Contemporary Religion

How is that hope both expressed and experienced in contemporary worship? In this volume in the Dynamics of Christian Worship series, pastor, theologian, and songwriter Glenn Packiam explores what Christians sing about when they sing about hope and what kind of hope they experience when they worship together. Through his analysis and reflection, we find that Christian worship is crucial to both the proclamation and the formation of Christian hope.

From the acclaimed author of Girlchild, this gritty, irreverent novel sees a young misfit grow into hope. Unsinkable and wrecked by grief, motherless and aimless and looking for connection, Helen Dedleder is a girl with a gift she doesn't want to use and a pack of friends who are all just...

In Glendale, book one of The Glendale Series, an unlikely relationship blossoms when high school junior Jessica, the new girl from D.C., crosses paths with Joe—a good Christian boy with enough passion and conviction for them both . . . or so he thinks. As he walks a dangerous road, Joe takes bold risks in hopes of making his God Jessica’s. Instead, she becomes his.

A global thriller presenting an apocalyptic vision of a world on the brink of despair and destruction.

What would you do if the world was brought to a standstill? If you heard deafening static followed by the words, ‘My children. Do not be afraid’?

Faith or delusion? Fantasy or fact? From the winner of the 2009 Orange New Writers Award comes a profound meditation on the nature of faith and a riveting story of religious passion gone tragically wrong in London. When word gets out that Mary-Margaret O’Reilly, a somewhat slow-witted but...

Lia Carswell is good at what she does - even if it isn't as glamorous as her old life in Manhattan. The popular waitress works hard in a small Salt Lake City diner, with the goal of easing her sister's financial strain. And with her witty personality and good looks, she's something of an enigma to the male customers who vie for her attention. Ever the professional, Lia keeps her distance - with one exception.

Tales of the Talking Picture is a fabulous science-fiction fantasy novel about a boy who comes into possession of an old oval portrait of a woman named Rhiannon Tanglewyst, who happens to be a witch who has been trapped within the picture for centuries. Rhiannon tells Matthew and his troublesome girlfriend, a Goth named Christina, fantastical tales from the future and the past....

A husband and son abandoned to forge a path alone. A young woman who sacrificed her dreams. How will the God of grace and hope help them find their way? At 19 years old, Old Order Amish Jolene Keim was on the brink of happily-ever-after when everything changed, stealing the future she expected and burdening her with an unbearable decision. For the next 10 years, Jolene throws herself into family life - and then she meets Andy Fisher.

Solitary Pagans is the first book to explore the growing phenomenon of contemporary Pagans who practice alone. Although the majority of Pagans in the United States have abandoned the tradition of practicing in groups, little is known about these individuals or their way of practice. Helen A. Berger fills that gap by building on a massive survey of contemporary practitioners. By examining the data, Berger describes solitary practitioners demographically and explores their spiritual practices, level of social engagement, and political activities.

Everyone in Hollybrook agrees Uriah Umble is bad news - except Beulah Yoder. Uriah certainly isn’t bad news for her. She loves him and will do anything for him - including sneak out of the house repeatedly to be with him. After months of this, she finally gets caught and the anvil falls. She is forbidden to ever see Uriah Umble again. Join Beulah as she struggles through unbearable circumstances. Feel her confusion and rejection and rejoice with her as she learns the true meaning of faith, forgiveness, and love.

When a valuable thoroughbred racehorse is stolen from the breeding shed one stormy night, Tetch becomes the prime suspect in this infamous and mysterious theft. Though she is known far and wide as a renowned empath, even those who support Tetch begin to wonder. Why won’t she defend herself? Why would she rather go to jail than tell the truth? And ultimately, where is Quantro?

Dies ist die Geschichte einer erfolgreichen Frau, die mit 50 Jahren die große Chance bekommt, beruflich, wirtschaftlich, familiär und in ihrer Fernbeziehung vollends zu scheitern, um noch einmal ganz von vorne zu beginnen. Es ist die Geschichte einer angeschlagenen Abenteurerin, die ihre Lebensversicherung auflöst, ihre Möbel, Bücher und High-Heels verkauft und sich nach Indien verabschiedet. Weil die Winter dort wärmer sind und das Essen erschwinglicher.

Our world is charged with both the grandeur of God and the void of his absence. The seven deadly sins are the force causing that hole. They are at work in each of us. They decimate our relationships, our souls and our world. These deadly sins often seem pleasing and good for gaining what we...

On April 16, 2007, the campus of Virginia Tech experienced a collective nightmare when 33 students were killed in the worst massacre in modern U.S. history. Following that horrendous event, VA Tech campus pastor Matt Rogers found himself asking and being asked, Where is God in all of this? The cliché-ridden, pat answers rang hollow. In this beautifully written reflection, Rogers illumines the path for experiencing God as truly good when life isnt.

Is there life-after-death? How did everything emerge into existence? Is there a God? Accessing and utilizing an innate set of super cognitive skills embedded in an upper frequency range of human emotion, rarely accessed by most human beings on Earth, but developed through a process of “Spiritual Alchemy”, Erik P. Antoni takes the listener on a marvelous journey into the realm of pure consciousness, heavenly realms, and cosmic forces, to bring into light many of humanity’s most sought-after questions.

Julie Maxwell’s life is aglow with the promise of happily-ever-after - a wonderful husband, a new home, and an art studio of her own. She is living her dream, until suddenly, she isn’t. One of life’s random blows changes everything and Julie finds herself in an abyss of fear and grief. Immobilized by tragedy and unable to climb out of her despair, Julie descends into isolation. But life can be as benevolent as it can be cruel, and hope can find you no matter where you are.

All Helena really wants is a better life for her 12-year-old son, Luke. To do that, she needs to get him into a good school, which isn’t easy to do when you are a single mother and a Catholic in a near-future United States where there is no more separation between church and state. States, even neighborhoods, are divided along religious lines, and Helena faces discrimination everywhere she goes. Adam, a teenager from her congregation, convinces Helena to leave everything behind and take him and her son across the new American landscape to New Secular City.

When Rose Kurtz first arrived in Joel Dienner's home four years ago, the Amish widower had been completely grief-stricken by the shocking loss of his wife during childbirth. At the recommendation of the bishop, Joel's father, Rose is asked to become his bride and take care of his two small children and newborn baby, nestled in the tiny Amish community of Forest Hill in the eastern Appalachian Mountains, far from Rose's home.

Springfields is a village with a lot of secrets, secrets that lure disaster to many. Sylvia, Amelia, and Elisha find themselves caught up in the sinister tale, only to find inner strength they never knew they had. This story is about three women journey in life to help put wandering spirits to rest and bring peace to the people of Springfields. Along the way finding hidden powers they never knew they possessed.

The Children's Bible provides, in simple English, a translation of selections from both the Old and the New Testament. These selections have been made as a result of more than 25 years of observation and study. The text is that of the Bible itself, but in the language of a child, so that it may easily be read to younger children and read by those who are older. The immortal stories and songs of the Old and New Testaments are a child's richest inheritance from the past.