Religious Life

Many of us wonder how to think about and act on issues of life and death beyond abortion and the death penalty—yet the heated debates in our churches and the confusion of our own hearts sometimes feel overwhelming. What does a balanced, Christian view of what it means to be "pro-life" really look like?

Why do we buy what we buy, vote the way we vote, eat what we eat, and say what we say? Why do we have the friends we have, and work and play as we do? It's our choice? Yes, but there are forces, often unseen, that shape every decision we make and every action we take. These hidden, life-shaping values and ideas are not promoted through organized religions or rival philosophies but fostered by cultural habits, lifestyles and the institutional structures of society.

George Müller was a Christian evangelist and director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England. The Life of Trust contains his diary up to 1860, supplemented by autobiographical notes at the start and throughout the text. Mueller founded a number of orphanages in England in the 19th century whilst refusing to personally benefit in any way, fully trusting that God would provide in his financial needs. Throughout his life, he relied on God’s goodness in order to feed, clothe, and house thousands of English children under his care.

A timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a White, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara’s mom.

Jenna, Livvy, Heather, and Manda strive for their best in their respective sports: gymnastics, figure skating, ice-dancing, and downhill skiing. Their ultimate goal: the Olympics. As each girl struggles with life's challenges and rejoices with each triumph, the encouragement of the other Girls Only club members and their faith in God give the girls the moral support needed to push their limits and learn important lessons. In this book, Livvy misses her mother, who passed away just months ago, and frustration mounts when Livvy's grandmother offers to help but oversteps her boundaries in every way.

The path to joy is paved with adversity as Carmen Browne discovers in the fourth book in the series from best-selling author Stephanie Perry Moore. Perfect Joy captures the tumultuous changes every sixth-grade girl faces - including new friendship.

In this second book of the Yasmin Peace series, family tensions and school unrest soar to a fever pitch. A school counselor starts a club for eighth-grade girls, The LIGHT club, which deals with major issues: gangs, depression, teen suicide, self-esteem, etc. Yasmin discovers that there is hope on the other side of every obstacle - if she holds on to her faith.

Jenna, Livvy, Heather, and Manda strive for their best in their respective sports: gymnastics, figure skating, ice dancing, and downhill skiing. Their ultimate goal: the Olympics.

Jenna, Livvy, Heather, and Manda strive for their best in their respective sports: gymnastics, figure skating, ice-dancing, and downhill skiing. Their ultimate goal: the Olympics. As each girl struggles with life's challenges and rejoices with each triumph, the encouragement of the other Girls Only club members and their faith in God give the girls the moral support needed to push their limits and learn important lessons. In this book, Manda is concentrating so hard on winning the Dressel Hills Downhill Classic that she's turned her back on everyone that matters to her: her family, her friends....even God.

Energetic pre-teen Carmen Browne is determined to live her life to please God as she faces life issues such as an unexpected family move, her big brother's search for his birth family, and the tragedy of domestic violence. Carmen's learned a lot about herself, too: being popular doesn't guarantee you true friends, honesty up front saves a lot of hurt, and sometimes self-confidence is just bossiness in disguise. In this fifth and final volume, Carmen enters the uncharted waters of adolescence, discovering that her changing moods and growing body bring new challenges....

Carmen Browne is a 10-year-old African-American girl beginning fifth grade. With her family moving to a new city, Carmen is anguished to give up her friends and comfortable home. As her family adapts to a new location, Carmen learns that finding new friends and fitting in is not easy. Part of her doesn't even want to try. Family issues become complicated when Carmen's brother learns he is adopted.

Third in the Carmen Browne Series, Golden Spirit finds Carmen meeting new challenges and facing serious issues such as domestic violence, and her own tendency toward bossiness. This series focuses on issues faced by many preteen girls and teaches inspiring lessons about dealing with gossip, self-esteem, and body image.

Yasmin is graduating from the eighth grade and headed to high school. With the help of the LIGHT club, she ends the school year on a positive note, as she learns about self-esteem and true joy. What Yasmin learns will be put to the test over the summer and at the beginning of her first year in high school as she encounters new drama with family and friends. Through it all, and in less than perfect circumstances, Yasmin manages to hold on to her hope, keep her head up, and experience joy.

Jesus lived in a time of great tension and upheaval. It is estimated there were approximately 700,000 Jews then living in Israel under the Roman occupation. Discover the complexities of life in a tiny Nazereth village. Compelling narrative brings to light the rapidily developing cultures throughout the world. The World Jesus Knew immerses the modern listener in the worldwide drama of the first century and depicts an era of global conquest and domination.

In this intellectual biography, Bennett W. Rogers analyzes the complicated life and times of a man variously described as traditional, moderate, and even radical during his 58-year ministry. Ryle began his ministerial career as a rural parish priest; he ended it as a bishop of the second city of the British Empire. In the time between, he became a popular preacher, influential author, effective controversialist, recognized party leader, stalwart church defender, and radical church reformer.

Empowered by the Brand New Congress initiative in 2018, evangelical pastor and progressive Republican Robb Ryerse embarked on a long-shot, grassroots congressional campaign. After he ultimately lost his race, Ryerse worked with the Vote Common Good campaign, traveling across the United States to help turn Congress blue. Throughout his political journey, Ryerse gained new insights on the relationship between religion and politics in America today, the dynamics of our deep partisan divide, and the power of faithful people working for the common good.

By the time he was 30, Syd Kessler was a millionaire many times over, the epitome of the poor kid making good. But inside him, a hollowness was taking hold, and later, in middle age, he fell seriously ill. In the dark days of a long recovery, Kessler explored the Kabbalah and the discoveries of quantum physics, developing a system of moral principles from the truths of how the universe began and operates. His set of principles - from Big Bang to Moral Cause and Effect to Selfless Selfishness to Closure and Energy - are revolutionary.

A minister must be both learned and religious. It is not a matter of choosing between the two. He must study, but he must study as in the presence of God and not in a secular spirit. He must recognize the privilege of pursuing his studies in the environment where God and salvation from sin are the air he breathes. He must also take advantage of every opportunity for corporate worship, particularly while he trains in the Theological Seminary.

Lauren Winner shares the spiritual practices she has adopted in her quest to reconcile Judaism and Christianity. Despite her conversion from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity, Lauren Winner finds that her life is still shaped by the spiritual essences of Judaism - rich traditions and religious practices that she can't leave behind. In Mudhouse Sabbath, Winner illuminates eleven spiritual practices that can transform the way we view the world, and God.

In addition to penning acclaimed poetry and plays, Coretta Scott King Honor recipient Shelia P. Moses wrote the novels The Legend of Buddy Bush and The Return of Buddy Bush. Humor and pathos abound in this moving tale of a wide-eyed African-American boy striving to understand his place in his family and their rural North Carolina town.