Religious Life

John Newton is famous for his legendary hymn "Amazing Grace". Many have celebrated his dramatic conversion from a life in the slave trade to his eventual work to end it. But often overlooked are Newton's 40 years as a pastor ministering to parishioners and friends unsettled by the trials, doubts, and fears of life. Newton is perhaps the greatest pastoral letter writer in the history of the church. He took up his pen day after day to help others fix their eyes on Christ, which, he writes, is the underlying battle of the Christian life.

Are You Ready for Battle? As a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Nigeria, a much-younger Gordon Dalbey scoffed at an illiterate laborer's account of dark spirits that had invaded his house. The man looked the highly educated American squarely in the eye. "There are no small snakes," he declared...

Venture deep into the heart and mind of the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Haddon Spurgeon. This comprehensive biography paints a vivid tapestry of the 19th-century evangelist who, without the aid of modern technology, drew thousands to his sermons and left an indelible mark on Christian thought. Journey from Spurgeon's humble beginnings in Kelvedon to the grand pulpit of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, where his words stirred souls and sparked revolutions of faith.

The purpose of this autobiography is to record the frequent times of God Moments In my life and what He called me to do and what I did, as well as other memories of my life, which all seem to me as God moments, now that I look back and remember after reading this autobiography over many times, I realized that God has never missed a moment being at my side. Maybe it was also my Guardian Angel, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Trinity of God, my Family, or my relatives who have prayed for me and made me who I am today and over the years.

Sam grew up in a loving, chaotic, cult-attending, sheltered family. He explains how his core values and beliefs were shaped by his family and the events that take place around him. Then, you discover how they come to be tested and broken down after several life-changing moments. Obstacles such as depression, fear, pride, and greed attempt to keep him from truly knowing Jesus, and it wasn’t until he hit rock bottom that he was forced to look to God for help.

Can God take an abandoned, fearful child and make her a Christ-like example and a soul-winner? Does he still do more than we can ask or think? Rena's personal story, simply told in both humility and triumph, will convince you that nothing is impossible when you surrender to Jesus. Her many, colorful adventures are a catalog of miracles which most of us dream about.

When your life falls apart - through a death, a lost relationship, a diagnosis - you want more than anything to know that your pain has a purpose. And that beyond your pain, a new day awaits. Tricia Lott Williford discovered this in a few tragic hours when her 35-year-old husband died unexpectedly. In And Life Comes Back, she writes with soaring prose about her tender, brave journey as a widow with two young boys in the agonizing days and months that followed his death.

In this provocative new contribution to public theology, world-renowned theologian Miroslav Volf (named "America's New Public Intellectual" by Scot McKnight on his Jesus Creed blog) and Matthew Croasmun explain that the intellectual tools needed to rescue us from our present malaise and meet our new cultural challenge are the tools of theology. A renewal of theology is crucial to help us articulate compelling visions of the good life, find our way through the maze of contested questions of value, and answer the fundamental question of what makes life worth living.

I am not famous. I will never be rich. I will most likely never stand and speak before thousands of people. But, I have a story to tell. You could say this is an adventure. Once you begin listening to this you will see how God took an ordinary man from a little hollow in Johnson City, TN through many different trials; ranging from thoughts of suicide, drinking, and going from one bad marriage to another. During all this, the Lord was directing me (most of the time without me realizing it).

Come to the movies with two celebrated spirituality writers—American poet and author Kathleen Norris and Irish storyteller and peace activist Gareth Higgins. In A Whole Life in Twelve Movies, Norris and Higgins invite listeners along as they discuss acclaimed movies that can help us better understand our lives—from before birth to death and beyond. Featuring twelve films, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Malcolm X, and Babette's Feast, this book is perfect for individuals or groups to watch and discuss movies over the course of a year.

Former bookseller, longtime publisher, and author Jon M. Sweeney shows—with history and anecdotes centering around books such as Thoreau's Journal, Tagore's Gitanjali, Martin Buber's Hasidic Tales, and Tolstoy's Twenty-three Tales—what it means to be carried by a book. He explores the discovery that once accompanied finding books, and books finding us. He ponders the smell of an old volume, its heft, and why bibliophiles carry them around even without reading them. He demonstrates how and why there is magic and enchantment that takes place between people and books.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want, He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads Me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

Using the torch of logic, Dr. Zaidi guides us into what life after death is. His insight is original, logical, and a breath of fresh air, free of old religious ideas and concepts. Dr. Zaidi's logical approach to spirituality is a true milestone discovery. He uses logic to elaborate: "What is your likely fate after death? You can easily change this fate during this lifetime, simply with wisdom provided in the book. Then you will be stress free in this life and in life after death."

A fascinating biography of Freda Bedi, an English woman who broke all the rules of gender, race, and religious background to become both a revolutionary in the fight for Indian independence and then a Buddhist icon. She was the first Western woman to become a Tibetan Buddhist nun - but that pioneering ordination was really just one in a life full of revolutionary acts. Freda Bedi broke the rules of gender, race, and religion - in many cases before it was thought that the rules were ready to be challenged.

Elder James E. Talmage’s teachings have influenced how members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints interpret scriptures for over 100 years. Members of the Church are familiar with his intellectual writing style and his reputation as a “stern and always serious-minded man.” For just as long, however, his personal side as a father and loving husband have been overlooked. These less-familiar aspects of his life provide perspective into how he endured the refining process that every disciple of Christ must undergo.

The following is a compilation of lessons from the life of Merlin R. Lybbert.

What was it like to live during the time of Jesus? Where did people live? Who did they marry? What was family life like? And how did people survive? These are just some of the questions that Scott Korb answers in this engaging new book, which explores what everyday life entailed two thousand years ago in first-century Palestine, that tumultuous era when the Roman Empire was at its zenith and a new religion---Christianity---was born.

The world needs saints to show it the way to true humanity. The church needs saints to show it how to live out its calling. The witness of the lives of the saints is a powerful testimony to the reality of God’s plan and the possibility for truly following it in one’s life. So often, we do not see this witness. We see hypocrisy and mediocrity among Christians. That is why we must look to the saints - the ones who really followed the words of Christ and let them be carried out fully in their lives. The saints also give us a reason to hope.

Gordon Hickson writes: This is my story: the story of how God broke into my life at Cambridge University while I was trying to disprove religion and Christianity, and how He began to harness my life for His purposes. Since that time, I have travelled across the world, witnessed extraordinary miracles, endured tough battles of faith and seen the power of God’s Spirit transform whole nations.

With the discovery of her birth father, 12-year-old River has definite thoughts about how her life should turn out - and that certainly does not include any of the challenges that keep popping up! It's not easy to decide if she should live with Gram, who has been her family for the past 10 years, or with her father, who she's over-the-moon to have just met but knows little about. When River gets diagnosed with scoliosis, she fears it will impact her hopes and dreams. River decides to ask God for help.