Pain, conflict, and uncertainty dominate the headlines. Our daily lives are noisy and chaotic—filled with too much information and too little wisdom. No wonder we often find it easier to retreat into safe spaces, hunker down in likeminded tribes, and just do our best to survive life. But what if God wants you to do more than simply survive? What if he wants you to thrive in this world, and be part of its redemption? What if you could rediscover the beauty and goodness God established in the beginning?By learning the lost art of discernment, you can. Discernment is more than simply avoiding bad things; discernment actually frees you to navigate the world with confidence and joy by teaching you how to recognize and choose good things. When you learn discernment and develop a taste for all that’s good, you will encounter God in remarkable new ways. Come, discover the God who not only made all things, but who will also make all things good once again.

    Larry Crabb and Dan Allender have filled their book with practical instruction on how to master the basic form of counseling Christians are called to do, following the New Testament admonition to 'encourage one another.' It includes step-by-step understanding with a biblical basis that shows the pitfalls to avoid.

    However, when the Bible calls Christians to be hospitable, it's calling them to much more. In this book, Rosaria Butterfield invites readers into her home and shows from her own life and experience how "radically ordinary hospitality" can be a bridge for bringing the gospel to lost friends and neighbors—something that she experienced herself on her journey to Christ. Such hospitality welcomes those who look, think, believe, and act differently than us into our own everyday, sometimes messy lives. Christians will be inspired and equipped to use their homes and tables as a way of showing a skeptical, unbelieving world what love and authentic faith really look like.Table of ContentsPreface: Radically Ordinary Hospitality1. Priceless: The Merit of Hospitality2. The Jesus Paradox: The Vitality of Hospitality3. Our Post Christian World: The Kindness of Hospitality4. God Never Gets the Address Wrong: The Providence of Hospitality5. The Gospel Comes with a House Key: The Seal of Hospitality 6. Judas In the Church: The Borderland of Hospitality7. Giving Up the Ghosts: The Lamentation of Hospitality8. The Daily Grind: The Basics of Hospitality9. Blessed are the Merciful: The Hope of Hospitality 10. Walking the Emmaus Road: The Future of Hospitality Conclusion: Feeding the 5000: The Nuts and Bolts and Beans and Rice

    In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars

    The apostle Paul found that spiritual closeness in his own fellowship with the Father. "A Call to Spiritual Reformation" investigates the Epistles, claiming that Christians today can still achieve the confidence Paul enjoyed by following his life-shaping principles and searching for a deeper devotional experience. (67)

    Today’s pastors bring tremendous effort and passion to this task, but they are often disappointed by people who sit in the pews for years, knowing about Jesus but never really knowing him. In 2004, Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago undertook a three-year study to measure spiritual growth called the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey. Over the next six years, additional data was collected from over a quarter million people in well over a thousand churches of every size, denomination, and geographic area. Move presents verifiable, fact-based, and somewhat startling findings from the latest REVEAL research, drawing on compelling stories from actual people—congregation members of varying spiritual maturity, as well as pastors who are equally candid as they share their disappointments and their successes. It provides a new lens through which church leaders can see and measure the evidence of spiritual growth. The local church is uniquely equipped to foster spiritual growth and challenge people to pursue a life of full devotion to Christ. Move helps pastors and church leaders inspire and direct that challenge with confidence as they lead their congregations to move closer to Christ.

    Mike Pilavachi and Andy Croft believe that God wants each of his followers to know the work of the Holy Spirit. In Everyday Supernatural, they explore:How to live a Spirit-filled life that is consistent with ScriptureHow to use the gifts of the Spirit as everyday toolsPractical ideas for prayerWhy sometimes healing doesn’t happenWays to show dependence upon the Holy SpiritEveryday Supernatural is an engaging, biblically based invitation to make supernatural power a part of everyday life.Now includes a Small Group Study Guide.

    Giving practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups, Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.

    Reprint.

    Now, for the first time, he puts his life's work into a response to the question everybody ultimately asks: how do I pray?This down-to-earth introduction to life's greatest adventure will guide you deeper in your relationship with God, helping you to become more centred and still, clearer in discerning God's voice, more able to make sense of your disappointments and more expectant for miraculous breakthroughs too. It's full of honest, hard-won wisdom interspersed with real-life stories - some humorous, others moving - to equip and inspire your prayer life. Journeying through the Lord's Prayer, and accompanied by online videos from The Prayer Course, which has been used by more than a million people, it unpacks nine essential aspects of prayer: stillness, adoration, petition, intercession, perseverance, contemplation, listening, confession and spiritual authority.From one of today's most visionary communicators, for those who've been praying for years as well as those who want to pray but don't know where to begin, How to Pray is the simple, life-changing guide you've been waiting for.

    Dr. Kenneth Boa's personalized adaptations of Scripture turn Bible passages into prayers that bring you face to face and heart to heart with God.Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship offers daily prayers focused on:AdorationConfessionRenewalPetitionIntercessionAffirmationThanksgivingClosing prayersFace to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship is perfect for those who desire more personal prayers of intimacy and adoration that allow readers to express their hearts more fully to God. Bring richness to your devotional times by connecting Bible reading with personal prayer, and learn to approach both in a new way. Get ready to rediscover the Bible as your most treasured prayer book--guiding you into prayers that are alive, faith-filled, and powerful because they're grounded in God's Word.

    In this practice the spirit of prayer was regarded as of first importance and the best form of prayer, for living prayer is the characteristic of genuine spirituality. Yet prayer is also vocal and may therefore on occasions be written. Consequently in the Puritan tradition there are many written prayers and meditations which constitute an important corpus of inspiring devotional literature. Too often ex tempore prayer lacks variety, order and definiteness. The reason for this lies partly in a neglect of due preparation. It is here that the care and scriptural thoroughness which others found necessary in their approach to God may be of help. This book has been prepared not to 'supply' prayers but to prompt and encourage the Christian as he treads the path on which others have gone before.

    In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a 'Define the Relationship' conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn't ready to let him cramp your style. Then again, maybe you're not into Jesus, period.In any case, don't take the question---Are you a follower of Jesus?---lightly.Some people don't know what they've said yes to and other people don't realize what they've said no to, says Pastor Kyle Idleman. But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers.Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple. With frankness sprinkled with humor, Idleman invites you to live the way Jesus lived, love the way he loved, pray the way he prayed, and never give up living for the One who gave his all for you.

    Learn how God blesses the promises you keep to Him, why you should follow your heart to find your hope, and how not to miss your moment with God. Read on your own or study with a group using the provided faith-building questions. You'll enjoy the journey with Maxwell as he imagines what it would be like to visit heaven and meet giants of the faith who had their lives transformed by God. You'll gain insights from: Ruth...for when you must make a decision but don't know what to do. Sarah...for when you can't understand God and impatience threatens to overwhelm you. Mary...for when God asks you to do something outside of your comfort zone.The women who influenced Maxwell inspired this book, and he includes the perspectives of those closest to him in this volume. They and the giants of the faith who continue to inspire them will encourage you to fulfill your destiny and leave a lasting, positive impression on your family and the world.

    However, many don't realize the Bible teaches that God is preparing an even better world for his people in the future new creation. In this book, experienced Bible teacher Nancy Guthrie traces 9 themes--the tree of life, garden and wilderness, the image of God, clothing, Sabbath rest, marriage, the seed of the Serpent, the temple, and the city of Jerusalem--throughout the Bible, revealing how God's plan for the new heaven and the new earth is far better than anything we can possibly imagine. What's more, she shows how this better world is already having an impact in the world today. Combining theological depth with warmth and accessibility aimed at addressing today's needs, this book will help individuals or small groups understand the story of God's plan for the future of his people.