Personal Ministries

Adopting or fostering a child brings its own unique set of challenges only another parent facing the same uphill climb could possibly understand. From parenting children with traumatic pasts, to dealing with attachment issues, to raising a children with special needs, it can sometimes be a struggle just getting through the day. Mike Berry knows the loneliness and isolation you can easily feel in your particular parenting role - because he's been there.

There is a secret formula for the best sex of your life, but you won't find the recipe in the pages of a checkout-line magazine. Popular relationship expert Dr. Gary Smalley, best-selling author of The Language of Love and The Blessing, finally tackles the topic that's on everybody's mind: sex. With his pastor and good friend, Ted Cunningham, Smalley nudges past our hang-ups and sacred cows to answer the question, How can I have the best sex of my life? The answer?

The best-selling author of A Woman After God's Own Heart has a brand new release! Elizabeth George's A Mother After God's Own Heart offers 10 principles to help moms make God an everyday part of their children's lives. Elizabeth, who has two grown children and six grandchildren, gives practical advice and real¿life suggestions for helping children, no matter what their ages, incorporate God into daily life. Elizabeth's husband, Jim, also provides biblical advice from a dad's perspective.

Over 90 percent of couples experience some level of tension around money. In fact, money issues are the number one stressor in relationships. So many books try to fix the surface problems, such as how to budget and what to prioritize when it comes to finances, but the issues go much deeper than just a simple spreadsheet. How do men and women view money differently? What do most couples fight about? How can they get on the same page?

Are you a "desperate housewife," committed to marriage yet longing for a deeper, more intimate connection with your husband? Believe it or not, you can have the marriage you long for - if you’re willing to take desperate measures.

Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family, is an expert in fatherhood - in part because his own 'fathers' failed him so badly. His biological dad was an alcoholic. His stepfather deserted him. His foster father accused Jim of trying to kill him. All were out of Jim's life by the time he turned 13. Isn't it odd - and reminiscent of the hand of God - that the director of the leading organization on family turned out to be a guy whose own background as a kid and son were pretty messed up?

Have you ever felt that your life - and budget - is spiraling out of control? Do you sometimes wish you could pull yourself together but wonder exactly how to manage all the scattered pieces of a chaotic life? Is it possible to find balance? In a word, yes. Ruth Soukup knows firsthand how stressful an unorganized life and budget can be. Through personal stories, biblical truth, and practical action plans, she will inspire you to make real and lasting changes to your personal goals, home, and finances.

Every year, 900,000 women of faith go through a divorce. This book is full of the wisdom and encouragement that Suzanne received, as well as the lessons she learned while the Lord was exchanging his beauty for her ashes. There is life on the other side. A life full of hope, healing, and triumph.

Help Club for Moms is here with practical, hands-on advice to assist you in loving and serving your family. When you look to the true Helper and source of all knowledge, Jesus, you will gain wisdom for every area of your life - your home, your marriage, your children, and your own spirit. You will also discover a community of caring women, both in this book and online (helpclubformoms.com), who are eager to share their expertise with you, so you can learn from their experiences and get the most out of motherhood.

Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott and Dr. David Olson - renowned marriage experts and founders of the two largest marriage support organizations, SYMBIS and PREPARE/ENRICH - share what they have learned from decades of research involving more than five million couples. Packed with practical and proven methods, data-driven techniques, and immediately usable strategies, Helping Couples is the ultimate guide for coaches, counselors, and clergy who want to know what really works.

In a culture that emphasizes finding the right pair of jeans over waiting for the right man, there is no time to sit back and hope everything just pans out. Mom, you are your daughter’s greatest influence, mentor, and relationship coach. It is time to take action! The most important decision of your daughter’s life is who will be her master; the second is who will be her mister. You play a vital role in preparing her to make this choice.

With his usual incisiveness, Os Guinness goes past your superficial understanding to the very heart of what calling means. Far bigger than you job, deeper than your personal accomplishments, higher that you wildest ideas of self-fulfillment, calling addresses the very essence of your existence.

This rape case is different from most: the victim is more than willing to testify and there's ample evidence to put the suspect behind bars. But one thing gnaws at Detective Larry Millsaps - young and beautiful Melissa Nelson knows too much about the evidence needed to convict her attacker. Millsaps's investigation unearths the suspect's brutal track record, but also some stunning revelations about Melissa's own past. Caught in a deadly conflict between the ironies of the law and the demands of his Christian convictions, the detective finds himself protecting Melissa - even as evidence mounts that could imprison not only an inhuman criminal, but also the woman Millsaps has come to love.

In The Gospel at Work, Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert unpack the powerful ways in which the Gospel can transform how we do what we do, releasing us from the cultural pressures of both an all-consuming devotion and a punch-in, punch-out mentality - in order to find the freedom of a work ethic rooted in serving Christ. You'll find answers to some of the tough questions that Christians in the workplace often ask: What factors should matter most in choosing a job?

Join New York Times best-selling author Shauna Niequist as she invites you to experience the precious gifts and wisdom that only come the hard way - through change, loss, and transition. In this collection of poignant essays, Shauna reflects on her own journey of making peace with change, the nuanced mix of excitement and heartbreak that comes with it, and the practices that offer us strength and hope along the way. A tribute to life at the edges, Bittersweet is a love letter to the bittersweet and sacred work that change does in us all.

The Hurting Parent takes a realistic approach to the problems young people face today - peer pressure, easy access to drugs and alcohol, and cultural influences that pull them from their family's faith. The Lewises acknowledge there are no simple formulas or simple answers. But the biblical insight, emotional understanding, and practical encouragement they offer will be life changing.

The true story of a single mother's love and perseverance, her son's autism diagnosis with its challenges and gifts, and their triumph together over life's toughest obstacles.

You’ve probably heard the grim facts: Half of all marriages end in divorce. The divorce rate inside the church is the same as outside. And, most marriages are just holding on. But what if these “facts” are actually myths? For too long, our confidence in marriage has been undermined by persistent misunderstandings and imperfect data. This landmark audio book will radically change how we think and talk about marriage - and what we can dare to hope from it.

Building on their work at Chaddock, a nonprofit organization that has worked with some of the most challenging kids in the nation for more than 150 years, the authors empower frustrated parents with practical tips and real-life examples on how to minimize behavioral meltdowns, reduce conflict, increase cooperation, promote healthy attachment, and improve family relationships. The strategies they share work both for the child who is going through a difficult phase brought on by life disruption or trauma, and for the child who faces chronic struggles.

Dr. Ray has spent his career helping to strengthen families through a combination of Catholic theology, common-sense insights, and wry humor. Now, having become a new grandpa himself, Dr. Ray is turning his attention to the joyful, rejuvenating, and sometimes complicated subject of grandparenting.