Life Growth

The 20th-century elder Abba Matta of Egypt, known in the West as Matthew the Poor, is widely regarded as the greatest Egyptian elder since St. Antony the Great. This series constitutes the first appearance in English of a selection of the informal talks Abba Matta gave to his fellow monks and to visitors. In simple, accessible language, he addresses subjects ranging from scripture to the church year to everyday life in the world. To hear these talks is to sit at the feet of one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our age.

The Gospel costs nothing. You can't earn it or buy it. It can only be received as a free gift compliments of God's grace. It doesn't cost anything, but it demands everything. It demands that we go "all in," a term that simply means placing all that you have into God's hands. Pushing it all in. And that's where we get stuck - spiritual no man's land. We're afraid that if we go all in that we might miss out on what this life has to offer. It's not true. The only thing you'll miss out on is everything God has to offer.

Anxiety leads us to succumb to fear and fight peace. Anxious living is a distortion of good motives, blocking the clarity of stillness and rest. Alan Fadling has also felt mastered by worry, but he brings counsel on how to learn a better way and who to look to for it: Jesus, "the ultimate non-anxious presence." He constructs a posture from which we can rest more deeply, live more fully, and lead better.

Come explore quieter, more intentional ways of being, and how these might attune us to the slow work of God in order that we might love one another and the world as God does. Our chapters pair a lure to move fast with an invitation to slow. Becoming slow to anger is an invitation to empathy, slow to judge is an invitation to humility, and slow to grasp is an invitation to contentment. Ultimately, each of these invitations is a movement toward God.

Christy Nockels knows firsthand how easily our desire to serve God - even when using the gifts he has given us - can overshadow our delight in simply being with him. When God called her to lay down her ministry for a season, Christy was forced to confront how her sense of purpose and worth had become tangled up in her work. God then lovingly invited her to discover true rest in his presence as she learned to live as the Beloved.

In this straightforward guide, expert relationship therapists Edrica Richardson and Ilene Cohen get to the heart of what it means to really be in fulfilling relationships and why connecting with the ones you love can feel so hard. You'll learn how "doing the work" encourages healing and growth within yourself and within your relationships.

Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by an act of God. Around the world these acts are called miracles - not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? You Were Born for This starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle.

“Alter Your Life” by Emmet Fox is a collection of sermons and writings that delve into practical spiritual teachings for everyday life. The book explores how to apply the principles of metaphysical Christianity to overcome personal challenges, improve mental and spiritual health, and achieve inner peace.

Have you inherited a legacy of broken people and relationships in desperate need of grace and transformation? Many people live in daily bondage to their dysfunction, paralyzed by the fear, anxiety, or guilt it brings. Unwittingly, we become prisoners to our dysfunction and perpetuate its impact to the next generation. Dysfunction is almost unavoidable in a world like ours. Yet we still must find a way to survive in this world and thrive spiritually, even as we navigate all the pitfalls. This is why the biblical story of Joseph is so relevant for us today.

With Zero Sugar Diet, New York Times best-selling author David Zinczenko continues his 20-year mission to help Americans live their happiest and healthiest lives, uncovering revolutionary new research that explains why you can't lose weight - and shows that it's not your fault! The true culprit is sugar - specifically added sugars that food manufacturers sneak into almost everything we eat, from bread to cold cuts to yogurt, peanut butter, pizza, and even "health" foods.

In our image-conscious culture, life can become a never-ending performance. The perfection we feel pressured to project to those in our social sphere comes at the expense of our emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being. In the end, we are left exhausted and unfulfilled. How do we flip the script and feed ourselves rather than simply adding to our feeds? In Soul Care to Save Your Life, author, speaker, and recovering performer Manda Carpenter offers an invitation to shift your focus from performing to purposeful living from the inside out.

Do It Scared, by popular blogger and podcast host Ruth Soukup, is the essential handbook for any woman who has ever felt like she is sitting on the sidelines of her own life and is finally ready to jump in, dream big, and go after her goals. Equal parts inspiration and tough love, Do It Scared combines easy-to-implement tips with the motivation to start making real changes that lead to big results.

Our society is obsessed with achievement. Young people are pushed toward the next test or the "best" grammar school, high school, or college they can get into. Adults push themselves toward the highest-paying, most prestigious jobs, seeking promotions and public recognition. As Adam Gopnik points out, the result is not so much a rat race as a rat maze, with no way out. Except one: to choose accomplishment over achievement.

Spiritual director and psychologist David Benner invites us to discover openness to God as the essence of prayer, spirituality, and the Christian life. Prayer is far more than saying words to God; all of life can be prayer when offered to God in faith and with openness. Using the four movements of lectio divina, Benner explores prayer as attending, pondering, responding, and being. Along the way he opens us to a world of possibilities for communion with God: praying with our senses, with imagination, with music and creativity, in contemplation, in service, and much more.

Is your life ruled by checklists or obligations? Do you define a godly life by service to others, accomplishments, or even a constant pursuit to please God? Bad news: these well-intentioned efforts make you weaker, not stronger, actually fueling your battles with anger, addiction, anxiety, depression, insecurity, or shame.

In A Life Ablaze, author Rick Renner offers an on-time message that is crucial for every Christian in this end-time season of the church. Rick’s thought-provoking questions, at the outset, will echo in the listener's heart as they listen on. Do you struggle to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in your heart with the same fiery intensity as the early days of your walk with Jesus? Do you feel like only a few glowing embers remain and even those are growing cold? If you are on fire for God, are you eager to know how you can stay ablaze for Jesus until he comes again?

The life that God gives and you receive at the time you believe in his son Jesus Christ is such a life. It is a life that overcomes sin, provides intimate communion with God, and is full of satisfaction and power. It is already in you, waiting to be explored by you. The secret toward experiencing its power is to let go of yourself and let Christ live instead of you. This requires a childlike faith. Then shall you more than conquer through him who loves you.

Almost eight million people across the United States and Canada tune in to John Tesh's syndicated show each week to hear him warmly impart "intelligence for your life"—tips on how to earn your boss's trust, fight jet lag, get out of debt, find your life's calling or even discover the power of prayer. As one major city newspaper referred to him, "He's like Oprah, but without the edge." With his staff of 10 full-time researchers, Tesh has uncovered a wealth of practical information and life-changing choices. He now combines that knowledge with some incredible personal experiences for this book.

How do I know that I’m good with God? Best-selling author Don Whitney (Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life) gets right to the point with 10 penetrating diagnostic questions. Are you governed increasingly by God’s Word? Are you more loving? Are you a quicker forgiver? These and other questions bring the lofty idea of “sanctification” into a helpful and convicting spotlight. With a new discussion guide optimized for small groups and Christian education, this concise and compelling book will transform your spiritual life and the life of your church.

So much of our belief can be formulaic. We often think that if we do A, B, and C, then God will do X, Y, and Z. We check things off the “Good Christian Checklist,” trusting we’ll be okay, and our trials will be minimal. But when our experiences inevitably deviate from that belief, our trust in God often crumbles. After a series of life-altering trials—including a devastating diagnosis—uncovering faith in the cracks of pain is something Kristen LaValley knows well.