Showing results by narrator "Mark Smeby" in All Categories

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.

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.

The evangelical church is hemorrhaging. Over 40 million Americans have dechurched in the last 25 years alone, and multiple generations have been raised to believe the most spiritual thing they can do is follow God by following their heart—right out of the church. Yet, this shift is happening right as society is hitting record levels of loneliness, stress, and anxiety. In The Reason for Church, pastor Brad Edwards connects the dots of our current church crisis and provides compelling reasons to come back.

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.

Frustrated and disillusioned with his life as a Christian motivational speaker, Michael Yankoski was determined to stop merely talking about living a life of faith and start experiencing it. The result was a year of focused engagement with spiritual practices - both ancient and modern - that fundamentally reshaped and revived his life. By contemplating apples for an hour before tasting them (attentiveness), eating on just $2.00 a day (simplicity), or writing letters of thanks (gratitude), Michael discovered a whole new vitality and depth through the intentional life.

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.

If you're seeking simplicity in a complicated world, Mark DeMoss' insights will illuminate your path to a wiser and more deliberate way of living. Exploring the notions of integrity, humility, and self-restraint, DeMoss demonstrates what is possible when we value listening and thinking over talking and doing.

With clear facts and answers to the questions kids and those new to faith ask most, this adaptation of Lee Strobel's bestselling The Case for Faith uses kid-friendly language, examples, and easy-to-understand information to introduce children to the research and evidence behind the questions such as whether God allows bad things to happen, if you can have doubts and still be a Christian, and other thoughts about faith.

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.

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.

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've all had "aha!" moments in our lives, times when a sudden revelation surprises us with insight. According to pastor and bestselling author Kyle Idleman, we can experience this same kind of "aha!" in our spiritual lives. With everyday examples and trademark testimonies, Idleman draws on Scripture to reveal how three key elements can draw us closer to God and change our lives for good.

More meets Christians where they're at, acknowledging the roots of their discontent and demonstrating how to move from inspiration and desire into action. Church strategist and ministry activator Todd Wilson shows how all believers can live more abundant lives around the uniqueness of how they were made and what they are called to do.

Renowned spoken word artist David Bowden tackles one of the most difficult questions of all---Where is God when we can’t find him?---and reveals what God’s absence and his presence tell us about God’s glory and his grace.

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

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.

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.

Starting from the assumption that Jesus does heal in our day and age, Follow the Healer seeks to answer these questions with a balanced, pastoral, and scriptural approach. This is a call to help you better understand and minister God’s healing to a world that is in so much pain. You'll take a closer look at why Christian healing is still relevant and essential today and how to avoid the many difficulties, disappointments, and distortions that occur in healing ministry. S

While many churches talk about discerning calling and engaging in mission, very few are structured to make this their ministry focus. Underground Church is a new vision for the church rooted in its biblical mission to share the love of God and serve the poor. Sanders explores how to make structural changes, how to think about leadership, how to fund ministries, and how to truly engage people in God's mission. Filled with creative insights, he explains what it means to center the mission of the church around the callings of individuals to outward ministry.