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This book sheds light on the almost-forgotten Jewish sect of the Essenes, a radical religious group with striking parallels to the first Christians. The library of these devout worshippers is known to moderns as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the only surviving Jewish documents written before or during the lifetime of Jesus. Bergsma reveals how the Judaism of this sect influenced the beliefs, sacraments, and practices of early Christianity, eventually transforming the Roman Empire and Western civilization. Curious details and often ignored oddities in the Gospels and other New Testament books suddenly make sense and come to life against the backdrop of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which reveal a kind of Judaism unknown to most readers today.
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Max Lucado shares the unexpected path to lasting happiness, one that produces reliable joy in any season of life. Based on the teachings of Jesus and backed by modern research, he presents a surprising but practical way of living that will change a person from the inside out.
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What gives a frail and isolated or institutionalized older person their sense of wholeness and self? What makes later life meaningful? This clear and practical text presents much-needed guidance for health and social care practitioners, as well as for religious professionals, seeking to identify and meet the spiritual needs of older people in their caring role. Drawing on in-depth interviews with older people, Elizabeth MacKinlay, an experienced nurse and chaplain, develops an understanding of spirituality that enables the reader to explore the spiritual dimension of ageing and to learn how it contributes to well-being and health in later life.
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How to be a Christian : reflections & essays
by C. S. Lewis
A collection of essays and reflections on being a Christian covers such topics as the dangers of criticizing others, the necessity of practicing forgiveness, and the requirement of being a part of a local church
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Many people today claim that their positions on various issues are grounded in biblical values, and they use scriptural passages to support their claims. But the Bible was written over the course of several hundred years and contains contradictory positions on many issues. In this eye-opening book, one of the world's leading biblical scholars argues that when we read the Bible with care, we are often surprised by what we find. Examining what the Bible actually says on a number of key themes, John Collins covers a vast array of topics, including the right to life, gender, the role of women, the environment, slavery and liberation, violence and zeal, and social justice. With clarity and authority, he invites us to dramatically reimagine the basis for biblical ethics in the world today.
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How to practice : the way to a meaningful life
by Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho
At once a straightforward instructional resource and inspirational guide to daily life, this ecumenical spiritual handbook describes each step on the path to spiritual enlightenment and explains how to practice everyday morality, meditation, wisdom, and compassion and how to achieve total body-mind harmony.
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Collected from around the world, the twenty-five true stories showcased here capture the full range of the fear and courage experience. From the 65-year-old woman stepping outside her comfort zone to visit Antarctica, to the young social worker confronting an abusive father and husband; from a gay woman's experience of coming out, to a man confronting his claustrophobia to have an MRI, or a woman fighting to keep both herself and her unborn child alive in Hitler's Germany these are stories of fear and courage in all their guises. At times humorous, often poignant, they will linger in your memory, shining a light on just what it means to be human.
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From one of the world's most influential spiritual thinkers, along-awaited book exploring what it means that Jesus was called "Christ," and how this forgotten truth can transform everything we see, hope for, and believe. Drawing on scripture, history, and spiritual practice, Rohr articulates a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God's constant, unfolding work in the world. "God loves things by becoming them," he writes, and Jesus's life was meant to declare that humanity has never been separate from God, except by its own negative choice. When we recover this fundamental truth, faith becomes less about proving Jesus was God, and more about learning to recognize the Creator's presence all around us, and in everyone we meet. Thought-provoking, practical, and full of deep hope and vision, this is an invitation to contemplate how God liberates and loves all that is.
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