Living Ministries

"We are to love God for himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing more profitable." On Loving God is first a touching description of God's love for us as an unmistakably demonstrated in the death of his son. Second, it is a call for us to joyfully respond to God like the child who runs to and embraces her father whose love is sure. As St. Bernard writes, "They love all the more, because they know themselves to be loved so exceedingly."

We are not taught how to grieve, and yet grief comes to every one of us at some time. Bestselling author Lauraine Snelling discovered this truth when she began her own journey with grief in 1985, the year her 20-year-old daughter, Marie, lost her battle with cancer.

In this nonfiction book,A Hand to Hold, Lauraine helps us release the fears that make us uncomfortable around those who grieve. She urges us to offer those who grieve the gifts of touch, tears, talk, and time.

Gregory Koukl's best-selling book of practical apologetics, Tactics, wrote the game plan for discussing your Christian convictions with skeptics. In this follow-up, Koukl—a leader of clear-thinking Christianity—reveals the fundamental flaws in common, current challenges to Christian beliefs and values and provides step-by-step strategies to question and reveal those shortcomings.

What do you do when God meets your prayers with silence? The acclaimed author of Red Moon Rising wrestles with the hard side of prayer, how to respond when there seem to be no answers, and how to cope with those who seek to interpret our experience for us. For those struggling with prayer, God on Mute brings a message of hope and comfort, but also a better understanding of how we communicate with our Creator.

We need good preaching - preaching that challenges us by God’s word and brings the comfort that comes from God’s promises. Yet many of us rely solely on others to preach to us and are not benefitting from the kind of preaching that should be most consistent and personal - preaching to ourselves. Note to Self is a practical introduction to this daily discipline. Pastor Joe Thorn delivers 50 brief, devotional chapters that model preaching the gospel to ourselves and its practical implications.

His grandfather’s lynching in the deep South, the murders of his two older brothers, and his verbally harsh and absent father all worked together to form Jason Wilson’s childhood. But it was his decision to acknowledge his emotions and yield to God’s call on his life that made Wilson the man and leader he is today. As the founder of one of the country’s most esteemed youth organizations, Wilson explains the dangers men face in our culture’s definition of “masculinity” and gives listeners hope that healing is possible.

In this book, Douglas Wilson discusses how parents can help their sons cultivate true masculinity and become men who are strong and self-sacrificial, just as Christ was. This book is a part of Douglas Wilson's series of books on the family, which has helped many people trying to deal with the on the everyday messes that come with sinners trying to live under the same roof. This book on raising sons covers issues such as laziness, Christian liberty, school, sports, girls, and proper contempt for the cool.

Worship leader and recording artist Laura Story's life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Martin, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Their lives would never be the same. Yes, with God all things are possible. But the devastating news was that no cure existed to restore Martin's short-term memory, eyesight, and other complications. The fairy-tale life Laura had dreamed of was no longer possible. And yet in struggling with God about how to live with broken dreams, Laura has found joy and a deeper intimacy with Jesus.

The role of women in positions of worship and church leadership is one of the most divisive and inconclusive biblical debates. Two Views on Women in Ministry furnishes you with a clear and thorough presentation of the two primary exegetical arguments so you can better understand each one's strengths, weaknesses, and complexities. This revised edition brings the exchange of ideas and perspectives into the traditional Counterpoints format. Each author states his or her case and is then critiqued by the other contributors.

For every person who draws strength and direction from the Bible, there are many more who struggle with it. Some call it a long book with fine print and obscure meaning. Some call it a mystery, a chore to read, or an undecipherable puzzle. The good news is you can easily solve this problem. With over 300,000 sold, this revised and expanded edition of Living by the Book will remove the barriers that keep scripture from transforming your life.

In Get Your Life Back, New York Times best-selling author John Eldredge provides a practical, simple, and refreshing guide to taking your life back. By practicing a few wonder­fully simple practices - or what John calls “graces” - you can begin to recover your soul, disentangle from the tragedies of this broken world, and discover the restorative power of beauty.

How can you rest in the truth that God has a purpose for you, a purpose he promises to fulfill? How can you know you are following God's will? In this yearlong devotional, God's Purpose for Your Life, Dr. Charles F. Stanley shows you that God's plans for you are even more wonderful than you can imagine. Throughout this audiobook, you will feel empowered to make godly goals and joyfully obey God's word as Dr. Stanley gives you assurance, comfort, and boldness in your relationship with Christ.

We often think of saints as rare individuals whose gifts far exceed our own, and St. Francis is no exception. But for Fr. Richard Rohr, a prolific author and renowned speaker, the life and teachings of this beloved figure offer an authentic spirituality we can all embody.

Millions are satisfied to sit through hour-long, weekly religious services. Millions more have left the church, brokenhearted and cynical. But God is waking up his people - people who will risk everything and sacrifice anything to become the dynamic, powerful church seen in Scripture. We Are Church calls Christ-followers, young and old, to hold fast to their biblical roots while seeking radical change. Scripture promises an exuberant and unstoppable church. That wondrous early church of acts can be our reality today.

You can have the power of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit can destroy any force the devil might use against Christians. You are a candidate for the gifts of revelation, power, and inspiration. They will function anywhere — right where you are now!

We’ve never been more educated and entertained. We have technological tools our parents could only dream of, and we are saturated with information, amusement, and recreation. Yet more than ever, we are starving for hope. After 40 years of counseling and ministry, Max Lucado has learned that nothing lifts the desperate, weary heart like the promises of God. In a world full of despair, depression, anxiety, and instability, we do not need more opinions or hunches; we need the definitive declarations of our mighty and loving God.

Led by incredible faith, Wilkerson left his country pulpit in 1958 for the streets of New York City, where a murder trial of seven teenaged boys churned society's antipathy toward them. Even Wilkerson was bewildered by his sense of compassion, but in spite of doubt, he followed the Spirit's prompting to help the boys. This is the amazing story of his journey, and of the mighty power of God to accomplish the impossible.

Internationally renowned Bible teacher Derek Prince explains that any believer who is not manifesting gifts of the Spirit is living far below the level of God’s provision for his life. One of our greatest necessities in the church today is to demonstrate through the power of the Spirit that Jesus is alive and that His gospel is true. The world needs to see the manifestation of the presence of God. Believers need the ministry of the body of Christ through spiritual gifts. The Gifts of the Spirit reveals how we can fulfill both of these needs—practically and powerfully.

Taking his trademark intellectual approach to understanding Christianity, Timothy Keller uncovers the essential message of Jesus, locked inside his most familiar parable. Within that parable Jesus reveals God's prodigal grace toward both the irreligious and the moralistic. This book will challenge both the devout and skeptics to see Christianity in a whole new way.

What is the way forward for the church? Tragically, in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churches―from Willow Creek to Harvest, from Southern Baptist pastors to Sovereign Grace churches. Respected author and theologian Scot McKnight and former Willow Creek member Laura Barringer wrote this book to paint a pathway forward for the church.