May 14, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS – Holy Purpose: The Blessings of Service, Obedience, and Faith by Rev. Carolyn Coon Mowchan is for anyone who is trying to sort out the increasingly anxious questions and confusing conversations about God's presence in their lives.

As a self-described "Southern migrant from the heat of being a Baptist to the relief of being a Lutheran," Mowchan offers a middle ground perspective on what it means to talk of God's "plan" and "purpose" for our lives.

Writing from the underlying assumption that God's plans and purposes are broader than some would claim them to be, Mowchan helps readers identify and experience God's assistance, priorities, and blessings in their lives.

Beginning from a Lutheran understanding of faith and life from the perspective of a theology of the cross, Mowchan invites readers to consider such questions as: Where do we look for God's activity in the present? What does God want from us? How specific is God's plan for us? What doesn't God do? Included are questions for individual or group reflection and an additional resources section.

"With a light touch, accessible language, and engaging stories, Carolyn Mowchan offers us a way to open ourselves to God and to engage in joyful mission. She helps the reader to become aware of where God is moving in the world, in our lives, and in our congregations." –Shannon Jung, Professor of Town and Country Ministries, Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri, and author of Food for Life and Sharing Food.

Carolyn Coon Mowchan is a pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Spooner, Wisconsin, and the author, with Damian Anthony Vraniak, of Connecting with God in a Disconnected World: A Guide for Spiritual Growth and Renewal (LV 2003, 978-0-8066-4996-2). Holy Purpose is part of the Lutheran Voices series from Augsburg Fortress. The series features quality accessible books by Lutheran authors that inform, teach, inspire, and renew. Grounded in Lutheran theology and practice, the books cover a wide range of subjects and themes of interest to ELCA members and the wider Christian community.

Holy Purpose: The Blessings of Service, Obedience, and Faith, By Carolyn Coon Mowchan, Format: 5.25" x 7.75," paperback, 96 pages, ISBN: 978-0-8066-5333-4, Price: $10.99, Publisher: Augsburg Books.

To order Holy Purpose please call Augsburg Fortress at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at http://www.augsburgfortress.org/.

Augsburg Books