Too Good to Be False


Book Description

Stories always involve a main character, and Jesus' character is unlike any other. No other hero-whether of history, myth, imagination, or legend-has loved as he loved, led the way he led, been a friend the way he was a friend, or understood himself as Jesus understood himself.




Blessings Too Good


Book Description




Ask Me for a Blessing (You Know You Need One)


Book Description

What is a blessing? Do you have to believe to receive one? Can you doubt while you pray? And can you extend grace to others while still desperately in need of it yourself? Once a week Episcopal priest Adrian Dannhauser stands outside her Manhattan church beside a chalkboard sign that reads "Ask me for a blessing (because God knows you need one)." Passersby stop, chat, and ask for prayer: for a sick friend, an addicted son, an upcoming job interview, the state of our nation, or the grief of our world. Bus drivers sometimes open their doors for a quick prayer before the light turns green, and someone once took her to meet their doorman so she could bless him too. Half of those who stop are in crisis. Someone always cries. A few are simply curious. Through the heartfelt, frank, and sincere stories of her unique ministry, Dannhauser offers glimpses into the tender, holy, and sometimes hilarious moments of sidewalk prayers. With a potent blend of reverence and irreverence, as well as insights from Christian scriptures, she delves into the power that ancient ideas--blessing, forgiveness, miracles, and prayer--hold in a disenchanted world. For people of Christian faith, other faiths, or no faith at all, having spiritual conversations, even awkward ones with strangers on the street, can help us face our vulnerability, where we may discover a grace sufficient for all.




Blessed in the Darkness


Book Description

Find comfort in dark times and grow your trust and faith in God with this inspiring and insightful guide from Lakewood Church pastor and #1 New York Times bestselling author Joel Osteen. All of us will go through dark times that we don't understand: a difficulty with a friend, an unfair situation at work, a financial setback, an unexpected illness, a divorce, or the loss of a loved one. Those types of experiences are part of the human journey. But when we find ourselves in such a place, it's important that we keep a positive perspective. Joel Osteen writes that if we stay in faith and keep a good attitude when we go through challenges, we will not only grow, but we will see how all things work together for our good. Through practical applications and scriptural insight, Blessed in the Darkness focuses on how to draw closer to God and trust Him when life doesn't make sense. If we will go through the dark place in the valley trusting, believing, and knowing that God is still in control, we will come to the table that is already prepared for us, where our cup runs over.




Circle of Grace


Book Description

"Within the struggle, joy, pain, and delight that attend our life, there is an invisible circle of grace that enfolds and encompasses us in every moment. Blessings help us to perceive this circle of grace, to find our place of belonging within it, and to receive the strength the circle holds for us." -from the Introduction Beginning in Advent and moving through the sacred seasons of the Christian year, Circle of Grace offers Jan's distinctive and poetic blessings that illuminate the treasures each season offers to us.




The Power of Spoken Blessings


Book Description

This book explores how verbal blessings can change and restore difficult relationships, highlighting the great power of the living God to work in our daily lives. The spoken blessing is a powerful spiritual weapon with enduring impact. By giving spoken blessings, we can see healing brought to aching souls and restoration brought to bruised relationships. Such wonders are accomplished by the power of God’s Spirit through the agency of spoken blessings, just as Scripture affirms: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." Our words have the power to crush or to heal, to break bones or to plant a tree of life where none has grown before. And these dynamics of the spoken blessing may be truer today than ever. Mr. Gothard’s timely message brings this awareness to us in a helpful and encouraging way. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Proverbs 18:21 What if spoken blessings could grant freedom from years of bitter hurts? What if they could break down the walls that divide husband from wife, parent from child, and friend from friend? Our words have lasting impact not only for harm, but also for great good. By speaking blessings, we can help bring healing to aching souls and restoration to bruised relationships. Let Bill Gothard share with you the secret of spoken blessings, and embark on a rich family tradition that brings harmony and closeness beyond anything you’ve previously experienced. Story Behind the Book While dealing with layer after layer of hurts, fears, and barriers that teenagers experience with their parents and God, I often heard cruel statements by a parent during a time of anger. Statements like “I wish you were never born” or “You’ll never amount to anything” were like deadly poison affecting everything in that teenager’s life. Such is the power of a verbal curse. However, more powerful have been the verbal blessings of a parent to a son or daughter. They have been like sources of refreshment and energy that have guided the goals and decisions of those who received them. With such lasting results from the life-and-death power of the tongue, it was essential to me that this book be written.




Blessings


Book Description

Through her workshops and writings (including her bestseller The Artist's Way), Julia Cameron has inspired millions to pursue their dreams. In the tradition of Heart Steps, Blessings reveals the keys she uses to reconnect herself with the source of her creative spirit. Focusing on gratitude and recognizing the power to change one's surrounding world by changing one's thinking, Cameron explains how she surrenders to the "deeper flow of life rather than willfully forcing artificial solutions." By acknowledging the beauty, harmony, and synergy of life, readers learn through Cameron's inspiring prose how to cherish the gifts they have been given and use them to their fullest. Those who read and follow Cameron's advice and prayers and listen to Tim Wheater's healing music in the audiobook will realize how to achieve harmony in their lives and embrace the notion that they are part of a larger whole that holds them in a benevolent and protective view. With Blessings, readers will understand the secrets of a life that is rich, beautiful, intricate, and valuable.




Given


Book Description

How do we express the good that God wants for those we love? How do we experience blessing through pain and suffering? Why would we bless even enemies? How do we keep spoken blessings in sync with God’s will? And how do we integrate blessing, a concept woven throughout the entire Bible, into the fabric of our everyday lives? In Given, you will journey outside of your comfort zone, into a world of blessing as a relational calling—as a way God relates to you and a way you’re called to relate to others. You will travel across countries, cultures, and centuries of church history to expand your paradigm of a word ripe with significance. Along the way, you’ll be inspired to begin the essential Christian practice of being given by God as a blessing. Journey with author Tina Boesch to discover your calling to a meaningful way of living and relating to God and others, inspired by Christ, who gave himself on the cross so that we could fully experience God’s blessing.




The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee


Book Description

The beloved bestseller that offers a practical, inspiring new roadmap for raising self-reliant, ethical, and compassionate children. In the trenches of a typical day, every parent encounters a child afflicted with ingratitude and entitlement. In a world where material abundance abounds, parents want so badly to raise self-disciplined, appreciative, and resourceful children who are not spoiled by the plentitude around them. But how to accomplish this feat? The answer has eluded the best-intentioned mothers and fathers who overprotect, overindulge, and overschedule their children's lives. Dr. Mogel helps parents learn how to turn their children's worst traits into their greatest attributes. Starting with stories of everyday parenting problems and examining them through the lens of the Torah, the Talmud, and important Jewish teachings, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee shows parents how to teach children to honor their parents and to respect others, escape the danger of overvaluing children's need for self-expression so that their kids don't become "little attorneys," accept that their children are both ordinary and unique, and treasure the power and holiness of the present moment. It is Mogel's singular achievement that she makes these teachings relevant for any era and any household of any faith. A unique parenting book, designed for use both in the home and in parenting classes, with an on-line teaching guide to help facilitate its use, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee is both inspiring and effective in the day-to-day challenge of raising self-reliant children.




Thank You, God!


Book Description

Preschoolers are invited to enjoy pictures of God's creation as they learn to thank him for all He has made. Full color.