You cannot make it without God’s mercy. Do we just need God’s grace in dark and shameful moments? Are prayers for mercy only for those times when we really mess up? Jonathan Parnell says we need God’s mercy all the time. In fact, contrary to many church cultures, Parnell shows that asking God for mercy should be as regular as asking God for our daily bread. There’s no doubt that David was in a terrible predicament when he first prayed the words of Psalm 51. It was a dark and shameful moment in the Bible, and one so dark and shameful it seldom feels relevant to us today. But David’s most desperate prayer is really a prayer for all of us—and not just for our worst moments, but for our every moment. In these pages, you'll discover: how to pray a daily, memorable prayer derived from Psalm 51 how to practice daily repentance and soul care how to pursue God and experience his joy in the Christian life This is God’s mercy, and it’s Mercy for Today.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

In the face of the world's problems, kindness may seem like a long-lost virtue without enough power to make an impact. Yet we are called to show courageous kindness to those around us--even those we don't agree with--just as God has shown us kindness beyond measure. How we treat people matters! Every small kindness we show has the potential to create waves of lasting change in Jesus's name. God wants to use your ordinary days--as you go on your way--to accomplish more than you could ever expect. Courageous Kindness is a six-week Bible study that will help you - start making an impact right where you are and using exactly what you have - embrace the power of inconvenience and put on compassion - learn to live eyes wide open to the evidence of God's abundant kindness If you're ready to experience and share the kind of radical kindness that changes the world, join your friends at (in)courage and become a woman of courageous kindness, one simple, life-changing step at a time.

This perennial bestseller is now available in a tenth-anniversary edition that showcases Joyce Rupp's poems, a new preface by the author, and a new design. Joyce Rupp's characteristic creativity and reverence for the divine are on full display in this collection of prayer resources for birthdays, holidays, holy days, transitions, and many other occasions, helping readers enter more deeply and reflectively into the liturgical and seasonal celebrations of their lives. Ideal for personal use, or as a gift for loved ones celebrating a landmark occasion, Out of the Ordinary: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections for Every Season is an invaluable resource for ministers, spiritual directors, and lay leaders alike, who turn to its prayers, reflections, and rituals for personal and communal occasions both "ordinary" and profound.

Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. If you've ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it is to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. When life hurts, we often feel pressure--from others and ourselves--to keep it together, suck it up, or pray it away. But Scripture reveals a God who lovingly invites us to give honest voice to our emotions when life hits hard. For most of her life, Esther Fleece Allen believed she could bypass the painful emotions of her broken past by shutting them down altogether. She was known as an achiever and an overcomer on the fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you've done the same. Esther's journey into healing began when she discovered that God has given us a real-world way to deal with raw emotions and an alternative to the coping mechanisms that end up causing more pain. It's called lament--the gut-level, honest prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament, taking you on a journey down the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God's own language to come closer to him as he leads us through our pain to the light on the other side, teaching you that: We are robbing ourselves of a divine mystery and a divine intimacy when we pretend to have it all together God does not expect us to be perfect; instead, he meets us where we are There is hope beyond your heartache, disappointment, and grief Like Esther, you'll soon find that when one person stops faking fine, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

Jesus' first recorded sermon in the Bible is a blueprint for being happy here on earth. And though His definition contains no prescriptions for acquiring cars, homes, or savings, it does require transformation and obedience. MacArthur examines Jesus' timeless definition of happiness, and explains that our reward for following Jesus' plan is citizenship in the kingdom of God- and an abiding joy that can never be taken away. Study guide and review included for individual or group study.

The Bible reveals that conversion is a process that begins with God's calling, followed by repentance, baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit—finally climaxing with the return of Jesus Christ, when the dead in Christ are resurrected to immortality and given eternal life. That is the ultimate transformation, being changed from a mortal to an immortal being! Inside this Bible study aid: - Praying for a Right Spirit and New Attitude - We Must Change Our Way of Thinking - What Is Sin? - What's Wrong With Our Human Nature? - What's So Bad About Sin? - Must We Obey God's Commandments? - Why Be Baptized? - The Holy Spirit: God's Transforming Power - Why Can't Theologians Explain the Trinity Doctrine? - Is the Holy Spirit a Person? - A High Priest Eager to Help Us - Growing to Spiritual Maturity - Why Bible Study Is Necessary for Spiritual Growth - How to Stir Up God's Spirit - The Prayer God Will Hear - Repentance Must Be With Faith - Does God Set Conditions on His Gift of Eternal Life?

A Bible Study to Help You Receive and Extend Christ's Mercy In our divisive and unforgiving world, we need mercy more than ever. When we extend grace toward one another despite faults, mistakes, and differences of opinion, we model the kind of longsuffering patience and love that God shows toward us. But how do you cultivate a merciful heart in the midst of a culture where everyone seems quick to judge and slow to forgive? Where do you begin? Create in Me a Heart of Mercy is a six-week Bible study that will help you · discover the transformational power that mercy has in and through the life of the believer · learn how to extend mercy to others, even in circumstances where it feels difficult or undeserved · experience the freedom and purpose that come from multiplying mercy in a world that desperately needs it The mercy that God has shown us through Jesus is meant to flow through us to the rest of the world as a powerful witness to God's love and forgiveness. Join (in)courage and let God create in you a heart of mercy!