Showing results for "Open" in Christian Living

First published in 1986, Open Mind, Open Heart remains one of the best introductions to contemplative prayer. Father Thomas Keating discusses the history of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition, and introduces the listener to the practice of centering prayer as a spiritual discipline.

Could the struggles you face be linked to spiritual portals—some bringing blessings and others unleashing bondage and destruction? Spiritual Portals is more than a book—it's a wake-up call to the unseen realities around you and a battle plan for taking control of your spiritual atmosphere. The battle between good and evil is real, and believers must be spiritually aware and equipped to stand firm.

It wasn't the end of the world. It was just the end of Emma Jameson's world. Fresh off the heels of a devastating breakup and floundering in her career, Emma is struggling to come to grips with why God allows so much pain in our lives, why he seems so absent when she needs him most, and why the Gospel accounts - our supposed guide for how to lead a contented Christian life - feel so completely irrelevant.

Globally recognized best-selling author and senior leader of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, Bill Johnson is a revivalist at heart. In his time at Bethel, the church community has experienced what can only be called a perpetual, continuous outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In this landmark book, Pastor Bill teaches from his experience as the shepherd of this movement, imparting his own passion for revival along with practical wisdom for sustaining a move of God on both a personal and corporate level.

The Church Cracked Open invites us to surrender privilege and redefine church, not just for the sake of others, but for our own salvation and liberation.

Ask most anyone and they would say they desire honest, authentic, "real" relationships. Yet few of us experience the soul-level connection we long for with other human beings, let alone God. Fear and pride drive us to mask our truest selves, leaving us perpetually disconnected, hidden, and lonely. God made us for something profoundly better: an open-hearted, courageous honesty that liberates us from a life of guardedness and self-protection and has the power to radically transform our approach to Christian community.

Discover how yielding ourselves wholly to God, especially in the midst of challenging circumstances, lends new purpose to our lives. “Vivian Mabuni is a kind and trustworthy guide through one of adulthood’s secrets: life doesn’t go like you thought it would.”—Jen Hatmaker, New York...

Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does he do in our lives? How can we know him more deeply, and is it possible to tap in to his power? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to be aware of his promptings and speaking into our lives? Dr. Scot McKnight answers these questions and more in this comprehensive examination of what the Bible says about this divinely important but often confusing member of the Trinity.

As a teenager, Kristin Berry had heard all the horror stories surrounding foster care and adoption - abuse, neglect, rejection, anger, and misunderstandings. But instead of closing her heart, God opened it wide. This is Kristin's honest, unvarnished story of some of her experiences as a foster parent of 23 children over the course of nine years. What she learned is that living in a foster home is like living with a revolving door. You never know who will arrive or who you will have to say goodbye to. Leaving the door open means there will be heartache and pain, but also adventure and unexpected joy.

For many of us women, inviting people into our lives and homes feels like inviting judgement of our entertaining skills and stress on our already maxed-out schedules. But what if you knew that opening your front door was a simple and radical way to change the world? Jen Schmidt is determined to prove it to you. She has set out to reframe how we think about hospitality and to encourage us to walk a road of welcome in our everyday lives. She aims to shatter the image of model homes and model lives, replacing it with relatable, everyday invitations.

From the founder of This Gathered Nest YouTube channel, an uplifting story of Angela Braniff's unusual path to becoming the mother to seven children through various methods of adoption and biological approaches, encouraging women and mothers to embrace the unique purpose that God has put in...

We know the Bible is important, but many of us struggle with it. We're not biblical experts—though we may have started enough reading plans to be really familiar with Genesis. If we're honest, the Bible often intimidates us, confuses us, and reading it doesn't always thrill us. And yet, the Bible is where God reveals his loving character and incredible plan of redemption. In a practical and engaging manner, Matt Smethurst—managing editor of The Gospel Coalition—presents nine heart postures that will prepare you to unpack all that's awaiting you in God's Word.

기독교출판문화상을 저자 전광 목사의 『행복의 문을 여는 열쇠, 평생감사』. 감사할수록 감사할 이유가 늘어나는 놀라운 감사 법칙의 비밀을 공개하고 있다.

Many bemoan the decline of the church. We hear a steady stream of reports about how droves of people, especially younger generations, are abandoning Christianity. But new research shows that unchurched Americans are surprisingly more receptive and open to the Christian faith than is commonly assumed. Researcher and practitioner Rick Richardson unveils the findings of the Billy Graham Center Institute's groundbreaking studies on the unchurched.

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith and Lori Stanley Roeleveld enter a transparent and open dialogue about race, privilege, bias, and discrimination. As you witness the real-time process of meaningful discussion, you'll see how these women model healthy conversations—giving voice to pain without blame, expressing anger without ridicule, and asking questions without guilt.

Very rarely in the Bible does God command someone to "stay". He opens a door, and then he invites us to walk through it—into the unknown. And how we choose to respond will ultimately determine the lives we will lead and the people we will become. In fact, to fail to embrace the open door is to miss the work God has made for us to do. In All the Places to Go...How Will You Know?, best-selling author John Ortberg opens our eyes to the countless doors God places before us every day.

We all long for homes where we can thrive and flourish. What does it take to have a spiritually vibrant household? Don Everts invites us to contemplate what the Bible says about households and consider what a new research project has revealed by pulling back the curtains on everyday households of faith. Original research from the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries shows that some of the healthiest, most vibrant homes extend beyond the nuclear family and include people that may not be biologically related but feel like family.

Christine Wagoner, a senior leader with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, invites listeners to be attentive to the movements of the spirit and engage with opportunities God gives them. She shares about her own yes moments as well as those of others. And she offers practical tools for moving toward yes. There is a significant journey that gets us from no to yes. It is a profound journey of heart, soul, and mind. A journey filled with risk, excitement, pain, and joy. A journey of growing our character and knowing God intimately.

If your relationship with God and your family are the most important in your life, you'll find joy and inspiration in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, an affirming collection of stories for those who realize the miracles that result when you open your heart to Christ.

Why is the message of the cross such an object of offense, stumbling, and foolishness to so many? It is a narrow message that defies human logic in its simplicity. It also reveals that our efforts merit us no place or favor in God’s Kingdom. Yet Bayless Conley shows why the message of the cross is also fundamentally God’s loving open door to mercy, grace, and eternal joy for all who come.