Gods Underdogs

Have you ever felt like an underdog? Like you don’t have the ability or confidence to pursue your dreams? The Bible is full of ordinary people the world considered underdogs. Yet God chose them to do his work. In God of the Underdogs, pastor Matt Keller tells his own story of being an underdog as well as the stories of the underdog heroes in Scripture. Men and women like Moses, Esther, King David, Samuel, Joseph, Paul the Apostle, and even Jesus. The stories and scriptures you’ll read will inspire you to face down the excuses holding you back, and you will be free to pursue your destiny as never before! Maybe you’re thinking, My past is too dark. “But it’s your past,” Matt assures you. God of the Underdogswill show you that the Creator of the universe wants you to accomplish great things for him. He wants to use your life in a way he will use no one else’s. Don’t shrink back from your destiny; lean into it. The Bible says you are a friend of God. Beloved. Highly esteemed. Known. More than conquerors. God sees your potential. It is your inability, not your perfection, that makes you an underdog worth using in God’s eyes. So rise up, underdog! God has a special plan for your life.

This is a complete and practical introduction to storying, especially for people who want to learn about using biblical storytelling in cross-cultural contexts and who want to train others to become storytellers. It includes many fascinating accounts of the responses of tribal people to the first proclamation of the gospel through storytelling. The result of years of research and field testing, Telling God's Stories with Power is a product of the author's own journey as he confronted the challenges of teaching the Bible in parts of the world where people are unaccustomed to a Western style of learning. Full of innovative and groundbreaking insights, this study is packed with ideas, explanations, and constructive suggestions stated in clear and simple language. Throughout the book there are extensive examples from the storytellers' own experiences. Tracing the movement of the biblical stories across multiple generations of tellers and listeners, storytelling is found to be superior for knowledge transfer and for bypassing resistance to the gospel in oral contexts, thus presenting clear evidence of the effectiveness of biblical narrative among oral learners.

The word underdog is not a biblical terminology, but it should have been. Starting from Adam, especially after the fall, if it wasn't for God's compassion, no one would have a chance at survival. We are all underdogs, one way or another, but this is the story of characters like Gedeon, Hagar, the prodigal son, and so on. And if you look a little closer, you will see that these stories are your stories. You will see that there is hope for you. When people dismissed you, do not dismiss yourself because inside of you, there is a Jephthah whom God is ready to lift up. Maybe you are dealing with a situation, and you see no way out, but I promise you there is a way. Read on, and you'll find out that God is still for the underdog. He is for you.

There’s something about underdogs that makes us cheer them on. And stories about outsiders always make a good movie script or book. Maybe it’s because we know how it feels to be in last place or left out. We may never win a trophy or become a hero, but as Matthew shows us, God uses people like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah’s wife—and of course Mary—in unexpected ways. This five-session study looks at the lives of these five women and will help you see how even underdogs and outsiders can play a pivotal role in God’s purposes. You’ll uncover new dimensions of familiar stories and be reminded to look for God in unanticipated places during this Advent season. Designed to be used by individuals and small groups. In addition to the main content, each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week. The weekly focus emerges from the chapter content and encourages the readers to engage a spiritual practice or do something specific that will help them grow in faith. "Tom Fuerst is one of the most effective communicators I know. He writes as he preaches, with clarity and compassion. Rarely is one able to communicate solid scholarship with effective 'popular' writing. Tom does that exceptionally well. This book is a valuable asset for pastor and lay person alike, to make Advent rich in understanding and meaning." - Maxie Dunnam, author and chancellor of Asbury Theological Seminary; pastor emeritus Christ United Methodist Church - Memphis, TN; vice-chairperson World Evangelism of the World Methodist Council. "Tom Fuerst is one of the most talented pastors and writers with which I have had the privilege of working. His new book is not only well written but an important windows into the Advent journey." - Dr. Shane Stanford, Senior Pastor, Christ United Methodist Church - Memphis.

This reference work explores the images, symbols, motifs, metaphors, figures of speech, and literary patterns found in the Bible. With over 800 articles by over 100 expert contributors, this is an inviting, enlightening and indispensable companion to the reading, study, contemplation and enjoyment of the Bible.

One major party in American politics, the Democrats, has consciously identified itself with underdogs. This book analyzes the relationship between the party and the main political ideology of its base: liberalism.

Bible study and journaling questions guide women through Ruth and Esther, and help them apply biblical truths to their lives. With 12 weeks' worth of material that is perfect for small-group or individual use, the volumes in the Women's Bible Journal series contain more material than many small-group Bible studies.

Have you felt like the odds were against you when it came to achieving success. In this detailed memoir, Shelley "Butch" Anthony III, provides an awe-inspiring example that God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things

The Discipline of Religion is a lively critical journey through religious studies today, looking at its recent growth as an academic discipline, and its contemporary political and social meanings. Focusing on the differences between religious belief and academic religious discourse, Russell T. McCutcheon argues that the invention of religion as a discipline blurs the distinction between criticism and doctrine in its assertion of the relevance of faith as a credible object of study. In the leap from disciplinary criticism to avowal of actual cosmic and moral meaning, schools of religious studies extend their powers far beyond universities and into the everyday lives of those outside, managing and curtailing specific types of speech and dissent.

In a culture that exalts the caveman-like qualities of masculinity, most women have stopped expecting anything more. Young men are taught to view women as slaves to their self-centered desires. More than ever, men need to know that they can rise above this sad mediocrity. They desperately need someone to recognize their potential for blending courage and kindness, strength and spiritual sensitivity. With its riveting vision of Christ-centered manhood, God's Gift to Women shows young men how to become the heroic, selfless knight that every woman dreams about. Buried Inside Every Young Man Is the Potential to Change the World Deep within the rugged soul of every young man, there is a warrior in search of his sword and a poet in search of his pen. But heroic, prince-like masculinity is something most women only dream of in today’s perverse and self-serving world. With contagious passion and boldness, Eric Ludy challenges you to forsake modern male mediocrity for Christ-built, warrior-poet manhood—manhood that will capture the heart of a woman and change the course of history.