What they couldn't have known was that their minister was terrified of being laid bare in public. Fear of shame and exposure is crippling, even if, as in Mark's case, the sufferer is innocent. And it's one of the most devastating elements of depression, although certainly not the only one. Mark invites us into the darkness of his cave. We relive significant moments from boarding school, Uganda, Berlin and London. We visit the Psalms, Job and The Pilgrim's Progress. If you're after neat conclusions and a fair-weather faith, this is not for you. This book serves up gritty reality and raw honesty, but also the heartfelt hope that the author's brokenness 'can somehow contribute to another person's integration' and 'inspire their clinging while beset by darkness or fog or blizzards'.

    Instead, they spend their lives essentially disconnected from others, rushing through life content with brief visits and casual conversations. But what if one were to develop a community, a spiritual community, of people who walked with and supported each other through life's journey? A community of real friends who listened to each other's personal tragedies without merely trying to fix the problems, who encouraged and nurtured each other's strengths, and who accepted people for who they really are, instead of the image they try to portray. In "The Safest Place on Earth," Larry Crabb explores such a place, where God can heal disconnected people and allow them to reconnect with each other and, ultimately, with Him.

    Providing practical tools and exercises, biblical counselor Darby Strickland prepares potential helpers to pick up on cues that could point to abuse and investigate them wisely. You will learn how to identify a range of abusive behavior and better understand the impact of abuse on victims--particularly wives. Ultimately, you will become equipped to provide wise and Christ-centered counsel while navigating a difficult and complex situation.Understanding oppression: Is it abuse? --The helper's calling --The dynamics of abuse --Understanding the impacts of abuse --Helping the oppressed --Uncovering oppression: Uncovering physical abuse --Uncovering sexual abuse --Uncovering emotional abuse --Uncovering spiritual abuse --Uncovering financial abuse --Upholding the oppressed: Helping mothers and children --Supporting steps toward freedom --Appendices: A safety plan --Ten ways to educate your church --Detecting red flags during dating --Premarital abuse assessment --Abusive argument inventory --Who are domestic abuse experts?

    Soccer practice. Dirty dishes.Motherhood is tough, and it often feels like the to-do list just gets longer and longer every day--making it hard to experience true joy in God, our children, and the gospel.In this encouraging book for frazzled moms, Gloria Furman helps us reorient our vision of motherhood around what the Bible teaches. Showing how to pursue a vibrant relationship with God--even when discouragement sets in and the laundry still needs to be washed--this book will help you treasure Christ more deeply no matter how busy you are.

    Christians, the church and the Bible seem to be out of step with modern attitudes towards homosexuality. And there is growing hostility towards those who hold a different view. So is God homophobic? And what do we say, and how do we relate to to both Christians and non Christians who experience same-sex attraction.In this short, simple book, Sam Allberry wants to help confused Christians understand what God has said about these questions in the scriptures, and offers a positive and liberating way forward through the debate.

    

    In the life of Robert Chapman we have such an example. Chapman was a widely respected Christian leader in England during the last century as a pastor, a teacher, and an evangelist. But he was best known for his remarkable life of love.

    And she’ll stop at nothing to clear her own name. When a deadly bomb goes off during a climate change debate, librarian and event coordinator Jackie Santoro becomes the prime suspect. Her motive, according to Detective Avery Wick: to avenge the suicide of her prominent father, who was accused of crimes by a city councilman attending the event. Though Avery has doubts about Jackie’s guilt, he can’t exonerate her even after an extremist group takes responsibility for the bombing and continues to attack San Antonio’s treasured public spaces. As Jackie tries to hold her shattered family together, she has no choice but to proceed with plans for the Caterina Ball, the library system’s biggest annual fundraiser. But she also fears the event provides the perfect opportunity for the bomber to strike again. Despite their mistrust, Jackie and Avery join forces to unmask the truth—before the death toll mounts even higher. Bestseller Kelly Irvin is back with a nail-biting romantic suspense where nothing is certain until the very last page.

    The Pastor’s Kid Dad may be following God’s call, but the Pastor’s kids (PKs) are just following mom and dad. Often to devastating results. Barnabas Piper – son of Pastor and bestselling author John Piper – has experienced the challenges of being a PK first-hand. With empathy, humor, and personal stories, he addresses the pervasive assumptions, identity issues and accelerated scrutiny PKs face.  But more than just stating the problems – he shares the one thing a PK needs above all else (as do their pastor/father and church) is to live in true freedom and wholeness.

    Exploring how Christianity became a world religion, this brief history examines Christian missions and their relationship to the current globalization of Christianity.A short and enlightening history of Christian missions: a phenomenon that many say reflects the single most important intercultural movement over a sustained period of human history Offers a thematic overview that takes into account the political, cultural, social, and theological issues Discusses the significance of missions to the globalization of Christianity, and broadens our understanding of Christianity as a multicultural world religion Helps Western audiences understand the meaning of mission as a historical process Contains several new maps that illustrate demographic shifts in world Christianity

    Dr. Gary R. Collins takes the successful principles of coachingand gives them a God-centered application. Broader in scope thaneither mentoring or discipling,Christian Coachinghelps people find God?s vision for their lives andlearn to live accordingly through stories, insights, andinterviews.

    All the while he was depressed, addicted to the approval of others, and enslaved to sin. But then everything changed. He encountered the glory of God.All of us live in the tension between where we are and where we ought to be. We try our best to bully our desires into submission. And we all know, this is exhausting.Are you tired? Stuck? Still fighting the same sin you've been fighting for years? The call in these pages is not to work or to strive, but to lift your eyes. You don't need more willpower. You need a vision of greatness that sweeps you off your feet. You need to see glory. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.Look and Live.

    No matter what kind of Witch you are, High Priestess Deborah Blake's guide to ritual has something for you.Part instruction manual, part personal journal, and part Book of Shadows, this all-in-one ritual handbook is an ideal tool for busy Witches, new covens, and new priestesses, priests, or coven leaders. Celebrate the Wheel of the Year with original group rituals that can be used as written, personalized to reflect your coven's unique style, or modified for solitary practitioners. Along with practical tips on ritual basics, there are beautifully written New Moon rituals, Full Moon rituals, and Sabbat celebrations for each month and season.Circle, Coven & Grove presents basic correspondences for magickal practice and coven work essentials such as circle etiquette. With seasonal spells, blessings, and rituals for celebrating holidays, increasing energy, giving thanks, healing, and more, this friendly book has everything you need.

    Christian communities are no exception. Why do so many of our relationships suffer from alienation, indifference, and even hostility?Author Sam Crabtree believes that often at the heart of these breakdowns is a lack of affirmation. He observes in Scripture that God grants mercy to those who refresh others, and in life that people tend to be influenced by those who praise them. Crabtree shows how a robust "God-centered affirmation ratio" refreshes others and honors God.Practicing Affirmation sounds a call to recognize and affirm the character of Christ in others. When done well, affirmation does not fuel pride in the person, but refreshes them and honors God. All who are discouraged in relationships will find wisdom and practical insight in this book.

    And that can make relationships hard, whether with intimate partners, with friends, or in our professional lives. Understanding the motivations and dynamics of these different personality types can be the key that unlocks sometimes mystifying behavior in others—and in ourselves.This book from Suzanne Stabile on the nine Enneagram types and how they behave and experience relationships will guide readers into deeper insights about themselves, their types, and others' personalities so that they can have healthier, more life-giving relationships. No one is better equipped than Suzanne Stabile, coauthor, with Ian Morgan Cron, of The Road Back to You, to share the Enneagram's wisdom on how relationships work—or don’t.• Why do Sixes seem so intimidated and put off by Eights, who only wish the Sixes would stop mulling things over and take action?• Why do Fives seem so unavailable, even to their closest family and friends, while Twos seem to feel everybody else’s feelings but their own and end up irritating people who don’t want their help?• How in the world can Fours be so open and loving to you one day and restrained and distant other times?The Enneagram not only answers these questions but gives us a way out of our usual finger pointing and judging of other people—and finding them wanting, perplexing, or impossible. Suzanne's generous, sometimes humorous, and always insightful approach reveals why all the types behave as they do. This book offers help in fostering more loving, mature, and compassionate relationships with everyone in our lives.