Showing results by author "Bryan Smith" in All Categories

Being close to God means communicating with him—telling him what is on our hearts in prayer and hearing, and understanding what he is saying to us. But how do we hear God's voice? How can we be sure that what we think we hear is not our own subconscious? What role does the Bible play? What if what God says to us is not clear? The key, says bestselling author Dallas Willard, is to focus not so much on individual actions and decisions as on building our personal relationship with our Creator.

Following the Sermon on the Mount, this follow-up to The Good and Beautiful God guides us to look behind character flaws and to replace our false beliefs with Jesus' narratives about life in the kingdom of God.

Welcome to Hopkins Bend, the remote little Tennessee town where the backwoods inhabitants are cannibals and the local law operates a sex-trafficking ring. Unlucky travelers are frequently ensnared in the town’s sinister web. Some are held captive and tortured while others face even more gruesome fates. And beneath it all is the town’s darkest secret, the curse of the depraved and mutated Kincher clan.

James Bryan Smith reminds us how Scripture reveals the beauty and goodness of our own souls and how we long for healing that only God can provide. Complete with spiritual practices that help us live into that reality, The Good and Beautiful You will serve as a welcome companion on your journey to discover who you truly are in Christ.

Three deaths in three years. His mother. His best friend. And now, his two-year-old daughter. In this moving story, a Christian author goes to a retreat center to grieve and face the hard questions about God that he is asking in the wake of these losses. If you have ever felt alone, betrayed, abandoned - if you have found yourself asking God why - this novel may be a source of hope. And if you have ever wondered what heaven is like, this book provides a beautiful vision. 

This year brings 22 more in-your-face stories that break boundaries and trash taboos, transgressive tales you can't "unread" (as Chuck Palahniuk says). Some of the stories you'll find here are loaded with very graphic descriptions of violence, sex, and depravities, while others may contain only one shocking moment of brutality. In others, the hardcore aspect may be less graphic and subtler than you might expect. Some of these quieter tales offer the listener some time to recover from the more disturbing ones preceding.

The Flaherty Brothers Traveling Carnivale and Freakshow has come to the quiet town of Pleasant Hills, Tennessee. But this is no ordinary sideshow and these are not the usual "freaks" on display. As the unsuspecting townsfolk gather for an evening of strange spectacle, the slaughter is set to begin...

There is a road to life in the unshakable kingdom of God, but it's not an easy journey. In The Magnificent Journey, the author shows us the better road, the road less traveled, but the road full of riches. Along the way, he introduces us to new spiritual practices that will provide the sustenance we need for the deepest, most joy-filled journey of our lives - the journey into the heart of God.

The Westgate Galleria Mall was once a sprawling, shining monument to American consumerism and suburban growth. Now, it is a crumbling reminder of how both have fallen - an architectural ghost, haunting the outskirts of society. That makes it the perfect filming location for a YouTube channel devoted to the exploration of abandoned places. But the mall isn't as empty as it seems, and the residents have sinister obscene plans for them. Now, with the daylight still hours away, both the hunters and the hunted will fight to stay alive...and desperately try to make it home.

Rob Scott finds himself helplessly drawn into the tattooed and insanely sexy goth girl’s world of blood and mayhem. As Roxie and Rob cut a bloody trail across the country, a group of college students arrive at a beach house in Myrtle Beach for spring break. The young friends are blissfully unaware of the danger bearing down on them as they enjoy the sun and surf.

With the human race facing sudden extinction, the world descends into chaos. Now that no one has anything to lose, hidden horrors are unearthed and brought to the light. Serial killers and other predators no longer have to hide, indulging their dark appetites without fear of reprisal.

We are story-making people. We love reading stories - and we love hearing the personal stories of others. We need stories, or narratives, to make sense of our world. And those stories shape our lives. What is the story you have been told about the Gospel? About God? About the Christian life? About Jesus? About the cross? About yourself? About heaven?

In this unique introduction to the hidden life in Christ, James Bryan Smith walks listeners through a thirty-day immersion in Colossians 3:1-17. Each of the thirty short chapters of this book bring out the main truth of just one word or phrase of this rich passage. You'll also find a very simple daily practice to take up, reflection questions, and a guide for five weeks of group discussion.

Beloved contemporary Christian musician Rich Mullins lived his life with abandon for God, leaving the spotlight to teach music among a Navajo community. An accident cut his life short in 1997, but his songs and ragamuffin spirit continue to teach many. In honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Rich's homegoing, this edition of Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven delivers an intimate look at the experiences that sparked praise hits and the values behind his Christ-like candor. 

Hell has many doors… and Kevin J. Kennedy just tore them all open. Ten masterfully twisted minds each offer their own chilling vision of damnation, sin, and suffering. These aren’t just stories—they’re warnings. Tales so disturbing, you’ll be praying your soul is clean. So ask yourself: Have you lived a good life? Enter, if you’re brave enough… but don’t expect to come back the same. Contains stories by Edward Lee, Gord Rollo, Bryan W. Alaspa, Bill Davidson, Jeffrey Thomas, Viggy Parr Hampton, Thomas Smith, David-Jack Fletcher, Brian Moreland & Ryan Colley. Edited by Ann Keeran

On the night before Halloween, a Satanic mass is held deep in the woods outside a small American town. Followers of the dark faith are assigned a mission in a message delivered by the devil himself. On Halloween, they must deliver a bounty of pure souls to their dark master. By killing virgins. As Halloween begins, so does the all-day horror movie marathon hosted by Count Victor von Gravemore on Channel 39. Many will be watching as real horror invades their lives and screams ring out all over town.

It’s time to go back to the backwoods with Jessica Sloan. After lying low for years, a stirring of wanderlust compels the former professional assassin to hit the road. On the day before Halloween, she starts driving south with no particular destination in mind. Low on gas, she stops in Montclair, a small town deep in the heart of rural Alabama that conjures uncomfortable memories of Hopkins Bend, the depraved backwater burg where her life changed forever years ago.

A group of misfit teens who call themselves "The Dark Ones" make an abandoned house their hangout. But the demon they've inadvertently awakened possesses them one by one, using them to create a reign of unholy terror.

Zach and Chelsea grew up in idyllic suburbia. Then one day, their father vanished without explanation, ripping their world apart. A year later, a dangerous man shows up looking for him, a man who claims to hunt monsters and things that go bump in the night.

Once upon a time they were the cool kids. The most popular by far in the class of 1999. Then in senior year something terrible happened, a tragedy brought about by their shameful behavior one drunken night. A solemn vow was made to never speak of it and never see each other again after graduation. Now, decades later, they’ve received invitations to an exclusive Christmas Day event at remote Raven’s Reach manor. The lure? A shot at winning a million dollars. Once they’re together again, bad things start happening.