Al Machiela

With Uplifted Head Al Machiela

With Uplifted Head: Preaching Hope is a book that exalts Christ by giving insight into the biblical teaching about hope. The book also shows interested readers how to preach in a way that will foster hope among members of their congregations. Because the book is designed for both pastors and lay church leaders, it does more than just present a theological understanding of biblical hope. It also has plenty of suggestions for preaching hope directly and indirectly. The authors maintain that only biblical hope, focused on the resurrection and affirmed by the renewing Holy Spirit, can change believers internally and create anticipation for a future in the presence of the living God. ""Combining a deep reading of Scripture, intelligent reflection, and a wide-ranging wisdom, Machiela's work is a gift to the church and her ministers."" --Rev. Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., President and Charles W. Colson Professor of Theology, Calvin Theological Seminary ""With Uplifted Head is an all-too-rare book. It combines a warm heart with careful theological direction and thus powerfully sets before the people of God a biblical theme almost entirely absent in the present me-oriented culture. This is a book for pastors, but it is also a book for everyone who longs to have the well-grounded hope that cannot be shaken in times that undermine the forward perspective of real hope."" --John H. Armstrong, President, ACT 3 ""Relentlessly, this pastor-missionary--assisted by his collaborator--explains, defines, and illustrates biblical hope. . . . His enthusiasm for preaching biblically-based hope is contagious, simply because the preacher consulting this book will discover God's encouraging message for people living in gloomy, even desperate, times. By reading this book, you will learn to look beyond the horizon, preaching the break-through of hope! --Sidney DeWaal, former dean and ministry professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Al Machiela pastored Christian Reformed Churches in North America for more than thirty years, was a church planter in Taiwan for six years, and now teaches and serves as academic dean at Koinonia Theological Seminary in Davao City, the Philippines. Dan Lioy is a postgraduate supervisor with the South African Theological Seminary. He is the author of ""In Search of Ultimate Reality"" (2005), ""The Decalogue in the Sermon on the Mount"" (2004), and ""The Book of Revelation in Christological Focus"" (2003).