Showing results by narrator "Josh Childs" in All Categories

How do I humble myself? Humility, according to the Bible, is not something we can just up and do. Both the negative and positive examples of Scripture - from Pharaoh to Rehoboam, from Josiah to Ahab, from Hezekiah to Manasseh, and even to Christ himself - teach us that humility first comes from the hand of God. This concise, accessible study of Scripture’s humble-self language uncovers two surprising lessons about the pursuit of humility in the Christian - both what we cannot do and also what steps we can take.

Justin Zoradi was once haunted by this question as a young person daunted by the world's needs, yet wanting to make a difference. But when some friends from across the world invited him to join them, Justin said yes - and felt a small spark ignite within. That spark led to the founding of These Numbers Have Faces, a social enterprise investing in the next generation of African leaders. Made for These Times is a field guide to help you find your own spark as you remember who were made to be.

Our lives can get messy - a tangle of past hurts, ruined dreams, and broken hopes. But God is never afraid of a mess. In Your Mess Matters, Luke Lezon equips us to trust our tangled lives to God, letting him work his biggest promises through our greatest regrets and transforming our messes into masterpieces.

Rather than providing a clear sense of purpose for our lives, popular Christian ideas about the future steal it from us by saying our work in the world, apart from ministry, has no eternal value. Is it any wonder why young adults are less interested in church, or why a culture desperate for meaning and hope dismisses our message? In Futureville, Skye Jethani offers us a vision-shifting glimpse of the world of tomorrow described in Scripture. He reveals how a biblical vision of the future can transform every person’s work with a sense of purpose and dignity today.

What can we learn from faith-filled brothers and sisters around the world? How can we pray for them? And what do their remarkable stories teach us about a God whose light shines in a dark world? I Am N reminds us that we are each “N”—as radical Muslims in Iraq identify followers of Jesus the Nazarene. Wherever we live, we have camaraderie with those who are persecuted.

We all have both good and bad habits in our life. Creatures of Habit reveals how to remove bad habits and replace them with godly ones. But it's not a matter of working hard, of "pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps." That approach simply doesn't work. True transformation is God's work - our job is to listen, obey, and put into practice what he's already directing us to do. Steve Poe has pastored large, growing churches for more than 34 years, and during that time he has counseled hundreds. He's seen that poor choices often become bad habits that in turn cause problems.

Do you want to reignite your passion for the local church and see your congregation live out the Great Commission by growing and making disciples? If so, implementing the revolutionary Intentional Growth Planning™ operating system will benefit you, your church, and your community! Just as laptops and smart phones have an operating system, the church needs a biblically based operating system where its various programs and activities can effectively plug in to.

In sharing his own story of being a committed believer who struggled with same sex attraction early in his life, author, husband, and father Alan Chambers will help you understand the issues from the inside. And as the former president of the largest ex-gay ministry, Alan knows all the arguments, the concerns, the scriptures, and the heartaches.

Jesus Christ intentionally discipled twelve people every day for three and a half years and then commanded us to go and make disciples as well. And he empowered us by sending us the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us. The early church thrived and expanded by imitating the intentional relational methods Jesus modeled, yet somewhere along the way we lost sight of the simple truth that Jesus' methods of disciple making are as holy as his message. It's time relearn those methods.

Wheaton College scholar Nicholas Perrin takes on Ehrman and others who claim that the text of the New Testament has been corrupted beyond recognition. Perrin gives us a layman's guide to textual criticism so that listeners can understand the subtleties of Ehrman's critiques, and provides firm evidence to suggest that the New Testament can be trusted.

Ministry comes with many weighty responsibilities. Ministry leaders are called to teach, serve, and lead. But in leading those under their care, there comes a moment when they recognize the future leaders under their leadership. With this recognition comes an all too familiar question: What comes next? In Calling Out the Called, Scott Pace and Shane Pruitt answer this question by giving direction, encouragement, and a charge for ministry leaders to recognize the future leaders in their midst and do what needs to be done for the future of ministry: the calling out of the called.

"If you aim your children at anything less than greatness, you'll set them up to miss the whole point of their lives," says author Tim Kimmel. In Raising Kids for True Greatness, Kimmel turns the definition of success on its head and guides you in preparing your child for a life that will easily eclipse the goals of those who are merely successful.

Get ready for a crash course in effective communication. More than just a book on how to "do talks," Speaking to Teenagers combines the experience and wisdom of two veteran youth ministry speakers, along with insightful research and practical tools, to help you develop messages that engage students with the love of Christ and the power of his Word. Whether you're crafting a five-minute devotional or a 30-minute sermon, Speaking to Teenagers is essential to understanding and preparing great messages.

“To be continued…” The words build anticipation for what's coming...which is great for a Netflix binge, but not a healthy pattern for our lives. In real life, constant continuation causes our lives to pile up, episode upon episode, with no space for reflection or rest. This book is for the too-busy, driven person who's moving on to the next win, without ever processing how one season of life affects the next. When we fail to finish well, we live with a pile of unfinished beginnings. But finished things become usable things because they are a part of the story of God’s grace.

There is a new normal that can, and should, emerge from the ashes of 2020. The ancient wisdom of Jesus gives us just that. Ten Steps to Your Best Life extracts 10 clear steps that Jesus taught for living in and through the most difficult times of transition. Discover how to emerge from the shadows with a clear vision for living well in a post-pandemic world.

Most of us think that if we could simply balance our lives better, we would be happier. But what we actually need is to rediscover the rhythm. As Christians, our whole life consists of loving God and loving others, just like Jesus did. In this book, Wright invites us to find true joy as we embrace these two core realities and discover how they are meant to work in tandem. Explore the rhythm of Christian life, and recapture the joy of life together as God always intended.

Fight for Us takes couples on an inspiring journey into the challenges of battling for their marriage - through gut-wrenching times of despair, and then finally to the victory of a renewed relationship grounded in Jesus.

You play it cool, letting your team take half days on Friday and overlooking the occasional latecomer to the office. You stand up for your people and make sure they know you’re there for them, but they still hate working for you. What gives? Well, you’re clearly screwing something up, and it’s time you find out what it is.

While Christians love to focus on a gentle, tender Jesus, Harlow offers an unforgettable reintroduction to the true character of Jesus and invites us to get to know the savior who was gracious but also blunt, sometimes sarcastic, and wildly passionate about bringing people to the heart of God.

In this completely updated 20th-anniversary edition, Pastor Ronnie Floyd invites believers to join him in better understanding effective prayer with a practical and helpful plan for how to pray. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned veteran in prayer, this audiobook will meet you where you are and encourage you to move to a new level in your prayer life.