Book picks similar to
God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas (Reader’s Edition) by Greg Pennoyer
advent
christian
nonfiction
tbr-nf-spirituality
The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership That Matters
R. Albert Mohler Jr. - 2012
Albert Mohler became the youngest president in the 153-year history of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was the driving force behind the school's transformation into a thriving institution with an international reputation characterized by a passionate conviction for truth. In the process he became one of the most important and prominent Christian voices in contemporary culture.What will it take to transform your leadership?Effective leaders need more than administrative skills and vision. They need to be able to change the hearts and minds of those they lead. Leadership like this requires passionate beliefs that can stand up to pressure from without and within.Now for the first time, Dr. Mohler reveals 25 principles to crystallize your convictions, revolutionizing your thinking, your decision-making, your communication, and ultimately those you lead.
Finding Faith in the Dark: When the Story of Your Life Takes a Turn You Didn’t Plan
Laurie Polich Short - 2014
And more than helping you find your way out, this book will help you find your way through that place.
Light of the World: A Beginner's Guide to Advent
Amy-Jill Levine - 2019
Join her as she traces the Christmas narrative through the stories of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary, the journey to Bethlehem, and the visit from the Magi. These stories open conversations around connections of the Gospel stories to the Old Testament, the role of women in first-century Jewish culture, the importance of Mary’s visitation and the revolutionary implications of Mary’s Magnificat, the census and the stable, and the star of Bethlehem and the flight to Egypt.The book provides a rich and challenging learning experience for small groups and individual readers alike. As part of a larger four-week study that is perfect for Advent, it includes a DVD and a comprehensive leader guide.
The Secret Life of a Fool: One Man's Raw Journey from Shame to Grace
Andrew Palau - 2012
Until one intense night in the Jamaican Blue Mountains that allowed him to see himself in the mirror of grace, changing everything. The Secret Life of a Fool is Andrew Palau's unforgettable journey of running from God -- and the crushing, freeing experience of coming back to Him. It is a story of getting high, burning up cars, being stranded in Europe, surviving a near-fatal plane crash, and utter despair overcome by simple grace and a father's love, expressed in excerpted letters throughout this book.
Wrestling with God: Finding Hope and Meaning in Our Daily Struggles to Be Human
Ronald Rolheiser - 2018
As long-held beliefs on love, faith, and God are challenged by the aggregate of changes that have overhauled our world, many of us are left feeling confused and uncertain while old norms are challenged and redefined at breakneck speed.In Wrestling with God, Ronald Rolheiser offers a steady and inspiring voice to help us avow and understand our faith in a world where nothing seems solid or permanent. Drawing from his own life experience, as well as a storehouse of literary, psychological, and theological insights, the beloved author of Sacred Fire examines the fears and doubts that challenge us. It is in these struggles to find meaning, that Rolheiser lays out a path for faith in a world struggling to find faith, but perhaps more important, he helps us find our own rhythm within which to walk that path.
Happy Like Jesus: Lessons From Jesus Christ on How To Live
D. Kelly Ogden - 2011
Kelly Ogden says, "In order to achieve eternal life, the kind of life our Father and our Savior live, you must learn to avoid evil. In fact, if you reverse evil (spell it backwards), you have 'live.'" In the new book Happy Like Jesus, readers take a closer at the Savior's personality, his character traits, his teachings, and his behavior how he acts. "We will look to him," says the author, "and try to become like him, so we may live." Chapters include "Be Happy," "Be Holy," "Be Humble," "Be Prayerful," "Be Disciplined," "Be Loving," "Be Forgiving," "Be Persevering," and more. Selling points: • A short, inspirational gift book that is filled with stories and doctrinal insights that will enlighten and uplift. • Features seventeen short chapters focusing on characteristics that reflect the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Dream Big, Think Small: Living an Extraordinary Life One Day at a Time
Jeff Manion - 2017
Big dreams are achievable through steady progress over time.The motivation you need to stick with it for the long haul.The tools necessary for passionate longevity. You can faithfully lead, serve and love others over a lifetime without sacrificing your passion.So many believers want their lives to count, but they are impatient with the slow pace at which goodness grows. Many of us struggle to embrace the faithfulness required to show up day after day after day. In Dream Big, Think Small Manion helps to reveal the joy in the small, seemingly inconsequential actions you take every day. Ultimately, you will learn how small persistent steps lead to tremendous and lasting results. Filled with Manion's trademark inspiring stories and insightful biblical teaching, Dream Big, Think Small challenges you to explore the spiritual prescription of steady faithfulness. Following the principles of perseverance, intentionality, and discipline outlined in this book, you will see lasting and astonishing results in your spiritual health, within your marriage and family, in the quality of your work, and in a more authentic ability to honor God with your life.
I Loved Jesus in the Night: Teresa of Calcutta -- A Secret Revealed
Paul Murray - 2008
The media focused attention at once on the unexpected phenomenon of darkness in the life of the saint, the astonishing revelation that, for decades, Mother Teresa had struggled mightily with belief in God. To some, this seemed to lend support to the arguments of the “new atheists.” But what we are offered in this beautiful book is, at last, a serious grappling with the deeper meaning of her darkness, a work of sharp and unusual insight, written by someone who knew her.In this intimate look at her “private writings,” Paul Murray illumines the meaning of a life which is only now beginning to be understood.I Loved Jesus in the Night is one priest’s compelling account of meeting with the saint of Calcutta. Sharing anecdotes and first-hand experiences, Paul Murray offers a glimpse into why Mother Teresa could declare, in one of her letters, that if ever she were to “become a saint,” she would surely be one of “darkness.”This very personal yet powerful book is an attempt to come to terms with the dark night experiences endured by Mother Teresa in the light of the Gospel and the mystical teachings of St John of the Cross. And something else as well...revelations of Mother Teresa’s sense of humor!
Second Guessing God: Hanging on When You Can’t See His Plan
Brian C. Jones - 2006
Like a good friend, Brian comes alongside those seeking help in trials of life to help them find meaning and strength.
Aching Joy: Following God Through the Land of Unanswered Prayer
Jason Hague - 2018
But when the boy regressed into the distant, wordless world of severe autism, those hopes were crushed.As Jason walked through the barren land of unanswered prayer, he discovered that he was not alone--so many in the church today are overwhelmed with pain and doubt. We think our faith is supposed to guarantee us a sense of emotional stability, even in the midst of soul-crushing circumstances; but by avoiding the brokenness inside ourselves, we end up missing the beauty of a God at work deep within us.Aching Joy is a road map for anyone facing a difficult, unresolved situation. We can embrace both the sorrow and beauty of the land of unanswered prayer in order to find renewed hope in the greatness of God and the expectation of good.The goal of Aching Joy is not to see the silver lining in the midst of our hardships but to encourage us to follow the example of Christ, who entered fully into both the joy and the sorrow of human experiences with confidence that His Father's eternal kingdom would outlast and outshine them. When we open our hearts to the restoration that only Christ can perform, we will begin to find a deeper gladness that has no veneer and wears no mask. We will find a joy in the midst of the aching.
Trails to Testimony: Bringing Young Men to Christ Through Scouting
Bradley D. Harris - 2009
Hinckley said, "There is no more significant work in this world than the preparation of boys to become men . . . who are qualified to live productive and meaningful lives." And President Thomas S. Monson underscores this thought when he says that "It's easier to build boys than to mend them." Bradley D. Harris, professor of recreational management and youth leadership at Brigham Young University, and past member of the LDS Young Mens General Board, challenges parents and youth leaders alike to rediscover the spiritual dimensions of Scouting-to focus on the close relationship that should exist between Scouting and the Aaronic Priesthood. The author's 22-year professional career with the Boy Scouts of America, combined with extensive experience within the Church in various priesthood leadership capacities, gives him invaluable insights into the responsibilities that parents and leaders have in bringing young men to Christ. "The family is the first institution charged with bringing young men to Christ. . . . Working in harmony, the family and the Aaronic Priesthood should create an atmosphere where young men's individual testimonies can . . . flourish." Trails to Testimony is a powerful guide for families and leaders entrusted with the sacred responsibility of teaching and guiding the young men of the Church.
Christians and Politics Uneasy Partners
Philip Yancey - 2012
Others shun any mixing of politics and faith, while still others are turned off by both.How should Christians act as citizens? Is there a clear-cut pattern we can follow? And does involvement in politics dilute the good news of the gospel for all people?In his signature, thoughtful style, Yancey tackles headlong a most contentious subject. At a time when labels define the field (red state/blue state, conservative/liberal, Tea Party/moderate), he seeks a common ground where faith and politics intersect, challenging us with five new ways to walk with grace in a world that knows all too little of it.
It's Momplicated: Hope and Healing for Imperfect Daughters of Imperfect Mothers
Debbie Alsdorf - 2018
. . complicated. Momplicated, you might say.Whether your relationship with your mom has been wonderful or stressful, redeemed or broken, close or nonexistent, it’s one of your life’s most important and defining connections. Its effects have probably followed you into adulthood.If you have conflicting feelings toward mom—or if you wish you could get past some of the baggage that holds you back—this is your book. Combining spiritual disciplines and the best of current therapeutic practice, It’s Momplicated will help you discover
How your early connection with your mother may have impacted your sense of self and your other important relationships—and what you can do to break the cycle
Why you and your mother have the relationship you have—the underlying reasons that may be contributing to strain and unease
Tools and exercises to help you cope with some of the most common effects of a broken relationship, including anxiety, depression, lack of confidence, and trust issues
How to be the daughter and mother God wants you to be even if your mom wasn’t who you needed her to be.
It’s never too late to love, never too late to heal, and never too late to trust God to turn the pain in your story into a redemption song. As you read It’s Momplicated, you’ll realize that while God doesn’t promise to fix all your circumstances, He does promise to uphold you and lead you to a healing place of knowing you are truly precious and loved, no matter how your past has affected you.
Whole: Restoring What Is Broken in Me, You, and the Entire World
Steve Wiens - 2017
People and places are broken all around us.We were made for better than this: We were made to be whole, and wholly human, to tend a world that is wholly humane. We were made in the image of God. This book is a quest to recover that image in ourselves and our neighbors, to help us all become human and humane again.For Christians who lament the brokenness in themselves, their neighbors, and the world around them, Whole offers a rallying cry to pursue wholeness together.
Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation
Ruth Haley Barton - 2006
Picking up on the monastic tradition of creating a rule of life that allows for regular space for the practice of the spiritual disciplines, this book takes you more deeply into understanding seven key disciplines along with practical ideas for weaving them into everyday life. Each chapter includes exercises to help you begin the practices--individually and in a group context. The final chapter puts it all together in a way that will help you arrange your life for spiritual transformation. The choice to establish your own sacred rhythm is the most important choice you can make with your life.