""'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my """house. Test me in this, ' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not"" """throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that""" """"you will not have room enough for it.'""""" -- Malachi 3:1 0
In these uncertain economic times, does it really make sense to tithe?
Douglas LeBlanc thinks the answer is clear enough in Malachi 3:10, where God goes so far as to tell us, "Test me in this." The people profiled in this book have done exactly that--and the effect on their lives has been dramatic.
In these intimate journalistic portraits, LeBlanc shows us true tithing in action. From members of the clergy, to best-selling authors, to social activists both conservative and liberal, these are the lives of real people who tithe in joy and plenty, in the face of poverty and natural disaster, in community and missionally, and as a spiritual practice commanded by God. They come from different backgrounds and live in varying degrees of financial comfort; but they all tithe--and wouldn't have it any other way. Through their eyes, we come to understand this ancient practice as God's call to a life of generosity, compassion, and joy.
"""""THE ANCIENT PRACTICES"""""
There is a hunger in every human heart for connection, primitive and raw, to God. To satisfy it, many are beginning to explore traditional spiritual disciplines used for centuries. . .everything from fixed-hour prayer to fasting to sincere observance of the Sabbath. Compelling and readable, the """"""Ancient Practices"""""" series is for every spiritual sojourner, for every Christian seeker who wants more.

While praying for his community on the Island of Iona, the Celtic monk St. Columba described his experience as a thin place- a location where heaven and earth seemed only thinly separated.In the same way, God's kingdom is being realized here on earth with stories of restoration and redemption. Our God moved into the neighborhood, seeking to invite us into his story of reconciliation, and commission us to missionally engage our neighborhoods with the good news of the kingdom.Joining the concepts of monasticism and mission, author Jon Huckins will walk you through six postures of missional formation: listening, submerging, inviting, contending, imagining, and entrusting. As you begin to employ these postures, become apprentices of Jesus who are committed to living in and experiencing the thin places.Through Thin Places, create a fertile soil to commune with God, live in deep community with others, and extend the good news of the kingdom in your local contexts.

With his signature engaging style and straightforward wisdom, Craig Groeschel--New York Times bestselling author, pastor, and counselor--delivers a powerful guide to breaking free of destructive thought patterns and renewing our minds for a bright and purposeful future.

Are your thoughts out of control--just like your life? Do you long to break free from the spiral of destructive thinking? Let God's truth become your battle plan to win the war in your mind!

We've all tried to think our way out of bad habits and unhealthy thought patterns, only to find ourselves stuck with an out-of-control mind and off-track daily life. Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel understands deeply this daily battle against self-doubt and negative thinking, and in this powerful new book he reveals the strategies he's discovered to change your mind and your life for the long-term.

Drawing upon Scripture and the latest findings of brain science, Groeschel lays out four practical and transformative strategies that will enable you to change your thinking and transform your life:

• Remove the lies you believe and replace them with truth
• Rewire your brain and learn exercises to renew your mind
• Reframe your mind and restore a healthy perspective
• Revive your soul through prayer and praise and reclaim your life

Theologians and leaders from many Churches and from the major world religions, including the last four popes, have acknowledged as unique in Christian history the spiritual gifts poured forth through Chiara Lubich. Her spirituality of unity has the ultimate goal of contributing to the unity for which Jesus prayed to his Father: May they all be one (Jn 17:21). This volume gathers her essential writings and for the first time presents them in a systematic fashion. It is a summa of the charism of unity, which will lead readers to ponder, understand and experience a spirituality particularly suited to the era in which we live. The history of the Church has seen many radicalisms of love ... that of Francis of Assisi, of Ignatius of Loyola. There is also Chiaras radicalism ... which seeks to make this love victorious in every circumstance. Pope John Paul II

As a human, you have the absolute right to your beliefs. No one has the moral authority to impose their views on you by force or by the threat of eternal torture in hell.

God made you free.

Your beliefs influence your attitude, which affects your behavior. And your attitude and behavior determine whether you find meaning and joy in life.

This is Jesus Christ respects your mastery over your own mind. Instead of telling you what to believe, this interactive book simply provides information about Jesus Christ so that you can make an informed decision. You decide what to believe. You write down your own thoughts and independently grow to appreciate yourself.

As we mature, we increasingly value having a life of meaning. We want our existence to mean something. We want to have joy, especially when our lives are full of suffering, evil, pain, fear, and unfairness.

Among all the things Jesus taught, none is more tangibly valuable than the secret to having a life of meaning. If you follow it, you are guaranteed a joyful and meaningful life regardless of how awful life treats you. All you must do is to:

• Love God
• Love your neighbor
• Love yourself
• Keep God's commandments

Everyone has gifts and talents, but do you know what

gift is the foundation of your God-given purpose

in life?

In Know Your Ministry: Spiritual Gifts for Every

Believer, renowned Bible teacher Marilyn Hickey presents

an enlightening overview of the seven foundational gifts

of the Holy Spirit from Romans 12 and shows you how to

discover your specific foundational gift.

Through Marilyn's personal and ministry examples,

biblical illustrations, and practical application, you will

discover the one gift that you identify with most closely

and through which you will obtain the most success.

That gift whether it is prophecy, serving, teaching,

exhortation, giving, organization, or mercy is your

foundational gift.

Once you have identified your core gift, you will see how

it relates to your other abilities and how it flows throughout

all your spiritual activity in the body of Christ.

This joint biography illuminates the lives of Francis and Clare and their way of life. It shows how they were bound together by devotion to God as well as the violent objections of their families to religious life. It explores a variety of issues they faced, including the treatment of lepers in medieval society, corruption in the church, and attitudes toward the created world. You will learn how Clare's spirituality influenced that of other prominent women, how Francis lost control of his own movement, and why Francis's body was secretly buried after his death.

The perfect gift for adoptive parents in the style of the best-selling Meditations for the New Mother.

Using her family experiences, Vernell Klassen Miller weaves many threads into the fabric of these meditations on adoption. She includes theories about bonding to infants and older children, the stages in relinquishment and adoption, how "entitlement" happens, and the advantages of the adoption.

A psyhological and spiritual exploration of the positive potential hidden in our painful emotions. Its key conviction: our bad feelings can be good news, alerting us to endangered values, alarming us to hopes under siege, and arming us for the tough tasks of change.

Filled with lively examples, the Whiteheads demonstrate how negative emotions can lead to personal growth, spiritual development, and social transformation. Family wounds, cultural temptations, and religious malpractice make it difficult for us to plumb the meaning of our passions. Breaking through these obstacles is part of spirituality's healing task.

Denise Inge introduces a selection from Thomas Traherne's writing in this, the third volume in this series on seventeenth century spiritual writers. This volume will contain some biographical detail and historical context, the story of the discovery of his work as well as a discussion of its literary and spiritual power. The main body of the anthology will cover both well known works such as a selection from the Centuries and also excerpts from newer discoveries, including a recent find from Lambeth Palace Library. Thomas Traherne 1636?-1674 was schooled at Brasenose College, Oxford, was ordainded and served in the village of Credenhill, Herefordshire.

In his new book, the author likens True Self to a diamond, buried deep within us, formed under the intense pressure of our lives and needing to be searched for, uncovered, and separated from all the debris of ego that surrounds it. In a sense True Self must, like Jesus, be resurrected, and that process involves not resuscitation but transformation.