Personal Ministries

If we are truly honest, most of us don't really know what we're doing as parents. We have good intentions, but daily frustrations and ongoing struggles might be evidence that we were better prepared to drive a car or pursue our career than raise children. To counter the usual trial-and-error method of parenting, Jim Burns offers time-tested advice and strategies for today's busy families.

What does human suffering have to do with God's power and love? Everyone has a "Gethsemane," a place and time in our lives when we face sorrow on the deepest level. To help us understand the relationship and interaction between human suffering and God's power and love, author Leslie Montgomery looks at the details of Jesus' example to show how valuable lessons can be learned through suffering.

So many women are living overcommitted lives and buckling under the nagging guilt. When they are busy, they feel guilty for not playing with their kids or having a quiet time of prayer and Bible study. When they try to rest, they feel guilty because there's so much left to do. It's an endless cycle of overwork and exhaustion. Yet inside every woman's heart is a longing for true rest. It's there because God designed us that way - but it seems out of reach.

A gifted communicator gives practical and biblical guidance to women of all ages in how to choose their words wisely and use their influence for the good of others. Women have a way with words. A woman’s strength, influence, and ability to change the world for better—in every season and in every relationship—lies in the words she speaks each day. But with that God-given power comes the need to use it wisely, and this book provides both biblical and practical guidance to that end.

A husband-wife team offers practical advice for married couples to end the cycle of reactionary arguments by examining the most common issues that trigger disagreements and applying God’s Word to radically transform relationships. Many couples know their marriage has room for improvement, but it is hard to pinpoint exactly why a relationship is suffering. Often times everyday triggers are the culprit. If you are wondering how to break out of the cycle of reactionary outbursts, cold shoulders, resentment, and pain that harms your relationship, you are not alone.

Drawing from the deep tradition of the Catholic faith, Lisa Hendey coaches Catholic moms how to care for themselves - heart, mind, body, and soul - so that they can better love and care for their families, their neighbors, and their Church. With warmth and wisdom, Hendey creates an environment where Catholic moms can reflect peacefully upon often-competitive topics like parenting style, types of schooling, and working outside the home. By sharing her own story, Hendey inspires listeners to better balance their own needs with the demands of family life and faith commitment.

Radio personality and best-selling author Barbara Rainey knows firsthand the challenges newly married couples face. Dismayed by Hollywood depictions of marriage and the seemingly easy solution of divorce, she sees a desperate need for a voice of experience, a mentor who has been there and understands - and can encourage, coach, and care. As her daughters began their married lives, Barbara wanted to share with them, and now you, some of the lessons learned throughout her own marriage as well as those gleaned from years of ministry to couples.

Many parents of teenagers or young adults feel as though they're guessing about what to do next-with mixed results. We want to stay connected with our maturing child, but we're not sure how. And deep down, we fear our child doesn't want or need us. But growing up doesn't have to mean growing apart. Based on brand-new research and interviews with remarkable families, Growing With equips parents to take steps toward their teenagers and young adults in a mutual journey of intentional growth that trusts God to transform them all.

Financial expert Howard Dayton shows you how to discover God's approach to growing your finances and strengthening your relationship. You will learn what to do before you say "I do," how to discover your financial responsibility, and all about successful money management. Howard also looks at such issues as blending your family and the special challenges of stay-at-home moms. He offers practical, biblical principles to common problems.

In Parenting Without Regret, Jimmy and Laura Seibert share their story of how God led them to parent with intentionality. They touch on topics that are a common struggle among parents: How do we help our children overcome their insecurities? How do we deal with the challenges of our culture and protect our kids' purity? How do we prepare them for the future? How do we help them develop their own relationship with God and live life on mission?

For more than 15 years, Scott Stanley's A Lasting Promise has offered solutions to common problems - facing conflicts, problem-solving, improving communication, and dealing with core issues - within a Christian framework. Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition is filled with sacred teachings of scripture, the latest research on marriage, and clear examples from the lives of couples. The audiobook's strategies are designed to help couples improve communication, understand commitment, bring more fun into their relationship, and enhance their sex lives.

Love is easy to give when you are getting it back. Are we still called to God's plan of how to love when we are getting none in return? Shauna Shanks's brave journey through obedience reveals the outcome of when we dare to follow God's ludicrous outline for love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Wrecked with news of her husband's affair and his request for a divorce, Shauna finds herself urgently faced with a decision. Does she give up and divorce her husband and move on, or does she try to fight for her marriage?

In Brave Enough, popular author Nicole Unice challenges you to get real about the places where you feel too scared to change, too tired to endure, or too worried to move on. Through personal stories and biblical application, Nicole will lead you on a journey beyond worry and into the life God has planned for you - one that's beautiful, full, and free.

Parenting teenagers is one of the biggest challenges parents face. New realities make becoming independent more difficult. Teens are traveling a different road and are moving at a different pace than those of previous generations. Today's cultural environment is more complicated and confusing than ever. But fear not! Family expert Jim Burns provides a handy guide for parenting teens.

Mary Katherine Backstrom spends her days mending booboos, conquering the boogie man, comforting heartaches, laughing at knock-knock jokes, cooking pancakes, throwing baseballs, and mopping muddy floors. In other words she spends her days relishing in the beautiful, constant noise that is a life with children. In Mom Babble, Mary Katherine (MK) Backstrom, founder and personality behind the Mom Babble online community, offers up hope, humor, and spiritual inspiration to families in the trenches of parenthood.

Your character, more than anything else, will impact how much you accomplish in this life. It is more important than your talent, your education, your background, or your network of friends. Andy Stanley helps you chart a course toward becoming a man or woman of character. You'll discover a definition of character that will inspire you for a lifetime, the external and internal benefits of strong character, the six false beliefs behind negative behaviors, and more.

For many, "being rich" could be defined simply as the accumulation of money. For others, it has become the ultimate goal of life. CEO of Crown Financial Ministries Chuck Bentley writes of his own life, admitting, "the desire to be rich...grew beyond a mere financial goal; it became a status and an identity that I hungered to achieve. Although my relentless pursuit of it eventually drove me to the brink of financial ruin and beyond, I could not rest until it was mine."

In Long-Distance Grandparenting, you'll learn how to make the most of the opportunities you do have to connect with your grandchildren. You will also learn - how to pray for your grandkids more effectively - ways to use technology to keep your relationship strong - great ideas for grandkid visits, holidays, and special occasions. More important, you'll find practical tools and encouragement to connect with your grandchildren so that you can share God's love and invest in their faith like never before!

With an understanding voice that will speak into your own circumstances, Kristen Strong walks beside you along the less traveled but more satisfying third way - the back road way - to belonging: remaining in Christ and relaxing into the unique role God has for you. Along the way, you will learn simple, doable actions that not only will help you feel and know that you belong but will welcome others in as well.

What and who should get the best of us? And why is it so enticing to choose lesser things instead of lasting things? As moms, we know the magnetic pull to steer away from what's important and choose what feels irresistible in the moment. In Shiny Things, Amanda Bacon and Anne-Renee Gumley bring to light the distractions moms face every day.