Are You Ready to Do Something Extraordinary? Vance Brown believes most men are discouraged. They're worn out and wondering if their best days are behind them. Vance knows the feeling. There was a time he felt more dead than alive, but his friends still believed in him. "Have courage," they urged. "God needs you, here, now . . . this day." That's what this book is about, men who stand up for each other and fight for things that matter. It's about men who fail but get back up and try again. Far from platitudes and pat answers, these are gritty pages that bleed, stories about ordinary men who are doing something extraordinary--choosing to live fully, no matter the cost. Answering this noble call is not easy, but you will never regret it. "We were absolutely rocked...by the overwhelming feeling that God is using these pages to awaken something in millions of men who instinctively know they are called to be part of a larger story."--from the foreword by Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn, bestselling authors of For Men Only and For Women Only Excellent for Men's Groups--Includes a Six-Week Study Guide "This is a powerful and passionate book, brutally honest and wonderfully humble. This is going to help a lot of men recover hope and courage. It will draw us together as brothers. And most important, this book will help you find a deeper life in Jesus."--John Eldredge, author of Wild at Heart and Beautiful Outlaw "You may desire to be a great businessman, which is a noble goal. But there is an even higher calling--to be a good man for the kingdom of God. No Matter the Cost should be required reading for anyone who is fighting to be such a good man."--Tommy Spaulding, business consultant and New York Times bestselling author of It's Not Just Who You Know "This is a book filled not with bravado but with stories of men 'limping home, barely brave.' Vance's storytelling and John's golden pen result in a feast of all that is possible when men are willing to admit their need to live honestly before other men. Then men I respect the most desire and live this."--Jan Meyers Proett, counselor, speaker, author of The Allure of Hope and Listening to Love "Vance Brown has given us the spiritual weapons we need to become better fathers, husbands, and ministry leaders. His writing is heartfelt and his message is clear: God is calling all men to engage in a battle--the fight of our lives, the struggle we were created for. No Matter the Cost is a battle cry for authentic manhood."--Arnie Cole, CEO of Back to the Bible and coauthor of Unstuck "This book is a uniquely authentic call to the deepest part of a man's soul. Anyone in whom God's Spirit is moving will respond. The results can be dramatic."--Dr. Larry Crabb, founder of NewWay Ministries "No Matter the Cost issues a radical challenge to men of all ages: Become the Christ-built warriors we were created to be--unbending faith, unselfish in attitude, always honorable, and humble in word and deed. Every man must hear Vance Brown's powerful message and then pass it on to the next generation."--Michael Ross, bestselling author of What Your Son Isn't Telling You

Singing and the Imagination of Devotion examines a common activity-singing-which is often taken for granted. This study reveals a previously unexplored source of aesthetic theory for anyone interested in music, worship, and the interface of Christianity and the arts: Anglican and English Puritan divines who wrote prolifically on the subject of singing, and asked probing questions about its deeper significance upon the 'landscape of the soul' and Christian community. 'A masterful exploration of the theology, psychology and spirituality of sacred song in the 17th Century', J.I. Packer

Jacob Hochstetler is a peace-loving Amish settler on the Pennsylvania frontier when Native American warriors, goaded on by the hostilities of the French and Indian War, attack his family one September night in 1757. Taken captive by the warriors and grieving for the family members just killed, Jacob finds his beliefs about love and nonresistance severely tested. Jacob endures a hard winter as a prisoner in an Indian longhouse. Meanwhile, some members of his congregation the first Amish settlement in America move away for fear of further attacks. Based on actual events, Jacob's Choice describes how one man's commitment to pacifism leads to a season of captivity, a complicated romance, an unrelenting search for missing family members, and an astounding act of forgiveness and reconciliation. This expanded edition of Jacob's Choice includes maps, photographs, family tree charts, and other historical documents to help readers enter the story and era of the Hochstetler family.

What happens when we truly put God first in all aspects of our lives? In "First: Putting God First in Living and Giving, "pastor and author Mike Slaughter conducts a four-week all-church stewardship program to help participants reassess priorities and create a culture and a lifestyle of faithful living and giving and make a meaningful contribution to the world. To help parents educate and model generosity for their kids, " First" includes components for children and youth that help families explore financial decisions together. This book of devotional readings is a companion resource for program participants and is designed to draw families into closer fellowship with God as they explore financial decisions together. Includes short readings, Scripture, prayer, and stories.

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

Take time to listen to the whispering voice of God!

Exquisitely and thoughtfully designed, we've taken the top 100 life topics and provided a brief devotional with Scripture to address each life need. For each day, there is a featured Scripture, devotion, prayer, and space for doodling, journaling, writing notes, or any other forms of creative expression. This deluxe gift book is extremely practical bringing God's promises to your life today!

Richard Rohr is one of the great spiritual writers of our time, and he believes this is the most important book he's ever written

Acts of caring and compassion can make all the difference in a grieving child's life. Adults can often worry about saying and doing the right thing, too often giving children quick answers instead of the support they really need.Widely-recognized grief specialist Harold Ivan Smith explains that quick answers are not what children need when they are grieving. They need support, and most of all they need to be allowed to grieve-for as long as it takes.With an ABC-like approach, Smith offers insights and activities for the parent, teacher, or friend-anyone that loves a child and wants to offer his or her support. This new and revised edition of When a Child You Love is Grieving will help ensure that the child is receiving the healthy and necessary outlets during the loss of a loved one.

How to Be a Christian brings together the best of Lewis's insights on Christian practice and its expression in our daily lives. Cultivated from his many essays, articles, and letters, as well as his classic works. From the revered teacher and best-selling author of such classic Christian works as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters comes a collection that gathers the best of C. S. Lewis's practical advice on how to embody a Christian life. The most famous adherent and defender of Christianity in the twentieth century, C. S. Lewis has long influenced our perceptions and understanding of the faith. More than fifty years after his death, Lewis's arguments remain extraordinarily persuasive because they originate from his deep insights into the Christian life itself. Only an intellectual of such profound faith could form such cogent and compelling reasons for its truth. By provoking readers to more carefully ponder their faith, How to Be a Christian can help readers forge a deeper understanding of their personal beliefs and what is means to be a Christian, and strengthen their profound relationship with God.

"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." Yeah, right. Sabbath-keeping seems quaint in our 24/7, twenty-first century world. Life often feels impossibly full, what with work, to-do lists, kid activities, chores, and errands. And laundry... always and forever laundry. But the Sabbath isn't just one of the ten commandments; it is a delight that can transform the other six days of the week. Join one family's quest to take Sabbath to heart and change their frenetic way of living by keeping a Sabbath day each week for one year. With lively and compelling prose, MaryAnn McKibben Dana documents their experiment with holy time as a guide for families of all shapes and sizes. Tips are included in each chapter to help make your own Sabbath experiment successful.

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.