No one likes to eat alone; to approach a table filled with people, only to be told that despite the open chairs there isn t room for you. The rejection stings. It leaves a mark. Yet this is exactly what the church has been saying to far too many people for far too long: "You're not welcome here. Find someplace else to sit. How can we extend unconditional… Read more…
Life is full of labels that limit, but God has a new name He longs for you to hear - a name that boldly declares freedom from your past and hope for your future. Join Esther Fleece Allen, bestselling author of No More Faking Fine, in this profound exploration of your God-given identity that no label can limit and no circumstance can shake. Too… Read more…
What's the secret to keeping love alive and full of laughter? Kristin and Danny Adams, the couple behind numerous hilarious viral lip sync videos, draw from their own experience in marriage and entertainment to encourage you to live loudly, love radically, and laugh uncontrollably.Every relationship needs plenty of love and laughter. But how do you keep … Read more…
I Want God, now revised and updated, will help you focus on your true pursuit of God and watch Him move your soul. Lisa Whittle amplifies the solution to the heart cry of the "sick of me" life.It is in the heart of every person to want God, but life gets loud, and we forget Him. We get consumed by our problems, our desires, ourselves. We forget our firs… Read more…
Christian adolescents in the 21st century face pretty much the same situations as the first-century Christians in Corinth did -- an indulgent, profligate, choose-your-own-god society. The latest in the Creative Bible Lessons series, Creative Bible Lessons in 1 & 2 Corinthians is a 12-lesson curriculum with an issues-oriented spin on living one’s faith in … Read more…
Grace.We talk as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We describe an actress as gracious, a dancer as graceful. We use the word for hospitals, baby girls, kings, and premeal prayers. We talk as though we know what grace means.But do we really understand it? Ha… Read more…
What separates happy marriages from miserable ones?Surprisingly, it’s not healthy communication. It’s not conflict resolution skills. It’s actually the size of the marriage’s joy gap . Joy Gap/joi gap/ (n.)-1. The length of time between moments of shared joy When the joy gap gets bigger, problems are more likely to overwhelm you, r… Read more…
Same-day delivery works for packages, not for people. Defeat the lure of immediate gratification, avoid frustration, and embrace uninterrupted peace. In one way or another we are all waiting. Even those who seem to have it all are still waiting on something. There may be a young athlete who’s waiting for his wildest dreams to come true. There may be a … Read more…
Mark told it like it was so you could see Jesus as He is.Each Gospel, or biography of Jesus, is unique. Likely penned first, Mark's fast-paced narrative takes you into the action and gets to the point. With the verse-by-verse insights in The Smart Guide to the Bible: The Book of Mark, you'll experience the unparalleled power of Jesus and be… Read more…
“Many of my ardent admirers would be roundly shocked and disturbed if they realized that everything I believe is thoroughly moral, thoroughly Catholic, and that it is these beliefs that give my work its chief characteristics.”—Flannery O’ConnorFlannery O’Connor’s work has been described as “profane, blasphemous, and … Read more…