Download or read book Seeking and Finding a Life Transforming Faith written by Nancy Howe and published by . This book was released on 2018-09-19 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FROM THE AUTHOR ON WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT Today, many people who are seeking a deeper relationship with the Ultimate Source of being, power, value, and meaning are experiencing their churches and other religious institutions as anything but welcoming. Religious communities' demands for unquestioning loyalty all too often stifle the quest for answers to hard questions about faith by actively discouraging the asking of them in the first place.In my view, coming to faith and living faithfully require confronting serious questions, respecting honest doubts, and scrutinizing religious beliefs and practices in the light of our own experiences and life-situations. This book offers encouragement to believers, inquirers, and skeptics alike who, like me, can see no way toward a credible, personal faith that does not include thinking things out for oneself, whatever the consequences of doing so may be for religious affiliations or the lack of them.Who am I to undertake a venture like this? I am a happily involved United Methodist minister who cherishes the opportunities I have been given across half a century to serve as a pastor, university chaplain, counselor, and seminary professor of both theology and pastoral care. Currently, I teach in the Graduate Programs of Liberal Studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. My wife and best friend, Nancy, and I have been married for over fifty years, and we live in Richardson, Texas. Nancy and our two daughters, Jennifer and Allison, and our two grandchildren, Reiss and McKenna, have challenged me over the years, without always knowing it, with very important and difficult questions about faith, and have not been in the least hesitant about telling me or saying what they think of my attempts to answer them.For the past seven years, I have also been writing about belief and doubt, religious discovery and disaffection, soul-sickness and soul-transformation on my website, faithchallenges.com, which has generated more than 1,700,000 sign-ins. For this book, I have revisited and revised 90 essays originally posted on the website. I selected them because they generated particularly deep and searching responses, both positive and negative, which have continued to influence my thinking and writing. For them, and for the many responses to my other postings, I am more grateful than I can adequately express.
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 224 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 Transformation from Religion to Relationship written by Barbara Frankson and published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2019-02-20 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In life, we are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or approaching a storm. Where in life are you? The author's writings are 365 days of personal transparent testimonies of her life and her walk with God from religion to relationship backed up with scriptures, daily challenges, and instructions to help you have a closer walk with God and encourage you to seek him daily. Transformation from Religion to Relationship emphasizes the need to be mentored by the Holy Spirit, and walking in obedience to God. Anyone can be religious and walk through the motions of being a Christian, and wearing the tittle 'Christian'; however, one must make a conscious decision to intentionally seek after God and have a one on one relationship with him. This book is a daily blueprint on building a stronger relationship with God. Unlike traditional devotionals there are no months or dates. The first day you start your journey becomes your day 1. Do you desire a closer walk with God? Step out on faith and let your journey begin. Your Day 1 awaits you.
Download or read book Love Life Again written by Tracie Miles and published by David C Cook. This book was released on 2018-08-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Love Life Again, Tracie reminds readers they each get only one life to live and inspires them not to take it for granted. Through compelling personal stories and powerful insights from Scripture, she helps women identify the stumbling blocks to their joy and offers tools and insights to take back control of their happiness. Every chapter ends with a practical call to action to motivate readers to begin loving their lives again. She also offers reflection questions, prayers, and creative ideas to help readers smile. Love Life Again helps readers learn how to live the abundant lives Jesus died for them to have, despite the circumstances they may face.
Download or read book Faith for Life written by Richard Coekin and published by The Good Book Company. This book was released on 2021-06-01 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspiration from the book of Hebrews on how to live by faith in Jesus. As Christians, we experience great joy in knowing God through Jesus and great hope in the promise of an eternity spent with God. Yet we still get weary in this life and can feel discouraged. Whether it's personal disappointment, opposition or just the costly grind of church life that gets us down, we all need help to keep going. This wonderfully encouraging book by Bible expositor Richard Coekin will spur you on to live by faith in Jesus as you examine the witnesses of Hebrews 11. The refreshing honesty of their stories will help you manage your expectations in a world of lies and spin. They will remind you of the glory and blessing that await you at the finishing line. And they will encourage you to see that Jesus is the real Hero of the faith and that his Spirit will enable you to endure through exhaustion, opposition and discouragement. Ideal for private devotional reading for those in need of refreshment, a timely gift for a discouraged Christian friend, and useful background reading to a small-group study of Hebrews 11.
Download or read book On Death written by Timothy Keller and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-03-03 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From New York Times bestselling author and pastor Timothy Keller, a book about facing the death of loved ones, as well as our own inevitable death Significant events such as birth, marriage, and death are milestones in our lives in which we experience our greatest happiness and our deepest grief. And so it is profoundly important to understand how to approach and experience these occasions with grace, endurance, and joy. In a culture that does its best to deny death, Timothy Keller--theologian and bestselling author--teaches us about facing death with the resources of faith from the Bible. With wisdom and compassion, Keller finds in the Bible an alternative to both despair or denial. A short, powerful book, On Death gives us the tools to understand the meaning of death within God's vision of life.
Download or read book Strategic Faith written by Lucy Ann Costa-Quattrone and published by Author Academy Elite. This book was released on 2020-05-21 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you feel as though life is leading you on an ambiguous path, take heart for God is with you. It's in these unknown or unrecognizable places where you will discover the intimacy, love, and power of God. In spite of human limitations, there exists a pathway of faith that leads to greatness-a life beyond limitations.
Download or read book Legacy of Faith written by Dee Domino and published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2021-06-10 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dee recalls growing up in a family where faith was a mandatory requirement. She describes how that foundation helped to shape her beliefs today. Her story goes from childhood to adulthood and the challenges she faced trying to figure out how God played a role in her life. After tragically losing two younger sisters-one to sickness, and the other to murder-in addition to experiencing sexual and physical abuse, she made the decision to surrender her life to Christ and return to the church. She believed God had more in store for her life. She shares how she broke away from painfully broken relationships, a lifestyle of partying, and how she broke free from the addictive use of cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. She shares how her life was transformed by her faith, and the lessons she learned along her journey. She also shares how her life is enriched by new relationships within the church, and how it inspires her spiritual growth. She encourages her readers to try faith. Her mission is to inspire her family and others to take a leap of faith. Her deepest prayer is that those who are seeking will experience the power of God, receive his forgiveness with the promises of seeing her in eternity.
Download or read book Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith written by Andrew Wommack and published by Destiny Image Publishers. This book was released on 2011-06-24 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Popular Bible teacher and host of the Gospel Truth broadcast, Andrew Wommack takes on one of the biggest controversies of the church, the freedom of God's grace verses the faith of the believer. Wommack reveals that God's power is not released from only grace or only faith. God's blessings come through a balance of both grace and faith. Addressing many of the misconceptions believers are taught in the Church today, this book opens up the Scriptures revealing the vital connection between grace and faith. Many believers think they walk in both grace and faith when actually they are misusing one or both of these principles. Wommack addresses: * Some believers willingly sin believing Gods grace will cover them, while the blessing of grace is not to sin, but to release guilt and condemnation when they make a mistake. * Other believers think they must "work" their faith by ritualistic prayer, confession, or Bible study. Although all these things are good, Jesus Christ set believers free from works of the law. God wants a relationship where He can communicate directly to each believer. * Grace and faith work together. When believers receive the unmerited favor or grace of God, they can release their faith without doubt or reservation and receive God's blessings. Andrew Wommack in his logical, practical style brings believers back on track in their Christian walk through living in the balance of grace and faith.
Download or read book Keeping Faith written by Jodi Picoult and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-06 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A triumph. This novel’s haunting strength will hold the reader until the very end and make Faith and her story impossible to forget.” —Richmond Times Dispatch “Extraordinary.” —Orlando Sentinel From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult (Nineteen Minutes, Change of Heart, Handle with Care) comes Keeping Faith: an “addictively readable” (Entertainment Weekly) novel that “makes you wonder about God. And that is a rare moment, indeed, in modern fiction” (USA Today).
Download or read book Transformation written by Marlene C Bertrand and published by Marlene C Bertrand. This book was released on 2023-11-15 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Transform Your Soul, Find God's Love, Embrace Faith Embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening in "Transformation: Metamorphosis of the Soul - Finding God's Love and Faith." Dive into the profound power of self-reflection, personal growth, and the embrace of God's boundless love. This inspirational masterpiece is your key to transcending life's challenges with grace and resilience. Whether you seek answers to life's profound questions or a deeper spiritual journey, "Transformation" is your guide to unlocking your soul's true potential. Embrace change, embrace faith, and embrace love like never before. Join the author as she shares a personal journey of transformation from self-centered ambitions to a Christ-centered lifestyle.
Download or read book Abundant Life and Loving God written by Greg Wander and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2015-05-13 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abundant Life & Loving God tells how one mans journey of discovery led him to find abundant life in Jesus Christ and a central place in his life for following the most important commandment to love God. Greg Wander tells how he came to love God as passionately as he loves the members of his family. Energized by this change in his lifes priorities, he looks back over his personal history in the church and reveals how loving God was rarely discussed. By telling this story he hopes to help others find renewed love for God. In adopting an approachable tone, Abundant Life and Loving God turns its attention to topics like enjoying real relationships with God, loving God, spending time seeking God, finding transformation in God, and reviewing recommendations for spiritual leaders to encourage others in their searches for a loving God. A concluding list of recommended readings, grouped by topic, provides guidance for ones spiritual search. If you have come to the point in your life where you recognize gaps and holes in your spiritual life, then this text offers support. With its embraceable narrative, it will provide you with scripturally grounded guidance for discovering the blessings that come with showing your love for God and receiving His grace for enjoying an abundant life.
Download or read book Seeking God written by Trevor Hudson and published by Penguin Random House South Africa. This book was released on 2023-02-06 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jesus promised, “Seek and you will find!” Do you long for a transforming encounter with the living God? Jesus assures us that those willing to become seekers will find what their hearts most deeply desire. The promise is clear. Those who seek God consistently, faithfully, and passionately will not be disappointed. They will find God and all those good things that accompany God’s Kingdom. Profoundly influenced by his long friendship with Dallas Willard, and his experience guiding people through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius for the last thirty years, Trevor Hudson offers you a practical tool kit for your seeking journey. You search for God does not have to take you to a remote mountain top as God wants to meet us right where we are in our everyday lives. Reading the wisdom contained within the pages of Seeking God will help you to move beyond insight and knowledge and encounter the presence of the living God as a reality in your daily life.
Download or read book Living on Purpose written by Christine Sine and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this era of "life makeovers," personal coaches, and success-oriented mission statements, many people are working hard to get it together. They're looking for a good life, which at its core includes wanting their time to count for something, to be meaningful and mindful. But as Christine and Tom Sine point out, "more and more people are missing the best and settling for less." Living on Purpose presents a true life-changing strategy--one rooted in God's greater purposes for our lives, not merely our own desires for success. The book has a laser-focus on God's mission and vocation for each of his children, and it shows how staying on his course will lead to the very richest and most fulfilling life. Questions for reflection and discussion make Living on Purpose ideal for group use. The Sines help readers make the connection between their everyday pursuits and goals and God's will for their lives. They show how to draft a personal or family mission statement to reinvent "timestyle" and lifestyle, using relevant examples from the Bible and other writings. Packed with inspiring stories and practical how-to, Living on Purpose leads readers to a more relaxed, festive, and meaningful life that truly counts--for today and eternity.
Download or read book The Better Mom written by Ruth Schwenk and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mothering is messy. Our joy and hope in raising children doesn’t change the reality that being a mom can be frustrating, stressful, and tiring. But just as God is using us to shape our children, God is using our children and motherhood to shape us. In The Better Mom, author Ruth Schwenk, herself a mother of four children, encourages us with the good news that there is more to being a mom than the extremes of striving for perfection or simply embracing the mess. We don’t need to settle for surviving our kids’ childhood. We can grow through it. With refreshing and heartfelt honesty Ruth emboldens moms to: Find freedom and walk confidently in purpose Create a God-honoring home environment Overcome unhealthy and destructive emotions such as anger, anxiety, and more Avoid glorifying the mess of mom-ing or idolizing perfection Cultivate life-giving friendships At the heart of The Better Mom is the message that Jesus calls us to live not a weary life, but a worthy life. We don’t have to settle for either being apathetic or struggling to be perfect. Both visions of motherhood go too far. Ruth offers a better option. She says, “It’s okay to come as we are, but what we’re called to do and be is far too important to stay there! The way to becoming a better mom starts not with what we are doing, but with who God is inviting us to become."
Download or read book Refugia Faith written by Debra Rienstra and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2022-02-22 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth explores how Christian spirituality and practice must adapt to prepare for life on a climate-altered planet. Refugia (reh-FU-jee-ah) is a biological term describing places of shelter where life endures in times of crisis, such as a volcanic eruption, fire, or stressed climate. Ideally, these refugia endure, expand, and connect so that new life emerges. Debra Rienstra applies this concept to human culture and faith, asking, In this era of ecological devastation, how can Christians become people of refugia? How can we find and nurture these refugia, not only in the biomes of the earth, but in our human cultural systems and in our spiritual lives? How can we apply all our love and creativity to this task as never before? Rienstra recounts her own process of reeducation--beginning not as a scientist or an outdoors enthusiast but by examining the wisdom of theologians and philosophers, farmers and nature writers, scientists and activists, and especially people on the margins. By weaving nature writing, personal narrative, and theological reflection, Rienstra grapples honestly with her own fears and longings and points toward a way forward--a way to transform Christian spirituality and practice, become a healer on a damaged earth, and inspire others to do the same. Refugia Faith speaks to people securely within the faith as well as to those on the edge, providing a suitable entry for those who sense that this era of upheaval requires a transformed faith but who don't quite know where to begin.
Download or read book Hope for the Thinking Christian written by Stephen D. Reese and published by Smyth & Helwys Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
