Have you ever been in a place where everything is falling apart, but you felt peace? That is called the Weird Place and people arrive at this place more than one can know. Shon Powers takes a spiritual journey through his teen years, military service, and more recent trials in order to uplift others. He also uses simple rules and fictional illustrations to tell others that they are never alone in this life. Throughout the passages, readers will be introduced to his alter ego, The Ol' Gray Duck.
Have you ever been in a place where everything is falling apart, but you felt peace? That is called the Weird Place and people arrive at this place more than one can know. Shon Powers takes a spiritual journey through his teen years, military service, and more recent trials in order to uplift others. He also uses simple rules and fictional illustrations to tell others that they are never alone in this life. Throughout the passages, readers will be introduced to his alter ego, The Ol' Gray Duck.
A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.
Jesus is different. Go and do likewise. Many Christians have become comfortable letting the world mold them instead of being set apart by God. And many churches have traded in their biblical roots for complacent conventionality. But Jesus and the church are anything but conventional. The hallmark of our faith is that it sees the world differently than the world sees itself. We are called to be eccentric—off center, unique, different; not conformed to the patterns of the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds. By the grace of God we are not only dissatisfied by sin but increasingly uncompelled by conventionality. So resist the allure of acceptability. Get back to the unsafe roots of our faith. Be equipped to surprise the world with the Good News it didn’t even know it was waiting for. Challenge the way things are by living a life that has been truly set free by Christ.
Do you long for something more in your relationship with God? The good news is that “something more” does not mean “doing more.” God is not waiting for you to get your spiritual life “right.” He wants to be with you right where you are. The real question is not “What does God want from you?” but “What does God want for you?” Sharon Jaynes understands what it’s like to have a “glory ache”—a longing to experience God’s presence on a daily basis. She also knows how easily working for God can get in the way of intimacy with God. And she’s discovered that we tend to make our faith journey much too hard. In A Sudden Glory, Sharon uses Scripture and story to help you erase the line between your “spiritual life” and your “daily life” as you enter the sanctuary of God’s presence even in the middle of your busy, messy day. Here you will find your eyes opened to moments of sudden glory in which the Creator assures you of His love as you live and move and have your being in Him. Here you will discover true freedom—the freedom of experiencing God in a deeper and more intimate way than ever before. Includes Bible study and discussion guide.
Is it possible that good things can come out of our broken dreams? Worship leader and recording artist Laura Story’s life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Martin, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Their lives would never be the same. Yes, with God all things are possible. But the devastating news was that no cure existed to restore Martin’s short-term memory, eyesight, and other complications. The fairy-tale life Laura had dreamed of was no longer possible. And yet in struggling with God about how to live with broken dreams, Laura has found joy and a deeper intimacy with Jesus. In When God Doesn’t Fix It, Laura helps you understand that: We aren’t the only ones whose lives have taken unexpected turns Even heroes of our faith experienced brokenness Despite our flaws and stories, God can use us in extraordinary ways God may not fix everything. In fact, although your situation might not ever change or get better, with Jesus you can. Not because of your faith, but because of the faithfulness of God.
How do I know it's God? is one of the most commonly asked questions of new and mature Christians alike, and the aim of God Conversations is to both equip and inspire the reader and show them that hearing the voice of the Spirit is accessible to everyone who chooses to follow Jesus. Most Christians know that God speaks, yet struggle with how to recognise his voice in their everyday lives. What does God's voice sound like? How do we know if what we're hearing is from God? Stories of God talking to his people abound throughout the Bible, but we usually only get the highlights. We read; "And God said to Joseph; 'Go to Egypt'," and then; "Mary and Joseph left for Egypt." We don't get a blow-by-blow description of how God spoke. We don't receive a detailed explanation of how they knew it was God, and we don't get to see what was going on inside their heads as they acted on what they'd heard. In God Conversations, international speaker and pastor Tania Harris shares insights from her own journey about hearing God's voice. You'll get to eavesdrop on some contemporary conversations with God in the light of his communication with the ancient characters of the Bible. Part memoir, part teaching, this unique and creative collection of stories will help you to recognise God's voice when he speaks and how to respond when you do.
Blessed people flourish by a power that transcends human talent or hard work--a mystical grace empowers them to be joyful and fruitful. But does it ever feel like others are blessed while you're stuck? With honesty and warmth, Alan Wright shares his inspiring journey from craving blessing to living the blessed life. The absence of his father's affirmation left him struggling for years with symptoms of the unblessed life: shame, pretense, and drift. But when he grasped the most powerful blessing in the Old Testament--the mysterious, ancient blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh--he learned how to receive blessing and how to bless the lives of his loved ones. And you can too. With biblical insight and practical wisdom, The Power to Bless shows you how to craft a positive, faith-filled blessing. By learning a few simple, biblical skills for imparting life-changing blessings, you'll be more spiritually blessed than you'd ever imagined, and you'll be equipped with the power to bless the people you love.
How do we hear God's voice? How can we be sure that what we hear is not our own subconscious? What if what God says to us is not clear? In this Signature Collection edition of a beloved classic, bestselling author Dallas Willard offers rich spiritual insight into how we can hear God's voice clearly and develop an intimate partnership with him in the work of his kingdom.
