Showing results by narrator "Andy Stanley" in All Categories

Whether you're sleep deprived with a colicky newborn or navigating the emotional roller coaster of a teenager, parenting has its ups and downs, its confusion and clarity, its big blowups and small victories. And no matter our family makeup or our children's personalities, many of us experience anxiety over our children's futures and often fear making a mistake.

Once upon a time there was a version of our faith that was practically...irresistible. But that was then. Today we preach, teach, write, and communicate as if nothing has changed. As if “The Bible says it” still settles it. It’s time to hit pause on much of what we’re doing and consider the faith modeled by our first-century brothers and sisters who had no official Bible, no status, and humanly speaking, little chance of survival. What did they know that we don’t? What made their faith so compelling, so defensible, so irresistible? Buckle up...you’re about to find out.

Why do we hear this so often on the back side of a bad decision? Because the more questions we ask, the more insight we gain and the better decisions we make. In Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets, Andy Stanley equips us with five catalytic questions to ask every time we make a decision. The result? Well, the title says it all!

Is it possible to disagree politically and love unconditionally? The reaction of evangelicals to political and cultural shifts in recent years revealed what they value most. Lurking beneath our Bible-laced rhetoric, faith claims, books, and sermons is a relentless drive to WIN! But the church is not here to win. By every human measure, our Savior lost. On purpose. With a purpose. And we are his body. We are not in it to win anything. We are in it for something else entirely. That something else is what this book is about.

n Forbidden Song, Ares may not always be in control. But he has a plan—and it’s a doozy. FORBIDDEN SONG is one part Ocean’s 11, one part Les Miserable, and it sets the fuse for the Rising that Darrow will inherit.

Titan was one of the nation’s most loved and respected Heroes, until an infidelity scandal tore his image and family apart. After decades spent out of the limelight, Owen Daniels has decided to take up the mantle of Titan once again to try and make amends for his years away. Unfortunately, the Titan Scandal is still common knowledge, and no Hero team wants such a polarizing figure. With no other options, Owen is forced to take a job overseeing a group of corpies, corporate-sponsored Supers who do rescue work… as long as there are cameras around.

Our decisions don't just affect our present circumstances; they radiate into our future. Most of the time, it's impossible to know what will come of the decisions we make. But this doesn't have to paralyze you. You can train yourself to ask well-placed, appropriately timed, thought-provoking questions that will result in stronger decisions and fewer disappointments down the road.

Starting Point is a conversational environment where you can explore faith and experience community. It's a safe place for you to ask questions and to learn about the Bible and Christianity. You may have questions that you’ve always wondered about but never felt you could ask at church, legitimate questions that would make many Christians uncomfortable. Ask them. Nothing is off-limits. We want to have conversations about the stuff that really matters to you, even when it’s difficult to talk about—especially when it’s difficult to talk about.

Join Andy Stanley for Twisting the Truth, a six-session small-group bible study developed to help you and your group understand how truth can get twisted and distorted, and how that impacts your life. Throughout the study, Stanley exposes four destructive and all-too-prevalent lies about authority, pain, sex, and sin. They’re deceptions powerful enough to ruin our relationships, our lives, even our eternities - but only if we let them.

Titan was one of the nation’s most loved and respected Heroes, until an infidelity scandal tore his image and family apart. After decades spent out of the limelight, Owen Daniels has decided to take up the mantle of Titan once again to try and make amends for his years away. Unfortunately, the Titan Scandal is still common knowledge, and no Hero team wants such a polarizing figure. With no other options, Owen is forced to take a job overseeing a group of corpies, corporate-sponsored Supers who do rescue work… as long as there are cameras around.

In this audio Bible study, best-selling author Andy Stanley explores the details behind the remarkable story of Jesus' birth and explains why Christmas is so important for us today. He also looks at the lives of several key people in the Gospels who found their way into the story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

Single? Looking for the "right person"? Thinking that if you met the right person everything would turn out right? Think again. In The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating, Andy Stanley explores the challenges, assumptions, and land mines associated with dating in the 21st century. Best of all, he offers the most practical and uncensored advice you will ever hear on this topic. Not for the faint of heart, The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating challenges single Christ followers to step up and set a new standard for this generation!

In this four-session audio Bible study, bestselling author and pastor Andy Stanley takes a closer look at one of the unique things Christians believe: God became one of us. Why in the world would God do that? Why would God leave the comfort and recognition of heaven to live on this ball of dirt in a time before morphine and indoor plumbing when the best of conditions barely paralleled the worst of modern-day conditions? Why? We think we know why He died. But what compelled him to live as one of us?

We all know what’s required to fall in love...a pulse. Falling in love is easy. But staying there - that’s something else entirely. With more than a thousand matchmaking services available today and new ones springing up all the time, finding a romantic match can be easier than ever. But staying together with the one you’ve found seems to be the real challenge. So, is it possible for two people to fall in love and actually stay there? Absolutely! Let Andy Stanley show you how through the four sessions of Staying in Love.

RESPONSIBILITIES. We all have them. But we don't all take them as seriously as we ought to. Wouldn't it be great, though, if we all took responsibility for the things we are responsible for? Wouldn't it be great if you took responsibility for everything you're responsible for? It's time to stop the finger-pointing and excuse-making and to remove the “ir” in irresponsible. In this study, Stanley tells us it’s time to ask ourselves, “Am I REALLY taking responsibility for my life?”

Throughout our lives, we’re confronted with decisions we never anticipated having to make. The complicate matters further the timeframe for making a decision is often short and our options limited. But regardless, a decision needs to be made. So what do you do when it’s your move and you aren’t sure what to do? Follow Andy as he teaches how every decision and its outcome become a permanent part of your story, what to do when you feel the need to pause before taking action, and how to make more of this life by making sound decisions.

Everybody wants to be happy. Everybody is on a happiness quest. For many, happiness is measured in moments. Experiences. It's elusive. Unsustainable. What about you? What makes you happy? Something comes to mind for each of us. In this six-session audio Bible study (guide separately), pastor Andy Stanley examines the ways in which we tend to define happiness and explains how that definition influences the way we pursue it. He reveals that happiness is about who, not what, and that happy people are at peace with God, with others, and with themselves.

In this five-session, audio Bible study (guide sold separately), Andy Stanley unpacks the power of faith and the need for maintaining your confidence in Jesus Christ amid the ups and downs of daily life. If you grew up in a religious home, you were probably taught that God answers prayers. Maybe you were even taught that if you just had enough faith, God would say yes to what you were asking him to do.

In this audio Bible study (guide sold separately), pastor and best-selling author Andy Stanley builds a biblical case for five things God uses to grow BIG faith. Imagine how different your outlook on life would be if you had absolute confidence that God was with you. Imagine how differently you would respond to difficulties, temptations, and even good things if you believed with certainty that God was in all of it and was planning to leverage every circumstance for good.

Community. It's a word we often hear, but what does it really mean? And why is it so important to your spiritual life? Because you can’t grow spiritually unless you’re connected relationally. God designed us that way. He wants to use other people to grow us and he wants to use us to grow other people. In this 8-session audio Bible study, specifically designed for launching new small groups well, you’ll explore how building deep relationships with the people in your small group and serving in the larger community around you will grow your faith.