Matthew Barnett, son of a well-known megachurch pastor, discovered his great cause when he relinquished his dream of building a big, successful church like his father’s and began listening for God’s dream for his life. Sensing that God was calling him to serve the poor and powerless of Los Angeles, Matthew founded the Dream Center, a beacon of hope for homeless families, drug addicts, abused women and children, victims of human trafficking, teen runaways, gang members, and many others whose lives were filled with brokenness.

It began when a small group of believers stepped out in faith—against all odds—and claimed the Queen of Angels Hospital in downtown Los Angeles for the cause of Christ. Now 200 different ministries in the Los Angeles International Church reach out to thousands of residents. Innovative programs minister to AIDS victims, the homeless, battered women, drug and alcohol addicts, and abused children—offering hope and a chance for a better life. The Church That Never Sleeps shows how God can use this incredible ministry as a model to make dreams come true across the nation.

Can ordinary people make a lasting impact on the world around them? Matthew Barnett's answer is an emphatic Yes! In One Small Step, he shows that it is not as daunting as one might think. It all starts with a heart that is open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and a willingness to do as he leads. These small steps - most often very simple acts that can be done on a daily basis - require only our obedience and follow-through.

Your past is not your past if it’s still impacting your present. Do you ever feel as though your life has become a broken record? You’re hearing the same song play over and over again? Nearly every human being on earth has likely spent some time on the carousel of pain. Whether you’re dealing with the guilt and regret of your own sinful choices, or you’re sitting in the shame of someone else’s deceitful actions, God wants to bring you healing.

Master the decisions that will make your life everything God wants it to be. Every day we make choices. And those choices accumulate and eventually become our life story. What would your life look like if you became an expert at making those choices? In this inspiring guidebook, New York Times best-selling author Craig Groeschel shows how the choices that are in your power, if aligned with biblical principles, will lead to a life you've never imagined.

Most of us have been on the receiving end of rejection, a broken dream, or heartbreak. And while this is not an easy space to go through, when we are grounded in the truth, we can endure the tough times.

Mama Jane was a hero! A rock of faith and tenacity, of hope and love, and Chad Norris’ paternal grandmother. She spent her life modeling Christ, loving God and others, and four generations of her family have been eternally impacted because of it. It’s here that we uncover a great secret - that Jesus came to reconnect us to Father, to restore relationship with his children.

Two-time Grammy-winning rap artist, Lecrae, learned this lesson through more than his share of adversity - childhood abuse, drugs and alcoholism, a stint in rehab, an abortion, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Along the way, Lecrae attained an unwavering faith in Jesus and began looking to God for affirmation. Now as a chart-topping industry anomaly, he has learned to ignore the haters and make peace with his craft.

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered, “How on earth did things get so hard?” I have—more times than I can count. I’ll never forget how helpless I felt when it seemed like our life was falling apart, when our oldest daughter faced seemingly endless brushes with death, or when our finances were in shambles. In those moments, I felt everything I’d ever dreamed of, or God had ever promised, was shattering at my feet. But I’ll also never forget when things changed, when on the darkest of days I heard a voice whisper, “There is beauty in the broken.”

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.

Dodie Osteen, mother of Joel Osteen, gives listeners a personal account of her extraordinary life and shares what she has learned about love, faith, and family. As the wife of 44 years to the late Pastor John Osteen, founder of Lakewood Church, Dodie Osteen stood as a wife, mother, and first lady of the church, even when life felt anything but steady. Today, she continues to stand by her son, Pastor Joel Osteen, and the rest of their family as they lead Lakewood. In this revealing memoir, Dodie shares that her path, though glorious, has not always been easy.

The things Jesus did are not just for Bible times. They are for today. For everyone. Chicagoland pastor Robby Dawkins sees this again and again in his ministry to hurting people and even to gang members. Everyday people are seeing God's power unleashed through simple faith in God's Word; they are healing the sick, routing demons, and making a dynamic impact for the Kingdom of God. But many other believers are missing out, unaware that they have far more power and authority than they realize.

Are you ready to open your imagination to the possibility that God has a vision for your life that is greater? We all have honest moments when we're gripped by a desire to feel that what we're doing matters more. That who we are matters more. And according to one of the most shocking verses in the Bible, Jesus wants the very same thing for every one of us. If you're tired of being ordinary, it's time to dream bigger. If you're feeling overwhelmed about where to begin, it's time start smaller.

Like every girl, Sarah Jakes dreamed of a life full of love, laughter, and happy endings. But her dreams changed dramatically when she became pregnant at age 13. Sarah's captivating story, unflinchingly honest and deeply vulnerable, is a vivid reminder that God can turn even the deepest pain into His perfection. More than a memoir, Lost and Found offers hope and encouragement. Perhaps you, like Sarah, find yourself wandering the detours of life. Regardless of how lost you feel, you, too, can be found.

If you're not daring to believe God for the impossible, you may be sleeping through some of the best parts of your Christian life. This book is not a Snuggie. The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien. I’m not writing to calm or coddle you. With God’s help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind.

Matthew Barnett, son of a well-known megachurch pastor, discovered his great cause when he relinquished his dream of building a big, successful church like his father’s and began listening for God’s dream for his life. Sensing that God was calling him to serve the poor and powerless of Los Angeles, Matthew founded the Dream Center, a beacon of hope for homeless families, drug addicts, abused women and children, victims of human trafficking, teen runaways, gang members, and many others whose lives were filled with brokenness.

When things go horribly wrong and the world seems to be unraveling, how do you believe in God's goodness? How do you cling to hope? Chad Veach directs listeners away from clichéd Sunday school answers that fail to offer real comfort or provide faith-building insights. Instead he draws from God's promises in the Bible and from the story of his own daughter's diagnosis of a devastating and debilitating disease to reveal simple, purposeful steps for dealing with pain.

Until two years of age, Craig and Samantha’s son Connor was just like other kids - playful, verbal, and affectionate. Then everything changed. He stopped talking, displayed behavioral problems, and withdrew into his own world. The official diagnosis - autism. Faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, Craig and Samantha refused to believe a meaningful life for Connor was impossible. God confirmed their faith by revealing to Craig that Connor would one day touch the lives of thousands of people around the world.

Are you disappointed with your life? Do you feel like you'll never accomplish anything remarkable? Fear not: you are in the perfect place for God to enter with his plan! In fact, your disappointments and failures are merely minor setbacks preceding a major comeback. In Faith Forward Future, Chad Veach presents the proof that God has always known you, has always cared, and is waiting to give you his better dream for your life. When you hear his words and release your broken dreams, you'll receive all that God has in store and be enabled to reach your best possible tomorrow.

When you're ready for something truly extraordinary, consider living life unleashed! Jesus promised us a full and abundant life. But if we’re honest, most of us feel as if we’re missing out. Every one of us - that includes you - has been custom designed with a purpose and a plan beyond imagination. Yet for some reason, we fill our days with normalcy, complacency, and predictability. In Unleash!, Perry Noble challenges us to grab on to God’s promise of full and complete living.

For decades, Kathie Lee has had deep conversations about her faith with anyone who is interested in talking about it. What she discovered early on is most people are very willing to talk about Jesus: atheists, agnostics, Scientologists, Jews, broken-hearted Catholics, confused Baptists, Pentecostals, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Hindus alike. While some of the people Kathie Lee has spoken with do not share her belief that Jesus is the Messiah - as prophesied for centuries by prophets in the Hebrew scriptures - they nonetheless have a universal fascination with him.

>Stressed out? Anxious? Overwhelmed? There’s good news - you’re not alone! No one ever said life was going to be easy. Between financial struggles, marital issues, health scares, and the run-of-the-mill problems of everyday life, it’s easy to feel weighed down and trapped by your circumstances. In times like these, it’s tempting to just throw in the towel and quit. Well, don’t do it! Perry Noble has stood at the edge of the abyss himself, and in Overwhelmed, he shares the keys to unlocking the chains of anxiety and despair once and for all.

The world goes out of its way to make you believe you are not good enough. Maybe you aren't sure you like where you've been or who you've become. Maybe someone has made you believe a lie about who you are by speaking damaging words to you. The discovery of our true identities does not begin by looking within ourselves but by looking to the One who made us. Hello, My Name Is will inspire you not to wear the nametag that someone else gave you but to wear the name of who God says you are.

"God, if you're real, make yourself real to me." Each of us spends our lives on a journey toward God. Yet often our most deeply felt longings - for meaning, for love, for significance - end up leading us away from instead of toward our Creator and the people he made us to be. Finding Your Way Back to God shows you how to understand and listen to your longings in a whole new way.

A shattered leg, kidney stones, and a lump diagnosed as hyperplasia. Times were tough, money was scarce, and the bills and frustrations were piling up. It was into this kind of stressed out life that God sent Todd and Sonja Burpo the interruption of a life-threatening illness and emergency surgery for their almost four-year-old son Colton - an interruption that included his unforgettable journey to heaven. How did they cope?

Almost any parent you asked would tell you that they want their children to be happy, successful adults. But many of us forget (or never knew to begin with) that lasting personal joy is not necessarily found the way the world says it is - through reaching a certain socioeconomic status, having a certain job, buying a certain house, or having a certain amount in one's bank account. In fact, says Kristen Welch, author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, personal satisfaction comes not from grabbing onto things but from holding them with an open hand and, very often, giving them away.

Your past is not your past if it’s still impacting your present. Do you ever feel as though your life has become a broken record? You’re hearing the same song play over and over again? Nearly every human being on earth has likely spent some time on the carousel of pain. Whether you’re dealing with the guilt and regret of your own sinful choices, or you’re sitting in the shame of someone else’s deceitful actions, God wants to bring you healing.

Worship leader and recording artist Laura Story's life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Martin, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Their lives would never be the same. Yes, with God all things are possible. But the devastating news was that no cure existed to restore Martin's short-term memory, eyesight, and other complications. The fairy-tale life Laura had dreamed of was no longer possible. And yet in struggling with God about how to live with broken dreams, Laura has found joy and a deeper intimacy with Jesus.

In the Bible it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. But day 41 came, and the rain stopped. The people of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Then year 41 came, and a new generation entered the Promised Land. For 40 days Goliath bullied Israel and dared anyone to fight him. Day 41 came, and David slew the giant. Do you see the theme? Don't quit. Don't give up. God will come through for you.

How can you make a difference in the world today? Does God really want YOU and your talents as he seeks to redeem the world from darkness? What would happen in your neighborhood, your place of work, your school, your church, if you called on God's Spirit to unleash his power in your life?