How can faith speak directly to people's real lives? How can conversation around Scripture make ""all the difference"" in the arenas of one's daily world? People who have heard the Bible many times--or for the first time--want to know in the terms and images of their life situation. ""When my world seems to be shaking all around me, why doesn't it help to hear 'You are forgiven'?"" And further, ""What can I say to someone who feels totally alienated from God?"" Seventy Images of Grace in the Epistles will help people make connections and empower them for their ministries in daily life. The book presents an interplay of stories of people's actual lives and Epistle images of grace. Readers will begin to recognize the depth of the human predicament and the power of the gospel, thereby becoming equipped for Christian discipleship and vocation, not from duty or guilt, but from freedom. ""Guides for Engagement"" will help readers turn the book into a learning event. ""Seventy Images of Grace in the Epistles tells of a volunteer who responded to praise by saying, 'We are all just working with the tools God gave us.' Everist illumines daily life with familiar and fresh tools: images of grace from the New Testament letters, anecdotes from ordinary lives, wise connections, reflective questions. This will be an engaging guide for individual and group consideration."" --Stanley Olson, President, Wartburg Seminary ""A fine book which concretely connects Christian faith and our daily lives. Everist has collected stories from people in their faith opportunities and struggles. The result is an excellent resource for individuals and especially for small groups to engage in thoughtful reflection on the many ways the Epistles illumine our faith journeys each day. The 'Guides for Engagement' constitute a very helpful resource for anyone involved in education."" --Nelvin L. Vos, Emeritus Professor of English, Muhlenberg College ""In Seventy Images of Grace in the Epistles, Everist combines scripture and story to illustrate what her students have heard from her in class: 'The curriculum is God and God's people; all else is resource.'"" --Shelley R. Wickstrom, Bishop of the Alaska Synod, ELCA Norma Cook Everist is Professor of Church and Ministry at Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, and a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A widely known theologian, lecturer, and workshop leader, she has published over a dozen books, including The Church as Learning Community; Church Conflict: From Contention to Collaboration; and (with Craig L. Nessan) Transforming Leadership.
