Gift Wrapped By God

Women who have maintained their sexual purity often ask, “Is it really that important for me to wait until I get married?” Meanwhile, single women who have been sexually active mourn the loss of their innocence, wishing they could somehow start again. Women want to protect the purity that is God’s gift to them, and they also long to be loved. This volatile combination makes them vulnerable to temptation. That is why it is vital that women know not only that God wants them to wait, but why God wants them to do so. They need solid reasons, conviction, and a strategy that will prepare them to live out their sexual purity as God intends. Filled with powerful true stories of hope and healing, Gift-Wrapped by God provides compelling emotional and spiritual reasons for choosing God’s path of sexual purity, as well as practical help for following it. Whether women have held onto their sexual innocence, have become prematurely sexually active, or have had their purity taken by force, they can express and fulfill their desire to come to their wedding day--and live out every day–-sexually pure and whole.

Women want to protect the purity that is God's gift to them, and they also long to be loved. This volatile combination makes them vulnerable to temptation. Filled with powerful true stories of hope and healing from women, "Gift-Wrapped by God" provides compelling emotional and spiritual reasons for choosing God's path of sexual purity, as well as practical help for following it.

It is very important for Christians to know who they are in Christ. Part of the Gospel message is that we are "accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). Knowing and believing our life is wrapped within the life of Christ revolutionizes the way we live and love others!

The bottom line is that our risen Lord manifests himself exclusively to the church. We're the ones who witnessed his life, death, and resurrection, and therefore, we are the ones responsible for declaring it to the world. If people don't know what took place on Easter, it's not Pilate's fault. We can't blame the government for not getting the message out. Christ came to us. This is our story to tell. (from "Sharing What We Have Been Shown," Epiphany 5 sermon) In this collection of sixteen inspiring sermons based on New Testament epistle texts, Robert Crilley powerfully proclaims the good news to a modern world that desperately needs to hear the healing message of God's unconditional love. Thoroughly grounded in scripture and chock-full of compelling personal stories and insightful illustrations, these sermons cogently relate the challenges faced by the early church to our contemporary lives -- drawing clear lessons for Christian living. Crilley is a master preacher whose messages are memorable both for their friendly charm and for their potent biblical witness. Sermon titles include: Just You Wait! (1 Thessalonians 3:9-13) God's Peace Is on Patrol (Philippians 4:4-7) The Multitasking Church (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) Losing that Loving Feeling (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) A Labor not in Vain (1 Corinthians 15:51-58) Robert S. Crilley is the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Grapevine, Texas. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan (1984) and his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary (1987), where he was awarded both the John T. Galloway Prize in Expository Preaching and the Senior Fellowship in Practical Theology. He also won first place (expository division) in the Best Sermons 7 competition. In 1997, Crilley received a D.Min. degree from McCormick Theological Seminary. He is also the author of Veiled Glimpses of God's Glory (CSS).

The Gift for All People is a celebration of God's gift of salvation wrapped in a collection of inspirational stories. These stories will help Christians comprehend and treasure the assurance of their salvation and will help non-Christians realize and embrace the gift of abundant, eternal life in Jesus Christ. The concluding story, written especially for this book, urges readers to give their lives to Jesus Christ and shows them how to do so. This book will provide Christians with a unique, warm, and attractive presentation of the gospel to give to non-Christian family or friends. More than anything, God wants you to be with Him. The God who designed your world, the God who placed you on the planet, simply wants you home with Him. And to bring you home, He offers you a gift...the gift of eternal salvation. My prayer is that through the pages of this book you'll see his gift like you've never seen it. If you've already accepted it, you'll thank Him again. And if you've never accepted it, I pray that you will. For it's the gift of a lifetime. A gift for all people.

“This inspirational book takes a brief but in-depth look into God’s grace and the faith we have to receive it. From salvation to a deeper, more personal walk with God, this book is intended to ground you in God’s unfailing, unending, ever-flowing grace, and encourage and embolden you to open your hands of faith and receive all that your Abba Father has for you. Scriptures are provided and referenced for a more personal and deeper level of study. May your spiritual eyes be opened and your heart be uplifted as you discover and explore God’s amazing grace!”

A Family for Christmas Twenty-three-year-old widow Mia Granger is shocked to learn her late husband fathered a child out of wedlock. Now the handsome lawyer representing the young orphan's adoption agency is pressing Mia to meet the girl. She's touched by how deeply Caleb Grant cares about the five-year-old, especially given his own harrowing past. But with all the betrayals in her life, Mia is scared to open her heart to anyone. When she learns she owns a lovely ranch she never knew existed, Mia wonders if it's a home meant for a family of three—just in time for Christmas.