Life Growth

You're strong. You're responsible. You're good. But…as day fades to dusk, you begin to feel the familiar fog of anxiety, the weight and pressure of holding it together and of longing left unmet. Good girls sometimes feel the Christian life means doing hard work with a sweet disposition. We tend to focus only on the things we can handle, our disciplined lives, and our unshakable good moods. But what would happen if we let grace pour out boundless acceptance into our worn-out hearts and undo us?

You can be defeated by life's unavoidable disappointments, or you can become stronger because of them. Life's disappointments can send you on a dangerous downward spiral into discouragement, depression, or even despair. But in this eye-opening book, Kay Arthur guides you to biblical truths that will help you break that cycle and instead embrace disappointment as the cleansing fire God uses to make you - As Silver Refined - a reflection of his goodness.

You'll learn how your mom affected you as a child and may still be affecting you today. Our Mothers, Ourselves is a biblical, realistic, and empowering route to wholeness and growth, to deeper and more satisfying bonds with your family, friends, and spouse - and to a new, healthier way of relating to your mother.

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.

Bitterness is a destructive poison, yet we all struggle with it sometimes due to circumstances our sovereign God has allowed. In a world full of struggle, we must take care that difficult circumstances do not feed a bitter spirit within us. In this honest and hopeful book, pastor and counselor Stephen Viars shows you how to avoid the pitfalls of a bitter heart as you walk through our fallen world. When we learn to process bitterness biblically and effectively, we can move from life's greatest hurts to a life filled with joy.

What do you do when you are suddenly navigating a life you didn't sign up for? You never saw this pain coming, and you're facing a future you'd pass up if you could. Lisa Appelo understands deeply. She has experienced the raw emotions and uncertainty that come when everything falls apart. Lisa went to bed married and woke up a widow and single mom to seven children. She wrestled with impossible questions about her future—and then found life-changing answers that gave her the strength to move forward with true joy.

In The Storied Life, veteran author Jared C. Wilson explores the ins and outs of writers and writing, exploring the myriad ways the craft is more about transformation than simply communication. From decades of experience and with his signature wit, Wilson brings well-earned insight, autobiographical reflections, and meaningful meditations to the topic of writing as a way of life and as a way of worship, showing how the concept of Story—our personal stories and God's grand story of redemption—shapes fiction and non-fiction writers alike.

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.

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.

Nearly everyone wants to go to heaven when they die. Nearly everyone assumes they will go there. And yet the Bible paints a picture of the "road that leads to eternal life" being found and traveled by few. Careful students of the Scriptures often find themselves wondering, How can I be sure of my salvation? Veteran Bible teacher Donald S. Whitney guides us carefully and patiently through the Bible's teachings on salvation and eternal life - steering us clear of misplaced confidence and pointing us always toward Christ, our hope.

Can Christians ever "win" if the Christian life is a drudgery of ups and downs? Where only some days we conquer our sinful desires, and only sometimes we succeed at loving unconditionally? No. That's counterfeit success, if any is found in such a life at all, says Charles Trumbull in Victory in Christ. The true essence of living a full Christian life means we quit trying. Instead, we let Jesus Christ live His life through ours. This book reveals the tremendous freedom that is for every believer who truly releases control, and learns to rely 100 percent on the Lord.

Are you caught in the pursuit of achieving more? Does your mind keep you up at night, thinking about what’s next? Have you heard people say “surrender” and thought, "It’s just not possible when you're working in the real world"? When you’re busy accomplishing big goals, it’s easy to put off your inner peace for "someday.” But what if you could merge your business and personal growth into one journey that leads you to more success and fulfillment than you ever dreamed possible? Welcome to The 200% Life, your roadmap to finding inner peace without sacrificing your business success.

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.

How to keep your marriage together when the trials of life threaten to rip it apart. It's not a question of if your marriage will face trials. It's a question of when. Illness or injury. Job loss or financial burdens. Addiction. Anxiety. Infidelity. Loss of faith. Whether you've been married for five months or fifty years, it's within you and your spouse's power to ensure your marriage is prepared for those seasons and situations—a place of refuge and safety for both of you.

In this noisy, distracting world, it is difficult to truly hear. People talk past each other, eager to be heard but somehow deaf to what is being said. Listening is an essential skill for healthy relationships, both with God and with other people. But it is more than that: listening is a way of life. Adam McHugh places listening at the heart of our spirituality, our relationships and our mission in the world. God himself is the God who hears, and we, too, can learn to hear what God may be saying through creation, through Scripture, through people.

Why do kids need to know about growth mindsets? Scientists have found that there are two different kinds of mindsets: fixed mindsets and growth mindsets. A fixed mindset never changes. In a fixed mindset your failures define you like: "I'm no good at dancing." If I never learn new things or never make new friends, I have a fixed mindset. My growth mindsets can change! When I learn something new or challenging, then I have a growth mindset like: "If I focus and practice, I can learn to dance."

All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord—those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happening and responding to it properly are critical to reaching the heights of holiness. With warmth and understanding, Fr. Gallagher carefully identifies in this book the various forms of spiritual and nonspiritual desolation and supplies the remedy for each.

In a wide-ranging, insightful, and often entertaining discussion that draws on a variety of sources, including religious texts and popular culture, David Dark talks about the sacred obligation we have to question our tightly held opinions and beliefs about such subjects as God, governments, religion, advertisements, history, news channels, and our often tragically misguided interpretations of Scripture.

Just as Jane Christmas decides to enter a convent in mid-life to find out whether she is “nun material”, her long-term partner Colin, suddenly springs a marriage proposal on her. Determined not to let her monastic dreams be sidelined, Christmas puts her engagement on hold and embarks on an extraordinary year-long adventure to four convents - one in Canada and three in the UK.

All you need to do is master the 9 skills inside so that you can handle stress, dominate the chaos of social media, build resilience, and flourish in your teen years and beyond.