No Gods Land

Thirty years ago, a supernatural apocalypse rendered the world nearly unrecognizable. Incomprehensible beings called Horrors devoured everything they could touch. Gods - originally called to be saviors - tore up bits of reality, sealing it away in their realms, where Humans are allowed to live, but at a price. Absolute loyalty and blind obedience in exchange for safety. Today, those who refuse to bend knee to a God live in what's left of the world; a bleak, harsh wasteland known as No God's Land. It is rife with Horrors and Monsters, but as long as one stays near civilization there is at least a chance of safety. Kitty doesn't like staying near civilization. She is one of the few citizens of No God's Land brave - or stupid - enough to venture away from the protection of mankind. She's grown up in No God's Land, and what so many others find terrifying she sees only as challenging adventures. But even Kitty begins to suspect she's bitten off more than she can chew when an impulsive trip to a God realm gets her involved with a boy named Tyre - a new prophet who seems to have a target on his back. On top of that, Cerberus - guardian of the Greek pantheon's land of death - has appeared, looking for help in recovering Hades from a magical prison before the slowly escaping dead souls can take over the land. Hunted by Gods even as they go in search of one, Kitty and her new companions head into the heart of the unforgiving landscape of No God's Land. Kitty is beginning to think she might actually be in over her head for the first time in her life, and that had better be a good thing - it's already too late to be turning back.

“Will resonate with any readers interested in understanding American landscapes where white, evangelical Christianity dominates both politics and culture.” —Publishers Weekly In the wake of the 2016 election, Lyz Lenz watched as her country and her marriage were torn apart by the competing forces of faith and politics. A mother of two, a Christian, and a lifelong resident of middle America, Lenz was bewildered by the pain and loss around her—the empty churches and the broken hearts. What was happening to faith in the heartland? From drugstores in Sydney, Iowa, to skeet shooting in rural Illinois, to the mega churches of Minneapolis, Lenz set out to discover the changing forces of faith and tradition in God’s country. Part journalism, part memoir, God Land is a journey into the heart of a deeply divided America. Lenz visits places of worship across the heartland and speaks to the everyday people who often struggle to keep their churches afloat and to cope in a land of instability. Through a thoughtful interrogation of the effects of faith and religion on our lives, our relationships, and our country, God Land investigates whether our divides can ever be bridged and if America can ever come together. “God Land, Lyz Lenz’s much-anticipated debut book, is a marvel. Not only is it a window into the middle America so many like to stereotype but fail to fully understand in all of its complexity, but it mixes reportage, memoir, and gorgeous prose so seamlessly I wanted to know how she did it.” —Sarah Weinman, author of The Real Lolita

In a compelling novel about the difficulties of assimilation, the author of Tokens of Grace traces the life of a young girl caught in a web of lies designed to protect her. Winner of the 2003 Michigan Literary Fiction Award. (General Fiction).

It is said that when the world dies, the spirits of the first people will return to witness the last days of humanity. Well, the spirits have arrived, and the end is here. But not everyone has given up hope. Naledi, a teenage girl living in the deserted city once called Johannesburg, has always believed that there is a land, hidden away in time where the gods still live. And where there are gods, there are miracles. Perhaps even miracles that are big enough to save our dying planet. And so, after a lifetime of isolation, Naledi will head out into the unknown with little to hold onto but her faith - and her magical pet plant, Buyo. A fairy tale for the times in which we find ourselves, brought to life by South African writer and producer Isaac Mogajane (Matwetwe, Catching Feelings) and Brazilian artist Santtos (Night Shift), LAND OF THE LIVING GODS will introduce you to a world of wonder and cruelty, beauty and perseverance - and will leave you profoundly changed.

Moses, a Jew, is brought up in the luxury of the court of the Pharaoh, is schooled in egyptian lore, language, and religion. There are two large gaps in the story of Moses: First gap: Between the age of three months when, as a baby, he is found in the bulrushes of the Nile by the daughter of the Pharaoh, and the age of the forty when, in Egypt, he kills an Egyptian overseer of Jewish slaves. During the time from three months to forty years he would have been educated as a Prince of Egypt and exposed to their multiple gods, their worship of idols, the religious practices of human sacrifices and the sacrifice of children to the fire of Molech (Baal). He would not have known of a single god at that time. Second gap: Between the age of forty when he was taken in by Jethro, the High Priest of the Kenite clan of Midian, and the age of eighty when he believes that he has been called by God to rescue the Jews from bondage in Egypt. During the forty years he spent as a shepherd for Jethro he would have known that Jethro, the High Priest, taught that there was only one God. Yahweh, and that all males should be circumcised. Since Moses later chose Yahweh as the sole God of the Jews, it would appear that this concept was learned from Jethro. Why did Moses learn Hebrew? How did he find out that he was a Jew? Why, at age forty, was he still unmarried? How did he come to believe that there was only one God? Why did he covet the land of Canaan so badly? How did he manage to free the Jews from bondage? How did the Jews cross the Sea of Reeds? Why did he hate the Amalekites and Canaanites? Why did he order the execution of thousands of his own people? In many different places it is stated that God will destroy, wipe out, eradicate the Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, Canaanites, and that the characteristics of God of vanity, anger, jealousy, vindictiveness and murderous intent which Moses describes are actually those of Moses himself.

In recent sociological approaches to the Old Testament, Christians have been finding unexpected resources for their ethical reflection and action relative to the modern world's pressing social and economic dilemmas. This unique survey by Christopher Wright examines life in Old Testament Israel from an ethical perspective by considering how the economic facts of Israel's social structure were related to the people's religious beliefs. Observing the centrality of the family in social, economic and religious spheres of Israelite life, Wright analyzes Israel's theology of land, the rights and responsibilities of property owners, and the socioeconomic and legal status of dependent persons in ancient Israel - wives, children, and slaves - showing the mutual interaction between such laws, institutions, and customs and the nation's covenant relationship with God. While primarily exegetical, God's People in God's Land contains many useful insights for Christian social ethics: Wright suggests how the ethical application of his findings might proceed as Christians with different theological perspectives and cultural contexts seek to work out the relevance of the Old Testament for today.

Berrigan draws clear parallels between Deuteronomy's time of mingled triumph and broken law and the present moment in history, uncovering the stories within the story of this complex biblical book.

What if the key to changing your life--and yourself--is already in your hand? So many women struggle with what to do with their daily lives. They feel trapped in everyday drudgery and disappointment, in dull domestic duties, and in mundane jobs they despise. Where is the abundant, purposeful life they were promised? Kari Patterson shows readers the truth: in each unremarkable life lies an opportunity to see, know, love, and be utterly transformed by a God who meets everyone right where they are. Instead of stepping away from real life to find God, Patterson equips women with a six-step practice to move further in and meet Him in the humdrum moments of everyday existence. And when a woman's inner being is truly changed by the sacred, everything in her world changes too--right down to tackling the dirty dishes. Through entertaining narrative, candid real-life stories, Bible study, and practical instruction, Sacred Mundane guides individuals or small groups to discover the beautiful sacredness in the lives they already lead. Women who long to grow in God and make a real difference in the world--no matter how small--will reach eagerly for this book and the radical transformation it offers. "Our daily routine, with its mundane tasks and mindless repetition, is ultimately an offering of worship to God. What a great truth from a great God!" --Ann Byle, author of The Making of a Christian Bestseller and coauthor of Devotions for the Soul Surfer