Showing titles in Discipleship

James Bryan Smith reminds us how Scripture reveals the beauty and goodness of our own souls and how we long for healing that only God can provide. Complete with spiritual practices that help us live into that reality, The Good and Beautiful You will serve as a welcome companion on your journey to discover who you truly are in Christ.

We all encounter problems and challenges on a daily basis, ranging from small things—traffic, losing your keys, or running late—to much bigger issues—job insecurity, health issues, and relationship struggles. What should a believer in Christ do in the face of such adversities? Authors Lewis and Sarah Allen propose that while the world may teach us one way to approach challenges, there is a better way—complete dependence on Christ and pursuit of wise living.

Who is God? Why am I here? How should I live? These are a few of the crucial questions about life that must be answered. What’s exciting is that God has provided those answers in Scripture. In I Believe, Thom Rainer outlines the essentials of the Christian faith in a clear and succinct way. You’ll learn about prayer, church, angels, heaven, the Trinity, and much more. Listen to and discuss these Christian beliefs in a small group at your local church. It was within a church that Thom Rainer first experienced the power of these profound yet simple truths to utterly transform his life.

We know that in a fallen and broken world there will always be pain and poverty, sickness and sadness. Yet as followers of Christ, we are called to bring hope and healing to those who hurt. What, then, is our responsibility to alleviate human suffering this side of eternity? With so many needs everywhere we look, where do we start? The Least of These brings together a collection of respected Christian thought leaders to provide a multifaceted look at the body of Christ’s relationship and responsibility―both individual and corporate―to the marginalized of our society.

Doug Ruffle writes A Missionary Mindset using the timeless principles of E. Stanley Jones and transfers them for use today. Teaching us to approach the mission field as if we were from a different country and learning a new culture, a new way of communicating, and a new way to connect people to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We know the Bible repeats, “Do not fear,” but how do we do that? What do we do after we’ve cast our cares on the Lord, memorized Scripture, pumped worship music through every speaker, and yet still feel stuck? In P.S. It’s Gonna Be Good, writer and popular Instagram content creator Heidi Anderson offers a hope-filled response to these questions by using her own journey, as well as pointing us to God’s people who have come before us.

In volume 2 of this series, Mark Talbot explores Scripture’s account of the origin, spread, and eventual end of suffering, giving Christians the perspective they need to get through life’s difficult times. He encourages listeners to see themselves within the Bible’s storyline (creation, rebellion, redemption, and consummation), finding the courage to endure and taking comfort that God is at work for their good.

In Starved, popular author and teacher Amy Seiffert shows listeners how to stop ingesting spiritual junk food and offers simple and replenishing practices like silence, service, and Sabbath that can bring us closer to Jesus. She encourages us to put down our phones, set aside our pride, and let go of the hustle so that we can receive a spiritual diet change that will leave us delightfully content, spiritually healthy, and free to experience the goodness of Jesus.

It's very important to assess our spiritual life from time to time and strengthen this beautiful relationship with the Lord, Jesus-Christ. This sacrificial death of Jesus happened only for one reason: To reconcile the world with the Master of the Universe. Our spiritual health depends greatly on our spiritual wealth for God is Spirit. The questions to ask to yourself are the followings: Can you testify about Jesus? And if so, Who do I say that He is? Amen.

En el caos de nuestro día a día, puede ser difícil vivir y aplicar las verdades de las Escrituras. Queremos más de Jesús, pero nos encontramos buscando en nuestras propias vidas y nuestros propios logros nuestro valor e identidad. Y aunque esto puede mantenernos a flote por un tiempo, a menudo terminamos agotadas, desanimadas y anhelando más.

Pastor and scholar Christopher Wright invites us to live a life in step with the Spirit by cultivating the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These nine chapters, each addressing a different fruit, each conclude with questions for contemplation or discussion. Feed on the Word of God, grow in Christlikeness, and live a fruitful life.

Filled with practical insights and tangible takeaways, this book will help you discern how the Lord has uniquely equipped you—and for what purpose. You'll also learn how to master and maximize your gifts and discover how to joyfully carry out His call on your life each and every day.

With these practices, you’ll become increasingly comfortable and confident in working through your inner experiences in real time. Instead of burning out, you can follow the lead of Jesus toward a sustainable, fulfilling life.

Why do we buy what we buy, vote the way we vote, eat what we eat, and say what we say? Why do we have the friends we have, and work and play as we do? It's our choice? Yes, but there are forces, often unseen, that shape every decision we make and every action we take. These hidden, life-shaping values and ideas are not promoted through organized religions or rival philosophies but fostered by cultural habits, lifestyles and the institutional structures of society.

Have you ever been absolutely fired up for God? So often, we attend high-energy events and impassioned church services that leave us feeling so overcome and in love with God. But a few days go by, and we fall back into living our lives just like before. We assume a plateaued relationship with God is normal and that a life of on-fire faith is only possible in certain situations. Jonni Nicole Parsons understands this disconnect all too well. In her debut book, Ignited, Jonni explores what we need to change in our quest for a sustainable passionate faith.

We live in a world of options, where we might do this or that if we feel like it. But for followers of Jesus, certain things are not optional, but necessary. Bishop Claude Alexander unpacks the Gospels' statements of what Jesus said he must do. He must be about his Father's business. He must go through Samaria. He must go to Jerusalem. Life in God is less about what you could do, and more about what you must do. Contrary to the life of the optional, accidental, and haphazard, the believer is called to live with a sense of divine necessity. No maybes about it.

The market is flooded with books, conferences, and workshops on how to be a better leader. In most companies, leaders are noticed and applauded while followers are often viewed as weak and passive. However, Scripture tells us a different story; although leadership is valued and respected, being obedient followers of Christ is at the very heart of faith. In The Call to Follow, Richard Langer and Joanne J. Jung teach listeners that "followership" is essential to both organizational and spiritual flourishing.

Friendship: it's one of the simplest of human relationships in comparison to marriage or family relationships, yet it's one of the least understood and practiced. This is the core of biblical friendship, and what sets it apart from what the world is offering: it all flows from Jesus Christ. Friendship finds its origin, purpose, and power in Jesus. Our human friendships then must be shaped by this life-changing truth. Biblical friendship is deep, honest, pure, transparent, and liberating. Dig into this book, and learn how your friendships can embody this amazing and wonderful reality.

What is the nature, calling, and work of local church leadership? Pastor and seminary professor David Mathis considers the elder qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 not only as prerequisites but as daily necessities to carry out joyfully. This accessible guide aims to serve current and aspiring pastors and elders, as well as church members who want to know the expectations for their leaders and how to pray for them.

Toward the end of the fourth century, a group of men and women began to withdraw from the halls of privilege and power into the desert to rediscover the essence of Jesus Christ. The stories and examples of these desert fathers and mothers are recorded for us. The desert fathers and mothers found a way to live radically, humanly, and beautifully in a spiritually desolate and confusing time. So can we. Streams in the Wasteland is for all those who thirst for a better way—the radical way of Jesus amid the desert of our age.