It's the Bible like you've never seen it - it's your life like you've never lived it. The Bible. You may have grown up reading its pages, memorizing its stories, considering its claims. Now you can take a closer look at those familiar passages in this uncommon series: Take a Closer Look, Take a Closer Look for Teens, and Take a Closer Look for Women. Discover a new power-packed and personal perspective that can't help but change your world. You'll experience a fresh encounter with God, the author of the most compelling book in history, and embark on a lifelong adventure designed just for you.

What does the Bible have to say to you today? Take a closer look. Once upon a time - in the twenty-first century, to be exact - a daring group of teenagers like you became serious about seeking the Truth and living it. Some had been taught the Bible since they were young, and others had never before opened the Word of God. What they had in common was a desire to draw nearer to the Lord of heaven and earth. Take a Closer Look for Teens was created for young people who see faith as more than a fairy tale. They see it as a reality that can change their hearts and their world. So open your eyes! See all God has in store for you!

The Lords Prayer has been called a model prayer by many good theologians. But it is also true that it is among the least scrutinized of all teachings in the Bible, and therefore one of the least studied and understood. We need to remind ourselves that when Jesus gave this teaching to us it was for the express purpose of establishing a good communication with God out in the joys and scuffles of daily life. This book is offered to take the reader back to that purpose. We need to put ourselves back in the shoes of those who heard this teaching on prayer for the first time. When we do, we find our identity, our destiny, and our purpose for living at the very foundation of what Jesus told us here, along with the corollaries too. We discover that this and this alone is the foundational teaching on communicating with God in the New Testament, and when all else is stripped away it is the one understanding we cannot do without; it becomes our anchor point. It not only focuses our understanding on the truth behind all things; it exposes a great deal of falsehood as a consequence. How could it not? When the road we walk is rock solid at its base, the quicksand is easy to spot and avoid. This book takes each element of this prayer and discusses it in-depth, and each element reveals more than what first meets the eye. Of course, this prayer-teaching by Jesus of Nazareth is of necessity coupled with a great deal of related New Testament teaching throughout the book.

Take a closer look at the Bible you thought you knew Have you noticed that the more you look at something, the less you see it? The same thing can happen with Scripture. You've seen a story or a passage so many times that you overlook its significance: "Our Father, who art in heaven..." "The Lord is my shepherd..." "For God so love the world..." You may know these passages, you may love them, but maybe you've stopped expecting much from them. Take a Closer Look for Women leads you to pause along the familiar (and less well-known) paths of the Bible and say, "I've never noticed this! I've never thought of it this way before!" When you take a closer look at Scripture, you see how rich and deep and multifaceted it is. And you will be inspired - mind, heart, and soul - to apply the beauty of these truths to every area of your life.

ACloser Look devotionals are intended to encourage the reader to take a closer look at individual scripture passages rather than attempt to read a defined number of Bible chapters each day. Included in this series is a number of devotions on the parables of Jesus. The parables of Jesus were stories similar to metaphors intended to illustrate spiritual lessons. They were used to guide those who believed in Christ into deeper truths of the kingdom of God. Jesus stated that the skeptics would not understand the intended messages. “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand” (Luke 8:10). Several of the parables in this text are kingdom of heaven parables. The author finds these parables extra special as they give insight into the importance of how men should live just as Jesus taught men to pray—“thy kingdom come”—as man lives in the presence of God’s kingdom and in the presence of His dear Son Jesus Christ. Emmanuel–God with us.

In this unique, well-illustrated book, readers learn how fifty financial corporations came to dominate the U.S. banking system and their impact on the nation's political, social, and economic growth. A story that spans more than two centuries of war, crisis, and opportunity, this account reminds readers that American banking was never a fixed enterprise but has evolved in tandem with the country. More than 225 years have passed since Alexander Hamilton created one of the nation's first commercial banks. Over time, these institutions have changed hands, names, and locations, reflecting a wave of mergers, acquisitions, and other restructuring efforts that echo changes in American finance. Some names, such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo, will be familiar to readers. The origins of others, including Zions Bancorporation, founded by Brigham Young and owned by the Mormon Church until 1960, are surprising. Exploring why some banks failed and others thrived, this book wonders, in light of the 2008 financial crisis, whether recent consolidations have reached or even exceeded economically rational limits. A key text for navigating the complex terrain of American finance, this volume draws a fascinating family tree for projecting the financial future of a nation.

This is the new lectionary-based small-group study for Lent 2005. Using the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel readings from the Revised Common Lectionary and the NRSV translation of the Bible, each lesson includes commentary on the Scripture and relevant questions. A separate leader's guide is available and is designed so that leaders can rotate teaching responsibilites. The Psalm is used during a worshipful prayer opening or closing. (separate leader's guide order #0687345707)