Theologian Richard Foster once said that superficiality is the "curse of our age". Of course, none of us set out to live a superficial, shallow life. Most of us yearn for the opposite - to live profound and significant lives. As Christians, we seek lives of that reflect the depth and breadth of our faith in Jesus Christ. During his personal quest for a more profound faith, Pastor Bryan Wilkerson discovered the book of 1 John to be a rich resource for living with depth.

Christians face profound challenges today, including doubt, discouragement, fear, guilt, rejection, materialism, and spiritual apathy. God’s people are also seeking an answer to a piercing question: what does God want from me, exactly? In God’s Favorite Place on Earth, Frank Viola answers all of these challenges with seminal insight. Here is a brilliant retelling of Jesus’ many visits to the village of Bethany and the touching message that it holds for us today. Viola presents this beautifully crafted narrative from the viewpoint of Lazarus, who lived in Bethany with his two sisters, Martha and Mary.

Reading the Gospels without knowing the personality of Jesus is like watching television with the sound turned off. The result is a dry, two dimensional person doing strange, undecipherable things.

Many believers feel stunted in their Christian growth. We beat ourselves up over our failures and, in the process, pull away from God because we subconsciously believe He tallies our defects and hangs His head in disappointment. In this new edition - now with a foreword by Michael W. Smith, testimony by Rich Mullins and the author's own epilogue, "Ragamuffin Ten Years Later," Brennan Manning reminds us that nothing could be further from the truth.

What does the Bible mean when it says we are to fear God? Is it difficult for you to reconcile the two sides of God’s nature - His wrath and His love? Mattie Montgomery teaches that a right pursuit of the fear, fire, and fullness of God can lead you into the knowledge of a side of God you may never have imagined before. He notes that the fear of God does not mean that we should be afraid of God; but rather, that we should be afraid to be against Him.

In his best-selling title Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado explains that God loves you just the way you are...but he refuses to leave you that way. Why? Because our ultimate goal should be a life that is just like Jesus. And with determination, faith, and God's help, we can all change for the better, no matter how long the bad habits have settled in. The reputation and recognition of the best seller is sure to make this new edition an instant favorite.

In more than 25 years of writing and ministry, Max Lucado has received thousands of such questions. They come in letters, emails, even on Dunkin Donuts napkins. In Max on Life, he offers thoughtful answers to more than 170 of the most pressing questions on topics ranging from hope to hurt and from home to the hereafter.

When is the last time you thought about the state of your soul? Best-selling author John Ortberg guides you through several practices to restore your soul so you can experience a life of wholeness, balance, and hope. The health of your soul isn't just a matter of saved or unsaved. It's the hinge on which the rest of your life hangs. It's the difference between deep, satisfied spirituality and a restless, dispassionate faith.

There's just something about people who are close to God. Through the ups and downs of life, they remain secure, hopeful. If you want a more rewarding spiritual life, if you want the pleasure of knowing your Creator's heart, this soul-lifting book is for you. Learn from Dutch Sheets as he shares his life lessons for cultivating an intimate relationship with God. Each of the 30 short chapters reveals a simple practice or biblical mindset that will help draw you away from the noise of life and into the Lord's peaceful presence.

Christmas should be a time of joy and celebration. But in the hurriedness of December, sometimes we find ourselves sacrificing a sacred pace for hustle, leaving us feeling more stressed than blessed. What if you approached this Advent more open to the things of God? What if you decided to be expectant that God would move in your midst? What if you made room for the true joy found in the coming of our king?

God Is with You Every Day is a brand-new 365-day devotional from Max Lucado, and his first new devotional since the creation of the Grace for the Moment® line. Max's signature reassuring and encouraging voice, paired with the practical, relevant, and personal message that God is with you every day, makes a great way to start each day of the year. This devotional begins each week with a prayer and scripture, followed by six days of devotions and scripture for reflection.

We all have ideas that we tell ourselves about God and how he works in our lives. Some are true--but many are false. James Bryan Smith believes those thoughts determine not only who we are, but how we live. In fact, Smith declares, the most important thing about a person is what they think about God. The path to spiritual transformation begins here.

Pause for a moment and ask yourself what your life would be like if it were completely without fear? If you did not fear death. If you did not fear life and what it might bring. If you did not fear any man, or woman, or any living creature. Would you live differently? In this unique work of never-before-published teaching, Dallas Willard revolutionizes our understanding of Psalm 23 by taking this comfortably familiar passage and revealing its extraordinary promises: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.... I will fear no evil."

Do you believe God is just not fair? If you're like Jennifer Rothschild, you wrestle with questions when you experience painful circumstances. Does God care? Does he hear my prayers? Is he even there? Blinded as a teenager, Jennifer overcame daunting obstacles, found strength in God, and launched a successful speaking and writing ministry. Then in her 40s, everything changed. Jennifer hit a wall of depression and discontent that shook her to her core, undermining many of her past assumptions about her faith.

The Bible is filled with examples of an intimate God, a God keenly interested in connecting with ordinary people. He promises to be with us. He says he will personally guide us. Yet somehow, intimacy with God eludes us. Caught up in the mainstream of life, we know we're missing something vital. But how do we attain it?

When was the last time you were overawed by God’s majesty? Have you ever stood in stunned silence at his holiness and power? In our shallow, self-centered age, things like truth and reverence might seem outdated, lost. Yet we’re restless. And our failed attempts to ease our unrest point to an ancient ache for an experience of the holy. Drew Dyck makes a compelling case that what we seek awaits us in the untamed God of Scripture - a God who is dangerous yet accessible, mysterious yet powerfully present.

John the apostle must have thought he had seen everything. Having been with Jesus all the years of his ministry, John witnessed more miracles than he could count, saw more displays of power than he could comprehend, and experienced more love than he could fathom. And one unforgettable morning young John outran Peter to his Savior's empty tomb. Just as Christ took John on a lifelong journey into the depths of His love, He will do the same for you.

You long to serve God with grace and strength, to reflect Christ in every word and action. Yet you find yourself continually struggling to bring that vision to life in your daily walk. At our very core, every one of us is a "twisted sister" within whom the flesh and spirit battle constantly for control. We are afflicted with spiritual schizophrenia, the disconnect between our "good girl" desire to put Jesus first and our "bad girl" realities that crowd our thoughts and push him out of the way.

Many believers feel stunted in their Christian growth. We beat ourselves up over our failures and, in the process, pull away from God because we subconsciously believe He tallies our defects and hangs His head in disappointment. In this new edition - now with a foreword by Michael W. Smith, testimony by Rich Mullins and the author's own epilogue, "Ragamuffin Ten Years Later," Brennan Manning reminds us that nothing could be further from the truth.

Theological depth with pastoral warmth are offered in this inspiring, first-person "spiritual geography", based on Jonah, from Mark Buchanan. It is rich with stories, references, and quotes from great - and simple - people of faith.

Through a panoramic overview of what the Bible says about suffering, the authors make clear who God is, why he permits so much heartache and pain, and how it is we can trust him. With both a practical edge and heartfelt warmth, When God Weeps offers dependence on his love and mercy in spite of our doubts, fears, longings, and questions.

In a world of uncertainty, pain, and struggle, where do you find solid assurance and unshakeable truth? Gifted Bible teacher and inspiring Women of Faith speaker Sheila Walsh offers powerful, heart-filled teaching on ten bedrock promises of God, providing the foundation for daily confidence, joy, and hope. In The Shelter of God's Promises, Sheila searches Scripture for what God has promised us, what God's promises mean, and how encounters with Christ are the eternal fulfillment of His unrelenting commitment to us.

Pastor and speaker Shane Pruitt guides listeners in identifying the Christian cliches we've all heard that are actually unbiblical lies. He then counters with the truths about God as presented in the Bible - truths that bring encouragement and freedom for our lives. God won't give you more than you can handle. Really? Pastor and speaker Shane Pruitt shines a light on this and other Christian cliches that upon further inspection are actually unbiblical lies that keep far too many believers stuck in spiritual immaturity.

Craig Groeschel (lifechurch.tv) and his church have hosted an international multichurch campaign called One Prayer, a month-long concerted focus on unifying the many different, diverse churches participating by praying together and serving their local communities. This compilation book features chapters by seventeen passionate church leaders, including Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Jentezen Franklin, Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, and others.

Do you find yourself picking through circumstances like children plucking daisy petals attempting to figure out whether or not God loves you? If you find yourself least certain of his love in those critical moments when you most need to trust him, there is hope for you. Where? At the one event in human history that forever secured your place in the Father's heart - the cross where Jesus allowed sin and shame to be consumed in his own body so that you could freely embrace a relationship with his Father.

Have the extremities taken over and left the core of your faith forgotten? Do you get confused by what you feel versus what is real? Let dynamic pastor C. J. Mahaney strip away the nonessentials and bring you back to the simplest, most fundamental reason for your faith: Jesus Christ.

What does the Bible mean when it says we are to fear God? Is it difficult for you to reconcile the two sides of God’s nature - His wrath and His love? Mattie Montgomery teaches that a right pursuit of the fear, fire, and fullness of God can lead you into the knowledge of a side of God you may never have imagined before. He notes that the fear of God does not mean that we should be afraid of God; but rather, that we should be afraid to be against Him.

God Is with You Every Day is a brand-new 365-day devotional from Max Lucado, and his first new devotional since the creation of the Grace for the Moment® line. Max's signature reassuring and encouraging voice, paired with the practical, relevant, and personal message that God is with you every day, makes a great way to start each day of the year. This devotional begins each week with a prayer and scripture, followed by six days of devotions and scripture for reflection.

Not everyone may frequent the church on the corner, but we each have a place of worship. For some, it's at the office. For others, before the mirror. Still others, on the basketball court. You were created to worship! So you naturally find a place to do it. But to worship anything less than God robs both Him and us. It's at the foot of the cross where we reel, trying to comprehend how a holy God could chase us down with kindness and redeem us from an eternity of futile gods.

For many people worry, anxiety, and fear are constant companions: fear of death, fear of danger, fear of disease. And too often these fears are crippling, keeping us from the lives God has called us to live. But it doesn't have to be that way, says Dr. David Jeremiah. As Christians we have been given all we need in order to face down even the most frightening, unexpected, and overwhelming obstacles in life.