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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Christian religious experience > General
Does Your Faith Seem Stuck? Do you ever feel like you're not
growing in your faith the way you're supposed to? It turns out,
there are forces working against you--threats to your faith--trying
to keep you from flourishing in your relationship with God. One of
Jesus' parables--in fact, the one that gets the most space on God's
sacred pages--deals with this very issue. It's the story about the
sower, the seed, and the soil (Matthew 13). Just as a farmer
doesn't toss seed on the ground to get rid of it, God never brings
you into contact with his Word for no reason. A farmer wants fruit,
and God wants to help you experience more joy, peace, love, etc.
This book is structured around the six threats Jesus lists in the
parable of the sower and the seed--pride, pain, worries, wealth,
wants, and not waiting--and the corresponding strategies to
overcome them. If you're wondering why your faith isn't working in
some aspects of your life, the message of this book may be what
you've been looking for. "Mike Novotny is one of those rare writers
who is a real joy to read, and his new book, What's Big Starts
Small, is no exception. If you've ever struggled with your
Christian life or been frustrated with God, this is the book for
you."--PHIL COOK, PhD, media producer and author of The Way Back:
How Christians Blew Our Credibility and How We Get It Back
In the six-session small group Bible study, God is Closer Than
You Think, John Ortberg helps you to discover and enjoy a vibrant,
moment-by-moment relationship with God the Father.
Today you can see God in action. Today you can hear God speaking
to you. Today you can connect with God heart-to-heart. Today
Intimacy with God can happen right now a closeness you can feel,
a reality you can experience for yourself. God is closer than you
think, and connecting with him isn t the exclusive domain of monks
and ascetics. It s for business people, high school students, busy
moms, single men, single women and most important, it s for YOU
In God is Closer than You Think, Ortberg reveals the face of God
waiting to be discovered in the complex mosaic of your life. This
insightful and impactful small group study will help you:
- Find God where you least expect him
- Listen to God s voice
- Identify which pathway of relationship you re uniquely designed
to travel
- Align yourself with the flow of the Holy Spirit
- Draw closer to God even when he seems absent
This Participant Guide is designed for use together with the God
Is Closer Than You Think DVD (sold separately) and includes
discussion questions for individuals and groups. When used together
they provide you with a practical tool than can transform your
faith.
Sessions include:
- God s Great Desire for People
- Where is God in My World?
- Partnering with God Today
- Listening to the Voice of God
- God Wants a Relationship with You
- Heaven Breaking Through
"
Christians taking their first steps of faith, as well as
experienced believers reexamining their spiritual foundations, will
find wisdom in this study of Philippians and the disciplines of the
Christian life. They'll be encouraged to let the cross shape their
outlook on suffering, emulate worthy Christian role models,
persevere by developing seven virtues, and put the gospel first in
all aspects of life.
This is a book about how, on a cosmic and a personal level,
darkness gives way to light. It does not sugar-coat the reality of
darkness but is full of hope, reminding voyagers that `light shines
in the darkness', that darkness is required to perceive light - and
that Easter means the light has come, life triumphs, and the
promised Holy Spirit will empower us for growth: `eastering' ...
These reflective, prayerful poems are `a ticket and passport for a
spiritual journey' and can be used in a daily discipline or with
groups. `For each traveller I pray journeying mercies,' Bonnie
Thurston writes. `And I remind pilgrims: Take heart. He will come.'
Having resigned a professorship and chair in New Testament studies,
Bonnie Thurston now lives quietly as a solitary near Wheeling, West
Virginia, USA, working as a spiritual director and retreat leader
and volunteering in a food bank. She is the author of over 20
books. `You are in skilled hands here, so let yourself be carried
along, ready to experience delight, or be jarred into discomfort.
Above all ponder, weigh, take time. For each poem comes out of the
quiet depths of a person who is a fellow pilgrim, illuminating the
familiar with her own God-given insight.' - Esther de Waal
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