Its many trials often leave us wondering how we can press on in a fallen world. When we receive fresh wounds before old ones heal, we often are tempted to despair. We share this experience with the ancient people of God, and we can also share in the profound comfort God offered them. In the final chapters of Isaiah, the prophet presents a significant set of encouragements for the people of God as they journey through a world filled with trials and sorrow.In Strength for the Weary, Dr. Derek W.H. Thomas explores the final chapters of Isaiah, laying out the remarkable promises that God makes to His people. In these pages, there is consolation in the struggles of this life and encouragement for the road ahead. The God of Comfort has promised to be with His people always.

    Sex has become just sex. But while society has taken sex too far, the church hasn't taken it far enough.God wants couples to make love in marriage-with passion, with purpose, and with pleasure. Marriages aren't experiencing all the benefits that come from a healthy sex life. Couples are facing a barrage of influences that keep them from connecting with each other regularly-the kids, the career, the house, the errands, etc.SEXPERIMENT shows people that sex in marriage is more than just sex, and it's more than a chore. The Youngs believe it's time to get back to understanding the context of sex in marriage and that it's time for couples to break the barriers keeping them from a healthy sexual relationship. Couples ought to experience the benefits of having sex regularly, intentionally, and creatively. SEXPERIMENT will allow couples to discover that the intersection of God and sex can lead to a life punctuated by exclamation marks!

    We don’t like how it feels to be unsettled and uprooted. Whether we’re navigating a season of transition, dealing with the fallout of broken relationships, or wrestling with a deep sense of restlessness, we are all experiencing some form of exile. And most of us do whatever we can to numb the feelings of unbelonging, powerlessness, and unsettledness that come with it. But the truth is that exile has a profound purpose if we can just learn to lean in.Over and over again Scripture tells us that the people of God are exiles and wanderers. And this is good news because exile is what transforms us into pilgrims. In Christ, we are no longer directionless wanderers, but pilgrim followers who have a clear purpose and a secure identity. In Born to Wander, Michelle Van Loon weaves together personal stories and keen insights on the biblical themes of pilgrimage and exile.  She will help you embrace your own pilgrim identity and reorient your heart toward the God who leads you home. Engaging and thoughtful, enhanced with practical suggestions, prayers, and questions, Born to Wander will teach how to trust God even when you don’t understand what’s happening around you and follow Him even when it hurts.If you keep chasing security, you’ll never find it. Embrace the purpose behind the wandering and discover the freedom and safety of resting in God alone.“Every one of us carries a restlessness that runs as deep as the marrow of our born-again bones. Our relationships shift like tectonic plates. We change jobs. We switch churches. And our culture tells us the cure for our restlessness is to buy a new mattress, a new car, or a new tube of toothpaste.”

    Why am I not a more joyful parent? Why aren't my kids turning out as I expected? Why do I always feel as if I'm not doing enough for my children? Is Parenting Supposed to Be This Difficult? As a mother of six, Leslie Leyland Fields knows firsthand the insecurities and questions that come with rearing children. In Parenting Is Your Highest Calling, she tackles nine myths about parenting, including:- Children make you happy and bring great fulfillment. - You will always feel love for your child. - Your success as a parent can be measured by your child's behavior. - There is one "right" biblical model for family life. - Good parenting will result in happy children.Through a close look at God's own life as a parent as well as stories from real-life families, Fields highlights the transforming biblical truths that release parents from the grip of mistaken assumptions. Fresh, provocative insights will lead you to a deeper understanding of God and yourself- an understanding that lifts the weight of guilt and fear and frees you to love your children as God intended.Includes "going deeper" questions for individuals, couples, or groups.

    In Blue Like Play Dough, she shares her unlikely journey from rebellious, pregnant teen to busy wife and mom with big dreams of her own. As her story unfolds, Tricia realizes that God has more in store for her than she has ever imagined possible.Sure, life is messy and beset by doubts. But God keeps showing up in the most unlikely places?in a bowl of carrot soup, the umpteenth reading of Goodnight Moon, a woe-is me teen drama, or play dough in the hands of a child.In Tricia's transparent account, you'll find understanding, laughter, and strength for your own story. And in the daily push and pull, you'll learn to recognizes the loving hands of God at work in your life? and know He has something beautiful in mind.

    You got frustrated, desperate, or overwhelmed and you reacted before you could think it through. Whether it’s a one-time thing or it becomes a habit, we all parent in ways we don’t like. But it doesn’t have to continue. Whether it’s bribery, yelling, counting to three, or threats of punishment you didn’t mean to make, reacting never feels good. But if you can learn to act with intentionality, you’ll feel better about your choices and be grateful for the results.Dr. Kathy Koch (pronounced “cook”), author of Screens and Teens and 8 Great Smarts, will teach you proven strategies for training your child’s heart and parenting in a way that honors God. She’ll help you move your child from, “I can’t, I won’t," to “I can, I will, and I did.” We can do better than “Because I said so.” or “No screen time for 3 days.” We can do better than mere behavior modification. We can change our children’s hearts and teach them to do what is good, godly, and right even when we’re not around. Once you’ve learned to put these motivation strategies in place there’s no more need to nag, you’ll be astounded at what your kids will do without being asked. Dr. Kathy doesn’t offer a quick-fix. Starting with the heart is all about changing what children believe in order to change their behavior. And learning to use this kind of motivation takes effort, consistency, and strategy, but it works. And it’s never too late! If you’re willing to commit to a little hard work up front, you’ll enjoy your kids, your life, and yourself much more when you learn to start with the heart.

    Baseball gloves, dirty diapers, tiny little hands, first days of school, daddy-daughter dances, and learner's permits... and so much more! There's no way you can be ready for it all, but this is when you need to get a bit of a head start... First Time Dad by Focus on the Family ministry veteran (and father of 6) John Fuller lets you in on the stuff you really need to know... because in just a few months or weeks or days, your life is going to change--forever. Set good priorities. Break bad habits and/or family patterns. Recognize and recover from some common fathering mistakes. Know that your words have immense power. And learn how to cultivate a lasting parent-child relationship. So, instead of wondering "oh man, oh man, oh man... what am I going to do now?" for 9 months... read this short book (plus it's pretty fun too) and get excited! "Dad, your job is critical... And you can do it."

    Best-selling author Max Lucado helps to free teens from this dangerous trap and sets their sights on a different goal. By putting God and His glory at the center of their lives, "God-centric" teens will begin to live a fulfilled life of purpose and lasting contentment. This teen edition is filled with inspirational stories of young people who have made the shift and put God in first place-and are now living life like they mean it!

    More than 10,000 tales of hope, perseverance, and redemption poured in. With friend and author Angela Thomas, West presents some of these powerful stories paired with meaningful devotions they inspired.Wendy gave birth to her daughter in jail. When all seemed hopeless, she found God and her life transformed into something beautiful.Cory, a married youth pastor, had an affair and his life fell apart. With God’s mercy, he and his wife gathered the broken pieces and started again.Sheila always struggled with severe insecurity. Now she lives confidently in the purpose God has for her.This unforgettable devotional journey inspires readers to discover God as the author of their unique lives and to share the power of their story.Also available this season—a companion DVD of the same title and a standalone guide, The Story of Your Life Interactive Journey. The DVD and book help readers, individually or as part of a group study, personalize and explore more deeply the messages of God’s hope and redemption in their own stories.

    Victorious Emotions will help create happiness as your default emotion. Even if we have unhappy circumstances, we can build a system of beliefs that, as effortless as the tides, will always bring us back to joy.Victorious Emotions gives powerful, practical strategies to live out Romans 12:2, which says to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. The word "renewing" in the Greek means renovation. This book is about renovating and reconstructing the pathways and strongholds of our thinking. It explores how our brains create certain belief systems and how to intentionally create new ones.The goal of this book is not to focus on eliminating negative emotions, but to build a tidal wave of victorious emotions that are pulled into our lives as easily and surely as the ocean tides will appear every day. It is time to be overtaken by emotions that lead us into victory!

    Especially when we are going through difficult times, it may seem as though other people have been richly blessed-while our own lives are completely empty. But Ron Mehl assures readers that despite the way things sometimes appear, God is continually at work in their lives, reminding them that God often does his best works in the darkness. As men and women take a closer look at the God who works the night shift, they will learn about the unceasing acts of love he performs for them, every moment of their lives...even while they sleep.

    This book will help you experience the freedom found in knowing just how fully God is committed to loving YOU.FOREWORD BY LOUIE GIGLIO Rediscover the missing piece in what today’s Christians believe about the Christian life. As lead Pastor of one of America’s biggest churches, John Lindell went on a personal quest for answers and discovered the true meaning behind God’s grace, and when he came to see the full revelation of God’s commitment to us, it changed his life forever.   In Soul Set Free, Lindell invites you on a life-changing journey through the Book of Romans. Learn to no longer view the gospel as anything less than a truth that sets your soul free.   The good news of the gospel can be summed up in three parts: Christ died for our sins, we are forgiven through faith in Christ, and heaven is our reward upon death. However, none of these parts cover what transpired when we were saved.   The gospel is even better than what we believe. It brings joy but it’s even better. It’s forgiveness of sins but it’s even better. It’s God sending His only Son but it’s even better.

    . .Why is life so frustrating?Is happiness within my reach?Is it too late for me?Dr. David Jeremiah takes a look at history’s wisest and most successful man, King Solomon, and challenges readers to find what really matters in life. Solomon tested life’s haunting questions head-on. Tasted the fullness of life’s riches. But found his answers in the last place he thought to look.If you thought happiness was only an empty hope, maybe you’ve simply been looking in all the wrong places. In this book Dr. Jeremiah reveals the way to the happiness you have longed for, the never-dimming light of your fondest dreams.

    Composers like Bach to theologians like Barth, botanists and saints all have written their thoughts directly in their Bibles. In doing so they engaged their fullest selves with our most significant text. Some people have lived with Scripture all their lives and yet feel estranged from it. This book inspires a new encounter with the living Word and jump-starts a deep, creative, and hands-on approach to reading Scripture. As you sit, with pencil, pen, crayon, or marker in hand and Bible in lap, at whatever edges of life you are living within, now that invitation is yours. The creative practice of writing in the margins creates a divine conversation that transforms and guides. Meet God in the margins. Let God shape your character from the living interaction on the pages of your Bible. "Writing in the Margins" is a book about making connections on the pages of your Bible and introduces a devotional and scriptural path of engagement that is life-changing."

    You thought life was in control, until it erupted into chaos. You assumed you were strong, until you were suddenly brought to your knees. You thought you walked by faith, until you found yourself consumed in the darkness of despair. Hope is gone. You’re facing circumstances in life that seem insurmountable, even for God.We quickly realize that our problem isn’t that we haven’t trusted God, but that we trusted God and believed He’d come through . . . and He didn’t. He could have prevented our pain and suffering, but He chose not to. We cry out, but there is no answer and our faith takes a tragic turn.But God’s silence is not His solution and His absence is not His answer. His goals are eternal, not earthly. You want a way out . . . He’s making a way through. You crave comfort . . . and He brings you to the Cross. It is there that we realize: we can’t deliver ourselves from a crisis that God himself has orchestrated.God is taking you on a journey of faith, and hope is just a step away . . . but a step in the right direction takes you right through the valley. And it is there, where all hope seems gone that God takes your faith places you never knew it could go. He’s teaching you to trust Him through your doubt and in your fears. He’s growing your faith and showing you that you can trust Him . . . even when there is no evidence that you should.