Better Than You Can Imagine


Book Description

Most people want to make a difference, but they feel inadequate. In Better Than You Can Imagine, Patrick Quinn shares four truths: You have a gift that only you can give. Someone has a need that only you can meet. Joy is the journey where the gift and the need collide. The journey will break you … but it will also make you. Through story and biblical insight, Quinn helps readers apply these truths to their lives. Whether it’s time, money, or talent, everyone has something extra to give to others—and God has even more joy to give back.




Grace


Book Description

Grace. We talk asthough we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a gracenote. We describe an actress as gracious, a dancer as graceful. We use the wordfor hospitals, baby girls, kings, and premeal prayers. We talk as though weknow what grace means. But do wereally understand it? Have we settled for wimpy grace? It politely occupies aphrase in a hymn, fits nicely on a church sign. Never causes trouble or demandsa response. When asked, "Do you believe in grace?" who could say no? Max Lucadoasks a deeper question: Have you been changed by grace? Shaped by grace?Strengthened by grace? Emboldened by grace? Softened by grace? Snatched by thenape of your neck and shaken to your senses by grace? God's gracehas a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you. It rewires you. Frominsecure to God secure. From regret riddled to better-because-of-it. Fromafraid to die to ready to fly. Grace isthe voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off. Let's makecertain grace gets you. Endorsements for GRACE: "God's grace--His unconditionally loving, unmerited favor--issometimes difficult for people to grasp, even though each one of us is indesperate need of it. But in Max Lucado's new book, GRACE, it is completely embraceable and understandable. ThroughLucado's characteristic narrative style and profound biblical understanding, welearn that God's grace is truly much more than we deserve and greater than weimagine. " --Dr. Charles F. Stanley "Max Lucado has blended his creative writing style withhonesty about how he has experienced God's grace, mercy and forgiveness in hisown times of failure and despair. Youwill find comfort as Max shines the light of the Word of God revealing thatJesus Christ is truly the only hope that brings everlasting peace." --Franklin Graham, President and CEO, Samaritan's Purse, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association "Reading Max Lucado on grace is like hearing Warren Buffetton money or Julia Child on food--it's a subject he spent a lifetime falling inlove with." --John Ortberg, pastor and author, Menlo Park PresbyterianChurch "Few writers are better than Max Lucado, no subject isbetter than God's grace." --Randy Alcorn, author of Heaven and If God is Good "Max gives us encouragement, hope and a needed reminderthat the grace we all possess as followers of Jesus should empower us to movemountains, vs simply settling for pushing wimpy molehills." --Brad Lomenick, President and Executive Director, Catalyst "Max offers up a biblical vision of God's grace that comesdrenched in sweat and with a set of six-pack abs; a life-defining newness andrelationship-refining kindness straight from the heart of God." --Tim Kimmel, author of GraceBased Parenting "Some writers aim for the mind, others for the heartand a small number for the soul. With his latest book, 'Grace, ' Max Lucado hitsthe trifecta, touching on all three." -- Cal Thomas, Syndicated and USA Today Columnist and Fox News Contributor "If you love the writings of Max Lucado, this will probablybecome your favorite." -- Stephen Arterburn, Founder and Chairman of New LifeMinistries, host of "New Life Live " and best selling author "I can think of no more needed message for weary peopleeverywhere, and no better writer than Max Lucado to paint so gloriously thehope that "Christ in you" affords." --Louie Giglio, creator of Passion Conferences and pastor, Passion City Church




Ephesians


Book Description

A new commentary for today's world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story. The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike. Each volume employs three main, easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God's story: LISTEN to the Story: Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible's grand story. EXPLAIN the Story: Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting. LIVE the Story: Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students. —Ephesians— Like all of Paul's letters, Ephesians is centered in the gospel and its implications. It tells the story of what God has done in Christ and spells out the ethical implications of this story. But the letter to the Ephesians is unique among Paul's letters in many ways, including in how it tells of the story of God, beginning "before the creation of the world" and ending in eternity. Edited by Scot McKnight and Tremper Longman III, and written by a number of top-notch theologians, The Story of God Bible Commentary series will bring relevant, balanced, and clear-minded theological insight to any biblical education or ministry.




Crazy Faith


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Relationship Goals . . . Will you be remembered as a person who claimed to follow God but liked to play it safe? Or as a person who lived your life out on the limb and trusted God enough to live in crazy faith? Noah looked crazy when he started building the ark . . . until it started raining. It was crazy for Moses to lead a nation of people into the desert away from Egypt . . . until the Red Sea parted. It was crazy to believe that a fourteen-year-old virgin would give birth to the Son of God . . . until Mary held Jesus in her arms. There are many things that seem normal or average today that at one point in time seemed absolutely crazy. Smartphones, Wi-Fi, and even the electric light bulb were all groundbreaking, history-making inventions that started out as crazy ideas. Our see-it-to-believe-it generation tends to have a hard time exercising true faith—one that steps out, takes action, and sees mountain-moving results. Many of us would rather play it safe and stand on the sidelines, but it’s crazy faith that helps us see God move and reveals His promises. In Crazy Faith, Pastor Michael Todd shows us how to step out in faith and dive into the purposeful life of trusting God for the impossible. Even if you have to start with baby faith or maybe faith, you can become empowered to let go of your lazy faith, trust God through your hazy faith, and learn to live a lifestyle of crazy faith. With powerful stories of modern-day faith warriors who take their cues from biblical heroes, Michael Todd equips you to • believe for the impossible • choose hope over fear • be alert to the voice of God • cope with loss and doubt • develop a deeper level of trust in God • speak faith-filled declarations • inspire crazy faith in others God’s not looking for somebody to give Him all the reasons why His plans can’t happen. He’s looking for somebody to believe they will happen. In fact, He has so much He wants to do through you. The question is, Are you crazy enough to believe it?




Finding Your Harmony


Book Description

In this moving and inspirational memoir, singer Ally Brooke recalls her journey to fame, reveals how she has remained true to her beliefs through her most difficult moments. Featuring sixteen pages of never-before-seen photos, Finding Your Harmony takes readers behind-the-scenes of her proudest musical accomplishments, solo success, and her time on Dancing with the Stars. Ally Brooke burst onto the music scene as a member of Fifth Harmony, and quickly became a fan favorite with her infectious positivity and approachable attitude – not to mention her incredible voice. Following the band’s meteoric rise to fame, she embarked on a solo career, releasing her own hit singles, joining the twenty-eighth season of Dancing with the Stars, and showing people everywhere the rewards of hard work and faith. Now in this moving and inspirational memoir, Ally opens up about the experiences that led her to the spotlight, offering lessons from the heart and revealing how her tight-knit, Mexican-American family have helped her to live fearlessly since she was first catapulted into stardom. Tracing her success from its beginnings in San Antonio, Texas, Ally details the passion for music that took hold of her at a young age, and how with the help of her family she pushed herself to achieve her dreams, no matter how impossible they seemed. While her rise to fame was rapid, it wasn’t always smooth, and Ally candidly discusses the challenges she faced along the way, sharing how she navigated tough moments by staying true to herself and her beliefs. Opening up about her journey since Fifth Harmony disbanded, Ally recalls her tireless efforts to make music on her terms, charting back to back singles in the top 40 and amassing over 200 million collective worldwide streams. She also delves into her time on Dancing with the Stars, demonstrating how she conquered her fears and insecurities on her way to a top three finish and further established herself as a role model for young people the world over. Infused with the positive approach to life and spiritual openness that have fueled Ally’s journey, Finding Your Harmony uses her stories to help others follow their inner voices—even when the outside world makes it hard. Wise, grounded, and filled with sixteen pages of never-before-seen photos, Finding Your Harmony is a fascinating glimpse into the life and heart of one of popular music’s rising stars.




Hyperbole and a Half


Book Description

#1 New York Times Bestseller “Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations. FROM THE PUBLISHER: Every time Allie Brosh posts something new on her hugely popular blog Hyperbole and a Half the internet rejoices. This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features more than fifty percent new content, with ten never-before-seen essays and one wholly revised and expanded piece as well as classics from the website like, “The God of Cake,” “Dogs Don’t Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving,” and her astonishing, “Adventures in Depression,” and “Depression Part Two,” which have been hailed as some of the most insightful meditations on the disease ever written. Brosh’s debut marks the launch of a major new American humorist who will surely make even the biggest scrooge or snob laugh. We dare you not to. FROM THE AUTHOR: This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative—like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it—but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book: Pictures Words Stories about things that happened to me Stories about things that happened to other people because of me Eight billion dollars* Stories about dogs The secret to eternal happiness* *These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!




Imagine Heaven


Book Description

It's obvious from the bookshelves and the big screen that heaven is on everyone's mind. All of us long to know what life after death will be like. Bestselling author John Burke is no exception. For decades, he has been studying accounts of people who have had near-death experiences (NDEs). While not every detail of individual NDEs correlate with Scripture, Burke shows how the common experiences shared by thousands of survivors clearly point to the God of the Bible and the exhilarating picture of heaven he promises. Imagine Heaven is an inspirational journey through the Bible's picture of heaven, colored in with the real-life stories of heaven's wonders. Burke compares gripping stories of NDEs to what Scripture says about our biggest questions of heaven: Will I be myself? Will I see friends and loved ones? What will it look like? What is God like? What will we do forever? What about children and pets? This book will propel readers into an experience that will forever change their view of the life to come and the way they live life today. It also tackles the tough questions of heavenly reward and hellish NDEs. Anyone interested in NDEs or longing to imagine heaven more clearly will enjoy this fascinating and hope-filled book.




Stranger Than We Can Imagine


Book Description

The extraordinary story of the 20th century, as told from the furthest fringes of science, art and culture. For readers of Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. Before 1900, history was an account of great discoveries that actually made sense. People understand innovations like the steam engine, agriculture, or electricity. The twentieth century, by contrast, gave us quantum entanglement, cubism, relativity, psychedelics, postmodernism, chaos maths, and the Somme. This is the story of that confusing century as told through the ideas produced at the furthest fringes of our sciences, arts, and culture. Its cast includes well-known geniuses such as Albert Einstein, Francis Crick, and Pablo Picasso, lesser known geniuses like Edward Lorenz, Sergey Korolyov, or Shigeru Miyamoto, and infamous but influential ne'er-do-wells like Timothy Leary, Aleister Crowley and Keith Richards. In this company we take a tour through ideas as strange as general relativity, DNA, the subconscious, Gaia theory, and Dada. In this brilliantly written and original book, John Higgs explores, with great clarity and wit, the extremes of twentieth century thought, and in doing so shows how a world of empires became a world of individuals. You will never see the twentieth century in the same way again.







More Than You Could Ever Imagine


Book Description

What we are destined for in Christ and in the communion of saints is beyond what most can even begin to imagine. With the help of St. Paul, St. John of the Cross, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and Teilhard de Chardin, Fr. Bernie Owens provides an engaging sketch of our spiritual journey. In More Than You Could Ever Imagine, Owens offers a glimpse of what we shall become, both individually and as a human race, transformed in Christ. More Than You Could Ever Imagine is ideal reading for pastors, spiritual directors, instructors and students of formation programs and college courses of theology and religious studies; so too for anyone, Christian or non-Christian, wanting to grow in their knowledge of our journey to God. It will also be of much interest to clients of psychologists who are open to the spiritual journey.