Showing results by publisher "Blackstone Publishing" in Religion & Spirituality

With real-life talk, humor, and convicting biblical truths, Kristin Funston helps hardworking mamas to look at each day and each facet of their life to discover what happens when they believe God has more for them than what they think the world needs from them. And what He has available is a whole and holy life, just waiting to be claimed - a salvation and day-to-day reality complete just as it is. The pieces of each mom’s life - the work life, mom life, social life, etc. - are mended together through Christ to complete her one whole life, set apart because of Him.

Science is the supreme authority in our culture. Science speaks so authoritatively in our culture that many are tempted to use its clout to back claims that go beyond the available evidence. How can we identify when such ideological sleight of hand has taken place? This wedge of truth does not “wedge out” a necessary foundation of rational thought. But it does “wedge in” the much-needed acknowledgment that reason encompasses more than mere scientific investigation.

Monsters aren’t real. As reasonable adults, we know this. But we also know that, while fake, the monsters of fairy tales, movies, and Netflix series embody our very real fears. Large, powerful beings that hunt us in the dark make us feel small, weak, vulnerable. When characters in these stories run away, they temporarily feel safe, but it’s not until the monster is faced head on that the story can have a happy ending - and, more importantly, the hero can become all he or she was created to be.

When her husband, Mannard, unexpectedly passed away at just 50 years of age, Sheri Hunter was devastated. With her whole world falling down around her, she turned to her friends. Years before, she and these Dare Divas had gone on a whitewater rafting trip. Now they sought out other adventures - zip-lining, skydiving, mountain climbing, and more. Through these death-defying activities and the unwavering support of her friends, Sheri slowly found the strength to move forward in life.

Two of the greatest fears in life come in the form of questions we often ask ourselves but rarely say out loud: "Am I okay?" and "Do you love me?" The answer the Gospel gives us is both surprising and just what we need to hear: "No, you are not okay," and, "Yes, I love you." Jesus holds these two truths about us together, and this is the good news we desperately need.

Twice pardoned - first by God and later by the state - TJ Stevens now walks in freedom and grace. Reluctant at first to tell his story but compelled now to share what God has done, he gives a firsthand account, four decades later, of what it was like to be a high school shooter. Why is his story different from all the others that have commanded headlines over the last 20-odd years? How did he not only make it out alive but go on to have a successful life, when so many other high school shooters are now behind bars or in the grave?

When she was a young girl, Jadie (and her missionary family) experienced a brutal attack while on the island of Palau in the South Pacific. That one hellish night left her physically, emotionally, and spiritually damaged. Jadie had the choice to live the life of a victim or to walk the hard road of healing that leads to wholeness in Christ. Though she faced physical injury, emotional scarring (including avoidance, memory loss, and regression), and spiritual attacks, Echoes of Darkness is a story of hope. 

When Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos discovered a pea-sized lump in her breast, she did what any sensible woman would do: She went to see her doctor, who assured her that she was in good health and that the lump was nothing but a fibrous tumor and posed no threat. Kathleen was not convinced, particularly in light of the fact that her mother had recently died of cancer. In a dream that night, Kathleen saw her spiritual guide/guardian angel who took her hand, placed it on her breast, and said, “You have cancer right here. Feel it? Go back to your doctor. Don’t wait for an appointment.”

In Holy Disunity: How What Separates Us Can Save Us, Layton E. Williams proposes that our primary calling as humans is not to create unity but rather to seek authentic relationship with God, ourselves, one another, and the world around us. And that means actively engaging those with whom we disagree. Our religious, political, social, and cultural differences can create doubt and tension, but disunity also provides surprising gifts of perspective and grace.

Racism. Immigration. Gun violence. Sexuality. Health care. The number of ethical issues that demand a response from Christians today is almost dizzying. How can Christians navigate such matters? What are faithful responses to these questions? Edited by two theologians with pastoral experience, this volume invites engagement with these issues and more by drawing on real-life experiences and offering a range of responses to some of the most challenging moral questions confronting the church today.

From beloved author Elizabeth George comes a wealth of bite-sized wisdom for your daily living. These powerful and easy to understand devotions celebrate God’s provision for you. The scriptures and thoughts in this book will also encourage you to become a woman who demonstrates Jesus’s grace and love in every circumstance.

Being a mom is challenging no matter how long you’ve been doing it. You want to give your best to your family, but pouring yourself out each day can leave you exhausted, overwhelmed, and feeling like you have nothing left to offer. In Unraveled, authors and fellow moms Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin encourage you to start finding strength and peace in the One who loves you most.

Mike Kinney shouldn’t be alive today. When his truck slammed into a telephone pole and burst into flames, the seventeen-year-old became pinned in the driver seat. Moments before the vehicle was consumed by fire, Mike was pulled from the burning wreckage of twisted metal as his body burned. After his guitar was incinerated in the blaze, Pete Townsend from The Who, a musical inspiration, sent him a new guitar, offering, “This is the Phoenix.”