Showing results by narrator "Claton Butcher" in All Categories

What do you do when you disagree with other Christians? How do you determine which convictions are negotiable and which are not? How do you get along with people who have different personal standards? All of these questions have to do with the conscience. Yet there is hardly a more neglected topic among Christians.

Christianity is a surprising religion. It has changed the world in remarkable ways throughout history simply through Christians living out their faith. More recently, we've become afraid of a habituated Christianity, thinking that routines will rob our faith of its vitality. The net effect is that we've replaced the habits that surprise the world with habits that mimic the world―and both we and the world suffer for it.

"America had a secret weapon," writes Steve Call of the period immediately following September 11, 2001, as planners contemplated the invasion of Afghanistan. This weapon consisted of small teams of Special Forces operatives trained in close air support (CAS) who, in cooperation with the loose federation of Afghan rebels opposed to the Taliban regime, soon began achieving impressive - and unexpected - military victories over Taliban forces and the al-Qaeda terrorists they had sponsored....

There is no better way to understand America than by understanding the cultural history of the American Dream. Rather than just a powerful philosophy or ideology, the Dream is thoroughly woven into the fabric of everyday life, playing a vital role in who we are, what we do, and why we do it. No other idea or mythology has as much influence on our individual and collective lives. Tracing the history of the phrase in popular culture, Samuel gives readers a field guide to the evolution of our national identity over the last eighty years.

Until very recently, no society had seen marriage as anything other than a conjugal partnership: a male-female union. What Is Marriage? identifies and defends the reasons for this historic consensus and shows why redefining civil marriage as something other than the conjugal union of husband and wife is a mistake. Originally published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, this book’s core argument quickly became the year’s most widely read essay on the most prominent scholarly network in the social sciences.

God commands us to remember the Sabbath, but is it realistic in today's fast-paced culture? In this warm and helpful book, Shelly Miller dispels legalistic ideas about the Sabbath and shows how even busy people can implement a rhythm of rest into their lives—whether for an hour, a morning, or a whole day. With encouraging stories from people in different stages in life, Miller shares practical advice for having peaceful, close times with God.

The ancient merchants of Tyre sailed the high seas and plumbed their depths in search of a rare shellfish, valued for its rich, purple dye. The Greek word kalchaino, to ponder, literally means in search of the purple fish. Like the search for the purple fish, Jesus goes to remarkable lengths in seeking after his most valued treasure lost, broken, hurting, oppressed people. He invites us on a grand adventure to help him connect with these purple fish too.

A cautionary look at 10 dangerously appealing half-truths. Not long ago, I came across a list of 10 principles set forth by proponents of progressive Christianity. They are, in effect, a new 10 commandments. What’s striking is that they are far less about God revealing his desires and far more about man expressing his own - less Moses, more Oprah. Yet each of these commandments is partially true. Indeed, that is what makes this list, and progressive Christianity as a whole, so challenging.

Are you trying to deal with an alcoholic, a friend or relative that alcoholism is their way of living? It can be really difficult living or dealing with a close friend or a family member that is drinking to get 'drunk' one, two times a week (and in a lot of cases, daily). If you find yourself in this situation, I believe my book will help you out. I will first share two of my experiences and stories and then I will offer suggestions as to what I feel may help you. I, the author of this book, have lived and dealt with several drunks in my life.

As our use of technology has increased, our communication skills have decreased. We text when we should talk. We tweet firings and breakups. Technology creates the illusion of being in touch, but we lose the deeper meaning conveyed by body language, facial expression, and tone of voice. What we need are real, face-to-face conversations. Have we lost that art?

Your loved one begins drinking to the point of no return once again. A fight ensues, words are exchanged and it is another miserable episode of nagging and pleading and promises to refrain from ever returning to this point. Does this sound familiar? If this is the picture that represents your life, then it is time to enact an alternative to the repeated efforts of trying to make him or her quit this behavior. What if it were possible to alter your reaction to your loved one's drinking?

Scripture calls parents to train and nurture their children's faith. How can churches best equip families to disciple their children? Family ministry expert Dr. Timothy Paul Jones gives church leaders a practical plan to equip parents to be the primary faith trainers in their children's lives, moving beyond mere programming into genuine spiritual transformation.

In the fall of 1864, the Civil War's outcome rested largely on Abraham Lincoln's success in the upcoming presidential election. As the contest approached, cautious optimism buoyed the President's supporters in the wake of Union victories at Atlanta and in the Shenandoah Valley. With all eyes on the upcoming election, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant conducted a series of large-scale military operations outside Richmond and Petersburg, which have, until now, received little attention.

In spite of conclusive research and evidence, such as what has been shared so far, produced by the medical, psychological and educational communities, there are skeptics who still cling to the claim that ADHD is not "real". In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, there are those who persist in voicing their opinions that ADHD is just an excuse for people who are lazy or sloppy, or to cover up for ineffective parenting.

This book presents the fullest account yet written of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Rooted in a wealth of oral histories, it tells the dramatic but underreported story of a people who confronted the unprecedented devastation of sixty five thousand homes when the eye wall and powerful northeast quadrant of the hurricane swept a record thirty-foot storm surge across a seventy-five-mile stretch of unprotected Mississippi towns and cities. James Patterson Smith takes us through life and death accounts of storm day, August 29, 2005, and the precarious days of food and water shortages that followed. Along the way the narrative treats us to inspiring episodes of neighborly compassion and creative responses to the greatest natural disaster in American history

We want to be different, but we don't want to change. Our attempts at spiritual formation and growth are consistently sabotaged by our surface efforts that never quite get to the root of the problem. We think we know what we're supposed to do, but we're not quite sure who we're supposed to be on the other side of transformation.

In July 1994, Thomas P. Odom was part of the U.S. Embassy team that responded to the Goma refugee crisis. He witnessed the deaths of 70,000 refugees in a single week. In the previous three months of escalating violence, the Rwandan genocide had claimed 800,000 dead. Now, in this vivid and unsettling new book, Odom offers the first insider look at these devastating events before, during, and after the genocide.

On January 24, 1915, a German naval force commanded by Admiral Franz von Hipper conducted a raid on British fishing fleets in the area of the Dogger Banks. The force was engaged by a British force, which had been alerted by a decoded radio intercept. The ensuing battle would prove to be the largest and longest surface engagement until the Battle of Jutland the following summer.

It seems that weight loss and getting into shape is a universal goal for the majority of people in North America. One way to lose weight and get into shape for once and for all is through a serious running program. How to Start a Running Routine and Become a Confident Runner. Running, along with walking, are exercises that you can begin fairly quickly and easily. Notice that we didn't say that weight loss would be easy to accomplish, but then nothing worthwhile ever is.

Gain a better understanding of the oppressive drug world, which has transformed and adversely affected so many lives. This book gives an in-depth look at why individuals turn to drugs, what happens chemically, signs and symptoms, intervention strategies, treatments, recovery and so much more. Additionally, the real stories submitted by ex-addicts (and loved ones of ex-addicts) demonstrates the power of substance abuse. These stories will take you through their journey from life before drugs to its after-effects.