As a girl, Alia Joy came face to face with weakness, poverty, and loss in ways that made her doubt God was good. There were times when it felt as if God had abandoned her. What she didn't realize then was that God was always there, calling her to abandon herself. In this deeply personal exploration of what it means to be "poor in spirit," Joy challenges our cultural proclivity to "pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps." She calls on readers to embrace true vulnerability and authenticity with God and with one another, showing how weakness does not disqualify us from inclusion in the kingdom of God--instead, it is our very invitation to enter in. Anyone who has struggled with feeling inadequate, disillusioned, or just too broken will find hope. This message is an antidote to despair, helping readers reclaim the ways God is good, even when life is anything but.
“If there were a Guinness Book of World Records entry for ‘amount of times having prayed the sinner’s prayer,’ I’m pretty sure I’d be a top contender,” says pastor and author J. D. Greear. He struggled for many years to gain an assurance of salvation and eventually learned he was not alone. “Lack of assurance” is epidemic among evangelical Christians. In Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart, J. D. shows that faulty ways of present- ing the gospel are a leading source of the confusion. Our presentations may not be heretical, but they are sometimes misleading. The idea of “asking Jesus into your heart” or “giving your life to Jesus” often gives false assurance to those who are not saved—and keeps those who genuinely are saved from fully embracing that reality. Greear unpacks the doctrine of assurance, showing that salvation is a posture we take to the promise of God in Christ, a posture that begins at a certain point and is maintained for the rest of our lives. He also answers the tough questions about assurance: What exactly is faith? What is repentance? Why are there so many warnings that seem to imply we can lose our salvation? Such issues are handled with respect to the theological rigors they require, but Greear never loses his pastoral sensitivity or a communication technique that makes this message teachable to a wide audience from teens to adults.
Lament helps us hear God’s louder song. When you’re in the midst of suffering, you want answers for the unanswerable, resolutions to the unresolvable. You want to tie up pain in a pretty little package and hide it under the bed, taking it out only when you feel strong enough to face it. But grief won’t be contained. Grief disobeys. Grief explodes. In one breath, you may be able to say that God’s got this and all will be well. In the next, you might descend into fatalism. No pretending. Here, you are raw before God, an open wound. There is a pathway through this suffering. It’s not easy, but God will use it to lead you toward healing. This path is called lament. Lament leads us between the Already and the Not Yet. Lament minds the gap between current hopelessness and coming hope. Lament anticipates new creation but also acknowledges the painful reality of now. Lament recognizes the existence of evil and suffering—without any sugarcoating—while simultaneously declaring that suffering will not have the final say. In the midst of your darkest times, you will discover that lament leads you back to a place of hope—not because lamenting does anything magical, but because God sings a louder song than suffering ever could, a song of renewal and restoration.
The majority Evangelical view is that once someone has accepted Christ as Saviour they are guaranteed salvation. But is it safe to assume that once we are saved, we are saved for always? David Pawson investigates this through biblical evidence, historical figures such as Augustine, Luther and Wesley, and evangelical assumptions about grace and justification, divine sovereignty and human responsibility. He asks whether something more than being born again is required so that our inheritance is not lost. This book helps us decide whether ‘once saved, always saved’ is real assurance or a misleading assumption. The answer will have profound effects on the way we live and disciple others.
God Saved Me is written to encourage believers to be aware of their position in Christ and be willing to prepare their minds and hearts for the challenges ahead. Then, believers should be available to participate in sharing the good news whenever and with whomever God gives the opportunity. God Saved Me addresses critical concerns for outreach and witnessing, focusing on the local churchs responsibility; the importance of prayer in witnessing; reliance on the Word of God; dealing with fear and guilt; being approved as a person of faith; making Christ the topic; and development of a personal testimony that can be shared repeatedly. This book speaks directly to the need for believers to come together in support of one another and make a commitment to follow Christs directive to make disciples wherever an opportunity is presented. Using anecdotal comments and personal accounts of outreach, God Saved Me provides fresh insight to help believers respond to the need for people of faith to get in the fight for the souls of their families, friends, and loved ones. Rev. Wylie Comp has written one of the most comprehensive books on the subject of Christian witnessing that I have ever had the privilege of reading or reviewing. God Saved Me is written on a level that anyone can understand and use as a guide for becoming an effective Christian soldier in the army of God. Dr. Gerald F. Terrebrood, Co-Director, Soul Impressions, Ozark, MO
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.
Maung Maung Kyaw Zaw Hein was an atheist who did not know anything about God. One day he started having dreams, and after some time He realized that the things he saw in his dreams were coming true in real life. As the dreams continued, God began revealing himself to Maung, speaking to him in a gentle and calm voice. As Maung contemplated what he was going through, he started looking to the Bible to learn more about God. He then realized that some things in the dreams were principles taught in the Bible. He then accepted Jesus Christ as Lord! The Holy Spirit has continued to guide Maung through his dreams. 'How God Saved Me Through Dreams' is his testimony of those dreams and the encounter that led him to the saving power of God's amazing love!
In the town of Iknorlans, everybody has a secret, whether it's an ancient cave in the surrounding forest or a nightly habit of howling curses at the moon. Blinded by terror, John Emerson scrambles to conceal the most dreadful secret of them all. The foolish townspeople idolize him, as though he can do no wrong. But the foundations keep shifting under his feet, and soon the truth will come free. Full of startling mysteries, brooding liars, and hidden dangers, The Mirror Poole is a thrilling drama of sin and redemption. It is the legend of a young, desolate man who dreads the one thing that can save both him and his town. "When the morning comes, the black veil will lift from your face, and you will know the truth. But only if you dare to gaze into the Mirror Poole..."
My name is Chris Fox, and I was born with Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In the past, I constantly battled getting bullied in school, which eventually led to substance abuse and a life that was out of control. I wasn't living anymore; I was trying to survive. My life was filled with turmoil and I almost lost it numerous times, until I met the woman of my dreams. She accepted my Tourette's and OCD, but I almost lost her due to my out of control lifestyle. I was in too deep and I had to choose to walk alone or walk with God. I surrendered to God and encountered the Holy Spirit. The Spirit revealed that I had a special gift to make others laugh, and I needed to put all of my trust in God to pursue my dreams. After living such a painful past, I knew I had made the biggest decision of my life.
The former Korn guitarist’s “compelling” story of an out-of-control life, a devastating drug addiction, and a miraculous redemption through Jesus Christ(Entertainment Weekly). In February 2005, more than ten thousand people in Bakersfield, California, watched as Brian “Head” Welch—the former lead guitarist of the controversial rock band Korn—was saved by Jesus Christ. The event set off a media frenzy as observers from around the world sought to understand what led this rock star out of the darkness and into the light. Now, in this courageous memoir, Head talks for the first time about his shocking embrace of God and the tumultuous decade that led him into the arms of Jesus Christ. Offering a backstage pass to his time with Korn, Head tells the inside story of his years in the band and explains how his lifestyle resulted in an all-consuming addiction to methamphetamines. Writing openly about the tour bus mayhem of Ozzfest and the Family Values tour, he provides a candid look at how the routine of recording, traveling, and partying placed him in a cycle of addiction that he could not break on his own. Head details his struggles with the drug that ultimately led him to seek a higher power. Despite his numerous attempts to free himself from meth, nothing—not even the birth of his daughter—could spur him to kick it for good. Here Head addresses how, with the help of God, he emerged from his dangerous addiction and found a path that was not only right for his daughter, it was right for him. Discussing the chaotic end to his time in Korn and how his newfound faith has influenced his relationship with his daughter, his life, and his music, Head describes a rock and roll journey unlike any other, and reveals how his moments of doubt and his hardships have only deepened his faith. “Not your typical testimony account . . . surprisingly engrossing.” —CCM Magazine “[A] tale of how religion can save a lost soul . . . the book explains, without becoming preachy, how Welch gave up rock stardom for a Christian lifestyle.” —Library Journal Includes photographs
