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A. J. Swoboda (PhD, Birmingham) is assistant professor of Bible and theology at Bushnell University. He also leads a Doctor of Ministry program around the Christian Formation & Soul Care at Friends University. He is the author of several books, including the award-winning Subversive Sabbath and After Doubt. As well, he hosts the Slow Theology podcast with Dr. Nijay Gupta. He is married to Quinn and is the proud father of Elliot. They live and work on an urban farm in Eugene.
<p style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Discover God's good will for our wants.</p><p style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Gift of Thorns Study Guide, a companion to The Gift of Thorns, dives deep into some of the hardest questions we wrestle with in the war for our wants:</p><ul style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li>What do God's desires and Satan's desires have to do with us?</li><li>Which desires did God place in our hearts at creation, and why?</li><li>What can we do when we start losing our desire for God?</li><li>Why do some unwanted desires persist after we start following Christ?</li><li>Can we want a good thing too much?</li><li>How can we discern which desires to crucify and which to nurture</li></ul><p style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This study guide has everything you need for a full personal or group experience.</p><ul style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li>The study guide itself--with thoughtful introductions, questions for personal reflection and application, and discussion questions for leading a group or team.</li><li>An individual access code to stream all video sessions online. (You don't need to buy a DVD!)</li></ul><p style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br>Sessions and video run times:</p><p style="margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">1. God's Desire (26 min.)<br>2. Human Desire (24 min.)<br>3. Satan's Desire (17 min.)<br>4. Fleshly Desire (18 min.)<br>5. Waning Desire (16 min.)<br>6. Undesired Desire (14 min.)<br>7. Killing Desire (15 min.)<br>8. Nurturing Desire (16 min.)<br>9. Ordering Desire (19 min.)<br>10. Resurrecting Desire (15 min.)<br>11. Longing Desire (17 min.)</p>
