Catching Contentment


Book Description

If anyone has a right to feel angry with life, then the author is a strong candidate. Having battled with lung disease from a young age, suffered at the hands of bullies, and, reluctantly, given up her much-loved teaching job, she has plenty to complain about. But she has made a point of exploring contentment. She has drawn particularly on Paul's letter to the Philippians. 'Contentment is something we can all catch hold of,' she believes, 'whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.' This is a message which we need to hear, whether we are lifelong sufferers, like the author, or facing deprivation or injustice of another sort. Or we may simply have fallen into bad habits. We cannot fail to be uplifted, and hopefully transformed, by the author's discoveries as we learn to buck trends within society and the church. Introduction Confident contentment 1 Confident in our faith 2 Confident in our meaning and purpose 3 Confident in our identity and calling 4 Confident in our future Courageous contentment 5 Courage is active 6 Courage is acceptance 7 Courageous is brokenness 8 Courage in the Word 9 Courageous disappointment 10 Courageous lament 11 Courage is pressing on 12 Courageous contentment in action Captivated contentment 13 Captivated by glory 14 Captivated by surrender 15 Captivated satisfaction 16 Captivated by yearning 17 Captivated by infinite love 18 Captivated by discipline 19 Captivated in the dark night Contagious contentment 20 Contagious unity 21 Jesus - the greatest example of contagious contentment




Catching Contentment


Book Description

If anyone has a right to feel angry with life, then this author is a strong candidate. Having battled with lung disease from a young age, suffered at the hands of bullies, and, reluctantly, given up her much-loved teaching job, Liz Carter has plenty to complain about. Drawing particularly on Paul's letter to the Philippians, she makes a point of exploring contentment in this book.




Our Daily Bread - January / February / March 2023


Book Description

Since it was first published in 1956, Our Daily Bread has become the resource for which Our Daily Bread Ministries is best known. The daily devotional thoughts published in Our Daily Bread help readers spend time each day in God’s Word. This electronic edition of Our Daily Bread allows you to enjoy the same inspiring content found in the print edition of Our Daily Bread, but with many additional digital features: • 90 Digital Daily Devotionals • Includes Scripture Passages and Insights • Links to a Daily Bible Reading Plan • Links to Additional Topical Content Resources from Our Daily Bread Ministries • Our Daily Bread Author Biographies Our Daily Bread is published and distributed worldwide in more than 40 languages by Our Daily Bread Ministries offices around the globe. Our Daily Bread Ministries also produces a variety of other Bible resources, which are available for the asking. Our Daily Bread is distributed via print, large-print, radio, podcast, email, rss, and mobile. For social networking users, find Our Daily Bread on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.




Fresh From the Word 2023


Book Description

Fresh from the Word 2023 aims to help us build the discipline of Bible reading into our lives so we are grounded in God's word and our faith may deepen and develop. By offering accessible and engaging material, it aids our understanding of the Bible and helps us understand it from different Christian perspectives. One of the key themes in this year's edition is ‘Hidden Heroes & Heroines’, characters in the Bible who are overlooked but play a pivotal role in the unfolding of the Kingdom. As we read their stories, we may be encouraged that our lives, though they sometimes feel insignificant, are indeed being used by God in ways possibly beyond our imagining! The book also explores the different types of literature in the Bible. A number of the international and diverse community of writers who have contributed their wisdom, understanding and hard-won insights to encourage and bless us, unpack passages written in each particular style. And so we learn how we might safely interpret poetry, law, prophecy, narrative or apocalyptic. The hope is that these reflections - and indeed the complete volume - will will help us see revealed that which was previously hidden from us. Contributors this year include: Terry Lester, who writes on the Judges of Israel. Terry has been an Anglican priest in Cape Town for almost four decades and currently serves in Constantia. A vocal advocate for justice, he is engaged in projects aimed at restoring dignity and building reconciliation in his fragmented community. Immaculée Hedden, who writes on Healing Divisions in the Old Testament. She and her husband Richard are the authors of Under His Mighty Hand, the story of how she survived the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The couple are currently based in Rwanda, serving in healing and counselling support ministry with YWAM. Jane Gonzalez, who writes on Celebrations. Jane is a Roman Catholic laywoman and an active member of the Justice and Peace Group. Joshua Taylor, who writes on The God of all Comfort and Mercy. Joshua is an Anglican Priest in New Zealand, where he and his family have been exploring what it means to be a family following the way of Jesus. Louise Jones, who writes on Lord of the Sabbath. Working for an embedded, community-based organization (Newbigin Community Trust), Louise has a passion for empowering, resourcing and loving those who have slipped through the cracks of our systems, in order to help people see their immense value and worth in Jesus.




Bouncing Forwards


Book Description

'Nobody is immune from the storms of life. Patrick's book is a lifeboat while the waves are crashing but it is much more than that: Bouncing Forwards is a guide that helps us to navigate through tricky waters so that we become better equipped for the journey of life. It's an honest, wise and practical handbook for growing in resilience. I can't recommend it highly enough.' CATHY MADAVAN, AUTHOR OF IRREPRESSIBLE Bouncing Forwards offers hope to those who're facing battles such as mental or physical health challenges, bereavement, the loss of cherished dreams or recovery from trauma. Patrick Regan reveals his vulnerability as he shares that making peace with his own ongoing anxiety only came after a period of intense physical, emotional and spiritual pain. There is always the temptation to wait for the day when all will be well. Yet becoming preoccupied with the future may well mean missing out on what's happening in our lives in the here and now. Is it possible to be OK even when life isn't? Can we thrive, not just once we've come through adversity, but right there in the midst of it? Exploring resilience, acceptance and emotional agility, Patrick encourages us to believe we can find meaning in some of life's toughest moments - and the faith to journey on.




Fresh from The Word 2024


Book Description

What will the world be like in a year's time? What changes will we have seen, and what global events will be fresh in our thoughts? What highs and lows will we have encountered, and what surprises will we have had that bring unexpected joy? And in the midst of all those things, how will we make sense of it all? That's where Fresh from The Word comes in! This edition tells the whole story of the Bible, so we have a framework in which to better understand each part. In addition, readings through 1 Chronicles culminate with Solomon building the Temple, and those in Mark and Luke show us how the Master Builder came and lived amongst us. We see how God began to build his church, looking at leaders in the New Testament, and how Paul encouraged one of those leaders as we read his letters to Timothy. And when the building gets broken, we study how to be reconciled, with Nehemiah offering a worked example of how God uses his people to rebuild. Finally, the Song of Solomon reveals the aim of it all - intimate, loving relationship with God himself. Fresh from The Word 2024 aims to help us build the discipline of Bible reading into our lives so we are grounded in God's word and our faith may deepen and develop. By offering accessible and engaging material, it aids our understanding of the Bible and helps us understand it from different Christian perspectives.




Help I'm a FACEBOOKAHOLIC


Book Description

Whether it's a means of staying in touch with old friends or of making new enemies, Facebook -- which celebrates its 7th birthday in 2011 -- is impossible to ignore... In June an Irish MEP called for Facebook to be regulated as a health hazard, in the same way as alcohol and drugs. It's not hard to see why. According to experts at top addiction clinic, The Priory, one in ten of us is in danger of becoming addicted to Facebook, and in need of psychiatric help to recover. We log on compulsively to keep tabs on our friends (and, more importantly, our enemies), we obsessively acquire 'friends', even though we might not actually know them and we develop damaging insecurities as a result of the 'perfect' selves our 'friends' portray, believing that our own lives don't measure up. Worst of all, we're so busy leading our virtual lives that we forget to lead our actual ones. So what makes this social networking site so addictively popular? Well, it's the way FB has extended into every corner of our lives, changing the way we interact with one another. This book takes a lighthearted look at the site with a mixture of real-life stories, expert comment and useful tips.




Fresh from The Word 2025


Book Description

'The Christian faith is new every morning, and that's a wonderful reason to read the scriptures each day . . . Let us seek to be encouragers to one another as we journey on together. My prayer is that God will give you faith, hope and love for whatever the coming year brings.' Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York Many have written of the spiritual insight, comfort and joy derived from their regular reading of Fresh from The Word. We know the sheer variety of contributors and their willingness to engage with live issues can prove both (helpfully) disturbing and exhilarating! This year's volume, which has much to say about the Christ who walks beside us and the challenges of sharing his tender love with others, offers true nourishment, as always. Alongside a reading for each day, you will find fresh thoughts and prayers. Fresh from The Word aims to help us build the discipline of Bible reading into our lives so we are grounded in God's Word and our faith may deepen and develop. By offering accessible and engaging material, it aids our understanding of the Bible and helps us understand it from different Christian perspectives.




The 10 Keys to Happiness


Book Description




Bending the Twig


Book Description

"I believe that our parenting skills, or lack of them, have worked against us. We have looked to man's wisdom, and forgotten the basic principles of the Bible. Mom's book is full of wisdom, Biblical wisdom, spelled out and then worked out through our family's experiences." "Mom has a clear grasp on what God's Word says about our job as parents. She has blessed me with her wisdom. Many rough spots in our road of parenting have been smoothed by Mom's insights." "these are Biblical principles and they work...My Mom...is passionate about the truth and about helping parents return to Godly patterns of child-rearing...Enjoy the book, but realize that you are coming to a fork in the road which will force you to make a choice." "The message in this book is based strictly on the Word of God-something that will never change. That is what makes this book different from many others that you will read. Mom uses humor, personal experiences, and the Scripture to teach in a very practical way." As a mother of four and grandmother of twenty-two, Bernadine shares the critically important Biblical principles of child rearing. Many of her experiences as she dealt with her growing family are sprinkled throughout the book. Now, as she is watching her children's children grow their families, it adds credence to what she observed through the years of rearing her children. Bernadine is a passionate believer in growing children God's way. It works!