Sacrament Of Happy
$16.99
Imagine hearing your physician tell you that chips and queso contain more nutritional benefits than kale and quinoa. Or opening an envelope that looks like just another bill, and unfolding instead an official document declaring you the sole beneficiary of an anonymous billionaire’s estate.
In her new book, The Sacrament of Happy: Surprised by the Secret of Genuine Joy, Lisa Harper unveils a similarly extravagant, unexpected surprise, declaring that happiness-just plain feeling happy-is a gift from God that you can unashamedly enjoy.
Wearing the twin hats of seminarian and belly-laughing adoptive mom, Harper delivers a warm, vignette style built upon solid theological scaffolding. She observes, for example, that God’s choice of wording for the first verse of the first psalm (a word often translated as “blessed”) literally means happy-one of many biblical reasons for dismantling the old-school idea that joy, not happiness, is the truly spiritual one of the Christian family. In truth, they’re more like fraternal twins than distant cousins, meaning we as Christ-followers are not called to jettison happiness-like a no-longer-needed set of spiritual floaties-as we learn to swim in the deep waters of intimacy with God. Beyond merely a circumstances-based, up-and-down emotion, happiness comes from a deep conviction in the unmitigated goodness of our Creator-Redeemer, freeing us to feel and express genuine joy, fulfillment, and contentment, regardless of personal or global tumult.
The author’s personal story includes such happiness killers as sexual abuse, the deaths of near loved ones, a heartbreaking failed adoption, followed by the arrival of an adopted daughter from Haiti who is HIV-positive. Yet she writes on themes like: “The lost sacrament of laughter”-“Does happy have a personality type?”-“Tuning out the Pharisees who try to mute your happiness in the context of spiritual maturity.” So this is obviously not a book of trite, untested cliches. It goes well beneath most people’s surface understanding of happiness, gently guiding readers closer to the heart of God . . . with naturally a few genuine laughs and grins to enjoy along the way.
1 in stock
SKU (ISBN): 9781433691935
ISBN10: 1433691930
Lisa Harper
Binding: Trade Paper
Published: June 2017
Publisher: B and H Publishing Group
Related products
-
Stories Behind The Great Traditions Of Christmas
$14.99The cheer of a crackling hearth fire. Colorful cards from friends and loved ones. An evergreen tree festooned with ornaments. The golden traditions of Christmas-gifts, wreaths, stockings, carols, mistletoe, and more-infuse our celebration of the season with meaning and glowing memories. And, in ways you may not realize, they point us to the birth of Christ. Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas reveals the people, places, and events that shaped the best-loved customs of this merriest of holidays. Here are spiritual insights, true-life tales, and captivating legends to intrigue you and your family and bring new luster and depth to your celebration of Jesus’ birth. Discover how – after eighteen centuries of all but ignoring the event, churches began to open the door for believers to commemorate Jesus’ incarnation. – the evergreen tree, once a central theme in the worship practices of pagan cultures, came to represent the everlasting love of God. – the magi’s three gifts-gold, frankincense, and myrrh-are filled with spiritual symbolism. The traditions of Christmas lend beauty, awe, and hope to the holiday, causing people all over the world to anticipate it with joy. The stories in this book will warm your heart as you rediscover the true and eternal significance of Christmas.
Add to cart3 in stock
-
Case For Christmas Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99In his bestselling book The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel retraced his spiritual journey from atheism to faith by showing how the evidence he obtained from experts in the field of history, archaeology, and ancient manuscripts led him to the verdict that Jesus truly was the Son of God. Now, in this four-week study for Christmas (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), Lee investigates the story surrounding the birth of Jesus-and how we can know that it is true.
In each session, he will explore the following aspects of the Christmas story:
*What the Gospel accounts actually say, what other stories about Jesus’ birth emerged in the first through third centuries, and how we can know the biblical accounts are accurate
*The Bible’s claim that Jesus was born of a virgin and whether that idea-and other aspects of the Christmas story-developed from the pagan religions of the day
*Some aspects of the Christmas story that don’t seem to match with the historical or archaeological record, such as the census, the existence of Nazareth, and the slaughter of the innocents
*The great mystery of the incarnation-how Jesus could be both fully God and fully human at the same time-and how we can know he is truly the promised MessiahThe Case for Christmas invites participants to examine the evidence for themselves and consider why Christmas matters in the first place. It will point them to the inescapable conclusion that Jesus truly was who he said he was: the divine Son of God.
Designed for use with The Case for Christmas Video Study/The Case for Easter Video Study (sold separately).
Add to cart1 in stock
-
My Christmas Activity Book
$5.99MY CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY BOOK is packed with delightful activities to help you and your child celebrate the true focus of Christmas – the birth of Jesus. Activities include finding the animals hidden in the stable, design a birth announcement for Baby Jesus, crown the Wise Men, decorate a soft pillow for Baby Jesus, pick some toys for Mary and Joseph to give to Jesus plus dot to dots, mazes, word puzzles and lots more. For ages 4-7 with reproducible pages.
Add to cart10 in stock
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.