First Religion

Expanded Edition: Now with a brand-new bonus epilogue… In the tense months following 9/11, a chance encounter sparks an unlikely connection between two strangers—a young college student and a marine on his way to Afghanistan. Mark has no interest in romance, especially just a week before he deploys. But when he sees a man follow a pretty waitress from a Providence hotspot, his gut tells him she’s in danger. He feels compelled to intervene. Amanda hoped to learn the restaurant business when she took the waitressing job, but so far all she’s learned is how to fend off handsy guys. ...

If you're not reading the same bible as the first Christians in AD 144 you're reading just another book. The first Christian bible is not only the foundation of faith that virtually every denomination traces its canonical roots back to - it's also the only place you'll find the gospel preached by Paul the Apostle that he specifically references numerous times: "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1:8-9).

Eliminate self-doubt, perfectionism, and anxiety and develop more confidence. Do you want to live your life without fear of other people’s disapproval? Do you wake up dreading the day feeling discouraged with what you've accomplished in life? Do you want to develop more confidence in yourself overcome low self-esteem, insecurity, and self-doubt? In this guide to self-love, international best-selling author Marc Reklau shows you how to boost your self-esteem with simple and practical exercises.

In late 2017, scientists at a Hawaiian observatory glimpsed an object soaring through our inner solar system, moving so quickly that it could only have come from another star. Avi Loeb, Harvard’s top astronomer, showed it was not an asteroid; it was moving too fast along a strange orbit, and left no trail of gas or debris in its wake. There was only one conceivable explanation: the object was a piece of advanced technology created by a distant alien civilization.

This is a book for men, specifically followers of Jesus and especially if they are married men who are finding marriage to be perplexing and more difficult than they expected. This is a book about how God's instructions in the Bible can make a man's marriage better. Before getting married, most men think that marriage will be easy. The man assumes that if he finds the right woman, he will be an excellent husband. She will love him; he will love her.

We need direction for every decision—where to go to college, whom to marry, where to go to church, which job to take, what ministries to be involved in, how to handle our finances, how to handle broken relationships, and so many other things. Seek Him First has been written to show you exactly how you can seek God and find the direction you need for the journey. This book is for those who know God has a plan for their lives, but don’t know how to make it a reality from day to day.

You are meant to be in relationships that bring joy and connection—that help you know soul-deep peace and leave you feeling loved instead of lonely. Instead, surface-level friendships, filtered social media feeds, unresolved conflicts, and unhealthy relationships can often seem to harm our self-worth, spiritual growth, and mental health—and keep us from the very relationships that could bring that true connection.

Muhammad's was a life of almost unparalleled historical importance, yet for all the iconic power of his name, the intensely dramatic story of the prophet of Islam is not well known. In The First Muslim, Lesley Hazleton brings him vibrantly to life. Drawing on early eyewitness sources and on history, politics, religion, and psychology, she renders him as a man in full, in all his complexity and vitality. Hazleton's account follows the arc of Muhammad's rise from powerlessness to power, from anonymity to renown.

Packed with 52 topical chapters—ideal for listening daily or weekly—and presented with refreshing clarity, Devoted to Jesus is designed to help both new and mature believers grow together. This is a journey you’ll first want to experience yourself and then utilize to invest into others.

In this electrifying social and intellectual history, Paula Fredriksen answers the question of how Jewish missionaries ended up inaugurating a movement that would grow into the gentile church by reconstructing the life of the earliest Jerusalem community. As her account arcs from this group’s hopeful celebration of Passover with Jesus, through their bitter controversies that fragmented the movement’s midcentury missions, to the city’s fiery end in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, she brings this vibrant apostolic community to life.

What does spirituality mean to you? Can your spirituality help depression? How does spirituality affect your health? Are spirituality and religion the same? When does someone's spirituality become toxic? Which spirituality is right for me? Where is it exactly that money and spirituality mix? Why is spirituality important? These are all good questions, and our creator—the source, the all—has heard our questions. This book, if you can listen and hear what it is truly saying, will answer all of your questions. I'm so excited for this journey we all must take back home. Where's home?

Step into one of the most enigmatic and powerful sacred texts ever written—the First Book of Enoch, finally unveiled with reverence, clarity, and depth. Long hidden in the highlands of Ethiopia and excluded from Western Bibles for centuries, the Book of Enoch returns with prophetic force in this immersive narrated edition. Discover the lost prophecies of the Watchers, the terrifying birth of the Nephilim, the secrets of the celestial realms, and the eternal message of divine judgment and cosmic renewal.

In the Last Words of Jesus, you'll experience a fresh encounter with Christ as Stu Epperson recounts the last seven statements uttered by Jesus on the cross, providing unique, thought-provoking insights and interspersing additional commentaries from many of Christianity's leading theologians and authors. This one-stop resource and devotional will help you understand more deeply...

Hey you! Do you have wildly eclectic taste in rock and pop music? Do you like to sing? Dance? Maybe learn some no-bullshit techniques for communicating with the deity of your choice--and getting a response? Then you, my friend, may be interested in joining the First Church of David Bowie, Phonomancer. Is the FCDB an elaborate prank? An alternative reality game? The world's first start-up religion? Who's to say! STGHTFCDB is the astounding true story of the weirdest four years of my life.

Bravery. Resolve. The biblical story of Joshua and the era of Judges – as it has never been told before. The Israelites are finally free from the tyranny of Egypt. After the savior Moses passes away, a new leader is tasked by The Lord to lead the Israelites in conquest of Canaan – the promised land. Obedient Joshua becomes the first of the Judges, the civil and military leaders of their age. But as they soon discover, the greatest enemy of the people might actually come from within. Experience the culmination of the biblical story like never before, in simple and straightforward English...

Paul is second only to Jesus as the most important person in the birth of Christianity, and yet he continues to be controversial, even among Christians. How could the letters of Paul be used both to inspire radical grace and to endorse systems of oppression - condoning slavery, subordinating women, condemning homosexual behavior? Borg and Crossan use the best of biblical and historical scholarship to explain the reasons for Paul's mixed reputation and reveal to us what scholars have known for decades: The later letters of Paul were created by the early church to dilute Paul's message.

A flower of mystical insight from 14c. England, this book records the visions and prescient theological world-view of Julian, an anchoress at Norwich. Her unique and visceral retelling of both the birthing and the dying of Christ, the first book to be written in English by a woman, has never been duplicated in the clarity and eloquence of its language. Here, preserving the humility of the original in a modern idiom, is a metered poetic version of her revelations: …she who’s Mother of our Savior Is mother of all who shall be saved; And our Savior our very Mother, In whom we are endlessly...

Jesus' treatment of women was revolutionary. That's why they flocked to him. Wherever he went, they sought him out. Women sat at his feet and tugged at his robes. They came to him for healing, for forgiveness, and for answers. In Jesus through the Eyes of Women, Rebecca McLaughlin explores the life-changing accounts of women who met the Lord. By entering the stories of the named and unnamed women in the Gospels, this book gives listeners a unique lens to see Jesus as these women did and marvel at how he loved them in return.

From the creative minds of the scholarly group behind the groundbreaking Jesus Seminar comes this provocative and eye-opening look at the roots of Christianity that offers a thoughtful reconsideration of the first two centuries of the Jesus movement, transforming our understanding of the religion and its early dissemination.

John W. O'Malley gives us the most comprehensive account ever written of the Society of Jesus in its founding years, one that heightens and transforms our understanding of the Jesuits in history and today. Following the Society from 1540 through 1565, O'Malley shows how this sense of mission evolved. He looks at everything—the Jesuits' teaching, their preaching, their casuistry, their work with orphans and prostitutes, their attitudes toward Jews and "New Christians," and their relationship to the Reformation.