Elizabeth is barren, yet her trust in God remains fertile. Mary is betrothed in marriage, yet she is willing to bear God’s Son. Anna is a widow full of years, yet she waits patiently, prayerfully for the Messiah to appear in the temple courts. Following in their footsteps, you too can prepare for the Savior to enter your heart, your mind, and your life in a vibrant, new way. Best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs explores the biblical stories of Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna, unwrapping each verse with tender care and introducing you afresh to The Women of Christmas.

    - 1 Samuel 12:24 If there is a true faith, there must be a declaration of it. If you are a candle, and God has lit you, then let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens (Matthew 5:16). Soldiers of Christ must, like soldiers of our nation, wear their uniforms; and if they are ashamed of their uniforms, they ought to be drummed out of the army. I believe that many Christians get into a lot of trouble by not being honest in their convictions. For instance, if a person goes into a workshop, or a soldier into a barracks, and if he does not fly his flag from the beginning, it will be very difficult for him to run it up afterwards. But if he immediately and boldly lets them know, “I am a Christian, and there are certain things that I cannot do to please you, and certain other things that I cannot help doing even though they might displease you” – when that is clearly understood, after a while the peculiarity of the thing will be gone, and the person will be let alone. However, if he is a little dishonest and thinks that he is going to please the world and please Christ too, he can depend on it that he is in for a rough time. If he tries the way of compromise, his life will be like that of a toad under a harrow or a fox in a dog kennel. That will never do. Come out. Show your colors. Let it be known who you are and what you are. Although your course will not be smooth, it will certainly not be half as rough as if you tried to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, which is a very difficult piece of business. - Charles H. Spurgeon List of Chapters Ch. 1: Pride Ch. 2: Broken Keys Ch. 3: Double-Mindedness Ch. 4: Labor that Doesn’t Satisfy Ch. 5: The Table of the Reprobate Ch. 6: The Self-Righteous Guests Ch. 7: Drunk with the World Ch. 8: Going through the Fire Ch. 9: Laziness Ch. 10: Faith Ch. 11: Awaken, Oh Sleeper! Ch. 12: An Innkeeper’s Prayer Ch. 13: Punishment of Evildoers Ch. 14: Priceless Life Ch. 15: No Excuse for Ignorance Ch. 16: We Must Pray Ch. 17: Popular Errors Ch. 18: Don’t Wait Until You’re Dying Ch. 19: Our Days Are Numbered Ch. 20: How the World Gives Ch. 21: Have Courage Ch. 22: Be Faithful Ch. 23: The Light of Evening Ch. 24: Beds That Are Too Short Ch. 25: Mistaken Zeal Ch. 26: Selfish Ease Ch. 27: Be Sober Ch. 28: Through Floods and Flames Ch. 29: Show Your Colors Ch. 30: Keep Your Own Garden Ch. 31: A Talk about Death Charles H. Spurgeon – A Brief Biography About the Author Charles Haddon (C. H.) Spurgeon (1834-1892) was a British Baptist preacher. He started preaching at age 17 and quickly became famous.

    In this devotional designed for daily guidance, you’ll begin your journey toward the greater life God wants for you.  Over the next forty days of teaching, scripture readings, and prayer, your life will change. You’ll find the confidence to believe that nothing is impossible with God, the clarity to see what He’s calling you toward, and the courage to take your next step. Dream bigger. Start smaller. Ignite God’s vision for your life.

    "Kisses from a Good God" recounts his journey from the first diagnosis, through the prayers of believing friends and family, his choice to undergo surgery, and to his ultimate healing victory."a""Kisses from a Good God" provides encouragement and challenges some commonly held beliefs. He removes shame from those who have been healed by the hands of doctors and surgeons rather than through prayer. Instead of simply encouraging you with practical, biblical truths, a clear line is drawn between faith and religionOCoand redefines victory through the eyes of a cancer survivor saved by God in the form of modern medicine.aaaIf you are now walking or have walked through a life-threatening illness or circumstance, or if you have watched a loved one endure, "Kisses from a Good God" relieves your body, soul, mind, and spirit of tons of unnecessary pressures and pain.aa"

    Others, a social critic. Still others view Jesus as a profound philosopher, a rabbi, a feminist, a prophet, and more. Many are convinced he was the divine Son of God. Who was he—really? And how can you know for sure? Consulting experts on the Bible, archaeology, and messianic prophecy, Lee Strobel searches out the true identity of the child in the manger. Join him as he asks the tough, pointed questions you’d expect from an award-winning legal journalist. If Jesus really was God in the flesh, then there ought to be credible evidence, including Eyewitness Evidence—Can the biographies of Jesus be trusted? Scientific Evidence—What does archaeology reveal? Profile Evidence—Did Jesus fulfill the attributes of God? Fingerprint Evidence—Did Jesus uniquely match the identity of the Messiah? The Case for Christmas invites you to consider why Christmas matters in the first place. Somewhere beyond the traditions of the holiday lies the truth. It may be more compelling than you’ve realized. Weigh the facts . . . and decide for yourself.

    Using the simple device of telling the Christmas story backwards, Stephen Cottrell helps us encounter it as if for the first time.

    In Normal Christianity he laid the groundwork for having a Kingdom Worldview. Then in Eyes of Honor he magnificently unveiled our identity in Christ. In his fourth and newest book, Raptureless; An Optimistic Guide to the End of the World, Jonathan bares his theological teeth.The End Times have become the King of the Sacred Cows for the Modern Church. Jonathan fearlessly treads where most leaders will not and asks questions that many thirst to ask but can't articulate. Questions such as, what does the Bible really say about:A secret rapture of the Church?A Future One-World Ruler?A Future Seven-Year Tribulation?Are we living in the Last Days?Welton's answers to these questions are thoroughly argued and scripturally based. Prepare to be stretched and see the Bible through brand new eyes!

    Most books on prayer only inform the mind, but Chadwick both instructs the intellect and inspires the heart to meet God at the throne of grace.

    It's a route made famous by natural beauty and the simple rhythms of rural life.And it's in this setting that Hannah Anderson began her exploration of what it means to pursue a life of peace and humility. Fighting back her own sense of restlessness and anxiety, she finds herself immersed in the world outside, discovering a classroom full of forsythia, milkweed, and a failed herb garden. Lessons about soil preparation, sour mulch, and grapevine blights reveal the truth about our dependence on God, finding rest, and fighting discontentment.Humble Roots is part theology of incarnation and part stroll through the fields and forest. Anchored in the teaching of Jesus, Anderson explores how cultivating humility - not scheduling, strict boundaries, or increased productivity - leads to peace. "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden," Jesus invites us, "and you will find rest for your souls."So come. Learn humility from the lilies of the field and from the one who is humility himself. Remember who you are and who you are not, and rediscover the rest that comes from belonging to him.

    Luke 2:33 Everyone was amazed at all the things He was doing. Luke 9:43 He went home, amazed at what had happened. Luke 24:12 From start to finish, the book of Luke is filled with amazement. Throughout the life and ministry of Jesus, those who met him were astonished by their encounter, from the shepherds at the nativity to the disciples at the empty tomb. With careful attention to detail, Michael Card embarks on an imaginative journey through the Gospel of Luke. He introduces us to Luke the historian and imagines his life as a Gentile, a doctor and a slave. Card explores Luke's compelling account of this dynamic rabbi who astounded his hearers with parables and paradoxes. What might Luke have experienced as he interviewed eyewitnesses of Jesus? What leads Luke to focus on the marginalized and the unlikely? Why does Luke include certain details that the other Gospel writers omit? Join Michael Card in the work of opening heart and mind to the Gospel of Amazement.

    Sheed's concern with the Gospels is to come to know Christ as he actually lived among us, interacted with all the various people he encountered from his infancy to his passion and death--the God-man who was like us in all things except sin. Sheed has tried especially to see Our Lord in his effect upon others--seeing how they saw him, trying to see why they saw him so. There is much about Mary and Joseph in their task of bringing up a baby who was literally adorable; about John the Baptist; about Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalen; about Nicodemus; about people we meet only for a moment, like the man born blind and the owners of the drowned swine; and why the Pharisees, not only the worst of them but some of the best, would not accept Christ. Faith, doctrine, prayer, worship--all the content and consequences of Christian belief--rest on the person of Christ Jesus as recorded in the Gospels. In this classic study, Frank J. Sheed employs wide learning, theological sophistication, spiritual insight, and a lucid style to bring the reader to a personal encounter with the living Lord. To Know Christ Jesus has been justly called one of the most satisfying studies of the Gospel ever made. Frank J. Sheed had a distinguished career as a publisher, lecturer, street-corner evangelist, and popular writer. He and his wife Maisie Ward were the founders of the publishing house Sheed & Ward. His many books include Christ in Eclipse, What Difference Does Jesus Make?, Theology and Sanity, and A Map of Life.

    Not so with Anita Diamant's The Red Tent (Picador 1998). Diamant weaves ancient history and culture with narrative fiction to draw a picture of what life might have been like for the women in Jacob's life. With skill and passion, Sandra Hack Polaski unravels the complexities of the biblical stories of Leah, Rachel, Zil?pah, Bil?hah, and Leah's daughter Dinah, probing aspects of The Red Tent that give us insight into the text and into the lives of women in the ancient Near East. Inside the Red Tent brings readers into the biblical and historical contexts of the world of Dinah and her four mothers, exploring their stories through the tradition of midrash, sound biblical scholarship, and archeological findings. She gives us a glimpse "inside the red tent" at the families, relationships, encounters, goddesses, and God that defined their lives and that define ours.

    And while many people are encouraged to know that the Bible is about Christ, they end up discouraged when they can't explain how the Bible's various parts relate to him. Some attempt to force the pieces of the Bible together, making superficial jumps to Jesus. Others give up trying to understand the Bible altogether, losing confidence in God's Word.So, how can we read the Bible in such way as to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ on every page of Scripture? We need a full reading of Scripture, one that reads the Bible according to its nature, its structure, and its own agenda. You'll learn how to: read the Bible according to according to three biblical contexts: the immediate context, the unfolding context, and the final context recognize how different parts of the Bible interlock with other parts of the Bible, fitting together like a puzzle embrace the story of the Bible as our own, to live this story out, and to share this story with our neighbors and the nations Along the way, Wellum and Hunter explore the connecting thread of covenant and how it ties several key biblical figures together. They also unpack some of the trickier questions Bible readers face today including how the Old Testament law applies today as well as several apologetic challenges to the Old Testament. For the first time, you will be able to see the Bible's multi-layered story and how it is held together by one plan of God to glorify himself in salvation. You'll come away with a clearer and more profound vision of our own need as sinners, of God in all of his grace, and of Jesus in all of his glory.X

    The authors have adopted the following daily format for this prayer book: daily invocations, readings, scripture, reflection, prayers, weekly hymns, benedictions and printed psalms. A deluxe gift edition is also available.

    After searching to fill her “God voids” in things, she learned what it meant to be the crown of her spiritual husband, God. Instead of chasing after unhealthy relationships, money and things, she sought a relationship with Jesus and He dusted her past off and made all things new. This book is a reminder that regardless of how far you have gotten away from God, He is still right there, ready to dust you off and make you whole. In this book, you will: • Learn what it means to be the crown of Jesus Christ and the crown of your physical husband, from the inside out. • Learn to protect your heart, mind and life from distractions. • Learn to enjoy the current season of your life and develop into the woman God called you to be. • Learn to refuse to settle for anything or anyone less than God’s best for your life. • See yourself how God sees you—valued, beautiful and special in His eyes. • Take advantage of the tests and trails and develop in patience Join Heather Lindsey on a heart-to-heart journey to becoming who God called you to be from the inside out. Dusty Crowns challenges women, whether single or married to be beautiful from the inside out and to accomplish the will of God for their life.