Spiritual Friendship

All ministry leaders need to cultivate healthy and life-giving friendships with peers, and especially with Jesus. Unfortunately, the concept of friendship has been reduced to clicks and “likes” on social media sites that are neither life-giving, nor truly signs of friendship.

We need companions on our spiritual journey. The modern world has taught us to value autonomy and individualism. Our churches often see spirituality as personal and private. But we cannot go long in our Christian pilgrimage before realizing that isolation leads to spiritual barrenness. We soon discover that our souls long for accompaniment, intimacy, and spiritual friendship. As a result, many Christians today are rediscovering the ancient practice of spiritual direction.

Why is the third person in the Godhead - the one Jesus said would be the believer's ultimate source of truth and comfort - the source of such confusion? In The God I Never Knew, Robert Morris clearly explains that the Holy Spirit's chief desire is for relationship - to offer us the encouragement and guidance of a trusted friend. This insightful and biblically-based book moves beyond theological jargon, religious tradition, and cultural misconceptions to clarify what the Holy Spirit promises to do in your life.

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.

Imagine if FIRST CONTACT happened in 1947 Roswell, NM just after WWII ended and they needed our help. In 1947 Geogram makes first contact with Malcolm Dow and Adam Rabinowitz. The army privates agree to help the life-form, and try to contact General Jones, while avoiding the anti-alien majority in their chain of command. With junior reporter Charlotte Baker hot on their heels, time is of the essence before panic sweeps the globe. Dow and General Newman recruit scientist Mary Goss to help incorporate the alien tech into their equipment for their desperate mission. Failure means not only the ...

Too often our friendships with other women can be marked by drama, competition, betrayal, and unforgiveness. As women, we can cause one another deep pain, creating wounds in need of healing. But we were made for connection and healthy friendships with other women to cheer each other on and fulfill our God-breathed purpose - together.

Relational Intelligence is your action plan for getting smart about your purpose partners. Relationships were God's idea, writes Daniels, and when we understand and apply what God has to say about them we end up avoiding unnecessary relational turmoil, advancing in all areas of our life, and accomplishing our God-given purpose. When your purpose is on the line, the cost of relational unintelligence is too great to pay. In this audiobook, you will explore and learn how to activate the relational intelligence you need for the life of purpose you want.

This Cinderella invited to the ball gets help from a surprising source. But will she win her "Prince Charming", who's relegated her to the friend zone? When store department manager David Warwick, her secret crush, unexpectedly invites shy florist Ellie Ashton to represent the store at a glittering London ball, she feels more the ugly step-sister than princess material. No make-up, hair that was last styled for her high school prom, and not a single dress in her wardrobe, let alone a ballgown. Only a complete makeover can help her to look and feel the part. Attending the ball with the ...

Author and pastor David Kim shares his experiences with loneliness as a Korean American immigrant and delivers compelling research about belonging that includes the revolutionary five anchors for developing meaningful relationships.

For anyone who's lost a pet, that period of sadness can last for years. Some say never again while others just have to get another. And although the new pet will never take the place of the one you lost, it will certainly bring you great joy. And when this family found Teddy Bear, the wounds of sadness healed and everything changed. A feel-good story everyone should read. After all, once you see Teddy Bear, you'll see your own pet.

Join Rachel Anne Ridge, author of the beloved memoir Flash, in a journey back to the pasture. As she adopts a second rescue donkey as a little brother for Flash - a miniature named Henry - she finds that walking with donkeys has surprising lessons to teach us about prayer, renewing our faith, and connecting to God in fresh ways.

The writer of these vignettes tries to sell herself to her lover, using comparisons, declarations, emotions, heartfelt analysis, poems, compositions, promises, poignant descriptions of feelings...

Two years after her husband’s death, Amanda Whittier has two children to raise alone, an abandoned dream of starting a business, and a fixer-upper cottage by the sea. She has no room in her life for anything else and little interest in moving on after losing the man she loved. Paul Grant is a relative newcomer to the area, and his work with former military dogs needing rehabilitation has been good for the town. Though he loved once before, he’s convinced he’s not suited for romance and is determined to find meaning - alone - through his work and role in the community.

She's tired of having her heart broken by cowboys. He waited too long to ask her out. Can Lance fix things quickly, or will Amber leave Last Chance Ranch before he can tell her how he feels? Amber Haws has never had a problem saying yes to a date. She's been out with lots of men in the time she's been at Last Chance Ranch, but she's finally gotten her heart broken one too many times. She swears off cowboys right to the one who's been watching her for months now. Lance Longcomb followed the advice of his friends and waited to ask her out after each of Amber's break-ups. But now she's done ...

An inspiring article for would be writers and novice writers, fearing the reaction of others, when they finally admit their love for the craft. Learn how to own your talents and figure out how to be brave in confessing your creative side.

In his most accomplished novel to date, Roger DeBlanck delivers an unforgettable contemporary story of a young Native American man on the road to recovery. Abuse and addiction have ruined Thomas Newsome’s youth, but he refuses to follow the wasted path of his father, Gilbert. After Thomas narrowly avoids tragedy, he vows to get clean and stay that way. Before he can bury his past and move on, he wants answers from his father for why he never changed. But then Gilbert falls ill and takes off on a personal journey. With only a handful of clues from his Apache past, Thomas sets out on a ...

Leaving Arrow Rock is a gripping exploration of addiction, redemption, and the often unseen struggles of those seeking a second chance. Roger "Wilks" Wilkins works with a program that helps clergy and religious leaders transition back into society after serving prison sentences. In 1988, he’s assigned to Joe Campbell, a former pastor just released from an eight-year stint at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Joe's new home, the Lighthouse—a halfway house and rehab facility—is his stepping stone to freedom. But adjusting to life outside proves more difficult than expected. As Wilks and...

Here are only a few of the new friends you'll meet in TEENAGE CHRISTIAN: ASHLEY wins a songwriting contest and backstage passes to meet her favorite rock star, but discovers there's only one true Rock worthy of her love. MELISSA dreads attending a new high school, but learns that unknown roads are often mapped out by God. NICOLE and her best friend must spend Valentine's Day at a nursing home where both encounter real love when they least expect it. WHITNEY suffers from insomnia, but a heavenly cure brings sweet dreams. JESSICA feels like she's missing out on Halloween fun, then learns ...

With the warmth, wisdom, and grace that infuse his works, Father James Martin explains why Jesus' crucifixion and death on the cross is an important teaching moment in the Gospels. Jesus' final statements, words that are deeply cherished by his followers, exemplify the depth of his suffering but also provide a key to his empathy and why we can connect with him so deeply.

In No Greater Love, Rebecca McLaughlin walks us through the highs and lows of friendship love—a love that’s been neglected and malnourished in our modern world. She draws especially on Jesus in the Gospels and on Paul to show how powerful and precious Christian friendship is and how we can walk through the hurt, loss, and disillusionment that comes from broken friendship trust. Beginning with the words of Jesus on the night he was betrayed and abandoned, she points us to his battle-tested love as the unending source of our best love for one another.