Do the ever-changing parenting advice books and blogs make you feel like raising your children is an impossible task? In God Never Changes But My Family Always Does, Elizabeth Smith proves having a God-informed, developmentally-educated view of the child will lead to wise parenting. From infancy through young adulthood, become practically equipped to know how you and your children will better know and grow in God through each life stage. Biblical, practical, and relevant, this book will help you develop a new mindset with powerful principles and tips whether you are a parent or work with children in a school or church."Having a God-informed, developmentally-educated view of the child will lead to wise parenting." So writes Elizabeth Smith, one of the top Children's experts in the country who I was honored to have worked alongside for several years. This outstanding book is indeed a powerful blend of how to view the God who gives us children, and specifics on how that child grows and thrives. You'll find an amazing helpful blend of biblical insights and important developmental milestones for every age and stage of parenting. From newborns through young adulthood, this an invaluable tool for parents across the parenting spectrum. When our two daughters call one day with the news they're going to be parents, this is the book my wife and I are going to be shipping them the next day. I urge you to do the same if you're a parent, or love someone who's about to start the parenting journey."- John Trent, Ph.D., President, StrongFamilies.com, Co-Author of The Blessing and The Two Sides of Love"Elizabeth Smith has been passionately training hundreds of leaders in the art of educating children. She has skillfully combined her experience as a mother, her training in psychology and theology along with years of working with children and families to write a compelling handbook on raising children. This is a must read for any Christian parent or educator serious about growing healthy godly children." - Deanna Jobe, Children's Director at New Life Community Church, Chicago."Elizabeth Smith's new book God Never Changes But My Family Always Does is a valuable resource that will teach you how to be a prepared parent for the unplanned and unpredictable events that raising children will bring into your life. Knowing and understanding God helps you to recognize and accept each child's unique capabilities or disabilities. This book will empower you to train, guide, discipline, and respond in loving, godly, and effective ways. The goal is to take your child from total dependence to a level of independence that will enable them to live successfully in dependence and faith in God and the Word of God. You will find your confidence as a parent growing as you read her book. Hopefully, her passion will become your passion-that you become a parent that doesn't react, but acts in a godly and informed way as you bring up your child in the grace and knowledge of the Lord."- Rebecca Lutzer, author of ABC Bible Verses for Little Ones, Awesome Bible Verses Every Kid Should Know and Pastor's Wife to Erwin Lutzer"This book is gold! Elizabeth Smith's commitment to sound theology and expertise in human development and counseling makes this book inspiring, challenging, and incredibly practical. This will be an invaluable resource to the families I serve across Central and Eastern Europe!" - Claire Patty"Elizabeth Smith's writing is a true gift to parents, grandparents, educators....anyone hoping to make a purposeful impact for Christ on the next generation. Practical, personal, theological, research-oriented...I wish I'd had this text as I began my parenting journey." - Dr. Mary Martin, Chair Education and Counseling Division, Moody Bible Institute

OVER 500,000 SOLD IN THE PRAYING THE SCRIPTURES SERIES As parents of adult children, we often worry about whether our children will make good choices when they're on their own. Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children provides you with biblically based prayers and encouraging stories to guide you as you pray for your adult children through anything they face. Parent and author Jodie Berndt understands what it's like to release children into the world and still care deeply about them and everything they're up against in life. In Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children, Jodie shares prayers designed with your adult children in mind, whether they're just leaving the nest, flying well on their own, or struggling to take off at all. Jodie shares advice on navigating all aspects of adulthood with encouraging stories from experienced parents who are praying their children through real-life issues like leaving the church, struggling with health concerns, navigating broken marriages, fighting addiction, dealing with financial problems, and more. In Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children, Jodie addresses some of the most difficult questions that confront parents: How can I support my children when they make decisions I disagree with? Is it too late to start praying for my children? What does the Bible teach us about praying for our children? With the grace and wisdom of someone who's been there, Jodie shares the tools and encouragement you need to find the strength to keep praying, even as you doubt yourself and grieve over your children's choices. Whatever you're praying for, Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children will help you find confidence and peace taken straight from Scripture, guiding you to the bedrock of God's promises as you release your children to God's shepherding care.

For many people, remaining optimistic and feeling positive about themselves and their lives is a constant battle—especially when circumstances are difficult and life is hard. For others, negativity is something that only sneaks up from time to time, yet still wreaks havoc in their hearts. Regardless of the root causes, once pessimistic thoughts permeate our minds, our feelings and emotions begin to control us instead of us controlling them. Eventually it doesn’t seem possible to stay positive, happy, and full of joy, and negative thought patterns shake our faith, causing us to sink emotionally, mentally, and spiritually over time. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Despite what storms roll in, hearts anchored in God don’t sink. When we change the way we think, we can change the way we feel and live, even if our circumstances remain the same. Intentionally embracing the opportunity to experience a transformed heart and a renewed mind opens the door for a changed life, because a positive mind will always lead to a more positive life. In Unsinkable Faith, author and Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker Tracie Miles offers hope for women who struggle with negativity. Each chapter explores Tracie’s and other women’s personal stories, showing how they rose above their circumstances by transforming and renewing their minds. Unsinkable Faith is a breath of fresh air for anyone longing for a heart full of joy, an unbreakable smile, and a new, more optimistic perspective on life. This book will equip you to: Replace pessimism with positive thinking by becoming the captain of your thoughts; Learn how true joy and happiness are based on choice, not circumstances; Overcome unhealthy habits of negative thinking by intentionally implementing three easy mind-renewing steps; Stop feeling hopeless and pitiful, and start feeling hope-filled and powerful instead; and Discover that when you change the way you think, you change the way feel, and in turn you can change your life completely.

God has more for us than what we are experiencing. We have all limited God in our lives at some point in one way or another. Fear of success, fear of persecution and imaginations are all ways that we limit God. We often see ourselves in a certain way but we have to change that image if we want to experience the abundant life that God has for...

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.

You Can Break the Chains Holding You Captive Harmful habits, negative thinking, and irrational feelings can all lead to sinful behavior and keep you in bondage. If you feel trapped by any of these strongholds in your life, know that you are not alone—you can break free. Neil Anderson has brought hope to countless thousands facing similar spiritual attacks. In this significantly revised and updated edition of this popular bestselling book, he offers a holistic approach to spiritual warfare that is rooted in the Word of God. As you read stories of others who have been locked in spiritual battles, you will learn the underlying whys and hows behind these attacks and discover the truths that sets people free in Jesus. You don’t have to live as if you are in chains. Break through your spiritual battles, and find freedom in Christ with The Bondage Breaker.

Do you long for something more in your relationship with God? The good news is that “something more” does not mean “doing more.” God is not waiting for you to get your spiritual life “right.” He wants to be with you right where you are. The real question is not “What does God want from you?” but “What does God want for you?” Sharon Jaynes understands what it’s like to have a “glory ache”—a longing to experience God’s presence on a daily basis. She also knows how easily working for God can get in the way of intimacy with God. And she’s discovered that we tend to make our faith journey much too hard. In A Sudden Glory, Sharon uses Scripture and story to help you erase the line between your “spiritual life” and your “daily life” as you enter the sanctuary of God’s presence even in the middle of your busy, messy day. Here you will find your eyes opened to moments of sudden glory in which the Creator assures you of His love as you live and move and have your being in Him. Here you will discover true freedom—the freedom of experiencing God in a deeper and more intimate way than ever before. Includes Bible study and discussion guide.

In Love Life Again, Tracie reminds readers they each get only one life to live and inspires them not to take it for granted. Through compelling personal stories and powerful insights from Scripture, she helps women identify the stumbling blocks to their joy and offers tools and insights to take back control of their happiness. Every chapter ends with a practical call to action to motivate readers to begin loving their lives again. She also offers reflection questions, prayers, and creative ideas to help readers smile. Love Life Again helps readers learn how to live the abundant lives Jesus died for them to have, despite the circumstances they may face.

Maybe you’re a bride-to-be who is about to gain a mother-in-law. Or perhaps you’re a mother-of-the-groom who is about to gain a daughter-in-law. Or maybe you’ve been in an in-law relationship for decades, one that’s been struggling in painful tension for years. No matter your age or stage, every daughter-in-law and mother-in-law needs help navigating their relationship sometimes. Whether the struggle is one of feeling unseen, unheard, or unvalued, authors and in-laws Barbara and Stacy Reaoch have been there, and as they’ve put the Bible’s wisdom to practice over the years, they’ve found that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law really can thrive in the midst of difficulty. In this biblical, practical, and heartfelt book, Barbara and Stacy Reaoch share from their own 20 years of forming a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law bond. As you walk alongside them in their own journey and lessons learned, prepare to be encouraged and equipped in these areas: Expectations Conflict Suffering Communication Parenting And more With the Bible as your foundation and this book as a helpful companion in the journey, take heart: a healthier relationship with your mother-in-law or daughter-in-law is closer than you think!

Describes the first 1,000 years of Christian history, from the early practices and beliefs through the conversion of Constantine as well as documenting its growth to communities in Ethiopia, Armenia, Central Asia, India and China.