We live in unsettling, challenging times. Everywhere we look, we see giant problems: giant obstacles to sharing faith, giant barriers to peaceful lives, giant strongholds of fear. But what if you knew eight small secrets to unlocking a strength big enough to overcome whatever obstacle life may bring? Using allegory and a bit of humor, Jesus and the Beanstalk explores a passage in 2 Peter 1 to uncover eight truths that will help you unleash a larger-than-life faith: · Faith · Goodness · Knowledge · Self-control · Perseverance · Godliness · Affection for others · Love In this creative, refreshing perspective on spiritual growth, you will discover an unyielding strength when you tap the power of a God who is stronger than any beanstalk and bigger than your biggest giants. PRAISE FOR JESUS AND THE BEANSTALK: “Jesus and the Beanstalk is crafted to touch mind, heart, and soul. It has no lesser goal than to remind all believers that they are giant killers. In an age when there are many new and frightening affronts to people of faith there is no better time to be reminded that giants can be felled by faith and determination.” ~ Alton Gansky, Award winning author of over 35 books "Lori Stanley Roeleveld has given us new spiritual and practical motivation for increasing our ministry effectiveness. This book is refreshing and relevant to daily life. Lori weaves creative, practical and powerful possibilities for us, as disciples to live out our faith through sharing Christ in encouraging ways." ~ Rev. Jim W. Hollis

Sweet rhymes and bright fun illustrations bring the meaning of the candy cane to life for little ones at holiday time. Everyone loves a candy cane, but it’s easy to overlook the meaning of this familiar Christmas tradition in all the hustle and bustle of the season. This sweet story in J Is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told reminds little ones that the candy cane represents Jesus’ birth as well as the gospel message of salvation. J Is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told Written in accessible rhyme Story spans the birth of Jesus as well as touches on the Salvation Story Perfect Christmas gift for children preschool and up

Everyone loves to receive a gift. And God has given us many, such as his grace—the gift we don’t deserve and can never earn. Promises from the One who declares we are already loved, already accepted, already created in his image. The question becomes, will we truly receive that gift? Will the reality of it actually change the way we think and notice and reach out? God’s Word will stand forever, in any season of life. These truths prompt us to respond with compassion and courage. Through inspiring devotions, Lucinda Secrest McDowell reveals biblical blessings that remind us that: God’s promises give us strength, God’s grace can be most evident at our weakest points, a proper response to our abundance of blessings is simply gratitude, and the “more” we are all looking for is the same abundant life that Jesus came to give us. Would you like to receive these gifts of ordinary grace? Join Lucinda in focusing on one word a day through devotional readings and short benedictions for any and every season to explore the many facets of Grace, Strength, Gratitude, and Life. Ordinary Graces is filled with sweet surprises. Lucinda Secret McDowell presents her readers with one powerful word gift a day. She skillfully defines it within a biblical context, and then challenges us to take an action step. This devotional will transform the way you live each day. I highly recommend it! —Carol Kent, speaker and author He Holds My Hand Author Lucinda Secrest McDowell has given us an extraordinary book with her newest release, Ordinary Graces, Word Gifts for Any Season. Although this wonderful resource is one you'll always want close at hand, it's also one that you'll find yourself sharing with those you meet who need encouragement and hope. McDowell is an author you'll turn to again and again when you're looking to connect with our Heavenly Father in a deeper, more intimate way. Truly a book that is a gift to us all. —Edie Melson, Award Winning Author, Blogger, and Speaker Lucinda always brings me to a place closer to God, deeper in the Word, happier in relationships and more joyful in life with Ordinary Graces. —Pam Farrel, author of 45 books including Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti and 7 Simple Skills for Every Woman Whether read one day at a time or in a season of refreshing, Ordinary Graces by Lucinda Secrest McDowell offers focused reflection on key, attitude-altering words. McDowell's interweaving of quotes from other thoughtful considerers adds even more depth to the beautifully expressed ponderings. —Cynthia Ruchti, author Mornings With Jesus and As My Parents Age Little did Lucinda Secrest McDowell know that my ‘life verse’ is John 1:16: ‘For of His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.’ In Ordinary Graces, Lucinda has conveyed the strategic importance of looking for and finding God's grace in our everyday lives. His grace does transform our lives. Gently. Tenderly. Wonderfully. The words she has chosen are exquisitely real and important to my life—and yours. Indulge in the grace-filled truth she is sharing. Take it for yourself. —Ruth Graham, author In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart What a delight to slow down for a few minutes of quiet with this beautifully written devotional, Ordinary Graces. In a world of hurry, Lucinda's words remind us there is grace and strength available if we will just stop to receive. Each day's reading will speak to you from Scripture and change your life for the better. —Arlene Pellicane, author of Calm, Cool, and Connected: 5 Digital Habits for a More Balanced Life In the beginning was the Word ... and there were words ... and they all had meaning and they were good for the spirit of man. And then Lucinda Secrest McDowell came along and took ordinary words and ushered in ordinary graces. These are the words you'd expect in a book such as this, words like gift and life. But there are also words one doesn't expect, words like broken and anger. And perhaps my favorite word of all, sleep. In Ordinary Graces, Lucinda gives us a glimpse of the ordinary to the extraordinary, highlights of her heart, and moments within the heart of God. Close enough to hear His heartbeat. —Eva Marie Everson, CBA Bestselling Author, President, Word Weavers International Ordinary Graces is the sort of book I can return to again and again for wise and gracious words that encourage, challenge, inspire, and comfort. A feast for the soul. —Sharon Garlough Brown, author Sensible Shoes novel series When I buy a devotional, I want to know that I’m getting profound insights that are theologically grounded, yet relatable to my everyday, ordinary life. That’s exactly what Lucinda Secret McDowell offers in Ordinary Graces. I wanted to underline something in every paragraph, and I found myself reflecting on her words when I went about my day as a mom and a wife. This beautiful devotional will minister to your heart and lead you straight to the source of all grace: Jesus. —Jennifer Dukes Lee, author of The Happiness Dare and Love Idol Ordinary Graces is a short excellent daily devotional, with a Scripture verse and then practical ways on how to put the presence of God in the forefront of our day. Each one is named with a word we use in our everyday lives which Cindy knows how to capture in an excellent illustration. She writes beautifully and succinctly of the things we need to hear, usually with some humor and sharing a fascinating story from her own or a friend's life. At the end of each day's devotion, she writes a short intimate message from God to us, always aligned with the truths of Scripture. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to grow in knowing God. —Valerie Elliot Shepard

Wow! What an amazing story. And the most amazing part is that it is all true. God is alive and well today, and this true-life story illustrates how a little girls simple faith produced a modern-day miracle. -Andrew Wommack, Founder & President Andrew Wommack Ministries & Charis Bible College This true story tells how the faith of a child resulted in the miraculous! Youve heard the fairytale of Jack and the beanstalk, but have you heard the true story of Hannah and the beanstalk? You see, sometimes fairy tales do come trueespecially when you add unwavering confidence in God and His Word! In Hannah and the Beanstalk, Carlie Terradez teaches children to use their faith even in the face of adversity. With whimsical and charming illustrations from Butch Hartmanwell-known animator and illustratorchildren and grown-ups alike will love reading about Hannahs miracle over and over again. This true-to-life account will inspire children, ages 3-8, to find their voice and speak their faith because all things are possible to those (even little people) who believe.

On a 2001 trip to the cathedrals of Europe, anthropologist John Rush and his wife entered St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and encountered a mosaic depicting Jesus surrounded by mushrooms with an Amanita muscaria cap in his hand. Examining the space with new eyes, they discovered images of mushrooms and mind-altering plants all over the Basilica. Intrigued, Dr. Rush spent seven years researching and reflecting on the profound effects hallucinogens had on the founding of all three major Western religions. He concluded that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are political constructions evolving out of the use of not only Amanita muscaria, but a plethora of mind-altering substances.Failed God: Fractured Myth in a Fragile World re-examines the scriptural stories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as told in the Bible and Qur’an and reveals them as “concocted mythical charters stemming from drug-induced romps with the super-natural.” Rush shows how mind-altering substances played an instrumental role in the birth and development of Western religions and explains how they contributed to reports of “prophetic” experiences, including angry and disturbing messages from the divine. With chapters on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Rush fully addresses the effects of mind-altering substances on each tradition, convincingly discrediting the idea that they stem from actual human interaction with the divine. He also shows how an intoxicated and over-zealous Apostle Paul corrupted Jesus’s simple message of human decency, forming an oppressive religious system based on fear. In a thought-provoking conclusion, Rush asks how we can continue to attribute authority to traditions that were so clearly irrationally founded and incompatible with today’s world.

You'll be doing all the work. You'll be picking apart plots, analyzing characters, exploring the setting of biblical narratives, and engaging with narrative levels and reader response theory. And you'll be doing all the work. This is a book about you, the reader. Drawing on narrative theory, this book places readers in the way of the story, reading biblical narrative through fresh eyes. Using entertaining explanations of literary theory, it liberates readers to read their own chosen Bible stories with a fresh understanding of how narratives work. Practical activities will inspire the reader to develop their own understanding of stories and, in doing so, this book tackles hallowed and authoritarian interpretations that can sometimes get in the way of the story. This is a book of clear explanation and practical application.

As a dachshund, Clementine sees the world from an entirely different viewpoint, one that's much closer to the ground and allows her to scamper by undetected. Join this sassy wiener dog as she retells classic fairy tales from her low-riding perspective. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Looking Glass Library is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

Shows two illustrators going through all the steps involved in creating new picture books of "Jack and the Beanstalk, " including layout, scale, and point-of-view.