Religious Love

Her great-great-grandma came to California in a covered wagon more than a hundred years ago, and her family has farmed in the Sacramento Valley ever since, but a life of farming was the last thing she wanted...until the day fate brings her back to the farm.

Yasmin Peace has been through a lot in the last year. After losing her oldest brother, Yasmin and her family lose their apartment in a fire. As if that was not enough Yasmin's grandmother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Through all of these difficult situations, Yasmin maintains hope. As she heads off to high school, things finally start to look up. She has three great friends, her father is out of jail and finally, all the drama is behind her. At least that's what Yasmin thinks....

Abused! The preacher’s wife! Divorced! How had I gotten to this place? Not believing the truth of God’s unconditional love was the root of the problem. How could a child of God not believe He loves or cares about them? Though your life may look like he doesn’t love you and the disconnection that you may be experiencing in your relationship with God may make you feel like he doesn’t love you, God does love you!

From one of the most prolific young spiritual writers of our time comes a fresh look at the Gospel of Luke, in an effort to answer this single question: What did Luke actually want us to see in Jesus? The answer waiting for you in this book is sure to transform your vision, and your life, if you let it. Through the stories of 18 “Outsider” characters (like the Blind Beggar, the Rich Ruler, the Sinful Woman, and so many more), David will take you on a journey to see the living Christ in a way you never have before.

What was calling me was eternal. I had no words to describe it, but its draw on me was deep and ancient in ways I could not even begin to grasp, much less articulate. I wanted something more than the rituals, ceremonies, fancy robes, and lifelessly rote and memorized performances I witnessed in church each Sunday. I wanted something deeper and more heartfelt, something more real and alive with the Love of God I felt inside… and I found it! My life has been transformed by God’s Grace. I now experience richness, color, and depth of life and love I had not experienced before.

In late 1956, an item in the Times of London stunned England's literary set. Confirmed bachelor and celebrated Christian apologist C.S. Lewis announced his marriage to Joy Gresham. His choice could not have been more unlikely. Joy was an American, a divorcee, an ex-communist, and a former atheist. Yet this extraordinary and fascinating woman made a great impact on Lewis and his writings in the short time they had together.

She came to China with a lesson plan. What she found was a new sense of purpose. Amy Young traveled to China in the mid-1990s to teach English to educators. But she never expected the profound way they would enrich her soul. With the influence of the enchanting country and its extraordinary everyday people, Amy extended a two-year assignment to nearly two decades. Throughout her journey, Amy drew strength from God and came to appreciate the beauty and power of an ordinary life lived well.

Jesus told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We love the idea of it, but many of us are so busy it can be hard to live out. The past few years our culture has become more polarized with division and disrespect. As tragedies and social issues fill the headlines, the church seems to be nearly absent in the conversation. Love Our City presents our problem, how we can overcome it, and solid ways to fulfill our God-given mission.

Books such as The Shack, The Purpose Driven Life, and The Love Dare stir spiritual hunger. But do they truly lead to the totally satisfying destination and real fellowship with the living God? How do you get from excitement and encouragement to the experimental reality we all want? Take a step-by-step journey toward finding ultimate peace and joy at the love shack where you will experience God's ultimate best.

On a February day in 2008, Forrest Church sent a letter to the members of his congregation, informing them that he had terminal cancer; his life would now be measured in months, not years. In that remarkable letter, he wrote: "In more than one respect, I feel very lucky." He went on to promise that he would sum up his thoughts on the topics that had been so pervasive in his work-love and death-in a final book.

Every female minister knows, deep within her heart, she has a special calling to serve God's people. Your passion and your servant’s heart have led you to this point, and you have only just begun to step into your power in service to the church you love so much. But the church's patriarchal roots run deep. With one hand, the institutional church raises you up, lauding your leadership and praising your calling, and with the other hand, it tears you down, silencing your voice and breaking your heart.

The year is 1970. The horror soap opera Dark Shadows is all the rage, the Vietnam War is raging and nine-year-old Katie, an imaginative and independent latch-key kid, comes home from school to discover her mother’s suicide. Taken in by her older sister who has recently become a Jehovah’s Witness, Katie is shown an illustration from a bible picture book featuring wild animals peacefully lounging by a pool of water, surrounded by happy people picking fruit. An enticing offer is made: “Katie, this is Paradise. Do you want to see Mom again, happy and living forever?

Medieval philosophy is primarily associated today with university-based disputations and the authorities cited in those disputations. In their own time, however, scholastic debates were recognized as just one part of wide-ranging philosophical and theological discussions. A Hidden Wisdom breaks new ground by drawing attention to another crucial component of these conversations: the Christian contemplative tradition.

La Madre Teresa fue una de las mujeres más admiradas del siglo XX y su memoria continúa inspirando a muchos alrededor del mundo, pues incluso una santa puede amar los chocolates, hacer bromas o regañar al presidente de los Estados Unidos. Esta fue la mujer a la que Jim Towey conoció a mediados de los noventa—cuando era congresista y abogado de alto nivel—la que iluminó el vacío que había en su vida.

Love to Christ introduces listeners to one of the most beloved Scottish pastors of the nineteenth century, Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-1843). Following a biographical sketch that acquaints us with the life and ministry of M'Cheyne, Jordon Stone presents thirty-eight excerpts from M'Cheyne's writings that walk us through the nature, foundation, means, rewards, and ministry of holiness. M'Cheyne's life and ministry was marked by a pursuit of holiness.

This book touches on certain dynamics regarding the theoretical and cultural basis of the model Fethullah Gülen has developed based on dialogue, tolerance, and concurrence among groups that come from different religions, cultures, and civilizations. Gülen's model focuses on human beings, those who surround all their world with thought and action, and who are directed toward love for God and for creation.

Having faith isn't an all-or-nothing situation and we all deserve to enjoy the parts that bring us comfort. In Have a Little Faith, Kate reveals for the first time the surprising truth about what faith means to her and how, ultimately, it can make us all happy. Kate is not your average vicar; in fact, she says herself that believing in the resurrection is 'a bit bonkers' so, whether you believe in God, the universe's plan or simply the goodness of humanity, Kate argues that having belief equals having hope, and we all deserve to feel hopeful.

Meher Baba, born Merwan Sheriar Iran on February 25, 1894, was a beloved Indian spiritual master who asserted he was the Avatar, or God in human form. When he was just 19, he contacted five spiritual teachers before beginning his mission and gathering his own disciples in early 1922, at the age of just 27. From July 1925 to the end of his life, Baba maintained silence, communicating by means of an alphabet board or unique hand gestures.

Here is a new collection of short quotes and excerpts carefully gathered and compiled by Debra Herbeck, this time on the all-encompassing subject of love.

The book traverses through one woman's quest to understand her first religious lesson: God is love. Author Nancy Anne Lane takes the listener through extraordinary childhood adventures to discover how profoundly her past experiences echo our current climate. She explores the path toward love and its potential to heal and unite us in a time of extreme separation.