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Christians who intentionally
seek to become the people
God created them to be will
discover a "pearl of great
price" in the Renovare Spir-
itual Formation Bible
, ed-
ited by best-selling authors
Richard J. Foster and Dallas
Willard, among others. This
New Revised Standard Ver-
sion Bible took five years
to produce and involved
more than 50 scholars,
theologians, pastors and
ordinary people. It unveils a
panoramic vision of God's
purpose in history--the
creation of an all-inclusive
community of loving per-
sons with God Himself at
the very center as its prime
Sustainer and most glorious
Inhabitant (See Eph. 2:19-
22; 3:10).
Through the lens of
God's Holy Word we per-
ceive the formation of this
loving community, from
creation in the Garden of
Eden all the way to the new
heaven and the new earth.
Our Lord has been with us
as individuals, as a fam-
ily, through ethnic tribes
and then as a nation. The
unifying biblical theme of
Immanuel, or "God with
us," is manifested indirectly
through Scripture, priests
and prophets and directly
through the Incarnate Word
and the Holy Spirit. We
come to understand the
ways in which God is with
us today and how we are
with God. And we come to
know the reality of our des-
tiny as children of God��to
enjoy everlasting commu-
nion with the Trinity in the
kingdom of God.
The Renovare Bible of-
fers a wealth of edifying
material to advance the
goal of Christian spiritual
formation.
� 15 progressive essays on
the People of God, from
individual to family to
tribe to people to nation
to all of humanity
� 50 character profiles of
key Biblical figures along
their own paths of spiri-
tual transformation
� Introductions and notes
for each book of the
Bible citing key spiritual
formation themes.
� An index of Bible pas-
sages for teaching and
practicing the spiritual
disciplines
� Suggestions to help us
follow Christ and in-
crease our desire to be
more like Him
� Exercises and questions
lead us into prayerful
meditation on the Bible
� Spiritual formation bibli-
ography
The Apocrypha yields
valuable insights into spiri-
tual formation during an
important era in the histori-
cal and spiritual growth of
Israel. Although Protestants
do not rank the intertesta-
mental writings alongside
the canon, the people Je-
sus met and taught were
in many ways spiritually
formed by them.
Several maps not com-
monly found elsewhere
feature a table of nations
descended from Noah
(see Gen.10); the exile of
the northern and southern
kingdoms; return from exile;
the Holy Land under Herod
the Great; Jesus in Judea,
Samaria, and Galilee; and
the countries of the people
mentioned at Pentecost.
By making this Bible a
daily companion you will
open yourself to the reno-
vation of your heart, the
central core of will and
character. As you let Scrip-
ture descend from the mind
into the heart, and practice
other spiritual disciplines
(e.g., worship, silence and
solitude, prayer, and ser-
vice), God's grace will slow-
ly but surely transform you
into the likeness of Jesus.
Note:
Salvationists might not
agree with all of the theologi-
cal statements contained in the
Renovare Spiritual Formation
Bible. The book of Genesis,
for example, is described as
written over a period of time,
gleaned from other beliefs and
adapted to monotheism.
AVAILABLE FROM online
sources or your local Christian
bookstore
.
32
The War Cry | FEBRUARY 2013
Resources
My Dear General: Letters to
William Booth from the 21st
century--
One hundred years
after his promotion to Glory,
what would William Booth think
of The Salvation Army in the
21st century? This intriguing
question is posed, in a series of
letters, by Commissioner Wes-
ley Harris, former international
editor-in-chief for The Salvation
Army. With unique insights into
the Founder's life and work, My Dear General celebrates
Booth's legacy as it relates to soul-saving, Army music
and literature, social work, the role of women in the
Army and modern technology as a tool for evangelism.
AVAILABLE FROM
salvationarmy.org.au/supplies
and
www.amazon.com in hard copy, e-book and audio versions.
Never the Same Again--Re-
tired Salvation Army General
Shaw Clifton encourages the
enthusiasm of new Christians
and guides them through road-
blocks that can stunt spiritual
growth. This Crest book is an
ideal resource for Christian
converts, seekers of the Faith
and leaders of disciple groups.
TO ORDER call your nearest Salvation Army Supplies and
Purchasing department: Des Plaines, IL 800-937-8896;
West Nyack, NY 888-488-4882; Atlanta, GA 800-786-7372;
Long Beach, CA, or visit
www.shop.salvationarmy.org.
BOOK NOTES
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