Winner of multiple Olympic gold medals and setter of world records, Libby wasn't just a champion, she was Australia's girl next door, the humble superstar from suburban Brisbane with the infectious grin and sunny nature. Yet what we saw on the surface - the confidence, competitiveness and warmth that were her hallmarks - belied the very private battles she fought in her own head. Beneath the incredible achievements and that trademark smile, Libby suffered from crippling depression. During her swimming career she managed to keep her demons more or less at bay, but when an injury forced her to retire in 2013 Libby was suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar world. With few, if any, qualifications to handle it, her self-doubts began to overwhelm her. The birth of her first baby added further complications to her fragile mental health, and she suffered intense postnatal depression. When she finally recognised the depression for what it was, and sought help for it, it was a major turning point in her life.Libby's memoir is an extraordinarily candid, revealing and inspiring account of both her public life as one of our greatest swimming champions, and her struggle to overcome her mental health challenges.

      It’s exhausting, this guarding of our stories and struggles. Fear of being found out had caused me to hide—but I wasn’t just covering my flaws, I was unintentionally blocking the beauty of God’s grace. My journey to real freedom began when I quit running from my mess and started trusting Jesus to make something beautiful of it.    This book is that story. It’s stepping out of shame and insecurity into gospel freedom. It’s letting God turn our failures and frailties into testimonies of His faithfulness. I’ve discovered that when we quit hiding, God gets the glory and we are able to fully embrace not only our relationship with Him, but also with one another.  Transparency brings freedom, and in every moment, we'll find that God can absolutely be trusted.

    Through biblical teaching and real life application, this study teaches that believers do not have to live in weakness. God is stronger than every struggle you will ever face. All who receive Jesus Christ have been hidden in Him. We have been made alive in Him through the forgiveness of our sin, filled in Him with all the fullness given to Him, brought near to God in Him, and blessed with every spiritual blessing in Him. As we have received Christ Jesus, we are now called to walk in a manner worthy of Him. Strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in so great an inheritance. Today, because of Christ, you can live stronger. This study will guide women into biblical truth through exposition and story, so they live confident, transformed, Christ-radiating lives marked by His strength. Through accurate Biblical teaching, real life observation, and everyday application, Stronger will guide participants to: •Stop facing today in weakness and be strengthened by God's promises to every Christ follower •Tackle everyday struggles empowered with a biblical understanding of God's riches and His love •Overcome spiritual immaturity through Christ-centered teaching that produces growth and change •Break life-long patterns of defeat and despair, refocused on the glorious hope promised to us in Christ •Remove paralyzing inner anxiousness and truly live in the peace that surpasses all understanding •Put an end to the self-focused distractions of striving, comparison, and performance so that your life will accomplish more for God's glory •Smile at the uncertain future, not because we are stronger, but because Christ in us, is stronger than all our problems

    Then there are times when life punches you in the gut, takes your wallet, and leaves you hanging upside down by your toenails.2009 was one of those times for me (the gut-punching kind). My construction business faltered after the housing bubble burst, and my wife and I found ourselves in $50,000 worth of debt. Then came the toughest decision of our young lives: we left the community we loved and moved into my parents' basement in search of a simpler life.Part of the change included laying aside my aspirations for wealth and taking up the vocation of my dreams: I would try to make money writing full time. This is the story of my first year doing exactly that.I would try to build a life out of words.Also included in the book are nine essays from folks who make money writing – they share unique tips on how to find writing work and how to improve your craft. Contributors include Andi Cumbo, Bryan Allain, Ed Cyzewski, Jason Boyett, Jeff Goins, Jennifer Luitwieler, Ken Mueller, Kristin Tennant, and Stacy Barton.

    When you hear his words and release your broken dreams, you’ll receive all that God has in store and be enabled to reach your best possible tomorrow. With powerful Bible teaching and practical guidance, Veach invites you tostop limiting tomorrow’s possibilities by learning how to ask God for big things todaydismiss the distractions of regret by being empowered to use your past for good, andredefine success by joining God in writing the remarkable story of your life!

    His discovery started with a simple experiment. Whenever Batterson received a blessing, he would give a similar blessing away. If someone paid him a compliment or gave him a gift or went out of their way to help him, he would return the favor by doing something similar for someone else.We flip the blessing by blessing others in the way God has blessed us. That's how the blessing becomes a double blessing. It turns giving into a game--one we can't win because God will always outgive us! It's an ancient truth found within the Abrahamic covenant: "I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing."In other words, we are blessed to bless. The first blessing is receiving, but it doesn't end there. The second blessing is giving it away! That's the double blessing. And that's where double joy is found.In a day and age where the idea of blessing has been reduced to a hashtag (#blessed), Batterson challenges readers to pursue true, God-glorifying blessing and experience an exponential impact by participating in the double blessing.Don't settle for half of what God offers. Discover how you can both get it and give it . . . in Double Blessing.

    1.9-10). What was it that inspired him to offer such a prayer for the dear saints in Philippi? Do we today desperately need the same prayer? We talk about love and fellowship, and yet we encounter many problems and failures. What is the missing link to a glorious church? Can it be the lack of “full knowledge and all perception that ye may prove [or, distinguish] the things that differ” (literal translation)?Certainly spiritual discernment is the pressing need of today. How can we obtain this full knowledge of God? Where do we get spiritual discernment that we may know the things which differ or are more excellent? These are the matters which brother Watchman Nee tried to address during his latter years of ministry. This present volume, entitled Spiritual Discernment is composed of three parts: Abound in Knowledge, Abound in Discernment, and Approve the Excellent. The Publishers were able to acquire these Notes in Chinese recently, and they have now been translated into English for sharing with the English-speaking saints.May these Notes help many in meeting the pressing need of today.

    

    We have an enemy assaulting our mind, will, and emotions in the hope that we'll turn on ourselves and each other. It's a cycle that isolates us from intimate connections, creates confusion about our identity, and limits our purpose.In Without Rival, bestselling author Lisa Bevere shares how a revelation of God's love breaks these limits. You'll learn how to stop seeing others as rivals and make the deep connections with your Creator you long for--connections that hold the promise of true identity and intimacy. With biblically sound teaching filled with prophetic insight for our day, Lisa uses humor and passion to challenge you to· Flip rivalry so it brings out the best in you· Stop hiding from conversations you need to be a part of· Answer the argument that says women are unfit, easily deceived, and gullible· Dismantle gender rivalry and work with the men in your lifeIt's time to step forward to live a life without rival.

    Millions of people have asked these same questions, including Lee Strobel an atheist who engaged in a thorough search for the truth to decide for himself if Jesus was who he claimed to be. Drawn from Lee s own experiences as a former atheist and featuring his journalistic style from his days as an investigative reporter with the Chicago Tribune, the notes and articles throughout The Case for Christ Study Bible are designed to motivate you to investigate the Bible s claims for yourself. Whether you are a Christian seeking encouragement in your faith and knowledge about who God is or a seeker or skeptic searching for answers, you will benefit from Lee s own extensive search for the truth. Some of the excellent study notes found in this Bible include: The Case for Christ Articles Over 220 The Case for Christ notes explore Jesus claims and deity and demonstrate that he is the Messiah. The Case for the Bible Notes More than 170 The Case for the Bible notes explore the character of the Bible and the extra-biblical evidence that corroborates Scripture as well as explain apparent contradictions within the Bible. The Case for a Creator Notes Seventy-five The Case for a Creator notes highlight the wonders of creation and demonstrate how the scientific evidence points to one all-powerful Creator. The Case for Faith Articles One hundred The Case for Faith articles address questions such as, How can there be a God that would allow so much pain and suffering? and, Doesn t science prove that the world was created by chance? The Verdict Notes Twenty The Verdict notes provide testimonies from scholars and other Christians who have examined the evidence, discovered the reality of Jesus, and put their faith in him. Book Introductions Sixty-six Book Introductions offer a short overview of each book. Lee Strobel (www.LeeStrobel.com), with a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School, was the award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and a spiritual skeptic until 1981. His books include four Gold Medallion winners and the 2005 Christian Book of the Year (coauthored with Garry Poole). He and his wife live in California."

    The forewords are by Pastor Benny Hinn-Founder of Benny Hinn Ministries and Bill Johnson-Senior Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA.

    But when the boy regressed into the distant, wordless world of severe autism, those hopes were crushed.As Jason walked through the barren land of unanswered prayer, he discovered that he was not alone--so many in the church today are overwhelmed with pain and doubt. We think our faith is supposed to guarantee us a sense of emotional stability, even in the midst of soul-crushing circumstances; but by avoiding the brokenness inside ourselves, we end up missing the beauty of a God at work deep within us.Aching Joy is a road map for anyone facing a difficult, unresolved situation. We can embrace both the sorrow and beauty of the land of unanswered prayer in order to find renewed hope in the greatness of God and the expectation of good.The goal of Aching Joy is not to see the silver lining in the midst of our hardships but to encourage us to follow the example of Christ, who entered fully into both the joy and the sorrow of human experiences with confidence that His Father's eternal kingdom would outlast and outshine them. When we open our hearts to the restoration that only Christ can perform, we will begin to find a deeper gladness that has no veneer and wears no mask. We will find a joy in the midst of the aching.

    Your life began with a brilliant thought in God's mind. Your purpose, therefore, is the awakening to that thought. In this groundbreaking book, Touré introduces a new way to perceive the meaning of purpose. As he says: "You don't find purpose; purpose finds you." In fact, purpose conceived you; it was the catalyst for your birth. This thought-provoking book opens with the revolutionary concept that "Every life began as an epic idea." This new way of finding your purpose will empower you and change your life forever. You haven't even begun to live until you find out why you are here. Touré uses personal stories, humor, and eye-opening analogies to take you on a transformational journey. You will learn how to discover your unique purpose, know God's voice, identify and choose purpose mates, end wrong relationships, put an end to fear, grow your faith, and so much more.Purpose Awakening will also give you a relatable and practical guide that will instill confidence, peace, and fulfillment by demystifying the journey to purpose, and enabling you to discover your own unique awakening. Being more than just a "feel good book," Purpose Awakening provides true direction and gives parameters that guide the purpose-seeker. It will set you on a life-changing course to discovering the good idea concerning your life and the joys of seeing it fulfilled.

    . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, inside the heart of God. It unfolds at a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch.Gritty with betrayal, pain, and brutality, it also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.Bonus material in this special movie edition includes:

    Joining his movement will mean coming to terms with the real Jesus, the rebel Jesus.Jesus didn't come to start a religion. The rebel Jesus came with a renegade gospel to start a revolution. You and I are invited to be a part. In Renegade Gospel, pastor and author Mike Slaughter presents Jesus and his challenging message to inspire us during Lent, Easter, and through the year. Read the red letters and discover Jesus all over again.Renegade Gospel is a multi-component, all-church series and group study with six sessions. Topics include:Discovering the Rebel Jesus Revolutionary Lifestyle The Most Important Question You Will Ever Have to Answer Seeing Jesus Today The Way of the CrossResurrectionWho better than Mike, renegade pastor that he is, to present Jesus in all of his unmanageable, demanding, troublemaking glory?Will Willimon, United Methodist Bishop, retired; Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry, Duke Divinity SchoolRenegade Gospel is Mike's life and message distilled into one pure, powerful, delicious, nourishing jolt.Brian D. McLaren, Author/speakerThis isn't your grandma's Sunday school curriculum... this is a call to a holy uprising. Shane Claiborne, Author/activist