Spiritual Growth Love

Do you ever feel like you don't pray enough, read your Bible enough, share your faith enough, love God enough...and ultimately that you're not a very good Christian? Welcome to the club. Messy Spirituality was written for the silent majority of us who are convinced we just don't do Christianity right. Mike Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided...and gloriously liberating.

You may say that you love your family, your spouse, your church, or the Lord. You may also express love for temporal things like a good cup of coffee, your home, or a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant. But it is rarer to truly say "I love my life!" It's common to be more frustrated with life than at peace with it, because the daily grind wears you down. Responsibilities and burdens become heavy and rob you of the happiness you're meant to have as a child of God. But you can be hopeful, learn to rise above your challenges, and be filled with wonder at what God might do every day.

Bestselling authors Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk help you unlock a vibrant life uniquely suited to your personality, season of life, and schedule limitations. Packed with encouragement, biblical advice, real-world help, and personal discovery, this forty-day journey helps you discern and pursue your passions and priorities; craft a personalized action plan deeply rooted in Scripture; manage the tension between your relationships and your responsibilities; cultivate a life-giving routine of rest and productivity; and impact others for eternity through your life and gifts.

"The Lord is my shepherd...." The words of this famous psalm have brought comfort to many - but what impact do they have on an actual shepherd? Best selling author and shepherd Phillip Keller draws on his firsthand experience to lead and prod listeners to the greenest pastures of discovery and coolest waters of fulfillment hidden in the psalm. This lively devotional commentary will show you how to experience Psalm 23 in a new way. See with the eyes, touch with the hands, and feel with the heart of our Lord - the Great Shepherd.

The Bible reveals not just butterflies and broken hearts. In Scripture, we see God’s beautiful design for the partnership of marriage. We witness friendships that cross all boundaries. We watch as families navigate the many seasons of life. Our guiding example for them all is the deepest, most abiding, foundational love ever known: God’s unconditional love for His people. In The Love Stories of the Bible Speak, Shannon Bream draws lessons from the good, the bad, and the ugly of Biblical romances, friendships, and families.

Having every one of us been in bondage to sin, we readily believe that sinful things are Satanic; but do we believe equally that the things of the world are Satanic? Many of us, I think, are still in two minds about this. Yet how clearly Scripture affirms that "the whole world lieth in the evil one" (1 John 5:19). Satan well knows that, generally speaking, to try to ensnare real Christians through things that are positively sinful is vain and futile.

In this selective eloquent discussion of God’s amazing love, Pastor Jeff Rogers challenges us to think outside the box of understanding love and to experience it from a higher perspective. Pastor Jeff has a long-standing interest in seeing the Church move in the anointing for healing and deliverance and understanding its role in the salvation of Israel and wrote a book on the matter. He appeared on a TV broadcast network (TBN) for over 17 years, speaking about the things peculiar to the Kingdom of God.

Pumpkin crunch cake. Game night with friends. Jazz music. Baseball. These are good gifts — and potential threats to the worship of God. At the heart of the Christian life is a tension between the supremacy of God over all things and the enjoyment of all things for his sake. In this audiobook, Joe Rigney offers a biblical vision for enjoying God in everything and enjoying everything in God.

In this third book in the Apprentice Series, James Bryan Smith helps us know how to live in relationship with others as apprentices of Jesus. "Apprentices of Jesus are not part-time do-gooders," he writes. "They live in continuous contact with the kingdom of God, and are constantly men and women in whom Christ dwells. They do not sometimes tell the truth, sometimes live sacrificially or sometimes forgive. There are myriad opportunities for us to impact the world in which we live."

The key to spiritual and emotional health is to grasp the truth of God's transforming love for us and then let that reality influence our own hearts and relationships. It seems simple, but we are experts at complicating simple things. Instead of living lives characterized by love we find ourselves trapped in cycles of shame, violence, and addiction that steal our joy and keep us from loving others - so much so that, by all indications, Christians are living no differently than anyone else when it comes to abuse rates, use of pornography, alcohol and drug addiction, and more.

In I Just Want You to Know, New York Times best-selling author Kate Gosselin continues her story of faith and family, picking up where her first book, Multiple Blessings, ended. Using excerpts and written prayers from her actual journal, Kate offers an intimate look at the heart of a mother during the three years her family transitioned from obscurity into television fame.

Invisible realms of angels became visible to Sebastián Blaksley in an extraordinary series of 144 visitations overseen by archangels Raphael and Gabriel. They asked him to take down their messages, including messages from Jesus and Mother Mary. Choose Only Love is the result. Hearing this truth, like hearing a song once loved but forgotten, rekindles a relationship with your true self that is direct, personal, and magnificent.

Years of counseling enabled Dr. Henry Cloud to observe people trying to work out the most important issues of life. If we sincerely want to "get life right" and quit repeating the same mistakes, 9 Things You Simply Must Do provides the practical guidance we need to live life to its fullest.

This groundbreaking walk through Scripture by former physician and carpenter Dr. Matthew Sleeth makes the convincing case that trees reveal more about God and faith than you ever imagined.

Walking through Psalm 23 phrase by phrase, therapist and author K.J. Ramsey explores the landscape of our fear, trauma, and faith. When she stepped through her own wilderness of spiritual abuse and religious trauma, K.J. discovered that courage is not the absence of anxiety but the practice of trusting we will be held and loved no matter what. The Lord is My Courage is for the deconstructing and the dreamers, the afraid and the amazed, for those whose fear has not been fully shepherded but who can't seem to stop listening for their Good Shepherd's Voice.

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.

Psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Les Parrott provides a revolutionary path to success in the ultimate human challenge: truly loving other people. Let’s be honest. How many times have you fallen short at being a good friend, a wise parent, or a self-giving spouse because you didn’t love--truly love--at the highest level? It’s tough. We’re bound to fail. The bar is so high, especially if you aspire to love like Jesus. But it’s not impossible.

In this book, Joni unveils the God whom she has found to be faithful through over 30 years as a paralytic. This is not the story of a woman who has all the answers or who is very different from you. Joni struggles with the same fears, questions, and heartaches we all have in common. But as the weeks and months turn into years and the years into decades, she meets her Savior at every turn.

There is no better way to comprehend our Abba's love for us than through The Parable of the Prodigal Son. However, one might miss significant insights if interpreted from a Western Christian perspective. Studying it from the ancient Jewish biblical context—considering Jesus was a Jewish rabbi in 1st-century Israel—can reveal layers of the parable in unprecedented ways and demonstrate God's unconditional love in ways you've never seen before!

In this exposition of 1 Corinthians 13, Jonathan Edwards delves into the crucial Christian discussions of grace, love, and salvation. In doing so, he reveals their natural relations to one another and how living in grace should inevitably lead to living with love. This work does not simply explain the passage, but it also serves as a practical guide of how to live out a life of love.