Living Religions

Combining personal storytelling with biblical reflection, Cuban American writer Kat Armas tells the story of unnamed and overlooked theologians - mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters - whose sacred wisdom teaches us something unique about spirituality and God.

In this compilation of the five books in the best-selling Lineage of Grace series by Francine Rivers, we meet the five women whom God chose - Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each was faced with extraordinary - even scandalous - challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the savior of the World.

You cannot discover lands already inhabited. Injustice has plagued American society for centuries. And we cannot move toward being a more just nation without understanding the root causes that have shaped our culture and institutions. In this prophetic blend of history, theology, and cultural commentary, Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah reveal the far-reaching, damaging effects of the "Doctrine of Discovery."

Granger Westberg's gentle wisdom and acute insight into human nature helps grievers understand the ten identifiable stages of grief. Whether grieving a death or divorce, job loss or disappointment, everyone must move through these stages, and we are changed by the experience. Faith makes a difference during these times.

Marriage is all about sharing: sharing space, sharing joys and sorrows, sharing hopes and dreams. Yet we often hold back a part of ourselves because we fear that being wholly transparent - about our past, our desires, our failures, our faults - will bring judgment, rejection, or even just unwanted friction to our relationship. We are afraid to be fully known. As a result, we never experience being fully loved. In this paradigm-shifting book, Ryan and Selena Frederick show you how to develop a see-through marriage, one that is marked by full transparency and confident vulnerability.

In A Dad After God's Own Heart, best-selling author Jim George shares the basics for how to be a good dad with your kids, including letting your kids know you love and care for them; learning the keys to positive and effective communication; knowing the qualities kids need most in a dad; ways to encourage your children in their spiritual growth; and how to build healthy relationships that will last for a lifetime. As you commit to learning how to become the dad your kids need, you'll not only draw closer to your children, but you'll find incredible blessings in fatherhood.

Dr. Chauncey Crandall knows his patients well. When they are dying, he sits at the bedside with them and holds their hands. He prays with them. Sometimes he can feel what they feel and see what they see. At other times his patients have near-death experiences and "come back" with astonishing descriptions of the afterlife.

Like a physician running a biopsy on lifeless faith, here A. W. Tozer offers one of the most compelling critiques of feigned spirituality you may ever listen to. In Of God and Men, Tozer exposes false religious notions and lifts up true New Testament Christianity. A loving and gentle critique of culture and even the church, it reveals lies we unknowingly believe, godless practices we unknowingly do, and treasures of Christ we unknowingly ignore.

We need companions on our spiritual journey. The modern world has taught us to value autonomy and individualism. Our churches often see spirituality as personal and private. But we cannot go long in our Christian pilgrimage before realizing that isolation leads to spiritual barrenness. We soon discover that our souls long for accompaniment, intimacy, and spiritual friendship. As a result, many Christians today are rediscovering the ancient practice of spiritual direction.

Kind, encouraging, and humorous, Karen Ehman helps us learn the essential practice of using our words more effectively - alleviating heartache and regret, reducing relational tension and conflict, lessening our stress levels, and growing our relationship with God. From Bible times to modern times women have struggled with their words. What to say and how to say it. What not to say. When it is best to remain silent. And what to do when you’ve said something you wish you could now take back.

Start Where You Are is an indispensable audiobook for cultivating fearlessness and awakening a compassionate heart. With insight and humor, Pema Chödrön offers guidance on how we can accept our flaws and embrace ourselves wholeheartedly as a prerequisite for developing compassion.

As a teenager, Kristin Berry had heard all the horror stories surrounding foster care and adoption - abuse, neglect, rejection, anger, and misunderstandings. But instead of closing her heart, God opened it wide. This is Kristin's honest, unvarnished story of some of her experiences as a foster parent of 23 children over the course of nine years. What she learned is that living in a foster home is like living with a revolving door. You never know who will arrive or who you will have to say goodbye to. Leaving the door open means there will be heartache and pain, but also adventure and unexpected joy.

Studies show that roughly one out of two marriages end in divorce. One of the reasons for this is couples today are not prepared for all - the good and bad - that may happen in marriage. Are you prepared? Author and blogger Jackie Bledsoe outlines the seven stages, or seven rings of marriages, that will equip couples for all stages in marriage. He challenges couples to keep moving through each stage for a lasting and fulfilling marriage.

Jan Chozen Bays, MD - physician and Zen teacher - has developed a series of simple practices to help us cultivate mindfulness as we go about our ordinary, daily lives. Exercises include: taking three deep breaths before answering the phone, noticing and adjusting your posture throughout the day, eating mindfully, and leaving no trace of yourself after using the kitchen or bathroom. Each exercise is presented with tips on how to remind yourself and a short life lesson connected with it.

Begin your day with a reminder of God's love and purpose. This beautiful devotional book is filled with words of comfort, encouragement, and wisdom that will bring joy to your soul. Each blessing and related Scripture is specifically aimed to nourish a woman's heart. The blessings take only moments to listen to but are packed with biblical promise and perspective.

This ambitious and critically-acclaimed presentation of the Bible is set to an original musical underscore performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra and a Hollywood-style sound design created by Technicolor Studios.

Every family is hurting, and the wounds that come from our relatives can be deeper than all others. Conflict within a family can range from daily frictions and annoyances to rage and hatred and eventually estrangement. We want things to be different but have no idea where to start. After 25 years of ministering to families, Rob Rienow believes reconciliation is at the heart of the gospel - reconciliation with God and one another.

Great marriages don't just happen - they're made, intentionally, day by day. Yet most of us enter the covenant of marriage thinking that the role of spouse will be easy, natural, effortless. Rarely is this true. In fact, the number one cause of divorce isn't adultery or finances or disagreements. It's apathy - a lack of intentional emotional, physical, and mental investment in the relationship.

Depression and suicide aren't just a worldwide epidemic, they also hit home. With over 350 million people suffering from depression and an estimated one million Americans attempting suicide each year, most of us have been affected by this terrible plague - or perhaps struggle with it ourselves. How can we help those who feel they have no hope? In this moving fictional account, a caring bystander tries to convince a suicidal young man that his life has value and he has much to live for. Through their conversation, you will discover why we all have great worth, everyone has a reason.

Prayer is an essential of the Christian life. Yet confusion abounds, and we have a tendency to make it more complicated than Jesus ever intended. Going back to the basics, best-selling author and pastor Jack Hayford teaches that prayer is person-to-Person communication - a combination of worship, fellowship, and intercession. He teaches that the Bible's call to prayer is neither mystical nor theoretical, and he gives seven simple steps, as outlined by Jesus, on how to pray. He also gives three keys to effective asking in prayer and attacking through prayer.