Women Religion

There is a reason they say that a woman's work is never done - because it isn't! As women, we often are overwhelmed by the demands and circumstances of life, resulting in stress, fear, worry, impatience, fatigue, frustration, and even depression. The truth is that we were created to be overwhelmed...not by life but by God! When we learn to be overwhelmed by God, the fruit in our lives goes from rotten to fragrant - filling our days with peace, hope, love, and joy.

A personal story of the author reflecting on her journey of life with references to quotes from the Qur'an, Hadith and contemporary thinkers.

Tim Tebow believes that the secret to a truly meaningful life is not more comfort or ease, but recognizing the clear, unique mission that God has set before you. Having a focused sense of your personal, God-given significance will bring you a lasting sense of purpose.

In today's social media-saturated world, the word influence conjures up images of beautifully curated Instagram feeds or women who lead from the stage and have thousands of followers. It's measured by the number of likes and shares and how well we can get people to imitate us. Influence has almost become synonymous with fame and power, and if we're honest, many of us long to have it. But in its purest form, influence is simply the capacity to affect change on someone. It is the ability to impact others for a certain purpose.

With an exuberant mix of passion, insight, and humor, Anne Lamott takes us on a journey through her often troubled past to illuminate her devout but quirky walk of faith. In a narrative spiced with stories and scripture, with diatribes, laughter, and tears, Lamott tells how, against all odds, she came to believe in God and then, even more miraculously, in herself. She shows us the myriad ways in which this sustains and guides her, shining the light of faith on the darkest part of ordinary life and exposing surprising pockets of meaning and hope.

With humor and honesty, Sheila invites you to believe that God wants to bring oneness and intimacy to your marriage - and challenges you to partner with him in that process by changing the way you think.

An initiation signals a beginning: a door opens and you step through. Traditional Wiccan initiates are usually brought into the craft through a ceremony with a High Priestess. But even though Amanda Yates Garcia's mother, a practicing witch herself, initiated her into the earth-centered practice of witchcraft when she was 13 years old, Amanda's real life as a witch only began when she underwent a series of spontaneous initiations of her own.

Women long for a meaningful prayer life but the demands of family, work, and home can get in the way of good intentions. Elizabeth George, best-selling author and popular teacher, leads women to deeper communication with God. Sharing from personal experience and biblical insights, Elizabeth encourages women to create, nurture, and grow a prayer life.

We all long to live out our faith with daily joy, but so often that joy eludes us. Why is that? More often than we realize, it's because we've absorbed messages that curve us in on ourselves. These messages have even crept into the church, disguised as truth. It's time we learn to discern teaching that's toxic from that which is true and pure.

Author Elizabeth Laing Thompson invites you to walk alongside people of the Bible who were called by God to fulfill his purposes. These Bible heroes responded much like we do - with a jumbled-up inner storm of excitement and fear, insecurity, and hope. Their stories and struggles will provide a roadmap for your own story, helping you face your very own doubts, regrets, and worries. When God calls, it’s time to go.

Let's be honest. The journey to discovering Jesus - Real Jesus - can be complicated, messy, and a little crazy. Just ask Jami Amerine. Banned from the Mormon church as a child, she's spent the rest of her life trying to reconcile Fifth-Grade Jesus, Catholic Jesus, and Americanized Jesus (just to name a few). But when she met Real Jesus, everything changed. You can meet Him, too - right here, just as you are.

Packed with stories and anecdotes from Jayme's experience as both a mentor and mentee - plus sprinklings of wisdom on balance, purpose, and change - Face to Face speaks to the heart of young Christian women eager to grow. In her warm, personable style, Jayme offers expert advice on how to journey well with someone further along.

For Brenda Spahn, entrepreneur and businesswoman, wealth was a lifestyle - until a brush with the law threatened to send her to prison. In those dark moments, Brenda made a promise to God.

Spared incarceration, a renewed Brenda glimpsed into the lives of women serving time in one of the worst places in America - the JuliaTutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama. What she saw prompted a God-inspired vision. With a heart to help and a will that couldn't be crushed, Brenda fought the system and overcame tremendous obstacles to take ex-cons into her home.

None of us wants to be sidelined, stuck, shamed, or silenced. But the difficulties of life have a way of putting us in a corner, and we don't know how to move forward. We see brokenness in our communities, our relationships, and our spirits. It's so easy to blame ourselves or our circumstances, to get bogged down in discouragement and toxic thinking. But that's not what we were meant for, and that's not how God wants us to live.

On September 2, 2013, at the age of 64, Diana Nyad emerged onto the sands of Key West after swimming 111 miles, nation to nation, Cuba to Florida, in an epic feat of both endurance and human will, in 53 hours. Diana carried three poignant messages on her way across this stretch of shark-infested waters, and she spoke them to the crowd in her moment of final triumph.

Heavily tattooed and foul-mouthed, Nadia Bolz-Weber, a former stand-up comic, sure as hell didn't consider herself to be religious-leader material - until the day she ended up leading a friend's funeral in a smoky downtown comedy club. Surrounded by fellow alcoholics, depressives, and cynics, she realized: These were her people. Maybe she was meant to be their pastor. Using life stories, Nadia uses humorous narrative and poignant honesty to portray a woman who is both deeply faithful and deeply flawed, giving hope to the rest of us along the way.

Even women who feel fulfilled often struggle to meet the demands of modern life. Both working and stay-at-home moms agree that the expectations of women have risen dramatically in recent decades. As a result, many women overcompensate and over-apologize while the guilt dampens the joy of motherhood, relationships, and professional accomplishments. Let Go of the Guilt helps you peel back the layers of emotional, cultural, and spiritual expectations that make it difficult to navigate your multiple roles, dreams, and daily demands on your life.

Are you tired inside and out? Are you trying your best to measure up - yet you still feel as if you're losing ground and missing out on the best parts of life? You are not alone. Jennie Allen understands the daily struggle so many of us face with inadequacy and insecurity and the fear that we are not enough. And she invites us into a different experience, one in which our souls overflow with contentment and joy.

The world you live in promotes sex as the answer to just about everything. The pressure to go along with the crowd is greater than ever before, and it's easy to compromise in little ways that are a lot more harmful than they seem. You and your friends may become caught up in destructive relationships or sexual activities without even knowing how you got there. You just want to be normal - to fit in, to be liked, to look attractive to the opposite sex. But are you paying too high a price?

Secrets of the Happy Soul is your invitation into a deeper, more fruitful relationship with God and his word. As Katie walks you through key teachings from the book of Psalms, you will recognize how the world's definition of happiness pales compared to the daily delights God has in store for you.