Showing results for "If...." in Spiritual Growth

What would it mean for your life if Jesus really did rise from the dead? There are some things which, if they are true, change everything. If Jesus rose from the dead, it would transform what we think of God and how we see ourselves. We could make sense of some of the deepest mysteries of our existence and enjoy real hope in our everyday lives. But can a rational person actually believe that Jesus rose from the dead?

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us. In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a...

You don't have to be controlled by difficult people! Strange as it may seem, other people are not nearly as committed to our happiness as we are. In fact, sometimes it seems like they’re on a mission to make us miserable! There’s always that one person. The one who hijacks our emotions. The one who seems to thrive on drama. If we could just “fix” that person, everything would be better. But we can’t fix other people. We can only make choices about ourselves.

For marine biologist Rachel Jordan, both science and Scripture are means of knowing creation and Creator. In If the Ocean Has a Soul, Rachel considers the natural world through a spiritual lens, meshing marine biology with biblical truths in a keen and current take on faith and science. In these chapters, Rachel recounts fascinating aquatic phenomena alongside the sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic stories of animals she has known.

Pharisaism is one of the sins that angered Jesus the most. Yet we are often in bondage to it without realizing it. How can we recognize the warning signs in our own hearts and lives and be set free? Do you consider yourself a better Christian than others? Do you enjoy pointing out others’ faults while ignoring your own? Do you fail to practice what you preach? If so, you might be a Pharisee - a modern-day version of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day whom he condemned for their legalism and self-righteousness.

Dodie Osteen, mother of Joel Osteen, gives readers a personal account of her extraordinary life and shares what she has learned about love, faith, and family. As the wife of forty-four years to the late Pastor John Osteen, founder of Lakewood Church, Dodie Osteen stood as a wife, mother, and...

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us. In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a...

So much of our belief can be formulaic. We often think that if we do A, B, and C, then God will do X, Y, and Z. We check things off the “Good Christian Checklist,” trusting we’ll be okay, and our trials will be minimal. But when our experiences inevitably deviate from that belief, our trust in God often crumbles. After a series of life-altering trials—including a devastating diagnosis—uncovering faith in the cracks of pain is something Kristen LaValley knows well.

A beloved pastor and a New York Times bestselling author examine scripture and share inspiring personal stories to help show the important role that Jesus’ resurrection plays in our everyday lives. The Son of God was crucified, died and buried, and He lay in the tomb for three days—until He...

In a world that tells us to fit the mold instead of breaking it, struggling with mental health isn't a weakness. It's inevitable. When you feel like you must hustle harder and the stress is wearing you down, it can be hard to just breathe. But author Jennifer Renee Watson offers an encouraging word in What If You're Doing Better Than You Think?: Finding Courage and Confidence When Life Gets Messy. She explains that struggles are an invitation to pay attention to your need for self-care and restructure your life to work for you, not against you.

How do you worship God even if life isn’t going the way you had hoped? “Even If is not some bumper sticker to display, but a daring commitment to live.”—Kyle Idleman, senior pastor of Southeast Christian Church “I believe we will see more resilient people in the face of suffering...

The Cure gives the diagnosis of this century’s religious obsession with sin-management. It has poisoned the Church, obscuring the Original Good News and sending millions away-wounded, angry and cynical, from nearly any organized expression of faith. The Cure offers an authentic experience in Christ that frees some from a self-rewarded righteousness, and others from a beaten down striving for a righteousness they can never seem to attain. The Cure infuses a relational theology of grace and identity, which alone can heal, free and create sustainable, genuine, loving, life-giving communities.

Life doesn't always go the way we hope it will. Whether it's singleness, childlessness, or some other big disappointment, it's hard to be content when life lets us down. Author Jennie Pollock knows what it's like to feel discontent. Drawing on encouragements from the Bible and the stories of others, this book helps listeners to trust in God's plan for their lives and enjoy true contentment through a genuine conviction that Jesus is better than even our most keenly felt hopes and longings for this life.

In What If Jesus Was Serious about Justice?, Skye Jethani explores what the Bible really says about God's restorative justice and how he punishes evil and rewards good. Jethani examines the biblical understanding of justice as the restoration of right relationships both among people and between people and God. He considers themes of judgment and mercy in Jesus's ministry and explains Jesus's warnings about God's final judgment of those opposed to his kingdom of justice.

Have you ever wondered…whether God exists? whether life has meaning? Whether pain and suffering have a purpose? This audiobook is my invitation to sit down with C. S. Lewis and me to think about some of the persistent questions and dilemmas every person faces in life. We’ll explore Lewis’s thoughts on everything from friendships to heaven, from the reasons for faith to the power of stories.

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.

I'd Like You More If You Were More like Me takes on one of life's most important questions: How can I get closer to God and other people? We were created for deep connections. When people have deep connections, says John Ortberg, they win in life. When they don't have deep connections, they cannot win in life. I'd Like You More If You Were More like Me offers help in overcoming one of the biggest obstacles to making deep connections: the fact that we're so different. Different from God and different from each other.

Popular Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll invites you on a journey through Scripture, exploring the hope the Bible offers to those who are dealing with life’s unexpected detours. Life can be humming along as usual, and then in a matter of seconds, everything falls apart. Maybe you have experienced sudden loss. Perhaps there is a heart-breaking betrayal. Maybe you are taking care of a family member with a disability and you never imagined in a million years that you would be doing such a thing.

In a culture that views absolute truth as a fixture of the past, it is necessary to have a deeper explanation of the hope available to us in Jesus. If this explanation is indeed plausible and the Bible is true, then the implications for how we live are nothing short of profound!

These poignant writings about the defining moments in many women's lives represent a variety of different cultural, ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds. Each woman reflects on the difficult choices she's had to make, and whether she'd do things differently if given the chance. The evocative, universal stories of challenges and conflicts touch on issues we can all relate to, including marriage, children, relationships, aging, and career choices.