Encounter a timeless story of evil, awakened faith, and hope for good in a world where God seems absent.
Can Christianity survive a secular age? Can Christians live without compromise in an increasingly hostile society? And what if they’ve already given in to that society’s vision and values?
In this revelatory and provocative new book, Mike Cosper answers these questions by pointing out the parallels between our world and the story of Esther. A tale of sex, ego, and revenge, the book of Esther reveals a world where God seems absent from everyday life—a world not unlike our own. Far from the gentle cartoon we often hear in Sunday school, the story of Esther is a brutal saga of people assimilated into a pluralistic, pagan society, embracing its standards. Yet when threatened with annihilation, they find the courage to turn to God in humility.
A call to spiritual awakening and to faith in an age of malaise and apathy, Faith Among the Faithless is an invitation to remember the faithfulness of God, knowing that in dark times—as in the days of Esther or our own—God may be hidden, but he is never absent.

Faith Among the Faithless: Learning from Esther How to Live in a World Gone Mad

Self-Help

Cosper, Mike

Motivational

Thomas Nelson

<ul><li>15th Annual Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year - Inspirational</li></ul>
<ul><li> Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Top Shelf Book Cover Award 2017</li></ul> When we're young, it's easy to believe in the supernatural, the mysterious, the enchanted. But as we grow older, we learn to be more "rational" and more confident that reality is merely what we can see. Even as Christians who believe in the resurrection, we live as if miracles and magic have been drained from the world. As Mike Cosper wrestled with his own disillusionment, he found writers, thinkers, and artists like Hannah Arendt, Charles Taylor, James K. A. Smith, and David Foster Wallace whose words and ideas reassured him that he was not alone. And he discovered ancient and modern disciplines that shape a Christian way of life and awaken the possibility of living again in an enchanted world. Exquisitely written with thoughtful practices woven throughout, this book will feed your soul and help you recapture the wonder of your Christian walk.

Recapturing the Wonder: Transcendent Faith in a Disenchanted World

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

<div> In the years since leaving local church ministry, I've devoted an enormous amount of time and resources to examining the church's often troubled witness, its ongoing crisis of leadership, and the epidemic of narcissism, abuse, and cover-up that has continued to emerge year after year. This book is about my journey both before and undergirding that work--the shattering of dreams and the grace that restored a broken faith in the aftermath. It's a story about grace leading me home when I thought all was lost. Taken together, my encounters with Peter, Elijah, and Jesus connected to indelible images from my time in Israel and formed a new spiritual landscape in my mind, one with enough gravity to draw my feet back to solid ground. My hope is that as I tell this story you might find echoes of your own. I pray if you're in the wilderness, you might find that though the territory is a mystery, you are far from alone. Most of all, I pray that you rediscover that Jesus is chasing you like a lover . . . right through heaven's gates. </div>

Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found

Most of us emphasize one aspect of Christianity over another. Competing voices tell us that the Christian life is all about this or that: missions, discipleship, worship, the cross, or the kingdom. It’s as if we are navigating the Christian life with fragments of a map—bits and pieces of the good news—rather than the whole picture. If we put those map fragments together, we discover a beautiful, coherent picture. Faithmapping invites Christians to see that map, exploring a whole gospel that forms a whole church who carries that glorious news to the whole world.

Faithmapping: A Gospel Atlas for Your Spiritual Journey

Montgomery, Daniel

Crossway

The average American watches 5 hours of TV every day. Collectively, we spend roughly $30 billion on movies each year.
Simply put, we’re entertainment junkies. But can we learn something from our insatiable addiction to stories? Mike Cosper thinks so.
From horror flicks to rom-coms, the tales we tell and the myths we weave inevitably echo the narrative underlying all of history: the story of humanity’s tragic sin and God’s triumphant salvation. This entertaining book connects the dots between the stories we tell and the one great Story―helping us better understand the longings of the human heart and thoughtfully engage with the movies and TV shows that capture our imaginations.

The Stories We Tell: How TV and Movies Long for and Echo the Truth

Humor & Entertainment

The Spirit Who Empowers Bible Study Book includes a small-group experience for six sessions, applicable Scripture, and individual study created for personal discipleship. Just before Jesus’ ascension He instructed His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, Who would empower them. Soon after, the disciples began proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior. They did miracles in His name and declared the gospel with confidence. They and all the followers of Christ gave freely to all in need. They witnessed to others and welcomed believers into God’s family regardless of their ethnicity. They faced persecution and death. Truly they had been empowered. Session Titles: 1. The Spirit Comes—Acts 2:1-4; 22-27 2. Spirit-empowered Ministry in Jesus' Name—Acts 3:1-10; 4:5-31 3. The Spirit of Truth and Generosity—Acts 4:32-37; 5:1-11 4. A Spirit-empowered testimony unto Death—Acts 6:8-15; 7:44-60 5. A Spirit-empowered Evangelist—Acts 8:26-40 6. A Spirit-empowered Message for All—Acts 10:1-16; 34-48 Features: • Individual study with emphasis in discipleship • Biblically rooted and gospel-centered content • Group leader helps • Application of key theological tenets • Historical background that creates greater context for spiritual growth • Biblical truth that’s reliable • Provocative questions, scriptural support and text, application, and preparation Benefits: • Recognize the Holy Spirit’s power to change, renew, and reconcile us with God. • Gain a great theological understanding that can encourage witnessing to the lost. • Learn how the Holy Spirit witnesses to the truth. • See that God is active and in control, now and forever.  

The Gospel Project for Adults: The Spirit Who Empowers - Bible Study Book: A Gospel-Centered Exploration of Acts (The Gospel Project (TGP))

Lifeway Adults Editorial Staff

LifeWay Press

Imago Dei Bible Study Book includes a small-group experience for six sessions, personal study between group sessions, applicable Scripture, “How to Use This Study,” tips for leading a group, and a leader guide. People are naturally compelled to ask questions of identity: Who am I? What am I worth? Why am I here? The answers culture offers only lead to more questions. To properly answer these questions, we need to look all the way back to the beginning—to our creation—and see that all people are made in the image of God. Having a well-rounded view of the imago Dei will help us better understand ourselves, God, and the restoring work of salvation that comes to us through Jesus Christ. We can understand what God intended the imago Dei to be, how sin corrupted it, and how Jesus restores it through the power of the cross and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Imago Dei examines the image of God biblically within the grand narrative of Scripture, relationally as it applies to ourselves and others, and missionally in our service to others and in our obedience to the Great Commission. This Bible study will help you: • understand what it means to be created in the image of God; • discover renewed purpose in serving others for the glory of God; • be better equipped to participate in the mission of God. Session topics: 1. Imago Dei in Creation &amp; Fall 2. Imago Dei in Redemption &amp; Restoration 3. Imago Dei in You 4. Imago Dei in Others 5. Imago Dei &amp; Power 6. Imago Dei &amp; Missio Dei Features: • Six small-group sessions • Personal-study opportunities for ongoing spiritual growth Benefits: • Gain a clearer understanding of what it means to be made in the image of God. • Learn how to see yourself and others in light of their status as image bearers. • Recognize your power and dignity as an image bearer. • See the biblical story of redemption through the eyes of an image bearer. • Hear leading voices in the Christian community explore the meaning and implications of the imago Dei. • Respond to God’s call to be on mission, serving people who are different from you. • Realize that Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature. • Recognize the inherent worth of the people God has placed in your life. • Find practical, redemptive ways to engage with image bearers in your community and the world. • Discover how the image of God can be renewed through faith in Jesus Christ.

Imago Dei - Bible Study Book

Gospel Coalition

Church in Dark Times

Brazos Press

Our culture is confused. And so are we. It's not just you or them. It's all of us. But we can move past confusion and into a place of careful discernment. Redemptive Participation brings awareness to the shaping forces in our current culture and how to connect these dynamics with our teaching and practice. Our ever-shifting culture has enormous challenges. And yet, for the discerning pastor (also a cultural participant) there are enormous opportunities for the gospel and the church to bear witness to the never-changing savior. MIKE COSPER is a writer, speaker, and podcaster. In 2016, he founded Harbor Media. He's the host of Cultivated: A Podcast about Faith and Work, the author of Rhythms of Grace, The Stories We Tell, Recapturing the Wonder, and the co-author of Faithmapping. Prior to launching Harbor Media, Mike served as one of the founding pastors at Sojourn Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and launched Sojourn Music, a collective of musicians writing songs for the church.

Redemptive Participation: A "How-To" Guide for Pastors in Culture

Sojourn Network

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