Wednesday, November 20, 2024

The Poetics of Biblical Narrative: Ideological Literature and the Drama of Reading

 

by Meir Sternberg

The Kindle edition is only $2.99 as of 11/20/24


In “a book to read and then reread” (Modern Language Review), Meir Sternberg “has accomplished an enormous task, enriching our understanding of the theoretical basis of Biblical narrative and giving us insight into a remarkable number of particular texts.” (Journal of the American Academy of Religion). The result is a “a brilliant work” (Choice) distinguished “both for his comprehensiveness and for the clearly-avowed faith stance from which he understands and interprets the strategies of the biblical narratives.” (Theological Studies). The Poetics of Biblical Narrative shows, in Adele Berlin’s words, “more clearly and emphatically than any book I know, that the Bible is a serious literary work―a text manifesting a highly sophisticated and successful narrative poetics.”

Hebrew Myths: The Book of Genesis

by Robert Graves, Raphael Patai


This is a comprehensive look at the stories that make up the Old Testament and the Jewish religion, including the folk tales, apocryphal texts, midrashes, and other little-known documents that the Old Testament and the Torah do not include. In this exhaustive study, Robert Graves provides a fascinating account of pre-Biblical texts that have been censored, suppressed, and hidden for centuries, and which now emerge to give us a clearer view of Hebrew myth and religion than ever.
 
Venerable classicist and historian Robert Graves recounts the ancient Hebrew stories, both obscure and familiar, with a rich sense of storytelling, culture, and spirituality. This book is sure to be riveting to students of Jewish or Judeo-Christian history, culture, and religion.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

The Power of the Blood of Jesus - Updated Edition: The Vital Role of Blood for Redemption, Sanctification, and Life

by Andrew Murray, S. Wilkinson (Editor)

Seek to enter more deeply into the perfect reconciliation with God, which is yours by the shed blood of Christ. Live by constantly exercising faith in the assurance that the blood cleanses from all sin and yield yourself to be sanctified and brought near to God through the blood; let it be your life-giving nourishment and power. You will thus have an unbroken experience of victory over Satan and his temptations. He who walks with God will rule as a conquering king over Satan.

About the Author
Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was a well-known South African writer, teacher, and pastor. More than two million copies of his books have been sold, and his name is mentioned among other great leaders of the past, such as Charles Spurgeon, T. Austin-Sparks, George Muller, D. L. Moody, and more.

Mere Christianity

by C. S. Lewis


"Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis is a timeless exploration of the essence of Christian belief. In this influential work, Lewis presents a compelling case for the core tenets of Christianity, addressing topics such as morality, theology, and the nature of God. With clarity and intellectual depth, Lewis engages readers in a thought-provoking journey, articulating the fundamental principles that underpin the Christian faith. Whether you are a believer seeking a deeper understanding or someone exploring religious philosophy, "Mere Christianity" offers profound insights into the foundations of Christian thought and morality. Lewis's articulate prose and logical reasoning make this classic a must-read for those pondering the meaning and significance of Christian beliefs in the modern world.

Monday, November 18, 2024

The Essential Tozer Collection: The Pursuit of God; The Purpose of Man; and The Crucified Life

By A. W. Tozer


The writings of A.W. Tozer will ignite your soul and change your life. He is still one of the most referenced Christians in the world, as his knowledge, insight, and call to holiness inspire readers young and old. The Pursuit of God is a timeless classic that will speak to you if you yearn to live a life in God's presence. As God reprioritizes your life and fills your soul, The Purpose of Man is a summons to worship. The Crucified Life will bring you to the cross and into new life in Christ.

This book will teach you about God, yourself, and how to live your life properly.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

 

by Sherman Alexie

$2.99 as of 11/17/24


Sherman Alexie’s darkly humorous story collection weaves memory, fantasy, and stark reality to powerfully evoke life on the Spokane Indian Reservation.

The twenty-four linked tales in Alexie’s debut collection—an instant classic—paint an unforgettable portrait of life on and around the Spokane Indian Reservation, a place where “Survival = Anger x Imagination,” where HUD houses and generations of privation intertwine with history, passion, and myth.

 We follow Thomas Builds-the-Fire, the longwinded storyteller no one really listens to; his half-hearted nemesis, Victor, the basketball star turned recovering alcoholic; and a wide cast of other vividly drawn characters on a haunting journey filled with humor and sorrow, resilience and resignation, dreams and reality. Alexie’s unadulterated honesty and boundless compassion come together in a poetic vision of a world in which the gaps between past and present are not really gaps after all.

The basis for the acclaimed 1998 feature film Smoke Signals,the Chicago Tribune noted, “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven . . . is for the American Indian what Richard Wright’s Native Son was for the black American in 1940.”

 The collection received a Special Citation for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Fiction.

 This ebook edition features a new prologue from the author, as well as an illustrated biography and rare photos from Sherman Alexie’s personal collection.


Stories

"Every Little Hurricane"

Victor remembers the hardships of his childhood in the Spokane Reservation, particularly on his ninth year's New Year's Eve party at his parents' home.

"A Drug Called Tradition"

Victor remembers the drug-influenced bouts he and his friends had shared in their wild youths, and the romantic dreams about the Indians' "good old past", but soberly realizes that the dreams of either the past or the future are not what life is about.

"Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock"

Victor reminisces about the few good memories he had of his father before he deserted his family.

"Crazy Horse Dreams"

Victor fails to meet a woman's image of the ideal Indian hero.

"The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn't Flash Red Anymore"

Victor and Adrian discuss the rise and fall of their reservation basketball heroes and the dreams that they carried for their tribemates.

"Amusements"

Victor remembers a trip to the carnival with his friends Sadie and Dirty Joe, and their attempts to indulge in white man's pleasures and thus to cast aside their Indian identity.

"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona"

After Victor's father has died, Victor travels to Phoenix to collect his father's remains with the help of Thomas Builds-the-Fire. During their journey, Victor learns to his immense surprise that he and Thomas, as different as they are, have actually a lot more in common than he could have imagined.

"The Fun House"

A woman, frustrated by her husband and son, swims in a creek near her house and remembers meeting her husband and the birth of her son.

"All I Wanted to Do Was Dance"

Victor recounts several memories on the reservation.

"The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire"

Because of his tendency to tell uncomfortable truths about the doings of the local Bureau of Indian Affairs and corrupt tribesmen, Thomas is brought before a court, where his compulsive story-telling earn him both a ridiculous verdict and the audience he has long sought.

"Distances"

An outlook on what the Indians would behave like if the white man had been eradicated from their ancient lands by some cataclysm and they would return to their traditions of old.

"Jesus Christ's Half-Brother Is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation"

The narrator gives account, year by year, of raising Rosemary MorningDove and Frank Many Horses' son James.

"A Train Is an Order of Occurrence Designed to Lead to Some Result"

Samuel Builds-the-Fire, Thomas's grandfather, loses his job on his birthday, reminisces about his storytelling past, and finally, consumed by despair, lays his head in the path of an oncoming train.

"A Good Story"

A story within a story. The narrator, Junior, tells a story to his mother about a man named Uncle Moses telling a story to a young boy named Arnold.

"The First Annual All-Indian Horseshoe Pitch and Barbecue"

Gives account of several different events taking place on The First Annual All-Indian Horseshoe Pitch and Barbecue.

"Imagining the Reservation"

A collection of reflections on the importance of imagination for Indian survival.

"The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor"

James Many Horses learns he is dying of cancer and reflects on the history of his marriage to his wife, Norma, who at first does not understand his humorous attitude in the face of his looming demise.

"Indian Education"

Grade by grade Victor remembers his education.

"The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven"

Caught up in his daily frustration, the unnamed first-person narrator remembers the part of his life when he was living with a white woman and living a life outside the reservation and his Indian self.

"Family Portrait"

Narrator, Junior, discusses several themes of portraits, perspective and memory. What we say versus what we mean. How perspective shapes memory and significance.

"Somebody Kept Saying Powwow"

An ode to Norma. Narrated by Junior.

"Witnesses, Secret and Not"

The narrator and his father travel to Spokane to give an interview with a detective about a lost friend.

"Flight"

(added in 2005 reissue)

"Junior Polatkin's Wild West Show"

(added in 2005 reissue)

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Notes on the Book of Acts: from the Naked Bible Podcast

By Michael S. Heiser


Notes on the book of Acts drawn from the transcripts of the Naked Bible Podcast series on Acts.

How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

 

by A. W. Tozer 

85 cents for the Kindle edition as of 11/17/24

The only way to live with true spiritual power

"Are you sure you want to be possessed by a spirit other than your own? Even though that spirit be the pure Spirit of God? Even though He be the very gentle essence of the gentle Jesus? Even though He be wisdom personified, wisdom Himself? Even though He be as loving as the heart of God?" —A. W. Tozer

In a little book that's hard to swallow, A. W. Tozer teaches plainly who the Spirit is, why we should desire Him, but why few of us do. He instructs us in how to be filled with the Spirit, but first poses this question: Do you really want to be filled?

Saturday, November 16, 2024

A.W. Tozer

Many of Tozer's writings are under a dollar for the kindle editions.Click here to check out Tozer's Amazon Page.

A. W. TOZER (1897–1963) began his lifelong pursuit of God after hearing a street preacher in Akron, Ohio, at the age of seventeen. The self-taught theologian committed his life to the ministry of God’s Word as a pastor, teacher, and writer. For his flowing prose, Spirit-filled words, and deep conviction, many have called him a modern-day prophet. He is the author of the beloved classic The Pursuit of God and dozens of other works.

For more information and for more of Tozer's writing, visit awtozer.org or follow Tozer on Twitter @TozerSpeaks.

The Pursuit of God (Updated, Annotated)

By A. W. Tozer (Author)


o have found God and still to pursue Him is a paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religious person, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux stated this holy paradox in a musical four-line poem that will be instantly understood by every worshipping soul:

We taste Thee, O Thou Living Bread,
And long to feast upon Thee still:
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead
And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.

Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. Let A. W. Tozer’s pursuit of God spur you also into a genuine hunger and thirst to truly know God.

Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship

by N. T. Wright


Featuring a brand-new cover design, this edition of N. T. Wright’s popular Following Jesus -- first published in 1995 -- includes a new preface in which Wright reflects on the book’s origin and significance for him personally and on its continued relevance to believers even though our global context has changed.

Wright first outlines the essential messages of six major New Testament books -- Hebrews, Colossians, Matthew, John, Mark, and Revelation -- looking in particular at their portrayal of Jesus and what he accomplished in his sacrificial death. In the second part of the book Wright takes six key New Testament themes — resurrection, rebirth, temptation, hell, heaven, and new life in a new world — and considers their significance for the lives of present-day disciples.