Best Christian Self-Help
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."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Perfect!"
"Amazing book. I’ll read t over and over all year."
"Awesome book, everyone should read this."
"This is a very good read."
"I bought two of these with the read along book and passed to someone else that I wanted to share the experience with."
"Great read it is paper back with didn't bother me at all but great book."
2 Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life
To regain control of your life, you’ve never needed Boundaries more than you do today in today’s always-on, always-connected digital world. Henry Cloud and John Townsend give you biblically based answers to these and other tough questions, and show you how to set healthy boundaries with your spouse, children, friends, coworkers, and even with yourself. Psychologists and inspirational speakers Cloud and Townsend show readers how to set reasonable boundaries in order to follow the true path of Christianity. Some cautions: the format can be overly self-helpish for such a complex discussion and the authors at one point imply that judicious spankings may be an acceptable form of setting boundaries with children. ( Dave Ramsey, bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio show host ). Now updated and expanded, this classic book is more timely and relevant than ever for today’s “always on, always there” culture. Fresh stories, current examples, and an entire new chapter on “Boundaries and the Digital Age” mean this book continues to be one of the best resources available when it comes to maintaining healthy relationships. ( Robert Morris, Founding Senior Pastor, Gateway Church, Dallas/ Fort Worth, Texas; bestselling author of THE BLESSED LIFE , THE GOD I NEVER KNEW, TRULY FREE , and FREQUENCY ).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Near the end of the book he gives an example where a child refuses to go to school and the mother realizes she "can't make the child go to school" but sets the boundary that the child will have to stay in his room if he doesn't go to school. The problem with that logic is, if you can't "make a child go to school" how can you "make a child stay in his room"? We can't make a child enjoy school or even pay attention to the teachers, these things take incentives and consequences, but parents do still need to hold onto the reigns on certain issues."
"This book is perfect for those people."
"Writing style is a little hard to hang in there with but is still a great resource!"
"As a Christian, I believe EVERY Christian should read this!!"
"I didn't read the whole book as it can be kind of involved and intense."
"I went back and purchased this after realizing I never grew up learning boundaries."
"I have found this CD very helpful."
"I read books from authors such as Tim Keller and Ann Voskamp, so my standards for clarity and/or flow are high."
Anxious for Nothing, the most recent book from New York Times bestselling author, Max Lucado, provides a roadmap for battling with and healing from anxiety. Max writes, "The news about our anxiety is enough to make us anxious.” He knows what it feels like to be overcome by the worries and fear of life, which is why he is dedicated to helping millions of readers take back control of their minds and, as a result, their lives. In the characteristic tone of his previous books like You’ll Get Through This and Fearless, Max guides readers through this Scripture passage and explains the key concepts of celebration , asking for help , leaving our concerns , and meditating . Join Max on the journey to true freedom and experience more joy, clarity, physical renewal, and contentment by the power of the Holy Spirit. More than 120 million readers have found inspiration and encouragement in the writings of Max Lucado.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There are a lot of potential things to be stressed about in this world - some which can easily be dismissed logically, but many that are genuine concerns that probably will happen. When amazon vine offered me a book by Max Lucado I was happy to take it. To my slight surprise, despite the blank or 3/4 empty pages, this is a substantial treatment on the subject. Yes, it is encouraging, full of anecdotes and easy to read but it contains practical steps on combatting anxiety. Based on Philippians 4: 4-8 the author patiently dissects a very powerful passage of scripture and shows you exactly what you need to do to derive maximum benefit from these verses. I normally don't think much one way or the other when it comes to the use of acronyms when it comes to teaching (I can't remember a single one to be honest) but Max uses the acronym CALM as a teaching tool to show how to apply these verses. C - Celebrate God's Goodness - "Rejoice in the Lord Always". A - Ask God For Help - "Let your requests be made known to God". L - Leave Your Concerns With Him - "With Thanksgiving". M - Meditate On Good Things - "Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise". He breaks down each verse into understandable concepts that work in real life."
"Learn to be grateful during your struggle - surely there is something good that can come out of it. A great read for anyone going through a struggle and in need of hope. You should be able to complete title in a few sittings and come away with more encouragement and hope that is found only in Jesus."
"ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING gives practical and Biblical ways to reduce fear, anxiety and uncertainty. Whether you believe you have a large or small issue with anxiety, or perhaps know of someone that does, ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING will be a benefit to your life."
"I liked the book."
"This book was so encouraging."
"Max gives such great reminders and insights, Bible based instructions on how to remain in the arms of God while walking in the valley of darkness."
"Max Lucado, is by far, my favorite author."
"Max has attacked a hard subject with the sword of Spirit and the truth found there."
Best Christian Self Help
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. It's written by Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest in Los Angeles who has worked with (and loved) gang-members for decades. “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. It is lovely and tough and tender beyond my ability to describe and left me in tears of both sorrow and laughter." "One of the bravest, most humane, heartbreaking, brilliant, and hopeful stories I’ve read in ages. Father Greg, the Gandhi of the Gangs, fills Tattoos with unquenchable soul force and down-to-earth love." Boyle somehow maintains an exuberant voice that celebrates the strength, compassion and humanity of people often demonized. 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. By introducing book-buying, highly educated readers to people we may never otherwise encounter, Boyle aspires to "broaden the parameters of our kinship.'". Boyle approaches each person as a child of God and fully deserving of love and compassion.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It establishes the benchmark for whether we are living in the type of community which God intends. What is most inspiring is that the stories from the book are living accounts of a day at Homeboy Industries and the parish community of Delores Mission."
"With the turmoil in our world, our political environment, our treatment--indeed, often dismissal--of those "in the margins", this book is a must-read. Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship is a book of profound, if not simple, wisdom. This learned man quotes many of the world's spiritual leaders who promote loving kindness, but I weep with his stories of the "homies" whose lives have touched and influenced Boyle's place on this earth. (p 84). - "There is nothing more essential, vital, and important than love and its carrier--tenderness--practiced in the present moment. By keeping it close, just right now, we are reminded to choose connection over alienation, kinship over self-absorption." (p 141). I plan to buy several copies of this book to share with friends, family, perhaps even strangers."
"A worthy follow up Tattoos on the Heart, this book continues to tell stories of Father Boyle and his involvement with gang members in Los Angeles."
"This is a highly entertaining and down to earth book."
"Best book I have read in a loooong time."
"Father Boyle's witty and inspirational insight into the source of gang life is continued on this book."
"A fantastic book."
"BUY THIS BOOK as no other author has this perspective on Gangs and that life...."
Best Christian Living
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."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My wife and I have 2 small children and our house is hard to stay clean because every room feels like a mess. A big part of improving your relationship with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend is to sticking with a date night to make sure you have quality time together. My wife and I have been together for 10 years and got stuck in the rut of an endless routine of doing everything we could for our kids, followed by daily chores and left little time for ourselves. Committing to 1 date night a week has really helped our relationship and improved our communication."
"I was once asked to read this book by the only person in the world I love.....I refused. It's not a good feeling as a man to agree to read a book on relationships because you feel like you're putting everything into the authors hands.....and what if he "doesn't understand" or what if the advice doesn't apply to us.....what if it makes things worse between us because he advises things we don't believe in.....no....I'm not reading that I told her. I thought no matter what we would always figure each other out and we would be ok......I didn't see being asked to read this book , was a cry out from the woman I love hitting a boiling point and her attempt to communicate to me in a different way......the same things she's been trying to for a long time..... Instead of being some guys opinions or......typical shrink talk that in no way could apply to each specific relationship.......I found it to be a book that opens up the mind to the understanding of love.....and how it is not this one universal "language" we all feel we should be the same with.....I once told her...."nobody taught me how to love, I'm growing....learning".....I pleased with her to understand I love her.......we simply didn't have an understanding of how and why we didnt approach love the exact same way as each other.....only makes sense that it should be the same right? I will just end it like this..... last night I took a stretch that I have been doing for over 2 years and I changed it in a slightly different way....... a lot of the pain I normally get daily is gone....... just to put a spotlight on that sentence .....I'm saying that what I had been doing for so long..... trying to cure one of the biggest problems in my life that hadnt been working............that I continued doing........ believing in and depending on.... to be my much needed answer.......It wasn't until I allowed the idea of the same stretch applied in a different way, that I ALLOWED life to be better for me. You have to go into the book with an open mind because if you do it with the mindset of wanting it to say what it is that you want to hear.....then you can never let the life-changing words happen.......you're learning a language as you read...not what's right and wrong but what was being lost in life. Keep in mind this is a book about the language of love so if you think about when you go to school to learn a different language...you are taking the difficult step of taking time there in order to understand.....be able to take what you understand and apply it.....and be able to communicate in a NEEDED way once you learn....AND THEN USE......communicate and UNDERSTAND eachother."
"The audio version is great too, because you can pop it in your vehicle and just have little tidbits to think on here and there throughout the week."
"This book has been a great help to me."
"Really comes to show you why people are the way they are."
"This book is a wonderful read!"
Best Self-Help
-Six ways to make people like you. -Twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking. -Nine ways to change people without arousing resentment. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people." You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The realization that my marriage was being effected by my nearly empty toolbox of social skills promoted me to take personal responsibility and shoulder the blame myself for once instead of blaming everyone around me for everything. I grew up with a hypercritical Mother so I think I had promised myself that I would never be criticized again, even if that meant writing people off the instant I felt like I had made myself vulnerable enough to be hurt by them. The strategies are applicable to and helpful in all aspects of my life so far, from my marriage to my job, and even to the way I interact with clerks in gas stations."
"I did think several of the principles explained in the book are common sense, but I found that it could be easy for a person to react quickly to conflicts. The first principle emphasizes the importance of avoiding criticism and he describes working with people as: working with people of logic. With this principle, he describes the importance of self-expression and connects it to the importance of thinking in terms of the other person, so that they come up with your ideas on their own, which they will like more. Dale then describes the importance to recall a person's name in the third principle. He further explains this point in principle five: Talk in terms of the other person's interests. Dale describes in the third part of the book the steps to have a person think in terms of your own thoughts. He then explains the importance of agreement and having the person say "yes," at least twice. If all else fails, he explains the importance of competition and how it drives people to feel important and empowered to work efficiently and effectively. He then explains the importance of asking questions that direct the person you’re speaking to, to obtain your idea on their own. He emphasizes the importance of having the person be saved from embarrassment, and then explains the importance of praise again, even if it is small."
"This book is a MUST read for anyone, but particularly if you are in management or sales."
"If anything it is even more applicable today as society becomes more technology focused and less human interaction focused."
"Such a great book that everyone should read!!"
"By reading this book, you will learn to 'handle" people."
Best Christian Devotionals
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."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is a very good read."
"I bought two of these with the read along book and passed to someone else that I wanted to share the experience with."
"Great read it is paper back with didn't bother me at all but great book."
"The New American Standard Version Bible I have has gone unread because of my inability to understand the language it is written in."
"This book gave insight and direction as to how a Christian can find his purpose in life."
"The Gospel of John will bring you to Christ and this book wil bring you to God."
Best Christian Spiritual Growth
When Katie Davis Majors moved to Uganda, accidentally founded a booming organization, and later became the mother of thirteen girls through the miracle of adoption, she determined to weave her life together with the people she desired to serve. But joy often gave way to sorrow as she invested her heart fully in walking alongside people in the grip of poverty, addiction, desperation, and disease. She invites us into her story and pushes us to the edge, challenging us to dare to hope no matter what life throws at us.” —Jefferson Bethke , author of Jesus>Religion and It’s Not What You Think. Her words and heart for Jesus will stay with me forever, and I’m honored to be on the sidelines cheering for all the chapters to come.” —Angie Smith , speaker, blogger, and author of Seamless.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was motivated by the focus on serving others even in the seemingly mundane daily tasks or the bigger challenges Katie chose to tackle head-on supported by her faith."
"I would love to know more about her situation, life in Africa, but i know enough to marvel at her life!"
"To all who are struggling to find the hope in the hard, read this book!"
"Who would not love this book and be amazed of the faith, the "walk-the-talk" life, and the stark honesty of the struggle that Katie Davis Majors shares in this book."
"If you liked Katie's first book, you'll love this second one!"
"I love this book so much."
"The continuing story of Katie's life in Uganda, sharing God with those she meets, raising a houseful of children, and finding God's goodness in tragic events as well as the good times."
"Wonderful story of overcoming hardship and finding faith and trust in God."
Best Christian eBooks & Bibles
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."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My wife and I have 2 small children and our house is hard to stay clean because every room feels like a mess. A big part of improving your relationship with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend is to sticking with a date night to make sure you have quality time together. My wife and I have been together for 10 years and got stuck in the rut of an endless routine of doing everything we could for our kids, followed by daily chores and left little time for ourselves. Committing to 1 date night a week has really helped our relationship and improved our communication."
"I was once asked to read this book by the only person in the world I love.....I refused. It's not a good feeling as a man to agree to read a book on relationships because you feel like you're putting everything into the authors hands.....and what if he "doesn't understand" or what if the advice doesn't apply to us.....what if it makes things worse between us because he advises things we don't believe in.....no....I'm not reading that I told her. I thought no matter what we would always figure each other out and we would be ok......I didn't see being asked to read this book , was a cry out from the woman I love hitting a boiling point and her attempt to communicate to me in a different way......the same things she's been trying to for a long time..... Instead of being some guys opinions or......typical shrink talk that in no way could apply to each specific relationship.......I found it to be a book that opens up the mind to the understanding of love.....and how it is not this one universal "language" we all feel we should be the same with.....I once told her...."nobody taught me how to love, I'm growing....learning".....I pleased with her to understand I love her.......we simply didn't have an understanding of how and why we didnt approach love the exact same way as each other.....only makes sense that it should be the same right? I will just end it like this..... last night I took a stretch that I have been doing for over 2 years and I changed it in a slightly different way....... a lot of the pain I normally get daily is gone....... just to put a spotlight on that sentence .....I'm saying that what I had been doing for so long..... trying to cure one of the biggest problems in my life that hadnt been working............that I continued doing........ believing in and depending on.... to be my much needed answer.......It wasn't until I allowed the idea of the same stretch applied in a different way, that I ALLOWED life to be better for me. You have to go into the book with an open mind because if you do it with the mindset of wanting it to say what it is that you want to hear.....then you can never let the life-changing words happen.......you're learning a language as you read...not what's right and wrong but what was being lost in life. Keep in mind this is a book about the language of love so if you think about when you go to school to learn a different language...you are taking the difficult step of taking time there in order to understand.....be able to take what you understand and apply it.....and be able to communicate in a NEEDED way once you learn....AND THEN USE......communicate and UNDERSTAND eachother."
"The audio version is great too, because you can pop it in your vehicle and just have little tidbits to think on here and there throughout the week."
"This book has been a great help to me."
"Really comes to show you why people are the way they are."
"This book is a wonderful read!"
Best Miracles & Spirituality
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. The extraordinary saga of Mother Angelica--who passed away on Easter, 2016--founder of the multimillion-dollar Eternal Word Television Network and “the most influential Catholic woman in America” according to Time magazine. In 1981, the year after Ted Turner founded CNN, a simple nun, using merely her entrepreneurial instincts and $200, launched what would become the world’ s largest religious media empire in the garage of a Birmingham, Alabama, monastery. Under her guidance, the Eternal Word Television Network grew at a staggering pace, both in viewership and in influence, to where it now reaches over a hundred million viewers in hundreds of countries around the globe. In a comprehensive and engaging biography, Arroyo chronicles the life and faith of Mother Angelica, the nun who almost singlehandedly created a religious media empire through her Catholic cable network, EWTN. The strength of Arroyo's biography is what he calls his "unfettered access" to records, associates and the nun herself; as an anchor and news director for EWTN, he's known her for years. Read this book and believe.” —Nicholas Sparks, New York Times bestselling author “In this dramatic page-turner, Raymond Arroyo has captured the life and lessons of Mother Angelica, a woman who may well be the patron saint of CEOs. The drama of Mother Angelica’s life is a powerful reminder that the extraordinary lies just beyond the ordinary—if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.” —George Weigel, author of Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"For some reason, not quite known to me, something about him, arrogance, hubris something about him just annoys the heck out of me and I can't stand to watch him and I don't - except his interview with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. is what enabled him and only him to write this masterpiece of a biography about Mother Angelica. I stopped reading only long enough to get to Church for Saturday vigil Mass and finished it at 4am on Sunday morning. I have not stopped thinking about Mother and God and Jesus since and heaven and common sense since the book has so much to say and teach."
"Her courage in standing for righteousness and truth, her foresight in the leading of the Liberal agenda and the destruction of America if it continued to follow the Libreral lifestyles."
"What a Great Lady Mother Angelica. is. May God grant her. eternal peace and know how much she is loved."
"Far from untouchable and unrelatedable Mother Angelica struck at the heart of America with her bravery."
"Her courage to stand with the Holy Father and NOT give in to the strong liberal forces which seek to destroy the Church founded by St. Peter is to be greatly admired. Predictably, there are those who have read the book who prefer a "cafeteria-style Catholicism" - where they can pick and choose which parts of Catholic Church teaching to follow and/or believe - and these would never relate to this "Bride of Christ" who stood firm against those who were not in agreement with Rome."
"If you need encouragement, a boost to your faith and the courage to do what the Lord is asking you then read this book and you will be renewed in your faith."