Showing results by narrator "Mark Smeby" in All Categories

With a thoughtful approach to the language and context of the original, the author’s voice has been carefully preserved and the Bible texts updated to the New International Version. Full of powerful challenge to devote your all for God’s highest glory, these readings open the way to deeper, stronger faith.

Recenter God in your life with How Great Is Our God: Living A Worship-Led Life In a Me-Driven World by Grammy Award-winning worship artist Chris Tomlin. In this intimate look at his songs, Tomlin shows how worship music is more than just music but a tool for putting God first.

Groundbreaking leaders share a passionate commitment to achieving their vision that borders and sometimes crosses the line into obsession. All In shows how obsession, if properly focused and managed, is both necessary and productive. Advances in any endeavor almost always depend on a small group of individuals who are completely consumed by the goal they’re pursuing. When these leaders and their teams are successful, everyone benefits from their singular focus and relentless drive.

Joe Coulombe founded what would become Trader Joe’s in the late 1960s and helped shape it into the beloved, quirky food chain it is today. Realizing early on that he could not compete and win by playing the same game his bigger competitors were playing, he decided to build a store for educated people of somewhat modest means. In this way, Joe laid down a blueprint for other business owners to follow to build their own unique shopping experience that customers love, and a work environment that employees love being a part of.

In a world where there are 68 million searches for pornography every day and where over 70 percent of Christian men report viewing porn in the last year, it's no surprise that more and more men struggle with an addiction to this false fantasy. Common wisdom says if they just had more willpower or more faith, their fight would be over. Is the answer really that simple? According to the counselor and ministry leader Michael John Cusick, the answer is no—but the big truth may be much more freeing.

With equal parts wit and wisdom, New York Times best-selling author Donald Miller invites you to reconnect with your faith. Miller shares what he's learned firsthand - that our relationship with God is designed to teach us about redemption, grace, healing, and so much more. Searching for God Knows What weaves together timeless stories and fresh perspectives on the Bible to capture one man's journey to discover an authentic faith that's worth believing.

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.

Never Too Far celebrates new beginnings. It offers encouragement and perspective, and it’s for you if you feel frustrated or confused, if you’re sorrowing or in pain, if you’ve made mistakes or are grieving, if you’re disappointed or feel as though life doesn’t make sense. The good news is that God is in the business of giving fresh starts to people. He gives hope to the hopeless. Direction to the directionless. Help to those who need help. God is always good, all the time, and God’s plans will always prevail, even when our plans don’t.

While on a three-month-long tour, Jeremy met and built a friendship with the lead singer of another band. In a beautiful and inspiring story, their love unfolded taking them both by surprise. After 16 years of marriage, Jeremy and Adrienne have experienced devastating losses and incredible joy and have grown alongside each other. They continue to strengthen their friendship as they juggle life and frequent separations, due to tour schedules, with the demands and stressors of parenting their three kids.

A twenty-five year veteran of children’s ministry in the local church, pastor Steve Adams has ministered to families in multiple churches, from tiny church plants to his present position at Saddleback Church. In this book, Steve applies the revolutionary insights of the Purpose Driven Church to children’s ministry and leads listeners on a journey of discovery, showing them how to develop an intentional ministry process that moves children toward spiritual health while building a healthy ministry environment for those who work with kids.

In twenty-five years of pastoral ministry, Scott Sauls has come alongside countless individuals and communities through weary seasons and circumstances. From his own seasons of regret, hurt, and fear--including battles with anxiety and depression--he knows what it's like to be unfinished and on the mend under Jesus' merciful, mighty healing hand.

When Dr. Ray Strand found himself in a losing battle, unable to successfully treat his wife who had suffered chronically with pain and fatigue, he agreed to try the regimen of nutritional supplements that a neighbor suggested. Much to his surprise, his wife's condition began to improve almost immediately. That amazing turn of events led him to dedicate himself to researching alternative therapies in medicine, particularly in the arena of nutritional supplements.

This is the story of David Wilkerson, the man who believed against the odds that God could do great things in the rejected and ignored of New York City, who refused to give up on those on the streets even when they had given up on themselves, and who saw in the eyes of the drug addicts and gang members what others failed to see - the love of Jesus Christ.

Depression is the number-one health issue in the world today, yet those who suffer are still sometimes stigmatized - especially followers of Jesus. Many assume God's peace, power, and protection should prevent us from ever feeling anxious, depressed, and afraid. But the Bible teaches otherwise, particularly in its depiction of the life of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Chris Hodges uses Elijah's life to show us that everyone is susceptible to depression. Even when we're walking closely with God, we can still stumble and get lost in the wilderness of tangled emotions.

In both Christian and pop culture, there is a certain fascination with the afterlife. What happens after you die? What happens if you die with Christ or without Christ? What happens when Jesus returns if you have or haven't accepted Christ? What exactly comes next? Randy Frazee, popular pastor of Oak Hills Church and general editor of the wildly successful Believe and The Story programs, answers these questions and more.

Christians today face a dilemma: In a world that seems to reject everything we believe, how do we walk closely with God without caving to pressure or alienating those we hope to reach? In this eye-opening new book, Chris Hodges provides a solution by examining the life of the prophet Daniel, who persevered in a corrupt culture that closely resembles our own — and emerged as an influential force in God’s redemptive plan.

Is there archeological proof that Jesus existed? Did Jesus ever actually claim to be God? Is Jesus really the only way? There's a good chance that every Christian will be asked tough questions like these at some point in their lives, whether from combative skeptics, curious seekers, or even doubts in their own minds. To help followers of Christ answer questions quickly and confidently, Josh and Sean McDowell adapted the wisdom from their apologetics classic Evidence That Demands a Verdict into an accessible resource that provides answers to common questions about Jesus.

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.

In a defensive and divided era, how can followers of Jesus reveal a better way of living, one that loves others as God loves us? How can Christians be the kind of people who are known, as Proverbs puts it, to "turn away wrath"? Scott Sauls' compelling new book shows Christians how to become people of "a gentle answer" in a politically, relationally, and culturally fractured world by helping listeners grow in affection for Christ, who answers our hostility with gentleness.

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.