Showing results by narrator "Mark Smeby" in All Categories

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.

Student ministry is one of the most demanding forms of ministry out there. Leaders are normally expected to teach twice a week, partner with parents, and be an active part of the students’ lives outside of church. For the most part, many student ministry leaders know this going into the ministry of students, and yet are left realizing there is so much more than taking kids to camp and showing up for extracurricular activities.

In Hero Maker you will learn how to bring real change to your church and community by developing the practical skills to help others reach their leadership potential. Drawing on five powerful practices found in the ministry of Jesus, Hero Maker presents the key steps of apprenticeship that will build up other leaders and provides strategies for how you can activate gifts, help others take ownership, and develop a simple scorecard for measuring your kingdom-building progress.

Most books for men on how to defeat lust and improve their relationships with the women in their lives preach a plan for trying harder, thinking better, and battering their behavior into submission. The problem with this approach: No matter how strong we are today, the battle continues tomorrow, and nothing ever seems to change in the long run. In Beyond the Battle, author and pastor Noah Filipiak shows you why symptom-based behavior management approaches offer short-term solutions.

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.

Designed to be used as a convenient stand-alone book for daily reflection, or as an easy reference tool when listening to The Purpose Driven Life, every section corresponds to each one of the 40 days of purpose. Daily Inspiration for the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is a wonderful resource of encouragement. This expanded edition contains new material from the best-selling 10th-anniversary edition. Let this book serve as a reminder to live life one day at a time by holding onto God’s promises.

Scott Hamilton has experienced the heights of accomplishment and the depths of disease, from winning the Gold to becoming a cancer and brain tumor survivor. But through his successes, struggles, and setbacks, Hamilton has never lost his trademark humor and honesty. More important, he has never lost his faith and optimism. How does he keep smiling?

Is heaven real? What is it really like? Award-winning author Lee Strobel tracked down the evidence and provides answers to the questions middle school children 8-12 ask about both heaven and hell in this young listener's edition of The Case for Heaven that is perfect for teaching your child about the biblical evidence for eternal life.

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.

Imagine grocery shopping once-a-week or less, eating healthier, and having more free time-all while saving money. Sound too good to be true? For the Economides family, it's a reality, and it can be yours too.

When your biggest superpower is also your most critical weakness, it helps to have a manual on how to control it. Entrepreneurs are creative, bold thinkers and risk-takers capable of great accomplishments. At the same time, for every success story, there is a counter story of an epic collapse caused by a lack of a moral compass, values, or proper guidance. Jeff Hays knows the highs and the lows having ridden that rollercoaster many times in his life and career and provides a much-needed user’s manual for entrepreneurs everywhere and the people in their work and personal lives.

The incredible story of a lead singer's rise to fame and his crushing fall when he lost his singing voice, his career, and his marriage - and then found a new calling more in tune with God than he ever thought possible.

Thirteen years ago, amidst scandal, sin, and shattered lives, Michael English fell from the pinnacle of the Christian music world. In 1994, newspapers around the world blared the headline, "Gospel Singer Named Artist of the Year Turns in His Awards After Confirming He Had an Affair with a Fellow Married Singer." From 1994 to 2002 Michael English's life went from bad to worse. Public shame, divorce, broken relationships, drug addiction, even homelessness. But in 2002, God reached out and rescued Michael from himself.

How is the health of your soul? Is the deepest part of you flourishing—or is it languishing and gasping for air? Life lately has been filled with exhausting challenges: personal loss, political division, economic turmoil, faith deconstruction, and isolation. And our soul feels it.

Why is there suffering? Doesn't science disprove miracles? What about hell--and the millions who've never heard of Jesus? Is heaven for real? Lee Strobel decided to use his award-winning journalistic skills to investigate the idea of faith and prove that placing our trust in things we cannot see is a solid bet. This teen adaptation of The Case for Faith present hard-hitting findings as well as Lee's journey from skepticism to belief in an easy-to-follow manner so you can make a decision about the Christian faith and theology for yourself.

Clean eating never tasted so good! The Daniel Plan Cookbook is the mouth-watering companion to The Daniel Plan book that shows you how to make recipes like Chile Verde Chicken and Mongolian Beef, as well as great American classics in a more health-conscious way. Full of practical tips, food facts, and inspiration from The Daniel Plan signature chefs, this book equips you with the knowledge, tools, and freedom to choose from a variety of delicious options to create your weekly menu and give momentum to a healthy lifestyle from the inside out.

Seeking to bring clarity and simplicity to the study of God’s Word, Guthrie has written a concise, easy-to-digest collection of wisdom anchored by one verse for each book, from Genesis to Revelation—a verse that summarizes or lays the foundation for that book, placing it in context with the rest of the Scriptures.

When Dale Partridge's outwardly perfect life, marriage, and family were crumbling on the inside, he began questioning if culture's definition of success was something to seek after or to be saved from. What he found challenged everything he believed about "the good life" and equipped him to rebuild an even better life based on God's timeless design. Filled with scripture and practical application, Saved from Success is the book millions of burned-out and bedraggled Christians have been waiting for.

Every week a terrorist attack, riot, or political scandal makes the headlines - and we feel the world around us shaking again. We struggle to separate truth from biased statements and hope from naïveté. We wonder how we got here and where these uncertain days will take us. One of the world’s top investigative reporters, John S. Dickerson, addresses this post-truth, post-Christian society in Hope of Nations. Hope of Nations shows us how and why the world is changing, where those changes will lead, and what it looks like to live like Christ in today’s society.