Spiritual Theology

The weight of glory is a happy burden. Thus God is the happiest Being in the Universe. To know Him in His pleasures is to see Him as He is - and to have a fresh encounter with His transforming presence. If you are hungry for this deep delight, consider the gladness of His great heart. The things that make God glad are the measures of His greatness. Christ and the cross. Choosing His people and bruising His Son. Creating the world and revealing His worth. The gladness of His people in the greatness of His glory.

In Accidental Saints, New York Times best-selling au­thor Nadia Bolz-Weber invites readers into a surprising encounter with what she calls "a religious but not-so-spiritual life." Tattooed, angry and profane, this former standup comic turned pastor stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve. But God keeps showing up in the least likely of people - a church-loving agnostic, a drag queen, a felonious Bishop and a gun-toting member of the NRA.

What would happen if you admitted you weren't a good person? It's a seemingly crazy question. From priests to prisoners, nearly everyone thinks they're morally better than average. Why change our minds? In his conversational and delightfully self-effacing style, Brant Hansen shows us why we should fight our drive to be self-righteous: it's breathtakingly freeing. What's more, just admitting that we're profoundly biased toward ourselves and want desperately to preserve our rightness at all costs even helps us improve our relationships with God and others.

Many people think the message of the Gospel is that if we believe in Jesus, we will be saved from hell and be transported to heaven after we die. But what if that is not what the Bible actually teaches? What if the good news Jesus came to announce is much bigger, much better, and includes much more than merely what happens after we die? Revered best-selling scholar N. T. Wright reveals what the gospel really is and how it can transform our todays just as much as our tomorrows.

For years, Christians have argued, debated, and fought one another while "speaking the truth in love," yet we are no closer to the grace-filled life Jesus modeled. Biblical scholar and popular podcast host of The Bible for Normal People, Jared Byas casts a new vision for the Christian life that's built not on certainty, but on the risk of love.

What will heaven be like? Randy Alcorn presents a thoroughly biblical answer, based on years of careful study, presented in an engaging, listener-friendly style. His conclusions will surprise readers and stretch their thinking about this important subject. Heaven will inspire readers to long for heaven while they're living on earth.

Do you ever feel like you don't pray enough, read your Bible enough, share your faith enough, love God enough...and ultimately that you're not a very good Christian? Welcome to the club. Messy Spirituality was written for the silent majority of us who are convinced we just don't do Christianity right. Mike Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided...and gloriously liberating.

Like different artists who render the same subject using unique styles and points of view, the Gospels paint four distinctive portraits of the same Jesus of Nazareth. To Christians worldwide, he is the centerpiece of history, the object of faith, hope, and worship. Even those who do not follow him admit the vast influence of his life. With clarity and insight, biblical scholar Mark Strauss illuminates the four biblical Gospels.

Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus takes you on an in-depth tour of the Jewish world of Jesus, offering inspirational insights that will transform your faith. Spangler and Tverberg paint powerful scenes from Jesus' ministry, immersing you in the prayers, feasts, history, culture, and customs that shaped Jesus and those who followed him.

Do you doubt? Do you suffer? Are you anxious about the trials of life? Father de Caussade offers the one sure solution to any spiritual difficulty: Abandon yourself entirely to God by embracing the duties of your station in life. With wisdom and gentleness he teaches how to practice complete submission to the will of God in every situation, whether we are beginners or seasoned travelers on the way of perfection. True abandonment, he explains, is a trusting, peaceful, and childlike surrender to the guidance of grace.

"Our Father, who art in heaven...." The opening words of the Lord's Prayer have become so familiar that we often speak them without a thought, sometimes without any awareness that we are speaking at all. But to the disciples who first heard these words from Jesus, the prayer was a thunderbolt, a radical new way to pray that changed them and the course of history. Far from a safe series of comforting words, the Lord's Prayer makes extraordinary claims, topples every earthly power, and announces God's reign over all things in heaven and on earth.

Rather than sharing better time-management tips to squeeze more hours out of the day, Kelly Kapic takes a different approach in You're Only Human. He offers a better way to make peace with the fact that God didn't create us to do it all.

Why would God choose to speak to us while we sleep? Perhaps it’s because we are too distracted during the day to sit still long enough for Him to share the deep secrets of his heart. Jennifer LeClaire is convinced God speaks to us in ways that are very personal. At times he may use pictures, memories, impressions, or even a still small voice. Decoding Your Dreams is a beginner’s guide to understanding the true source of our dreams, dream classifications, and even dream symbols....

The Apostles' Creed has shaped and guided Christian faith for almost 2,000 years. Shared by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox traditions, it is perhaps the most compelling and formidable statement of Christian doctrine the world has ever known. But do we know what it really means - and how it applies to us today? In The Apostles' Creed, renowned theologian and Pastor R. Albert Mohler Jr. works line-by-line and phrase-by-phrase through each section of the Creed.

The book of Revelation is filled with angels and dragons, fantastic beasts and golden cities, bottomless pits and mysterious numbers. It’s dramatic, sure - but what exactly does that have to do with the tests we face today? Actually, a lot. When the apostle John penned the book of Revelation, believers lived in a time of deception and injustice. But his message doesn’t just reflect their cries for things to be made right; it reveals heaven’s perspective of the bigger picture.

Heaven may not be what you think it is. We often think of heaven in two extremes: It's either a dreamy existence where we float around on clouds with nothing much to do, or it's something far off in the future that we don't want to happen until we accomplish all that we want to in this life. Both of these are flat wrong, and Tony Evans looks to scripture to set the record straight. Simple and straight forward, Eternity is a short book on what eternity with God will really be like.

Do you know how to put your angels to work for you? Most people don't know how to put angels to work, and what you don't know can hinder you. Angels are in the ministry of helps. They minister in many different ways, but they always minister on direct orders from God. They work in line with the Holy Spirit and according to the Bible. Norvel Hayes powerfully writes this handbook on moving into position to allow your angels to minister.

From Dallas Willard, one of the most important Christian intellectuals of the 20th century, comes a collection of readings, interviews, talks, and articles - many previously unpublished. In his groundbreaking books, teacher, philosopher, and spiritual guide Dallas Willard forever changed the way many Christians experience their faith. Three years after his death, the influence of this provocative Christian thinker - "a man devoted to reestablishing the exalted place moral reasoning once held in the academy" ( Christianity Today) - remains strong.

Every story is about Him. A single, scarlet thread runs through the entire Bible, weaving a beautiful garment of salvation from Genesis to Revelation. This thread shows how the Old and New Testament fit together to tell one complete story. This sacred thread is the blood covenant Jesus made with God for you. Uncover the grand narrative of Jesus's sacrifice, as it is powerfully and prophetically woven through the Scriptures beginning with the covenant rituals, Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, and the prophets.

Marilyn Hickey’s practical teaching on nineteen different names of God will whet your appetite to pursue fully God’s love and purpose for your life. Each of God’s names reveals a wonderful aspect of His nature that can meet your deepest needs, comfort you in times of personal tragedy, and release you to new heights of praise in times of joy.