Stories Behind Women Of Extraordinary Faith

Twenty women whose faith has reshaped the world.Ace Collins employs all his storytelling skill to uncover the deeply personal stories of women whose faith shines for us today. Explore twenty different tales of unparalleled inspiration. Learn how each woman’s prayers were heard and answered, and discover how each story can light the way on your own journey of faith.

Julie Clinton, author, speaker, and president of Extraordinary Women, has spoken to thousands of women across the nation and knows they are eager to break through ordinary busyness, discouragement, and distraction to embrace a meaningful life in Christ. With a practical, engaging 10-week format, Julie encourages women to experience this transforming life in and with Christ as she leads them to know God by spending time with Him and seeking His heart. Biblical and motivating, Julie awakens readers to inspired principles and life-changing priorities as they gather these and other riches of extraordinary faith: Refueled purpose and passion for their journey Healing of and release from past wounds Freedom from guilt with love and grace Relationships and connections that matter This exploration of God’s Word and His desire for each woman’s life reveals the remarkable, attainable picture of the godly significance she is made for. This book’s content can be enhanced by the companion DVD.

This book is a collection of true accounts of ordinary women's lives. Some were forgotten in obscurity; some were forced into slavery, others into royalty. They were neglected, mistreated and oppressed, yet, their impact on our history is so immense, it continues to echo in the lives of their children's children The stories in this book will pull you down into the depth of suffering, yet, all the women in these stories would rise above their pain--transcending the darkness around them. These fragile giants of faith sought after God's light in the midst of the deepest darkness, and in the end, they all found its source. As you follow along their journeys, you will discover the source of these women's strength, hope, and timeless wisdom. By doing so, you will develop a new heavenly perspective for your own life. "Jesus reigns victorious and he lives within us; therefore, it is our destiny to finish this obstacle course, our life's journey, not to yield in determination or weaken in vigor but to remain RELENTLESS."

Whether or not you know or even understand it, you are living a life of faith. Perhaps not the conventional, Christian ideal of faith, but faith nonetheless. You flip the light switch and have faith that the light will come on. You turn the key and expect the engine to start. But what about the big things in life? Do you have faith that you'll remain healthy? Faith that your children will be safe from violence? We all face situations that we cannot control. All we can do is trust-and have faith-that God will see us through. Rather than a complicated, theological enigma, Sheila Walsh explains that faith is a simple, life-giving gift God offers His children. And since it is a gift, He expects us to share it-to give it away. By sharing biblical and modern examples of women of faith, Sheila opens our eyes to the extravagant gift God has for each of us.

Just for girls in your life, ages 8 and up, this collection of 100 extraordinary stories of women of faith--from the Bible, history, and today--will empower them to know and understand how women have made a difference in the world and how much smaller our faith (and the biblical record) would be without them.

The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.

Christianity has long been criticized as a patriarchal religion. But during its two-thousand-year history, the faith has been influenced and passed down by faithful women. Martyrs and nuns, mystics and scholars, writers and reformers, preachers and missionaries, abolitionists and evangelists, these women are examples to us of faith, perseverance, forgiveness, and fortitude. With gracious irreverence, Ruth Tucker offers engaging and candid profiles of some of the most fascinating women of Christian history. From the famous to the infamous to the obscure, women like Perpetua, Joan of Arc, Teresa of Avila, Anne Hutchinson, Susanna Wesley, Ann Judson, Harriet Tubman, Fanny Crosby, Hannah Whitehall Smith, Corrie ten Boom, and Mother Teresa, along with dozens of others, come to vivid life. Perfect for small groups, these portraits of women who changed the world in their own significant way will spark lively discussion and inspire today's Christians to lives of faithful witness.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace..." (I Peter 4:10). The women whose stories are in these pages display many exceptional traits. They are wise, dependable, thrifty, energetic, and unselfish. They are good wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. Some will stand out in one or more of these spheres, while others will shine in different areas. But there is one thing they all have in common: they were all very courageous. How do these women show their courage? Many will exhibit grace under fire. They have a strong presence of mind. They are able to act decisively because they are sure of their convictions. A courageous woman can say, "I'm sorry," and mean it. She is gracious. Courageous women depend on God. They trust Him and accept His will in their lives. They are willing to accept what God gives them in their lives. When they perceive His will, they put their all into the tasks before them. Brave women are willing to take a stand for what they believe. They will draw a line in the sand and not cross it. Unjust powers, no matter how fearsome, will not deter them from their righteous goals. Courageous women also love others. They are unselfish. They put the needs of others ahead of their own. Their confidence in God's call in their lives is high enough to free them to be able to act independently. Women of courage will share Christ's gospel of peace, forgiveness, joy, and love with others. We live in uncertain times. Only the courageous woman will get through the perils holding her head up high. In these stories, we have examples before us of how a victorious life can be lived.