As a celebrated cultural critic and a writer for national publications like The Atlantic and Harper's, Alan Jacobs has spent his adult life belonging to communities that often clash in America's culture wars. And in his years of confronting the big issues that divide us--political, social, religious--Jacobs has learned that many of our fiercest disputes occur not because we're doomed to be divided, but because the people involved simply aren't thinking.Most of us don't want to think, Jacobs writes. Thinking is trouble. Thinking can force us out of familiar, comforting habits, and it can complicate our relationships with like-minded friends. Finally, thinking is slow, and that's a problem when our habits of consuming information (mostly online) leave us lost in the spin cycle of social media, partisan bickering, and confirmation bias.In this smart, endlessly entertaining book, Jacobs diagnoses the many forces that act on us to prevent thinking--forces that have only worsened in the age of Twitter, "alternative facts," and information overload--and he also dispels the many myths we hold about what it means to think well. (For example: It's impossible to "think for yourself.")Drawing on sources as far-flung as novelist Marilynne Robinson, basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain, British philosopher John Stuart Mill, and Christian theologian C.S. Lewis, Jacobs digs into the nuts and bolts of the cognitive process, offering hope that each of us can reclaim our mental lives from the impediments that plague us all. Because if we can learn to think together, maybe we can learn to live together, too.

    This companion to "History of the World Christian Movement explores how varied and multi-cultural Christian origins and history really are.

    The Bible is accessible. It’s meant to be read and comprehended by everyone from armchair readers to seminary students. A few essential insights into the Bible can clear up a lot of misconceptions and help you grasp the meaning of Scripture and its application to your 21st-century life.More than half a million people have turned to How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth to inform their reading of the Bible. This third edition features substantial revisions that keep pace with current scholarship, resources, and culture. Changes include:•Updated language•A new authors’ preface•Several chapters rewritten for better readability•Updated list of recommended commentaries and resourcesCovering everything from translational concerns to different genres of biblical writing, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth is used all around the world. In clear, simple language, it helps you accurately understand the different parts of the Bible—their meaning for ancient audiences and their implications for you today—so you can uncover the inexhaustible worth that is in God’s Word.

    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

    Based on Biblical principles, Seeing the Unseen helps you fight back against the enemy. In today’s world, Satan seems to be everywhere, and he seems to have the advantage. But the enemy is not of this world, and the war is in the spiritual world. Satan is trying to attack you and destroy your faith, and the only way to defeat him is to fight back. In this newly revised and updated bestseller, Joe Beam reveal Satan's powerful weaponry—his lies, deceptions, and manipulations—and unmasks his strategy to destroy your life and those you care for. This book will show you his plans and tactics, and teach you where he is likely to strike next and how to fight him. Based on a dedicated study of God’s word, this book is filled with stories of tragedy and triumph and will give you the tools you need to defeat the enemy.

    But many churches tend to be extroverted places where introverts are marginalized. Some Christians end up feeling like it's not as faithful to be an introvert. Adam McHugh shows how introverts can live and minister in ways consistent with their personalities. He explains how introverts and extroverts process information and approach relationships differently and how introverts can practice Christian spirituality in ways that fit who they are. With practical illustrations from church and parachurch contexts, McHugh offers ways for introverts to serve, lead, worship and even evangelize effectively. Introverts in the Church is essential reading for any introvert who has ever felt out of place, as well as for church leaders who want to make their churches more welcoming to introverts. Discover God's call and empowering to thrive as an introvert, for the sake of the church and kingdom.

    Demanding schedules and technology have been able to crowd out what matters most: family, friends, and even faith.Pat Gelsinger understands this challenge. As a prominent executive in Silicon Valley, Pat worked hard to juggle a thriving career and his family. Pat's pursuit of balance led him to dynamic, time-tested wisdom that will put readers' lives in perspective. The Juggling Act, an updated and expanded revision of Balancing Your Family, Faith and Work, details the guidelines for balancing life with insights on the importance of prioritizing life, why we should have a personal mission statement, how to be an effective employee, the value of good support systems, and sharing faith in the workplace. Readers will end their wrestling match with life and start living it.

    Yet the Bible is full of dreamers―those who exchanged their old dreams for new ones, and those who received unexpected dreams from God that changed the course of history. Best-selling author Sheila Walsh gives warm hearted stories of real people, interwoven with biblical insight, to help you discover God's dream for your life.

    Impressing people wasn't helping him connect with anyone. He'd built a life of public isolation, yet he dreamed of meaningful relationships. So at forty years old he made a scary decision: to be himself no matter what it cost.Scary Close is an audiobook about the risk involved in choosing to impress fewer people and connect with more, about the freedom that comes when we stop acting and start loving. It is a story about knocking down old walls to create a healthy mind, a strong family, and a satisfying career. And it all feels like a conversation with the best kind of friend: smart, funny, true, important.Scary Close is Donald Miller at his best.

    The author of 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue (more than 500,000 copies sold), a popular speaker, and a relationship strategist, Deborah Smith Pegues draws on biblical principles, personal experience, and research to show how to approach difficult situations so relationships are strengthened rather than broken.Meeting face-to-face to resolve an issue is difficult, but Pegues makes it easier by revealing how to avoid complications, sharing examples of good communication, and offering specific steps for dealing with conflicts. Readers will discover:effective and compassionate techniques for handling conflictpractical strategies for resolving conflicthow personality types influence discussionssuggestions for minimizing defensivenessideas for developing and promoting cooperationConfronting Without Offending gives readers the tools to successfully talk over and resolve issues and misunderstandings at home, at work, and in social situations.

    God used a physical ailment to direct him there, carrying the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The relationship Paul would build with the Galatian converts--and his determination for the truth of the gospel to be preserved among them--led to one of the most passionate letters in the New Testament. Paul would not sit quietly by and let those who'd been liberated by Christ's glorious gospel submit again to a yoke of slavery. He'd send a letter with the volume turned up, calling believers to stand firm in the truth, stay bold in love, and walk by the Spirit. He'd remind them what it looked like to live for God's approval rather than human approval. The eternal words God entrusted to Paul for the churches of Galatia are as needed today as they were when the ink was still wet on the ancient pages.Join Beth and Melissa Moore for a six-week deep dive into Paul's captivating letter to the Galatians. Come to know the letter's original recipients. Study its original context and embrace its timeless relevance. Discover--or perhaps rediscover--what makes the gospel of Jesus Christ revolutionary to those who choose to believe. Find out how everything has changed, now that faith has come.

    This book is more than just a book you will read; it is a resource you will come back to over and over again.

    But some mistakes are more costly than others and can result in the end of effectiveness, the loss of important relationships, and disqualification from ministry.Using the story of a fictitious church team to demonstrate the problems, principles, and practice of finding solutions, leadership expert Dave Kraft uncovers the top 10 critical mistakes leaders make and shows you how to avoid them so you can have ministry and relationships that last.

    Yet believers often forget that taking a day of rest is one of the Ten Commandments! When we don't give our minds and emotions a break, our will to make good choices can often become compromised. Resting is also important to those around you. If you have a weary soul, you can't pour yourself into others at home, work, or wherever you are. It's vital -- you must take the day off.In Take the Day Off, Pastor Morris explains why rest is central to your wellbeing, how to do it, and how helpful it can be. You will be inspired to experience true rest and make it a priority in the rhythm of your weekly schedule. Don't wait and delay God's blessings in your life. Start implementing the principle of rest in your life and you will see eternal benefits.

    Simply look at the dreams and desires written in the heart of every boy: To be a hero, to be a warrior, to live a life of adventure and risk. Sadly, most men abandon those dreams and desires-aided by a Christianity that feels like nothing more than pressure to be a "nice guy." It is no wonder that many men avoid church, and those who go are often passive and bored to death. In this provocative book, Eldredge gives women a look inside the true heart of a man and gives men permission to be what God designed them to be-dangerous, passionate, alive, and free!