Imagine raising six spirited kids on a grass farm-today. Newspaper columnist Dorcas Smucker and her brood live out their days in full view in this collection of musings-picking blueberries while watching for bears, hoping for angels while driving off the freeway, moving into the "thousand-story house," and enduring lectures from teenage children about the virtue of respect. Three books in one, this collection includes Smucker's Ordinary Days: Family Life in a Farmhouse, Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting: More Family Life in a Farmhouse, and Downstairs the Queen Is Knitting. Often slightly off-stride and with disarming humility, Dorcas finds endless materials for stories and life lessons in everyday happenings. As she says, "I, like my mother, feed my children mashed potatoes and stories. I repeat the ones I heard from Mom and turn our family escapades into tales to be repeated while washing dishes or snapping buckets of green beans on the front porch. A story is much more than just a story, of course. It is entertainment, identity, interpretation, and lessons. This is who we are, this is why we do what we do, this is important, that is not, and don't ever whack your brother's finger with a hatchet like your dad did to Uncle Philip." This delightful trilogy includes some of Smucker's best writing. She covers topics and dilemmas everyone can relate to while also inviting readers to explore her Mennonite family's more personal experiences. Her voice is humorous, encouraging, and at times, doubting, but she never takes herself too seriously. As you read, her stories will entertain you and ultimately soothe your soul.

Find power in your prayer like never before with this inspiring guide from #1 New York Times bestselling author Bishop T.D. Jakes.

In a time when women carry more influence than any other generation, the power of prayer has never been more important to remind us that we do not have to bear our crosses alone. We need prayer to stand guard over our hearts and minds and over the hearts and minds of our families.

Women today are shattering glass ceilings and forging new paths in the world. What Happens When a Woman Prays is a clarion call for women to continue their progressive march of empowerment by dreaming like their daughters and praying like their grandmothers.

Through exploring the lives of 10 prayer-filled women of the Bible, Bishop Jakes emphasizes the life-changing power that women have when they find their identity, their strength, their healing, and their voices in Christ.

How to Defeat the Enemy During These Dark Days As the time approaches for Jesus' return, the spiritual battle between good and evil is heating up. Evidence is all around: shootings, genocide, civil wars, increased persecution. Our enemy is real, and it seems as if he is winning. The good news is that God is at work in powerful ways--and that Satan is not winning. But we need to know how to wage war against him and his plans for these turbulent days. We must understand not only the intensified warfare environment of the end times, but how we can walk in our authority in Jesus Christ. Here are the practical insights you need on how to fight using the spiritual weapons God has given us: the blood of Jesus, the Word of God, our own testimony, and more. When we learn how to wield these weapons, we will see victory over Satan and his kingdom and bring hope to these dark days.

Many of us want to see Jesus, to hear His voice. We want a tangible experience of God. As a Christian doctor and follower of Jesus, Ernest Crocker has been a witness to many interventions of God during his life. In The Man in White, he brings together an inspiring selection of testimonies from around the world of people who have seen God do extraordinary things in and through their lives. They include professionals, academics, a train robber, a surgeon facing decapitation for his faith, and those who have escaped the ravages of war. These powerful stories inspire and challenge us to see that God is real and delights in being involved in our lives today. Content Benefits: This collection of extraordinary stories of people from all walks of life who have experienced God's intervention in the most remarkable circumstances will inspire you to follow Jesus more deeply and encourage you to persevere through trials. Amazing stories of God intervening in miraculous ways in peoples' lives. Will help you see that God is involved in the world today. A perfect gift to encourage friends, family or loved ones facing challenges and hard times. Colour Photos - An 8 page colour insert features many of the people whose stories are told. Binding - Paperback Pages - 240 Publisher - Authentic Media

This five-session small group Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately) by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume one of the That the World May Know series. Vander Laan illustrates how God guided his people to a specific place - the Promised Land - to impact the world both in ancient times and today. Just like the time and place of our birth shapes our journey, so the land and culture of the Hebrew people shaped their story. Promised Land provides wonderful context to the stories of that time. Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God's Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible's fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals unique insights into the Scriptures' significance for modern believers. Each lesson: Focuses on passages of Scripture explored in the DVD Includes sidebars, maps, photos and other study tools Features questions that facilitate discussion and inspire personal reflection Include 30 personal Bible studies to help you deepen your learning experience between sessions, and turn lessons from the past into applications that impact how you live out your faith today. Filmed on location in Israel, these illuminating "faith lessons" afford a new understanding of the Bible that will ground your convictions and transform your life. The Faith Lessons video series is ideal for use in small groups, personal and family Bible studies, and adult Sunday school. Individual believers and families will gain vital insights from long-ago times and cultures through this innovative approach to Bible study. Lessons include: Standing at the Crossroads -Tel Gezer Wet Feet - Jordan River First Fruits - Tel Jericho Confronting Evil - Tel Beth Shemesh Iron of Culture - Tel Azekah Designed for use with the Faith Lessons Promised Land Video Study (sold separately).

Moving on is not a one-time decision. It's a way of living.

There are times in life when we look back and feel desperate to make time stand still, particularly when we get blindsided by unexpected changes. But we can't stop the flow of life, and we can't stop time. What's more, looking back doesn't enable us to go back. More often than not, it just makes us stuck. In a place. In a space. In a memory. In a mindset. In a habit.

In Luke 17:32, Jesus drops three little words: "Remember Lot's wife." We don’t know her name, history, or story. All we know is that when she was fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah, she was told not to look back, and she did the one thing she was asked not to do. She looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. And out of the 170 women referred to in the Scriptures, she's the only one Jesus told us to remember.

With a rallying cry to "Remember Lot's wife," Bible teacher, international speaker, activist, and bestselling author Christine Caine motivates us to stop looking back, to get unstuck and to keep moving forward into God's promises and purpose for our lives.

We may not know all God's plans for us. We may not know where we are going, how long it will take us, or what we will encounter along the way, but with the strategies Christine Caine gives, we can move on from where we are to where God wants us to be.

Your words are like seeds. Every time you say them, they're taking root and growing. Are you planting good seeds? Are you seeing the increase, the health, the relationships, and the happiness you dream about? If not, check out what you’re saying. Whether you realize it or not, the words you speak today are setting the direction for the rest of your life.

In Speak the Blessing: Send Your Words in the Direction You Want Your Life to Go, bestselling author Joel Osteen offers you unique insights into this profound truth: Your words have creative power. When you discover the power of speaking what God says about you, you give those words the right to come to pass. There is a miracle in your mouth. There is healing in your mouth, freedom in your mouth, and new levels in your mouth. But nothing happens until you speak the blessing.

Your words become your reality. Start blessing your future today. Use the words you speak to unlock the power within and create the life you were designed to live. The life-changing possibilities are limitless.

A daily devotional for advent using nativity sets from around the world. Nativity sets are a given at advent. They come in all shapes and sizes and appear in churches, homes and even garden centres. Some are a treasured family heirloom, and some are a new addition to enjoy throughout December. They are all so different though, from the kitsch to the contemporary, and everything in between. But what do they tell us about the original story, and about ourselves, as the people who buy them? Richard Littledale shares his own personal collection of nativity sets from around the world as he provides food for thought and spiritual reflection this advent. For each day of advent Richard includes a reflection, a bible reading, a question to ponder and a prayer. Just like unexpectedly finding a figure of a budgerigar in one of his nativity sets, Richard Littledale's accessible devotional allows us to be surprised anew as we see the wonder of the nativity story with fresh eyes.

'n Reis na innerlike vrede en wysheid - Hierdie 365 oordenkings verken elke aspek van die Gebed om kalmte en hoe jy dit daagliks op jou lewe kan toepas.

Ons lewe is gejaagd. Ons omstandighede – goed en sleg – stoot ons hiernatoe en daarnatoe. Ons voel asof gebeurtenisse buite ons beheer ons lewe bepaal. Ons smag na vrede, na ’n plek waar veiligheid en rus is. As antwoord op hierdie soeke na vrede herinner die geliefde predikant en skrywer Trevor Hudson lesers aan die beproefde wysheid in die alombekende Gebed om kalmte:

God, skenk my die gemoedskalmte, om die dinge te aanvaar wat ek nie kan verander nie, die moed om die dinge te verander wat ek kan, en die wysheid om te weet wat die verskil is.

Hierdie 365 oordenkings verken elke aspek van hierdie gebed en hoe jy dit daagliks op jou lewe kan toepas. Namate jy die Gebed om kalmte gebruik as gids om elke dag in vriendskap met jou Here en Skepper te lewe, sal God se geskenk van vrede jou lewe vul en deur jou vloei waar jy jou ook al bevind. Elke oordenking word afgesluit met ’n praktiese voorstel hoe jy hierdie gebed elke dag kan uitleef. Só sal jou lewe ál meer op God gefokus word, en sal jy die innerlike vrede ervaar waarna jou hart smag.

Trevor Hudson is ’n Metodistepredikant, en tans ook betrokke by The Institute for Creative Conversations by die Northfield Metodistekerk in Suid-Afrika. Trevor se bediening behels onderrig, die aanbied van lesings en naweekseminare dwarsoor die land, sowel as internasionaal. Hy is die skrywer van verskeie boeke, waaronder ’n Dieper verhouding met God, Gebed om kalmte en Vrae wat God ons vra.

Jamie Winship spent nearly 30 years living and working in conflict zones, and during that time he has learned an important truth: all human conflict originates from fear, and fear originates from a false view of God, ourselves, and others. Until we exchange what's false for what's real, we will never experience being fully alive, fully human, and fully free. Unpacking the power of knowing our true identity in Christ, Winship takes us on a journey of telling ourselves the truth, changing our mindsets, and experiencing actual life transformation that leads to radical courage in the face of all that life throws at us. With humor, clarity, and real-life practicality, Living Fearless is your invitation to listen closely to what God is trying to say to you about himself, about the person he created you to be--and also about all those other people he created and loves. If you want to discover the incredible difference abiding in Christ will make in your life and faith, get ready to do "a new thing" with God.