Showing results by narrator "Mark Smeby" in All Categories

The Bible promises us more than inspiration. More than influence. The Bible promises us access to the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. So what keeps us from drawing on that incredible resurrection power in our daily lives? In His Mighty Strength, popular pastor and author Randy Frazee explores Jesus’s time on Earth to uncover the amazing source of his strength. Jesus continually sought direction from the Father and found the power to live the Father’s will through the Holy Spirit. He said yes to God every day of his earthly life - and we can, too.

With so many financial pressures and responsibilities, it can be challenging to know how to follow God's principles for managing money. Yet stewarding our finances is a significant part of seeking God's peace in every area of our lives. The God Who Provides: 100 Bible Verses for Financial Wisdom gives priceless insight and inspiration on finance management - including saving, budgeting, giving, debt, investing, and planning for the future. Each verse is paired with a prayer and an encouraging devotion to lead you into deeper dependence on God.

It's hard to believe sometimes, but the God who created the universe and everything in it desires a relationship with each of us. God knew you before you were born. He hears your prayers, wants to come near to you, and plans for you to have abundant life. In Draw Near to God, you'll find Scripture and reflections that will guide, support, and assure you that your heavenly father loves you and longs to spend time with you. You'll encounter His grace and mercy as you study and learn more about His tender care.

Many White Christians are eager to fight against racism and for racial justice. But what steps can they take to make good, lasting change? How can they get involved without unintentionally doing more harm than good? In this practical and illuminating guide drawn from more than 20 years of cross-cultural work and learning from some of the greatest leaders of color, pastor and racial justice advocate Daniel Hill provides nine practices rooted in Scripture that will position you to be an active supporter of inclusion, equality, and racial justice.

When it comes to pursuing our dreams, Ryan Romeo is convinced of two things. First, God knows where you come from. He knows about your past. He knows about the seemingly impossible situation you may find yourself in. And yet, he is even more committed to seeing your dream come to life than you are.

God’s vision for your marriage is far more than mediocre, and money and sex are two of the most common tension points. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In Your Money, Your Marriage, Brian and Cherie Lowe offer straight talk and power principles for getting your finances back on track so you can get back to your romance. Take it from them - the Lowes worked off $127,000 in debt in just four years, and emerged not only financially free but better together.

Authored by a millennial, The Passion Generation will guide you beyond the stats of what millennials are doing to why they’re doing it and how we can all move toward healthy community. With wit, compassion, and startling insights, this audiobook shares stories and studies drawn from Skeldon’s years of working to bridge generational gaps. In his signature conversational style, Skeldon offers researched strategies that will spark healthy connections and practical methods that will help you make disciples of the millennials you love.

Christ never actually told us how to "do church". Yes, he had a lot to say about the church, but what he did say was mostly unrelated to stylistic issues or contextual trends. He never spoke about its leadership hierarchies or the pros and cons of denominational fellowships or the types of music. And yet, much of our time and energy as leaders and shepherds is consumed by chasing after tips, tricks, and secrets to "grow" churches.

How to Be Present in an Absent World is a guide for cultivating a self-awareness that empowers you to take ownership of your life in every area of influence. It provides a biblical way to handle the daily pressures of life without denying, escaping, or outrunning the present, past, or future. Montgomery and his coauthors, Webb and Silva, equip you with the kind of self-understanding that allows you to overcome obstacles - whether in your church, in your job, or in your family - that were previously discouraging and seemingly insurmountable.

In Every Body's Story, Branson Parler examines six myths surrounding sexuality—three from culture and three out of the church—and calls us to be biblically rooted and culturally self-aware so that the stories of our (sex) lives faithfully embody the gospel.

Past Present shows listeners how to change destructive relationship patterns by identifying the root issues from their pasts and finding the source of healing for their unique stories.

In Solid Ground, award-winning entrepreneur Tom Lewis shatters the myths in today’s culture about how to achieve success. By reminding us of the time-tested principles that seem to have gotten lost—like personal character, hard work, goal setting, helping others, and faith—Solid Ground explains and celebrates the real building blocks of a successful career and life.

Do you want to see change in your life—but don't know how to get there? In this thoughtful devotional, Kyle Idleman invites you to address that behavior or thought pattern using three key elements: You Awaken to the reality of your spiritual condition; you see yourself and your need for a Savior with brutal Honesty; and this realization leads to Action as you follow Christ's example.

In Now You Can Stop Running, pastor, speaker, and author Terry Crist offers personal stories and timeless truths from Scripture to help you trade the fear, disappointment, and wounds of your past for the deep peace you long for—and that God has promised.

This fun guidebook on prayer will have children and tweens turning to God before going to anyone or anything else! In Pray First for Young Readers, bestselling author and pastor Chris Hodges shows that praying is simple yet powerful when you know God as your Friend, Father, and Savior. The practice of prayer can be intimidating at any age, but Pray First for Young Readers shows how to pray and what to pray about, gives your children the tools they need to add prayer to their daily routine, and reveals how a close relationship with Jesus is what leads to a lifelong faith.

In the AHA Student Edition, students will discover that when God’s truth and the power of the Holy Spirit collide, anything can happen! In this student edition of AHA, Kyle Idleman combines personal stories, biblical teaching, and humor to engage students in the process of true biblical life transformation. This edition will appeal to a wide range of students including high school and college-aged listeners.

What if you could close the "joy gap," that distance between how you feel now and the way you wish you felt? In The Joy Challenge, pastor and bestselling author Randy Frazee shares the secret to experiencing real, lasting joy—and stepping into a life of contentment and purpose. If this sounds familiar, Frazee has good news for you. In The Joy Challenge, he shares the secret to experiencing genuine joyfulness, the kind of resilient happiness that doesn't evaporate in the face of challenges and setbacks.

We are all spread too thin, taking on more than we can handle, trying to do so much—almost as if we are afraid that if we were to take a moment of rest, we might discover that all our busyness is covering up an essential lack in our lives. But God never meant for us to be so busy. God desires for us to have rest and peace. Brady Boyd shows you how to live a life that embraces stillness and solitude, so you can find the peace that God wants for you.

Are you sometimes perplexed with Jesus’s teaching? Do you really want what he wants? Bestselling author Kyle Idleman reveals that the key to the abundant life Jesus promised lies in embracing His inside-out way of life. As he examines Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, Kyle unpacks the many counter-intuitive truths, including: brokenness is the way to wholeness, mourning is the path to blessing, and emptiness is required in order to know true fullness. Ultimately you will discover how Jesus transforms you as you begin to live out these paradoxical principles.

Andrew Bridge’s bestselling memoir, Hope’s Boy, told the story of his survival after he was taken from his mother, who struggled with schizophrenia, and was left to foster care. Bridge was first confined at one of our country’s most notorious children’s institutions, MacLaren Hall. Now, in The Child Catcher, he chronicles his role in the longest-running, most bitterly fought mental health lawsuit in American history. A