bible passages and related Scripturesquestions for reflection and application, andan uplifting prayer. Daily Strength for Men will equip you to walk faithfully with God—the source of your strength.

It's unnerving, isn't it? When our faith feels ungrounded, untethered . . . unreal. When our certainty is adrift, as though an undercurrent has pulled us away from shore into the deep, into the darkness. This is disillusionment. This is spiritual pain. This is losing hope. And if this is you--if you're in a dark night of the soul--please know that you are not alone. (And you are not as far away from safety as you may feel or fear.) Though faith shines best in full sun, it grows depth in the dark. The night is not your enemy. In fact, the night is necessary. In The Night Is Normal, revered author, speaker, and mentor Dr. Alicia Britt Chole offers a groundbreaking perspective that reveals spiritual disillusionment as an unexpected friend. Within these sacred pages, you'll explore how: The roots--and fruits--of spiritual pain are actually an invitation to deep love Mistaking emotions for devotion and viewing abundance as proof of obedience create an unsustainable model for Christianity A strong night-faith can lead you into something far more satisfying than understanding and far more powerful than peace Our reality is broken, but God has not changed. Whether you're disillusioned with God, yourself, or others, Alicia offers practical and soul-full tools to help you navigate the night and find your way to a livable and love-saturated hope. Your night will not last forever. Within it, there is priceless treasure that's simply too weighty to be sourced in sunshine.

You never know how strong you are until you rouse the champion in you! Against All Odds chronicles the real-life stories of men and women who conquered personal and societal limitations to achieve the seemingly impossible. In Against All Odds, you'll discover, among other riveting narratives, how - George Carver overcame chronic disease, deprivation, and discrimination to become a remarkable scientist and renowned inventor; - Elizabeth Blackwell rose above gender bias and fierce opposition to become the first woman to earn a degree in medicine; - Abraham Lincoln became a celebrated lawyer, legislator, and president despite his prolonged battle with depression, defeat, and distress; - Fanny Crosby, the blind girl from a backwater town, became the most prolific hymn writer in history; - Harriet Tubman overcame the horrors of a turbulent and traumatic childhood to liberate herself from the bondage of slavery and helped to rescue many other slaves from the captivity of their cruel masters; and - Ben Carson successfully battled mediocrity and low self-esteem to change his reputation from being the "dumbest student" in the class to being one of the most brilliant doctors in the world.

“So, what am I hoping to accomplish with this publication of my sermons, Preaching in Jamaican Seasons?” Author and cleric Devon Dick hopes that readers will hear the prophetic voice, the therapeutic voice, and the teaching voice in these homiletical formulations and, more importantly, that readers will hear the voice of our Saviour Jesus, the Christ, speaking to our hearts and minds. Revd Dr Dick explains further that this compilation of his sermons is offered so that they may be a source of comfort to persons who are afflicted, confront those who need to change, and challenge all to a commitment to God as revealed in Jesus, the Christ, and empowered by the Spirit. The author’s desire is that these sermons deliver a clear message from God that can be applied to the lived experience; and that when read, they will come to life again, aided by the working of the Holy Spirit, and will not only teach and guide us into righteousness but plant a seed in our lives, knowing that it will accomplish that which God wills, as He gives it the increase beyond anything the author himself could dream of or envision.

Is the Bible a trustworthy document, or is it filled with errors and contradictions as claimed by the skeptics? In Our Greatest Treasure, we examine the evidence. Less than two centuries ago, many scholars argued convincingly that the Hittites never existed, even though they are mentioned in the Bible more than fifty times. The unearthing of their massive library in Turkey has revealed an advanced civilization that once rivalled both Egypt and Assyria. Not many years ago, Ahab’s house of ivory was considered impossible, but not now. His wife, Jezebel, was dismissed as a fictional character inserted into the text to arouse interest, but the recent discovery of her signet ring with her name clearly discernible has silenced the critics. At one time, historians were convinced that Gallio in Acts 18 never existed, but the spade of the archaeologists has uncovered his name, his position as Proconsul of Achaia, and even the time of his service in Corinth. Men and women from both distant times and the present have had their lives transformed by the message of the Bible. Many of the people, places, and events found in the Bible are found in no other literature, and their details have been documented as being authentic by historical and archaeological research. The Bible is not buried treasure. It is open to all who will access its sacred pages. The Bible is indeed Our Greatest Treasure.

In this follow-up work, Father Ray E. Atwood examines the lives, theologies, and preaching examples of the Church’s greatest preachers. This book tells the story, in biographical form, of Catholic preaching from the Old Testament through today, concluding with the homilies of our present Holy Father, Benedict XVI.

"Masterfully connects Scripture to nature and nature to God." --Lori Wildenberg, national speaker, parent coach, and author of six parenting books including The Messy Life of Parenting For a generation whose eyes are constantly trained on screens, encountering nature at all is increasingly difficult--much less seeing how God is revealed there. How can parents help children reengage with the natural world that is so full of amazement, creativity, and love? Eryn Lynum is a certified master naturalist, Bible teacher, and mom of four who wants to help families encounter and understand the connection between God and creation. She shares her own story of surrounding her kids with nature, and invites other parents to consider a similar journey. With practical sections that look at flora and fauna, water and sky through the lens of the Bible and activities to integrate faith and the natural world, Rooted in Wonder helps adults instill within your kids an unshakable faith. Through the art of play, the drive of discovery, and the awe of adventure, children will gain a sense of wonder in their Creator that will last a lifetime. "A beautifully written, powerful treatment of the natural world as God's revelation to his people . . . [that] weaves theological insights with practical advice on how to instill a love for the natural word in kids of all ages." --Sy Garte, PhD, author of The Works of His Hands and editor-in-chief of God and Nature "With joy and practical know-how, Eryn Lynum helps parents connect the beauty of creation with love for the Creator. Rooted in Wonder is a must-read for helping the next generation to get outdoors and get to know God." --Matthew Sleeth, MD, executive director of Blessed Earth

Growing old doesn’t have to be just about frailties, loneliness, and loss of purpose. Veteran pastor Robert Solomon offers a fresh perspective of aging and looks at how you can continue to grow with God in your autumn years. Discover how you can keep your eyes firmly on Jesus as you nurture habits and disciplines that will enable you to build redemptive relationships and cope with the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of aging. Useful insights into aging are presented in short chapters in an easy-to-read, large-print devotional format.

Sounding the Color Line explores how competing understandings of the U.S. South in the first decades of the twentieth century have led us to experience musical forms, sounds, and genres in racialized contexts. Yet, though we may speak of white or black music, rock or rap, sounds constantly leak through such barriers. A critical disjuncture exists, then, between actual interracial musical and cultural forms on the one hand and racialized structures of feeling on the other. This is nowhere more apparent than in the South. Like Jim Crow segregation, the separation of musical forms along racial lines has required enormous energy to maintain. How, asks Nunn, did the protocols structuring listeners' racial associations arise? How have they evolved and been maintained in the face of repeated transgressions of the musical color line? Considering the South as the imagined ground where conflicts of racial and national identities are staged, this book looks at developing ideas concerning folk song and racial and cultural nationalism alongside the competing and sometimes contradictory workings of an emerging culture industry. Drawing on a diverse archive of musical recordings, critical artifacts, and literary texts, Nunn reveals how the musical color line has not only been established and maintained but also repeatedly crossed, fractured, and reformed. This push and pull--between segregationist cultural logics and music's disrespect of racially defined boundaries--is an animating force in twentieth-century American popular culture.