Where do we even begin?Shannan Martin offers a surprisingly simple answer: uncover the hidden corners of our cities and neighborhoods and invest deeply in the lives of people around us. She walks us through her own discoveries about the vital importance of paying attention, as well as the hard but rewarding truth about showing up and committing for the long haul, despite the inevitable encounters with brokenness and uncertainty. With transparency, humor, heart-tugging storytelling, and more than a little personal confession, Martin shows us that no matter where we live or how much we have, as we learn what it is to be with people as Jesus was, we'll find our very lives. The details will look quiet and ordinary, and the call will both exhaust and exhilarate us. But it will be the most worth-it adventure we will ever take.

    This Missing Pieces: Real Hope When Life Doesn't Make Sense - Bible Study Book provides a personal study experience for this video-driven women's Bible study. Explore these and other questions in this realistic look at the messy, mysterious uncertainties of faith. God's ways don't always make sense, but He is trustworthy. Come close to Him. Trust Him more than your feelings. God will reveal Himself and fill in your missing pieces.Participants who take this study will:Experience unexpected peace in spite of unexpected heartacheHang on to God's answers when you feel you are at the end of your ropeMove forward when you feel stuck in your circumstancesHave a greater sense of peace through every storm you faceStrengthen your faith when you feel beat down by lifeSurvive unexpected storms knowing God is in your boatExperience stability when tidal waves of emotion hitTrust God more than your feelings

    It extends beyond what you can conceive or imagine. Just as you cannot measure the universe, you cannot fathom the limits of His love for you. Grace is how God’s love appears. God’s grace is extreme, super-abundant, and over-the-top. His hyper-grace exceeds your wildest dreams. In this book, Paul Ellis draws a line between the muddled messages of manmade religion and the hyper-grace gospel of Jesus Christ. Drawing on insights gleaned from more than 40 grace preachers, he addresses common misperceptions and accusations some have made against the modern grace message. The Hyper-Grace Gospel will leave you marveling at the relentless love of your Father. It will show you how to walk in His amazing grace and help you rediscover the joy that is found in Jesus.

    The higher we go, the smaller our problems seem. Tenney also teaches the Principle of Magnification: The closer you get to something, the bigger it appears. In other words, worship not only "shrinks" our problems; it also magnifies God in our lives and to others.Worship doesn't really change our problems; it just minimizes their influence over us as we focus on God. He doesn't promise to remove all of our circumstances, but God does assure us that in His presence and from His perspective--we can see things as they really are and not how they appear to be.In the book of Revelation John was instructed to "behold the Lion," but from an earthly perspective John saw only the Lamb. The heavenly perspective reveals that the Lamb is the Lion, the babe of Bethlehem is the "ancient of days," and the dragon is really a weakened lizard. God's eye view is higher than man's.Higher than a bird's eye view, higher than a man's eye view is God's eye view.

    As a result, they focus a lot on what Jesus has done to appease God's wrath for sin. But how does Jesus Christ actually feel about his people amid all their sins and failures? This book draws us to Matthew 11, where Jesus describes himself as "gentle and lowly in heart," longing for his people to find rest in him. The gospel is primarily about God's heart drawn to his people, a heart of tender love for the sinful and suffering. These chapters take readers into the depths of Christ's very heart for sinners, diving deep into Bible passages that speak of who Christ is and encouraging readers with the affections of Christ for his people. His longing heart for sinners will comfort and sustain readers in their up-and-down lives.

    The message blew up on social-media, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged to enraged.In Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar contrasts that he drew in the poem—highlighting the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair and hope. With refreshing candor he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior.Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he’s not a pastor or theologian, but simply a regular, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. Along his journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him beyond the props of false religion.

    D. Greear how to more fully experience the Holy Spirit within you. Jesus gave his disciples the audacious promise that the Spirit he would send to live inside them would be even better than if he himself remained beside them. Yet how many of us consider our connection to the Holy Spirit so strong that we would call his presence in us better than Jesus himself walking by our side?J. D. Greear was the pastor of a rapidly growing church who still felt like he didn't know how to relate to God personally. Though he knew a lot about God, he wasn't as sure about how to walk with God. Furthermore, he felt overwhelmed by the size of the mission Jesus had left for his church. In a world of so much need, what difference could he possibly make? Learning how God dwells in us and empowers us in the Holy Spirit redefined his life and ministry. Ministry became less about working for God and more about letting God work through him. Drudgery was replaced by delight; helplessness was replaced by empowerment.In Jesus, Continued... Greear explores--in clear and practical language--questions such as:What does it mean to have a relationship with the Holy Spirit?How can we tell when the Spirit is speaking to us?What do you do when God feels absent?If you are longing to know God in a vibrant way, Jesus, Continued... has good news for you: That's exactly what God wants for you too. His Spirit stands ready to guide you, empower you, and use you.

    Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways that will change you forever, deepening your character and your trust in God. The experience is terrifying. It’s thrilling beyond belief. It’s everything you’d expect of someone worthy to be called Lord.The choice is yours to know him as only a water-walker can, aligning yourself with God’s purpose for your life in the process. There’s just one requirement: If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.

    Those treasures include the richness and relevance of Scripture, the reality of faith at work, and intimacy with God.

    How would you finish that sentence?The subject is there, and so is the verb, but what comes next? Your answer could shed light on the path to becoming who you were made to be. In these pages, Judah Smith fills out that sentence again and again, each time further revealing the character of Jesus. He writes as if to a friend, revealing the Jesus that somber paintings and hymns fail to capture. With passion, humor, and conviction, he shows that Jesus is life. Jesus is grace. Jesus is your friend. Jesus is a new and better way to be human.

    The kind that will make a child fall to the ground, squeal with laughter, and then want to get up and spin in circles some more! However, there is a twirl where busy schedules and urgency create a different and unwanted variety of dizzy into our lives.Though hurry-up is part of the human dilemma and certain seasons bring more of it than others, if it becomes a lifestyle you might find yourself on the slippery slopes of bitterness, sadness, and depression. Patsy’s hope is to help her readers maintain a dynamic view on life—with activities and choices that lead to renewal and peace. So take a little stroll with Patsy Clairmont through Twirl, and allow her unique perspective and deep well of biblical wisdom to realign your spin on life.

    When we discover what this is, we can pray with confidence because we know he will answer. Cooke teaches readers the art of effective crafted prayer based on Scripture, thanksgiving, and stillness.

    In it she writes:Through His longsuffering and steadfastness, God has invited me to know Him better. And the more intimate I've become with Him, the more acquainted I've become with His voice. He has proven Himself to me not because I'm more special than anyone else, but because He loves proving His Word is true-to all His children. To you.One of Priscilla's bestselling titles, Discerning the Voice of God is now completely revised with updated content and reflection questions. Each section contains insights that will aid you in your desire to hear Him speak: Realize the Way He Speaks, Recognize the Sound of His Voice, Remember What He Wants to Accomplish, and Ready Yourself for Even More. Discover the treasure of recognizing how God keeps in touch with his beloved people and watch as He communicates with you.

    The forgiven life. The grace-filled life. It begins with an embrace. Wherever you are spiritually, whatever you have been through emotionally, you are already enfolded in the arms of One who believes in you, supports you, treasures you.He is waiting for you to embrace him in return. To accept the gift he's offering you. To listen for the whispered words you've longed a lifetime to hear: You are loved. All is forgiven.

    Today, she faces a new battle: unrelenting pain. The ongoing urgency of this season in her life has caused Joni to return to foundational questions about suffering and God’s will.A Place of Healing is not an ivory-tower treatise on suffering. It’s an intimate look into the life of a mature woman of God. Whether readers are enduring physical pain, financial loss, or relational grief, Joni invites them to process their suffering with her. Together, they will navigate the distance between God’s magnificent yes and heartbreaking no's and find new hope for thriving in-between.