Living Religions

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.

New York Times best-selling author Shauna Niequist invites you to look at the landscape of your own life, consider what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect, and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life. Shauna offers an honest account of what led her to begin this journey and a compelling vision for an entirely new way to live: Soaked in rest, silence, simplicity, prayer, and connection with the people who matter most to us.

In the first half of life, we are naturally preoccupied with establishing ourselves; climbing, achieving, and performing. But as we grow older and encounter challenges and mistakes, we need to see ourselves in a different and more life-giving way. This message of falling down - that is in fact moving upward - is the most resisted and counterintuitive of messages in the world's religions. Falling Upward offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life's mysteries: how those who have fallen down are the only ones who understand "up".

Suppose you could ask God the most puzzling questions about existence, and God would provide clear, understandable answers? It happened to Neale Donald Walsch. Conversations with God is Neale Donald Walsch's account of his direct conversations with God, beginning in 1992 while Walsch was immersed in a period of deep depression. He composed a letter to God in which he vented his frustrations, and much to his surprise, even shock, God answered him.

Sometimes hard circumstances in life make it difficult for us to be all that God wants us to be. But Tony Evans urges men to stop looking at these things as excuses and instead see them as challenges and opportunities for success. Looking at men of God throughout the Bible such as Moses, Joseph, and David, Evans challenges men to put down our excuses, stop compromising, and fight to be men of commitment and character. Despite setbacks, failures, and pressures, we can still find purpose, meaning, and direction in life and be the men God calls us to be.

Get ready for a surprise! You may want to jump and shout when you hear the sixth principle for knowing when you have found God's will.

The sixth principle is "Do whatever you want" as long as the first five principles are operating in your life. Listen to all six principles to better understand what the psalmist means when he urges, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Psalm 37:4).

Michelle Mcclain-Walters shows how operating in an anointing similar to Ruth's, a woman who was not afraid to step out of her comfort zone and embrace new possibilites to venture past cultural limitations to discover a life of fulfillment, will reveal the redemptive work of Jesus all over the world.

It turns out giving up your "right" to be offended can be one of the most freeing, healthy, simplifying, relaxing, refreshing, stress-relieving, encouraging things you can do. It's a radical, provocative idea: We're not entitled to get offended or stay angry. The idea of our own "righteous anger" is a myth. It is the number one problem in our societies today and, as Dallas Willard says, Christians have not been taught out of it. But what if Christians were the most unoffendable people on the planet?

Through personal experience and countless conversations, speaker and Bible teacher Jennie Allen has come to realize that most of us need to unlearn some deeply damaging messages about our emotions. We've been taught, for example, that emotions are untrustworthy when, in fact, they are a gift from God to help us notice what is wrong and where we need to heal. Your emotions are not something to suppress or ignore. They are meant to be felt, examined, and shared.

Kind, encouraging, and humorous, Karen Ehman helps us learn the essential practice of using our words more effectively - alleviating heartache and regret, reducing relational tension and conflict, lessening our stress levels, and growing our relationship with God. From Bible times to modern times women have struggled with their words. What to say and how to say it. What not to say. When it is best to remain silent. And what to do when you’ve said something you wish you could now take back.

In Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, Kristen shares the ups and downs in her own family's journey of discovering why it's healthiest not to give one's kids everything. Teaching them the difference between "want" and "need" is the first step in the right direction. With many practical tips and anecdotes, she shares how to help kids become hardworking, fulfilled, and successful adults.

Join Candace as she reflects on the self-discovery that came through leaping out of her comfort zone. Go behind the scenes and experience the highs and lows, the roadblocks, and the personal victories. Hear straight from her heart on tough lessons learned about grace, rejection, perfectionism, disappointment, accountability, dealing with criticism, and more. Through God’s strength, and with the help of endless support from her family and friends, see how Candace stayed true to herself and publicly lived out her faith in Christ all the way to the finale.

THE APOSTLE PAUL OVERCAME THEM ALL. SO CAN YOU! Life's challenges come in many forms. And while they may not be literal shipwrecks or snakebites, unexpected setbacks and spiritual attacks can leave you feeling disoriented, defeated, and unfulfilled. In Build Fire, Pastor Vlad Savchuk shares valuable life lessons and empowering strategies for experiencing true joy and passion in the midst of adversity.

Fear is the primary reason we fail to share the gospel with our friends, family, and coworkers. We're afraid of looking weird or out of touch. We're afraid we won't have the right answers to their questions. We're afraid that if they reject the gospel, they're really rejecting us. We don't want to make things awkward or strain our relationships. So we say nothing because our discomfort feels bigger than our loved ones' ultimate destination if they remain outside of the body of Christ. We know it's not, but it's just so hard to get over our fear.

For as long as he can remember, Blake K. Healy has seen angels and demons. He sees them as clearly as he would see you if you were standing right in front of him. He sees angels dancing in worship services and whispering words of encouragement in people's ears. He also sees demons latching on to people and perpetuating addiction and bitterness in their hearts. The Veil chronicles how Blake matured in this gifting, while overcoming the fear and confusion of what he saw.

UnClobber reexamines what the Bible says (and does not say) about homosexuality in such a way that breathes fresh life into outdated and inaccurate assumptions and interpretations.

Beginning with Jesse, the father of David, The Greatest Gift retraces the epic pageantry of mankind, from Adam to the Messiah, with each day’s reading pointing to the coming promise of Christ.

Pride is often the true reason why we get our feelings hurt, why we feel rejection, why we won't admit to mistakes, why we want to be seen with certain people, and why we stay angry. Jesus gives us the perfect example of a powerful life lived without conceit, smugness, or arrogance. So why do we not want to admit to our pride? It is because of our pride! In The Power of Humility, R. T. Kendall challenges us to look deeply into our hearts and motives to recognize the pride and self-righteousness there.

Is an imposter robbing you of God's love? Many Christians have bought into the lie that we are worthy of God's love only when our lives are going well. If our families are happy or our jobs are meaningful, life is a success. But when life begins to fall through the cracks and embarrassing sins threaten to reveal our less-than-perfect identity, we scramble to keep up a good front to present to the world - and God. We cower and hide until we can rearrange the mask of perfection and look good again.

In the first edition of Living in the Light, Shakti Gawain introduced to millions of readers a powerful new way of life - one where we listen to our intuition and rely on it as a guiding force. In this new audio revision of her classic best seller, Shakti addresses the importance of acknowledging and embracing our disowned energies - our shadow side. This new and exciting material has given the phrase living in the light a deeper and richer meaning. It shows us how to create far more power and balance in our lives by focusing the light of our awareness on all of the many aspects of who we are, including what we have feared and rejected.