Book picks similar to
Jesus Fast by Lou Engle
prayer
culture
christian
mission
A Year of Living Prayerfully: How a Curious Traveler Met the Pope, Walked on Coals, Danced with Rabbis, and Revived His Prayer Life
Jared Brock - 2015
FOLLOW JARED ON A 37,000-MILE TRIP AROUND THE WORLD AS HE...* Dances with Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn* Discovers the 330-year-old home of Brother Lawrence* Burns his clothes at the end of the world* Attends the world's largest church* Attempts fire walking (with only minor burns) Although up to 90% of us pray, very few of us feel like we've mastered prayer. A Year of Living Prayerfully is a fascinating, humorous, globe-trotting exploration of prayer that will help you grow your own prayer life. While filming a documentary about sex trafficking, Jared and Michelle Brock felt a deep need for prayer in their personal lives. In an effort to learn more about prayer, the couple traveled the globe, exploring the great Judeo-Christian prayer traditions: in mountains and monasteries, in Christian communities and cathedrals, standing up and lying down, every hour and around the clock. Jared's witty reflections on his fast-paced journey will both entertain and inspire you to think about your own prayer journey.Join Jared on a rollicking modern-day prayer pilgrimage... you'll never pray the same again.
Your Marriage God's Way: A Biblical Guide to a Christ-Centered Relationship
Scott LaPierre - 2021
He created marriage to be one of life’s greatest gifts, and the instruction manual you need for a joyful, lasting union is found in His Word. In Your Marriage God’s Way, author and pastor Scott LaPierre takes a close look at the principles for building a biblical marriage—one in which your relationship with Christ brings guidance and blessing into your relationship with your spouse. You’ll gain the tools to…understand the unique roles and responsibilities of husbands and wivesrecognize and resolve the conflicts you face with a heart of hope and compassionfollow God’s worthy command to love and cherish your spouse unconditionallyWhether you’re at the beginning of your journey or you’ve been on the road together for years, Your Marriage God’s Way will provide the helpful and encouraging insights you need to experience marriage as God intends it.
Love Lives Here: Finding What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want
Maria Goff - 2017
Finding what we actually need is different than what we are often offered. There are many books full of opinions, steps and programs. This isn’t one of them. This is about craving the things that matter. Things that don’t just work, but last. In a life that may seem to be all fun and games with an endless supply of balloons, author Maria Goff shows how this life is also lived with intentionality, passionate purpose, and a little planning—all of which make a life rich in legacy. But she had to figure out the help she needed first in order to live the beautiful life God wanted for her and wants for us. Love Lives Here is a collection of stories that include the ways Maria and her husband, Bob, navigated family their way, without clear instructions or a road map. It’s about what they learned to make their lives meaningful and whimsical and how they created a space for their family to grow together while they reached outward.
The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death
Lee Strobel - 2021
Looking at biblical accounts, Strobel unfolds what awaits us after we take our last breath and answers questions like:Is there an afterlife?What is heaven like?How will we spend our time there?And what does it mean to see God face to face? With a balanced approach, Strobel examines the alternative of Hell and the logic of damnation, and gives a careful look at reincarnation, universalism, the exclusivity claims of Christ, and other issues related to the topic of life after death. With vulnerability, Strobel shares the experience of how he nearly died years ago and how the reality of death can shape our lives and faith. Follow Strobel on this journey of discovery of the entirely credible, believable, and exhilarating life to come.
Envy: The Enemy Within: Overcoming the Hidden Emotion That Holds God's Plans Hostage
Bob Sorge - 2003
Because while all of us envy others to some extent, few of us acknowledge our problem out loud, let alone try to overcome it and move forward. Bob Sorge draws upon his own pastoral experience-plus the admitted burden of his own envy-to show why and how it can adversely affect the ministry of a church and even prevent revival in people's lives. Sorge reveals why comparison of our ministry and spiritual gifts to that of our fellow believers is to be avoided at all costs so that we do not hamstring God's plan for our growth and the accomplishment of His purposes. This is a must-read for leaders of all churches, great and small-and anyone who wants the peace that comes with a life free of envy.
The 40-Day Sugar Fast: Where Physical Detox Meets Spiritual Transformation
Wendy Speake - 2019
But a healthy body doesn't do us a lot of good if we are spiritually malnourished.Welcome to the 40-Day Sugar Fast, a fast that begins with us giving Jesus our sugar and ends with Jesus giving us more of himself--the only thing that can ever truly satisfy our soul's deep hunger. On this 40-day journey you'll learn how to stop fixating on food and other things you use to fill the voids in life and instead fix your eyes on Christ.Anyone who runs to sugar for comfort or a reward, who eats mindlessly or out of boredom, who feels physically and spiritually lethargic, or who struggles with self-control will discover here not only freedom from their cravings but an entirely new appetite for the good things God has for us.
Remarkable Advent: God's Extraordinary Plan Through Ordinary People
Shauna Letellier - 2019
When was the last time you felt true Christmas wonder? Does reading the traditional story invoke bored sighs instead of astonished gasps? What if we could hold a candle to history’s frosted window and peer into the past? In Remarkable Advent, Shauna Letellier drapes the fabric of imagination over the framework of Scripture, and the Christmas story comes to life. Through the window, you’ll see Mary readjust the knot on her belted waist. You’ll long to comfort Joseph as he wrestles with what seems to be a terrible nightmare. Twenty-five daily readings include Scripture, an imaginative retelling of the moments leading to Christ’s birth, a devotional reflection, and a prayer. You will discover it has always been God’s intention to use ordinary people—like you and me—to fulfill his extraordinary plan. The story of Christmas is proof.
Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been
Jackie Hill Perry - 2018
Jackie grew up fatherless, experienced gender confusion, and embraced both masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could?At age nineteen, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians. God broke in and turned her heart toward Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel.Read in order to understand. Read in order to hope. Or read in order, like Jackie, to be made new.
Beyond the Veil: Entering Into Intimacy with God Through Prayer
Alice Smith - 1996
As a self-published title, this book sold 17,000 copies in a year-with no distribution channels, simply by word-of -mouth and limited newsletter exposure. Now, this dynamic, much-talked-about book is available for the first time to the CBA market. Intimate intercession is something we all yearn for but-admittedly-rarely achieve. In a loving, clear way, Alice Smith walks us into God's very presence by showing us how to slow down and catch up with our loving Father.
The Seven Deadly Friendships: How to Heal When Painful Relationships Eat Away at Your Joy
Mary E. DeMuth - 2018
Is everything in your head? Unfortunately, toxic friendships happen to everyone, but we seldom identify the underlying issues while we battle confusion or the friendship breaks up.Maybe you're left bewildered in the friendship's wake, paralyzed to move forward.After wading through several difficult friendships, Mary DeMuth reveals the seven different types of toxic relationships and empowers you to identify the messiest relationships causing you the greatest anguish.Face the reality of your broken relationship, and unearth exactly what went wrong.Discover why you may attract toxic people.Heal from broken relational patterns so you can choose safer friends.Evaluate when it's time to press into a friendship or let it go.You'll gain a new relationship with Jesus as you trust him to be your confidant, healer, and life-giving friend.
Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life's Most Elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality
Barnabas Piper - 2020
Some people are thrill-seekers; others are homebodies. Some people are loners; others love big families or communities. Some people express things creatively; others consume what is created. Some sing; others listen to music. Whatever we find happiness in, we are united by our desire for work that matters and relationships that fulfil.As Christians, we often fall into the trap of basing our hopes on earthly things, even when we know they only make us happy for a short time. But how are we to experience happiness in this life? How do we avoid expecting too much of earthly things and being disappointed, or expecting too little and becoming cynics?In this book, recovering cynic Barnabas Piper helps us to throw off both the unrealistic expectations that end in disappointment and the guilty sense that Christians are not meant to have fun. He shows how having a clear view of the reality of the fall and the promise of redemption frees us to live a life that's grounded, hopeful and genuinely happy.
Fix Your Eyes: How Our Study of God Shapes Our Worship of Him
Amy Gannett - 2021
Christians are quick to conceive of themselves either as theologically-minded or worship-minded; either thinking Christians or feeling Christians. The results are damaging: theology without worship is muted, stifled, and cold, and worship without theology is ungrounded, unrooted, and uninformed. This is not the way it was meant to be. Theology (our study and knowledge of God) should always lead to doxology (our worship of Him). Worship should always be rooted in theology. When we study the nature and character of God as revealed in his Word, we are invited to respond in the affectionate, obedient discipleship of worship. How can we keep our theology from being mere head knowledge? How do we give our worship roots that will last? By fixing our eyes on God Himself—the object of our study and the object of our worship. Fix Your Eyes is an invitation to understand core doctrines of the Christian faith and apply them in our daily worship of God. It walks believers through key theological concepts and shows how each can be lived out in daily life.
A 30 Day Walk with God in the Psalms: A Devotional
Nancy Leigh DeMoss - 2001
Each day includes questions and suggestions to help you explore each psalm and make them part of your daily life. A 30-Day Walk with God in the Psalms is a practical resource for individual and group use, and is a great companion to A Place of Quiet Rest.
The Daniel Fast for Spiritual Breakthrough
Elmer L. Towns - 2010
Now Towns digs deeper into one of the most popular forms of fasting today, the Daniel Fast. With an emphasis on a healthy, simple diet, The Daniel Fast is named after the prophet Daniel who participated in a partial fast for spiritual purposes. Daniel was taken captive into Babylon when he was 16 years old. The Babylonian king wanted the young prophet to help him administer his rule over the captive Jews—and he wanted to “Babylon-ize” Daniel, to make the young man of God more like him. The first step the king took in his campaign was to provide a sumptuous feast to tempt Daniel—food fit for a king— basically fattening comfort foods. In response, the prophet refrained from the king’s table, choosing instead to eat only vegetables and to drink only water. He honored God over the king. Dr. Elmer Towns introduces readers to the spiritual, physical and mental basics of the Daniel Fast, coaching them through either a 10-day or 21-day period of renewal, and he includes original Daniel Fast recipes created by executive chef John P. Perkins. Dr. Towns addresses practical questions, such as what to eat and when, as well as how to pray effectively. Readers will learn how to encounter God during their fast, how to worship through self-discipline and how to pray for specific answers. They will also explore the role of weeping, repentance and spiritual warfare in their life of faith. Daniel is a model to God’s people of someone who chooses spiritual nourishment over bodily satisfaction, in The Daniel Fast for Spiritual Breakthrough, God’s people can learn to follow his example.
Glorious Mess: Encountering God's Relentless Grace for Imperfect People
Mike Howerton - 2012
Like Jonah, however, we eventually discover we've made a mess of things; we're rowing against the storms God is using to pull us back on course.In Glorious Mess, Mike Howerton shows how God's relentless grace extends into all the messes we make in our lives, that God clearly reveals his love for imperfect people no matter how far we've strayed. He shows readers how to hear God's voice, how to embrace God's calling on their lives, how to get out of their messes, and how to see God working. The result is not just forgiveness and direction for life, but also encouragement and inspiration to be our best selves before God and others.Includes discussion questions for group or personal use.