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SNEAK PEEK: Sent by Hilary Alan

October 15, 2012

Two words from Jesus change everything.

Click here to download chapter one of Sent.

Sent tells the story of ordinary Christians who accepted two words from Jesus at face value and found that it changed everything. In Jesus’s call to “follow me,” the Alans discovered answers to the most pressing human needs: meaning, purpose, vocation, significance, and God’s plan for the future. For the Alans, it meant selling nearly all their belongings and moving with their children half-way around the world. For you, the particulars will be completely different, but no less significant.

Click here to download chapter one of Sent.

The Prayers of Children

October 15, 2012

Children praying. What instantly spring to my mind are images of kids kneeling beside their beds, heads bowed, eyes closed (sometimes), while parents and angels watch. Children’s petitions are as varied as the kids who offer them.

Some children pray for personal things, such as passing a science test, seeing a frog, or defeating the class bully.

Some pray for pressing needs, such as the healing of a parent, food for the table, or a father for the family.

Some offer prayers of thanks: for the sunshine, for a mother’s love, or for their country.

Some of my favorite prayers are for assistance: Help Mom not to be grumpy; help me not to be angry; help my dad not to be upset with me when he finds out what I did.

The petitioners have at least one thing in common: [ … ]

Eternal Significance

October 12, 2012

So where do we begin in our efforts to find our true significance, to live meaningful lives that fulfill our eternal potential every day? I believe that this fruit of significance begins with the seeds of hope that God placed within us all. Like David, we begin by tending those seeds—or Cs, as I like to call them—and cultivating them in five key areas: developing confidence, being a person of character, concentrating on God’s will, cooperating with God (and others) in carrying out his plans, and participating in  community.

Excerpted from A Significant Life by Jim Graff

Daily Reflection: What can you do to continue cultivating your seeds of hope from God (the five Cs)?

NEWS: Neurologist & Professor at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Reviews “God of All Creation”

October 11, 2012

Dr. Dawn A. Marcus, M.D., board-certified neurologist and professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, reviews God of All Creation on her website Fit As Fido.

Dr. Marcus states, “If you’re looking for a daily devotional to combine your love of life, God, and your favorite animals, this is it.”

To read her review, click here

SNEAK PEEK: I Am Not But I Know I Am (Trade Paperback) by Louie Giglio

October 11, 2012

God is looking for ordinary people to play significant roles in His story.

Click here to download chapter one of I Am Not But I Know I Am trade paperback edition. 

Our God is more expansive and powerful than we could ever imagine, the all-mighty creator of galaxies beyond our reach. But He is also the loving creator who has formed and fashioned you.  Yet, as valuable as you are to Him, God’s best for your life is to invite you into a story that is all about Him.

Now updated with all new content to encourage you in your quest to live for what matters most.

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Let Your Life Count

October 11, 2012

Effective prayer consists not in telling God what to do but in listening as He tells us what He wants to do. One of the reasons many prayers go unanswered is because our prayer lists are too much like shopping lists. We fail to realize that God has the real prayer list. Let God direct your prayer time!

Excerpted from Let Your Life Count by Donna Partow

Daily Reflection: How can you start listening to God during prayer?

Become a Well

October 10, 2012

To be fully alive is not simply to drink deeply of life and to be satisfied. It’s to become a well, offering Life to the world around you. That is what it means to be fully alive. It is not only to experience a glimpse of God for yourself but also to become a glimpse of God and to create communities that are glimpses of God.

Excerpted from Spark by Jason Jaggard

Daily Reflection: In what specific way can you become a well for your family and friends?

Greater than Baseline Living

October 9, 2012

Baseline living is not okay. Not for a believer in Jesus. There’s a price to pay for Christian complacency. If you keep living on this level, your heart is going to shrivel. It might already be shriveling. Your dreams are going to die. They may already be on life support. Will you look up one day and be overwhelmed by the stack of regrets staring back at you? The frustration that’s simmering on the back burner right now might boil over one day, and you’ll be bitter about the opportunities you missed. Opportunities to be used by God, to touch lives, to get outside yourself and be a part of something greater. I know it’s not easy. But don’t tell me it’s not possible. Jesus Himself said it was.

The fact is, we are so much better than we’ve become, [ … ]