Spiritual Growth Love

Pumpkin crunch cake. Game night with friends. Jazz music. Baseball. These are good gifts — and potential threats to the worship of God. At the heart of the Christian life is a tension between the supremacy of God over all things and the enjoyment of all things for his sake. In this audiobook, Joe Rigney offers a biblical vision for enjoying God in everything and enjoying everything in God.

Churches are full of differences. Those differences might be rooted in culture or personality or even musical style. In recent years, differences over political and social issues have frayed the unity of many churches. Yet if a church is centered on Christ alone, then unity at church will sometimes require building genuine friendships that bridge across all those differences. How can Christians navigate those relationships? This practical guide explores 8 truths from Romans 12–15 that show us how to find God-exalting unity at church with those we struggle to love.

Dr. Habib Sadeghi provides a compassionately based, scientifically sound approach to the missing ingredient in the weight-loss recipe: self-love. You’ll learn that real self-love is far more than an ethereal concept. It’s a tangible evolutionary force that will create changes in your life that can only be described as miraculous. You’ll discover the exciting emerging science of epigenetics and that fat is not all in the family. You’ve never been doomed by your genes and have far more control over your weight than you ever realized.

Having every one of us been in bondage to sin, we readily believe that sinful things are Satanic; but do we believe equally that the things of the world are Satanic? Many of us, I think, are still in two minds about this. Yet how clearly Scripture affirms that "the whole world lieth in the evil one" (1 John 5:19). Satan well knows that, generally speaking, to try to ensnare real Christians through things that are positively sinful is vain and futile.

Do you feel powerless and overwhelmed by the pain and suffering all around you? Have you ever asked, What can I do to mend the world, my family, or my own life? And if I could, why bother? Does my own small part even matter? If so, here comes hope from two guides who are further down the road.

The key to spiritual and emotional health is to grasp the truth of God's transforming love for us and then let that reality influence our own hearts and relationships. It seems simple, but we are experts at complicating simple things. Instead of living lives characterized by love we find ourselves trapped in cycles of shame, violence, and addiction that steal our joy and keep us from loving others - so much so that, by all indications, Christians are living no differently than anyone else when it comes to abuse rates, use of pornography, alcohol and drug addiction, and more.

Born and raised in a small Oregon town, all-American girl Rebecca Bender was a varsity athlete and honor-roll student with a promising future. Then a predator pretending to be her boyfriend lured her into a web of lies that sent her down a path she never imagined possible. For nearly six years, Rebecca was sold across the underground world of sex trafficking in Las Vegas. She was branded, beaten, told when to sleep and what to wear, and traded between traffickers. During that time, God began revealing himself to her.

Psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Les Parrott provides a revolutionary path to success in the ultimate human challenge: truly loving other people. Let’s be honest. How many times have you fallen short at being a good friend, a wise parent, or a self-giving spouse because you didn’t love--truly love--at the highest level? It’s tough. We’re bound to fail. The bar is so high, especially if you aspire to love like Jesus. But it’s not impossible.

Katherine and Jay Wolf were a young couple living the dream in Southern California, but all was nearly lost when Katherine suffered a shocking near-fatal brainstem stroke and struggled to find hope in a life that looked nothing like the one they had before.

When best-selling author Joyce Meyer posted "God's not mad at you" on Facebook, she didn't anticipate that her words would trigger thousands of responses of gratitude and relief. Apparently many Christians struggle to reconcile their perception of God as both a loving parent and a stern judge. In God Is Not Mad at You, Joyce will help those who haven't truly received God's love because they are afraid of his anger and disapproval.

Somewhere along the way, there develops within the soul a yearning that can no longer be ignored—a craving for the great Love affair. We feel it drawing ever closer. It is the greatest of them all. It cannot fail. It is all-consuming. It is incomparable. It is the love affair with our own true nature and the source from which it comes. The desire is in all of us, but it is mainly ignored for other interests. We wrestle with each interest, trying to make it work, growing with each adventure until the light has grown bright enough for us to reach for it.

With biblical insight and practical wisdom, The Power to Bless shows you how to craft a positive, faith-filled blessing. By learning a few simple, biblical skills for imparting life-changing blessings, you'll be more spiritually blessed than you'd ever imagined, and you'll be equipped with the power to bless the people you love.

Rejection is inevitable. Yet we spend little time considering the significant impact it makes on an individual's whole self. When we do, we swaddle it in quippy statements and shallow encouragement—meaningful for just a moment. But rejection leaves aching wounds that challenge and forge our most intimate thoughts of who we believe God, others, and ourselves to be. Tabitha Panariso blends biblical truth, candid personal stories, and timeless wisdom forged through personal experience and her vocation as a therapist to invite listeners into a new way of living.

Do you worry that you're messing up your kids? Do you get stressed when you think about their futures? New York Times best-selling author Crystal Paine knows how you feel. A mom of four, Crystal has struggled with anxiety over parenting. She wanted to parent with grace, instead of a system of rules where kids are expected to do all the right things. She wanted to be a safe place for her children, and she definitely didn't want to be remembered as the sort of mom who yelled, wounded her kids with words, or worse, cared more about her reputation than her kids' hearts.

We all need more energy, the vitality that helps us stay motivated, focused and productive in life. We know we receive energy from good nutrition, along with working out, adequate sleep and maintaining positivity. But there is another major source for the energy we need: having the right kinds of relationships with others. Not the ones that drain us, but the ones that refuel us.

Forming deep relationships with God and with others is the most important aspect of mortal life, and yet one of the most vexing problems many face during their time on this Earth is the lack of love - the inability to receive and give love as the savior did. In Filled with His Love, Russell T. Osguthorpe, former Sunday School General President, addresses the question of how we can increase our capacity to give and receive love so that we can have secure, healthy relationships with God and with others.

Flourishing people are strong and weak. Two common temptations lure us away from abundant living: withdrawing into safety and grasping for power. True flourishing, says Andy Crouch, travels down an unexpected path - being both strong and weak. We see this unlikely mixture in the best leaders - people who use their authority for the benefit of others while also showing extraordinary willingness to face and embrace suffering.

Joshua Becker weaves together personal stories, biblical teachings, and practical advice to help you let go of consumerism and worldly possessions and to instead embrace the great joy Jesus offers. This positive and compelling book serves as both a personal and collective call to action, urging you to own less, love more, and realize your full potential in God's kingdom. Rooted in the teachings of Jesus, Uncluttered Faith argues that true spiritual fulfillment and abundant life are found not in accumulation but in simplicity and generosity.

In Wounded by God’s People Anne Graham Lotz draws on the biblical story of Hagar to show those who have been hurt by God’s people how to move past their wounds into the joy and fellowship of His presence, claiming the fullness of the blessings God has for them.

Do you dare believe in a God who wants to make your dreams come true? It seems like there is no time to dream these days. Yet the Bible is full of dreamers - those who exchanged their old dreams for new ones, and those who received unexpected dreams from God that changed the course of history. Best-selling author Sheila Walsh gives warm-hearted stories of real people, interwoven with biblical insight, to help you discover God's dream for your life.