Finding God in Unexpected Places


Book Description

The traces of God can be found in the most unexpected places--an Atlanta slum, a pod of whales off the coast of Alaska, the prisons of Peru and Chile, the plays of Shakespeare, a health club in Chicago--yet many Christians have not only missed seeing God, they’ve overlooked opportunities to make him visible to those most in need of hope. In this enlightening book author Philip Yancey serves as an insightful tour guide for those willing to look beyond the obvious, pointing out glimpses of the eternal where few might think to look. Whether finding God among the newspaper headlines, within the church, or on the job, Yancey delves deeply into the commonplace and surfaces with rich spiritual insight. Finding God in Unexpected Places takes readers from Ground Zero to the Horn of Africa, and each stop along the way reveals footprints of God, touches of his truth and grace that prompt readers to search deeper within their own lives for glimpses of transcendence.




Unexpected Love


Book Description

How would you characterize Jesus in his interactions withwomen? Gracious? Preachy? Aloof? Kind? Dismissive? Unexpected Love isan essential read for anyone eager to understand Jesus Christ's true heart forwomen. We ache for a satisfying relationship with him and crave his healingtouch. So did the women of the first century. Each approached him withsomething they wanted. They left with more than they could have imagined. Writer and teacher Julie Coleman carefully walks readersthrough the gospel narratives, offering evidence of a perceptive Savior deeplyconcerned about the women he met. Through vivid descriptions, thoughtfulquestions, and empowering applications, she brings a fresh perspective to thesesometimes puzzling stories. Unexpected Love offers a compelling vision of a Savior who meets uswhere we are and will take us where we need to go. Discover his passion forwomen. What you read will impact your own relationship with him. You will fallin love with the dynamic, beautiful, and unexpectedly personal Jesus.




Unexpected Places


Book Description

Unexpected Places is the personal story of gospel singer Anthony Evans, son of well-known pastor Tony Evans and brother of author Priscilla Shirer. In this intimate and moving memoir, Anthony shares the details of his struggles with depression and doubt, and encourages readers with the unique story of his search for purpose and identity. From growing up duty-bound to his name, to his time as a finalist and then talent producer on The Voice, Anthony explores the pressures he experienced as a child and as a young man in Hollywood. He describes the journey to his renewed faith in God and exposes the vast differences between what the world teaches us to value and how God values us. Anthony examines what his parents did right in raising him but also describes how they unknowingly missed his pain. Finally, he reveals how God orchestrated His plan to grow Anthony into a man who is in love with his life, his heritage, and his individual calling. Anthony has learned to embrace the incredible beauty of his unique voice. In Unexpected Places, he invites readers on their own journey to do the same.




God Is Stranger


Book Description

Have we missed the Bible’s consistent teaching that God is other, higher, stranger? Krish Kandiah offers us a fresh look at some of the difficult, awkward, and even troubling Bible passages, challenging us to replace our sanitized concept of God with a more awe-inspiring, true-to-the-Bible God. Allow yourself to be surprised by God as you find him in unexpected places doing the unexpected.




Day by Day with Charles Swindoll


Book Description

A steaming cup of coffee, a heart-warming story, a poignant time of meditation and prayer in your favorite place of solitude. A few quiet moments alone with God?what a great way to begin . . . or end . . . your day. Now, Charles, Swindoll, the master communicator whose compelling stories and eye-opening insights have helped millions of people find and build meaningful relationships with God, brings you this moving collection of 365 daily devotionals. Based on the Bible and his best-selling classic, The Finishing Touch, this new book provides just what you need to open your heart to the Lord's love and leading every day. Your soul-strengthening journey through this volume can begin at any time during the year. And you will be drawn ever nearer to the heart of God through these brief encounters with Him as you study and worship Day by Day with Charles Swindoll.




God Moments


Book Description

Where do you seek God? Are you waiting for him to appear in a monumental, life-altering event? In God Moments, Catholic blogger Andy Otto shows you how to discover the unexpected beauty of God’s presence in the story of ordinary things and in everyday routines like preparing breakfast or walking in the woods. Drawing on the Ignatian principles of awareness, prayer, and discernment, Otto will help you discover the transforming power of God’s presence in your life and better understand your place in the world. Andy Otto found God’s presence in surprising moments during his life—when, as a Jesuit scholastic, he taught children in Jamaica and also as he discerned the call to marriage with his wife. By combining elements of Ignatian spirituality with the lessons that came from his experiences, Otto identified three practices that helped him find God in all things: Awareness—Gain an understanding that God is present in the ordinary messiness of our lives such as battle with depression or sharing in the struggle of a friend. Prayer—Develop a prayer life using Ignatian practices such as asking for a morning grace and examining how your prayer was answered at the end of the day. That way you can focus on a personal relationship with God that finds everyday physical activities such as making a meal as an opportunity to talk to him. Discernment—The more you are aware of God’s presence and draw closer to him in prayer, the better you can learn how to plug into God’s narrative of the world in a way that enables you to participate in the divine story through the use of your gifts and talents. With God Moments as a guide, you’ll have a better understanding of how to seek personal wholeness in the reality of God’s presence in the ordinary and learn to accept his invitation to participate in his transformation of the world.




One at a Time


Book Description

How does God want to use you to have an impact? Most of us don't want to spend our lives being time-wasters, space-takers, binge-watchers, or game-players. We want to be difference-makers. But how do we do it? By revealing the way Jesus valued people, bestselling author Kyle Idleman shows us the Jesus way of changing the world--by loving people one at a time. Influencing just one person at a time may seem insignificant at first look. But as we better understand the surprising habits of Jesus, we unlock the power of small things done with great love and discover how God wants to use us to change the world one person at a time.




God of Surprise


Book Description

Find a new sense of hope and security as you witness the thoroughly unpredictable ways God intervened in the experiences of men and women in the Bible. Examining six “But God…” moments in Scripture, popular Our Daily Bread author Bill Crowder focuses your hope on the eternal wisdom and perfect purposes of God in every situation.




Seeing God


Book Description

David Roper is both a hardy outdoorsman and a gentle man with a heart attuned to the whispers of the Spirit. Strength in quiet confidence describes both the man and his message. These thoughtful selections from David's 10 most inspiring books focus on the pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, obedience, trust, and peace. David's underlying theme is always the Lord's sufficiency to help us live complete, confident, and holy lives in our own daily walk with Christ, with our families and church communities, and with nonbelievers in the wider neighborhood.




Unstoppable


Book Description

"Unstoppable will encourage you to run the race God has placed before you with new confidence." – Joyce Meyer, Bible teacher and bestselling author Now includes discussion questions for small-group study. Have you been a spiritual spectator for too long, waiting on the sidelines, thinking God could never use you for something big? Maybe you have been searching for greater purpose. Well get prepared, because God has a baton ready to put in your hand. Christine Caine didn't think she had what it took to make a difference in the world. Then, inspired by her love of Olympic relays, Caine decided that she should start a relay herself--a global team of individuals and organizations passing a baton to one another in a race to end human trafficking. Now Caine's organization, A21, is on a mission to end slavery, one woman, one man, one child, at a time which sometimes means operating in some of the most dangerous situations on earth--all because Caine realized that with God leading the relay, she was unstoppable. With fascinating stories and inspiring Scripture, Unstoppable takes us on Caine's journey from feelings of inadequacy to trust in God's provision to joy in seeing victory over suffering. Her remarkable story inspires us to embrace the power of being on God's team--whether we are fighting human trafficking, leading a church, or starting a movement for good in our own community. No longer stuck on the sidelines, we will see how God has uniquely prepared us for the big dreams He calls us to carry out in His name. If you think your faith isn't strong enough to conquer something big like human trafficking, think again. In Unstoppable, you will learn to recognize what you can do, knowing that when God calls your name, you will be ready, hand outstretched to receive the baton.