Practical Religion

Depression - whether circumstantial and fleeting or persistent and long term - impacts most people at some point in their lives. Puritan Pastor Richard Baxter spent most of his ministry caring for depressed and discouraged souls, and his timeless counsel still speaks to us today. In this book, psychiatrist Michael S. Lundy and theologian J. I. Packer present Baxter’s writings in order to comfort, instruct, and strengthen all who struggle with depression.

What does aging mean to you? We often look at aging through the lens of what is lost, not what is gained. But as we grow older, we can find the freedom to cultivate a deeper, more meaningful experience of life. “The journey through midlife and beyond,” says Cheryl Richardson, “is when we make the shift from less ego to more soul.” With Self-Care for the Wisdom Years, this bestselling author shares her most valuable insights for helping you age consciously, so you can flourish as a wise and compassionate elder.

When building a children’s ministry at a church, there is so much to consider: Which curriculum should we use? How many volunteers do we need? How do we keep parents in the loop? And that’s before we run into stalled check-in computers, missing activity sheets, and floors that need to be vacuumed. Writing from personal ministry experience, Jared Kennedy shares a four-fold approach for gospel-centered, missional children’s ministry: hospitality, teaching, discipleship, and mission.

Ancestor veneration is an essential part of African and other traditional spiritual practices. It is at the core of indigenous spiritual beliefs because our ancestors are the core of our DNA. Sadly, the practice of ancestor veneration has become lost or forgotten within certain cultures due to the impact of non-traditional spiritual belief systems. But all is not lost. This book outlines some of the foundational tools and techniques that you can use to restore lost ancestral connections.

Many of us struggle with anxiety, loneliness, and feelings of inadequacy. We know that God created us in his image, but how can we be loving when we feel burned out? How can we be free when we struggle with addiction? Will we ever enjoy the complete healing God promises? Combining his professional expertise and personal experience, renowned psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud guides us through four basic ways to become joy-filled, mature followers of Christ.

Darwin’s proposition that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors is now widely accepted, and considered a foundational concept in science. He describes how all living things evolve in the face of survival pressures and opportunities by adapting and changing. Since Darwin’s original published work, “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, many advances have been made. Archaeology with its extended view of this planet’s fossil evidence shows how over long periods of time animals and plants change. Darwin’s finches who live on different islands in the ...

In this classic work on the spiritual life, Ralph Martin gives listeners the tools for entering more fully into a fruitful relationship with God. Prayer is a gift, not a burden. Through it, the Holy Spirit draws us into the trinity, satisfying the hunger for God that lies within every human heart.

A Course In Miracles (ACIM) can answer those nagging questions. Yet because of its esoteric writing style and hidden messages, most people find the Course difficult to decode and harder to believe.

How can Christian men and women live faithfully in a world confused over sexuality and gender? Surely we must be reminded of what Scripture teaches. Yet as God’s design for sexuality is being suppressed and denied in the modern world, we need to hear it articulated in a fresh and accessible way. God’s Good Design presents the historic, biblical view of sexuality in a manner that is appealing even to those who have been conditioned to believe it is scary or oppressive.

Is there a way to walk into the final chapters of life with peace and confidence, and with support and wisdom? We all are living an earthly story with a beginning, middle, and end. While aspects of our story's closing hold mystery, we do not have to feel lost as we move toward it. We instead can lean on the support and wisdom of others who know the path ahead. In Anticipating Heaven, Dr. Pyle offers that same practical advice and spiritual comfort to you and your loved ones as you navigate a serious illness.

Anyone who prays or has tried to pray and given up in discouragement knows praying, really praying, is not easy. Praying consistently seems almost impossible. Too often and too easily, prayer becomes a burden: one more item on an already overcrowded to-do list. Failing to pray becomes a source of guilt and stress as we must once again admit our inconstancy and procrastination to our father confessor. The purpose of this audiobook, then, is not to add to the burden, but to ease it by distilling the advice and experience of those who pray.

A rash of ministry professionals, particularly young ministers, who took their own life prompted me to write this book at this time. It would seem that the clouds of depression had so overwhelmed them they did not see any solution but removing themselves from the equation. The letter at the end reflects on my struggle. Under other circumstances, I might have been one of those statistics. In their most difficult moments, a profession designed to help others was not there to help them or me through the turmoil. I pray that books like this one will stem the tide of this terrible epidemic. The ...

Ten dynamic steps with simple techniques to help develop a close working relationship with Spirit and to experience the joy, peace, and empowerment that is our spiritual birthright. Learn about the Causal Body and how we store riches in heaven through many lifetimes and can access that account here and now.

"Lord, here am I. Change him". "God, I'm trying. She started it". Common claims but they're so far from what a Christian marriage should look like. We invoke Christ at the wedding then seem to default to an alien theology afterward. In this simple and practical audiobook, Doug Wilson offers a richer and more comprehensive theology of marriage than in his prior works. Marriage is intended to be a glorious picture of the gospel, and marriages grounded elsewhere regularly create a small Hell on Earth.

In Serving as Jesus Served: Practical Ways to Love Others, Michele Howe equips men and women to better understand their calling as God’s chosen ones to make a distinct and holy impact in the world. She begins by unpacking what it means to serve God and what this looks like in day-to-day life. Designed to be highly practical, Serving as Jesus Served offers listeners specific Bible passages that describe our responsibilities as servants and how to implement them in a world that pursues the opposite.

Praised by Newsweek as a "compelling read" and Library Journal as "accessible and down-to-earth", Dale McGowan’s Parenting Beyond Belief offered freethinking parents everywhere a compassionate introduction to raising caring, ethical children without religious guidance. Now, for the more than 40 million people in the United States who identify themselves as nonreligious, Raising Freethinkers offers solutions to the unique challenges secular parents face and provides specific answers to common questions, as well as over 100 activities for both parents and their children.

In this powerful book, Kris Vallotton reaches into God's arsenal and equips the Body of Christ with supernatural weapons of warfare that will destroy the works of darkness and catapult you into your divine destiny.

In How to Follow Jesus, Craig Springer, executive director of Alpha USA, America's most effective evangelism movement, explodes numerous myths surrounding the Christian faith that create unnecessary obstacles to growth, including: illustrating that sin and temptation are not the greatest threat to a flourishing faith; forgiveness means going through rather than around our feelings; and how disappointment in the church may be the essential step in growing a foundation for life-changing community.

Insight meditation teacher Shaila Catherine offers an accessible approach to training the mind that is guided by the Buddha’s pragmatic instructions on removing distracting thoughts. Drawing on two scriptures in the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Shaila shows you how to overcome habitual modes of thinking, develop deeper concentration, and discover the insights into emptiness that are vital for a liberating spiritual path.

The first part of this audiobook is comprehensive and informative, yet provides all the essential information you need to get yourself, or someone else started with practical astrology. When you know their strengths, the planets will work well for you. There are no rules for astral magick, and your instincts and emotions will guide you.