Christian communities are no exception. Why do so many of our relationships suffer from alienation, indifference, and even hostility?Author Sam Crabtree believes that often at the heart of these breakdowns is a lack of affirmation. He observes in Scripture that God grants mercy to those who refresh others, and in life that people tend to be influenced by those who praise them. Crabtree shows how a robust "God-centered affirmation ratio" refreshes others and honors God.Practicing Affirmation sounds a call to recognize and affirm the character of Christ in others. When done well, affirmation does not fuel pride in the person, but refreshes them and honors God. All who are discouraged in relationships will find wisdom and practical insight in this book.

    In this updated and expanded edition of The Silence of Adam, Larry Crabb challenges men to move beyond the fear of failure that paralyzes them in spiritual matters and in their relationships, leading them to bold risk-taking, action, deep spirituality, and full-hearted living.

    Its name is shame.Whether we realize it or not, shame affects every aspect of our personal lives and vocational endeavors. It seeks to destroy our identity in Christ, replacing it with a damaged version of ourselves that results in unhealed pain and brokenness. But God is telling a different story for your life.Psychiatrist Curt Thompson unpacks the soul of shame, revealing its ubiquitous nature and neurobiological roots. He also provides the theological and practical tools necessary to dismantle shame, based on years of researching its damaging effects and counseling people to overcome those wounds.Thompson's expertise and compassion will help you identify your own pains and struggles and find freedom from the lifelong negative messages that bind you. Rewrite the story of your life and embrace healing and wholeness as you discover and defeat shame's insidious agenda.

    "Discipline that Connects" is a profound and deeply Biblical way of thinking about corrective discipline. In these pages you'll grow in insight about yourself and your child. You'll learn to: Prepare your heart and stay calm when your kids are not.Think on your feet and respond with confidence and wisdom.Turn behavior problems into opportunities.Help children learn to be responsible for their own actions and truly reconcile with others.Use creative consequences that build skills, values, and faith in your children.Get out of the discipline rut and into your children's hearts!

    We've settled for "good enough" and days that run together in an unmemorable blur. We long for something to shake us up, but we're exhausted by the thought of it too.In her warm, vulnerable style, bestselling Proverbs 31 author Suzanne Eller shows how living and loving without limits has nothing to do with your own efforts--and it has everything to do with God's Holy Spirit. Unpacking the promises and teachings Jesus shared with the disciples about the Holy Spirit, Suzanne shows how you can stop settling and start truly living. When you learn to unwrap the gift of his presence, you'll find the world-changing, foundation-shaking, soul-stirring life of passion and purpose God is waiting to give you.

    If we’re honest, we’ve been overfunctioning for so long, we can’t even imagine another way. How else will things get done? How else will we survive?It doesn’t have to be this way.Aundi Kolber believes that we don’t have to white-knuckle our way through life. In her debut book, Try Softer, she’ll show us how God specifically designed our bodies and minds to work together to process our stories and work through obstacles. Through the latest psychology, practical clinical exercises, and her own personal story, Aundi equips and empowers us to connect us to our truest self and truly live. This is the “try softer” life.In Try Softer, you’ll learn how to: Know and set emotional and relational boundaries Make sense of the difficult experiences you’ve had Identify your attachment style—and how that affects your relationships today Move through emotions rather than get stuck by them Grow in self-compassion and talk back to your inner critic Trying softer is sacred work. And while it won’t be perfect or easy, it will be worth it. Because this is what we were made for: a living, breathing, moving, feeling, connected, beautifully incarnational life.

    . . let us press on to know the LORD . . . And He will come to us like the rain.” This verse is the essence of Downpour, a revival-ready book by Pastor James MacDonald. MacDonald writes with the desire to witness an absolute soaking of God's Spirit on the church in North America. He is grieved by statistics showing little or no difference between the lifestyles of professing Christians and their nonbelieving neighbors, and he counters that with a five-point outline that charts the pathway to personal revival.

    The Braniff household includes their two biological daughters, Kennedy, 12, and Shelby 10; Rosie, 7, who was adopted from China with special needs; Noah, 7, adopted from Congo; Jonah 5, adopted domestically, Ivy and Amelia, their two year old twins who were adopted as embryos, and implanted in Angela, who gave birth to them; and finally Benjamin who was also adopted domestically shortly after this book was written.Angela’s love for life and her family radiates through everything she does. In Love Without Borders she opens her heart and her home to share her story, offering a relatable and honest view of motherhood and love. With both humor and honesty, Angela chronicles her journey to discover God’s purpose for her and how she welcomed it—even though it meant raising a large, non-traditional family that looked different than she ever imagined. She talks about diverse aspects of her kids’ lives, from the challenging adoption process, to secondary infertility, and homeschooling. And most important, she reflects on coming to terms with her own sense of identity and worth, on learning to accept there is no “perfect” way to be a woman, wife, and mother, and on embracing and sharing God’s message that love has no borders.Funny, moving, and deeply spiritual, Love Without Borders will inspire other women to discover their own purpose—and to cherish those who God has put in their lives.

    In Walk It Out, Tricia Goyer demonstrates to women that walking out the mandates of Scripture allows God to spark passion and mission within them.   Whether believers realize it or not, God intended for them to do what the Bible says: adopt the orphan, take the gospel into all the world, and care for the needy. These are mandates that point believers down the path of true living and eternal life.   Sometimes those steps are easy, but many times they require a move outside of what feels safe or secure. When women stop focusing on their own dreams and purposes, and instead focus on God’s dreams and purposes, everything changes.

    When he started a family of his own, he brought with him those same destructive patterns. Yet he sensed there must be a way to have a family shaped by acceptance and grace, a family that was loving, whole, and at peace with one another. The problem was, he didn't know how. In this life-giving book, Morland shares his journey of discovering the timeless tools of family peace that transformed him and his family. He shows how these tools broke the unhealthy patterns of the family he grew up in and saved his relationship with his wife and two daughters. With refreshing honesty and humility, he helps readers believe that they too can start from where they are right now--no matter how broken--to transform their family culture and their family legacy and to generously offer grace to the people who matter most in their lives.

    As an experienced counselor of children and families and an adoptive and foster mom applying the CCEF model of biblical change, Julie Lowe uses Scripture and biblical wisdom to teach parents how to know their children and specifically love them with the love of Christ. Every family is unique, which is why Child Proof explores the need for parents to cultivate personal and intimate care for their children as modeled in God’s individual, personal, and fatherly care to his children. This parenting book lays a foundation of parenting by faith and progresses by teaching parents how they can know their own children well and parent accordingly. By discussing particular issues parents might have in family life, Lowe demonstrates how parenting formulas aren’t the answer, and parenting with biblical wisdom is best for a proactive rather than reactive approach to parenting. Through Lowe’s personal and professional experience, parents as well as those helping parents—pastors, counselors and counseling students, youth workers, and churches—will discover gospel-centered application rather than formulas for the ideal family, equipping parents to be experts at knowing their own children so they can know Scripture and live it out personally in their homes.

    No matter what your current financial circumstance, only you have the power to improve it. In The Ten Secrets of Abundant Wealth readers will discover the essential qualities that all wealthy people have in common--and how they can learn to develop those qualities and create the prosperity they want.

    Pray. Be nice. That spiritual to-do list just doesn’t cut it. But what does? How do you step out of the drudger of religious duty to experience a living, moment-by-moment, deeply intimate relationship with God?Join Lysa in six small group sessions that will transform your walk with Go from lackluster theory to vibrant reality!The most invigorating and rewarding journey of your life awaits you as you discover how to:Build personal, two-way conversations with God.Study the Bible and experience life change for yourself.Cultivate great authenticity and depth in your relationships.Make disappointments work for you, not against you.Find incredible joy as you live out your faith in everyday circumstances.This Participant Guide is filled with helpful discussion starters, video overviews, space for writing thoughts, a helpful Leader’s Guide and much more. It’s designed to be used with the companion Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl DVD (sold separately) which features six 10-15 minute teaching sessions.

    Shockingly, his weight fell to just 104 lbs. in a matter of months. His immune system was at an all-time low, as he suffered from Crohn's disease, food allergies, anemia, fibromyalgia, intestinal parasites, and a host of other conditions. After seeing over 70 health professionals, using both conventional and alternative medicines, Rubin was sent home in a wheelchair to die. But his story didn't end there. Through determination and a powerful faith in God, Rubin refused to give in to disease. Instead, he educated himself on natural health (eventually becoming a doctor of naturopathic medicine), and applied its principles. Now, ten years later, Rubin is fully recovered-and he desires to share the keys to his own good health. These keys aren't just for the disease-ridden; they are for anyone desiring to live an abundant life of health and wellness.

    Many people have been helped by this valuable book, first published five years ago, which addresses those of us who desperately want to change but can’t stop behaving in ways that hurt us and those we love. The authors assure us that we can change these hurtful patterns. Drs. Stoop and Masteller believe you can move beyond failure to forgiveness, cancelling the indebtedness of those who have hurt you. But before you can begin the process of forgiveness, you need to understand the roots of your pain, through exploring the family patterns that perpetuate dysfunction. When you understand your family of origin, you will be able to take the essential step of forgiveness.