Showing results by narrator "LIsa Larsen" in All Categories

Author Deborah Roth Ledley is a mother of two and a clinical psychologist who specializes in anxiety disorders and works with new mothers. In this book she introduces six simple strategies to handle the inevitable stress we all experience during the first year of motherhood.

Everyone experiences pain at times. It can manifest physically, emotionally, relationally, or spiritually. It can follow tragic accidents, great loss, sudden betrayal, or unexpected and unwanted change. Often it is temporary. But what do you do when it isn't? When the pain just won't go away, when healing does not come, when the grief and hurt settle in? Drawing on her own experience of chronic pain and her years as a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, Dr. Michelle Bengtson provides a countercultural perspective on pain.

First came the shocking story of Rainey Paxton being born addicted to heroin and the sacrifices she made to accommodate her parents’ reckless lifestyle. Now comes the terrifying, extraordinary novel that picks up after Rainey’s release from juvenile detention. With no money and lost in a section of North Philadelphia dominated by gangs and violence, Rainey won’t accept that it may be too late to save Ivy. Instead, she pushes all limits to fight for her sister, surrendering herself to keep her vow.

Hundreds of women studied and interpreted the Bible between the years 100-2000 CE, but their stories have remained largely untold. In this book, Schroeder and Taylor introduce listeners to the notable contributions of female commentators through the centuries. They unearth fascinating accounts of Jewish and Christian women from diverse communities—rabbinic experts, nuns, mothers, mystics, preachers, teachers, suffragists, and household managers—who interpreted Scripture through their writings.

Rainey Paxton was born addicted to heroin. In the fragile first hours of Rainey’s life, hospital doctors and nurses fight to keep her alive. Several months later, she is released into her parents' custody, where she is forced to live on neglect and tainted breast milk. Constrained in her home infested with drug addicts and drifters, Rainey’s drug-addicted parents leave little hope for her protection. While Rainey is still an infant, her aunt Sophie visits her and finds the baby dirty and hungry. A bond forms between the two until tragedy strikes. 

When Mia Sinclair-Kroner wakes from a coma, all she can remember are the movies she’s known and loved. Her college friends quickly assemble for a weekend party, in an effort to help her remember. But with old friends come old wounds, and it soon becomes clear that Mia’s accident might not have been an accident at all.

Discontent easily arises when our desires aren't met and our plans don't come true—but this is a dangerous path that drives us away from God. While the world insists that satisfying our desires is the path to fulfillment, this daily devotional teaches us the value of seeking contentment instead, providing practical approaches to cultivating thankfulness in specific life circumstances that make discontent easy.

What if we viewed reading as not just a personal hobby or a pleasurable indulgence but a spiritual practice that deepens our faith? In Reading for the Love of God, award-winning author Jessica Hooten Wilson does just that—and then shows listeners how to reap the spiritual benefits of reading. She argues that the simple act of reading can help us learn to pray well, love our neighbor, be contemplative, practice humility, and disentangle ourselves from contemporary idols.

The bitter conflict between the Union and Confederacy, spanning four terrible years from 1861 to 1865, brought the United States of America to the brink of annihilation. A war based on perceived tyranny and rebellion gave birth to many contradictions, where deceit ran rampant on both sides. Within this environment, it is known that at least four hundred women enlisted as soldiers under the pretense of being men, from both the North and South. Brave men who gave their lives for either side were not the war’s only heroes, and this story is dedicated to these remarkable women.

Glenna Marshall's awakening to God's presence began in the depths of winter. Rereading her journal, she realized that for six months she'd been cataloging all the ways God had abandoned her. What if that . . . wasn't true? Interweaving her own story of faith and doubt amid suffering, Glenna traces the theme of God's presence from Genesis to Revelation and shows what it means for us in our own daily joys and struggles.

Parents and children need a lot of help from the One who is perfect and who understands our need: God himself. Peace and Scott emphasize your family's most important relationship: your relationship with God.

When Lorri Walker’s husband gifted her with a mastiff puppy on Valentine’s Day, she believed he was recommitting himself to their marriage after going astray. Six months later, he left both her and their dog for someone else. Since her recent move to Dalton Mill to unbraid herself from the past, Lorri’s graphic-design business is now flourishing; her growing mastiff, Mister, has plenty of space to romp; and her ex in Raleigh can fade to a distant memory.

As a parent, your heart's desire is to guide your children to love and follow God. Yet so many voices are offering help and advice. Whose voice should shape your children? Sally and Clay Clarkson suggest the answer is as simple as it is powerful: yours. They will show you how to use your own words to shape your child's life for Christ. The biblical principles and wisdom they offer, drawn from their years of raising four children and mentoring parents worldwide, will equip you as a word-giving parent.

As a mom, you want to nurture a strong family, but fear steals your joy. Jennifer Pepito was intent on loving her children well, but fear and worry pushed her around. Ultimately, she found her joy in a most surprising place: the pages of classic literature she was reading aloud to her children every day. These stories helped her reclaim the wonder of childhood for herself and her children. In Mothering by the Book, Jennifer takes you on a fascinating, whimsical journey that will bring freedom and fun to your parenting—one great book at a time.

Too often, fatness has been viewed as a moral failing. Fat Christian women in particular are shamed and marginalized by the message that they are failing God because they can't change their bodies. More of You will challenge that status quo, teaching listeners to resist the shame and guilt that is pressed onto them by the world and instead to embrace their bodies, take up space, and learn to navigate the world in ways that allow them to flourish. With wit and candor, Amanda Martinez Beck compiles her hard-won wisdom to give the skinny on thriving in a fat body.

After being humiliated in front of her entire hometown of Moose Knuckle, New Hampshire, Hadley Mortimer heads south to lick her wounds—all the way to the island of Devil's Beach, Florida, where she's opened her first business, Give Me Chills, an artisan ice-cream truck. After a couple of weeks, she's living the cream and has even met a gorgeous guy named Zander, who seems to appreciate more than her soft-serve cones. When Zander asks her to bring an ice-cream cake to his great-aunt's funeral, Hadley overhears two people talking about murder.

What is the difference between the kid who struggles to "adult" and the one who jumps in feet first, ready to thrive? It all comes down to mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets. Either we as parents raise kids who are dependent on us or we raise kids who are confident, capable, and eager to take on the challenges of an independent adult life.

Step into the transformative life God invites you to enjoy, using the wisdom of the Enneagram paired with fresh tools and insights. “If you long to be free from the coping mechanisms that keep you stuck, this is the book for you!”—Amy Wicks, Enneagram life coach for female entrepreneurs...

"I don't care for vocational books written in the United States; they're too American." When Susan Maros heard this comment from a Malaysian colleague, she was initially taken aback. Isn't the concept of calling universal? Why wouldn't resources with a biblical perspective on vocation apply to everyone? The reality is that each of us encounters our questions of calling from within a particular context.

Pastor Tara Beth Leach continues, "I hated that I was marked by fear," reflecting on how fear and anxiety can plague a Six - whether they are pulling back from or diving right in to the things that feel threatening. She explores what it means for her to be a redeemed Six who is allowing Jesus to transform her a little at a time.