Download or read book Encountering Signs of Faith written by Allison Gingras and published by Ave Maria Press. This book was released on 2022-10-28 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After a friend gave Allison Gingras a Miraculous Medal, she began to incorporate it and other sacramentals into her personal prayer time and family devotions. She soon discovered that these tangible signs—which Catholics believe prepare us to receive the grace of the sacraments—helped both her and her profoundly deaf daughter connect with God and the spiritual motherhood of Mary, who is intimately connected to so many of these practices. Blessings, prayers, devotions, and objects such as rosaries and scapulars are forms of sacramentals. In Encountering Signs of Faith, Gingras—founder of Reconciled to You ministries—shares the story of how these helped her discern the adoption of her daughter from China, strengthened her faith as she waited to meet her, helped her bond with the toddler, and taught her daughter about her faith. Gingras offers examples of saints who inspired and embraced sacramentals, including Juan Diego, Faustina, Bernadette, and Venerable Patrick Peyton. You will also learn about the spiritual benefits of incorporating sacramentals such as sacred images, novenas, prayer cards, lectio divina (sacred reading), and holy water into daily life. Reflection questions and grace-building activities are included with each chapter. Gingras will guide you and your family to experience these sacred signs in a new way and to connect you more meaningfully to Jesus, Mary, and the saints.

Download or read book My Unexpected Journey written by Pastor G. Lee McClanathan and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2014-11-03 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: MY UNEXPECTED JOURNEY [Beating the Odds to Become a Walking Miracle] By Pastor G. Lee McClanathan Every person deals with "unexpected journeys". They are never welcome, they just show up. Such journeys can include the following issues: health, finances, relationships, employment, retirement, grief, church. Pastor Lee's unexpected journey was a health issue (stroke, heart attack, seizures, auto-immune disorder). He was not expected to live, but did. It meant loss of career, and the beginning of a "new normal". In the process he developed a winning strategy. He says he had to make some choices... "Would I GIVE UP or GROW UP?; Be BITTER or BETTER?; Choose to be a WHINER or a WINNER?" He believes that if he and most of the Bible characters we meet in God's Word can beat the odds... then we can do it too. Lee desires to be a "difference-maker", believing "God isn't finished with him yet". Friend, just as God has a unique purpose and plan for Lee, He has a plan and purpose for you! So with eyes wide open... trust God for your "unexpected journeys". When you're down and out for the ten count, He can RAISE YOU UP, because our God is an AWESOME GOD! You too can find victory even while walking in the valley of the shadow of death.

Download or read book The Nature of Grace Ponderings on God s Abundant Grace written by Linda Elmore Teeple and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2011-09 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Phillip Yancey says that "every writer has one main theme, a spoor that he or she keeps sniffing around, tracking, following it to its source." My spoor is "grace," states Linda Teeple, author of The Nature of Grace: Ponderings On God's Abundant Grace. "I write about Grace because I want everyone to 'get' grace. There's a life-changing difference between understanding grace at the head level and experiencing grace at the heart level. God continually reminds me of his grace through nature--the nature of the great outdoors, the nature of the human heart, and the nature of relationships." Linda is a marriage and family therapist by vocation and a naturalist by avocation. She resides in Anderson, Indiana with her husband and her canine companions, Panda and Leader Dog puppy, Faith. Linda writes a weekly newspaper column entitled, "The Nature of Grace," which can be viewed at http: //www.heraldbulletin.com.

Download or read book New Morning Mercies written by Paul David Tripp and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2014-10-31 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 365 Gospel-Centered Devotions for the Whole Year Mornings can be tough. Sometimes, a hearty breakfast and strong cup of coffee just aren't enough. Offering more than a rush of caffeine, best-selling author Paul David Tripp wants to energize you with the most potent encouragement imaginable: the gospel. Forget "behavior modification" or feel-good aphorisms. Tripp knows that what we really need is an encounter with the living God. Then we'll be prepared to trust in God's goodness, rely on his grace, and live for his glory each and every day.

Download or read book The Strength of His Hand Chronicles of the Kings Book 3 written by Lynn Austin and published by Bethany House. This book was released on 2005-09-01 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronicles of the Kings Book 3- God has rewarded Hezekiah's faithfulness with great wealth and power, but the godly king has no heir. In desperation, his beloved wife takes forbidden measures to ensure fertility.With all that is going on in his kingdom-- and with the Assyrians approaching-- Hezekiah does not discover his wife's idolatry until it's almost too late. Her betrayal cuts to the very core of his being and belief in God. Will his faith sustain him in the face of this deceit, and against an overwhelming enemy?

Download or read book This Too Shall Last written by K.J. Ramsey and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2020-05-12 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is not a before-and-after story. Our culture treats suffering like a problem to fix, a blight to hide, or the sad start of a transformation story. We silently, secretly wither under the pressure of living as though suffering is a predicament we can avoid or annihilate by working hard enough or having enough faith. When your prayers for healing haven't been answered, the fog of depression isn't lifting, your marriage is ending in divorce, or grief won't go away, it's easy to feel you've failed God and, worse, he's failed you. If God loves us, why does he allow us to hurt? Over a decade ago chronic illness plunged therapist and writer K.J. Ramsey straight into this paradox. Before her illness, faith made sense. But when pain came and never left, K.J. had to find a way across the widening canyon that seemed to separate God's goodness from her excruciating circumstances. She wanted to conquer suffering. Instead, she encountered the God who chose it. She wanted to make pain past-tense. Instead, God invited her into a bigger story. This Too Shall Last offers an antidote to our cultural idolatry of effort and ease. Through personal story and insights from neuroscience and theology, Ramsey invites us to let our tears become lenses of the wonder that before God ever rescues us, he stands in solidarity with us. We are all mid-story in circumstances we did not choose, wondering when our hard things will end and where grace will come if they don’t. We don't need to make suffering a before-and-after story. Together we can encounter the grace that enters the middle of our stories, where living with suffering that lingers means receiving God's presence that lasts.

Download or read book Seeking the Savior written by Family Christian Stores and published by . This book was released on 2003-07 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Unsinkable Faith written by Tracie Miles and published by David C Cook. This book was released on 2017-04-01 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many people, remaining optimistic and feeling positive about themselves and their lives is a constant battle—especially when circumstances are difficult and life is hard. For others, negativity is something that only sneaks up from time to time, yet still wreaks havoc in their hearts. Regardless of the root causes, once pessimistic thoughts permeate our minds, our feelings and emotions begin to control us instead of us controlling them. Eventually it doesn’t seem possible to stay positive, happy, and full of joy, and negative thought patterns shake our faith, causing us to sink emotionally, mentally, and spiritually over time. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Despite what storms roll in, hearts anchored in God don’t sink. When we change the way we think, we can change the way we feel and live, even if our circumstances remain the same. Intentionally embracing the opportunity to experience a transformed heart and a renewed mind opens the door for a changed life, because a positive mind will always lead to a more positive life. In Unsinkable Faith, author and Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker Tracie Miles offers hope for women who struggle with negativity. Each chapter explores Tracie’s and other women’s personal stories, showing how they rose above their circumstances by transforming and renewing their minds. Unsinkable Faith is a breath of fresh air for anyone longing for a heart full of joy, an unbreakable smile, and a new, more optimistic perspective on life. This book will equip you to: Replace pessimism with positive thinking by becoming the captain of your thoughts; Learn how true joy and happiness are based on choice, not circumstances; Overcome unhealthy habits of negative thinking by intentionally implementing three easy mind-renewing steps; Stop feeling hopeless and pitiful, and start feeling hope-filled and powerful instead; and Discover that when you change the way you think, you change the way feel, and in turn you can change your life completely.

Download or read book The Second Epistle to the Corinthians written by Paul Barnett and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 1997-04-17 with total page 702 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This excellent commentary on 2 Corinthians by Paul Barnett illumines the historical background of the church at Corinth and clarifies the meaning of Paul's passionate letter both for those first-century Christians and for the church today. Assuming the unity of the letter, for which extensive argument is offered, Barnett takes the view that Paul is, in particular, addressing the issue of triumphalism in Corinth. This triumphalism is expressed by the newly arrived missioners who portray Paul as "inferior" to themselves; it is also endemic among the Corinthians. According to Barnett, the recurring theme of the letter is "power-in-weakness", based on the motif of the Resurrection of the Crucified, which lies at the heart of the gospel of Christ. Also fundamental to the letter is the theme of fulfillment of the "promises of God" by Christ and the Spirit under the New Covenant. Written for scholars, pastors, and lay readers alike, this new commentary on 2 Corinthians will be a lasting reference work for those interested in this important section of Scripture.

Download or read book The Light Shines Through written by Carole A. Wageman and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2017-03 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: - For Bible study groups, preaching, retreats - For new and not-so-new Christians seeking to connect Scripture with their personal lives today

Download or read book Battle Ready written by Kelly Balarie and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2018-07-03 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Too often we fail to prepare for our battles. So when challenges, troubles, or opportunities arise, we rapidly become burdened with limiting thoughts of self-doubt, fear, impossibility, and lack. But it doesn't have to be this way. We can train our minds to conquer uncertainty, beat insecurity, and step past the tragedies of yesterday. Battle Ready is a hands-on scriptural plan that teaches you twelve easy-to-implement, confidence-building mind-sets designed to transform your thoughts and, therefore, your life. You'll gain practical wisdom, like how to · make new habits stick in just five steps · disarm the seven most common attacks that plague women · exchange self-limiting thoughts for purpose-driven, love-releasing thoughts · implement thirty-second mind-lifters that deliver peace · create boundaries so you live life full of what matters You can live victoriously. "The best time to be strengthened against the Enemy's tactics of doubt, disappointment, and devastation is before he makes his first move toward us. We all desperately need the biblical guidance and preparation found in Battle Ready!"--Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries "The most difficult fights we will face in this life will not be on the outside; they will be within our own hearts and minds. As someone who has struggled with depression and anxiety throughout my life, I know this firsthand. Battle Ready will help encourage, empower, and equip you to live in true victory."--Holley Gerth, bestselling author of Fiercehearted "Battle Ready will equip and empower you, teaching you where to park your mind during difficult times. Its practical advice and pen-to-paper reflection sections, coupled with the truths of Scripture sprinkled throughout, will enable you to avoid defeat and discouragement and walk confidently in faith instead. Highly recommended."--Karen Ehman, national speaker, New York Times bestselling author of Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It and When to Say Nothing at All "Battle Ready is a field manual for the mind. If you desire to think more like Christ, its truths, stories, personal applications, and discoveries will undoubtedly lead you to renewed places of peace, hope, and life."--Elisa Morgan, speaker and author of The Beauty of Broken "Relational, emotional, and physical trials often hit one hundred miles an hour, making us feel defenseless and powerless. This no longer has to be the case. Battle Ready, an exploratory, hands-on book, provides dozens of mind-renewing truths, hope-building exercises, and habit-changing techniques to help you endure the worst of times, with Jesus, as if it was the best of times."--Shannon Ethridge, MA, life/relationship coach and bestselling author of Every Woman's Battle series

Download or read book Abundant Simplicity written by Jan Johnson and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2011-04-05 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Which activities give you energy and connect you with God? Do you know what behaviors are life-draining for you, separating you from God? In this book Jan Johnson provides small experiments with simplicity as well as questions for discussion or reflection to help you discover the unhurried rhythms of grace.

Download or read book Amazing Grace written by Vernon J. Bittner and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-10-20 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a ninety-year-old, Vernon Bittner reflects on the life lessons learned through God’s amazing grace. He has experienced the healing of the trauma of abuse and the transformation of weaknesses into strengths. Grace has expressed itself through dreams with answers to his questions and the healing of his brain of PTSD. Every instance of grace is a way to feel the presence and power of God and to know that the Divine is active in one’s life and in the world. God’s grace has given him the strength to forgive the unforgivable, the courage to persevere when life seemed hopeless, the wisdom to live more consciously, the power to heal his addictions, and the serenity to appreciate his true self. Through God’s amazing grace he knows that in life or in death he belongs to God and that he is never too old to dream a new dream. Life has taught him that blessings and difficulties will come and go as part of the rhythm of life, but grace is always present. In all of its many forms, grace continues to remind him that he is protected, loved, and worthy . . . and grace will lead him home.

Download or read book Foundations of Faith written by Troy D. Ehlke and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2009-08-24 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Miracles can take up to 40 weeks to occur. It is amazing to behold that with Gods blessing and breath, new life is formed in merely 280 days. Regardless of what we have seen before, there is nothing so powerful as witnessing the birth of a child. A world bellowing with destruction and chaos cannot detract from the wonder of a newborns cry nor can the radiance of earthly gems outshine the brilliance emanating from youthful eyes. Yet, in a matter of moments, the joy of fatherhood is trespassed. Fear creeps into our stream of conscious thought. What can I possibly offer this incarnation of love? If we are fortunate, we know our shortcomings and have taken inventory of our failures, because the strength of fatherhood lies not within the realm of self-proclaimed virtues or gifted abilities, but in our willingness to be present with our own vulnerabilities. We hear this truth from our heavenly Father who tells us to Consider your own call: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But I chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; I chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; I chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in my presence. The source of your life is Christ Jesus, who became wisdom for the world (adapted reading of 1 Corinthians 1:26-30). This book chronicles the journey of one mans quest to explore his past alongside the wisdom of scripture, so that his son, Julian, might pursue pathways of wholeness which his father failed to follow. Through personal trials and encounters with the world, this father forges an understanding that he wishes to pass on to his son, hoping it blesses his life. With prayer, wisdom, and a relationship rooted in love, a father embarks on an inner exploration, in an effort that the errors of today need not be repeated tomorrow. Righteous living is not an accidental phenomenon but rather an intentional choice shaped by loving forces within ones life. In the end, no one knows the ways of man or his son, save one; and he generously affords his creation the space to choose as their will desires. If you are a father raising a child or are simply searching for a voice of practical wisdom in a world filled with illusions, read these letters. Insight has a way of not only transforming the heart, but also redirecting the soul towards that which is life-giving and not life-consuming. But whatever you do from this moment on, know that there are few truths in the world; and when you find them, embrace them, because they have the power to steer you in the right direction. You are holding on to a book that contains such wisdom. Continue your quest within.

Download or read book The Spirit Filled Journey written by Apostolic Church of God and published by Xulon Press. This book was released on 2011-11 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life on earth is a journey toward eternity. And how we live is paramount to our destiny. The pivotal moment of our journey began with a choice to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, making our hearts His home. At that moment, the Holy Spirit took the reigns and changed our course. As we walk through life being led by God and transformed by the Spirit, we experience a series of movements by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit-Filled Journey: Experiencing God's Love is a companion for our journey. It invites God's people to spend an entire year unpacking, understanding, and being inspired by what it really means ... To be saved by grace and grace alone To be born of the Spirit To be God's child To be connected to other believers To be secured by the love of God Written by ministers and members of Apostolic Church of God, The Spirit-Filled Journey: Experiencing God's Love is the first in a devotional series designed to strengthen your walk with the Lord and deepen your faith in Him. Founded in 1921, the Apostolic Church of God is a mega church located in Chicago, Illinois. Its endeavor is to sustain a community of faith that moves the congregation forward in its relationship with Christ. "Apostolic," as it is fondly known, hails from the Pentecostal tradition, which believes in and embraces the active role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and in the church.

Download or read book I Love Jesus But I Want to Die written by Sarah J. Robinson and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Sealed written by Katie Langston and published by Thornbush Press. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Katie Langston is an unlikely convert to Christianity. She grew up in a devout, conservative Mormon family in Utah, served a proselytizing mission to Bulgaria when she was 21, married for "time and all eternity" in the Mormon temple when she was 23. From the outside, she had a typical Mormon life. Inside, she was coming apart at the seams. From childhood, she battled "The Questions"—obsessive-compulsive disorder, though she didn't have a diagnosis for it until much later—and lived inside a complex maze of anxiety and fear. This was compounded by Mormonism's emphasis on "worthiness," a designation of acceptability in Mormon practice, that brought her to the edge of despair as a young mother. Then, almost by accident, she had an encounter with the grace of Jesus Christ—and her world changed. In candid but not sensationalized ways, Langston explores little-understood Mormon practices and teachings while grappling with universal human questions such as the nature of faith, the complexity of family, the process of healing, and what it means to truly belong. This book is intended to be a bridge-builder, a way to help non-Mormons understand Mormonism and Mormons orthodox Christianity through the power of personal narrative. Most of all, it is a testimony of Jesus Christ, in the hopes that those who read it—Mormon, Christian, or neither—will catch a glimpse of the spectacular, life-changing grace of God.