Connecting With God S Family

God longs for you to have rich, genuine connections with him and a handful of other people. These six sessions will help you connect more deeply with Jesus Christ and build genuine relationships with Christian friends. Christ’s love makes it possible for you to be known and to know others, to be loved and to love, to resolve conflict effectively, and to move outward together in faith.“Doing Life Together is a groundbreaking study...[It’s] the first small group curriculum built completely on the purpose-driven paradigm...The greatest reason I’m excited about [it] is that I’ve seen the dramatic changes it produces in the lives of those who study it.” —From the foreword by Rick Warren Based on the five biblical purposes that form the bedrock of Saddleback Church, Doing Life Together will help your group discover what God created you for and how you can turn this dream into an everyday reality. Experience the transformation firsthand as you begin Connecting, Growing, Developing, Sharing, and Surrendering your life together for him.

Sacred Pathways reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments--and their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies--to help you improve your spiritual life and deepen your personal walk with God. It's time to strip away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and discover a path of worship that frees you to be you. Experienced spiritual directors, pastors, and church leaders recognize that all of us engage with God differently, and it's about time we do too. In this updated and expanded edition of Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas details nine spiritual temperaments and--like the Enneagram and other tools do with personality--encourages you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. He encourages you to dig into the traits, strengths, and pitfalls in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship and praise. Plus, as you begin to identify and understand your own temperament, you'll soon learn about the temperaments that aren't necessarily "you" but that may help you understand the spiritual tendencies of friends, family, and others around you. Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it's not by accident. It's by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his own unique intentions. If your spiritual walk is not what you'd like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God. A Sacred Pathways video Bible study is also available for group or individual use, sold separately.

Mothering is messy. Our joy and hope in raising children doesn’t change the reality that being a mom can be frustrating, stressful, and tiring. But just as God is using us to shape our children, God is using our children and motherhood to shape us. In The Better Mom, author Ruth Schwenk, herself a mother of four children, encourages us with the good news that there is more to being a mom than the extremes of striving for perfection or simply embracing the mess. We don’t need to settle for surviving our kids’ childhood. We can grow through it. With refreshing and heartfelt honesty Ruth emboldens moms to: Find freedom and walk confidently in purpose Create a God-honoring home environment Overcome unhealthy and destructive emotions such as anger, anxiety, and more Avoid glorifying the mess of mom-ing or idolizing perfection Cultivate life-giving friendships At the heart of The Better Mom is the message that Jesus calls us to live not a weary life, but a worthy life. We don’t have to settle for either being apathetic or struggling to be perfect. Both visions of motherhood go too far. Ruth offers a better option. She says, “It’s okay to come as we are, but what we’re called to do and be is far too important to stay there! The way to becoming a better mom starts not with what we are doing, but with who God is inviting us to become."

In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, Trevor Burke argues that the scripture phrase "adopted as sons," while a key theological metaphor, has been misunderstood, misrepresented or neglected. He redresses the balance in this comprehensive study of the phrase. "This volume not only probes a neglected theme; it also edifies," says D. A. Carson.

Being a parent in the modern world is tough. We are often overwhelmed with fear about damaging our children, guilt about our imperfections, and confusion about our role. Harriet Connor knows these feelings well. But hers is not just another parenting book full of "shoulds and shouldn'ts" to make you feel worse. Rather, she invites you to step back and consider the bigger picture: What is the purpose of life and parenthood? What are our human limitations? How can we cope with our guilt and fear? What are our family's values and how do we pass them on? What is our family's structure and place within the wider community? When she was desperate for answers, Harriet Connor turned to the ancient wisdom of her ancestors--the Bible. She went looking for little pieces of grandmotherly advice, but what she found was a grand vision--a big picture--that made sense of both life and parenthood. Whether you are new to the Bible or have read it before, you will not regret taking time to reflect on its message, which has given comfort and guidance to generations of parents just like you.

"I encourage anyone who wants to have a better grounding in the biblical, historical, and theological basis for believing in the continuation of the gifts-especially gift of healing-to make this a part of his or her library. This book is not milk; it is meat." —Randy Clark Jesus brought people into direct contact with the power and authority of God. Every healing and miracle revealed the glory of God and the reality of His kingdom. Jesus gave the disciples authority to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, to heal the sick, and to deliver the oppressed. Receive Your Miracle Now presents a strong argument for the legitimacy of a Christian healing ministry in today's church. By studying key passages of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments, examining the thread of healing throughout church history, and presenting a theological basis for healing and deliverance ministry, Bob Sawvelle demonstrates that through the healing gifts Jesus is still glorified, the sick are still healed, the oppressed are still freed, and God's kingdom advances in the earth, as it ever has.

Why the call to Love Thy Body? To counter a pervasive hostility toward the body and biology that drives today's headline stories: Transgenderism: Activists detach gender from biology. Kids down to kindergarten are being taught their bodies are irrelevant. Is this affirming--or does it demean the body? Homosexuality: Advocates disconnect sexuality from biological identity. Is this liberating--or does it denigrate biology? Abortion: Supporters deny the fetus is a person, though it is biologically human. Does this mean equality for women--or does it threaten the intrinsic value of all humans? Euthanasia: Those who lack certain cognitive abilities are said to be no longer persons. Is this compassionate--or does it ultimately put everyone at risk? In Love Thy Body, bestselling author Nancy Pearcey goes beyond politically correct slogans with a riveting exposé of the dehumanizing worldview that shapes current watershed moral issues. Pearcey then turns the tables on media boilerplate that misportrays Christianity as harsh or hateful. A former agnostic, she makes a surprising and persuasive case that Christianity is holistic, sustaining the dignity of the body and biology. Throughout she entrances readers with compassionate stories of people wrestling with hard questions in their own lives--their pain, their struggles, their triumphs. "Liberal secularist ideology rests on a mistake and Nancy Pearcey in her terrific new book puts her finger right on it. In embracing abortion, euthanasia, homosexual conduct and relationships, transgenderism, and the like, liberal secularism . . . is philosophically as well as theologically untenable."--Robert P. George, Princeton University "Wonderful guide."--Sam Allberry, author, Is God Anti-Gay? "A must-read."--Rosaria Butterfield, former professor, Syracuse University; author, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert "An astute but accessible analysis of the intellectual roots of the most important moral ills facing us today: abortion, euthanasia, and redefining the family."--Richard Weikart, California State University, Stanislaus "Highly readable, insightful, and informative."--Mary Poplin, Claremont Graduate University; author, Is Reality Secular? "Unmasks the far-reaching practical consequences of mind-body dualism better than anyone I have ever seen."--Jennifer Roback Morse, founder and president, The Ruth Institute "Love Thy Body richly enhances the treasure box that is Pearcey's collective work."--Glenn T. Stanton, Focus on the Family "Essential reading . . . Love Thy Body brings clarity and understanding to the multitude of complex and confusing views in discussions about love and sexuality."--Becky Norton Dunlop, Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow, The Heritage Foundation "Pearcey gets straight to the issue of our day: What makes humans valuable in the first place? You must get this book. Don't just read it. Master it."--Scott Klusendorf, president, Life Training Institute

We live in a sports-obsessed world. From fans wearing their favorite team’s colors to high school soccer players practicing after school, we encounter sports every day. Nothing else in our culture produces so much passion and intrigue. Such obsession, for the Christian, must produce critical reflection. How should the Christian think about sports? What does Christ have to do with athletic competition? Can sports be redeemed? In the Arena will answer these questions so that readers: Understand how the gospel of Christ shapes our understanding and enjoyment of sports. Receive practical instruction on how to use sports in parenting and discipleship. Become confident in using the arena of sports for discipleship, parenting, and recreation.