Intentional Faith

Megachurch pastor Allen Jackson invites readers on a 100-day adventure of experiencing God through ten biblical practices that will reignite their faith and transform their lives. Many Christians experience low points in their faith, times when their spiritual lives have grown cold, stagnant, or routine. They feel frustrated and desperate to reconnect with God. Yet encouragement alone is not enough. We need God's power to bring transformation, and we need specific tools and a focused intent to know the Lord. Drawing upon years of pastoral ministry and his own experience, Allen Jackson has developed a 100-day plan to reinvigorate a believer's life, organized around ten declarations of intent, including: I Intend to Grow Spiritually, I Intend to Read the Gospels I Intend to Pray Daily I Intend to Honor God in My Home, and I Intend to Work with Integrity. A simple investment of twenty minutes a day will create an unstoppable momentum in readers' lives. Their hearts are opened to new possibilities with God where his purposes unfold and where the fruit of his rewards are found.

Based on the book, Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation by Bishop Robert Schnase Imagine a congregation-wide focus on these practices that includes a five week sermon series, five weeks with every household reading daily devotions and sharing prayers on these practices, five weeks of leadership teams and small groups stimulated to take new initiatives, five weeks of conversation and commitment focused on the mission of the church. These are the practices that lead to excellence and fruitfulness, and they can change your church. Imagine! Five Practices - Intentional Faith Development is a planning workbook for use in group study. It helps lead the group to develop a plan to implement Intentional Faith Development in your congregation. FREE TEACHING GUIDE! Click here to download the free Teaching Guide for "Intentional Faith Development."

What if fear is the new brave? That's the question that you need answered if you are living afraid. Finding courage begins with fear itself--fear of the Lord. I Choose Brave reveals a countercultural plan to help you where you are--knee-deep in fears of parenting, the future, your marriage, and a world that feels unstable. When you're feeling fearful, the last thing you need is a social-media meme telling you to simply "power through" your fears. In I Choose Brave, Katie Westenberg digs deep into Scripture and shows that finding the courage to overcome our fears must start with fear of the Lord. Hundreds of passages speak to this foundational truth, yet we have somehow relegated them to antiquity. In sharing her own compelling story of facing her worst fear, Katie serves up theological truth with relatable application. In this book, you will · discover a fresh take on an old truth that displaces fear once and for all · understand why the culture's idea of "fearlessness" is a farce · access the holy courage you were made for With this new knowledge comes tremendous freedom. Hidden in the cleft of the Rock, the One truly worthy of our fear, you will begin to understand the only path to real courage.

Cultivate intentional faith practices with this 40-day guided journal that features thoughtful reflections from well-known Christian authors, inspirational quotes, and beautiful illustrations designed to set your mind and soul at rest. The practice of developing intentional faith habits is not a natural tendency. It requires focus, discipline, prayer, and persistence to grow in our walk with God. We may have great intentions, but often the busyness and chaos of everyday life force our spiritual growth to take a back seat. Fortunately, 40 Days of Intentional Living offers both a practical guide and an inspiring resource to deepening your faith. Divided into eight themes central to the Christian faith—such as hope, joy, surrender, and rest—these 40 devotions draw from the writings of a number of bestselling and beloved authors of faith, including C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King Jr., Louie Giglio, Jennie Allen, Mark Batterson, Brennan Manning, Randy Alcorn, and more. Partnered with daily Scripture reading, thought-provoking journal prompts, and practical action steps to encourage you toward a more intentional faith lifestyle, this 40-day resource is the ideal companion for walking through the seasons of Lent and Advent, as well as for use in personal or group study.

God creates everyone uniquely. It's our uniqueness that makes us special and brings different degrees of success. Those who have not found their unique potential may not be as successful as others, but it is not due to limitations others have placed on them. You determine your own level of success by the decisions you make every day. When you know the truth about who you are and what you believe, and that belief is rooted in truth, you can live with confidence. When you set a goal and take action to achieve it your actions must be intentional in order to achieve that goal. People are living their lives consumed by fear. They fear the next pandemic, the impending financial crash, or the end of their marriage. The Bible warns that we are not to fear because fear steals your joy, your success, and ultimately it can steal your life. You must stop running away from things you don't want and start running toward the things you do want. If you want change to happen in your life, you must change your focus from fear to truth and live intentional. Vicki Coffman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has helped thousands live the life they always wanted. Vicki founded Encouragers Counseling & Training Centers Inc. in order to help the hurting masses. If you would like to learn more about the amazing work she is doing go to EncouragersUSA.org. We have become a world torn asunder. We are the most rude, crude, and downright abusive people toward each other. We make decisions to criticize rather than confront and physically assault those who oppose us rather than have a discussion, with intention to find clarity and compromise. We have become a society of whiny crybabies who stomp our feet, clench our fists, and blame others instead of taking responsibility for ourselves. For many decades, we have been told to not think independently, that we need to trust others to provide for a life they design for us. Often, when the pathway leads to a dead end, we find ourselves alone, helpless, and hopeless. Depression sets in as we realize the parade has left us and took with them not only the loss of community but everything that gave us a passion and purpose. Within the pages of this book is the pathway back to who you were meant to be. If you are ready to live your best life, the life God intended for you to live, then you must learn to live intentional. You don't need to see every step of the way; you just need to see the next step. “Note to layout: Cover photo idea: A pathway...through a forest... The thought that we can't see beyond the trees, that we can get lost when we enter the darkness, but if we follow the stones one step at a time, we will certainly come out the other side, and maybe a little better for the journey.”

How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples. These are times of immense challenge and immense opportunity for the Catholic Church. Consider these statistics for the United States. Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing. Fully 10 percent of all adults in America are ex-Catholics. The number of marriages celebrated in the Church decreased dramatically, by nearly 60 percent, between 1972 and 2010. Only 60 percent of Catholics believe in a personal God. If the Church is to reverse these trends, the evangelizers must first be evangelized-in other words, Catholics-in-the-pew must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. This work of discipleship lies at the heart of Forming Intentional Disciples, a book designed to help Church leaders, parish staff and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Drawing upon her fifteen years of experience with the Catherine of Siena Institute, Sherry Weddell leads readers through steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world. Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion, how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the Great Story of Jesus, how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship, and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.

Basketball superstar Trey Glass gives Christianity a good name. Seldom does one see the essence of Jesus so boldly lived out in one individual. And especially rare, it seems, is to find such vivid, intentional living in a successful professional athlete. The guy makes millions a year playing professional basketball, yet he chooses to live like his poor neighbors in a depressed part of Memphis. And he's never been happier. But not everyone is as happy about Trey Glass's life decisions. Despite harsh judgments, constant threats, and occasional assaults, Trey lives his convictions and gains the respect of his neighborhood. Soon, the entire city realizes this is no ordinary guy. But real trouble is brewing when three local gangs team up to rid the 'hood of their nemesis. Intentional is a love story about a young man intentionally living his life in response to his heroeshis earthly father and his Saviorand the price he pays for it.

Are you ready to stop living reactively, feeling emotionally exhausted, and being pulled in multiple directions? We struggle to keep up with the demands of life--but God invites us into freedom. We feel anxious and overwhelmed--but God promises peace. We're stretched and empty--but God offers purpose. The Intentional Year is an invitation to stop right now, right where you are, and choose to live on purpose. This isn't just about aspirations or self-improvement--a flourishing life is tangible and possible. With stories, practices, and a road map into intentionality, Holly and Glenn Packiam will guide you into simple ways to grow personally. Experience freedom to invest time and energy into the people you value most and into the purpose you were made for. As you step into your intentional year, you'll . . . reflect on the lessons and celebrations of the past season; identify themes and a sense of calling for the season ahead; and implement new rhythms of prayer, rest, renewal, relationships, and work. Life doesn't have to be something that just happens to us. It's time to start practicing the life-giving rhythms of an intentional life--starting today.