Best Personal Growth & Christianity

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."

After many years of writing her own words in her prayer journal, missionary Sarah Young decided to be more attentive to the Savior's voice and begin listening for what He was saying. Here is a year’s worth of daily readings from Young’s journals to bring you closer to Christ and move your time with Him from monologue to a dialogue. I’m so thankful for what God has done in my own life and the lives of people I love through this extraordinary book.” -- Shauna Niequist, , bestselling author of Bread and Wine and Savor. I was first introduced to Jesus Calling three years ago, and since then, I’ve given countless copies to friends and family in hopes that it will help them in their spiritual walk as it has in mine. This book perfectly encapsulates Christ’s love for us, and it supports each message with scriptural evidence.” -- Sean Lowe, , ABC Television’s The Bachelor and author of For the Right Reasons.

Winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award and twice nominated for the Christian Book of the Year Award, Strobel’s tough, point-blank questions read like a captivating, fast-paced novel. The new edition includes scores of revisions and additions, including updated material on archaeological and manuscript discoveries, fresh recommendations for further study, and an interview with the author that tells dramatic stories about the book's impact, provides behind-the-scenes information, and responds to critiques of the book by skeptics. Lee Strobel probes with bulldog-like tenacity the evidence for the truth of biblical Christianity.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

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.

“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.'.

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.

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."

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."

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.

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."

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.

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.