Ann Voskamp’s the wife of one fine, down-to-earth farmer; a book-reading mama to a posse of seven; and the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Greatest Gift and Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, and the sixty-week New York Times bestseller One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, which has sold more than one million copies and has been translated into more than eighteen languages.

Named by Christianity Today as one of fifty women most shaping culture and the church today, Ann knows unspoken brokenness and big country skies and an intimacy with God that touches wounded places. Millions do life with her at her daily photographic online journal, one of the Top 10 most widely read Christian websites:  www.annvoskamp.com

New York Times best-selling author Ann Voskamp sits at the edge of her life and all of her own unspoken brokenness and asks: What if you really want to live abundantly before it’s too late? What do you do if you really want to know abundant wholeness? This is the one begging question that’s behind every single aspect of our lives — and one that The Broken Way rises up to explore in the most unexpected ways.

This one’s for the lovers and the sufferers. For those whose hopes and dreams and love grew so large it broke their willing hearts. This one’s for the busted ones who are ready to bust free, the ones ready to break molds, break chains, break measuring sticks, and break all this bad brokenness with an unlikely good brokenness.  You could be one of the Beloved who is broken — and still lets yourself be loved.

You could be one of them, one who believes freedom can be found not only beyond the fear and pain, but actually  within it.

You could discover and trust this broken way — the way to not be afraid of broken things. -From the Publisher

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Seminary Dropout 83: Rachel Held Evans, Author of “Searching For Sunday”

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Mike McHargue (better known as Science Mike) is the best-selling author of Finding God in the Waves, host of Ask Science Mike and co-host of The Liturgists Podcast. He’s a leading voice on matters of science and religion with a monthly reach in the hundreds of thousands. Among other outlets, Mike has written for RELEVANT, Don Miller’s Storyline, BioLogos, and The Washington Post.

Mike loves sharing ideas in person, and is an in-demand speaker at conferences, churches, and colleges. He’s recently spoken to sold-out crowds in New York about the science of addiction, explained the science of storytelling at Storyline in Chicago, and shown people how Christianity can embrace the modern world at Belong in London.

Mike lives in Tallahassee, FL with is wife Jenny and two daughters.

What do you do when God dies? It’s a question facing millions today, as science reveals a Universe that’s self-creating, as American culture departs from Christian social norms, and the idea of God begins to seem implausible at best and barbaric at worst.

Mike McHargue understands the pain of unraveling belief. In Finding God in the Waves, Mike tells the story of how his Evangelical faith dissolved into atheism as he studied the Bible, a crisis that threatened his identity, his friendships, and even his marriage. Years later, Mike was standing on the shores of the Pacific Ocean when a bewildering, seemingly mystical moment motivated him to take another look. But this time, it wasn’t theology or scripture that led him back to God—it was science.

In Finding God in the Waves, “Science Mike” draws on his personal experience to tell the unlikely story of how science led him back to faith. Among other revelations, we learn what brain scans reveal about what happens when we pray; how fundamentalism affects the psyche; and how God is revealed not only in scripture, but in the night sky, in subatomic particles, and in us.

For the faithful and skeptic alike, Finding God in the Waves is a winsome, lucid, page-turning read about belonging, life’s biggest questions, and the hope of knowing God in an age of science.

                                                                                                     -From The Publisher

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Seminary Dropout 83: Rachel Held Evans, Author of “Searching For Sunday”

Seminary Dropout 123: AJ Swoboda, on Wandering, Doubt, and Hope

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Brandon is an author, biker, humanitarian, and a huge fan of the underdog.

After more than 20 years of working in the local church, He co-founded and is now the Managing Partner of The Legacy Collective (www.legacycollective.org) and The Legacy Investor Group LLC which focuses on partnering, pioneering, and funding sustainable solutions to systemic social issues.

He co-stars in the HGTV and DIY Network series “My Big Family Renovation” and has had various guest appearances on other HGTV shows (Brother v.s. Brother, Tiny House Arrest…)

Brandon currently lives in Austin, Texas and is married to author and speaker, Jen Hatmaker.

A Mile Wide: Trading a Shallow Religion for a Deeper Faith

In A Mile Wide, he helps readers see more clearly how the gospel works in us and eventually through us to transform an anemic spiritual life into a deeper, fuller, and more effective faith. Offering fresh perspective on eight essentials of Christianity—the gospel, identity, scripture, discipleship, kingdom, mission, community, and justice—Hatmaker provides biblical insight and practical applications that tap into the richer life Christ promised his people, individually and as a community. God wants more than simply to save us; he’s also determined to transform us, restore us, and use us to reveal the coming of his kingdom right here, right now.

                                                                                                     -From The Publisher

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Seminary Dropout 102: Jeremy Jernigan, Author of “Redeeming Pleasure” 

Seminary Dropout 133 Lisa Sharon Harper, Author of “The Very Good Gospel”

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A Connecticut native and granddaughter of Italian and Irish immigrants, Cathleen is a graduate of Wheaton College, the alma mater of the Rev. Billy Graham, former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and horror film director Wes Craven. (Admittedly, she often finds more common ground with Craven and Graham than Hastert.) She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University as well as a master’s degree in theological studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She also was a 2009 Divinity School Media Fellow at Duke University, a Gralla Fellow in Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, and was the 1996 Stoody-West Fellow in Religious Journalism.

Jennifer is a graduate of Wheaton College (IL) and received her Masters degree in English literature with concentrations in fiction writing and critical theory (Go Derrida!) from Southern Methodist University. She lives with her husband, four children, and a wise and affectionate mutt named Shiloh outside of Chicago, Illinois.

DISQUIET TIME takes its cue from migraine those venerable, traditional devotionals in format and appearance, but with a twist. Each chapter will feature a scripture passage or verse chosen by the contributor, who will write a 1,000-3,000-word reflection about why this part of the Bible most excites, comforts, disturbs, frustrates, or soothes him or her.

The idea is not necessarily to be irreverent, but rather to acknowledge the parts of the Bible that confound and fascinate us. Our aim is to create a book with all of the humor of a satire or parody but none of the snark or vitriol. -From the Publisher

Find more info visit Disquiet Time

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Seminary Dropout 116: Jackie Roese, “Lime Green” 

Seminary Dropout 1 36: Sarah Bessey: “In Out Of Sorts“

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Dr. James has two doctorates, a D.Phil. in History from Oxford University and a Ph.D. in Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary. Dr. James has taught at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florda (where he also served as president) and at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA (where he also served as provost). Additionally, he has served on the teaching faculties of Villanova University and Westmont College, and was Visiting Professor at the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Oxford University. Dr. James is currently the president of Biblical Theological Seminary. He recently released a video course titled, “Introducing Church History” for Logos  Bible Software.

“How did the earliest Christians think about their faith, and how has that same faith produced the contemporary church? The history of Christianity is a story of ordinary people whose lives have been radically impacted by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This is a dramatic story filled with heroic achievements as well as human frailty. By studying Christianity’s development from its earliest beginnings, we can live more faithfully into the unique needs of the 21st century.”  – from the publisher

 

For more information on these video courses visit: Church History Bundle. Use the code: FRANKJAMES100 to get $100 off the course!

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Seminary Dropout 116: Trip Fuller, “Home-brewed Christianity” 

Seminary Dropout 1 36: Gerald McDermott: “The Great Theologians”

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Todd Adkins is the Director of Leadership at Lifeway Christian Resources. He is passionate about the development of leaders, especially within the church. Todd served in student ministry and as an executive pastor for several years before joining the leadership at Lifeway to head up Ministry Grid, Lifeway’s dynamic new leadership development platform featuring over 3,700 videos and a fully customizable learning management system for churches.

The 5 Leadership Questions podcast is brought to you by LifeWay Leadership. Each episode co-hosts Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper will ask five questions of different guests or about different leadership topics. The aim of the podcast is to inform and encourage Christian leaders whether they serve in the pastorate, the business world, non-profits, or on a volunteer basis.

Their aim is to encourage leaders, share insights, and learn from other great leaders. They want to help leader grow in character, knowledge, and skills and do so in an enjoyable way. Some conversations are more serious while others are light-hearted. Their hope is that these conversations will build up leaders no matter their position.

Subscribe to Todd’s Podcast on itunes: 5 Leadership Questions

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Seminary Dropout 119: Brad Lomenick, Author of H3 Leadership

Seminary Dropout 115 Natasha Sistrunk Robinson When We Measure the Church By American Standards

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*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org

Christianity has always been about being saved. But today what Christians need saving from most is the toxic understanding of salvation we’ve received through bad theology. The loudest voices in Christianity today sound exactly like the religious authorities who crucified Jesus.

How Jesus Saves the World from Us: 12 Antidotes to Toxic Christianity

This is a book for Christians who are troubled by what we’ve become and who want Jesus to save us from the toxic behaviors and attitudes we’ve embraced. Each of the 12 chapters proposes an antidote for the toxicity that has infiltrated Christian culture, such as “Worship not Performance, “Temple not Program,” and “Solidarity not Sanctimony.” Each chapter includes thought-provoking discussion questions, perfect for individual or group study.

There are many reasons to lose hope about the state of our world and our church, but Guyton offers one piece of good news: Jesus is saving the world from us, one Christian at a time.  -From the Publisher

Find Morgan at: Mercy Not Sacrifice

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Seminary Dropout 123: AJ Swoboda, on Wandering, Doubt, and Hope

Seminary Dropout 131: Brian Zahnd Author of “Water to Wine: Some of My Story”

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Chris Marlow, founder of the global advocacy organization Help One Now, once felt paralyzed in the face of global problems. They seemed too numerous, too complicated, too big—and after all, how much can one person really do? But a wake-up call in Zimbabwe and a closer study of Scripture soon showed Chris that maybe Christians are overcomplicating how to do act justly in a broken world. Maybe all God is calling us to do is set up a lemonade stand for a good cause.

Doing Good Is Simple: Making a Difference Right Where You Are

We all want to do good, but often, we can be overwhelmed by our busy schedules, family commitments, and the feeling that we might not be making much of an impact anyway.

In Doing Good Is Simple, Chris Marlow gently challenges us with grace and humor to realize that we are both called and equipped to make a difference in the world and reminds us that doing good can be simple! -From the Publisher

Find Chris at: doinggoodissimplebook.com

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Seminary Dropout 35: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor & Yourself – Brian Fikkert

Seminary Dropout 121: Shawn Duncan, on Truly Helping those in Poverty, Gentrification, and the Role of the Church

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Gerald R. McDermott (PhD, University of Iowa) is Anglican Chair of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. He is also associate pastor at Christ the King Anglican Church. His books include The Other Jonathan Edwards: Readings in Love, Society, and Justice (with Ronald Story), The Theology of Jonathan Edwards (with Michael McClymond), A Trinitarian Theology of Religions (with Harold Netland), Cancer: A Medical and Spiritual Guide (with William Fintel, MD), Jonathan Edwards Confronts the Gods and World Religions: An Indispensable Guide.

 

The Great Theologians: A Brief Guide

Who are the church’s great theologians? What was special about their teaching? What can we learn from them today? Gerald McDermott has written this book for those who want a solid introduction that is challenging, but not overwhelming. Provocative but satisfying. And not too long. McDermott not only informs us about eleven pivotal theologians from Origen to von Balthasar, but helps us sort out what is of continuing value today. With study questions at the end of each chapter, this book is perfect for small groups to go through together. As you do, you’ll explore your shared theological history and uncover more about what and why you believe. Here’s your chance to think with “the greats” about God. -From the Publisher

Find Gerald at: beesondivinity.com/gerald-r-mcdermott

This is an oldie but goodie! Does the job and does it quickly. Check all the details on Valium Online to know it better.

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*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org

Suzanne is a graduate of Cornerstone University and Grace Theological Seminary and serves part-time as discipleship pastor at Three Rivers Wesleyan Church. She writes and speaks on living in the Kingdom of God as a joyful, right-now reality. Suzanne co-authored “Reclaiming Eve: The Identity and Calling of Women in the Kingdom of God”.

Inferior. Second-best. Marginalized. Every daughter of Eve faces an identity crisis at some time in her life. And many wonder where they fit in on a regular basis. Authors Suzanne Burden, Carla Sunberg and Jamie Wright set out to discover what the Bible says about every woman’s identity. What they uncovered is a scriptural blueprint for both women and men that sets them free to serve Christ together as full partners in building God’s kingdom. -From the Publisher

Find Suzanne at: suzanneburden.com

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Seminary Dropout 025 Sarah Bessey

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