Be Kind to Yourself: Releasing Frustrations and Embracing Joy


Cindy Bunch - 2020
    Self-criticism is often our default setting. But we can have a more gracious posture toward ourselves. We can practice disciplines of self-kindness. Editor and spiritual director Cindy Bunch calls us to self-care through greater compassion for ourselves. She helps us pay attention to the frustrations that bug us in order to identify negative thinking about ourselves or others. As we do so, we can discern what we need to let go. This allows us to lean into the things that bring us joy. Each chapter is filled with spiritual practices and creative exercises for reflection and celebration. Be kind to yourself. And discover new opportunities to embrace joy.

Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace


John Mark Comer - 2021
    Not with a foreign government or domestic terrorists or a creepy new artificial intelligence hell-bent on taking over the world. No, it's a war we feel deep inside our own chests: we are at war with lies.The problem isn't so much that we tell lies but that we live them. We let them into our bodies, and they sabotage our peace. All around us in the culture and deep within our own body memories are lies: deceptive ideas that wreak havoc on our emotional health and spiritual well-being, and deceptive ideas about who God is, who we are, and what the good life truly is.The choice is not whether to fight or not fight, but whether we win or surrender.Ancient apprentices of Jesus developed a paradigm for this war; they spoke of the three enemies of the soul: the devil, the flesh, and the world. Live No Lies taps into this ancient wisdom from saints of the Way and translates the three enemies for the modern era, with all its secularism and sophistication. As a generation, we chuckle at the devil as a premodern myth, we are confused by Scripture's teaching on the flesh in an age where sensual indulgence is a virtue not a vice, and we have little to no category for the New Testament concept of the world.In this provocative and practical book, bestselling author John Mark Comer combines cultural analysis with spiritual formation. He identifies the role lies play in our spiritual deformation and lays out a strategic plan to overcome them.Do you feel the tug-of-war in your own heart, the inner conflict between truth and lies? The spirit and the flesh? The Way of Jesus and the world? It's time to start winning. It's time to live no lies...

When the Soul Listens: Finding Rest and Direction in Contemplative Prayer


Jan Johnson - 1999
    When the Soul Listens will guide you away from formulas and step-by-step plans toward true contemplative prayer. Learn to find rest and guidance in God, opening yourself to God's presence and direction through this practical approach. If you are disillusioned, searching for something that makes sense, or experiencing spiritual dryness, When the Soul Listens offers a clear path to a fulfilling connection with God and helps you allow God to work change in your life through prayer. Isn't that what you want?

Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life


Emily P. Freeman - 2011
    Instead of clinging to grace, we strive for good and believe that the Christian life means hard work and a sweet disposition. As good girls, we focus on the things we can handle, our disciplined lives, and our unshakable good moods. When we fail to measure up to our own impossible standards, we hide behind our good girl masks, determined to keep our weakness a secret.In Grace for the Good Girl, Emily Freeman invites women to let go of the try-hard life and realize that in Christ we are free to receive from him rather than constantly try to achieve for him. With an open hand and a whimsical style, Emily uncovers the truth about the hiding, encouraging women to move from hiding behind girl-made masks and do-good performances to a life hidden with Christ in God.

Fifty-Seven Words that Change the World: A Journey through the Lord's Prayer


Darrell W. Johnson - 2005
    In eight stirring meditations, Darrell Johnson shows how the Lord's Prayer sums up the essence of Christian faith and, when prayed in faith, draws us into draws us into the Triune God's work of transforming the world. Darrell W. Johnson is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A popular conference and retreat speaker, he has also served as the preaching pastor for a number of congregations in North America and the Philippines and Adjunct Professor of Preaching for the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. His other books include Experiencing the Trinity and Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey through the Book of Revelation.

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction


Justin Whitmel Earley - 2019
    We yearn for the freedom and peace of the gospel, but remain addicted to our technology, shackled by our screens, and exhausted by our routines. But because our habits are the water we swim in, they are almost invisible to us. What can we do about it?The answer to our contemporary chaos is to practice a rule of life that aligns our habits to our beliefs. The Common Rule offers four daily and four weekly habits, designed to help us create new routines and transform frazzled days into lives of love for God and neighbor. Justin Earley provides concrete, doable practices, such as a daily hour of phoneless presence or a weekly conversation with a friend.These habits are “common” not only because they are ordinary, but also because they can be practiced in community. They have been lived out by people across all walks of life—businesspeople, professionals, parents, students, retirees—who have discovered new hope and purpose. As you embark on these life-giving practices, you will find the freedom and rest for your soul that comes from aligning belief in Jesus with the practices of Jesus.

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23


W. Phillip Keller - 1970
    This beloved classic will give new meaning to the ageless Shepherd Psalm, enriching your trust in and love for the Lord who watches closely over you.

Shattered Dreams: God's Unexpected Pathway to Joy


Larry Crabb - 2001
    The Holy Spirit uses the pain of shattered dreams to help us discover our desire for God, to help us begin dreaming the highest dream. They are ordained opportunities for the Spirit first to awaken, then to satisfy our highest dream. ~~ Dr. Larry Crabb

Whatever Happened to the Power of God? & It's Time to Rock the Boat


Michael L. Brown - 2012
    Michael L. Brown's groundbreaking works are ready to challenge a new generation of Christians to combat the status quo of a compromised church and a godless society.Have you ever wondered why you rarely-if ever-see the kinds of miracles today that were so common in the Bible? "Whatever Happened to the Power of God?" explores why so few of the seriously ill are healed, why apparent encounters with God's supernatural power so rarely change lives, and why spiritual warfare seems to have little effect on society. This book asks the questions you have always wanted to ask and confronts you with answers that will change your life. Find out what's holding back the power of God!In "It's Time to Rock the Boat," Dr. Brown reveals the biblical pattern for changing society through preaching a confrontational gospel. The Old Testament prophets, New Testament apostles, John the Baptist, and Jesus the Messiah Himself were not content to let society be dragged down by its sinful and destructive elements-they took a stand against an onslaught of degradation and made waves that rocked the world! God is calling each of us to be part of that world-shaking movement. It's time!

The Complete Green Letters


Miles J. Stanford - 1983
    Stanford have been loved by many people for the insight they provide into true spirituality. Now for the first time all five titles are available in one volume, the complete

The Longing for Home: Reflections at Midlife


Frederick Buechner - 1996
    As a word, it not only recalls the place that we grew up in and that had much to do with the people we eventually became, but also points ahead to the home that, in faith, we believe awaits us at life's end. Writing at the approach of his seventieth birthday, he describes, both in prose and in a group of poems, the one particular house that was most precious to him as a child, the books he read there, and the people he loved there. He speaks also of the lifelong search we are all engaged in to make a new home for ourselves and for our families, which is at the same time a search to find something like the wholeness and comfort of home with ourselves. As he turns his attention to our dreams of the heavenly home still to come, he sees it as both hallowing and fulfilling the charity and the peach of our original home.Writing with warmth, wisdom, and compelling eloquence, Frederick Buechner once again enables us to see more deeply into the secret places of our hearts. The Longing for Home will help to bring clarity and guidance to anyone who searches for meaning in a world that all too often seems meaningless.

Praying the Bible


Donald S. Whitney - 2015
    Offering readers hope, encouragement, and the practical advice they’re looking for, this concise book by professor Donald Whitney outlines a simple, time-tested method that can help transform our prayer lives: praying the words of the Bible. Praying the Bible shows readers how to pray through portions of Scripture one line at a time, helping us stay focused by allowing God’s Word itself to direct our thoughts and words. Simple yet profound, this resource will prove invaluable to all Christians as they seek to commune with their heavenly Father in prayer each and every day.

The Power of Communion: Accessing Miracles Through the Body and Blood of Jesus


Beni Johnson - 2019
    But for many Christians today, this tradition can be a confusing ritual. Are we missing something in this ancient sacrament? Beni and Bill Johnson—bestselling authors and senior leaders of Bethel Church in Redding, California—had a miraculous revelation while celebrating communion. In The Power of Communion, they reveal how this sacred practice is an often overlooked opportunity to release God’s power in your life!Don’t settle for a lifeless routine. God is supernaturally present in the sacrament of Communion! Learn to embrace this prophetic act of remembrance, worship, warfare, and healing as it was always meant to be!Discover practical keys for… Healing: release the healing testimony of Jesus’ blood and body over sickness. Deliverance: announce the eternal victory of Jesus over torment, addiction and bondage. Warfare: shift spiritual atmospheres over you, your family and even world events. Presence: experience new dimensions of God’s glory as you apply Jesus’ victory over your life.  There are miracles just waiting to be released that Jesus' atonement already paid for! Discover The Power of Communion today!

Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power


Levi Lusko - 2015
    But they never expected that, five days before Christmas, their five-year-old daughter would suddenly go to heaven after an asthma attack. How do you walk out of the ER without your daughter?Through the Eyes of a Lion will help you turn your journey into a “roar story” by guiding you to look past what you can see with the naked eye. Whether you’re currently facing adversity or want to prepare yourself for inevitable hardship, it’s time to look at the adventure of your life through Jesus’ eyes—the eyes of a Lion.

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society


Eugene H. Peterson - 1980
    If anything, email and the Internet may have intensified our quest for the quick fix. But Peterson's time-tested prescription for discipleship remains the same--a long obedience in the same direction. Tucked away in the Hebrew Psalter, Peterson discovered "an old dog-eared songbook," the Songs of Ascents that were sung by pilgrims on their way up to worship in Jerusalem. In these songs (Psalms 120-134) Peterson finds encouragement for modern pilgrims as we learn to grow in worship, service, joy, work, happiness, humility, community and blessing. This 20th anniversary edition of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction features these Psalms in Peterson's widely acclaimed paraphrase, The Message. He also includes an epilogue in which he reflects on the themes of this book and his ministry during the twenty years since its original publication.