Befriending Your Monsters

Monsters aren't real. As reasonable adults, we know this. But we also know that, while fake, the monsters of fairy tales, movies, and Netflix series embody our very real fears. Large, powerful beings that hunt us in the dark make us feel small, weak, vulnerable. When characters in these stories run away, they temporarily feel safe, but it's not until the monster is faced head-on that the story can have a happy ending--and, more importantly, the hero can become all he or she was created to be. The same is true of the monsters of the spiritual life. The monsters of comparison (I am what others say about me), more (I am what I have), and success (I am what I do) are powerful enemies of a healthy spiritual life. But ignoring them solves nothing. Pastor and speaker Luke Norsworthy wants you to face your monsters, get to know them, and discover how they are inviting you into a deeper understanding of yourself and a more intimate connection with God. You'll never completely eradicate your fears, but if you befriend them, they can lead you into becoming God's intention for you.

Aren't Christians supposed to be the loving ones? Whether you're watching the news or scrolling through your news feed, you'll encounter fear. We're scared of terrorists, criminals, and the other side of the aisle. We're scared for our children. We're scared of each other. And all the while divisions grow. But enough is enough. It's time to fight our battles the way Jesus fought his--with confounding, disruptive, world-changing LOVE. Love over Fear is a thought-provoking guide to conquering fear with love in the age of polarization. Dan White Jr. will: show you how and why fear works and how to combat it demonstrate the power of self-emptying love in a world of hate teach you how to walk in love when it's complicated, messy, and seemingly impossible We are the one's called to love even our enemies. Isn't it time we started living like it?

It's hard to say that God is good when God isn't always what we expect good to be. A good father wouldn't make it so difficult to get to know him, would he? And if God is all-powerful, wouldn't he ensure that we never suffered? Either our understanding of God is incorrect, or our definition of good is inadequate. In a world that is messy and a church that is imperfect, it's easy to let our faith be lost. But that doesn't mean we have to lose God. It means we must consider the fact that perhaps our idealized expectations are just plain wrong. With transparency about his own struggles with cynicism and doubt, pastor Luke Norsworthy helps frustrated Christians and skeptics trade their confinement of God in an anemic definition of good for confidence in the God who is present in everything, including our suffering.

It's not just what you say, but how you say it. Good communicators know this, but it's often easier said than done. Teachers, leaders, and speakers are often left bewildered, wondering why the content that was so carefully planned and delivered seems to fall flat with the audience. The art of communication requires more than the transfer of information; it both connects with and engages the hearer. To communicate well, speakers must understand both their audience and themselves. Speaking by the Numbers offers a strategy that combines communication principles with Enneagram wisdom to help leaders, pastors, and teachers understand how to convey content in ways that both inspire and connect with their audiences. Using the Enneagram wisdom of triads and stances, communicators can learn insight into the ways that various Enneagram numbers receive and process information. Sean Palmer draws from his extensive experience as a public speaker to develop communication strategies that lead to connection, transformation, and mobilization of audiences. Providing real examples of speeches and messages he has given, Palmer shows how he uses the Enneagram to craft a message that connects with his audience. A healthy marriage of Enneagram wisdom and communication skill can help us speak with clarity into the heart of where people live, love, and experience life.

In this groundbreaking book, Pastor Jason Adam Miller re-examines the Beatitudes—eight paradoxes found in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount—and points to a whole new way to find hope in the midst of suffering. If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that the world is broken. The world we thought we knew vanished, and so many of us are now struggling to make sense of a world that’s not what we thought it was. This book is about what happens when the fundamental picture we had relied on – our sense of how everything holds together - falls apart. For some, this moment comes when a global pandemic upends our security. For others, it’s a partner leaving, or a terrible diagnosis, or the death of a loved one. Many of us have felt our worlds breaking when long-held beliefs about God or faith slipped through our hands. Whether the details are global or personal, the experience is the same: you discover that the framing reality you were living in has fractured. But here’s the good news: The world has been breaking for as long as we can remember. We've been here before, which means we can turn to ancient, perennial wisdom to help us sort through these urgent problems. In When the World Breaks, Jason Adam Miller explores the possibilities for hope hidden in the paradoxes Jesus spoke when he taught the eight blessings – often called the Beatitudes - recorded in the beginning of Matthew chapter 5. These strange blessings name our experiences of suffering and are built on a particular kind of hope. This book is a meditation on those teachings as a transformative way forward when we suffer. Lyrically written, theologically rich, and supremely accessible, When the World Breaks reveals an unexpected way to look at these familiar verses, giving readers hope that God is with them in their suffering, and helping them become the kind of people who can put things back together.

If you could do one thing for yourself today, why not do a quick mindfulness ritual? In our busy, high-stress lives, sometimes we all need to slow down, breathe, and just be. But, as easy as that sounds, many of us are intimidated by the practice of meditation. Fortunately, you don’t have to experience a divine awakening or reach profound enlightenment to take advantage of this ancient practice. The simple rituals in this take-anywhere guide can help you get started—right now! In A Moment for Me, you’ll learn to create a personal and well-rounded mindfulness practice to last you all year long. Featuring 52 satisfying and easy rituals, you’ll find quick inspiration to help you make mindfulness a regular part of your routine. The best part? You can use this book as a weekly dose of spiritual insight, or use each chapter as a standalone ritual. Whatever feels comfortable and meaningful to you! So, why not get started today? Mindfulness meditation has never been so simple.

Noah used to have it good as the son of a duke. But when the almighty state religion excommunicates him, he’s suddenly tossed into a monster-infested forest in the middle of nowhere! Young an inexperienced, his odds of survival are grim. His only hope is if he can master his unique “Holy King” skill, which gives him the power to recruit monsters and humans alike—and make their skills his own. Thankfully, Noah’s a natural-born leader in the making. He quickly assembles a whole host of fluffy underdog friends, and he’s now determined to build them a safe haven away from civilization. Lying low, however, won’t be easy with the Church of Astral’s best assassin on his trail. The Holy Maiden of Swords is out for blood, and the one thing that might stop her in her tracks is...falling in love at first sight?! In a magical world where nothing is certain, can Noah learn who to trust? Will his curious “Holy King” skill be a gateway to glory or a tragic fall? Find out in this fun-filled adventure!

This book, "traces the evolution of mythic symbols in American popular culture as shown in movies and on TV from 1939-1999."--dust jacket.