Is God still, as it has been argued, the "neglected factor" in New Testament theology? How does the Bible speak imaginatively and concretely about who God is and what God's activity on behalf of the world looks like? In The Unrelenting God sixteen accomplished scholars in the fields of biblical and theological studies explore ways in which Scripture speaks about God's character and God's activity in the world. As honoree Beverly Roberts Gaventa has done throughout her career, the contributors address important and nuanced theological themes such as God's dramatic invasion of the world in the gospel of Jesus Christ, God's ultimate triumph over the powers of sin and death, and humanity's ongoing participation with God in Christ. Scholars, students, and church leaders will appreciate this volume's careful theological interpretation of whole scriptural books and individual passages -- and its ability to model instructively how that interpretation is best done. Contributors: Shane Berg Martinus C. de Boer Alexandra R. Brown William Sanger Campbell David J. Downs Susan Grove Eastman Joel B. Green Douglas Harink Richard B. Hays L. Ann Jervis Jacqueline E. Lapsley J. Louis Martyn John B. F. Miller Matthew L. Skinner Katherine Sonderegger Francis Watson Michael Welker

A way of life: embracing grace, seeking holiness, building connections. United Methodist people long to love God and serve their neighbors. Unrelenting Grace by Bishop Ken Carter shows us how to come together and embrace grace, seek holiness, and build meaningful connections promoting strength and healing. Unrelenting Grace evokes insights and courage to overcome feelings of isolation, loneliness, and alienation. The book is an inspiring and practical resource for United Methodists who want to move forward with confidence and hope. As we wrestle with the effects of the pandemic, social disruption, and conflicts, Unrelenting Grace offers guidance for stepping into the future as individuals and as communities of faith. Ken Carter reminds us of our core values as United Methodists, prompting readers to rediscover, redefine, and reclaim the power of grace, holiness, and connection. We see afresh ways to bridge the gap between faith and life, and rediscover deep connections of unity and love.

Unrelenting Love is the story of Jack Soule. Growing up as a boy in Colorado and Washington, he came to know the Lord at an early age. Like so many young men in the 1960s and early 1970s, Jack was sent to fight in Vietnam as a Hospital Corpsman with the US Marines. The horror and suffering of war changed Jack and separated him from his relationship and faith in God. Decorated for valor, Jack was a Corpsman many looked up to, yet inside he was scared, alone, and suffering from PTSD. Jack began to achieve all that he ever wanted, but nothing filled the emptiness deep inside. Jack believed that he had failed God and had committed acts that were beyond God's forgiveness. Jack's journey back to God's grace and mercy is an exciting story of love, loss, suffering, and heartache as he questioned whether he would ever again feel God's love-until God sent Jack the answers to all of his questions in the form of a seven-year-old girl.

Opportunity is you being positioned in the right place at the right time to receive blessings and give blessings. We have been strategically positioned not just for our benefit but also for the benefit of others - to build God's kingdom by building up others. When we give, we are giving back to God what He has already given us.

Discover the profound wisdom of embracing failure as a stepping stone to success in this captivating book. The author delves into the universal truth of mortality, reminding us that while we all face the inevitable end, we have the power to choose how we respond to failure along the way. Through captivating stories and powerful insights, the book showcases the transformative potential of failing forward and maintaining an unwavering spirit. It offers a diverse range of perspectives, keeping readers engaged and curious until the very end. Prepare to be enlightened as the author explores the four essential elements for achieving success, urging us to adopt each one and providing compelling examples to ignite new perspectives on the relationship between failure and triumph. This is a must-read for those eager to encounter a fresh outlook on failures and embrace the keys to lasting success.

After making the decision in 2006 to allow my Savior Christ Jesus to also be Lord of my life I began an unforgettable journey down a path filled with so many different challenges. This book is a revealing of part of that journey. From the receiving of two visions, to insight in His Word, along with poetry created as I embraced different emotions, you will read a personal and in-depth sharing of many processes the Lord brought me through after He took my hand and began to disciple me to stand in the calling placed upon my life.

Explores the relationship between the Mosaic law and early Christian ethics In this volume thirteen respected scholars explore the relationship between the Mosaic law and early Christian ethics, examining early Christian appropriation of the Torah and looking at ways in which the law continued to serve as an ethical reference point for Christ-believers -- whether or not they thought Torah observance was essential. These noteworthy essays compare differences in interpretation and application of the law between Christians and non-Christian Jews; investigate ways in which Torah-inspired ethical practices helped Christ-believing communities articulate their distinct identities and social responsibilities; and look at how presentations of the law in early Christian literature might inform Christian social and ethical practices today. Posing a unified set of questions to a diverse range of texts, Torah Ethics and Early Christian Identity will stimulate new thinking about a complex phenomenon commonly overlooked by scholars and church leaders alike.

When asked by the publisher of this manuscript to write a brief statement for the cover of this book, we were immediately driven to the second stanza of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson and J.R. Rosamond Johnson. The second stanza says, Stony the road we trod Bitter the chastening rod Felt in the days when hope unborn had died Yet with a steady beat Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered Out from the gloomy past Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast To our sisters and brothers, keep praying, keep singing, and keep going to safe places to cry! Our sanity demands.

This book is a distillation of reading Acts for over fifty years, preaching it for twenty-five years, and studying it in-depth for five years. My aim is for students, church leaders, preachers, and missionaries to join me on a journey of narrative theology—a literary exploration of transformation by the Spirit and the Word in Acts. As with every part of God’s inspired Scriptures, there is always more to discover and apply. As a Reformed Charismatic I believe that Acts is our story. However, rather than just attempting to copy it, I suggest that the book’s unexpected literary shape reveals a challenging missional significance. The need for world gospel mission continues today. However, like the early church, we often contain the Holy Spirit within our own structures and are reluctant to move out of our comfort zones. Acts shows the church’s priority is to be God’s mission instrument in the world. Let’s study, lead, preach, and go from Acts so that we realize Jesus’s promise “that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the end(s) of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

When we last left our hero life was on an upswing. However upon James Zlotnik's return to St. Louis it would seem that the world has kept turning and with it trouble kept brewing. What exactly is the government plotting and where exactly do Mutt and crew fit in to the plot? Are they the catalyst or just a wrinkle in a grander scheme?