And if we are our own, then it's up to us to forge our own identities and to make our lives significant. But while that may sound empowering, it turns out to be a crushing responsibility--one that never actually delivers on its promise of a free and fulfilled life, but instead leaves us burned out, depressed, anxious, and alone. This phenomenon is mapped out onto the very structures of our society, and helps explain our society's underlying disorder. But the Christian gospel offers a strikingly different vision. As the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, "I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ." In You Are Not Your Own, Alan Noble explores how this simple truth reframes the way we understand ourselves, our families, our society, and God. Contrasting these two visions of life, he invites us past the sickness of contemporary life into a better understanding of who we are and to whom we belong.

    Today's most popular general prayer book, the Catholic Book of Prayers offers prayers for every day, as well as many special prayers including prayers to the Blessed Trinity, Our Lady, and the Saints. Compiled and edited by Rev. Maurus FitzGerald, O.F.M., this giant type book has a brown vinyl cover with a ribbon for convenient place-keeping and can be carried easily in a purse or pocket. With a helpful summary of our Catholic Faith, this useful prayer book will prove invaluable for making regular prayer easy and meaningful.

    It seems simple, but we are experts at complicating simple things. Instead of living lives characterized by love we find ourselves trapped in cycles of shame, violence, and addiction that steal our joy and keep us from loving others--so much so that, by all indications, Christians are living no differently than anyone else when it comes to abuse rates, use of pornography, alcohol and drug addiction, and more. Christian psychiatrist Dr. Timothy Jennings wants to release us from this prison. With powerful illustrations from case studies and from Scripture, Jennings shows believers who are stuck in addiction, violence, fear, and broken relationships how to experience true freedom through God's transforming love to experience greater health, fulfillment, and well-being.

    The concept of speaking to mountains and trees may not be religious metaphor, but laws of a new physics that have not been fully understood. Jesus taught that our words are powerful enough to move physical matter. Quantum physics has discovered that subatomic particles respond to the observer. In this book, you will discover that your words and your faith (beliefs) are unseen forces that affect everything in your world. You are the one giving substance to your world through words!

    These profound teachings point the way to love, peace, bliss and freedom, encouraging a transformation of consciousness and spiritual awakening.

    Only Jesus' ministry is redemptive. Jesus has to show up. Theologian Andrew Purves explores at the deepest level the true and essential nature of Christian ministry. He says that the attempt to be an effective minister is a major problem. Ministers are in the way. He radically claims that ministries need to be crucified. They need to be killed off so that Christ can make them live. Rooting church service in Christ's own continuing ministry, Purves provides a vision for students and practicing clergy to reclaim the vital connection between Christ and participation in his ministry today, even if it means letting Christ put to death the ministries to which pastors cling so closely. A radical appraisal for a critical malady affecting the life of the Christian church written in plain, down-to-earth language.

    Patrick Madrid explains why prayer, friendship, and common sense are among the most effective, time-tested methods for bringing family and friends into or back into the Church, and shows you how best to use them!

    I was tired of being tired, burned out on busy. And, it seemed almost everyone I talked with was in the same boat: longing for connection, meaning, depth, but settling for busy.I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor, writer, and I know all too well that settling feeling. But over the course of the last few years, I’ve learned a way to live, marked by grace, love, rest, and play. And it’s changing everything.Present Over Perfect is an invitation to this journey that changed my life. I’ll walk this path with you, a path away from frantic pushing and proving, and toward your essential self, the one you were created to be before you began proving and earning for your worth.Written in Shauna’s warm and vulnerable style, this collection of essays focuses on the most important transformation in her life, and maybe yours too: leaving behind busyness and frantic living and rediscovering the person you were made to be. Present Over Perfect is a hand reaching out, pulling you free from the constant pressure to perform faster, push harder, and produce more, all while maintaining an exhausting image of perfection.Shauna offers an honest account of what led her to begin this journey, and a compelling vision for an entirely new way to live: soaked in grace, rest, silence, simplicity, prayer, and connection with the people that matter most to us.In these pages, you’ll be invited to consider the landscape of your own life, and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present, in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life.

    Though many people today like Jesus, they are growing tired of traditional religious institutions. Even those who follow Jesus aren't so sure they always like what Christianity and the church represent.For many years, Dan Kimball would have agreed, until an encounter with a small group of Jesus followers started him on a journey that challenged him to rethink everything he had ever assumed about the church.andamp;nbsp; In Adventures in Churchland, Dan invites you to join him as he uncovers what the Bible really says about the church and reminds us that it's more than just buildings and institutions, it's a beautiful mess of broken people learning to follow Jesus together. As you journey with Dan, you'll begin to see the church as Jesus intended it to be: a community of forgiven misfits coming together to serve the world around them with passion, creativity, innovation, and grace. 'If you don't like the church, or if you're thinking about leaving, please read this book first. Dan's stories will make you laugh, make you think, and make you appreciate the church like never before.' -- Mark Batterson, author of The Circle Maker 'As a non-Christian, I was inspired and moved, and have been enthusiastically recommending it to my friends. This is a book for everybody.' -- Mark Frauenfelder, editor-in-chief of MAKE, founder of boingboing.net 'Dan encourages us to break through the tension and messiness that church communities inevitably encounter to experience the beauty of being in community and sharing God's infinite love with others.' -- Zach Lind, drummer, Jimmy Eat World'I am so glad that my friend Dan has written this book, because there is a lot of confusion out there about Jesus and the church.' -- Wanda Jackson, Queen of Rockabilly and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    But many churches tend to be extroverted places where introverts are marginalized. Some Christians end up feeling like it's not as faithful to be an introvert. Adam McHugh shows how introverts can live and minister in ways consistent with their personalities. He explains how introverts and extroverts process information and approach relationships differently and how introverts can practice Christian spirituality in ways that fit who they are. With practical illustrations from church and parachurch contexts, McHugh offers ways for introverts to serve, lead, worship and even evangelize effectively. Introverts in the Church is essential reading for any introvert who has ever felt out of place, as well as for church leaders who want to make their churches more welcoming to introverts. Discover God's call and empowering to thrive as an introvert, for the sake of the church and kingdom.

    Promising to deepen and broaden the reader's perspective on his or her own life experiences, Moore draws on his own life as a therapist practicing "care of the soul," as well as his studies of the world's religions and his work in music and art, to create this inspirational guide that examines the connections between spirituality and the problems of individuals and society.

    For others, they are bothersome and irrational. No matter where you fall on the emotional spectrum, one thing is for sure: God designed you as an emotional being. Your emotions have purpose, and they’re worth handling with curiosity, respect, and wisdom. What might it look like for you to have a healthy relationship with emotions? Could you learn to discern them and use them wisely? Through the unified lens of current research and scriptural teaching, this guide explores: • how emotions work as signals on your body’s internal dashboard • why emotions are valuable (even when they are unpleasant) • what to do when your emotions don’t match the situation • helpful tools and habits to cultivate emotional health over the long-term • the ins and outs of shame, fear, anger, sadness, jealousy, and happiness Whether you’re a skeptical stoic or an impulsive feeler, pursuing a healthy relationship with your emotions is key to living a passionate and abundant life. After all, it’s ultimately about becoming a little more like the person God created you to be. “The Collins have written a unique and extraordinary book, one that blends the recent findings of psychology with the ancient insights of spirituality, all grounded in a healthy, solid biblical theology. We all ache for a healthy soul, yet this side of Eden, and especially in our modern, frenetic, fast-unraveling world, struggle to live in the love, joy, and peace we know Jesus has for us. This book is like a map, or more, a kind, calm, wise guide for the road to life." — John Mark Comer, pastor for teaching at Bridgetown Church, and author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry “Here’s your chance to take a big step forward on your journey toward understanding your inner world! This is a marvelously honest, insightful, and practical book about the surprising gift our emotions are when we understand what they signal. Read it!” — Ian Morgan Cron, author of The Road Back to You "I don't remember the last time I read such a consequential book. Jon and Tristen have brilliantly woven theology, psychology, wit, humor, and grace to give us such a desperately needed resource! I immediately thought of ten people I will be buying this book for." — Jefferson Bethke, NYT best selling author of Jesus > Religion “At the ripe old age of thirty-seven, I keep imagining myself standing outside a high school with a case of this book to hand to every student. If seventeen-year-old Joy had read this book, she would have headed into adulthood with permission to take stock of the “why” behind her emotions (there were a few) and the “what” God and science has to say about them. This is a psychology-theology book that is both profound and accessible for any age or stage. ” — Joy Eggerichs Reed, Founder of Punchline Speakers Most of us have had moments when our own reactions, thoughts, and feelings surprise or perplex us, and we wonder, "Why did I just say or do that?" In this wonderfully helpful book, the Collins have given us a practical and profound education in what emotions are, and how they can guide us into greater self-awareness. It's an invitation to think psychologically and theologically about the human person, so you can offer a healthier and more integrated version of yourself to the people around you. — Tim Mackie, cofounder of The Bible Project “‘Sometimes you choose the book. Other times, the book chooses you.’ This book chose me. I needed it.

    Dr. Keith brings his experience with family, students, great mentors, and friends to bear on a subject that is crying out for attention. Equally, he brings his Christian faith, a scholarly eye for detail, and an ear for story along on the journey and works with the reader to navigate a path to a better country where the Father blesses His children and is honored.

    Schaeffer contemplates the reasons for modern society's sorry state of affairs and argues for total affirmation of the Bible's morals, values, and meaning.

    Jung to show how dreams can help us find healing and wholeness and reconnect us to a living spiritual world.Featuring a new preface by the author and using case histories from his own experience as a counselor, Dreams traces the role of dreams in the Bible, analyzing their nature and examining how Christians, through fear and the constraints of dogma, have come to reject the visions through which God speaks to humanity, making dreams -- in Sanford's words -- "God's forgotten language."