But Christ didn't just rise from the dead. He ascended to Heaven.We hear the stories about Peter and John and all the heroes of the New Testament, and they're unstoppable Christians--fearless and bold. And sometimes we wrongly assume that they just got that way. That Christ died for their sins, and bam! They're instantly changed! On the contrary, the disciples were actually quite cowardly in their actions after the Resurrection.It wasn't until after the Ascension that they were on fire for Christ. So, what happened during the forty days? Something happened.There's more written about Christ's ministry before his death than the events that happened after his Resurrection, but when we look at Ascension, we begin to see that there's power in small details. We begin to see that something happened after the Resurrection--something happened to transform the lives of believers and make them more than followers.Looking at what happened after the Resurrection, and further at the Ascension of Christ, we start to see what happened to transform the followers--and in seeing this we might just be transformed ourselves.Something did indeed happen during the forty days. Jesus was not done teaching.

    He gave me this child. And now I give this child to the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:27 ERVDo you remember when you first held your newborn daughter and sensed the awesome responsibility and immense privilege of parenthood? God gave you this precious gift to care for and to love, and He may have even whispered to your heart, "She is yours." Now comes the hard part—raising her up from a baby to a happy, healthy adult—and remembering that everything you have is God's, including your daughter. Wynter and Jonathan Pitts want you to know you are not alone. The proud parents of four young daughters, they've gained a wealth of valuable insights on the unique challenge of raising girls. They've been right where you are and now they want to share what they've learned with you. With this practical advice and encouragement, you can help your daughter develop awesome relationships with God, with you, and with the world around her.Start this journey by making this commitment to God:Lord, she is Yours and I trust You with her.

    The Practice and Presence of God is one of the most beautiful and touching stories of Christian devotion ever written. Brother Lawrence was a Carmelite Brother known for his profound peace and deep relationship with God; many came to seek spiritual guidance from him. The wisdom that he passed on to them, in conversations and in letters, would later become the basis for the book. These two translations will help the reader find a more complete understanding of this wonderful and enduring story. The Spiritual Maxims of Brother Lawrence are beautifully spiritual teachings that can help anyone have a closer relationship with God. And the short biography that closes out the books offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of Brother Lawrence.

    D. Wilson reminds each of us that to truly live we must recognize that we are dying. Every second we create more of our past—more decisions, more breathing, more love and more loathing, all of it slides by into the gone as we race to grab at more moments, at more memories made and already fading.We are all authors, creators of our own pasts, of the books that will be our lives. We stare at the future or obsess about the present, but only the past has been set in stone, and we are the ones setting it. When we race across the wet concrete of time without purpose, without goals, without laughter and love and sacrifice, then we fail in our mortal moment. We race toward our inevitable ends without artistry and without beauty.All of us must pause and breathe. See the past, see your life as the fruit of providence and thousands of personal narratives. What led to you? You did not choose where to set your feet in time. You choose where to set them next.Then, we must see the future, not just to stare into the fog of distant years but to see the crystal choices as they race toward us in this sharp foreground we call the present. We stand in the now. God says create. Live. Choose. Shape the past. Etch your life in stone, and what you make will be forever.

    But Robert Morris reveals why it is so important not to stop—to never give up. This book provides hope and evidence for readers that God does hear their prayers, cares about them personally, and intervenes in their lives in ways beyond their imaginations. Bestselling author Robert Morris brings encouragement and compelling biblical teaching on the topic of prayer. Reverend Morris is the senior pastor at Gateway Church, which has a congregation of more than 36,000 people.

    The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien. I’m not writing to calm or coddle you. With God’s help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind. Trip your breakers and turn out the lights in your favorite hiding places of insecurity and fear. Then flip the switch back on so that God’s truth can illuminate the divine destiny that may have been lying dormant inside you for years. In short, I’m out to activate your audacious faith. To inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential.—STEVEN FURTICK, from Sun Stand Still“Steven Furtick challenges all of us—from the missionary in the third world to the family in the suburbs—to believe God for the impossible and begin living a life of faith beyond the ordinary.” —ANDY STANLEY, senior pastor, North Point Community Church “I don’t know anyone better positioned to challenge you to rise above mundane living and embrace faith-filled audacity than Steven Furtick.”—CRAIG GROESCHEL, senior pastor, LifeChurch.tv“For too long Christians have embraced a miniscule vision of faith.… Steven Furtick reminds us that the God who accomplished the impossible through the great heroes of faith still desires to do the same through us today.” —JENTEZEN FRANKLIN, senior pastor, Free Chapel “This book will show you that your hopes and expectations are truly just the beginning of what God can do.” —ED YOUNG, senior pastor, Fellowship ChurchFrom the Trade Paperback edition.

    What would life be like with no fear? If you could feel completely at home and at rest in the intimate love of God? We all face two choices in life: to live life as if we

    Here, in one of his most popular of his more than thirty books, Thomas Merton provides further meditations on the spiritual life in sixteen thoughtful essays, beginning with his classic treatise "Love Can Be Kept Only by Being Given Away." This sequel to Seeds of Contemplation provides fresh insight into Merton's favorite topics of silence and solitude, while also underscoring the importance of community and the deep connectedness to others that is the inevitable basis of the spiritual life—whether one lives in solitude or in the midst of a crowd.

     Using the 21 prayers will open your eyes to the unseen, draw you into God's presence, unlock conversations with God, keep you hopeful, banish fear and doubt, bring your clarity and experience miracles.

    You love going through the Scriptures. But you want to do more than just turn the page and check "Bible reading" off your daily to-do list. In The One Year Book of Praying through the Bible, respected author Cheri Fuller leads you through the Bible in one year, helping you pray Scripture passages back to God.The One Year Book of Praying through the Bible is the perfect companion to The One Year Bible--and the perfect way to pray through the Bible within a year. Each daily reading is wonderfully fresh, amazingly personal, and consistently tied to the daily Scripture passages from The One Year Bible. Following each devotional you'll find a short prayer designed to launch you into your own prayer time and a thought-provoking quote from a contemporary or historical Christian.I pray with all my heart. --Psalm 119:145

    David Jeremiah shares how the book of Psalms can aid those struggling to find meaning during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Shelter-in-place orders around the world have people questioning, “Does God see us? Can he help us through this nerve-racking time? Dr. David Jeremiah shares through psalms that God is always walking beside us. Now is the time to Shelter in God.Renowned pastor and teacher Dr. David Jeremiah believes comfort can be found in the Psalms, both now during the coronavirus pandemic and during all of life's greatest challenges. This newly collected volume will show how finding refuge in God is always our safest place. Shelter in God offers hope in a time of uncertainty and relief to people who are experiencing real troubles and fear.find ways to worship in times of trouble,experience prayer in pressure,show grace you are at your wits’ end, andwith God’s help, triumph over trouble. Shelter in God is an invaluable source of help and encouragement for people facing major obstacles during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Portions of Shelter in God were previously included in Dr. Jeremiah’s classic When Your World Falls Apart.

    Bestselling author and artist Ruth Chou Simons, along with her husband, Troy, are gratefully raising six boys on a firm foundation of God’s Word by preaching that truth to themselves and their family daily. In this book, they invite you to join them in the holy work of training children to know and love God for a lifetime.Foundations will help you direct your family one day at a time, as you explore 12 key truths that will help connect your children’s hearts—and yours—to the heart of God. With a simple, chapter-a-day format that includes Scripture, devotional thoughts, meditations, and discussion questions, this book will guide you in leading your family.

    From the author of the bestselling book Heaven, here are 60 meditations that will inspire you to live each day with an eternal perspective. Spiritually speaking, we live in the Country of the Blind. Sin has blinded us to the truth about God and Heaven, both of which are real yet unseen. But just as the physically blind must accept by faith there are stars in the sky, we must remind ourselves what Scripture tells us about eternal realities. In daily doses, author Randy Alcorn offers insights on the Christian life along with Scriptures and inspirational quotes that can transform the way you think and live today. It's time to open your eyes--and see the unseen.

    Now, in this long-awaited release, Emerson has created an experience for couples that is effective, flexible and life-changing.To build this couples devotional, Eggerichs has taken the top concerns that surfaced in a survey of thousands of couples and has developed 52 devotionals around the three cycles that are at the heart of Love and Respect. On one occasion the couple will be talking about how to stop the "Crazy Cycle" or keep it at bay. The very next devotional will talk about a concept built upon the "Rewarded Cycle," which stresses the ultimate purpose for marriage. And the next may have both people talking about ways to use the "Energizing Cycle" in their efforts to love and respect each other.Some may ask, "Why 52 and not 365, like other couples devotionals I have seen?" The author's research shows that married couples don't want to deal with that much material, that often. Therefore, the specific devotionals, which can be done weekly or at any chosen pace, are specifically guided to what couples say they most need. And this is a husband-friendly devotional, having been written and designed in such a way that the husband can feel comfortable in the entire process.With this wealth of new material and video devotionals available online to support the product, "The Love & Respect Experience "will be indispensable to anyone wishing to better their marital relationship.

    But few are actually bearing fruit. Kevin Harney diagnoses this problem and offers guidance for multiplying the outreach impact of churches.Organic Outreach for Churches provides direction for local congregations to weave evangelism into the fabric of the church. Commitment to the Great Commission is not simply about sending money and prayers to missions or holding occasional events to reach out (although these things are good). Organic outreach happens when evangelistic vision and action become the domain of every ministry and the commitment of every person in the congregation.This will not happen accidentally. There is huge spiritual and practical resistance to such changes. But the only way evangelism will become an organic part of a church is when every leader and each member is gripped by a commitment to proclaiming the gospel. This book is a roadmap for pastors and leaders who wish to infuse evangelistic passion into every aspect of their church’s life.