Showing results by narrator "Van Tracy" in All Categories

It can seem as though today's culture encourages weakness, not strength. And this attitude has crept into the church: Don't take a strong position of faith. Don't take a strong view of evangelism. Don't maintain strong moral values. Yet God's people are called to be soldiers, and to fight for His cause and kingdom. Based on the book of Joshua, Be Strong is an inspiring guide to pursuing a victorious life. Part of Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe's best-selling "BE" commentary series, Be Strong has now been updated with study questions and a new introduction by Ken Baugh.

With definitions and insights like this, the "pastor of pastors" and phenomenal author Warren Wiersbe continues to enliven the Scriptures as he weaves the words of Isaiah with historical explanations and thought-provoking questions for every chapter, creating a study guide that can be used in personal Bible study or with a group.

In this compelling audiobook, Scot McKnight shares his personal experience in the Church as well as his study of the Apostle Paul to answer this significant question: What is the Church supposed to be?

Who was Jesus? Historical sources portray a person who was complex, multi-layered, and often contradictory to the tidy portrait that much of modern Christianity paints him as. Even the gospel accounts render him as both judge and healer, teacher and temple, servant and savior. A Doubter's Guide to Jesus is a persuasive and often challenging investigation into the historical figure found in the earliest sources. These sources, which include references both direct and indirect - from Roman, Jewish, and Christian accounts - offer us more than simple evidence that Jesus existed.

Best-selling author and former atheist Lee Strobel investigates the nettlesome issues and doubts of the heart that threaten faith, including doubt, the problem of pain, and the existence of evil. This updated edition features two all-new chapters, an updated list of recommended resources for further study, and a new discussion guide.

In Empowering Leadership author and leadership consultant Michael Fletcher says leaders can't simply be bought, nor can they be hired from someone else's leadership assembly line. To create an environment that attracts potential leaders, and to build better leaders faster, an organization needs more than a pipeline. It needs a culture that develops leaders organically.

A groundbreaking look at the strange friendship between George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin, who together defined what it means to be an American. They were the most famous men in America. They came from separate countries, followed different philosophies, and led dissimilar lives. But they were fast friends. No two people did more to shape America in the mid-1700s.

Jim Burgen was a preacher’s kid who grew up loving church, until it felt like one day, he realized he was an adult who didn’t. He’d burned out and was full of questions. An encounter with C.S. Lewis’ Voyage of the Dawn Treader introduced him to Eustace, a little boy whose greed and hurt turned him into a dragon. He couldn’t un-dragon himself, no matter how hard he tried. Only one person could: the good lion, Aslan. That day, Burgen’s life changed forever. Burgen takes us on a journey through the remarkable process of Jesus saving him from himself.

He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake. This lighthearted song is a bit more ominous in the context of other Christmas traditions. From beasts that threaten to cook children into stew to sinister crones who snatch little ones from their beds, you won’t find any dancing sugar plums here. Outside of the heartwarming Christmas tales we all know and love, there are an abundance of frightening stories to chill all who hear them to the bone.

Enter the world of ancient Rome through the eyes of one of history's most transformative figures. The Apostle by John Pollock seamlessly weaves together drama, scholarship, and historical accuracy in this book about the apostle Paul's extraordinary life. Starting with the dramatic death of Stephen, you'll witness Paul's incredible transformation from persecutor to preacher. Follow him on his daring missionary journeys that took him to the far corners of the Roman Empire, where he spread the teachings of Christianity.

Some churches advocate one-on-one discipling, others try getting everyone into a small group, while still others training through mission trips or service projects. Yet others focus all their efforts on attracting people to a large group gathering to hear biblical teaching and preaching. But does one size really fit everyone? Based on careful biblical study and years of experience making disciples in the local church, Bobby Harrington and Alex Absalom have identified five key relationships where discipleship happens in our lives.

If making disciples of Jesus is the greatest cause on earth, how should we equip people to do it? This handbook is a practical guide for how to embrace the discipleship lifestyle—being a disciple of Jesus—and how to make other disciples of Jesus. Whether you are a parent who wants to disciple your children, a small group leader who wants to disciple those in your group, or a church leader who wants to disciple future leaders, the seven key elements in this handbook form a framework for understanding discipleship that can be applied in countless situations.

“I want to believe, I want to have hope, but....” Pastor and author Craig Groeschel hears these words often and has asked them himself. We want to know God, feel his presence, and trust that he hears our prayers, but in the midst of great pain, we may wonder if he really cares about us. Even when we have both hope and hurt, sometimes it’s the hurt that shouts the loudest. Can God be good when life is not? You long to know that even in overwhelming reality, you can still believe that God is good.

To win deals at the prices you want, the needed strategy is differentiation. Most executives think marketing is the sole source of differentiation, but sales differentiation presents an untapped opportunity to create meaningful value and stand out from the competition. Sales Differentiation presents 19 easy-to-implement concepts to help salespeople win deals while protecting margin. These concepts are applicable to any salesperson in any industry and are based on the foundation that how you sell, not just what you sell, differentiates you.

Part of the best-selling Emotionally Healthy Spirituality book collection, this 40-day devotional by Peter Scazzero will help you nurture the kind of healthy relationships you long for. You'll will be ushered into a transformational practice that will deepen your daily walk with Jesus, and along the way, you'll discover the spiritual nourishment, joy, and peace that comes from meeting with him every day.

Summit Ministries’ half century of teaching, this first volume of the Understanding the Times Series is your definitive resource for deepening and defending your faith. It’s a required resource for every Christian’s library.

In Contagious Faith, best-selling author and teacher Mark Mittelberg introduces five approaches to evangelism and helps you determine which of them fit best with your unique personality and style. He also explains in a down-to-earth fashion several key skills that will help you talk about Jesus effectively, illustrating his message with real-life accounts of ordinary believers who applied these principles for extraordinary impact.

Anchor Man presents the high calling of fatherhood, the traits of a Christian father, the adventures that await him as he interacts with his children, and the significance of his role as a good family man. Steve Farrar presents these roles and responsibilities in a way any man wanting to increase his understanding of his place in the family, and our society, can put into action every day.

Mark Batterson has a surprising secret weapon for parenting: prayer. Batterson shares a perfect blend of biblical yet practical advice that will revolutionize parents' prayer lives. This guide describes seven important ways prayer circles will transform how parents pray for their kids and lead them to a deeper relationship with Christ. As Batterson says, "You can leave a legacy for generations to come. Your prayers have the power to shape the destiny of your children and your children's children. It's time to start circling."

The Case for Christianity Answer Book provides succinct answers to real questions about Christianity. Best-selling author and spiritual skeptic Lee Strobel uses his investigative journalism skills to dig deep into the Bible to provide compelling and concise answers about the religion of Christianity.