Life is a pressure cooker and, more and more, being overwhelmed is just considered normal. But, truth be told, life's stresses and circumstances aren't the boss of us. What if we could take Overwhelmed and diffuse it--or, better yet, reframe it to good?Author, blogger, and mother of five Kay Wills Wyma has learned that if we're going to be overwhelmed by anything, let's have it be Truth with all its grace, hope, peace, and love. In this freeing book, she shares how to confront life's pressures we face--at home, online, at work, in our relationships, on our calendars--and replace all those heavy expectations with the liberating truth that we were made for something better. Through her inspiring personal stories sprinkled with a dash of humor, she gives readers permission to step back, let go, and find fulfillment and freedom in a life lived in light of eternity.

    The chronicle of an ordinary man who found himself at the center of an astounding miracle. A divine process that fully revealed Christ's transforming power, through a resurrection that preceded His very own. But what if the story of Lazarus holds powerful parallels for us today? What if his story of hope and heartbreak, expectancy and disappointment, death and life, is our story too? What if the transformation Lazarus experienced is available to you and me? Stephen W. Smith presents a remarkable journey through the life of Lazarus. Smith offers eye-opening insights into the Christian life, as we encounter A lingering Jesus A life trapped in the tomb The smell of the grave clothes The need for others to help us And the Voice of Love that calls your name Come explore the life and legacy of Lazarus. Discover a story all your own.  And hear the voice of the One who loves you. Find free study resources for The Lazarus Life at www.lazaruslife.com.

    There was no going back to normal after such a tragedy. Yet Katherine and Jay learned that suffering is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new story. In Suffer Strong, they invite us into this new story as they share universal lessons and helpful practices that will help us to:Recognize we are being equipped for an uncommon assignment, not cursed by our story.Transform our unmet expectations into brave anticipations.Disrupt the myth that joy can only be found in a pain-free life.Rewrite the narrative of hard circumstances by turning our definitions of suffering into declarations of strength.And, ultimately, thrive even in the lives we never imagined living.

    This Missing Pieces: Real Hope When Life Doesn't Make Sense - Bible Study Book provides a personal study experience for this video-driven women's Bible study. Explore these and other questions in this realistic look at the messy, mysterious uncertainties of faith. God's ways don't always make sense, but He is trustworthy. Come close to Him. Trust Him more than your feelings. God will reveal Himself and fill in your missing pieces.Participants who take this study will:Experience unexpected peace in spite of unexpected heartacheHang on to God's answers when you feel you are at the end of your ropeMove forward when you feel stuck in your circumstancesHave a greater sense of peace through every storm you faceStrengthen your faith when you feel beat down by lifeSurvive unexpected storms knowing God is in your boatExperience stability when tidal waves of emotion hitTrust God more than your feelings

    Elaine Heath urges the church to boldly follow the Holy Spirit's leadership beyond buildings and programs to join what Jesus is doing in the world.KEY FEATURES--Each chapter has reflection questions for small-group discussion.--The book could be used for leadership development over several weeks or months.

    A dramatic account of spiritual struggle, Markings has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers since it was first published in 1964.Markings is distinctive, as W.H. Auden remarks in his foreword, as a record of "the attempt by a professional man of action to unite in one life the via activa and the via contemplativa." It reflects its author's efforts to live his creed, his belief that all men are equally the children of God and that faith and love require of him a life of selfless service to others. For Hammarskjöld, "the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action." Markings is not only a fascinating glimpse of the mind of a great man, but also a moving spiritual classic that has left its mark on generations of readers.

    Some are true--but many are false. James Bryan Smith believes those thoughts determine not only who we are, but how we live. In fact, Smith declares, the most important thing about a person is what they think about God. The path to spiritual transformation begins here. Turning to the Gospels, Smith invites you to put your ideas to the test to see if they match up with what Jesus himself reveals about God. Once you've discovered the truth in Scripture, Smith leads you through a process of spiritual formation that includes specific activities aimed at making these new narratives real in your body and soul as well as your mind. At the end of each chapter you'll find an opportunity for soul training, engaging in spiritual practices that reinforce the biblical messages on your mind and heart. Because the best way to make a complete and lasting change is to go through the material in community, small group discussion questions also accompany each chapter. Those who are leading apprentice groups will also find additional help and opportunities to interact with other leaders at the Apprentice website, www.apprenticeofjesus.com. This deep, loving and transformative book will help you discover the narratives that Jesus lived by--to know the Lord he knew and the kingdom he proclaimed--and to practice spiritual exercises that will help you grow in the knowledge of our good and beautiful God.

    In an instant, a tragic car accident claimed three generations of his family: his mother, his wife, and his young daughter. While most of us will not experience such a catastrophic loss in our lifetime, all of us will taste it. And we can, if we choose, know as well the grace that transforms it. A Grace Disguised plumbs the depths of sorrow, whether due to illness, divorce, or the loss of someone we love. The circumstances are not important; what we do with those circumstances is. In coming to the end of ourselves, we can come to the beginning of a new life one marked by spiritual depth, joy, compassion, and a deeper appreciation of simple blessings.

    His mission was straightforward: to help the refugees who had settled in the sprawling slums of Nairobi, Kenya, to begin small businesses and earn a living. He imagined that he would be teaching them much, and he did. But the Kenyans and refugees with whom the author worked - from Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia - would end up teaching him much more about life, about survival and faith, and about love and friendship.

    The diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder. In their attempts to see Josiah recover and regain speech, the Cullens underwent overwhelming physical, emotional, and financial struggles. While other kids around him improved, Josiah only got worse. Five years later, Josiah, who had not been formally taught to read or write, suddenly began to type on his iPad profound paragraphs about God, science, history, business, music, strangers, and heaven. Josiah’s eye-opening visions, heavenly encounters, and supernatural experiences forced his family out of their comfort zone and predictable theology, catapulting them into a mind-blowing love-encounter with Jesus.Find hope in hardship.Catch a fresh glimpse of heaven.Learn to hear and trust God’s voice.Identify the roles of Father, Son, and Spirit.Be aware of the workings of angels, and much more! Follow a trail of truth into Josiah’s mysterious world, and see why his family and friends can no longer stay silent.

    But through the transformative power of grace, he discovered the God who loved and accepted unconditionally, freeing him to ask the hard questions and delve into one of Christianity's greatest taboos: doubt. In Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I've Crossed, Jay voices the questions that Christians are thinking but won't ask as he chronicles his doubt about God, the Bible, heaven and hell, church, society, relationships, grace, and love. In the process he encourages all of us to welcome "the other", to read the Bible differently but better, to draw together in community, and to seek an unknown God of limitless grace. Brutally honest but full of grace, Jay invites everyone to cross the line, to dig deeper, and to discover a faith that is beyond belief.

    Though we know the Bible says to walk in the Spirit, the majority of Christians are illiterate (and even nervous) about how to practically live in His power. The result is lives marred by continued brokenness and ministries plagued by fruitlessness. In contrast, believers from Acts understood the ancient path of the Spirit Walk. That extraordinary power was not just for them, but for us also.Gleaning insights from implementation in dozens of Acts-like movements around the world, Spirit Walk "lifts the hood and shows us the real secret behind apostolic, disciple-multiplying movements" (Neil Cole, author of Organic Church). Whether you need a movement of God in your personal life or in your ministry, this book takes you through the timeless principles of the Bible.The Spirit Walk path has helped thousands of ordinary people shift from a fundamental reliance upon methods and self-helps to the essential reliance upon the Spirit who empowers these. Spirit Walk reminds us of the ancient path and explains it in a practical discipline that you can remember daily.Discover how to start on the journey of being filled again and again by the Spirit. But more importantly, learn how to stay full of the Spirit as you abide in Christ throughout the day, and your life.

    Online marketing. Self-help books. Movies, magazines and gym memberships. Even church attendance and social media streams have become a means of comparing ourselves to impossible standards. Am I pretty enough? Hip enough? Spiritual enough?We fear the answer is “No.”When a brutal bout with cancer changed how she looked, talked, and lived, Michele Cushatt embarked on a soul-deep journey to rediscover herself. The typical self-esteem strategies and positivity plans weren’t enough. Instead, she needed a new foundation, one that wouldn’t prove flimsy when faced with the onslaught of day-to-day life.With raw personal stories, rock-solid biblical teaching, and radical truths on which to rebuild your life, I Am will help you:• End the barrage of negative self-talk with an empowering new narrative.• Refuse to ride the rollercoaster of others’ opinions and start believing what God’s says about you.• Stop agonizing over past regrets and failures and make peace with God’s sovereign plan for your life.• Leave insecurity behind as you exchange temporary fixes for an identity established on God’s unchanging affection.I Am reminds us that our value isn’t found in our talents, achievements, relationships, or appearance. It is instead found in a God who chose us, sent us, and promised to be with us—forever.

    

    It provides a glimpse into the life and spirituality of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, who has often been called "The greatest mystic of the 20th Century." More than thirty individuals, all who had met Padre Pio, were interviewed for this first edition book. The author and her husband, Deacon Ron Allen, have traveled to many parts of the United States in order to record the personal testimonies of Padre Pio's friends from near and far.