Showing results for "Unexpected" in Spiritual Growth

Encouragement and practical steps from bestselling author Christine Caine to help you move from anxiety about the unexpected to embracing confident faith in a good God. Is it possible to have peace in an uncertain world? To not only expect the unexpected but embrace it? Most of us want to have...

Many of us have our "go to" verses. The ones we memorize, post on social media, and hang on our walls. But sometimes we need a fresh word or promise for the season we find ourselves in - something that ignites our faith in the face of fear, doubt, loneliness, insecurity, or overwhelming circumstances. In this powerful, accessible new audiobook, author and speaker Laurie Short mines the Scriptures, revealing insights and promises from 40 verses we often overlook. Digging in to these "in between" verses, she unearths fresh wisdom, guidance, and encouragement.

Life is an unpredictable journey full of twists and turns. The good news is that while we don’t always know what’s going to happen, we can always trust that God uses everything in our lives as an invitation to rely on him more deeply and completely. In this audio Bible study, bestselling...

Happiness and purpose—we work ceaselessly for them, but what does God have to say about our efforts? Through engaging and encouraging stories about serving the people of Uganda, Unexpected Joy challenges us to move beyond achievement and self-reliance and instead embrace a life of sincere obedience and joy. With wisdom and wit, author Kelly C. Miller balances foundational Christian doctrine with real-life experiences. Through the lens of his personal story, you will discover how the joy God offers is not a future prize to be earned but a gift to be received right now.

How does a pro-choice doctor who once performed abortions for Planned Parenthood wind up on the opposite side of this embattled issue? Dr. Patricia Giebink was overpowered by God’s perspective at a healing conference, becoming a pro-life advocate who repented before millions for doing abortions. As the author tells her emotional story, you'll come away with a new understanding of the complexity of life, the risks of abortion, the power of prayer, and the greatness of God’s love and forgiveness - which is big enough to cover the pain of all affected by this controversial procedure.

Jillian Benfield was living life in the spotlight as a TV journalist, but after receiving a life-altering diagnosis for her unborn son, she realized no camera-ready outfit could dress up her grief. Overcoming this unexpected circumstance wasn't an option. She would have to undergo it instead. In doing so, she discovered who she was and who God wanted her to become.

Sam Wegner believed he was handling the burden of his wife's battle with breast cancer well, but when the disease metastasized and becam incurable, the weight of waiting for the inevitable crushed him. Overwhelmed, he turned to the Scriptures for relief only to uncover a surprising truth: waiting is an inescapable component of God's design for spiritual growth.

In Finding Joy on Death Row: Unexpected Lessons from Lives We Discarded, Williams journeys into the hearts and minds of those sentenced to death, illuminating for listeners the ways in which the human spirit can suffer—and soar. Finding Joy on Death Row includes dozens of statements from those facing capital punishment. The testimonies and contemplations of those sentenced to die offer listeners a unique opportunity to hear from individuals whose lives are marked by their looming execution. And yet these prisoners have—in the midst of grim circumstances—managed to find joy.

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...

You count a pregnancy by weeks, and Kayla Aimee had ticked off only 24 of the 40 when she unexpectedly went into labor. She thought her church upbringing had prepared her for every circumstance, but when tragedy struck and threatened to take the life of her newborn daughter, it felt as though once-solid ground had turned to glass beneath her feet, destined to shatter everything she held sacred. When swept into a story of suffering, we all find ourselves vulnerable, questioning everything we thought we knew as we wonder, "Where is God in this?"

With an understanding voice that will speak into your own circumstances, Kristen Strong walks beside you along the less traveled but more satisfying third way - the back road way - to belonging: remaining in Christ and relaxing into the unique role God has for you. Along the way, you will learn simple, doable actions that not only will help you feel and know that you belong but will welcome others in as well.

Most of us are regular people who have good days and bad days. Our lives are radically ordinary and unexciting. That means they're the kind of lives God gets excited about. While the world worships beauty and power and wealth, God hides his glory in the simple, the mundane, the foolish, working in unawesome people, things, and places.

In Giving Is the Good Life, best-selling author Randy Alcorn teaches life-changing biblical principles of generosity and tells stories of people who have put those radical principles into practice. Each story is a practical application that can help stimulate your imagination and expand your dreams of serving Jesus in fresh ways. These real-life models give you not just words to remember but footprints to follow.

Despite protests and warnings from friends and family, author Madeleine L’Engle, at the age of seventy-four, embarked on a rafting trip to Antarctica. Her journey through the startling beauty of the continent led her to write Penguins and Golden Calves, a captivating discussion of how opening oneself up to icons, or everyday “windows to God,” leads to the development of a rich and deeply spiritual faith.

Christians are supposed to be “the light of the world.” Yet we seem to spend most of our time stumbling in the dark. We want answers carved in stone, and instead we get uncertainty. We want a clearly marked path and a panoramic view of the future, and God gives us only fleeting glimpses of what lies ahead—and just enough light to take the next step.

Using extraordinary stories from his own life and the lives of others, Yaconelli offers a narrative journey through ways in which disappointments have turned into gifts. In this audio is a wealth of spiritual practices that will carry us deeper into the grace we find in unexpected places.

What would you do if you met someone you thought just might be one of Jesus' original disciples still living in the 21st century? That's Jake's dilemma as he meets a man who talks of Jesus as if he had known him, and whose way of living challenges everything Jake had previously known. So You Don't Want to Go To Church Anymore is Jake's compelling journal that chronicles 13 conversations with his newfound friend over a four-year period and how those exchanges turn Jake's world upside-down.

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.

Jim was never a religious man. When it came to matters of God and faith, he was ambivalent. But as he lay in the hospital bed, clinically dead for more than 11 hours, his consciousness was transported to the wonders of Heaven and the horrors of hell. When he returned to this world, he brought back the missing piece his soul had been longing for.

In Jesus Everywhere, author Kariss Farris shares bite-size devotions birthed from her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, and business owner. Jam-packed with reflection questions, encouraging prayers, and scriptural insights, this book will inspire you to take inventory of each day and boldly act on the wisdom you've gained as a servant and daughter of the God Most High.