Showing results by publisher "Zondervan" in All Categories

Our culture is self-obsessed - in our schedules, in our relationships, and especially online. (Can you say selfie?) But in this near-narcissism, people are less content than in decades past. Why? Because we forgot the joy that comes from putting others first. Doing so requires us to live alert, listening for "heart drops", hints from those in our lives who need a helping hand or a generous dose of encouragement. Living alert lifts our own spirits, showing us that blessing others blesses us even more.

Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want - practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups - and what they need - substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.

Sweet Naomi Byler cooks meals for the guests at The Peony Inn, where Amish sisters and owners of the inn Esther and Lizzie love her like a granddaughter. She’s as happy there as a young woman can be, considering that her fiancé, Thomas, has left her to court someone else. She knows she’ll get over the love of her life in due time, but she is beginning to assume marriage will never be a part of her future.

In twenty-five years of pastoral ministry, Scott Sauls has come alongside countless individuals and communities through weary seasons and circumstances. From his own seasons of regret, hurt, and fear--including battles with anxiety and depression--he knows what it's like to be unfinished and on the mend under Jesus' merciful, mighty healing hand.

Enjoy this audio recording of the New Romanian Translation™ Bible, read by two readers. The New Romanian Translation™ offers a faithful rendering of Scripture’s original word order while also delivering the most comprehensive and clear translation of the Bible’s stories and concepts in the Romanian language.

This rape case is different from most: the victim is more than willing to testify and there's ample evidence to put the suspect behind bars. But one thing gnaws at Detective Larry Millsaps - young and beautiful Melissa Nelson knows too much about the evidence needed to convict her attacker. Millsaps's investigation unearths the suspect's brutal track record, but also some stunning revelations about Melissa's own past. Caught in a deadly conflict between the ironies of the law and the demands of his Christian convictions, the detective finds himself protecting Melissa - even as evidence mounts that could imprison not only an inhuman criminal, but also the woman Millsaps has come to love.

In Leading Life-Changing Small Groups Audio Lectures, author and speaker Bill Donahue teaches small group leaders the basics of leading a successful group. Regardless of whether a person is leading for the first time or has been for years, these sessions will enable them to more effectively facilitate group discussion and to encourage and support group members in a way that leads to authentic and lasting life change.

Church leaders know that volunteers are the church’s most vital work force; in The Volunteer Church, Leith Anderson and Jill Fox offer guidance to church leaders on how best to minister to these essential workers, and provide a complete handbook for them to recruit, inspire, train, and maintain volunteers in congregations large or small.

What happens when a woman looks at herself in the mirror, lingering just a little longer than usual and realizes that she no longer recognizes the person staring back at her? What does she do when she sees that, somehow, her life has drifted away from all her original hopes, dreams, or plans? Speaker, blogger, and writer Chrystal Evans Hurst wrote this book because she was that woman. One day she realized that she had somehow wandered from the life she was meant to live.

Do you ever feel like you don't pray enough, read your Bible enough, share your faith enough, love God enough...and ultimately that you're not a very good Christian? Welcome to the club. Messy Spirituality was written for the silent majority of us who are convinced we just don't do Christianity right. Mike Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided...and gloriously liberating.

Middle school drama and one girl’s big imagination collide in this audio collection containing the first six books in the Sophie series for girls ages 9-12. Listeners will love following future film director Sophie and her friends as they navigate first crushes, major bullies, shifting friendships, and what it means to apply your faith to everyday life. Each story is not only entertaining, the plotlines speak to the real-life issues girls are facing at school and at home.

Someone came between Lee and Leslie Strobel, threatening to shipwreck their marriage. No, it wasn't an old flame. It was Jesus Christ. Leslie's decision to become a follower of Jesus brought heated opposition from her skeptical husband. They began to experience conflict over a variety of issues, from finances to child-rearing. But over time, Leslie learned how to survive a spiritual mismatch. Today, they're both Christians - and they want you to know that there is hope if you're a Christian married to a nonbeliever.

In Follow the Healer, Stephen Seamands draws upon four decades of teaching theology and active involvement in healing ministry to help us grasp the "why-to" of healing that comes before the "how-to." He lays out the essential theological foundations for healing ministry in a way that is simple and accessible.

In a culture obsessed with parenting formulas, it's easy to miss the fact that science and lived experience have proven that human development and thriving are a matter of relationship. Drawing on decades of psychological research, neuroscience, and their own experience as parents and people of faith, the Olricks present six relational needs for human growth that will transform the way you think about your child - and yourself. Together, the needs form a trustworthy compass to guide you and your child to a path of purpose and relational wholeness.

With little left to tie her to her home state of Texas and yearning for a slower life, Yvonne Wilson jumps at the chance to shake things up with a move to Montgomery, Indiana. A dream job awaits her—managing an Amish bookstore for her good friends Jake and Eva. Besides the slow-paced setting and the comfort of beloved books, Yvonne hopes the change will help distract her from the emptiness she feels after the death of her fiancé.

What happens when we literally walk out our Christian life? We discover the joy of traveling at the speed of our soul. We often act as if faith is only about the mind. But what about our bodies? What does our physical being have to do with our spiritual life? When the Bible exhorts us to walk in the light, or walk by faith, or walk in truth, it means these things literally as much as figuratively. The Christian faith always involves walking out, as again and again we find the holy in the ordinary.

Urban Apologetics: Cults and Cultural Ideologies equips pastors, churches, and everyday believers to engage the most common ethical, biblical, and theological challenges faced by Black Christians and the Black Church today.

Three charming stories of new school years and new romance.

No one knows who the victim was, where he came from, or why he staggered out in front of Chief Cade’s car. Guilt overwhelms him that he killed the mysterious stranger, until Cade learns that the man had been shot at close-range before he was struck. Determining his identity and finding the shooter becomes Cade’s top priority. But then Cade vanishes off of the island of Cape Refuge. Rumors spread like wildfire that Cade was involved with the dead man’s wife and that the death was not accidental. Did Cade run to escape murder charges, or has something sinister happened to him?

With sweeping brushstrokes, God painted his creation across the emptiness. “Let there be light”, he called into the darkness, and a sweep of brightness blazed across the blank canvas. The Story for Children isn’t just another collection of Bible stories - it’s "The Story" - the big picture of God’s enormous love for his children! Presented by New York Times best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado with Randy Frazee and Karen Hill, these 48 pivotal stories show how God has a grand and glorious vision.