Living Religions

Filled with insights and wisdom from her own experience, Phileena introduces us to themes and teachers of contemplative spirituality, as well as several prayer practices, and invites us to greater healing and wholeness by learning to practice faith through prayer. This is an opportunity to go deeper with God - to experience the divine and be transformed.

Andy Crouch unleashes a stirring manifesto calling Christians to be culture makers. For too long, Christians have had an insufficient view of culture and have waged misguided "culture wars." But we must reclaim the cultural mandate to be the creative cultivators that God designed us to be. Culture is what we make of the world, both in creating cultural artifacts as well as in making sense of the world around us. By making chairs and omelets, languages and laws, we participate in the good work of culture making.

Great men of God in Scripture are the focus as E.M. Bounds demonstrates powerful lessons on the need for and art of effective prayer. Paul, Ezra, Moses and Daniel are only a few of the men he gives examples of. God's desire is for men to be on their knees in full subjection to Him. His life was devoted to praying 3 hours a day beginning at 4 a.m. in the morning. E.M. Bounds himself is a wonderful example of the power of a praying man.

Simon Peter, Andrew, James the son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Jude, Simon, Judas, and Matthias - what happened to the men who answered Jesus' call to follow him? What impact did they have on the world? Where did they go and what did they do after Jesus' resurrection and ascension? In these fascinating profiles, Dr. McBirnie offers listeners a snapshot of the lives of each apostle.

In We Will Not Be Silenced, Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer prepares you to live out your convictions against a growing tide of hostility. Gain a better understanding of nonbelievers' legitimate hurts and concerns regarding issues like racism, sexism, and poverty - and identify the toxic responses secular culture disguises as solutions. In the process, you'll see how you can show compassion and gentleness to those outside of the faith without affirming their beliefs.

Negative perceptions. Church dropouts. Prodigals and nomads. It's easy to get discouraged by all that's going wrong when it comes to Christianity and the emerging generation. Yet what's going right? In fact, signs of hope are springing up all around. Faith for Exiles unveils major new Barna research that uncovers what's working - five practices that contribute to resilience. In a world where always-connected smart devices and search algorithms educate and entertain, digital Babylon is the new context for discipleship.

In God's Battle Plan for the Mind, pastor David Saxton seeks to convince God's people of the absolute necessity for personal meditation and motivate them to begin this work themselves. But he has not done this alone. Rather, he has labored through numerous Puritan works in order to bring together the best of their insights on meditation. Standing on the shoulders of these giants, Saxton teaches us how to meditate on divine truth and gives valuable guidance about how to rightly pattern our thinking throughout the day.

In our post-Christian, pluralistic society, responding to the perception that Christians are prejudiced, anti-intellectual, and bigoted has become a greater challenge than ever before. The result is often intimidation, withdrawal, and even doubts among God's people about what we really believe. Best-selling author and teaching pastor at Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram, wants to change that.

Faith's Checkbook, written by world-renowned British pastor Charles H. Spurgeon, provides daily deposits of God's promises into your personal bank of faith. Spurgeon urges you to view each Bible promise as a check written by God that can be cashed by personally endorsing it and receiving the gift it represents. Cash in on the bountiful store of blessings when you withdraw daily from the Bank of Faith.

Jesus warned that deception would grow worse as we draw nearer to the end times, saying, "Take heed that no one deceives you" (Matthew 24:4). Distinguishing truth from error has become an increasingly challenging task—even in the church. We live in a time when falsehoods assault us from every direction. Packaged with just enough truth to make them appear trustworthy, these counterfeits have grown more and more difficult to detect and avoid. Living in the Daze of Deception explores the many ways error is masquerading as truth—and how you can discern the difference.

Is faith in Jesus enough for salvation? Perhaps, says Matthew Bates, but we're missing pieces of the gospel. The biblical gospel can never change. Yet our understanding of the gospel must change. The church needs an allegiance shift. Popular pastoral resources on the gospel are causing widespread confusion. Bates shows that the biblical gospel is different, fuller, and more beautiful than we have been led to believe. He explains that saving faith doesn't come through trust in Jesus' death on the cross alone but through allegiance to Christ the king.

Christians often focus so much on being loving and giving that they forget their own limits and limitations. Have you ever found yourself wondering: Can I set limits and still be a loving person? How do I answer someone who wants my time, love, energy, or money? Why do I feel guilty when I consider setting boundaries?

John MacArthur has an answer for those finding the Christian life too complicated, their zeal diminished, and their relationship with Jesus growing cold and predictable. Award-winning author and respected pastor-teacher John MacArthur reminds us in A Simple Christianity that what's been lost can be found, and tells us how!

The single most important event in a person's life is the new birth. Yet, this is also one of the most neglected doctrines in the church. Many Christians would be hard-pressed to describe exactly what the new birth is, let alone what it means to the rest of their walk with God. What happens when we are born again? Does everything in our lives change immediately? Is it just a kind of spiritual do-over? With a pastor's heart and a professor's insight, Lawson carefully examines the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus found in John 3 to uncover the nature of this spiritual rebirth.

Who is Jesus Christ? You've never met him in person, and you don't know anyone who has. But there is a way to know who he is. How? Jesus Christ - the divine person revealed in the Bible - has a unique excellence and a spiritual beauty that speaks directly to our souls and says, "Yes, this is truth." It's like seeing the sun and knowing that it is light or tasting honey and knowing that it is sweet.

The Egyptians in Exodus 1 were intent on enslaving the Israelites, wearing them down so that God's chosen people would become disillusioned and not live up to their destiny. Of the original two million Israelites who received God's invitation to enter the Promised Land, only two actually entered it! Similarly, modern day Christians often hear and understand the promises of God each Sunday morning at church but then rarely choose to experience them in everyday life. In One in a Million, Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer invites us to change that pattern for good.

Satan prowls around, ready to pounce on our every weakness, fill us with fear, and destroy our intimate relationship with Christ. But we are not defenseless. We have weapons of warfare enabling us to be spiritually aggressive and face the devil head on. Rather than lose ground in our faith, we can live armed and dangerous. In this handbook of militant prayers, evangelist and ex-satanist John Ramirez helps you prepare for and move into advanced combat.

Most people think of God's will as something to be found or as the receiving of guidance from God when making decisions. Too often, however, the problem is not that we don't know what God desires for our lives, but rather that we just don't want to do what we already know he wants. How might our wills be changed so that we become both willing and able to do what God asks of us? In Desiring God's Will, psychologist and spiritual director David G. Benner explores the transformation of the will in Christian spirituality.

It's amazing how the deep-down-inside knowledge that you're beautiful can transform your whole demeanor and the attitude of your heart. But what does it mean to be beautiful? The Proverbs 31 woman provides a vivid picture of the kind of loveliness that can only come from seeking God's will. Elizabeth George guides you in this woman's footsteps with practical tips to help you become a spring of refreshment to others and joyfully tackle your tasks each day.

When it comes to the unknown territory of having a baby, moms to be have nearly unending resources to plan and execute a healthy pregnancy and navigate those first months and years as a parent with confidence. New dads? Not so much. They want to get in the game, too, but, says Super Bowl champion Benjamin Watson, "I could find clearer directions for putting together a baby swing than for taking care of a newborn child." The New Dad's Playbook is every man's game plan to being the best partner and the best father.