Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith [Hardcover]

Jimmy Carter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 1997

For decades, President Jimmy Carter has been an avid student and teacher of the Bible.  In recent years, the adult Sunday school classes he leads at his hometown Baptist church have become famous the world over.  As The New York Times put it, "These weekly sessions...are remarkable for the ability of regular folks to walk in, grab a seat and exchange views with the 39th President of the United States.  But they are also remarkable for what Mr. Carter has to say."



Now, this most admired American has selected fifty-two of his favorite Bible meditations from these Sunday gatherings to share with anyone who is searching for new faith...or fuller understanding of a lifelong creed.  The result is this remarkable book, Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith.



For Jimmy Carter, as for countless others, Holy Scripture has been a constant companion, a source of inspiration and strength in both good times and bad.  A lifetime of devoted Bible reading has taught him that the truths of Scripture have the power to enrich and transform our daily lives in unexpected ways.  As President Carter writes, "The Bible offers concrete guidance for overcoming our weaknesses and striving toward the transcendent life for which we were created."



Sources of Strength is Jimmy Carter's invitation to you to share in the spiritual bounty of Scripture and joyous, more fulfilling life that a living faith makes possible.



Also Available As An Audio Book



"I think the audio version brings a human touch..It permits me to communicate in a much more intimate fashion."
           --President Jimmy Carter

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This sequel to Living Faith (LJ 10/15/96) is a collection of 52 brief Bible lessons?one for each week of the year?written by former president Jimmy Carter. All were used in adult Sunday school classes he taught himself. Carter's lessons are open-minded and socially progressive while remaining unapologetically conservative and Christian theologically. Each three- to four-page lesson is based on a passage of Scripture. Carter is quite knowledgeable about biblical times and can bring together historical information and personal experience very effectively. The lessons are grouped in nine categories, such as "What We Believe" and "Christians in the World," but each lesson stands well on its own. A reasonable addition to inspirational literature as well as an interesting insight into this sincerely Christian former president; recommended for public libraries.?C. Robert Nixon, M.L.S., Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"What Carter has done and is doing as an international peacemaker is without compare in the world today. What motivates him to take up this work, with all the personal sacrifices and risks it involves, are his deep spiritual convictions."
?From Irwin Abrams's speech nominating Jimmy Carter for the Nobel Peace Prize


From the Trade Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (October 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812929446
• ISBN-13: 978-0812929447
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #756,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, and served as thirty-ninth President of the United States. He and his wife, Rosalynn, founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization that prevents and resolves conflicts, enhances freedom and democracy, and improves health around the world. He is the author of numerous books, including Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, An Hour Before Daylight and Our Endangered Values. He received a "Best Spoken Word" Grammy Award for his recording of Our Endangered Values. All of President Carter's proceeds from this series will go to the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains, Georgia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ!, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith (Hardcover)

President Carter impressed me with his Biblical knowledge and being able to tie it back into today's world. His personal stories made this book all the more great because we got to see glimpses of the President's life. He has an awesome faith in God and is an inspiration to us all.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jimmy Carter is a better human being than you are., June 25, 2000

By 

Eddie Finn - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith (Hardcover)

Frankly, I was too preoccupied with college, family, and postgraduate work to pay much attention to politics during the Carter presidency, so I believed the conservative pundits who portrayed Mr. Carter as a "failed president" and an intellectual lightweight. This book proves me to be way off base, as Mr. Carter's honesty, wisdom,integrity, self-effacing good humor, and deeply abiding faith shine through each and every page. To Mr. Carter, Faith implies Action - and it is remarkably refreshing to realize that this ex-President is fully and actively engaged in real life, i.e., teaching Sunday school, mowing the church lawn, hammering nails for Habitat, etc. Lots of down-home, country Christianity here - and while this is not a theology text, I'd bet that there's more practical wisdom than you'd find in, say, 4 or 5 of those. This book works well as a daily devotional, at the bedside, or (as I used it) as a Sunday school text.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL!!!, June 20, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Macon, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith (Hardcover)

This is without a doubt one of the finest books that President Carter has written. It is clear and very easy to read.

I had the great fortune of being able to briefly chat with President Carter about "Sources of Strength", and he told me that these are synopsis of his Sunday School classes that he teaches. He also told me that he has over 1600 more of them. All I can say is, I pray to God that he publishes all of them!