Personal Ministries

After her brother died unexpectedly and her mother moved into a dementia-care facility, spiritual travel writer and Episcopal deacon Lori Erickson felt called to a new quest: to face death head-on, with the eye of a tourist and the heart of a pastor. Blending memoir, spirituality, and travel, Near the Exit examines how cultures confront and have confronted death by investigating Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Mayan temples, Colorado cremation pyres, Day of the Dead celebrations, Maori settlements, and tourist-destination graveyards.

For many people worry, anxiety, and fear are constant companions: fear of death, fear of danger, fear of disease. And too often these fears are crippling, keeping us from the lives God has called us to live. But it doesn't have to be that way, says Dr. David Jeremiah. As Christians we have been given all we need in order to face down even the most frightening, unexpected, and overwhelming obstacles in life.

When someone leaves an abusive marriage, life isn't instantly fixed. Women who have experienced domestic violence feel shattered. Because of the trauma they've been through, a bond with their abuser has formed that keeps them tied together long after they've physically left. Karen DeArmond Gardner understands these difficulties all too well. And she intimately knows what women in this situation need in order to gain freedom from the lies of abuse - to be reborn as the people God longs for them to be.

Three-time Super Bowl and NASCAR champion Joe Gibbs' Game Plan for Life is an "average Joe's" guide to what the Bible has to say about the 11 most-important topics for men. Topics such as finances, relationships, living a life of purpose, finding the right vocation, physical, emotional, and spiritual health, and overcoming sin and addictions. Edited by Jerry Jenkins, Game Plan for Life shows listeners how to live a balanced, God-centered, purpose-filled life, using examples of Coach Gibbs' own storied championship careers as a backdrop.

King Solomon had all the fame and fortune that any man could want. He was the world's wisest and wealthiest king. And yet, tragically, he threw it all away for the love of money, the pleasures of sex, and the powers of an earthly kingdom. In studying the life of Solomon, we see both the true greatness and the tragic failure of our own humanity - from godly devotion to self-serving excess. Philip Graham Ryken tells us how, by the grace of God, to prevent those downfalls and to seek God's glory amid earthly temptations through this rich, Christ-centered study of the life of Solomon.

Healthy people make for healthy relationships. We often complicate that by entering relationships with our past baggage and preconceived ideas of what it means to find "the one". But the good news is that it is possible to find love in a way that honors both God and the opposite sex. In True Love Dates, professional counselor Debra Fileta encourages singles not to "kiss dating goodbye" but instead offers a new approach to dating by encouraging listeners to approach relationships in a way that is psychologically sound, emotionally healthy, and rooted in faith.

Let’s face it: when it comes to mothers and their daughters, things can get a little... complicated. Momplicated, you might say. Whether your relationship with your mom has been wonderful or stressful, redeemed or broken, close or nonexistent, it’s one of your life’s most important and defining connections. Its effects have probably followed you into adulthood. If you have conflicting feelings toward mom - or if you wish you could get past some of the baggage that holds you back - this is your audiobook.

Even good parents often underestimate the dangers their children face. Research indicates that one in four females and one in six males are sexually abused before age 18. In most cases, the enemy is not a faceless stranger; it's someone you know and trust. This book provides practical steps to ensure you're doing all you can to reduce the risks of abuse. But since you cannot be with your children 24/7, it goes beyond what you can do as a parent to teach you how to increase your child's own awareness and strategies in the face of potential dangers - without making them fearful.

Your daughter needs you to be her hero. In a time when young girls may be drifting toward unhealthy decisions and relationships, you can take action to transform your daughter’s life, choices, and future. Dr. Michelle Watson, founder of The Abba Project, packs your parenting toolbox with ideas, encouragements, timely information, dialogue help, and biblical wisdom to show you how to be a good dad.

Growing up in the green room of SNL, being born to a fire-eater and adopted by a SWAT cop, having internal organs explode, and adopting a deaf girl from China, Scarlet Hiltibidal has been given some strange life experiences - and lived in fear through most of them. But life changed for Scarlet when she learned to hold the gospel up to her fears and realized that though she can't fix herself or protect herself, Jesus walked into this broken, sad, scary place to rescue, love, and cast out her - and your - fear.

From one of America' s most extraordinary educators comes this guide for parents and teachers to help children achieve their dreams. Life presents us with certain opportunities, but how we use them is what counts. As one of America' s most beloved and respected educators, Marva Collins illustrates how values help us to navigate our way. They guide us to what is important— to ourselves, to our families, to our communities, and to humankind.

When you’re in the midst of suffering, you want answers for the unanswerable, resolutions to the unresolvable. But 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. 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.

Jesus demonstrated the presence and power of God by performing miracles. He turned water into wine, healed the sick, calmed the storm, opened blind eyes, and raised the dead. While these beloved stories draw our attention to divine power, Christ’s miracles signify something deeper - they’re windows into God’s grand story of human desperation and redemption. By explaining the meaning and significance of these miracles, Jessica LaGrone reveals their relevance for our lives today.

Whether you have been married two years, 50 years, or anywhere in between, this book offers couples commonsense advice on how to keep romance alive in their relationships. To those who wonder if they can still rekindle that spark, Ziglar says, "Yes, you can!" This how-to guide to happily-ever-after combines convincing statistics, advice from experts, and humorous anecdotes from Ziglar's own experience.

This best-selling classic encourages and equips Christian men to lead their families successfully through hazards and ambushes like divorce, promiscuity, suicide, and drug addiction. Men will find practical insight on topics such as a father's influence, maintaining purity, and husband-and-wife teamwork.

It’s All Under Control is an audiobook for every woman who is hanging on tight and trying to get each day right - yet finding that life often feels out of control and chaotic.

Dr. Kathy Koch (pronounced “cook”), author of Screens and Teens and 8 Great Smarts, will teach you proven strategies for training your child’s heart and parenting in a way that honors God. She’ll help you move your child from “I can’t, I won’t" to “I can, I will, and I did”.

In a shallow light-speed world, how can we really know and be known by another person? How do we make true friends? The Digital Age is all about change, but the need for true friendship never changes. We are designed for real engagement with others - for affirmation that goes beyond a simple "like" on social media, for connection over meals, for hope and excitement about the future. Above all, we need to be known and accepted for who we are.

In Becoming a True Spiritual Community (formerly titled The Safest Place on Earth), Larry Crabb explores such a place, where God can heal disconnected people and allow them to reconnect with each other and, ultimately, with Him. In today's frenetic society, people rarely develop intimate...

Rabbi Gershon Schusterman knew all the textbook answers when comforting bereaved community members who asked him, “Where is God? If God is loving, how could this happen?” But when the rabbi’s young wife died suddenly, leaving him a 38-year-old widower with eleven children to raise, he found himself reeling.