Creating A Life With God

'You'll meet 'traveling companions' from history, like Ignatius and Julian of Norwich--individuals and groups who illuminate these prayers. You'll discover how classical approaches to God can deepen your prayer life today. An appendix offers step-by-step instructions for practicing the Jesus Prayer, and the prayer of examen, for walking the labyrinth, praying with your body, and more--whether individually or in a group." -- Back cover

Take a daily step toward joy and contentment and ditch stress, overwhelming thoughts, and boredom with encouraging and biblical messages from Alli Worthington. You do your best to live life well—you work hard to be present in the moment, take care of the people in your life, knock it out of the park at work and home. And yet, somehow, you still have days (perhaps more than you'd like to admit) where you're simultaneously stressed and bored, and you wonder if you even know how to be happy. Is happiness a worthy goal? Does happiness matter to God, or does He only care about holier things? Alli Worthington gets it. As a wife, mother of five boys, author, speaker, and entrepreneur, she knows a thing or two about being busy, stressed, and happy in the midst of a crazy world! Over the years, she's seen how happiness gets a bad rap in Christian circles, and now she is standing up to shout the good news from the roof (or the internet, as the case may be): You are allowed to be happy! Yes, you! You can be happy right now! Join Alli for The Year of Living Happy: Finding Contentment and Connection in a Crazy World, and find the roots of your happiest life yet. Each of the 100 short and inspirational entries includes a thoughtful message from Alli, based on God’s Word practical ways to make your life happier day by day a journaling section This gorgeous book is an empowering gift for yourself or any woman you love. It can be used as a daily devotional or as a guided journal. Be part of this exciting message: Happiness and holiness can coexist for a beautiful life. Don’t miss the great big adventure God has for you. Let this be The Year of Living Happy!

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."

Discover the Life-Changing Relevance of the Old Testament Developing a Heart for God There are some things in this life that always seem to be in high demand but short supply. Wisdom is one of them. In our fast-paced world of sound bites and canned answers, we need a source of deep wisdom that does not change with each new fad and trend. The Wisdom Books of the Bible offer rivers of truth that will refresh thirsting hearts and souls. Part of the Old Testament Challenge series, this teaching guide and resource book helps you craft eight messages on what the Wisdom Books have to say about developing a heart for God. As never before, your congregation will discover God's passion for loving his children and teaching them to grow in an authentic love for him and others. A Communicator's Toolkit for Teaching the Old Testament Having the right resources gives you a powerful edge in communicating the message of the Old Testament effectively in this media-driven, sensory-intensive culture. The Developing a Heart for God Teaching Guide helps you connect with minds, imaginations, and hearts. Designed to maximize your connection and impact, it is a communicator's toolbox for teaching your congregation lessons from the four-part Old Testament Challenge series. *Historical, cultural, and geographical backgrounds unlock the meanings of Bible passages. Transport your listeners thousands of years into the past so they can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the ancient world. *Illustrations, humorous stories, and word pictures engage the imagination and emotions, bringing home the timeless message of the Old Testament with clarity and freshness. *Creative applications help listeners make the leap from learning Old Testament lessons to living the Christian life. The genius of this teaching guide is its flexibility. Customize your messages from a treasury of resources. This revolutionary tool provides up to sixteen categories of material for each message. No need to spend countless hours doing research---a wealth of ideas and resources lies at your fingertips! Developing a Heart for God Teaching Guide includes: *Creative Message Ideas *Heart of the Message *Heart of the Messenger *Historical Context Notes *Illustrations *Interpretive Insights *Life Applications *Narrative on Life *Narrative on the Text *New Testament Connections *On the Lighter Side *Pause for Prayer *Pause for Reflection *Quotable Quotes *Significant Scriptures *Word Studies Other Old Testament Challenge Teaching Guides 1---Creating a New Community: Life-Changing Stories from the Pentateuch (9 Sessions) 2---Stepping Out in Faith: Life-Changing Examples from the History of Israel (7 Sessions) 4---Pursuing Spiritual Authenticity: Life-Changing Words from the Prophets (8 Sessions)

Why do 9 out of 10 children raised in Christian homes leave the Church? Why do many professing Christians show little or no evidence for their faith? Why do 80-90% of those making decisions for Christ fall away from the faith? For decades, the world's most popular gospel message has been drawing the lost by promising God's wonderful plan for their life. But behind the facade of the "wonderful plan" message is the reality of the trials, temptation, and persecution that Jesus promised. How can we reconcile the two? In this life-changing book, best-selling author Ray Comfort explores whether this common gospel approach aligns with real life--and with Scripture. The vital biblical principles he reveals will force you to reexamine your ideas about the gospel--and will teach you how to reach unbelievers the way God intended. A must-read for all who care about the lost. Over a quarter million copies in print!

As a mom, you want to give your best to your family. Motherhood is incredibly rewarding, yet its challenges can leave you feeling anxious, inadequate, and overwhelmed with mom guilt. Trusted author Ruth Schwenk of Pressing Pause and The Better Mom blog will help you learn to give yourself grace as you grow in wisdom with The Better Mom Devotional. As a busy mom of four kids, Ruth understands the stress of raising a family and trying to do it all perfectly, but she has uncovered a secret: becoming a better mom doesn't start with what you are doing but with who God is inviting you to become. In The Better Mom Devotional, 100 devotions filled with Scripture, prayers, and reflection questions will help you discover: How God uses motherhood to change you from the inside out Intentional ways to deepen your faith in any season of parenting The true calling of motherhood: training, disciplining, and loving your children well The life-giving impact of honest, loving friendships This devotional is a great fit for: Mothers of small children and teenagers Small groups, women's Bible study groups, and personal daily reflection Mother's Day, birthdays, and holiday gifting With Ruth's encouragement, you can overcome mom guilt, stop trying to be the perfect mom, let go of the endless to-do list of motherhood, and experience the most challenging but rewarding adventure yet--becoming The Better Mom.

The Unity of the Bible represents Daniel Fuller’s lifelong effort to understand and expound this purpose by seeking the Bible’s answer to questions such as these. It is written especially to equip laypersons to carry out both evangelism and edification, and it will also help all Christians to put the Bible together to grasp “the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27

We live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it’s easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.