Marlena Graves
Biography
Marlena Graves wrote A Beautiful Disaster, Forty Days on Being a Nine, and Para subir hay que bajar.
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Prayer & Spiritual Formation
“Lisa Deam's 3000 Miles to Jesus is a treasure vault opened up for us by an insightful contemplative thinker and historian. Along the path we learn of saints -- of pilgrims. They remind us that we never walk alone; we walk with companions. I am paying close attention to Deam -- her work, her writing, and this book in particular -- because I want to draw closer to Jesus. I recommend you do the same.”
Christian Living
“We hurry through life, militating against our limits, strictures, and guardrails, yet we find ourselves miserable and exhausted. We kick off constraints, doing whatever we want, all in the name of freedom, and remain deeply dissatisfied. Joy and contentment elude us. In A Spacious Life, Ashley Hales draws us to ancient truths: it's within our limits, the life that God has given us, that we flourish. Trying to escape our humanity to be superhuman, unfettered and unencumbered by the quotidian, leads to destruction. Hales, in her inimitable way, deftly and wisely details the path to a spacious life. It is the way of Jesus, the way of wisdom. The way for us. This book hospitably offers an invitation to that sort of life. May we receive it.”
Christian Living
“Armas brilliantly weaves together Scripture, theology, history, postcolonial and feminist scholarship, personal experience, and culture to demonstrate that powerful named and unnamed women fill not only the Bible but also our lives. These women, including our abuelitas and other mentors, are theologians, teachers, and activists who embody the wise and loving way of Christ. Overlooking and underappreciating them impoverishes us and the world. Abuelita Faith is compelling, sharp, inspiring. I anxiously look forward to reading whatever else Armas publishes!”
Christian Living
“Armas entreteje brillantemente las Escrituras, la teología, la historia, la erudición poscolonial y feminista, la experiencia personal y la cultura para demostrar que mujeres poderosas con nombre y sin nombre llenan no solo la Biblia sino también nuestras vidas. Esas mujeres, incluidas nuestras abuelitas y otras mentoras, son teólogas, maestras y activistas que encarnan el camino sabio y amoroso de Cristo. Pasar por alto y menospreciarlas nos empobrece a nosotros y al mundo. Abuelita fe es convincente, aguda e inspiradora. ¡Espero ansiosamente leer cualquier otra cosa que publique Armas!”.”
Christian Living
“Worry disorients us. Anxiety can paralyze us. In Anxious Amy Simpson gives us a God?s-eye-view of the world, demonstrating that worry and anxiety are foreign to life in the kingdom. This will be a book to which I will return when I need encouragement to trust God. Anxious reorients us to God and his perspective in Scripture, bringing peace to a knotted soul.”
Christian Living
“Becoming Sage is for all of us who are famished, who long for sense amid so much "Christian" nonsense. In this book, Michelle Van Loon reveals just how sage she is. And if we heed her wisdom, it will rub off on us. I want to stick this book into the hands of every pastor, church leader, and seminary professor. It's that valuable. Apprentice yourself to Michelle's God-given wisdom; I have.”
History & Biography
“This memoir you hold in your hand is true, not only because it explores Stina Kielsmeier-Cook's wrestling with her loving husband's deconversion and her own doubts—an important part of her life—but because she doesn't cover up or sugarcoat. That is high praise! With Stina I got to know the nuns, the saints, the nones, and new church communities. She sucked me right in. I felt as if I were standing right beside her in her thoughts, encounters, and jaunts in her neighborhood. That is craft. Among the things I loved most is that she doesn't caricature people. Her story reminds me that people are not one-dimensional. I also love how she models being with God and others in the reality of our lives, especially when the reality of things is most definitely not what we wanted or expected. But it is in reality, in the present, where we meet God and find community. Reality is the only place we can live. This is a book for the now.”
Arts & Literature
“In Faith in Mirrors, Heflin is frugal and every bit as careful with his words. He cleverly crafts key gospel lessons into poems. These poems are simultaneously simple and profound. Each word and phrase is hefty—leaving the reader to contemplate the perspectives and the meaning of each one, and motivating prayer. What is so brilliant about these is that they can be read by young and old while providing spiritual nourishment and insight to both.”
Christian Living
“Finding Holy in the Suburbs is manna for those who believe suburban living is akin to living in a shallow, plastic wilderness devoid of beauty and inspiration. And it is manna for those of us who don’t find ourselves in the suburbs but who, nevertheless, have an insatiable longing for meaning and for home. Hales is chock-full of wisdom, gifting us with a beautiful theology of place. Hales is a theologian of our time—heed her.”
Christian Living
“Alia’s writing is beautiful, but her content is even more so because it is dripping with counterintuitive truth. In this book, you’ll discover that God dwells in the places you least expect. You’ll learn of God’s glory in the spaces you seldom consider: your weaknesses and deprivations. Alia is a trusted guide, for she knows of what she speaks. I trust the wisdom she has gained from suffering and Jesus Christ in her. This is a timely book, for it directs us to the timeless way of Jesus. May we all heed what she has to say.”
Counseling, Grief & Mental Health
“We have another theologian on our hands! Here you have a wise, studied, and informative look at living as an embodied human being. While reflecting on her own story, Liuan Huska thinks carefully and writes well about the meaning of wholeness given our illnesses or chronic illnesses. What's more, she highlights a looming problem: our penchant for swimming in a sea of modern-day Gnosticism (among other things). This book is powerful because it is a lived theology, a practical theology of the body in narrative form, not detached speculation. Incarnational. May we sit at her feet and learn.”
Church Leadership & Ministry
“Scot McKnight and Tommy Preson Phillips rightly and deftly point out that those undergoing deconstruction are gifts to the church, not enemies, contrary to what some churches and pastors would have us believe. The problem is not those deconstructing; it is the American church that has collectively become something Jesus would find almost unrecognizable. This book is a call to repentance, a call for the American church to repent and follow Jesus instead of the idols of its own making. It is those deconstructing, among other canaries in the coal mine, who are calling the church to follow Jesus. May we listen closely; our salvation depends on it.”
Dr.
Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
“Inward Apocalypse is smart, witty, and captivating. I could not put it down. Howard’s thinking and writing are as solid as can be, compelling us to pilgrimage alongside her as she confronts the toxic Christian subculture and theology in which many are steeped. Howard raises thought-provoking questions and challenges American Christians who seek to follow the Jesus of the Gospels and not the Jesus of our national imagination.”
Marriage, Family & Relationships
“I opened this book not knowing what to expect; to say I was pleasantly surprised is a gross understatement. It is impressive. Brittany is brilliant, speaks with candor, and is humble—and she has done her homework. Most importantly, she practices what she preaches. And while this is a book about cross-cultural adoption, I can't help but think it a primer for living wisely and faithfully in a multicultural country and church.”
Marriage, Family & Relationships
“Marriage in the Middle is a fount of wisdom. How refreshing! Greco comes out strong, weaving narrative and research together seamlessly. I found myself nodding my head and rereading so I could digest her insights and hard-won wisdom about midlife and particularly marriage in midlife. Moreover, this book isn't rigid and overly prescriptive—nor does it rely on caricatures of gender roles as so many evangelical books on marriage are wont to do. Greco is nuanced and her insights correspond to the realities of marriage, not some idealistic fantasy of marriage. Read it, put it on your shelf, and recommend it when folks ask you about books on marriage. I certainly will.”
Bible Studies & Devotionals
“Means of Grace is exquisite. Fleming Rutledge’s offerings here, curated and edited by Laura Bardolph, plumb the depth of human experience and electrify the Christian imagination. They re-enchant us, turn our gaze toward God, and anchor us in the good, the true, and the beautiful. Through them, grace reorients us. Rutledge is among the best preachers and teachers of our time—a wise soul. I can think of few others who can expertly guide us through the liturgical Christian year in such a robust and nurturing fashion. I need faithful and trustworthy leaders of depth, wise ones to look up to; Fleming Rutledge is such a person. Contemplate the words within these pages for your own good—and the good of others.”
Christian Living
“Those of us who are of mixed ethnicity defy categories, stump those trying to pin us down, and can even stump ourselves while trying to figure out our own identities. Where do we belong? Where do we fit in? Will we ever feel at home? It is clear that in Mixed Blessing Chandra Crane has done her homework and has done the interior work to detail for the rest of us the complexity, beauty, and gift of being a multiethnic person. She also shares some real but hard truths about how we are 'othered' by others. In reading Mixed Blessing, I felt seen and understood. This a welcomed and needed resource!”
My Body Is Not a Prayer Request
Church Leadership & Ministry
“In Kenny’s outstanding debut, she tells us this book is her unstifled scream. Are we listening? I am screaming alongside her when I read about how we as the church harm her and other disabled people. Kenny exegetes not only Scripture and individuals with precision but also the American system and the church. Our theology and our actions demonstrate that many are anything but pro-life—we are guilty of ableism and eugenics, and we need to repent. Kenny is among the sharpest writers and thinkers, and she offers the truth through beautiful writing, wit, wisdom, and grace while showing us the way forward.”
NOTE: Only includes books currently in our catalog; not necessarily a complete list.
Christian Living
Bible Studies & Devotionals
Prayer & Spiritual Formation
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