An extraordinary true story of grace, mercy, and the redemptive power of God When her father was murdered, Laurie Coombs and her family sought justice--and found it. Yet, despite the swift punishment of the killer, Laurie found herself increasingly full of pain, bitterness, and anger she couldn't control. It was the call to love and forgive her father's murderer that set her, the murderer, and several other inmates on the journey that would truly change their lives forever. This compelling story of transformation will touch the deepest wounds and show how God can redeem what seems unredeemable.
No formulas, no pat answers. Just real life. Real questions. Real transformation. Approach many women in the church and if they're being honest, they'll tell you they - try hard to keep it all together; - are frustrated that being good doesn't deliver the perfect life; - feel trapped in expectations; - make decisions based on "shoulds"; - feel selfish when they say no; and - are uncertain of their place in God's kingdom. Between the desire to please God, the need to feel valued, and the compulsion to make everyone around them happy, women often find themselves denying their desires. It's safer to stay in the life of "shoulds"--even if it means being spiritually and emotionally disconnected. Kelli Gotthardt knows their pain. Always considered a "good girl," she threw herself into every ministry, saying yes to every request her church family made. On the outside, her life looked completely together--but she was drowning in self-doubt and shame. Unlikely Rebel is the story of how Kelly slowly shed shoulds and shame, learning to love God and love who He created her to be. The journey from the comfort of doing everything expected of a perfect pastor's wife to the uncertainty of living authentically and true to her unique calling is equal parts exhausting and exhilarating. Many Christians condemned her, responding with fear or anger to her greater intimacy with God's calling when it didn't match their own vision. For others, though, her journey inspired courage to embrace God's path for their own lives. Now Kelli invites other women to discover God's leading in their lives, learning that if they throw off the despondency of undeserved shame, abundant life awaits.
No mother ever expects to grieve the death of her child before or immediately after the child is born. But the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reports that as many as 31 percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. When the unthinkable happens, where do women turn for help? Written from the perspective of one grieving mommy to another, Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow is a ten-week study that will encourage and challenge women to delve into a deeper understanding of God's Word. As women engage in biblical teaching, they will learn to embrace God's promises of love, goodness, purpose, comfort, peace, refinement, restoration, hope, and eternity. "Hope for Today" verses peppered throughout each chapter, journaling cues, prayers, and the stories of other women who have experienced loss will help readers move from grieving in silent solitude to living life in the richness of God's love. While other books suggest a one-size-fits-all method for grief management or focus on understanding specific causes of child loss, Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow offers comfort for the reader, whatever her situation, by helping her focus on the light of the ultimate Promise, the hope of a Savior, Jesus Christ.
Beautiful Womanhood is a nonprofit Christian ministry whose mission is to strengthen marriages by equipping marriage mentors, encouraging women in their role as wives, and helping women build loving, godly, and supportive relationships with other wives. Since 2003, women have been coming together through Beautiful Womanhood small groups, where they gain insight from Sandy Ralya's teaching, personal guidance from a marriage mentor, and support from a loving community of women in order to realize God's plan for them. In each small group, a marriage mentor meets with small group members and leads the group through a discussion of the book. The Beautiful Wife Mentor's Guide offers: -instructions on how to implement Beautiful Womanhood small groups -guidance on becoming a confident marriage mentor -hostess tips to simplify hospitality for God's glory -chapter summaries to highlight main discussion topics -discussion icebreakers and cues to keep the conversation focused and lively -directions on how to incorporate free resources found on www.beautifulwomanhood.com Beautiful Womanhood Seminars Churches or community groups are invited to host a seminar or retreat led by author and speaker, Sandy Ralya. Specifically and individually designed to each church's needs, the seminar can train incoming mentors, excite new mentees, offer breakout sessions to discuss specific issues, and encourage the development of small group communities for wives. For more information, visit www.beautifulwomanhood.com.
In this sequel to The Bargain, Betsie Troyer is back home in her Amish community where she knows she belongs, free from the confusing Englisher way of life. She and Charley Yoder have made promises to each other, and her life is back on track--until Gerald Sullivan shows up with his young daughter, asking for Betsie's help. He's on his way to find his estranged wife, and begs Betsie to take young Sheila in.When she agrees, Betsie's carefully planned life is shaken up again. Sheila's newfound faith is troubling to Charley--and his attraction to another girl is beginning to be a problem. But how can Betsie confront him when she is still trying to confront her own feelings about Sheila's brother, Michael? Keeping the peace between the Amish man she's always loved, a twelve-year-old Englisher girl, and a draft-dodging hippie is more than she ever thought she'd have to deal with in her simple, orderly life. Still, Betsie is convinced she can keep things from falling apart completely.Then during her best friend's wedding, tragedy strikes and her world is upended. She has to make a decision: does she love Charley or Michael . . . or is she craving a deeper love that only God can give?The compelling second novel of the Plain City Peace series, The Bachelor deftly weaves together the strands of a solid, simpler time with the turmoil of an era of change, revealing the strengths of both in its powerful narrative.
It's 1971 and nineteen-year-old Betsie Troyer's life has been governed by the predictable patterns of her Amish community. Suddenly, the life that she has grown to love is falling apart. Her parents have secretly fled the community and she and her sister could be shunned if anyone finds out. To make matters worse, Betsie has already promised to board with an Englisher family to learn a trade. That means living with a hippie, learning the ways of the world, and putting her good reputation at risk -- may the good Lord forgive her. From war and miniskirts to pot parties and police brutality, the Englisher world is more confusing than Betsie ever imagined. She just wants to go home and start her life with handsome Charley Yoder in the place she understands. When she's in Plain City with him, things are cut-and-dried--but now that she knows the hopes and heartaches of the Sullivan family, nothing is so simple.
Dena Dyer is an accomplished and acclaimed author of several books, including Mothers of the Bible, The Groovy Chicks' Road Trip to Love, and The Groovy Chicks' Road Trip to Peace. She has been a member of the Fellowship of Christian Writers, the Christian Authors Network, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Women's Council. Her resume includes professional author and speaker, professional entertainer, music instructor, missionary, and children's theater instructor. Dena and her husband are parents to Jordan and Jackson and live in Granbury, Texas.
Practical and biblical direction to embrace your life dream Everyone has a dream, a desire to accomplish some special purpose in their lifetime. Whether shattered or fulfilled; whether small or large; whether past or present, dreams invite people to live life to its fullest. In these pages, readers will learn about the dreams of a young man who was rejected by his family, betrayed by his brothers, and sent to prison because he was falsely accused of attempted rape. And yet twenty years after his emotional roller coaster began, the dream he had as a teenager was fulfilled.> -embrace their dream as God-given and faith-filled -understand how a dream can be shattered by sin -nurture their dream and live it out -handle the tests and trials along the way Written with the insightful and inspiring tone that has made Lutzer the bestselling author of more than twenty books, this inspiring resource encourages believers to look to God for guidance and direction to keep their dream alive.
Sound research and illuminating visuals make biblical and historical times and teachings come alive for today's middle-school and high-school students as well as pastors looking for a concise overview of familiar topics. This volume continues the valuable tradition of the best-selling Kregel Pictorial Guide series with their full-color introductions that make history easy to understand and interesting to learn.In the Kregel Pictorial Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls, author Joel Willitts introduces readers to the scrolls-what they are, who wrote them, and what they tell us-and further expounds on the important role these scrolls play in understanding Christianity and the Bible.
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Mark 10: 14 NIV)
Exciting adventures for early readers!Written for reading levels 2.0-2.8, the Circle C Beginnings series combines fun illustrations and six-year-old Andi's signature curiosity.In book three, if Andi can't take her new foal, Taffy, to the 1874 California State Fair, she doesn't want to go. But once she's there, there are so many exciting things to see that she's glad she came . . . until her big brother tells her she can't keep the prize she won fair and square!
Written for reading level 2.0-2.8, the Circle C Beginnings series combines fun illustrations and six-year-old Andi's signature curiosity.In "Andi's Lonely Little Pony," Taffy is growing up too quickly. Soon Taffy will have to leave her mama and stay by herself at night. When a mean boy tells Andi about the scary things that happen when a foal is separated from its mother, Andi wonders if she can keep her little horse safe!
In 1874 California, six-year-old tomboy Andi is not used to feeling afraid, but when it is time for her to start school she needs God's help to get over her fear of so many new things all at once. Includes brief historical notes.
In 1874, Andi, the youngest of five children growing up on a California ranch, wants a horse of her own for her sixth birthday but her family believes her pony, Coco, is just right until Andi is older. Includes historical notes.
An experienced pastor provides the framework for pastors and teachers to develop expository, truth-filled sermons or lessons.
Following in the footsteps of his popular Advent series--"Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage," and "Tabitha's Travels"--Ytreeide presents a captivating story to take families through the season of Lent, culminating on Easter Sunday.
Christianity is messy. Unanswered prayers. Painful choices. Unresolved regrets. We're called to have faith, and yet we doubt. We try to be perfect, but we fall short. This is the chaos. It's all around us. There's no limit to it. And there's no quick fix for it. Christianity far underperforms the Christ it talks about. But the good news is this: God works in the mess. He gets a kick out of these disturbing, disorderly moments because in these moments, we learn to trust Him. What if we all trusted Jesus? How would the world look different? How would we look different? Both annoyingly honest and refreshingly humorous, Messy reassures Christians that God can reveal Himself in their clutter. Author and pastor A.J. Swoboda offers biblical insight and vivid, personal stories to redefine faith from something that must be perfect to something that is imperfect, but can still give beauty, meaning, and purpose to a messy life. As entertaining as it is challenging, this book teaches Christians what it means to trust in each other, in grace, in hope, and in a Savior who defied the rules of death. Here's to finding joy in your chaos!
An inspiring story of how God called one man to "go back and make a difference" Dolphus Weary knows from personal experience just how harmful racial division can be. Growing up in rural Mississippi, he leared that if poverty, hunger, and disease didn't kill him, racism, bigotry, or the Klan just might. So when a college basketball scholarship gave him the opportunity to get away from the broken, racially divided city of Mendenhall, he jumped at the chance. But he couldn't outrun racism. Eventually God called him back to his hometown--to the city where the railroad tracks not only separate economic classes but also represent a divide in the church. Believing that prejudice is ultimately a spiritual issue, Weary went back to Mississippi and worked to break down racial divides and promote productive dialogue, greater understanding, and ultimately racial reconciliation. The founder and part-time president of R.E.A.L. (Rural Education and Leadership) Christian Foundation, Weary helps ministries and communities realize that a "kingdom mentality" is possible only when we stop limiting God's work to a denomination or racial group. Crossing the Tracks offers an insider's look at Weary's life and experiences. It recounts both the heartbreaking and victorious events that helped him overcome the odds. Profoundly honest and never more timely, this book encourages Christians to partner together to turn the ugly legacy of racism wherever it is found into a beautiful community of hope.
Expository outlines that can lead to sermons or lessons filled with a deeper understanding of the truth of God's Word.
Pastors will appreciate these new releases in the Wood Sermon Outline series. Comprehensive and pulpit-tested, each sermon outline is expository, offering a fully developed outline based on the Scripture text. These outlines are designed to help save time without cutting corners.Each book in the series contains more than thirty sermon outlines, each focusing on a single theme. Whether you are a pastor or Bible student, these outlines will provide sermons or lessons that develop a deeper understanding of the truths of God's Word.
The busy pastor, Bible student, or teacher will find many "seeds" in these outlines that can lead to sermons or lessons filled with a deeper understanding of the truth of God's Word. They are expository in nature.
Expository outlines that can lead to sermons or lessons filled with a deeper understanding of the truth of God's Word.
Expository outlines that can lead to sermons or lessons filled with a deeper understanding of the truth of God's Word.
Building Biblical Values is a new approach to the crucial issue of values education. It takes its clue from the ministry of Jesus who, as the authors observe, 'modeled for us that the Christian lifestyle is most accurately learned when, in a sense, disciples' hands are held and they are guided through appropriate learning experiences.'
Using several Old Testament types, Price explores the biblical principles for finding and renewing one's spiritual purpose and power. Repacked edition!
The bright design and crisp photography of the "God's Gifts to Me" board book series are intended to delight toddlers and first-time readers alike. As kids play with and read each of these sturdy board books, they will encounter different parts of God's beautiful and varied creation, including animals, food, and our own bodies. Bible verses at the end of each book illustrate God's love for us and for all of His creation.
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