Showing results by narrator "Mark Smeby" in All Categories

There is an Enemy among us. You may know who he is, but you may not know what he is about. Do you know how he wages war? Do you know how he targets you specifically? He's the Villain who wants to change your story in the hopes you live isolated, powerless, discouraged, and defeated. If you're weary from the struggle and ready to experience life as God intended, this book will help you explore the tactics of Satan, equip you to overcome spiritual battles, and remind you of the victory already secured through Jesus.

Whether we wrestle with anxiety, harmful thoughts about ourselves, or mental spirals that hold us back from spiritual growth and healthy relationships, many of us wish we could control our thoughts rather than let them control us. As the senior pastor of one of the largest churches in America, bestselling author Kyle Idleman has seen the power of right thinking transform lives, including his own. In Every Thought Captive, Kyle points us to the tools we need to get our thoughts into submission so we can live a fuller and more joy-filled life.

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.

When your biggest superpower is also your most critical weakness, it helps to have a manual on how to control it. Entrepreneurs are creative, bold thinkers and risk-takers capable of great accomplishments. At the same time, for every success story, there is a counter story of an epic collapse caused by a lack of a moral compass, values, or proper guidance. Jeff Hays knows the highs and the lows having ridden that rollercoaster many times in his life and career and provides a much-needed user’s manual for entrepreneurs everywhere and the people in their work and personal lives.

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.

How is the health of your soul? Is the deepest part of you flourishing—or is it languishing and gasping for air? Life lately has been filled with exhausting challenges: personal loss, political division, economic turmoil, faith deconstruction, and isolation. And our soul feels it.

In an age of distraction, everyone is looking for something that gives purpose and perspective on life. Jesus says it's the kingdom of God. But the kingdom is not just another religious idea. Rather, God's loving reign brings clarity and coherence to all of life - identity, work, play, relationships, justice, character - in a way that is profound and practical. Seek First brings theology to the streets, giving a vision for the kingdom that will truly change your life.

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.

This reimagining of the mega-selling Action Bible explores 230 stories of biblical heroes across seven dynamic attributes of God’s story.

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.

Writing with humor and candor out of his own experiences, and incorporating Scripture, literature, and accounts of others who have doubted, Dominic Done argues that not only is questioning normal, it is often a path toward a rich and vibrant faith. Rather than viewing trust and doubt as incompatible, When Faith Fails provides listeners with a way to wrestle and ask questions while growing ever closer to God.

Based on the bestselling book, The Action Bible, this one-year children’s devotional is packed with spiritual lessons and adventures to help kids stay engaged with God’s Word every day. With a week’s worth of activities for each Bible story, The Action Bible Devotional covers important biblical themes such as friendship, temptation, sibling rivalry, self-esteem, and materialism.

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.

In The Gospel at Work, Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert unpack the powerful ways in which the Gospel can transform how we do what we do, releasing us from the cultural pressures of both an all-consuming devotion and a punch-in, punch-out mentality - in order to find the freedom of a work ethic rooted in serving Christ. You'll find answers to some of the tough questions that Christians in the workplace often ask: What factors should matter most in choosing a job?

Is Jesus real? Was he actually born in a stable? Did he really come back from the dead? Aren’t all the stories in the Bible about Jesus just that...stories? Kids ages 8–12 can join in this incredible search for the truth about Jesus, including the answers that changed the life of investigative reporter and international best-selling author Lee Strobel. Here’s a book that finally answers the most important questions about the existence, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Do you want to see change in your life—but don't know how to get there? In this thoughtful devotional, Kyle Idleman invites you to address that behavior or thought pattern using three key elements: You Awaken to the reality of your spiritual condition; you see yourself and your need for a Savior with brutal Honesty; and this realization leads to Action as you follow Christ's example.

We are all spread too thin, taking on more than we can handle, trying to do so much—almost as if we are afraid that if we were to take a moment of rest, we might discover that all our busyness is covering up an essential lack in our lives. But God never meant for us to be so busy. God desires for us to have rest and peace. Brady Boyd shows you how to live a life that embraces stillness and solitude, so you can find the peace that God wants for you.

Failures don't need to be final, and disappointment doesn't need to be defining. Come along on a wild, hilarious, faith-building ride, and let The Art of Getting It Wrong guide you toward hope for the future and the freedom to love your life exactly where you are. Long before his YouTube channel, The Miller Fam, became a viral sensation, Stephen Miller got a ton of things wrong. He knows what it's like to endure countless failed endeavors, make too many rash decisions, and feel deep discouragement when life doesn't go as planned--sometimes all before breakfast.

In this daily devotional from Louie Giglio of Passion City Church, you're invited to rekindle your relationship with the God of the universe—the One who acts as your sun and shield. The One who never withholds. The One who restores, strengthens, and directs your path. He is the God of all grace, and He has called you to walk with Him into eternal glory, as a son or daughter of God.

Throughout history we have tried to make sense of the world that we inhabit and how we can navigate through the tension of all that is good and broken in this life. Yet most of our attempts to avoid loss simply lead to greater anxiety—an unresolved fear that we will eventually lose what we most love and need. Weaving a rich tapestry of Christian tradition and personal illustrations, Hyun offers Christianity as a true and compelling vision for life that faithfully points the way through loss to true beauty.