January 6, 2020
 

“Christians were never meant to be normal.
We’ve always been holy troublemakers,
we’ve always been creators of uncertainty,
agents of the dimension that’s incompatible with the status quo;
we do not accept the world as it is, but we insist
on the world becoming the way that God wants it to be.
And the Kingdom of God is different from the patterns of this world.”

― Jacques Ellul,
philosopher / theologian

TODAY is Ellul's birthday (b. 6 Jan 1912)


*** Jacques Ellul is featured
on our list of 
Ten Social Critics that 
Christians Should Be Reading





*** Kindle Ebook
Deal of the Day!
Eat with Joy: 
Redeeming God's Gift of Food
by Rachel Marie Stone
Only $3.99!!!
 

***Advent / Christmas Calendar 2019 –
Best Books of the Year
for Christian Readers!

*** NOW CONTINUING THROUGH THE END OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON... 
Featuring our picks for the best books of 2019 for Christian readers,
to be revealed one per day through Advent!   UPDATED THROUGH TODAY!



 

New on our website... 

*** Lectionary Poetry –
Epiphany Week 1 (Year A)

Our carefully-selected poems for next Sunday (Epiphany Week 1) are now live!  
Featuring poems by Mary Karr, Tania Runyan, Malcolm Guite, MORE
In this new weekly series,  we offer a broad selection of classic and contemporary poems
from diverse poets that stir our imaginations with thoughts of how the biblical text speaks
to us in the twenty-first century.  If you find these poems helpful,
please SHARE THEM with friends who will also appreciate them!

 

*** New Book Releases –
Week of 6 January 2020

Here are a few new book releases 
from this week that are worth checking out:
Greg Boyd, Douglas Campbell, Racial Trauma, MORE



Francois Fenelon –
How to Pray – Excerpt

Since I first learned of his work in Richard Foster’s classic book
Celebration of Discipline, I’ve long found Fenelon’s theological
meditations to be immensely clear and practical.
For example, here is an excerpt on how to pray from his brief treatise on Prayer:

 

In Case You Missed It... 
 

*** DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE DIGITAL COPY
of our Advent 2019 Magazine Issue!!!
         [ DOWNLOAD NOW ] 

(After you click the above link, click  the dropdown button
on the right that says OPEN  and you will see the option to download the PDF)

 

*** Deepening Congregational Life –
10 Authors You Should Be Reading

A reading list on some of the most essential thinkers who guide us into
the work of deepening our congregational life together in our local churches.
Bonhoeffer, Lohfink, Christine Pohl, Willie Jennings, MORE 



***Amazon Monthly Kindle
Ebook Sale ! – January 2020

Amazon recently released their January ebook sale …
(Most ebooks in this sale are $3.99 or less!)
Here are 15 of the Very Best Deals
for Christian Readers from this ebook sale …
Carol Howard Merritt, James Baldwin, MORE