You can read it in an hour or two, but its goal is the transformation of the rest of your life.--Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor's Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier MinistriesAmong all the things that a pastor will do on any given day, he must not lose sight of his one ultimate goal: the sanctification of God's people. This is the heart of God's purpose for Christians.John MacArthur calls pastors to remember what all the countless hours preparing sermons, visiting hospitals, counseling, conducting weddings, and more are all about, even when the finish line seems so far in the distance that they're tempted to give up. He encourages pastors with the power God gives them to place the sanctification of God's people at the center of their ministry.

     Terry Wardle grew up in the Appalachian coalfields of southwestern Pennsylvania, part of a hardscrabble family of coal miners whose cast of characters included a hot-tempered grandfather with a predilection for blowing up houses, a distant and disapproving father, and a mother who disciplined him with harsh words and threats of hellfire.After enduring a crazy childhood, Terry graduated to a troubled adolescence, and then on to what seemed like a successful transition into adulthood, earning multiple degrees and founding one of the country's fastest growing churches. But all was not well.All his life, he felt he was never enough. Plagued by a truckload of fear no matter what he accomplished, he fell down the ladder of success into the deepest ditch of his life--ending up in a psychiatric hospital. Fortunately, that's when he discovered that Jesus has no fear of ditches.In fact, Jesus does some of his best work with people who find themselves there. In sharing his remarkable journey, Terry offers hope that healing and wholeness are possible no matter how broken a life may be. His larger-than-life story will help you move forward along your own healing path.

    Think back to when you were a kid and someone you loved gave you a little wink across the dining room table, like Mom or Dad or Grandma. You didn't say, “What do you mean by that?” You knew. It meant: “Hey kid, I'm thinking about you right now.” That's what a Godwink is: a message of reassurance from above, directly to you, out of seven billion people on the planet, saying “Hey kid...I’m thinking of you! Keep the faith! You’re never alone.” Some people call them coincidences. They could look like an answered prayer, a reunion with a loved one, a miraculous provision, or an unexpected blessing. But no matter what, Godwinks let us know God is thinking about us, that He loves us, and that He’s looking out for us. Now, just in time for the holiday season, comes Godwinks Christmas Stories, a collection of stories centered around Christmas that demonstrate how these little coincidences aren’t coincidences after all. These true stories will uplift and encourage you—and remind you that there is still goodness, hope, and faith all around us.

    In the critically acclaimed prayer memoir from Patricia Raybon, the award-winning author and journalist sets out to learn the secrets of mountain-moving prayer. But will her broken marriage, a dying husband and her determination to pray for her household lead to a healed family and a renewed faith? In the page-turning depths of I Told the Mountain to Move, Raybon wrestles with her upbringing in a strict, churchgoing family, her departure from her childhood faith, and her struggle to return to God in adulthood. This wonderfully written book reaches across racial, denominational, and cultural lines, as Raybon discovers that prayer is a deliberate discipline that draws the prayer warrior into a life-changing relationship with God.

    After all, shouldn't a believer focus on presenting the gospel rather than attempting to argue people to belief?In Telling a Better Story, author Joshua Chatraw presents a new and better way to do apologetics, an inside-out approach that is attuned to our late-modern moment and respectful of unbelievers, all the while remaining focused on Jesus. With chapters on cultural understanding, dealing with the difficult issues, and presenting Jesus in a holistic, contextual manner, Telling a Better Story offers a roadmap to effective apologetics both for experienced apologists and those new to sharing their faith with others.

    The depressed have often been ostracized or institutionalized. In recent years the conversation has begun to change, and the stigma has lessened--but as anyone who suffers from depression knows, we still have a long way to go. In Companions in the Darkness, Diana Gruver looks back into church history and finds depression in the lives of some of our most beloved saints, including Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King Jr. Without trying to diagnose these figures from a distance, Gruver tells their stories in fresh ways, taking from each a particular lesson that can encourage or guide those who suffer today. Drawing on her own experience with depression, Gruver offers a wealth of practical wisdom both for those in the darkness and those who care for them. Not only can these saints teach us valuable lessons about the experience of depression, they can also be a source of hope and empathy for us today. They can be our companions in the darkness.

    We're afraid of looking weird or out of touch. We're afraid we won't have the right answers to their questions. We're afraid that if they reject the gospel, they're really rejecting us. We don't want to make things awkward or strain our relationships. So we say nothing because our discomfort feels bigger than our loved ones' ultimate destination if they remain outside of the body of Christ. We know it's not, but it's just so hard to get over our fear.Apologist Ray Comfort can help. In Anyone but Me, he shows you how to overcome your fears by developing ten critical, biblical characteristics so that you can confidently share the message of salvation with those you care about most. If you've been longing to see a dear friend, family member, or coworker come to Christ, now is the time to begin becoming the faithful witness they need. Because we never know how much more time we will have to proclaim God's good news.

    Our hearts are being wrung out to dry--squeezed and yanked in every direction. We take care of everyone but ourselves. We've gotten lost in bedtime routines and our Costco lists. We have lost our voices in the storm of everyday life. We need to be reminded to reach inward and heed the quiet voice whispering, Stay.This book is for anyone who longs for a connection with God and his people but can't seem to escape the haunting feelings of guilt, shame, loneliness, and fear. Through raw, authentic stories, (in)courage writer Anjuli Paschall invites you to stop running from your pain and to recognize that the deep end of your story is the way to intimacy with Christ. Alongside Anjuli, you will encounter a loving God who invites you to stay with him at the table of your soul, where you are free to spill the milk, to fumble through your words, to embrace the awkwardness and the joy, and to taste and see that he is good.

    What you say and how you say it has the potential to either invite your children into deeper relationship with you or push them away. What's more, in a very real sense, your words represent--or misrepresent--God's words to his children-- meaning they have the power to shape how your children view their heavenly Father.Offering practical guidance for grace-filled communication in the midst of the craziness of everyday life, this accessible guide will help you speak in ways that reflect the grace God has shown to you in the gospel.

    ­­­­Momentum confronts some of the issues that have hindered personal and corporate Revivals from continuing. The authors share their own perspectives and experiences that they have seen in their own lives on this topic. Every believer has access to live in a momentum that was initiated from the beginning of time. So let’s embrace our inheritance and step into the momentum of the Kingdom!

    The problem of racism stretches back as far humanity’s origin in the book of Genesis. Brother pitted against brother, tribe against tribe––people have warred against one another, fueled by contempt for racial differences. Yet the gospel is a message of reconciliation. The kingdom of God is us reconciled to one another. Editors Russell Moore and Andrew T. Walker of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) assemble leading voices to frame the issues with a gospel-centered perspective. The Gospel for Life series gives every believer a biblically-saturated understanding of the most urgent issues facing our culture today, because the gospel is for all of life.

    Yet the Bible is able to unpack any of life's experiences because it was written by the One who made them all. Although this book is directed at those who are facing the issues of midlife, it has a much broader net than that. Lost in the Middle can help all who are confronted with life in this broken world and have lost their way. The God who seems so distant to you in this moment is actually near and active.

    To be married to a church planter is a calling of its own with a richness of its own.In The Church Planting Wife, Hoover explores and encourages the hearts of her readers while teaching what it means to have heart prepared for this unique ministry. She knows the challenges: A church planter's wife must develop a job description, be a wise helper to her husband, develop friendships within the church and community, deal with stress and discouragement, handle wounds, and more. Christine speaks candidly about these challenges while urging readers to grow a heart that wholly reflects Jesus.Spread throughout these pages are stories and interviews from church planting wives. Christine Hoover empathetically and pointedly builds from these testimonies to uplift the reader and offer lessons of hope in the midst of a challenging ministry.

    In her first book, Be Loved, she invites readers to join her on a journey of life-changing faith and the freedom that comes from knowing the love of God.She chronicles her own high school journey through starting a new school, navigating the typical pressures of school work and sports, going to prom, and even homecoming. Emma Mae faced each new challenge with the confidence that God was with her and was going to make her uniquely useful in the place he had prepared for her.For Emma Mae, it all starts with her relationship with Jesus. Because she knows she is loved by him, she is free to be herself and to live out her faith no matter what the cost. As a young, passionate, and intimate lover of Jesus, Emma Mae's love for her Savior overflows unashamedly into her unconditional, fierce love for people.Readers will experience the chain-breaking liberty of knowing the Lord's presence and the freedom to be unique. This full-color, hardback book includes pictures from Emma Mae's life, along with key Bible verses that God used to strengthen and guide her through the ups and downs of her high school years. Readers will learn to face th(more...)

    It is the revelation of the presence of God. He is Glory! As air is to the atmosphere of the Earth, so glory is the atmosphere of Heaven. Praise...until the spirit of worship comes. Worship...until the glory comes. Then...stand in the glory. If you can capture the basic principles of Praise, Worship, and Glory which are outlined in this book--so simple that we miss them--you can have anything else you want in God.