Showing results by author "Joseph Lumpkin" in All Categories

Using texts from ancient and controversial discoveries, the missing years of Jesus are uncovered, revealing a young man's struggle between childhood and godhood. Jesus the child, the boy, the man, and the messiah are all seen in documents spanning from the time of his birth to his crucifixion. Now, the missing years in the life of Jesus are told through these hotly contested books and letters.

God is born in human form. Ultimate power and authority reside in the hands of a child. Early Christians looked at their own children as they played, argued, loved, and fought and wondered what it would have been like to raise the son of God. How would Jesus have acted as a baby, a toddler, a child, or a teenager? How human was this “God-child,” Jesus? Did he have the failings of their own children? Was he selfish and rash at the age of one? Was his stage of the “terrible twos” as horrible a stage as most? If Jesus were a normal youngster what would the outcome have been?

The search for wisdom has been the pole-star of humanity for 6,000 years. Religions have come and gone, philosophies have failed, but those surviving wells of wisdom go deep and yield sweet refreshment for the soul. Now, the greatest books of Eastern wisdom are brought together for the sake of those seeking the path of enlightenment and liberation.

The tone of the book is set by a man deeply troubled about the state of his fellow Jews and the world in general. He is reaching out to the Jews in exile in Babylon attempting to explain to them that their captivity and exile is God's response to Israel's pagan worship. Jeremiah frames his metaphors in several ways, hoping the Jews will understand the weight of their sins. He tells them they are like an unfaithful wife, rebellious children, and their infidelity and rebelliousness made God’s judgment inevitable.

Although the book presents the Jewish leaders Judas, Jonathan, and Simon as devout people and has little sympathy for people who favor Hellenization, it must be noted that he nowhere mentions divine intervention. The author must have been a cultivated Jew living in Judah, and can be dated to c.100 B.C.E.

Before you are the books referred to as the Minor Prophets. This portion of the Septuagint contains the books of Osee, Joel, Amos, Obdias, Jonas, Michaeas, Naum, Ambacum, Sophonias, Aggaeus, Zacharias, and Malachias. As the known world became Hellenized, the Jews began to lose their ability to read and write Hebrew. Jewish leaders were alarmed that soon no one would be able to read and teach the Torah. Owing to this, a Greek version was commissioned. The earliest writer who gives an account of the Septuagint version is Aristobulus, a Jew who lived in the second century BC.

The search for wisdom has been the pole-star of humanity for 6,000 years. Religions have come and gone, philosophies have failed, but those surviving wells of wisdom go deep and yield sweet refreshment for the soul. Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Zen, and Eastern Christian writings have served as pathways to peace and enlightenment, but the path is not easily traveled. Wisdom is a harsh master, demanding authenticity and truth. No self-delusion or protection will be tolerated. The seeker must be spiritually eviscerated. Mind and soul must be laid bare.

The search for wisdom has been the pole-star of humanity for 6,000 years. Religions have come and gone, philosophies have failed, but those surviving wells of wisdom go deep and yield sweet refreshment for the soul. Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Zen, and Eastern Christian writings have served as pathways to peace and enlightenment, but the path is not easily traveled. Wisdom is a harsh master, demanding authenticity and truth. No self-delusion or protection will be tolerated. The seeker must be spiritually eviscerated.

Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) - For meditation and encouragement, there are no better books than these. From the youthful energy of the Song of Songs to the wisdom of age seen in Ecclesiastes, these books have insights and guidance for everyone and any age.

The Lost Books of the New Testament - The Gospel of Judas, The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, The Gospel of Thomas, The 29th Chapter of Acts, The Epistle of Barnabas, The Epistle of Paul to the Laodiceans, The Gospel of Nicodemus, The Lost Gospel of Peter.

The Pseudepigrapha, Apocrypha, and Sacred Writings of the Old Testament. The books of Enoch, Jasher, and Jubilees in a single volume.

The story of Joseph and Aseneth was written between 100 BCE and 100 CE, in a midrash style. This translation is rendered in a modern, easy to read format with history, background, and commentary. Joseph and Aseneth is an epic story of love, desire, sanctification, and forgiveness. It is also a story of religious intolerance, racism, sexism, subterfuge, betrayal, and hate.

Miyamoto Musashi wrote the master text on being a well-trained and competent soldier-samurai, entitled The Book of Five Rings. This book covers the tactics, strategies, and philosophy of the singular master warrior. Along with Musashi's work, we have provided the Tao Te Ching, one of the philosophical text that contributed to the development of martial arts.

In this little audiobook, containing The Art of War (public domain), The Sayings of Wutzu (public domain), and the Tao Te Ching (translated by Joseph Lumpkin), we will see the tactics and strategies of the greatest minds of China as they struggle to win the external and internal battles for peace.

They call it by a single name, but the beast has many heads and a thousand faces. It is the face of greed, the face of arrogance, the face of tyranny, of destruction, fear, aggression, and domination. Those whom it touches are destroyed and all who embrace it are devoured. Matthew 24, 6-7: And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.

Since the dawn of his existence, this creature, this fierce and violent beast, has been obsessed with conflict. Like an incurable disease - an addictive drug - war has terrified, teased and taunted, repelled, and fascinated. The power of conquest, the lure and craving for wealth, has fashioned the ultimate beast of war - man. In his own words throughout the centuries, man speaks to us of war - its art, its poetic strategy, its allure, and its tragedy. Come with us now and listen to the words of our own kind as they teach us how to be warriors.

This audiobook reflects upon the martial arts as it was hundreds of years ago, before it became popular in the West and people were awarded ranks in astonishingly short periods of time. This audiobook speaks about the true spirit of the martial arts...when it should be used and when it shouldn't; it accurately recounts the history of a number of mainstream martial arts and then goes on to put forth the philosophy of "Christians in the Martial Arts".

Rendered in plain and understandable language, this little book is a wellspring of wisdom intermingled in a story even children will find entertaining. Its wisdom rivals that of Proverbs. It is a wonderful way to teach "life lessons." The Story of Ahikar is one of the oldest sources of wisdom literature. Its influence can be traced through the Koran, as well as the Old and New Testaments. The oldest version, which we can only assume to be the original Papyrus, appears to have been produced circa 500 BC. It is written in Aramaic and was discovered among the ruins of Elephantine.

Most would agree that the modern church has become a disgraceful place, which still houses an eternal truth. Even when faced with this knowledge it is difficult to break away from our traditions. How do we rescue our own spirituality from the church? We shall cut tradition away from truth and let truth stand on its own. Tradition is a prison housing truth and religion is the hangman of spirituality. Both truth and spirit can be rescued with the courage to question and still believe.

The newly discovered Gospel of Jesus' Wife was revealed to the public in September of 2012. The small scrap of codex is the size of a credit card, but it has reignited controversy over what is now mounting evidence that Jesus may have been married. Gospels and letters, some hidden by the church and some lost until recently, tell the story of who Jesus was, what he looked like, and hint at who he may have married. Were Jesus of Nazareth and Mary of Magdala husband and wife? The evidence is piling up.