Known and Loved


Caryn Rivadeneira - 2013
    Many mothers of young children feel alone, isolated, and confused about their new role. They have a powerful desire to be known and loved.Now for any mom who has ever wrestled with who she is at her core, Caryn Rivadeneira offers 52 devotions drawn from the Psalms that show women how God sees them, what he created them to do, and how he created them to be. She takes women through ten major areas of identity, weaving in stories from her own life and from the lives of other moms, showing mothers that they are valued and valuable.The perfect gift for Mother's Day, Known and Loved will brighten a mom's day even as it deepens her faith.

The Skeletons in God's Closet: The Mercy of Hell, the Surprise of Judgment, the Hope of Holy War


Joshua Ryan Butler - 2014
    Hell, judgment, and holy war are hot topics for the Christian faith that have a way of igniting fierce debate far and wide. These hard questions leave many wondering whether God is really good and can truly be trusted."The Skeletons in God's Closet" confronts our popular caricatures of these difficult topics with the beauty and power of the real thing. Josh Butler reveals that these subjects are consistent with, rather than contradictory to, the goodness of God. He explores Scripture to reveal the plotlines that make sense of these tough topics in light of God's goodness. From fresh angles, Josh deals powerfully with such difficult passages as:* The Lake of Fire* Lazarus and the Rich Man* The Slaughter of Canaanites in the Old TestamentUltimately, "The Skeletons in God's Closet" uses our toughest questions to provoke paradigm shifts in how we understand our faith as a whole. It pulls the "skeletons out of God's closet" to reveal they were never really skeletons at all.

Earth Psalms: Reflections on How God Speaks Through Nature


Francine Rivers - 2016
    Francine shares observations she's gathered over a lifetime of exploring--abroad and in her own backyard--and reflects on how they might apply to your daily life. What do the majestic redwoods, the persistent woodpecker, or a glorious sunrise reveal about our artistic and generous God? How could that change your outlook or the way you handle adversity?Stunning photography, Scripture excerpts, applications, and prayers accompany Francine's reflections, inspiring you to be encouraged. Be challenged. Be comforted. God's power is immense; His attention to detail in precise; His love for you is vast and unfailing. The proof is all around you.

40 Days of Decrease: A Different Kind of Hunger. A Different Kind of Fast.


Alicia Britt Chole - 2016
    Dr. Alicia Britt Chole guides you through a study of Jesus’ uncommon and uncomfortable call to abandon the world’s illusions, embrace His kingdom’s realities, and journey cross-ward and beyond.Containing readings, refection questions, daily fasts, ancient quotes, and more, each day offers a meaningful consideration of Jesus’ journey and then invites you into a daily fast of heart-clutter—the stuff that sticks to your soul and weighs you down. You can begin your forty-day journey any time of the year, but you may find it especially meaningful as a Lenten preparation to live in awe of Jesus’ resurrection.Each daily, 1000-word entry includes a:Devotion based on Jesus’ lifeReflection question to guide journaling or group discussionHeart fast to inspire a tangible responseThought-provoking Lenten quoteOptional sidebar into the historical development of LentSuggested reading that takes you from John 12 to John 21Journaling space for reflectionIn the same way self cannot satisfy self no matter how long it feasts, self cannot starve self no matter how long it fasts. Decrease—like increase—is only holy when its destination is love. Dare to live awed by Christ’s resurrection!

Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church


Alexander Strauch - 1986
    Church history demonstrates the disastrous consequences of drifting from the light of Scripture. This book fulfills the need for an in-depth study on the topic, based in the vast treasure of God's Word.

Called to the Ministry


Edmund P. Clowney - 1976
    God’s call came suddenly to Elisha, who was plowing a field when Elijah cast the prophet’s mantle on him, and to Peter, who was holding a fishing net when Jesus called him. What does the Bible say about Christ’s calling today? We are told that the Lord calls us by name, and every Christian has his or her own calling—a calling as a child of God and a servant of God.In this timeless book Clowney address the question of how the Lord calls us today. Christ’s spoken word no longer sounds by the lake of Galilee, but he has not left his disciples without direction.

Knowing God


J.I. Packer - 1973
    I. Packer's classic has been an important tool to help Christians around the world discover the wonder, the glory and the joy of knowing God. In 2006, Christianity Today voted this title one of the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals. This edition is updated with Americanized language and spelling and a new preface by the author. Stemming from Packer's profound theological knowledge, Knowing God brings together two important facets of the Christian faith: 1. Knowing about God and 2. Knowing God through the context of a close relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. Written in an engaging and practical tone, this thought-provoking work seeks to transform and enrich the Christian understanding of God. Explaining both who God is and how we can relate to him, Packer divides his book into three sections: The first directs our attention to how and why we know God, the second to the attributes of God and the third to the benefits enjoyed by a those who know him intimately. This guide leads readers into a greater understanding of God while providing advice to gaining a closer relationship with him as a result.

Loving God with All Your Mind


Elizabeth George - 1994
    Elizabeth lets women know that loving the Lord involves action! Focusing on six main scripture passages, she helps readers understand what it means to truly—let your mind think on what is true about God and about lifegrasp and move toward God's purpose for lifetrust the Lord in all thingsDrawing on biblical wisdom as well as personal experience, Elizabeth helps women handle their emotions and discover inner peace that comes from focusing on what is true. She shares six powerful Bible truths that will help readers draw closer to God and know His joy and love.

Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective


Brian S. Borgman - 2013
    The book is exegetical and expository without feeling like a commentary or running homily. In it, authors Borgman and Ventura make much of Christ and what He has done without negating the reality of our adversary and the real danger he presents, as well as our call to faith, righteousness, prayer, and perseverance that flows directly from our Savior's finished work. What a timely, refreshing, encouraging, convicting, and empowering book! I can't wait to get it in front of our people." Voddie Baucham Jr. serves as pastor of preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, and is author of Family Shepherds.

CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet


Michael R. Emlet - 2009
    You catch your child posting something inappropriate on the Internet. Someone in your small group is depressed. A relative was just diagnosed with an incurable disease. When those you know and love experience trouble, you don't want to hand out pat answers or religious platitudes. Instead, you want to offer real hope and help from God's Word. You know it's true, but how does an ancient book, written thousands of years ago, connect with our twenty-first century problems? In CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet, Michael R. Emlet gives you the tools to connect the Bible to your life and to the lives of your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. You will learn to understand people and God's Word in ways that promote gospel-centered, rich conversations that help you and those you know grow in love for God and others. This book will make the whole Bible come alive to you. Instead of platitudes, you can offer a cup of living water to those who are struggling in this broken world.

Licensed To Kill: A Field Manual For Mortifying Sin


Brian G. Hedges - 2011
    One of the fiercest foes in this battle dwells within our own hearts: the enemy of indwelling sin. The Scriptures command us to put sin to death. This is what pastors and theologians of another generation called the mortificationof sin. But how do we mortify sin? And what role does the gospel play in this effort to apply lethal force against sin? How can we avoid falling into legalism while still maintaining a passion for holiness? And what kinds of strategies actually work in the daily battle? Brian Hedges answers these questions and more in this biblical and practical guide for waging war against sin in the power of the gospel and dependence on the Spirit.

Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough


Jefferson Bethke - 2013
    The message blew up on social-media, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged to enraged.In Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar contrasts that he drew in the poem—highlighting the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair and hope. With refreshing candor he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior.Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he’s not a pastor or theologian, but simply a regular, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. Along his journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him beyond the props of false religion.

Pathway to Freedom: How God's Law Guides Our Lives


Alistair Begg - 2003
    There is:A general listlessness and lawlessness in the lives of professing Christians.An absence of the fear of God in public worship and private living.A growing confidence in ourselves and an accompanying loss of confidence in God and His Word.Amidst this moral crisis, the message of the Ten Commandments can give us order, direction, and hope.With dynamic implications for how each of us lives every day, Pathway to Freedom will challenge you to think long and hard about the significance of God's Law. "We have entered into a time of moral crisis in our culture and in the church as well. Stories about divorce, adultery, and the individualized picking and choosing of doctrines abound. Pathway to Freedom is forthright and necessary teaching that today's church cannot afford to ignore. How now shall we live? The beginning of the answer must be in obedience to God's moral law summarized in the Ten Commandments." -CHARLES COLSON, PRISON FELLOWSHIP MINISTRIES, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith


Michael Reeves - 2012
    He takes cues from preachers and teachers down through the ages, setting key doctrines of creation, the person and work of Christ, and life in the Spirit into a simple framework of the Christian life. A rich and enjoyable read on the basic beliefs of Christianity that avoids dumbing down its profound and life changing truths.

Work and Our Labor in the Lord


James M. Hamilton Jr. - 2017
    --Psalm 128:2 Work has been a part of God's good creation since before the fall--created to reflect his image and glory to the world. What are we to make of this when work today is all too often characterized by unwanted toil, pain, and futility? In this book, pastor, professor, and biblical scholar James Hamilton explores how work fits into the big story of the Bible, revealing the glory that God intended when he gave man work to do, the ruin that came as a result of the fall, and the redemption yet to come, offering hope for flourishing in the midst of fallen futility.Part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series.