Showing results by narrator "Tom Parks" in All Categories

When life turns upside down, the world's cruelty can feel crippling. Unexpected and devastating news like a diagnosis, betrayal, or layoff can make God feel distant—or nonexistent. It's natural to wonder where God is and whether he cares at all. Those who face trials need a reminder that God is still for them. Bob Page, retired Air Force brigadier general, offers ten reasons to persevere in faith and move toward a life of renewed hope and purpose.

When trying to make good choices, how do we know what is best? Historically, Christians have emphasized five different ways of making ethical decisions. Gordon explains the strengths and weaknesses of each.

The words of Jesus remind Christians that-even though we do not know the date when He will return-we need to have our finger on the pulse of what is happening morally, spiritually, and politically in our world. And with the increasing chaos, division, and war happening today, it is right to ask, "Are we living in the end times now?" In this book, Dr. Robert Jeffress provides biblical answers to seven frequently asked questions about the future: 1. What Does the Bible Mean by the End Times?; 2. What Role Does Israel Play in the End Times?; 3. What News Events Signal the End Times?

In Wisdom in the Wound, Tony Miltenberger weaves together personal narrative, spiritual insight, and emotional depth to explore how life's deepest wounds can become powerful sources of growth, wisdom, and leadership.

Stories matter. Written by renowned psychoanalyst, leadership scholar, and executive coach, Manfred Kets de Vries, this book uncovers, explains, and captures the power and art of storytelling at work and in life, and how it can be applied in organizations to powerful effect. Our talent in telling stories makes us more effective. When we talk about events, characters, actions, themes, feelings, and ideas, storytelling is a way to communicate our message. The stories we tell inform, influence, entertain, and shape our lives and those of other people.

The Christian world has been rocked by the number of prominent leaders, in both church and parachurch organizations, who have been compromised by moral, ethical, and theological failures. This pace-setting volume addresses this alarming problem and offers Christian leaders valuable guidance in dealing with the inherent risks of their work.

Leading authorities analyze growing tensions in US-China relations and what this means for the future.

At some point everyone finds themselves wondering, Why do I keep falling into the same patterns that leave me feeling broken? Will I ever move past the pain and experience healing? Is there something wrong with me? Author, speaker, former foster youth, and overcomer Tori Hope Petersen shows listeners how to break the destructive thought and behavioral patterns that have kept them stuck in the pain of their pasts so they can find freedom, and experience real healing that lasts.

Storytelling is a powerful and effective means of communication, a truth Jesus knew and used to great advantage in his parables. Many of the plots in these parables involve financial matters. They teach about God's perspective on money, resources, and their use, but further, they teach profound spiritual truths about the kingdom of God. This kingdom operates according to a different kind of economy, wherein relationships, love, and serving others take precedence over accumulating wealth and possessions.

Learn how to engage with cultural issues in a deeply countercultural way. When we embrace the paradoxical character preached by Jesus in the Beatitudes, we experience rich and surprising blessings.

At Sea Against the Soviet Fleet examines the critical transformation of naval intelligence during a pivotal era marked by the Cold War and the Vietnam conflict. Bryan Leese meticulously details how US Navy operational intelligence evolved to meet the complexities of modern naval warfare, particularly in response to the increasing threats posed by the Soviet Navy. This book begins by examining the Vietnam War and the institutionalization of shipboard operational intelligence, or what Navy intelligence calls Opintel.

When Jesus cried “It is finished” from the cross, what did he mean? And why is this so significant today? Ironically, this cry wasn’t about defeat but about triumph. And it wasn’t just good news, but the best news ever!

United Methodist people long to love God and serve their neighbors. Unrelenting Grace by Bishop Ken Carter shows us how to come together and embrace grace, seek holiness, and build meaningful connections promoting strength and healing. Unrelenting Grace evokes insights and courage to overcome feelings of isolation, loneliness, and alienation.

The question of how to be successful has been asked and researched and sought after for many years. Here, it has been answered. Napoleon Hill wrote Think and Grow Rich in one of the most difficult times in America’s economic history. Spending 20 years interviewing the much envied millionaires of his time, Hill provided the perhaps the most valuable resource for 1937, and certainly still for today. He gathered and described the keys not only to gaining wealth, but to being consistently successful in any aspect of life.

Do Christians choose to have faith, or is faith a supernatural work of God? Far from an abstract intellectual exercise, this question has vast implications for the hope, joy, and assurance of the Christian life. When the truth of God’s sovereign grace breaks into our minds and hearts, it changes everything. In What’s So Great about the Doctrines of Grace? Dr. Richard D. Phillips takes us on a tour of the doctrines of grace, also known as the five points of Calvinism.

For centuries, Christians have turned to the story and message of John the Baptist in the weeks leading up to Christmas. In Prepare the Way for the Lord: Advent and the Message of John the Baptist, bestselling author and pastor Adam Hamilton explores the Advent themes of John's life and ministry, and how John calls all followers of Jesus to prepare our hearts for his coming.

All throughout the modern period, there has been a steady campaign for people to "think for themselves" without tradition's distorting restraint. As a result, many Christians now blindly sip a watered-down faith, marketed as "no creed but the Bible." But, as Leonard Allen shows, we are always traditioning—even if one doesn't believe in tradition. And in this time of theological uncertainty and confusion, that process calls for new intentionality and seriousness. I

Light. Bread. Shepherd. Life. The Gospel of John uses these and other symbols to paint a picture of who Jesus is. Through the I Am statements Jesus describes himself with rich images, showing us that he is both fully human and fully divine and calling us as his followers. In Jesus Revealed: The I Am Statements in the Gospel of John, author Matt Rawle explores the "I Am" statements in John as works of art that resonate throughout the Gospel and all of Scripture. He shows how these words point beyond themselves to the deep mystery of Jesus Christ.

Real life ministry is complicated—far more complicated than is typically captured in leadership books. There are moving parts and people who require adept, agile, adaptive leadership. Unlike technical challenges with a clear or known solution, adaptive challenges are complex and dynamic, requiring creative leaderships. Adaptive leadership is art, not science. It is an exercise in wisdom, not just knowledge. It requires leaders to ascertain the issues, values, and stakes unique to a given situation, to consider the potential courses of action, and decide which courses are best.

This third book in a series chronicling a young doctor in rural mountain practice immerses us once again in the lives of Dr. Walt Larimore and his family as an unexpected turn of events compels them to leave Bryson City.