First Religion

A scientist and former evangelical argues that holding onto a belief in a literal, historical Adam has forced many Christians to reject science and become intellectually isolated from the modern world.

Live Second is a daily guide to help you. With 365 readings, prayers, actions steps, and an invitation to join other Christ-followers online, what you hold in your hands is a tool built with truth, scripture, and a sure path to put Jesus first every day. The Christian life is not meant to be easy, just worth it. Live Second is exactly what you need as you become the new, inspired, God-honoring creation he made you to be.

Diana Oestreich, a combat medic in the Army National Guard, enlisted like both her parents before her. But when she was commanded to run over an Iraqi child to keep her convoy rolling and keep her battle buddies safe, she was confronted with a choice she never thought she'd have to make. Torn between God's call to love her enemy and her country's command to be willing to kill, Diana chose to wage peace in a place of war. For the remainder of her tour of duty, Diana sought to be a peacemaker—leading to an unlikely and beautiful friendship with an Iraqi family.

The Book of Genesis describes the birth of the world and how God created Adam and Eve - but the portrayal of life in the Garden of Eden and the events that followed is short on detail…What if we could hear the story in Adam's own words? To know what it felt like to become conscious as God breathed his spirit into lifeless clay, to understand the wonder that Adam felt as God taught him about the world and how to live in it, to feel what it was like to be so blessed as to walk in the Garden of Eden at God's side?

How to read and understand the Bible. The Bible is the most extraordinary book you’ll ever read; it’s how God speaks directly to us and how his Spirit works to change us. But it can seem intimidating, confusing, and even a little bit boring. In this audiobook, Gary Millar shows you that the skills you need to read the Bible are not beyond your grasp. In a warm, approachable style, he gives you the tools to read and understand the Bible for yourself, helping you move from confusion to confidence as you enjoy refreshment in God’s word.

We need direction for every decision—where to go to college, whom to marry, where to go to church, which job to take, what ministries to be involved in, how to handle our finances, how to handle broken relationships, and so many other things. Seek Him First has been written to show you exactly how you can seek God and find the direction you need for the journey. This book is for those who know God has a plan for their lives, but don’t know how to make it a reality from day to day.

Amy Bloch, accomplished psychiatrist, busy and fully in control of her professional and family life, was dealt what she thought was a devastating, insurmountable set-back when her daughter Emily was born with a severe brain malformation. Amy tried desperately to “fix” Emily and exhausted herself in her efforts to deal with the “problem” using her intellect, going at it brain-first, the way we tend to approach any challenge in our society. Emily, by default, lives completely heart-first: She simply doesn’t have the capabilities to approach life brain-first.

In 1997, Atlanta businessman Os Hillman began writing a daily e-mail devotional featuring 4-minute meditations on faith and work life. For men and women in the workplace, this was just what they needed: practical help in applying their faith to their work life; encouragement to live out their faith; empowerment to be more effective in their jobs; support to become powerful witnesses at work; and examples of others who experienced the presence of God at work.

Is religion disappearing from American life? Less than 50 percent of Americans now hold membership in any religious institution, and even fewer attend worship services. The decline in Christian churches is especially pronounced among the young, cutting across all denominations.

Em outubro de 2017, cientistas de um dos maiores observatórios espaciais do mundo — localizado no topo de um vulcão dormente no Havaí — detectaram um objeto transitando por nosso sistema solar. A primeira hipótese foi a de que se tratava de um mero asteroide, como tantos outros que cruzaram e seguem cruzando nossa galáxia. Mas os dados coletados pelo telescópio Pan-STARRS1 revelaram detalhes curiosos, e bem anômalos, no comportamento desse visitante.

The little mountain hamlet of Bryson City, North Carolina, offers more than dazzling vistas. For Walt Larimore, a young "flatlander" physician setting up his first practice, the town presents its peculiar challenges as well. With the winsomeness of a James Herriott book, Bryson City Tales sweeps you into a world of colorful characters, the texture of Smoky Mountain life, and the warmth, humor, quirks, and struggles of a small country town.

After the Berlin Wall fell, a group of Christian colleges in the US seized the opportunity to begin strategic faculty and student exchanges with universities inside the Soviet Union. They could not have foreseen the doors that would open next. During a 1990 visit to Russia, John Bernbaum and his colleagues received a surprising invitation from a Russian government official: come help build a faith-based university in Moscow. Thus, after 70 years of fierce religious persecution under communism, the Russian-American Christian University (RACU) was born.

Galatians tackles the tough subject of walking in faith by the power of the Holy Spirit versus striving according to the law. He reminds this church of how they began in Christ and encourages them to finish in him as well, not returning to the rules and legalism of the Pharisees. In A 21st-Century Version of Galatians, Dundy goes through a verse-by-verse analysis of the entire book. He does a side-by-side comparison of his version with the World English Bible so that the listener can dig deep to mine the rich meaning of the text.

Many individuals are not aware that there is a God. I am here to tell you, there is truly a God. God found me broken, in pain, and fragile. I almost lost my life at the hands of a violent partner in 2018 and then, after that, I was sexually assaulted as an adult-keep in mind I had been sexually assaulted by two individuals when I was eight. However, God spoke to me and told me to remember to never give up. And, because of my faith in God, I did not give up, and I will never give up.

Beginning with the biblical basics, Jeff Lockyer walks listeners through the underlying theology and practical application of how Southridge Community Church has approached ministry for nearly a quarter century. While providing a fresh approach to ministry, the book stimulates how to think - not what to think. It's written by a local church practitioner for local church practitioners.

God...is the master of beginnings. Your circumstances may overwhelm you - but not God, who created everything from nothing. God lovingly offers relief, hope, and renewed energy for every beginning in your life. Join Steve Wiens on a paradigm-shifting walk through the seven days of creation, where he reveals how to apply the genesis of life to every one of your transitions. Discover your place in the creation process and how God longs to work in and through every change you encounter.

Jesus said no one comes to the Father except through him. But in our inclusive world, such an exclusive claim isn't popular. Believers today face persistent pressure to abandon this belief, which the world sees as antiquated at best and hateful at worst. What we need is godly encouragement to stay the course and courage to share the gospel compassionately with those around us.

Honest, intense, moving, and hilarious, Figure It Out When You Get There is a memoir full of stories that will inspire you to live life first and watch how everything else falls into place. Barak Hullman’s stories are snapshots that illuminate the hidden truths of life. They span from Miami to Edinburgh to Jerusalem and include tales of falling into a pit, meeting King David’s direct descendant, learning how beautiful melodies are made, the insane friend who was worried about Hullman’s mental health, Menachem Begin’s driver, the Hasidic Rebbe who healed with his heart, and inhaling the cigarette of life.

Blindness became Captain Scotty Smiley’s journey of supreme testing. As he lay helpless in the hospital, he resented the theft of his dreams, but with his wife’s love and the support of family and friends, Scotty’s response became God’s transforming moment. Since the moment he forced his way through nurses and cords to take a simple shower, he has climbed Mount Rainier, won an ESPY Award, surfed, skydived, become a father, earned an MBA from Duke, and much more.

Experience the heart-pounding drama of real-life emergencies. Veteran EMT and physical therapist Andrea Jo Rodgers shares this all-new collection of accounts from her 30-plus years as a volunteer with her town's local first aid and emergency squad.