Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The poem concerns the Christian story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to "justify the ways of God to men" and elucidate the conflict between God's eternal foresight and free will. Milton incorporates Paganism, classical Greek references, and Christianity within the poem. It deals with diverse topics from marriage, politics and monarchy, and grapples with many difficult theological issues, including fate, predestination, the Trinity...

"Sometimes the storm rises and the winds blow, hurricanes and earthquakes come to shake the very foundations which we stand, but certainly we must remain confident in our walk of faith."

In this world of dangers, seen and unseen, there is a need and demand for virtue in the lives of women everywhere. In the innovative guide "Keys to Becoming a Virtuous Woman," Dr. Latrina W. Jenkins gives you strategies and concepts on how to become a woman of high moral fortitude.

By focusing on the spiritual concept of virtue, Jenkins delivers a powerful case for finding and achieving virtuousness in our society today. She explores seven keys to obtaining moral integrity that each woman should strive to incorporate into their lives. These include being holy, trustworthy, strong, and secure.

Don't let the dictates of society steer you from your course. With God's help, you can find virtue in every aspect of your life!

BENITA: prey for him is the true story of bright, vivacious Benita Kane and the Catholic priest who lured her from childhood into a disastrous, twenty-year entanglement that changed the course of her life. What happened to this fatherless girl in the hierarchical, patriarchal world of Dubuque, Iowa during the 40's, 50's and 60's is not simply one more tale of clerical sexual abuse, but rather an astounding, maddening, compelling account of what it was like to grow up in a family, community and culture so dominated by the Catholic church that no one could recognize the ominous events developing around them. As Benita's friend and classmate from second-grade through college, Virginia Tranel writes from the unique stance of both participant and observer.

Come on a spiritual journey, a journey of beautiful flowers and a sojourn into the depths of Christian love. Join author and seasoned gardener Tom Clarke as he artistically describes the natural beauty of flowers and the multi-faceted dimensions of love. Feel the Lord's gentle touch as thirty flowers are colorfully presented from the Gethsemane Prayer Garden. Unique aspects of each flower are then brought out as representations of God's love and our heartfelt response. The hope is that through this book, each person will richly and deeply experience the love of Christ.

This special edition for students of Tozer's ever-popular classic has an extra-wide margin area for making notations.

Paradise Regained is a poem by the 17th century English poet John Milton, which deals with the subject of the Temptation of Christ. One of the major concepts emphasized throughout Paradise Regained is the play on reversals. As implied by its title, Milton sets out to reverse the "loss" of Paradise. Thus, antonyms are often found next to each other throughout the poem, reinforcing the idea that everything that was lost in the first epic is going to be regained by the end of the mini-epic. Additionally, this work focuses on the idea of "hunger," both in a literal and in a spiritual sense. After wandering in the wilderness for forty days Jesus is starved of both food and the Word of God. Satan, too blind to see any non-literal meanings of the term, offers Christ food and various other temptations, but Jesus continually denies him.

Northey, a cancer survivor, has written stories that reflect the lives of people who are living with cancer. She shares her own story and writes about other cancer survivors she has met during her years of treatment and attending survival meetings. The 33 stories, which offer a human side to living with cancer, will give insight to those battling cancer and those who care for them. The thought provoking and moving stories that end with scripture and prayer will provide readers with the reassurance of God's grace, mercy, and omnipresence during difficult times.

Over the years the same questions get asked of Desmond Tutu, the archbishop, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and veteran of the moral movement that ended apartheid in South Africa: "How can you be so hopeful after witnessing so much evil?" "Why are you so sure goodness will triumph in the end?" This book is his answer.

Now, more than any other time in history, our world needs this message: that we are made for goodness and it is up to us to live up to our destiny.

We recognize Archbishop Tutu from the headlines as an inspirational figure who has witnessed some of the world's most sinister moments and chosen to be an ambassador of reconciliation amid political, diplomatic, and natural disasters. Now, we get a glimpse into his personal spirituality--and a better understanding of the man behind a lifetime of good works. In this intimate and personal sharing of his heart, written with his daughter, Episcopal priest Mpho Tutu, Tutu engages his reader with touching stories from his own life, as well as grisly memories from his work in the darkest corners of the world. There, amid the darkness, he calls us to hope, to joy, and to claim the goodness that we were made for. Tutu invites us to take on the disciplines of goodness, the practices that are key to finding fulfillment, meaning, and happiness for our lives.

Pastors, business men and women, teachers, and administrators need encouragement and inspiration as they seek to effectively lead others with Christian wisdom and gentleness. But finding the time to read an entire book or search for a quick word of inspiration and advice isn't always possible. E-couragement provides short e-mail-sized essays of affirmation and encouragement for Christian professionals to use and meditate on as problems and issues arise. It's divided into 11 chapters, which address a wide variety of topics such as pursuing one's dreams; proven keys for success; where Christian leaders get their resources; how to handle the challenges and difficulties leaders typically face; and more. These practical and stimulating essays include biblical principles for Christian leadership as well as motivational quotes and advice from well-known leaders, both past and present. Readers may choose to browse through topics, looking for essays that address an issue for a particular moment or day. Some may read it as a daily devotional. Others may use it as a focusing and inspirational tool for staff meetings and conferences. Teachers and pastors will find its illustrations helpful when preparing lessons, sermons, or Bible studies. Wherever people live, work, worship, and play, E-couragement offers a Christian perspective to problem solving and valuable affirmation and encouragement to help leaders meet the demands they encounter each day.

Straight from the Word is exactly what the title suggests. This devotional uses three or four translations to expound on a scripture, which amounts to a mini-commentary on each page. This aids in comprehension of the scripture while the repetition helps with remembering what you have read. They are simple devotions; quick and easy to read, and will hopefully give you something to think about each day. Most importantly, they will put the Word into your heart and mind. Joyce Gentry Cravey was born and raised in Dalton, Georgia, but has lived in Central Florida since 1969. She graduated from Dalton High School and attended Berry Schools and College in Rome, Georgia. She and her husband Jack are members of First Baptist Church of Mt. Dora, Florida. Joyce and Jack have a "his, mine and ours" family of six children and their spouses, fourteen grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Needless to say, their get-togethers are large, noisy, and lots of fun. This devotional is the result of a need for a personal devotional that would concentrate upon getting the Word into hearts on a daily basis. This is her first attempt at putting together a book of any kind, and it is her prayer that it will touch hearts and lives.

The perfect gift for high school graduates, also available on the iPhone as an eBook.

This valuable book provides a complete manual for the study and practice of Raja Yoga, the path of meditation and mental focus. This original interpretation of these timeless teachings is a treasure to be read and referred to again and again, by seekers treading the spiritual path. These classic Sutras were written by the sage Patanjali between first and third centuries CE, and clearly mark out the path to Self-Realization through the means of right living, meditation and fostering mental focus and concentration.

During a train trip from Chicago in the late 1940s, A.W. Tozer began to work on The Pursuit of God. He wrote all night long, the words coming to him as fast as he could put them down. By the next morning, when the train pulled into McAllen, Texas, the rough draft was done.

Although written in such a remarkably short period of time, the depth, clarity and completeness of Tozer's message has made The Pursuit of God an enduring favorite -- about 1.7 million copies in print in 15 languages.

Prepare yourself for a deeply meaningful and enjoyable experience.

James Allen may truly be called the Prophet of Meditation. In an age of strife, hurry, religious controversy, heated arguments, ritual and ceremony, he came with his message of Meditation, calling men away from the din and strife of tongues into the peaceful paths of stillness within their own souls. James Allen was the author of the best selling As a Man Thinketh. His writings had a deep influence of the current crop of self help books. This devotional will guide you through a year that will change your life forever. Unlock the power of positive thinking in your life.

Of all the books that the publisher has read on the subject of preaching, there is none that has meant more than this one. It is much to be regretted that it has been out of print, and it is an honor to be able to bring it back once again with enlarged print for easier reading. "Dr. J.W. Alexander's 'Thoughts on Preaching' is the best daily devotional on preaching ever written. To read a section or two of his poignant and savory thoughts contained in 'Homiletical Paragraphs' every day would greatly instruct, convict, encourage, and re-energize any true minister of the gospel. And his 'Letters to Young Ministers' is a masterpiece in itself; particularly the sections on maintaining devotion and happiness in the ministry." - Dr. Joel R. Beeke

A daily devotional journey through the life of Christ as recorded in all four Gospels. This daily devotional would be a great gift for your Sunday School Teacher, your favorite missionary, your children, your parents or yourself. In Miller's own words: "This volume of a year's readings has been prepared in the hope that it may prove daily food to some earnest children of God in their life of care, struggle, and duty. It is made to cover the earthly life of our Lord, from its beginning to its close... The author's aim has been to put a life-thought on each page... The book has but a single aim: to honor and glorify Christ in the eyes of those who follow its pages." "If any 19th century American Christian writer warrants reprinting, it is J.R. Miller! His writing style is delightfully smooth, his insights are spiritual diamonds on every page, and his pastoral applications are delivered with the skill of a well-seasoned physician of souls." - Pastor Bill Shishko

Myra Nagel has written a resource to help readers grow in their faith as they "journey to the cross" during the season of Lent. Using the Gospel of Mark, this thoughtful guide invites the reader to "Come to the Story", "Reflect on the Story", and "Live the Story". The themes for each week of reflections are as follows:

Week 1

Teacher, Let Me See!

Week 2

She Has Done What She Could

Week 3

You Will All Fall Away

Week 4

Do This, Remembering Me

Week 5

Not What I Want, but What You Want

Week 6

Crucify Him!

Week 7

Their Eyes Were Opened

This Lenten resource will inspire its users to recall the biblical story of Christ's death and resurrection in a new and engaging way. Study questions are provided for individuals and groups.

The Father in heaven asks, and requires, and actually expects, that every child of His yield Him whole-hearted and entire obedience, day by day, and all the day. To enable His child to do this, He has made a most abundant and altogether sufficient provision in the promise of the New Covenant, and in the gift of His Son and Spirit. This provision can alone, but can most certainly, be enjoyed, and these promises fulfilled, in the soul that gives itself up to a life in the abiding communion with the Three-One God, so that His presence and power work in it all the day.

Humility is the most overlooked teaching of Jesus Christ. In this book Andrew Murray explores how essential humility is to the understanding and practice of Christianity. Perhaps the best book ever written on the subject. "We have seen humility in the life of Christ, as He laid open His heart to us: let us listen to His teaching. There we shall hear how He speaks of it, and how far He expects men, and specially His disciples, to be humble as He was."-Andrew Murray

The Bible speaks to this deep longing when it affirms that indeed God created man and woman in His image And at the heart of that image is a God-shaped vacuum waiting to be filled by the presence of the Creator. Built into our very heartbeat is a yearning to know, to have contact with, the One who made us. This "breath of God" infused into humankind at the creation (and into each of us at our personal creation) expands to form this vacuum that only God can fill. This vacuum is revealed to each of us through the basic needs which tug at our hearts. The longing for fulfillment of these needs drives our hunger for something more than simple satisfaction of our animal instincts. We are empty, as Saint Augustine articulated, until the vacuum is filled with the presence of God himself. The pull of these needs tugs us toward our Creator. We are "restless" until these needs finds true fulfillment in a relationship with God. This vacuum tugs us toward God, striving as a vacuum always does, to be filled. Hobbled by darkness, so much of it of our own making, we can only grope for the light. But I can only believe that our yearnings after the light must be a pleasure for God to watch. I can see him saying as we grope, "Come on, move toward that crack of light there. Reach for it. Put out your hand. I am waiting to pull you to me your Creator, your God, your Father."

To understand the words of our Lord is the business of life. For it is the main road to the understanding of The Word himself. And to receive him is to receive the Father, and so to have Life in ourselves. And Life, the higher, the deeper, the simpler, the original, is the business of life.

Tens of thousands of Christians have gotten up and gone to bed with Charles Spurgeon's devotional Morning and Evening. Seven hundred and thirty two devotions. One for each morning and each evening. These devotions will guide you in a closer walk with God, helping you find a focus for each day.