Living Religions

Based on years of ministry and experience, international prayer leader and best-selling author Dutch Sheets presents a real-world, hands-on foundation for prayer. With wisdom and practical insight, he helps you develop the core of an effective prayer life: a stronger, lasting relationship with God as father and friend.

At a time in which some within the African American community are questioning the place of the Christian faith in the struggle for justice, New Testament scholar McCaulley argues that reading Scripture from the perspective of Black church tradition is invaluable for connecting with a rich faith history and addressing the urgent issues of our times.

The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' most inspiring and challenging description of the Christian counterculture. John Stott's teaching on this timeless text shows how its value system, ethical standard, religious devotion, and network of relationships clearly distinguish it from both the nominal church and the secular world. In this volume, Stott's The Message of the Sermon on the Mount is condensed into brief readings, suitable for daily use, that take us passage by passage through the scripture text.

Best-selling author J. I. Packer, one of the most influential evangelicals of our day, has put together what may become a Christian classic on the vital truths of the faith. Serving to nourish the church worldwide, Packer makes accessible the things we need to know in eight essential areas. This concise book also helps us guard against liberalism by pushing Christians to know their faith so they can explain it to inquirers and sustain it against skeptics. Here is a call to a discipleship in mere Christianity - the business of taking God seriously.

Jan Chozen Bays, MD - physician and Zen teacher - has developed a series of simple practices to help us cultivate mindfulness as we go about our ordinary, daily lives. Exercises include: taking three deep breaths before answering the phone, noticing and adjusting your posture throughout the day, eating mindfully, and leaving no trace of yourself after using the kitchen or bathroom. Each exercise is presented with tips on how to remind yourself and a short life lesson connected with it.

There are many blessings that come with age: retirement, grandchildren, travel, and life experience. Today's culture, however, marginalizes old age, often portraying it as burdensome and hopeless. Many older women can feel like an encumbrance rather than a blessing to their friends and family members. In response to these struggles, Sharon Betters and Susan Hunt encourage women to find hope through both real-life and biblical accounts of women who rediscovered gospel-rooted joy later in life.

Pastor Michael Brock has counseled families for decades and raised five children of his own. Over the years, he’s found that parents with child trouble usually make the same handful of mistakes. These errors shape the first years of a child’s life—and they have devastating consequences as the child gets older.

Where is God in the struggle? Looking away from despair toward hope can feel risky. What if God doesn't come through for you? What if you don't feel instantly better? Instead of offering simple platitudes or unrealistic cure-all formulas, Edward T. Welch addresses the complex nature of depression with compassion and insight, applying the rich treasures of the Christian gospel, and giving fresh hope to those who struggle.

From the creators of the best-selling Life Recovery series, Take Your Life Back is a groundbreaking look at how to overcome unhealthy relationships and love others well. Counselors Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop offer personal examples, clinical insight, and scriptural truth to help you navigate your toughest relationships.

An author who knows how to access the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit in everyday life, Staci Wallace helps women resist the forces of darkness and rise up empowered to take on and win whatever battle they face. In Fueled by Fire, she takes listeners on a journey through the lives of women in the Bible as well as through her own story of conquering deadly diseases, climbing corporate ladders, and raising world-changers. She inspires women to believe that, with God, anything is possible.

Before you were born, God knew what your life had in store for you. His hope for you is to discover the life he created just for you—both here on earth, and forever in eternity. Let Rick Warren guide you as you learn to live out your true purpose. The Purpose Driven Life is more than a book; it's a road map for your spiritual journey. Combining thoughtful verses from Scripture with timely stories and perspectives from Warren's own life, The Purpose Driven Life will help you discover the answer to one of life's most important questions: What on earth am I here for?

In his exciting new book, best-selling author Dr. Tony Evans shows that it's through the names of God that the nature of God is revealed to us. Who is God in his fullness? How has he expressed his riches and righteousness? How can you trust his goodness? As you get to know the names of God and understand their meaning, God's character will become real to you in life-changing ways.

Francine shares observations she's gathered over a lifetime of exploring - abroad and in her own backyard - and reflects on how they might apply to your daily life. What do the majestic redwoods, the persistent woodpecker, or a glorious sunrise reveal about our artistic and generous God? How could that change your outlook or the way you handle adversity? Scripture excerpts, applications, and prayers accompany Francine's reflections, inspiring you to be encouraged. Be challenged. Be comforted.

The Battle Plan for Prayer begins with prayer's core purpose, its biblical design, and its impact throughout history. Listeners will be guided scripturally through the fundamentals of how effective prayer works, inspired toward a closer, more intimate relationship with God, and shown how to develop specific prayer strategies for each area of life. Prayer can accomplish what a willing God can accomplish. It should be your first plan of attack in all of life's battles, not your last resort.

Through his own writings and inspiration of Aristotle and countless others, Plato continues to influence every area of philosophic thought, to say nothing of his enormous influence on Christian theology. His dramatic dialogues, including Republic, the monumental treatise on the ideal state, render him one of the greatest of Greek literary geniuses. In this concise analysis, eminent Plato scholar A. E. Taylor examines the philosopher's theory of knowledge and doctrine of ideas; the ideal of the philosopher-king; the social system advocated in Republic; judgments on democracy; and belief in the immortality of the soul. Also considered: Plato's relationship with his master, Socrates; contribution to the idea of university education; attack on art; abstention from public life; anticipation of Copernicus. Taylor also mentions historical misunderstandings of the one he deems the most original and influential of all philosophers.

Our lives are minefields of challenges that take their toll on our courage, our conviction, and even our faith. But God whispers to the weary, Don't give up. Drawing from inspiring biblical stories and first-person testimonies of perseverance, best-selling author and pastor Kyle Idleman encourages listeners to cast their concerns on God, trust in his love and timing, pray for patience and strength, and seek out support in the family of God.

Through a nationwide telephone survey of 2,000 people and an additional 200 face-to-face interviews, Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith probed the grassroots of white evangelical America. They found that despite recent efforts by the movement's leaders to address the problem of racial discrimination, evangelicals themselves seem to be preserving America's racial chasm. In fact, most white evangelicals see no systematic discrimination against blacks. But the authors contend that it is not active racism.

Have you ever felt stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of overeating, yo-yo dieting, and obsessive thoughts about food? Whether you feel defeated by your lack of self-control or overwhelmed by thoughts and longings for food, the answer to our food fixation does not lie in the $500 billion global diet industry. This is not a diet book and it's not a healthy eating plan. Because at the core, our problem is not really what we eat. It's why we seek fullness in something that will never satisfy. A healthier relationship with food through a stronger relationship with Christ - that's the goal of Full.

Do you ever wonder if your efforts as a mom make any difference? Take heart. Whether you're struggling through sleepless nights with your toddler or endless battles with your teen, September McCarthy's story offers practical insights and powerful inspiration to encourage you on your own mothering journey. As a mom for 25 years who continues to raise young children and love her young adults, September imparts words of wisdom and grace in key areas of Christian parenting.

Most guides on marriage rightly address communication and conflict as key issues, then advise listeners on how to fight fair since conflict is an inevitable reality and cannot be avoided. But Dr. Ron Welch asks the provocative question, is it? Is every marriage doomed to one conflict after another? Shouldn't we expect better than that? In this practical and encouraging audiobook, Welch offers a far more positive approach to marriage, outlining 10 specific choices couples can make to minimize or even avoid conflict and increase joy.