And when we’re confronted with something that scares us, our brain sees only two options: Attack or Avoid But either way, polarization intensifies. What if you could defy your own instincts and choose a third option—scandalous, disruptive, unthinkable LOVE? Sure, we love people who are like us, who are easy to enjoy. Everyone does. But what about our enemies, the people we consider monsters? Loving them requires exceptional strength—strength only the Holy Spirit can provide.Love over Fear is a compelling guide to conquering fear with love in an age of polarization. Hear stories of those who changed hearts and minds through radical love, learn how to practice disarming compassion, and discover the disruptive power of showing affection to monsters.

    This is especially true when it comes to the names of God recorded in the Bible. Praying the Names of God explores the primary names and titles of God in the Old Testament to reveal the deeper meanings behind them.El Shadday, Elohim, Adonay, Abba, El Elyon—God Almighty, Mighty Creator, Lord, Father, God Most High—these are just a few of the names and titles of God that yield rich insights into his nature and character. Praying the Names of God shows readers how to study and pray God’s names by focusing each week on one of the primary names or titles of God.• Monday—readers study a portion of Scripture that reveals the name.• Tuesday–Thursday—readers pray specific Scripture passages related to the name.• Friday—readers pray Scripture promises connected to the name.By incorporating the divine names and titles into their prayers—and learning about the biblical context in which the name was revealed—readers will gain a more intimate understanding of who God is and how he can be relied on in every circumstance of their lives.Praying the Names of God is a unique devotional, one that offers a rich program of daily prayer and study designed to lead people into fresh encounters with the living God.The book is also available as an Abridged Audio Pages® CD.

    However, the greatest fear leaders face is not something that might happen to them, but something that can happen in them---a degeneration of the heart that robs them of their calling and leaves a deep soul dissatisfaction in its place.John Ortberg describes this menacing fear in terms of mission and shadow mission. A mission is the highest purpose to which God calls us; a shadow mission is an authentic mission that has been derailed, often in imperceptible ways. Ortberg writes, 'Part of what makes the shadow mission so tempting is that it's usually so closely related to our gifts and passions. It's not 180 degrees off track; it is just 10 degrees off track, but that 10 degrees is in the direction of hell.'Every leader has a mission---and a shadow mission. Even Jesus had to battle a shadow mission; it was to be a leader without suffering---to be the Messiah without the cross. Ortberg writes, 'If we fail to embrace our true mission, we will live out our shadow mission. We will let our lives center around things that are unworthy, selfish and dark.' Using characters from the remarkable Old Testament story of Esther, Ortberg demonstrates the disastrous consequences of succumbing to shadow mission, and the stunning rewards of whole-hearted commitment to mission. With characteristic humor and insight, the author invites us to follow Esther's example and courageously choose to embrace the mission God gives. Like Esther, we can lead without fear---even in threatening circumstances---because we know God is always at work in unseen, unknown and unlikely ways.

    Feast on something bigger than a fad. Motivational tips, Scripture passages, Food for Thought, and a special note from Rick Warren lead the way to transformation for the long haul.The Daniel Plan Daily Devotional builds on the top essential—Faith—that has made The Daniel Plan doable and successful for thousands of people worldwide. A dream team of spiritual, fitness, and health professionals, including Rick Warren, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Mark Hyman, and the Daniel Plan Wellness Faculty will help you continue your journey toward whole health and wellness.Ultimately, The Daniel Plan Daily Devotional will change your life in the areas of faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends—the five essentials to transform your body, mind, and spirit from the inside out!

    When he broke through that roof, Ryan fell into a very different life from the one he had before as the beloved son of Lindy Boone Michaelis and first grandson of entertainment icon Pat Boone. As Ryan lingered between life and death in intensive care at UCLA Medical Center, Pat and Lindy decided to take action, in a big way; they went on Larry King Live, shared their faith, and asked millions of TV viewers to pray for Ryan. And so, they prayed. Heaven Hears is an unbelievable story of answered prayer--and it's not over yet. This book will inspire you to look for answers to prayer and to see God's miracles.

    It gives us the chance to regroup, reflect, and refocus on God.In Pauses for Lent, Trevor Hudson offers a beautifully minimalist book in which he focuses on one word for each day of Lent. You are invited to pause, focus on the word, read a scripture and a brief meditation related to the word, and then offer a prayer.Pausing in this way will help you carve out time for God and refresh your spirit even in the midst of a busy life. You may find yourself sensing God's presence in a new way and discovering that God wants to meet you in the midst of your life as it is, muddles and all.

    But what if, in God's purposes, temptation is not merely an obstacle to overcome but an opportunity to flourish in faith?

    Every day is an opportunity to be shaped and formed by what moves your heart…drives your thoughts…captures your gaze. Is it any wonder that where you direct your eyes and your heart matter in your day-to-day?  We become what we behold when we set our hearts and minds on Christ and His redemption story here in the details of our daily lives. Not just on Sunday, not just on holidays, not just when extraordinarily hard or wonderful things happen…but today.      Bestselling author and artist Ruth Chou Simons invites you on a new journey to Beholding and Becoming.  With more than 850 pieces of intricate, original artwork, Ruth encourages you to elevate your gaze to the One who created all things.    Today is an opportunity for God to demonstrate His love and His faithfulness in the midst of your mundane. No circumstance is too ordinary or too forgotten for Him to meet you there in worship. His transforming grace turns your “everyday ordinary” into a holy place of becoming.

    This uplifting resource is packed with practical advice on praying for specific areas of your husband's life, including his decision-making fears spiritual strength role as father, leader faith and future.If you desire a closer relationship with your spouse, you will appreciate the life illustrations, encouraging Bible verses, and the assurances of God's promises and power for your marriage.

    We are creatures of intense desire.  We emerge from the womb longing for touch and affection.  Desire pulsates within us every waking moment of our lives.  Our hearts are fueled by hungry yearnings for connection, for relationship, for a sense of belonging.  We plunge into life, giving ourselves away to him or her, to this or that, drinking in every promise of fulfillment.  And yet, we always emerge from the quest for love still feeling a persistent and insatiable desire for something more.  A God Named Desire is about that something more.  There are some books that speak with an unusual level of clarity to the deepest issues that press the human heart.  This is one of those rare books.  You will never see god, or yourself, the same after the insights of A God Named Desire are introduced into your mind.

    God always has a better idea. And it most often requires us to move in the opposite direction.In The Opposite Life, pastor and author Alex Seeley explains the secret to living a powerful and abundant life through the upside-down kingdom of God. Each chapter unpacks the opposite-life principles that begin with our way of thinking and yield miraculous results. They includedeath vs. lifefear vs. faithlast vs. firstlove vs. hateworry vs. worshipgive vs. receiveimpossible vs. possibleWe all want the blessed life but sometimes go about it in the wrong way. God’s promises are conditional. He says follow Me, and I will change your weakness into strength, your foolishness into wisdom, and your nothing into everything.

    Innovative teachers Craig Gross and Jason Harper will separate the religious from the real as they show how this simple truth is worth our undivided attention. The authors weave Jesus' narrative with their own stories of serving among the "least of these" in this inspiring summons to world-changing faith. Join them as they encounter shut-ins, drunks, inmates, porn stars, and others while striving to follow Christ in their daily lives. Christian and non-Christian readers alike will experience God's love and be challenged to take seriously the call of Jesus. Individuals, small groups, congregations, and church classes will find the companion DVD an indispensable resource for learning about the world-changing love of Jesus through captivating stories and interviews. In these four films, viewers will meet face-to-face with some of the folks they encounter in the book Jesus Loves You . . . This I Know. Each film is three to five minutes long and is followed by questions for groups that wish to use the films as discussion starters. Also ideal for use in sermons.

    Where the world stresses the importance of success, Bird invites readers to embrace nine specific failures in the areas of our personal lives, our relationships, and the church. Why? Because what human wisdom deems indispensable is so often an impediment to our spiritual growth, and what it deems insignificant is so often essential to it.With compelling examples from the Bible and today, Bird paints an enticing picture of the counterintuitive, countercultural life that God wants for us. He helps readers delight in all of the ways that Jesus turned the world upside-down, allowing us to experience true freedom, not from our weaknesses but in the midst of them.

    Multiplying the fish and the loaves. Raising Lazarus from the dead. The miracles of Jesus may be well known, but they're often misunderstood. In The Wonder-Working God, pastor Jared Wilson wants to help us see that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to the miraculous events recorded in the Gospels.From the humble wonder of the incarnation to the blinding glory of the transfiguration, this book shows how Jesus's miracles reveal his divinity, authority, and ultimate mission: restoring us and this world to a right relationship with God.

    WILL YOU JOIN WHAT GOD IS DOING? Revival Starts Here is a short and pointed conversation about the way in which biblical prayer and fasting can prepare the way for fresh revival in our churches, our cities, our nation—and beyond. In this book, Dave Clayton lights a signal fire as he calls the 21st-century church to return to the Lord through prayer and fasting. If you long to experience revival, then this conversation is for you. Will you join what God is doing? “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” —2 CHRONICLES 7:14