Sometimes, the beliefs about God we take for granted need to be left behind. As a young adult, a conflict with her parents forced Eunice Lee to confront and choose between two incompatible beliefs. On the one hand, obedience to God had always been synonymous with obedience to her parents. But on the other, God’s authority was supreme, and now she felt God guiding her to act contrary to her parents’ wishes. This collision left Eunice confused, depressed, and questioning what she knew about God. She fell into toxic, exhausting cycles while serving in the church, unable to understand why doing everything “right” left her depleted and guilt-ridden. Where was the abundant life God had promised? Little did she know how much her paradigm for faithful Christian living came from influences inconsistent with the voice of God—even within the church! Slowly, eventually, God led Eunice toward a more robust theology. She deconstructed faulty old narratives and built new ones that propelled her toward a healthier self, more balanced relationships, and a freeing faith—one more closely aligned with God’s intentions. Eunice offers her story because she believes that God wants this for you too.

How that by revelation God made known unto me the mystery, which I am making known by my few words, by which when you read you may have my understanding in the mystery of Christ." So Paul writes in the early verses of Ephesians 3, where he invites the reader into the revelations of the glorified Christ. The powerful life of God which raised, promoted and glorified the Christ makes our every day new as He reveals the spirit of His beloved son within our hearts day by glorious day. My desire is that the powerful truth of the mystery of Christ become a living reality, written in your hearts by the spirit of the living God, to the end that its truth speaks more loudly than the need for any fleshly attempt or endeavor. My desire is that you know that you know Christ, and that the course of your life becomes firmly set in the single pursuit of "reaching forth unto those things which are before" as you "press toward the mark for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Stop kicking yourself for your wrongs. Stop letting your failures define you. Stop trying to be "good enough for God" in your own strength. God's plan for you is higher, kinder, and fuller than anything you can imagine.Through 48 daily reflections, Christ in Me celebrates God's deep desire and His amazing plan for all who believe in His Son-transformation from the inside out. Jesus lives in us, and it is He who proclaims who we are. When we entrust ourselves to His care, we experience fullness of life in Him, even as we grow in His character. And, in faith, we rejoice in the presence of God, for we are as welcome there as the sinless Savior who made us His own. Paul Nordman held several executive leadership positions in the property-casualty insurance industry before retiring from a thirty-five-year career. He serves on the advisory board of The Salvation Army Columbus Area Services and is an active volunteer in Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc. Paul and his wife, Peggy, live in Columbus, Ohio, as do their son, Matthew, daughter-in-law, Gwen, and granddaughter, Abigail.Visit Paul Nordman's website at: http: //paulnordman.comRead Paul Nordman's weekly blog at: http: //paulnordman.com/blog/"

Being a pastor is a complicated calling. Pastors are often pulled in multiple directions and must "become all things to all people" (1 Cor. 9:22). What does the New Testament say (or not say) about the pastoral calling? And what can we learn about it from the apostle Paul? According to popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight, pastoring must begin first and foremost with spiritual formation, which plays a vital role in the life and ministry of the pastor. As leaders, pastors both create and nurture culture in a church. The biblical vision for that culture is Christoformity, or Christlikeness. Grounding pastoral ministry in the pastoral praxis of the apostle Paul, McKnight shows that nurturing Christoformity was at the heart of the Pauline mission. The pastor's central calling, then, is to mediate Christ in everything. McKnight explores seven dimensions that illustrate this concept--friendship, siblings, generosity, storytelling, witness, subverting the world, and wisdom--as he calls pastors to be conformed to Christ and to nurture a culture of Christoformity in their churches.

Many Christian counselors and pastors want to bring Christ's Gospel and forgiveness into their soul care, but don't know how. Luther's very Christ-centered theology, based in his desire for care of souls, can provide us with that foundation. Various techniques flowing from that foundation are shared. "Martin Luther formulated his proclamation of the message of Scripture for his contemporaries between the poles of God's voice in the pages of the Bible and the needs and afflictions of his hearers and readers. Marrs brings twenty-first century readers into that exchange and demonstrates how Luther's insights into the gospel of Jesus Christ help bring healing and comfort to those struggling with guilt, shame, fear, loneliness, and other spiritual afflictions in our day. This volume provides those who are engaged in conversation with the troubled and distressed rich resources for fostering peace and joy in the midst of such trouble and distress." Robert Kolb, PhD, professor of systematic theology emeritus, Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis USA "If all good theology is pastoral in its orientation, then this groundbreaking, practical, biblical study is well worth careful consideration by any pastor or Christian counsellor. In it Marrs engages in a conversation with the teaching of Luther as a Christ-centered pastoral theologian and the practical insights of psychologists on the personal care of their clients, with a special emphasis on Luther's insistence on the need to distinguish between law and gospel in the proper application of God's gracious word with the delivery of soul care to God's people." John W. Kleinig, PhD Professor Emeritus, Australian Lutheran College University of Divinity, Adelaide, South Australia

Christ promised his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came on them, and that they would be his witnesses across the world. When the Spirit did come to them in tongues of fire, thousands believed in Christ and were saved. That same miracle, that same Spirit, is alive in us today.so why are all of us-from the evangelical to the charismatic-so desperate for an intimate encounter with God? Why don't we feel like the new creations we know we are? Pastor and theologian Simon Ponsonby believes that the hunger we feel is a desire for more of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Many Christins have emphasized the experience of the Spirit and neglected the Word, while others have emphasized the Word and neglected the Spirit. Either way, we've become so accustomed to living in the shallow waters of Christianity that we've forgotten the depth of that promised power, and the depth of the love that gave this power to us. In More, Simon invites you to journey with him into the deep waters of God's love. While both biblical and practical, what he says also has the power to inspire in you a new love and a new understanding of everything we've been given in Christ. Are you ready? This journey may not be comfortable or easy, but it will bring you more joy and more of God than you can even imagine.

Whether our notions of ‘god’ are personal projections or inherited traditions, author and theologian Brad Jersak proposes a radical reassessment, arguing for A More Christlike God: a More Beautiful Gospel. If Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of God’s likeness,” what if we conceived of God as completely Christlike—the perfect Incarnation of self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering love? What if God has always been and forever will be ‘cruciform’ (cross-shaped) in his character and actions? A More Christlike God suggests that such a God would be very good news indeed—a God who Jesus “unwrathed” from dead religion, a Love that is always toward us, and a Grace that pours into this suffering world through willing, human partners.

Designed for More calls every Christian to consider how, through collective movement, they can bring about Christ's daring vision for unity in the Church to impact the world like never before. Our world is divided and fragmented. Even among followers of Christ, God's great story of reconciliation has been crippled because the messengers of that story are unreconciled. But God designed us for so much more. Thankfully, He has hidden incredible lessons in nature to help solve complex human problems. Designed for More draws groundbreaking implications for how to achieve unity and collective movement through new research on a jaw-dropping phenomenon of flocking starlings known as a murmuration. This marvel is one of nature's most spectacular sights: Imagine hundreds of thousands of birds in motion, caressing the sky like a brush on canvas. It is a beautiful madness that is completely ordered. Join authors Lucas Ramirez and Mike DeVito as they unveil the power of the murmuration principles in order to inspire unity in individuals and the Church as a whole. Birds first taught us to fly, and now they will teach us to unify!

Jesus Calling® Bible stories with Jesus Calling devotions are now available for toddlers! Jesus Calling My First Bible Storybook includes simple Bible stories accompanied by short messages of Jesus’ love for children. Delightful art makes this a perfect companion to Jesus Calling for Little Ones. You already know and love the Jesus Calling® brand, and the new Jesus Calling My First Bible Storybook is the perfect way to introduce your littlest ones to the Bible and to Jesus and His love. You and your family will enjoy this Bible storybook night after night.