Spiritual Growth Love

Becoming fully human is a lifelong journey. It can also be an incredible adventure. Here internationally respected depth psychologist, spiritual guide, and personal transformation coach David Benner explores the mysteries of human being and becoming. Drawing on insights from science, philosophy, and forty years of experience integrating psychology and spirituality, he presents concrete steps for living in ways that move us toward wholeness.

When a newspaper ad prompts Darla King to travel to Birch Creek in search of a husband, her identical twin, Amanda, promises their parents she’ll convince Darla to come home. After all, Amanda is the responsible and reliable one. She has always protected Darla, who acts on impulse and trusts people too easily. The sisters’ close relationship is strained as Darla asserts her independence, and Amanda grapples with regrets of her past and the longings of her own heart.

Michael W. Smith, multi-platinum artist, celebrated songwriter, producer, best-selling author, and acclaimed actor, himself a father of five adult children and grandfather of sixteen, calls upon his humble experiences of growing up in a small West Virginia town to share his father’s story. Each chapter identifies a quality and characteristic of his dad that came out of an obedient and sacrificial life, committed to serving his Abba Father.

In this winsome book, best-selling author John S. Dickerson clearly and faithfully explains essential Christian beliefs, using simple stories that have resonated with his congregation of thousands. He guides listeners into these basic beliefs, and most importantly, he illustrates why these beliefs matter.

Judah writes as a friend, welcoming new believers, lifelong followers of Jesus, and even the merely curious. He shows us the love of God that defies human logic and the life that God intends for us to have in the here and now. With excitement and humor, Judah looks at the stories in the Bible from his unique angle and shows how life is all about loving God and loving others.

It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. The best thing about this Story is - it’s true! And at the center of the story, there is a baby. The child upon whom everything would depend. All the stars, mountains, oceans, and galaxies were nothing compared to how much God loved his children. He would move Heaven and Earth to be near them. Always.

Do you feel powerless and overwhelmed by the pain and suffering all around you? Have you ever asked, What can I do to mend the world, my family, or my own life? And if I could, why bother? Does my own small part even matter? If so, here comes hope from two guides who are further down the road.

Everywhere we look, we see evidence that love is in short supply. Terrorists and political corruption, school shootings and troubled marriages, impatient online sniping and character assassination - all point to the fact that we do not know how to love one another as Jesus commanded and modeled. We put our own interests and happiness first, despite the fact that the greatest happiness comes through sacrificial love.

Franciscan Murray Bodo illuminates seven key teachings from St. Francis and tells us how these teachings are the foundation for Franciscan spirituality today. Beginning with the wonder of the incarnation, he moves through the paradox of evangelical poverty, living the Gospel, repairing God's house, making peace, the recognition that we are one with all of creation, and the joy and humble service of God. All of these teachings have their roots and destination in the love of God that surrounds all of creation and each individual person.

You are not alone. Whether you’re a free spirit, an office exec, a writer, musician, college student, or tired parent - your soul, like mine, knows life is meant to go beyond rat races and rare applause. This book speaks to that belief. And if you’re not careful, you may find tears warming your eyes as you read because finally someone is naming your weariness, your striving, your questions of why you just can’t quite make it, or the emptiness that hit because maybe you did.

John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans - and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word.

Miracles are impossible. They defy explanation. They can’t be real. And yet, miracles surround us every day. Where we face something that we can’t fix and run out of options. Where the limited and finite ability of man ends and unlimited and infinite will of God begins. Where what is impossible with man is possible with God.

For many Christian women, the constant demands of family, pursuing a career, and managing a household leave little time or energy for anything else. As a result, more than half of women struggle to read God’s Word as much as they’d like. As a busy working mom of three, Brittany Ann, the founder of Equipping Godly Women, understands this struggle all too well. In her latest book, Brittany Ann helps women of faith overcome spiritual resistance, create and maintain a quiet time they’ll love, and change their lives forever.

Here's a heartwarming narrative about three people who tell their stories of tragedy, fear, and disease, and how God showed them his love in a real way.

God loves broken people. And when weary, wounded men and women find a way to open their bruised hearts and somehow welcome Him into their personal darkness, they will find a love beyond anything they have ever known. In 12 stirring, insightful, and deeply revealing chapters, Sheila Walsh shows how personal brokenness can open doors of intimacy with Jesus Christ that might never open in any other way.

God created us with divinely sophisticated tools and features, but most of us aren’t using them. The result is an inner worth we aren’t aware of, and a life unknowingly lived at half capacity. Neighbor, Love Yourself launches an internal expedition to uncover hidden features installed long ago. Our inner worth isn’t rusty, just dusty. As we locate and reconnect vital principles and truths, we will unearth a value inside ourselves that most of us have never come anywhere close to experiencing.

I Will Love You Forever reveals one woman's decades-long quest to find healing and redemption after the accidental death of her sister as a child. Since 2012, God has used hospice babies - those left to live and die without family to care for them - to mend Cori's broken heart. Bringing these fragile hospice babies into their home, Cori and her family have promised not only to hold them briefly, until their last breath on this side of heaven, but to love them forever and always.

Our culture is self-obsessed - in our schedules, in our relationships, and especially online. (Can you say selfie?) But in this near-narcissism, people are less content than in decades past. Why? Because we forgot the joy that comes from putting others first. Doing so requires us to live alert, listening for "heart drops", hints from those in our lives who need a helping hand or a generous dose of encouragement. Living alert lifts our own spirits, showing us that blessing others blesses us even more.

Whether a person is searching for their calling or wholeheartedly pursuing their life's purpose, Live Love Lead will help them navigate a faith path that is all their own and discover unique gifts tailored perfectly for their journey. How do people experience the best life that God intends for them? The answer lies in understanding that the Christian life is an adventure, and that they only have to follow the greatest Guide who ever walked the path of life - Jesus.

She was a simple girl faced with an impossible choice. He was a magnificent king with a lonely heart. Their love was the divine surprise that changed the course of history. The beloved story of Esther springs to fresh life in this inspired novel that vibrates with mystery, intrigue, and romance.