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An Awakening Within

by Joseph Mattioli

117 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-0786; ISBN 1-4120-0417-9; US$15.50, C$18.00, EUR12.50, £9.00

Unique, captivating novel that takes the reader on both a physical and a spiritual journey of a lifetime. The reader is taken on a profound search for Truth.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts or Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book An Awakening Within is an unconventional fifteen-chapter short novel that takes the reader on a captivating spiritual journey to the Holy Land and back. Though the characters and many of the events are fictitious and the dialogue is Christian based, it is universal in nature. The main character, through strange encounters in a land far from his normal sheltered existence, is faced with supernatural encounters that question and challenge many of his own basic Christian teachings , universally known as "the Story". A continuing strange turn of events and struggle make a captivating read while providing an insight, richness and vitality to the searching spirit. It is a story of acceptance and rejection; it is a story of faith; a story of Truth and fables; the questions of life. On a deeper level, it is a journey. The story is a journey in pursuit of the true that is filled with people. Yet it is a journey we must all travel alone. Interaction between characters encourages the reader to think out and question things he has been taught by humans and instead seek God's revelation directly. The reader is challenged not to be a conformist but rather to uncover the simplicity of God's church and knowing Him. It brings one back to the very foundation of the New Testament Church. And that foundation is hearing directly from the Father himself by seeking our hope in knowing God through the universal Truth that God exists within each of us. It points to Christ or the anointing of the Spirit of God as the true teacher of all truth rather than a man or a book. Being a novel, it is a non-threatening story for the world of religion for the 21st century!

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About the Author Joseph Mattioli is an ordained Christian minister and author of two books. His previous unconventional Christian book, Throwing Away God, is also available from Trafford Publishing. Throwing Away God has challenged scholars, readers and ministers alike from all denominations of the Christian faith. He has also authored a self-publishing Christian booklet titled "Condemned", which presents "the law", written and unwritten, in a concise and simple to understand manner. The booklet is available directly from the author. He claims no authority from any pages of paper but rather inspiration directly from God. He currently lives in Independence, Kentucky with his family. To find out more about Throwing Away God, click here

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Sample Excerpts or Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Good News

Chapter 2 The Trip to Israel

Chapter 3 The Road to Egypt

Chapter 4 A Strange Encounter

Chapter 5 A Second Encounter

Chapter 6 Rescued at Last

Chapter 7 At the Hotel in Cairo

Chapter 8 Getting Ready for the Return

Chapter 9 The Trip Home

Chapter 10 Home Again and The Story

Chapter 11 Pondering The Story

Chapter 12 Still Searching for a Church

Chapter 13 Meeting Herman

Chapter 14 Truths

Chapter 15 Conclusion

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Introduction

Each life has its own story. Part of that story is the spiritual journey each one of us takes. It is a journey of faith in the unseen; a search for the sacred; the pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful; and, the ultimate questions about life and death. Though it is a universal journey, it is one without universal agreement.

In this short but powerful book, Joe Mattioli shares a story of one person on a search for answers to those important questions. Like most of us, the main character in the story, is living what he thinks is the good life. The good life that he, and most of us, believe in because of what we have learned from others. But a casual trip to the Holy Land with a local church group turns into a surprisingly profound spiritual experience. Amid the heat, sand, rocks, and air of an ancient land comes strange events that change a life forever.

Like all of us, new things do not come easily and without reconciliation with the old. It is not an easy struggle. But it is one that in the end brings a peace and a faith never known before. The teachings of Jesus take on a new vitality and richness gleaned only as it can through the searching spirit. It is an experience that both challenges and deepens long-held cherished Christian beliefs. It is an experience that only the individual spirit can partake with all its fears and hopes. It is an experience that can happen only with a living God and an open spirit.

It is not a book that has all the answers, nor does it try to be. It is the story of the spiritual journey of one person, yet it is the story of us all. For it is much as T. S. Eliot once said, that at the end of all our exploring we shall come back to where we started and know it for the first time. And if this book does anything, it may help do just that.

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Catalogue Information

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