Showing titles in Spiritual Growth

"I'm tired of helping others enjoy God―I just want to enjoy God for myself." With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Each chapter includes a spiritual practice to ensure your soul gets the nourishment it needs. Forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God is the best choice you can make for yourself and for those you lead.

Everything around us is striking evidence that God exists, that he once appeared in human form, spoke to us directly and made us for a specific purpose. Wherever you are in life—whether you’re a person of faith, a skeptic, or something else—this book is an invitation to find and embrace the radiant, resilient, relevant person you were created to be. From three-time Emmy Award winner, bestselling author, and former ABC News science editor Dr. Michael Guillen comes a book of fascinating and inspiring daily essays that explore the astonishing scientific facts about the universe in a new way.

When you fast, your spirit becomes uncluttered by the things of this world and amazingly sensitive to the things of God. Once you've experienced even a glimpse of this and the countless rewards and blessings that follow, it changes your entire perspective. Jentezen Franklin gives you the keys to experiencing this kind of transformation in Fasting, one of the best and most comprehensive books available on the topic.

In John 15, Jesus says, "I have called you friends." But what does it mean to be friends with Jesus? In the early 1650s, theologian John Owen attempted to answer this question through a series of sermons, eventually compiled as Communion with God. The book is full of truths about having fellowship with God, but Owen's work is often a struggle for modern readers/listeners to understand.

While Jesus offers forgiveness for believers who sin, Scripture makes it clear that Christians are to pursue obedience and holiness. So what does it mean to walk in a manner that's "worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Phil. 1:27), and how should that look in the life of a Christ follower? In this short, accessible guide, theologian Sinclair Ferguson explains the importance of living worthy of the gospel, why the principle is often forgotten, and how it's cultivated.

All of us are in desperate need of strength to endure and hope to carry on. Life is difficult and demanding. It's often filled with pain, heartaches, setbacks, and detours. Disappointments in others sadden us, scandals among those we respect shock us, and disputes in our families, churches, or workplaces demoralize us. When such troubles strike, they can be downright devastating. But they don't have to be! In Clinging to Hope, Chuck Swindoll reassures us that we can endure unexpected calamities.

A Disruptive Faith is A. W. Tozer's teaching on what he termed "faith that perturbs"—faith that contradicts the unbelieving man and threatens the complacency of the Christian. The renowned pastor and teacher insists in this book that genuine faith breeds dissatisfaction with this life, by God's design; it weans us from this temporary life and prepares us for the life to come. Listeners will learn to be content with this faith-inspired discontent and to experience a fresh hope for eternity with God.

As a busy mom, pulled in many directions, you've felt it: There's too much to do, and not enough time to do it. It seems like the only solution is to hustle harder. But there's a far better way to manage your time so that you can simplify and enjoy your life. Crystal Paine—mom of six, bestselling author, and entrepreneur—delivers a real-world, no-nonsense guide to keeping you sane and doing the things you love most.

Culture is doing its best to convince the world there is nothing special about Jesus. And many Christians never get beyond a Sunday school understanding of their own faith. As a result, Christianity's most important historical fact—the resurrection—is often the most misunderstood, relegated to Easter and funeral services, creating a powerless Christianity. In Body of Proof, acclaimed apologist and scholar Dr. Jeremiah Johnston sets out to show why Jesus's victory over death is central to a believer's faith.

"Life is largely a matter of expectation." Roman poet Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus), who coined the phrase "Carpe diem" or "Seize the day," seems to suggest that from the moment we rise each morning to the moment we lay down to sleep, we are filled with expectation. Yet, others would disagree, asserting that it is best to live without expectations in order to avoid painful disappointment. I submit to you that we can neither live without expectation or disappointment. So, that leaves us with the need to learn to manage our expectations and minimize disappointment.

Some books on how to read the Bible are academically informative, but their rationality can make God seem distant. Other books are spiritually vibrant but provide few tools that truly help God's people read the Bible better. Readers need a guide that combines the academic with the spiritual—that integrates textual analysis with the illuminating and transformational work of the Holy Spirit.

There are many misconceptions about what it means to be humble. Some think that being humble means hiding your talents and abilities or being weak and inauthentic. But the Bible paints a different picture—defining humility as a self-forgetfulness leading to joy and explaining that it is a life-giving virtue that frees you from the restricting needs of your ego. In Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness, Gavin Ortlund encourages listeners that humility is not just an abstract virtue but a mark of gospel integrity.

All My Knotted-Up Life is a beautifully crafted portrait of resilience and survival, a poignant reminder of God’s enduring faithfulness, and proof positive that if we ever truly took the time to hear people’s full stories . . . we’d all walk around slack-jawed.

In a society where raging narcissism dominates the moral landscape, the virtue of humility is often dismissed as irrelevant. Not only is humility vanishing from contemporary culture, but we are also witnessing how destructive a lack of humility has become among our churches and ministry leaders. And yet, Richard Foster, the founder of Renovare, insists that humility is central to the journey toward character formation and spiritual transformation. For this reason he decided to spend a year studying the virtue of humility.

Bestselling author and leading prophetic voice Cindy Jacobs is known for her penetrating and accurate words. Now this trusted, proven prophet is sharing what she's learned in her decades of frontline ministry experience. Laying out a biblical examination of the gift of prophecy, she gives you a clear picture of what prophecy is and how it works.

This book is a manual for becoming the kind of man God intends for you to be, and leading other men to do the same. Taking ten qualities from the Apostle Paul's short letter to his mentee Titus, The Titus Ten will help you grow in your understanding of the gospel, your identity, your character, your doctrine, and more. Each chapter includes questions for reflection and discussion, to both process the way the Lord is growing you, and read in a group with other men. As you grow in these areas of your life, you'll become the kind of man God desires to use in the world.

Rediscover the joy, power, and intimacy of prayer in On Our Knees, a forty-day devotional that illuminates the power of being with God―inspired by Dove Award-winning worship music artist Phil Wickham's hit song "Battle Belongs."

Christians belong to God's own family. This promise is difficult for some people to believe, and even for some believers to remember in their day-to-day struggles with shame or regret. But it's repeated throughout the Bible, reflected in Christ's genealogy, and true of the church today; God's family is filled with broken people whose stories are a testament to his staggering love. In He Is Not Ashamed, Erik Raymond takes a close look at the "family portrait" of God and shows that God is not repelled by anyone's shameful past, but delights to redeem and receive those who believe in him.

What comes to mind when you think about prayer? Does it feel like something for holy people but not for you? Or like a mystical experience you could never hope to achieve in real life? Or maybe just a boring duty with little payoff? In this book, author and pastor Chad Veach demystifies the concept of prayer by explaining in practical terms what prayer looks like in our day-to-day lives. It turns out, it's not hard! This passionate, personal approach to prayer removes the pressure to "pray right" and replaces it with the calm assurance that God wants to hear from us.

Profoundly influenced by his long friendship with Dallas Willard, and his experience guiding people through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius for the last thirty years, Trevor Hudson offers you a practical tool kit for your seeking journey. Designed to help you move beyond insight to encounter the living God in your life, each chapter invites you to experience the crucified and risen Christ.