Showing results by publisher "Thomas Nelson" in Christian Living

For many the primary purpose of their work is cash. Their principal motivation is the paychecks that fund their everyday needs. Their work is a means to an end. Others are motivated by ambitions for careers, to move up the professional ladder and expand their experiences, becoming more skilled in particular areas. Still others work for a cause, believing in the wider purpose of their work, attempting to make a difference in the world - to leave a mark in some way.

As a child, Courtney Burg quickly learned that remaining loyal to others meant keeping secrets, even if these secrets were keeping those she cared for most sick. Her efforts to sustain the peace followed her into adulthood and slowly left her depleted, discouraged, and drowning in the chaos—until Courtney discovered that not only did God grant her permission to engage in relationships differently, but that he gave her specific instruction on how to do so.

One day in the life of Christ. Call it a tapestry of turmoil: A noisy pictorial in which the golden threads of triumph knot against the black, frazzled strings of tragedy. Call it a symphony of emotions: A sunrise-to-sunset orchestration of extremes. One score is brassy with exuberance -- the next moans with sorrow. Whatever you call it -- call it real.

Vinh Chung was born in South Vietnam, just eight months after it fell to the communists in 1975. His family was wealthy, controlling a rice-milling empire worth millions; but within months of the communist takeover, the Chungs lost everything and were reduced to abject poverty. Knowing that their children would have no future under the new government, the Chungs decided to flee the country. In 1979, they joined the legendary “boat people” and sailed into the South China Sea, despite knowing that an estimated two hundred thousand of their countrymen had already perished at the hands of brutal pirates and violent seas.

New York Times best-selling author Lisa Bevere encourages women to stop hurting the ones they love, to learn to say things so they'll be heard, to get rid of bitterness, and to find forgiveness for themselves. Anger controlled Lisa for years, exacting a devastating toll upon her life and relationships. Desperate, Lisa cried out to God...and found help. If you, too, are at a turning point - longing for change yet stuck in a whirlwind of fury and rage - Be Angry, But Don't Blow It will help you regain control.

We need to undertake the important task of evaluating our relationships intelligently. We need to recognize the people with whom God has called us to walk in mutually beneficial relationships and to identify those who will derail our destinies or hinder His purposes for our lives. Van Moody saw this need every day of his pastoral life, but he could not find a concise, practical resource for people who need to become more relationally savvy. The People Factor is his solution, based on the most effective, trustworthy relationship book of all time: the Bible.

Sometimes it happens in a flash: a text, a blowup, a breakup. Other times, relationships simply fade: you and your spouse rarely make eye contact, you learn the friend you trusted is gossiping about you, the child who once held your hand is now an angry teenager. You go over and over conflicts in your mind and wonder How can I fix this? Or Is fixing this even possible? Or Why did I handle it that way?

"Sweet spot." Golfers understand the term. So do tennis players. Ever swung a baseball bat or paddled a Ping-Pong ball? If so, you know the oh-so-nice feel of the sweet spot. Life in the sweet spot rolls like the downhill side of a downwind bike ride. But you don't have to swing a bat or a club to know this. What engineers give sports equipment, God gave you. A zone, a region, a life precinct in which you were made to dwell. He tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in his jigsaw puzzle.

With his usual incisiveness, Os Guinness goes past your superficial understanding to the very heart of what calling means. Far bigger than you job, deeper than your personal accomplishments, higher that you wildest ideas of self-fulfillment, calling addresses the very essence of your existence.

There’s a lie masquerading as truth that’s running rampant in our culture. It goes something like this: you are powerful enough to control your circumstances and create the life you want through positive thinking, solid planning, and dreaming big enough. But if you’ve ever tried to control your life or to strive your way to self-fulfillment, you’ve discovered what lies on the other side of this supposedly empowering message. Tara Sun explores why the quest for control is overrated—not to mention downright dangerous—and reveals the surprising, lifegiving alternative: radical surrender to God.

Rick Joyner brilliantly relays a panoramic vision of the ultimate battle between the forces of good and evil, taking place just beyond the veil of this world. Guided by wisdom, Joyner embarks on a journey from the battlefield were the hordes of Hell wreak havoc, to the mountain of the Lord and eventually through the ranks of Heaven itself.

Most people know a little something about God, but their knowledge of who he is and how he works stops just past the point of an initial introduction. In Step with God, pastor and author Charles F. Stanley offers simple, clear teaching that encourages and challenges you to approach life and its decisions—both big and small—by first knowing and considering God’s character.

When you think of Job, you may think of a hapless victim of unfair treatment. His disastrous circumstances overwhelmed him, his so-called friends belittled him, and his distraught wife discouraged and abandoned him. Even God seemed to desert him. At first glance, Job may not seem like the traditional portrait of a hero, but Job's patience, strength, and dedication in the face of unforeseen suffering makes his story worth knowing. As Swindoll traces Job's life and legacy, he challenges us to apply the lessons Job learned firsthand to our own lives.

While American church culture (and American culture at large) seems largely designed for the extroverted, it's estimated that half of the American population is introverted, and they're often left wondering how, even if, they fit in the kingdom of God. As one of them, popular radio host Brant Hansen brings news. It's wonderful, refreshing, and never-been-said-this-way-before good news.

Time tested for more than 30 years, Thin Within is the original hunger-fullness plan. Tens of thousands of participants in the program have joyfully reported the release of unwanted weight. More importantly, they have maintained that weight with a new and incomparable peace with themselves and with the One who designed them.

The reality is we were made to crave. Craving isn’t a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave more of him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. New York Times best-selling author of It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, Uninvited, and The Best Yes, Lysa TerKeurst, invites you to find the missing link between a woman’s desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen.

Do you struggle with anxiety in times of uncertainty? In God Has Not Forgotten You, New York Times best-selling author Dr. David Jeremiah helps you navigate your current doubts while embracing God's promises for the future. Find comfort in knowing that you are not alone and that you can trust God to bring you through.

Though it's easy for our overwhelming pain to cloud our view of reality, the truth is that, even though we can’t see it or feel it, God is at work in the darkness. Our Creator is in the business of bringing dead—and nearly dead—things to life. Even now, no matter how fresh your wounds might be, he invites you to unearth his hidden treasures in your hurting, to reframe your darkness as a sacred space in which the light of hope can shine most brilliantly. Come join Katherine Wolf as she vulnerably shares her own places of wounding and the life-changing insights she has found there.

Last year, author Lysa TerKeurst released the book Made to Crave, providing the Biblical answer to why people diet, regain the weight they lose, and continue to find themselves stuck in this vicious cycle. Made to Crave helped thousands of people finally achieve victory in their weight loss journey. But, according to TerKeurst, "We need more than 19 chapters to stay motivated and on track. That’s why I wrote this daily devotional with 60 inspirational entries. There is plenty of new material not in the original book...."

Do you wish a decluttering expert could come alongside you to help tackle specific roadblocks that always derail your decluttering journey? Self-proclaimed recovering slob and author Dana K. White is here to help with her original audio series, Decluttering Deep Dives. Identity Clutter dives into these common struggles: Addressing sentimental items; Defining how you use your spaces; Navigating your emotional ties to stuff you needed in the past (but maybe don’t need now); and Deciding what to do with stuff you’re keeping for the future.