Personal Spiritual Growth

Every Christian isn't called to adopt, but everyone is called to care for orphans. The evangelical adoption movement is but one strand in a long cord of Christian care for orphans. While adoption trends have fluctuated over time in different contexts, the Bible has not changed its position. The gospel is decidedly pro-adoption and on the side of the orphan. Yet many obstacles stand in the way of the Christian's mission to provide care to the least of these. So, what now?

In this transformational book, the authors have used ground-breaking research to develop four primary patterns of relating to one another that shed light on our actions - and how we can learn to love and be loved even better.

He Speaks in the Silence is the story of Diane Comer's search for the kind of intimacy with God every woman longs for. It is a story of trying to be a good girl, of following the rules, of longing for a satisfaction that eludes us. Disappointed with all Diane had been told was supposed to fulfill her, she begged God in desperation to give her more. And he did. But first he took her through a trial so debilitating it almost destroyed what little faith she had. He let her go deaf.

Change your life for the better. Discover how you can bring more abundance into your life with the right mindset and attitude.

Beyond Integrity offers a balanced approach to a number of concrete ethical issues. Readings from a wide range of sources present competing perspectives on each issue, and real-life case studies further help the listener grapple with ethical dilemmas. The authors want to help the listener arrive at his or her own conclusions. To this end, they provide a decision-making model. They also present, in addition to several views on each topic, a distinctly Christian perspective on each issue under discussion.

An interactive devotional guide to help listeners discover The Power of I Am. Transform your destiny by changing what you say about yourself. The direction you'll follow in life begins with these two simple words: I am. This portable devotional will help you transform your self-image and help you invite the right things into your life with daily readings and insights from The Power of I Am. If you have a powerful I am, you will carry yourself with a quiet confidence.

Learn how to make the most of your life starting today! In order to maximize all aspects of your life and to achieve the life God wants for you, believers must actively participate. In Living the Maximized Life, Dr. I.V. Hilliard acts as your personal coach, guiding you step by step through the process of making the most of life, regardless of where you start. He will show you how to maximize your mistakes, the power of your words, the potential of you mind, and the use of your money.

If you've ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it can feel to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. Far too often, it seems the response we get to our hurt and disappointment is to suck it up or pray it away. But Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be.

We often think of doubt as the opposite of faith, but could it actually strengthen our relationship with God? According to John Ortberg, best-selling author and pastor, the very nature of faith requires the presence of uncertainty. In this refreshingly candid look at a life of faith, he traces the line between belief and unbelief: less a dividing line between hostile camps than a razor's edge that runs through every soul. His findings point us toward the relief of being totally honest.

What you need to know to control the emotion of anger and find healing for damaged relationships. Anger is something everyone struggles with - whether it's our own emotion threatening to explode out of control or the anger of others that makes us feel intimidated and afraid. But when we understand where anger comes from, how it shows or doesn't show, then we can do something about it. Either it will control us or we will control it, because anger is a choice. In learning how to handle conflicts and anger, we are enabled to heal damaged relationships and help others as well.

Raising children shapes the parent every bit as much as parents shape their children. Raising children is a sacred calling - and not for the faint of heart. In Devotions for Sacred Parenting, the author of Sacred Parenting continues the conversation and contemplates the soul-transforming journey of being a parent. With all new material, fifty-two devotions explore the spiritual dynamics of parenting. These life-related devotions are creative, fresh, and encouraging, inspiring mothers and fathers to look at parenting from a different perspective.

This best-selling classic encourages and equips Christian men to lead their families successfully through hazards and ambushes like divorce, promiscuity, suicide, and drug addiction. Men will find practical insight on topics such as a father's influence, maintaining purity, and husband-and-wife teamwork. In this war, renowned men's author Steve Farrar emphasizes, Jesus Christ is looking for men who will not die, but live for their families.

After over 25 years of researching, writing, and speaking on this subject, in Healthy Me, Healthy Us the Parrotts have whittled down their answer to the truth contained in this single sentence: If you try to build intimacy with another person before you have gotten whole on your own, all your relationships become an attempt to complete yourself.

For many, friends now play the role of family, but often our friendships don't turn out quite as we envisioned or hoped. Bible teacher Kelly Needham debunks our world's constricted, small view of friendship and casts a richer, more life-giving, biblical vision for friendship. In Friend-ish, Kelly Needham takes a close look at what scripture says about friendship. She reveals the distorted view most of us have of it and recasts a glorious vision for a Christian understanding.

Kevin Myers, the founding pastor of 12Stone Church, a congregation of more than 30,000 active attenders near Atlanta, believes the reason we don't experience a transformed life is that we fail to grow up spiritually. We focus on developing physically, intellectually, emotionally, and financially, yet our faith remains immature and anemic. In this powerful new book, Myers offers a deep yet simple roadmap to a grown-up faith through understanding the whole context of the Bible, developing spiritual intimacy with God, and gratefully embracing holy obedience.

A Hidden Wholeness has helped people in every walk of life rise to the challenge of living "divided no more." What leads us to live divided lives that defy our own sense of identity and integrity? When we do, what price do we and the world pay? How can we recover the wholeness that is our birthright gift? Palmer examines the forces that deflect us from the soul's true north and gives us the tools we need to regain our bearings. Palmer explores perspectives and practices that can help us embody integrity in a world where it often feels risky to be who we are.

Anne affirms that Heaven truly is the home of your dreams: a home of lasting value that's fully paid for and filled with family, where you will be wanted and welcomed. Best of all, Heaven is a home you are invited to claim as your own. With over 40 percent new and revised content, Anne Graham Lotz has updated her classic book on Heaven for a whole new generation of listeners, and also for herself. With her father, mother, and husband now gone, Lotz beautifully adds her own vulnerability and stories to the journey contained in Heaven: My Father's House.

After her only son was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Carol’s life took a permanent detour. She and her husband have been adjusting ever since, moving to Florida to be near the prison, starting a new ministry for prison inmates and their families, and sharing the faithfulness of God with anyone who will listen.

Car pools and car crashes. Job changes and joint custody. Life can feel overwhelming and inconsequential at times. But there's more to your story than the chaos, confusion, and clutter of daily life. Above us and around us God directs a grand saga, written by his hand, orchestrated by his will, unveiled according to his calendar. When you're part of this story, your life has purpose, you recognize your value, and you discover your unique path.

In Devotions for a Sacred Marriage author Gary Thomas encourages you to build your marriage around God’s priorities and explores how God can reveal Himself to you through your marriage and help you grow closer to Him as well as to your spouse.