An invitation to an ordinary yet radical way of life, using historic Christian practices as both inspiring vision and practical instruction for how to encounter the wondrous, mysterious, living God through prayer. Prayer is the source of Jesus's most astonishing miracles and the subject of Jesus's most audacious promises, and yet, most people--even most Bible-believing Christians--find prayer to be boring, obligatory, disappointing, confusing, or, most often, all of the above. If you've ever felt this way, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools is your invitation to trade your conceptions and misconceptions about prayer for prayer in its purest form: a vital, sustaining, powerful connection with God that is more real and alive than you could have ever imagined. In these pages, Tyler Staton--author, pastor, and national director of the 24/7 Prayer movement--addresses common roadblocks to prayer and gives you the confidence to come to God just as you are. Through biblical teaching, powerful storytelling, and insights on historic Christian practices, Staton helps you . . . Express your doubts and disappointments about prayer Discover and practice multiple postures of prayer, including silence, persistence, confession, and more Understand and embrace the wonder and mystery of prayer in everyday life Realize that prayer is a powerful invitation to partner with God in the redemption of a fallen world And, ultimately, open or reopen the line of communication with your Creator and experience afresh his divine power on earth

Words of Caution for Those Who Think They're Beyond Temptation Too many Christians, especially those in ministry, believe they are untouchable--that they're too faithful to fall or too spiritual to give in to temptation. They deny any sort of weakness, fail to draw proper boundaries, and end up doing the very things they swore they'd never do. Pastor and author Brittany Rust was one such person--until she found herself in the middle of moral failure and a church-wide scandal. Bewildered, humiliated, and ashamed, she thought she was beyond redemption. But God's grace met her on the ground, and here she shares what she's learned through her painful journey. She unravels the myth of being untouchable, showing how we start to believe the lie, and how we can protect ourselves from temptation. Ultimately she shows that to truly flourish in life, you must be willing to admit weakness--and that no one is beyond God's redeeming love.

Women are bombarded with ideas of perfection--and tips for how to achieve it--every day. From her work to her looks to her parenting, today's modern woman is expected to strive to be picture perfect in every way. As a result, calls for authenticity and imperfection are on the rise. Yet, deep down, most of us still want to achieve perfection. Why? The desire to be perfect, says Kim Hyland, is actually a God-given urge. After all, we were made for Eden. But there is a difference between perfection and perfectionism, which is our attempt to achieve perfection on our own, by our own strength, and for our own purposes--the original temptation in the Garden. In this freeing book, Hyland offers women a stirring manifesto for acknowledging their limitations and embracing the perfection of God through his grace. This is a book for every woman who gives 110% and yet feels shame when one little thing goes wrong.

From "Why am I here?" to "What's next?" in this international bestseller, Alpha pioneer Nicky Gumbel addresses some of the foundational questions that challenge us all. Questions of Life is a step-by-step guide to the basics of the Christian faith by one of the world's most respected Christian leaders. This book contains the talks that are given on Alpha, and in it Nicky explores key themes, questions, and objections to faith, leading us on an engaging, personal journey of discovery. Alpha creates an environment of hospitality where people can bring their friends, family, and work colleagues to explore the Christian faith, ask questions, and share their point of view. Alpha makes it easy to invite friends to have spiritual conversations which explore life's biggest questions in a safe and respectful way. Alpha's approach to hospitality, faith, and discussion is designed to welcome everyone, especially those who might not describe themselves as Christians or church-goers. Each session includes time for a large group meal, short teaching, and small group discussion.