Starving for Jesus
Fasting provides healing for those experiencing the storms of life
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX—There is perhaps no more devastating a force of nature than a severe storm. Trees are blown by high winds, homes are damaged by lightening and streets are flooded by heavy rains. When the skies are finally clear and the damage has been assessed, the hard work of restoration begins. Clearing the debris from the property is the first step toward moving forward after the storms are gone.
In this life, intense circumstances and experiences can cause internal storms of such devastating severity that recovery and restoration seem like hopeless rescue attempts. In such cases, even believers can lose heart and feel completely overwhelmed by the storms of life. The Fasting Journey, by Peter Holmes—a man for whom fasting has become a way of life—is a journal of experiences and a guide designed to help those who’ve experienced how difficult it can be to clear the debris when the devastating storms of life hit.
Holmes shows us how fasting is a death of self and an act of intercession that God uses as a spiritual weapon to clarify and unleash His purposes of healing for those trapped in bondage to sin. Because of the understanding God has given him through fasting, he has helped many find answers to their most complex and deeply entrenched problems. Holmes writes, “For me, fasting has been both a highway to the Lord and a treasure-trove of ideas of how the Lord sees things and how we need to learn, while earnestly at His feet. Having based this book on my own personal experience, my intent is to broaden it into a guide for others to learn how to fast.”
Holmes discusses the biblical aspect of fasting both in the Old Testament Scriptures and in the practices of the early church. He explains different kinds of fasts for us to consider (even non-food fasts), explores purposes for fasting and tells us how our fasting will impact those around us. In The Fasting Journey, we are called to fast as a way to find out what really controls us and to hear God’s voice with a clear, focused ear.
Dr. Peter Holmes has led a number of businesses and organizations, including a startup in the environmental biotechnology field cleansing contaminated soil with colonies of natural microorganisms. He and his wife Mary have helped plant four churches in the UK and Europe and served the Lord in ways from full-time service to local church leadership, trusteeships and foreign missions, most recently amongst genocide victims in Rwanda. Peter also runs an extensive ministry offering training in wholeness and maturity in Christ, and he has written a number of books on these topics.
The Fasting Journey by Peter R. Holmes
Authentic Publishing September 15, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60657-018-0/203 pages/softcover/$15.99
Truth Like a River
Unique new book explores assumptions about truth in creative ways.
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX—Whether you’ve noticed or not, a war has been raging for years over the nature of truth. Many involved in this battle claim that truth is “relative” and is made up of some mixture of facts, feelings an
d experiences that form individual realities. Others reject this “whatever” approach in favor of “absolute” truth, a rigid and uncompromising set of morals and values that frame the foundation of existence. The end result of this battle is a stalemate of inflexible systems where each side loses and neither system is closer to a grasp of the true nature of truth.Through the River, a new book by Jon and Mindy Hirst (with Dr. Paul Hiebert), encourages us to examine our assumptions about truth and helps define how those assumptions affect our relationship to the world at large. In so doing, the Hirsts offer a new perspective on truth that allows us not only to better understand how we view truth but how we might become better equipped to communicate truth in a combative culture. Their claim is that “our ability to struggle through the concept of truth in today’s world is crucial to determining our success in the Christian life, our relationships and our kingdom work.”
Through the River is a challenging and fascinating book that takes the reader on a poignant journey through River Town, providing a gripping view on how people can live in close proximity while having radically contrasting views. River Town’s three communities live and act so differently because each group is using a distinct set of assumptions about truth (truth lens). This journey exposes the eternal consequences of how our truth lens influences whether we tell others what we know, insist that others accept what we know or resign to keep what we know to ourselves.
In short, Through the River offers a view of truth that seeks to solve the compatibility issues between worldviews and capitalizes on their strengths in such a way that each becomes better without becoming the same.
Jon and Mindy Hirst are the co-founders of Generous Mind, a think tank designed to help people make their thoughts count. The late Paul G. Hiebert (1932–2007) was Distinguished Professor of Mission and Anthropology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and previously taught at Fuller Theological Seminary. Through the River is Jon and Mindy’s unique approach to Dr. Hiebert’s important and groundbreaking studies in truth.
Through the River by Jon and Mindy Hirst with Dr. Paul Hiebert
Authentic Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-93406-803-8/201 pages/softcover/$14.99
