Practical Religion

Most of us are trying to put together the jigsaw puzzle we call life without a very important piece. Over time this becomes incredibly frustrating. In this extraordinary book, Matthew Kelly powerfully demonstrates that we cannot live the life we have imagined or experience the joy we yearn for unless we learn to tend the soul. From there, with his classic style of practical wisdom, he teaches us how to remedy this problem.

Exploring Worship is an unparalleled resource for equipping worshipers and worship ministries in the essentials of corporate worship. Get grounded in a balanced theology of worship, and train your worship team in the art of leading worship. This book is unique in covering both the devotional and practical aspects of worship. Used literally around the world, it’s one of the most comprehensive tools available today for worship leaders, musicians, songwriters, and singers.

We're too tired to think, too wired to focus, less efficient than we want to be, and guilty about not getting enough time with our loved ones. We all know that we feel starved for time, but what are we actually doing about it? Precious little. In The Art of Stopping Time, New York Times best-selling author Pedram Shojai guides us towards success with what he calls time prosperity - having the time to accomplish what you want in life without feeling compressed, stressed, overburdened, or hurried.

No one is immune from life’s difficulties, yet many people are reluctant to talk about mental health or seek professional help when they are struggling. People of faith who are battling issues such as anxiety, depression, life changes, stress, or relationship problems may suffer in silence, believing things will get better if only their faith was stronger, they prayed more, or they had more self-discipline. The stigma about needing to seek help is all too real. But seeking professional help isn’t a sign of weakness.

Depression - whether circumstantial and fleeting or persistent and long term - impacts most people at some point in their lives. Puritan Pastor Richard Baxter spent most of his ministry caring for depressed and discouraged souls, and his timeless counsel still speaks to us today. In this book, psychiatrist Michael S. Lundy and theologian J. I. Packer present Baxter’s writings in order to comfort, instruct, and strengthen all who struggle with depression.

After author Dennis Pollock experienced a serious diabetic episode, his desire to understand the whys of blood sugar fluctuation, its potential damage to the body, and the ways of prevention led him on a quest for answers. Now Pollock helps others achieve optimum health as they explore: what people should know about the blood sugar delivery system; reasons to change our lifestyles and why faith is a great motivator; and a diet and exercise program that works.

Rachael Elmore has been there and knows on a personal and professional level how hard the early days and months of motherhood can be. In A Mom Is Born she takes her expertise as a licensed and clinical counselor and pairs it with her deeply personal story of overcoming postpartum depression after the birth of her first son. She comes alongside listeners with practical tools—such as the New Mom Wellness Plan and a postpartum progress checklist—to help find the balance between taking care of their new baby and taking care of themselves.

Drs. Dennis and Jen Clark have spent years cultivating their daily communion with the Lord, and trained thousands of everyday Christians to do the same. Having struggled, learned, and grown in this practice, they are able to help you create a constant place of secret encounters with God.

Fr. Robert Spitzer, President of Gonzaga University and a highly regarded spiritual teacher and writer, presents a practical, yet rich guide for helping busy people develop a regular and deeper prayer life. Based on many successful retreats and seminars he has given over the years, this brilliant Jesuit priest presents five essential means through which the contemplative and active aspects of our lives can be fused together for a stronger spiritual life.

Ten dynamic steps with simple techniques to help develop a close working relationship with Spirit and to experience the joy, peace, and empowerment that is our spiritual birthright. Learn about the Causal Body and how we store riches in heaven through many lifetimes and can access that account here and now.

Anyone who prays or has tried to pray and given up in discouragement knows praying, really praying, is not easy. Praying consistently seems almost impossible. Too often and too easily, prayer becomes a burden: one more item on an already overcrowded to-do list. Failing to pray becomes a source of guilt and stress as we must once again admit our inconstancy and procrastination to our father confessor. The purpose of this audiobook, then, is not to add to the burden, but to ease it by distilling the advice and experience of those who pray.

If churches are the dwelling place of God’s spirit, why are so many built around the strategies of man? Eager for growth, leaders can be lured by entertaining new schemes, forgetting doctrinal truth as their driving force. Churches must humbly lean on the sufficiency of God’s word. How to Build a Healthy Church challenges leaders to evaluate their motivations for ministry and provides examples of healthy, deliberate leadership. This is more than a step-by-step plan to mimic; it’s a biblical blueprint for pastors, elders, and anyone committed to the church’s vitality.

The School of the Seers is the how-to guide for seeing into the spirit realm. With the addition of three new chapters, including a small group study guide, this best-selling book is sure to excite listeners worldwide. As a teacher and seer himself, author Jonathan Welton raises the standard for walking in wisdom, character, and power. Carrying a revelatory forerunner anointing, he imparts fresh new understanding and kingdom perspectives for every believer.

A delightful new recording of T. S. Eliot's beloved cat poems. Cats! Some are sane, some are mad and some are good and some are bad. Meet magical Mr. Mistoffelees, sleepy Old Deuteronomy and curious Rum Tum Tugger. But you'll be lucky to meet Macavity because Macavity's not there! In 1925, T. S. Eliot became codirector of Faber & Faber, who remain his publishers to this day.

These powerful audio-guided meditation techniques on death were collected from ancient Buddhist and Hindu practitioners of mindfulness meditation of death. 16 practical self-guided audio meditation scripts that guide you beyond the boundaries of mortality to develop an open-minded state and gratitude for what you have, even for the smallest things.

Insight meditation teacher Shaila Catherine offers an accessible approach to training the mind that is guided by the Buddha’s pragmatic instructions on removing distracting thoughts. Drawing on two scriptures in the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Shaila shows you how to overcome habitual modes of thinking, develop deeper concentration, and discover the insights into emptiness that are vital for a liberating spiritual path.

Cultural Christians in the Early Church, which aims to be both historical and practical, argues that cultural Christians were the rule, rather than the exception, in the early church. Using different categories of sins as its organizing principle, the book considers the challenge of culture to the earliest converts to Christianity, as they struggled to live on mission in the Greco-Roman cultural milieu of the Roman Empire.

Meditation allows you to take a break from all the noise, all the action, and all of the constant stress that is surrounding you. Take a minute and quiet your mind so that your soul can speak to you. The objective of meditation is just that - to dim the lights and dull the noise just enough for you to allow your truest self to shine through like a beacon, so that you can remember why you are here, and who you want to be. Practical Meditation for Beginners starts by helping you focus your attention through a process of thought organization.

The conversation about the relationship between women and men and their roles in the Christian life and the church has evolved, but the topic continues to inspire debate and disagreement. The third edition of this groundbreaking work brings together scholars firmly committed to the authority of Scripture to explore historical, biblical, theological, cultural, and practical aspects of this discussion.

One carefully crafted wish can serve as a match that ignites lasting change in your life. With Laura Day’s brilliant book, The Circle, listeners will learn how to develop their inherent intuition and to create everything they want in their lives. Dreaming about the future does not need to remain a mere fantasy; thinking about the things you want brings them into the present moment and allows you to make room for them to flourish in your life.