Best Christian Leadership

It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring. Read Radical , be blessed, and be changed.” —Johnny Hunt, president, Southern Baptist Convention, and pastor, First Baptist Church of Woodstock “ Radical will cause you to bounce on a spectrum between two words: ouch and amen. Read Radical if you’re ready to live differently.” —Gregg Matte, senior pastor, First Baptist Church of Houston “David Platt’s book will leave anyone who sincerely engages with his challenge dissatisfied—and faced with a decision: What will authentic faith look like in my life? This book has the potential to revitalize churches today to practice a radical, biblical lifestyle that can transform society and reach a lost world.” —Jerry Rankin, president, International Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention “The church of the Lord Jesus has been seduced by a skilled seductress: the American dream. In this challenging and thoughtful book, David Platt shows us the way to live for Someone and something bigger.” —Darrin Patrick, founding pastor, The Journey, St. Louis “Sometimes people will commend a book by saying, ‘You won’t want to put it down.’ I can’t say that about this book. But you’ll find here another Way, one you know to be true, because you’ve heard it before in the words of the Lord Jesus, perhaps most forcefully in the simple call ‘Follow me.’” —Russell D. Moore, dean, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary “Through solid examination of the Scriptures and compelling testimonies from believers enduring persecution, my friend David Platt pulls back the curtain on subtle dangers weakening the church in our Western culture.

Visioneering, according to bestselling author Andy Stanley, is “a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be.” With warm, down-to-earth practicality, Andy Stanley explores the ordinary life of Nehemiah and his God-given vision for accomplishing the extraordinary. Whether you’re a parent with a vision for your children or a CEO pursuing a corporate vision, Visioneering is the perfect tool to help you develop and maintain God’s unique purpose for your life. Andy Stanley is a pastor, communicator, author, and the founder of North Point Ministries (NPM). Andy and his wife, Sandra, live in Alpharetta, Georgia, and have three children. On December 17, 1903, at 10:35 a.m., Orville Wright secured his place in history by executing the first powered and sustained flight from level ground. For twelve gravity-defying seconds he flew 120 feet along the dunes of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But what most children abandon to the domain of fantasy, Orville and Wilbur Wright seized upon as potential reality. Wilbur described the birth of their vision this way: Our personal interest in it [aviation] dates from our childhood days. Late in the autumn of 1878, our father came into the house one evening with some object partly concealed in his hands, and before we could see what it was, he tossed it into the air. It was a little toy, known to scientists as a “hélicoptère,” but which we, with sublime disregard for science, at once dubbed a “bat.”. It was a light frame of cork and bamboo, covered with paper, which formed two screws, driven in opposite directions by rubber bands under torsion. A toy so delicate lasted only a short time in the hands of small boys, but its memory was abiding. This childhood experience sparked in the boys an insatiable desire to fly. In doing so, they stumbled upon the principles of physics that would pave the way to their first successful manned flight. If I were to boil it down to a formula, it would look something like this: VISIONEERING = INSPIRATION + CONVICTION +. ACTION + DETERMINATION + COMPLETION Destinations Life is a journey. Where you will end up in the various roles you play; what you will accomplish personally, professionally, domestically, and spiritually. A clear vision, along with the courage to follow through, dramatically increases your chances of coming to the end of your life, looking back with a deep abiding satisfaction, and thinking, I did it. Without a clear vision, odds are you will come to the end of your life and wonder. And let’s face it, much of what we do doesn’t appear to matter much when evaluated apart from some larger context or purpose. But take the minutia of this very day, drop it into the cauldron of a God-ordained vision, stir them around, and suddenly there is purpose! It is the difference between filling bags with dirt and building a dike in order to save a town. Building a dike gives meaning to the chore of filling bags with dirt. Too many times the routines of life begin to feel like shoveling dirt. Specifically, vision weaves four things into the fabric of our daily experience. The thing that makes daydreaming so enjoyable is the emotion that piggybacks on those mind’s-eye images. When we allow our thoughts to wander outside the walls of reality, our feelings are quick to follow. A clear, focused vision actually allows us to experience ahead of time the emotions associated with our anticipated future. Even the most lifeless, meaningless task or routine can begin to “feel” good when it is attached to a vision. Through the avenue of vision, the feelings reserved for tomorrow are channeled back into our present reality. Being the preacher’s son, my primary realm of influence (and acceptance) was church. So I would put up with the traffic, the gas bills, and even leaving their houses early enough to be home by curfew. I was committed to what could be (being on the other side of Atlanta) as opposed to what was (sitting at home in Tucker). The details, chores, and routines of life become a worthwhile means to a planned-for end. Find me a man or woman who lacks motivation and I’ll show you someone with little or no vision. Vision is a big part of the reason you completed college or graduate school. Think of all the seemingly wasted hours of study and class time. Even then you knew that much of what you were memorizing for tests was a waste of time and effort. long years you endured science labs, European history, research papers, and lectures. Like most serious musicians, I accumulated quite a collection of gear: recording equipment, guitars, keyboards, drum machines, and several miles of cable. When Sandra and I were married, she allowed me the luxury of setting up a small studio in the basement of our condominium. It was not unusual for me to retreat to my studio after dinner and emerge just in time for breakfast. As Andrew began to look less like a baby and more like a little boy, I started to give serious thought to my relationship with my children. Having spent ten years working with teenagers, I had a frighteningly clear picture of what could be and what should not be! My vision for my family dictated that I put musical pursuits on hold. There was no way I would be able to develop the relationship I envisioned with my children while pursuing my musical aspirations. A clear vision has the power to bring what’s most important to the surface of your schedule and lifestyle. A clear vision makes it easy to weed out of your life those things that stand in the way of achieving what matters most. A vision makes you an important link between current reality and the future. The Divine Element Granted, you have probably heard or read this type of stuff before. Honoring God involves discovering his picture or vision of what our lives could and should be. With that in mind, rethink the implications of this familiar verse: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. And through Christ he has brought about, and continues to bring about, changes in you in accordance with his picture of what you could and should be. More to This Life All that to say, as Christians, we do not have a right to take our talents, abilities, experiences, opportunities, and education and run off in any direction we please. Missing out on God’s plan for our lives must be the greatest tragedy this side of eternity. Granted, this world offers a truckload of options when it comes to possible visions to pursue. But you were tailor-made, carefully crafted, minutely detailed for a selected divine agenda. His individual vision for your life is a small part of a plan he envisioned and put in motion long before you or I came on the scene—but now I’m jumping ahead. Without God’s vision, you may find yourself in the all too common position of looking back on a life that was given to accumulating green pieces of paper with pictures of dead presidents on them. But let’s face it, at each milestone in your pursuit of more stuff, you feel like you did as a kid after all the presents were opened on Christmas morning. This is why it is imperative that you discover and participate in God’s multifaceted vision for your life. Your uniqueness and individuality will reach its pinnacle in the context of your pursuit of God’s plan for your life. _ _ _ In the pages that follow, you will encounter several features that will assist you in establishing or clarifying God’s vision for your life. Here is where you can start laying down the details of a plan that will insure activation of your vision. Finally, at the end of the book is a small group discussion guide. A small group will help you sharpen your vision and provide accountability as you pursue God’s plan for your life. Let’s face it, if we could heal at will, part the Red Sea with the flick of a wrist, or walk on water, it would make the process of accomplishing our goals much simpler. Vision is born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be. It is this element that catapults men and women out of the realm of passive concern and into action. Vision requires visionaries, people who have allowed their minds and hearts to wander outside the artificial boundaries imposed by the world as it is. Once upon a Time… Around 587 BC, the Babylonians invaded Judah and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, along with Solomon’s temple. On all three occasions the Babylonians took a number of Israelites as captives and resettled them in Babylon. Under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel, these exiled Jews returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. But the people refused to turn away from. the very sins God had judged their ancestors for in the days of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. The Jews continued to adopt the religious practices and culture of the surrounding nations. By the time our story begins, the political, social, and spiritual conditions in Jerusalem were deplorable. Meanwhile, back in Persia, a Jewish fellow named Nehemiah heard about the plight of his homeland—and he felt something. Little did he know these deep feelings were the initial birth pains of a vision that people would be reading about thousands of years later. In fact, for anyone trying to clarify the right vision to pursue, a good question to ask is simply this: “What breaks my heart?” Most social reform movements that have made a positive impact in the world began with a broken-hearted leader. I think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his heart for the oppressed in black America. Every significant nonprofit organization that has positively impacted this world began with a brokenhearted leader. He then went on to found World Vision so the same kind of help could be offered to needy children around the globe. But neither did he allow his daily responsibilities to distract him from the burden that had gripped his heart. Developing or discovering a vision for a particular area of our lives takes time. But it is a process that yields a product worth every bit of the agony along the way. Revving our vision engines at the starting line feels like a waste of time. This sense of “time is awasting” is the very thing that compels people To move out too soon. Time allows us to distinguish between good ideas and visions worth throwing the weight of our life behind. Waiting gives us a chance to examine our emotions and sort our minor concerns from major ones. Knowing these guys as well as I did, I’m sure that if they had had the opportunity to sign up and ship out on the day they sensed God’s call on their lives, they would have both headed for the airport. During the process of finishing college, Chip slowly began to lose interest. But Chip followed through with that vision and became active in his local church and effective in the ministry of lifestyle evangelism. Let’s face it, a good motivational speaker can cast such a compelling vision that before you know it you feel like it is your own. As we wait, God will shape and mature ideas into visions that can survive in the real world. If you saw The Empire Strikes Back, you remember the scene in which Luke wants to go rescue his friends before he has finished his Jedi Knight training. They are my friends; I must help them.”. Yoda finally issues a dire warning, “If you leave now, help them you could, but you will destroy all for which they have fought and suffered.”. But Luke is determined to go. In the case of a divinely ordered vision God goes to work in you to prepare you for what he knows lies ahead. Maybe that’s why he inspired the apostle to write the next phrase: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing” (verse 14). My guess is that without a vision, our willingness to allow God to prepare us would be greatly diminished. Who would suffer the headache of college or graduate school without the vision of job opportunities? Now I don’t know if he actually sat down and calculated how long it would take to deliver Israel by killing one Egyptian at a time. It took Moses forty years to grow into the vision God had designed for him. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, another generation or two dies at the hands of Egyptian taskmasters. As the story unfolds, it becomes evident his service to the king of Persia was in fact his desert experience. For this was a man with immense leadership ability who awoke every day to do a job that tapped little or none of those skills. Do you wake up every day to circumstances that have absolutely nothing remotely to do with the vision you sense God is developing in you? David, the teenage king, spent years hiding in caves. And Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the very king whose ancestors had destroyed the city he longed to rebuild! But from what I read in the Scriptures, I would guess the time required for God to grow you into his vision for your life will be somewhere between four months and forty years. There seems to be a correlation between the preparation time and the magnitude of the task to which we are called. Leading God’s people out of four hundred years of slavery required more than a four-year degree. In the case of a divinely ordered vision, God is working behind the scenes to prepare the way. Ultimately, we are taking part in a massive assault that began one dark afternoon on a hill just outside of Jerusalem. Apart from his intervention and preparation, you and I are incapable of pulling off even our small part of the operation. And he knew that apart from divine intervention there was no way in the world he would be able to take part in the reconstruction of Jerusalem. In fact, as we will see in the next chapter, he went so far as to think through exactly what it would take to pull off a project of that magnitude. Once they feel their idea is from God, they assume all systems are go and they need to quit their jobs, step out on faith, and begin. But the story of Nehemiah, along with numerous other biblical accounts, illustrates the truth that a clear vision does not necessarily indicate a green light to begin. In fact, I have witnessed a good many people with what seemed to be God-ordained visions charge out of the starting gates too early. As a pastor I have counseled with dozens of men and women who were in the process of determining the source of a concern or burden they carried. While developing the material for this book I interviewed several Christian men and women who have visioneered ideas into successful enterprises. If it is God who has begun painting a picture of what could and should be on the canvas of your heart, over time you will begin to sense that not to follow through would be tantamount to an act of disobedience. Time allows your heavenly Father to transition what begins as an idea into a moral compulsion. A second indicator is that there will always be alignment between a divinely originated vision and God’s master plan for this age. As we said at the outset, at Calvary we lost our right to devise our own plans and pursue our own agendas. All divinely inspired visions are in some way tied into God’s master plan. Whether it is loving your wife, investing in your kids, witnessing to your neighbor, launching a ministry, or starting a company, every divinely placed burden has a link to a bigger picture. It was Israel’s strategic role in God’s plan that made Nehemiah’s vision so compelling. Visions are often born in the soul of a man or woman who is gripped by a tension between what is and what should be.

Chances are it was someone like Fred the Postman -- so outstanding in his service that Mark Sanborn realized this mail carrier could be an example for any person wanting to be extraordinary. You, too, can apply The Fred Factor to enrich the lives of customers, co-workers, friends, and family members, as well as reach new levels of personal success yourself. Chances are it was someone like Fred the postman--so outstanding in his service that Mark Sanborn realized this mail carrier could be an example for any person wanting to be extraordinary. The "Fred factor" is summarized by four principles that will release fresh energy, enthusiasm, and creativity in your career and life: - Make a Difference. - Build Relationships. - Create Value. - Reinvent Yourself. You, too, can apply "The Fred Factor to enrich the lives of customers, co-workers, friends, and family members, as well as reach new levels of personal success yourself.

New York Times bestselling author of the forthcoming God's Wisdom for Navigating Life Timothy Keller shows how God calls on each of us to express meaning and purpose through our work and careers. "Tim Keller's ministry in New York City is leading a generation of seekers and skeptics toward belief in God. Drawing on decades of study and ministry, Every Good Endeavor may soon become one of the most important contemporary books on faith and work." Every Good Endeavor deftly explains how we can relish and enjoy our work while honoring God and serving others, all the while avoiding the extremes of negativity on the one hand and idolatry on the other." In 1989 he started Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City with his wife, Kathy, and their three sons. He is the author of The Songs of Jesus , Prayer , Encounters with Jesus , Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering , and The Meaning of Marriage , among others, including the perennial bestsellers The Reason for God and The Prodigal God . After her CEO roles at One Touch Systems and Pensare, Redeemer Presbyterian Church recruited Katherine to lead the church’s efforts in marketplace ministry, now called the Center for Faith & Work, which has grown to serve more than two thousand people a year.

Stormie Omartian shares how God can strengthen your marriage as you pray for your husband concerning key areas in his life, including... According to Omartian, a marriage's success depends upon "laying down all claim to power in and of yourself, and relying on God's power to transform you, your husband, your circumstances, and your marriage."

In a moving example of unconditional love in dif­ficult times, the Jesuit priest and bestselling author of Tattoos on the Heart , Gregory Boyle, shares what three decades of working with gang members in Los Angeles has taught him about faith, compassion, and the enduring power of kinship. In his first book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion , Gregory Boyle introduced us to Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention program in the world . Now, after the suc­cessful expansion of Homeboy Industries, Boyle returns with Barking to the Choir to reveal how com­passion is transforming the lives of gang members. “If you’re in the market for genuine inspiration, I urge you to read Barking to the Choir by Gregory Boyle, a book that shows what the platitudes of faith look like when they’re put into action.” —Ann Patchett. —Anne Lamott, author of Grace (Eventually) "One of the bravest, most humane, heartbreaking, brilliant, and hopeful stories I’ve read in ages. —Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund "Sometimes we are allowed to see in our own lifetimes what we were supposed to see in the life and ministry of Jesus. Boyle intersperses his narratives about gang members and his work with them with theological and spiritual reflections from a variety of theologians, poets and other writers. —Malcolm Klein, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California "A spiritual masterpiece touching the innermost sanctum of the human soul. —Anjelica Huston “In this artful, disquieting, yet surprisingly jubilant memoir, Jesuit priest Boyle recounts his two decades of working with homies in Los Angeles County, which contains 1,100 gangs with nearly 86,000 members. From moving vignettes about gangsters breaking into tears or finding themselves worthy of love and affirmation, to moments of spiritual reflection and sidesplittingly funny banter between him and the homies, Boyle creates a convincing and even joyful treatise on the sacredness of every life. Considering that he has buried more than 150 young people from gang-related violence, the joyful tenor of the book remains an astounding literary and spiritual feat.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A set of stories that will stir many emotions. Now in its 30th year, Homeboy traces its roots to when Boyle, a Jesuit priest with advanced degrees in English and theology, served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles, which also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city. Homeboy has become the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world, and employs and trains gang members and felons in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of men and women each year who walk through its doors seeking a better life. Father Boyle has received the California Peace Prize, the James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award, and the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal.

Stories of the most favorite and beloved seasonal hymns of faith. Rob Morgan is the pastor of The Donelson Fellowship in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has served for more than thirty years.

Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work. While working as a marriage counselor for more than 30 years, he identified five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. Gifts are highly important to one spouse, while another sees fixing a leaky faucet, ironing a shirt, or cooking a meal as filling their "love tank." "In this unabridged recording of material the author has been perfecting for years, he says that people experience love most strongly through one of five love languages--quality time, words of encouragement, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Without making light of the work a marriage requires, he'll convince most listeners that with just a little planning and effort they can make a good marriage great and a broken partnership truly satisfying again."

Written after his wife’s tragic death as a way of surviving the “mad midnight moments,” A Grief Observed an unflinchingly truthful account of how loss can lead even a stalwart believer to lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and the inspirational tale of how he can possibly regain his bearings. A Grief Observed contains his epigrammatic reflections on that period: "Your bid--for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist, for eternal life or nonentity--will not be serious if nothing much is staked on it. -- Madeleine L'Engle, author of The Crosswicks Journal and A Wrinkle in Time "[Lewis] faces his tortured life with unswerving honesty, and writes out his conclusions, or lack of them, with a poetic expression which is often agony but never self-pity."

Licensed in over eighty-five languages, The Purpose Driven Life is far more than just a book; it is a guide to a spiritual journey. Living out the purpose you were created for moves you beyond mere survival and success to a life of significance—the life you were meant to live. Rick Warren is often called "America's most influential spiritual leader."

From pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller comes the perfect gift for the Christmas holiday—a profoundly moving and intellectually provocative examination of the nativity story Even people who are not practicing Christians think they are familiar with the story of the nativity. Keller achieves his pastoral goal of teaching Christmas’ most important message—‘God alone has the life, truth, and joy that we lack and cannot generate ourselves’—and in doing so, provides solace for those who seek it.” —Publishers Weekly. Praise for Timothy Keller and his other books: “Tim Keller’s ministry in New York City is leading a generation of seekers and skeptics toward belief in God. “Fifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.”. — Christianity Today.

“Incredibly rich with wisdom and insight that will leave the reader, whether single or married, feeling uplifted.” — The Washington Times Based on the acclaimed sermon series by New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller, this book shows everyone—Christians, skeptics, singles, longtime married couples, and those about to be engaged—the vision of what marriage should be according to the Bible. His target audience consists mainly of urban professionals, whom he believes exhibit disproportionate influence over the culture and its ideas. The 'Influentials' Issue of New York Magazine featured Dr Keller as 'the most successful Christian evangelist in the city by recognizing that young professionals and artists are "disproportionately influential" in creating the country's culture and that you have to meet this coveted demographic on its own terms.'.

Just like you, Ann Voskamp hungers to live her one life well. With lovely word pictures inspired by everyday life in her family and on her farm, she writes about her struggle to live joyfully amid sin and sorrow and suffering. Let Ann's beautiful, heart-aching stories of the everyday give you a way of seeing that opens your eyes to thanksgiving, a way of being present to God that makes you deeply happy, and a way of living so you are not afraid to die.

Licensed in over eighty-five languages, The Purpose Driven Life is far more than just a book; it is a guide to a spiritual journey. Living out the purpose you were created for moves you beyond mere survival and success to a life of significance—the life you were meant to live. Rick Warren is often called "America's most influential spiritual leader."

By renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and changing lives in such a winsome and engaging way, Chip and Joanna have become more than just the stars of Fixer Upper , they have become America’s new best friends. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. The time Chip ran to the grocery store and forgot to take their new, sleeping baby Joanna’s agonizing decision to close her dream business to focus on raising their children When Chip buys a houseboat, sight-unseen, and it turns out to be a leaky wreck Joanna’s breakthrough moment of discovering the secret to creating a beautiful home Harrowing stories of the financial ups and downs as an entrepreneurial couple Memories and photos from Chip and Jo’s wedding The significance of the word magnolia and why it permeates everything they do The way the couple pays the popularity of Fixer Upper forward, sharing the success with others, and bolstering the city of Waco along the way. CHIP AND JOANNA GAINES are the founders of Magnolia Homes, Magnolia Market, and Magnolia Realty in Waco, Texas.

Licensed in over eighty-five languages, The Purpose Driven Life is far more than just a book; it is a guide to a spiritual journey. Living out the purpose you were created for moves you beyond mere survival and success to a life of significance—the life you were meant to live. Rick Warren is often called "America's most influential spiritual leader."

New York Times bestselling author of the forthcoming God's Wisdom for Navigating Life Timothy Keller shows how God calls on each of us to express meaning and purpose through our work and careers. "Tim Keller's ministry in New York City is leading a generation of seekers and skeptics toward belief in God. Drawing on decades of study and ministry, Every Good Endeavor may soon become one of the most important contemporary books on faith and work." Every Good Endeavor deftly explains how we can relish and enjoy our work while honoring God and serving others, all the while avoiding the extremes of negativity on the one hand and idolatry on the other." In 1989 he started Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City with his wife, Kathy, and their three sons. He is the author of The Songs of Jesus , Prayer , Encounters with Jesus , Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering , and The Meaning of Marriage , among others, including the perennial bestsellers The Reason for God and The Prodigal God . After her CEO roles at One Touch Systems and Pensare, Redeemer Presbyterian Church recruited Katherine to lead the church’s efforts in marketplace ministry, now called the Center for Faith & Work, which has grown to serve more than two thousand people a year.

In Uninvited , Lysa shares her own deeply personal experiences with rejection—from the incredibly painful childhood abandonment by her father to the perceived judgment of the perfectly toned woman one elliptical over. Release the desire to fall apart or control the actions of others by embracing God-honoring ways to process their hurt. End the cycle of perceived rejection by refusing to turn a small incident into a full blown issue. "TerKeurst doesn't just share empathetic anecdotes for readers in a rut; she focuses on digging down to the roots of anxiety and providing tools for overcoming self-doubt and handling the pain of rejection." Les and Leslie Parrott, #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts "Lysa TerKeurst has an undeniable gift for sharing her heart's struggles in ways that strengthen and equip the lives of others. Lysa speaks beautifully yet prophetically to a culture that uniquely is able to see what our friends are eating, playing, doing, and planning at any moment with the little device in our pocket. My favorite part is that Lysa turns our eyes to what's most important though, and that is the great invitation we have to sit at the table with the Living God who has been for us from the beginning."

To Heaven and Back is Mary’s remarkable story of her life’s spiritual journey and what happened as she moved from life to death to eternal life, and back again. Having grown up with a fear of drowning, I was surprised to find my transition from life to death was seamless, peaceful, and beautiful. Although I tried to be a "good" and "moral" person, my faith was not integrated into my daily life and the demands of work and family left little time to think about spirituality. I try not to miss opportunities to uplift or encourage the spiritual life of others, and I live with gratitude and joy, knowing that I never face challenges alone. I was expected to share my experiences and my story with others, helping transform their faith into compete trust that God keeps His promises. In fact, my death and return to life is the greatest gift I have ever received, and I am continually grateful for having had this experience. I do not know the answer, but I am a scientist by training, a skeptic by nature, and a very concrete, rational thinker. It seems that most stories, mine included, contain some consistent elements--that of an overwhelming sense of God's love and forgiveness, intense peace and beauty and no desire to return to Earth. Before we return to Heaven, our real home, we have an incredible opportunity on Earth to face challenges that will help us learn, grow and to become more Christ-like in the fruits of our spirit.

When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he didn’t know he would die that night in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan—but he was ready: In a letter to his children, not meant to be seen unless the worst happened, he wrote, “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.”. Long before Adam Brown became a member of the elite SEAL Team SIX—the counterterrorism unit that took down Osama bin Laden—he was a fun-loving country boy from Hot Springs, Arkansas, whose greatest goal had been to wear his high school’s football jersey. An absorbing chronicle of heroism and humanity, Fearless presents an indelible portrait of a highly trained warrior who would enter a village with weapons in hand to hunt terrorists, only to come back the next day with an armload of shoes and meals for local children. It succeeds where all the others have failed.” —Anonymous SEAL Team SIX Operator “Adam Brown’s zest for life led him down a few dark alleys and more than one dead end. In his latest book, Fearless , Eric Blehm does a marvelous and moving job uncovering the man—the men—beneath the SEAL mythology of elite, rock-hard warriors, renowned for their courage and skill. The SEALs in Fearless hug their children, seek comfort from their wives, wear Batman briefs, answer to names like Big Bird and Fozzy, mourn lost buddies, and risk their lives to rescue civilians from the field of fire. This book will motivate you to challenge yourself to be…fearless.” —SEAL teammate of Adam Brown, BUD/S Class 226 “There is a quote from the Bible etched onto the memorial that stands in the shadow of World Trade Center steel that resembles a massive trident: ‘Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? Fearless is a clear and deeply honest portrait of an authentic American man who lived and loved with an intrepid personal velocity. “ Fearless stands unique among works of modern combat literature through author Eric Blehm’s masterful weaving of a fallen Navy SEAL’s professional war-fighting life with his complex personal victories and travails. Eric Blehm is the best-selling author of The Only Thing Worth Dying For, which recounts the harrowing story of the first Special Forces A-team to infiltrate Taliban-held southern Afghanistan weeks after 9/11. The Last Season, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award, was named by Outside magazine as one of the ten “greatest adventure biographies ever written.” Blehm lives in California with his wife and children.

Licensed in over eighty-five languages, The Purpose Driven Life is far more than just a book; it is a guide to a spiritual journey. Living out the purpose you were created for moves you beyond mere survival and success to a life of significance—the life you were meant to live. Rick Warren is often called "America's most influential spiritual leader."

With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix. All the same, this is salutary reading as a means of culling believers' weaker arguments: that faith offers comfort (false comfort is none at all), or has provided a historical hedge against fascism (it mostly hasn't), or that "Eastern" religions are better (nope). Sam Harris' The End of Faith (2005) and Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion (2006) have questioned the existence of any spiritual being and met with enormous success. Replace religious faith with inquiry, open-mindedness, and the pursuit of ideas, he exhorts. Religious faith, he asserts, is both result and cause of dangerous sexual repression. Believers will be disturbed and may even charge him with blasphemy (he questions not only the virgin birth but the very existence of Jesus), and he may not change many minds, but he offers the open-minded plenty to think about.

And she shares the trials, tragedies, and ultimate victories from her own marriage, family, and ministry that led her to wondrous, life-transforming truth--and reveals her thoughts and feelings every step of the way. Meyer writes a valuable and convincing primer on what Buddhists would call "mindfulness" from a dedicated Christian perspective.