. . you’re cleaning and setting tables, and preparing for the lunch rush. The front door swings open—and four men quickly stumble in as if taking refuge.Taken aback, you study their faces. One is a kind-faced Asian man with a shaved head, another looks as ancient as the hills with shocking white hair and beard, and the other two, well, they look awfully familiar. If you were a betting person, you would put down money that they were Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed . . . but then again, this is Sunset Strip, so it could just be reality TV.Meet Crystal—a waitress who ends up in just this predicament. What seems like the beginning of an old joke turns into the conversation of a lifetime.THE GIRL WITH THE DOVE TATTOO—a tale about religion, violence, peace, and identity. A new story by Brian D. McLaren.

    We are to incarnate Christ in our time, being conscious of the presence and power of God within us in all of our thoughts and actions. This is what pastor Steve Long wants his congregation to understand. When Long challenges his prominent but self-satisfied congregation to become a living force for Christ in their small North Georgia town, he is blindsided by personal trials. Responding to Christ’s command “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” Pastor Long tackles these difficult situations—and more—over a tumultuous week of trials and testing and ultimately learns (as he leads) what it means to walk In His Place.

    Each day readers will enjoy a Scripture verse, a true story told in an informal style, which shares the ways God speaks to us in the ordinary events of life, and a brief prayer to bring focus and help you apply the day’s message. “Digging Deeper,” additional Bible references that relate to the day’s reading, as well as space to record “God’s Abiding Love,” are also included.Enjoy returning writers like Debbie Macomber, Edward Grinnan, Elizabeth Sherrill, Patricia Lorenz, Julia Attaway, Karen Barber, Katie Ganshert, Marion Bond West, and Rick Hamlin, plus two new contributors.In just five minutes a day, Daily Guideposts helps you find the spiritual richness in your own life. Now celebrating its fortieth anniversary, Daily Guideposts has sold more than twenty million copies.

    The daily devotional thoughts published in Our Daily Bread help readers spend time each day in God’s Word. This electronic edition of Our Daily Bread allows you to enjoy the same inspiring content found in the print edition of Our Daily Bread, but with many additional digital features: • 90 Digital Daily Devotionals • Includes Scripture Passages and Insights • Links to a Daily Bible Reading Plan • Links to Additional Topical Content Resources from Our Daily Bread Ministries • Our Daily Bread Author Biographies Our Daily Bread is published and distributed worldwide in more than 40 languages by Our Daily Bread Ministries offices around the globe. Our Daily Bread Ministries also produces a variety of other Bible resources, which are available for the asking. Our Daily Bread is distributed via print, large-print, radio, podcast, email, rss, and mobile. For social networking users, find Our Daily Bread on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

    Designed to be used daily over thirty days, each prayer provides the opportunity to seek the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

    Love, passion and romance are reserved for daydreams.But then into Lizzie’s quiet world comes two men – one reliable and kind-hearted, the other heartbreakingly handsome. Just as Lizzie’s made her choice, the ominous call of war sounds, and her life changes again.Will Lizzie get her chance at happiness, or has it gone forever?

    But what is that energy-giving, life-breathing force that inspires and empowers us? How do we put the wind in our sails again, so we can get unstuck, reset our compass, and redirect our course? In "Fresh Air," "New York Times" bestselling author Chris Hodges reveals how breath--the breath of God--is the essence of life as it's meant to be. Fueled by the breath of God, we are not only refreshed in spirit ourselves; we have the power to create a life-giving environment of freedom and joyful purpose around us. Bold and encouraging, "Fresh Air" offers "breathing lessons" for those who long for a cool breeze to resuscitate their spirit, bring them closer to God, and make them enthusiastic, contagious life-breathers to those around them.

    “The purpose of this book,” says Housden, “is to inspire you to lighten up and fall in love with the world and all that is in it.” Reading it is a pleasure indeed.“When you die,God and the angels will hold you accountablefor all the pleasures you were allowed in life that you denied yourself.”Roger Housden, author of the bestselling Ten Poems series, presents a joyously affirmative, warmly personal, and spiritually illuminating meditation on the virtues of opening ourselves up to pleasures like being foolish, not being perfect, and doing nothing useful, the pleasure of not knowing, and even (would you believe it?) the pleasure of being ordinary.

    Now, the story continues… Thomas Travis had always thought the toughest streets in the ghettos of Atlanta were next door to hell. But he didn’t know just how close they were until the threat of racial violence sent him fleeing down the stairs of an abandoned building…only to fall headlong into a tortured realm of fire and ice, the place of the damned. The only chance of escape was to trust the strange elderly woman who met him there and insisted on being his guide. She claimed to know the way out, but it would lead through all the terrifying circles of divine judgment, each one deeper and more tormenting than the last. In the lowest pit, the Lord of Darkness himself lay in wait. Thomas had lived a godless life, and now there was hell to pay. If his soul could be purged on the journey, he just might make it. But the odds were against him. In hell, the only guarantee is justice…and the only way out is down. About the AuthorPAUL THIGPEN, PhD, is an award-winning journalist and the best-selling author of more than twenty-five books, including A Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints, Blood of the Martyrs, and Seed of the Church. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale University and also holds a doctorate in historical theology from Emory University.

    Now it's Daniel's turn.I thought I could stay away from her. I thought wrong.What was I supposed to do when I found out that Charles Moriani's last wish was for me to marry his only daughter?I owed the man everything - he taught me all I know and took on the role my late father was unable to fulfil, never asking for anything in return.Until now.The choice was easy to make. Too easy, perhaps. I tried to make myself believe I married her for honourable reasons, but nothing could be further from the truth.Alyssa was never meant to find out how I feel about her. She was never meant to end up in my bed. And she was definitely never meant to love me back.Author's note: Serendipity is based on my debut novel, The Tie That Binds, and largely follows the same events, but it's written from Daniel's point of view. While it is technically a standalone, I highly recommend reading The Tie That Binds first. It'll be a more enjoyable read that way, as Serendipity was mostly written for my beloved readers that requested Daniel's side of the story.

    This book will help you experience the freedom found in knowing just how fully God is committed to loving YOU.FOREWORD BY LOUIE GIGLIO Rediscover the missing piece in what today’s Christians believe about the Christian life. As lead Pastor of one of America’s biggest churches, John Lindell went on a personal quest for answers and discovered the true meaning behind God’s grace, and when he came to see the full revelation of God’s commitment to us, it changed his life forever.   In Soul Set Free, Lindell invites you on a life-changing journey through the Book of Romans. Learn to no longer view the gospel as anything less than a truth that sets your soul free.   The good news of the gospel can be summed up in three parts: Christ died for our sins, we are forgiven through faith in Christ, and heaven is our reward upon death. However, none of these parts cover what transpired when we were saved.   The gospel is even better than what we believe. It brings joy but it’s even better. It’s forgiveness of sins but it’s even better. It’s God sending His only Son but it’s even better.

    She grows up, living a sheltered life, thanks to her mother, being naïve to the ways of the world. Due to that, her eyes are closed to the fact that going to church doesn't make a person holy. She learns that from her own parents, then from members at the church she goes to. Raquel's life is nothing short of a roller coaster ride, filled with sadness, depression, but most of all, her desire to be loved. Things happen that could be detrimental to Raquel's future, but she refuses to give up. There is one particular person that needs her to keep her sanity. So, Raquel is determined to succeed, despite the circumstances. Will she be able to overcome adversity or will the people that's supposed to mean her the most good, contribute to her downfall?

    Its rather absurd to identify a first-century homeless Jew as God revealed, but a bunch of us do anyway. In this book, Tripp Fuller examines the historical Jesus, the development of the doctrine of Christ, the questions that drove christological innovations through church history, contemporary constructive proposals, and the predicament of belief for the church today.Recognizing that the battle over Jesus is no longer a public debate between the skeptic and believer but an internal struggle in the heart of many disciples, he argues that we continue to make christological claims about more than an event or simply the Jesus of history. On the other hand, C. S. Lewiss infamous liar, lunatic, and Lord scheme is no longer intellectually tenable. This may be a guide to Jesus, but for Christians, Fuller is guiding us toward a deeper understanding of God. He thinks its good newsgood news about a God who is so invested in the world that God refuses to be God without us.

    Journalist Selonnah Zee is assigned the story, which quickly takes on a life of its own. Even before the first murder is solved, several more victims appear, each one more mysterious than the last. Meanwhile, Sedonnah is distracted by her mother's onset of Alzheimer's and her sudden attraction to the mysterious Salt Lake City police chief who is investigating the murder. Adding to a slew of other distractions, Selonnah’s cousin, Roger, has recently converted and is now a public spokesperson for the Mormon faith. But paradoxically, Roger's wife, Eliza, is struggling to hold onto the Mormon beliefs of her childhood. If something is really from God, she wonders, why does it need to be constantly revised? Could the murderer be asking the same questions? And most importantly, will they be able to stop him before he commits his biggest crime, taking out a Mormon landmark and dozens of sightseers?

    Thomas has written a book that may become the liberal Christian answer to The Purpose Driven Life. He weaves a Christian theology for today that people can embrace as a guide to sensible, modern living.