As the pandemic was raging in 2021 and wreaking emotional havoc on many people, the author was inspired to start writing a practical self-help book on emotional intelligence. He posted a picture of himself on Facebook with a wall of beautiful flowers behind him. The caption was a quote from singer John Denver, “sunshine on my shoulders keeps me happy.” It received nearly 400 likes/loves. There is a deep yearning for happiness. He then invited his Facebook friends to help him draft the book. This book is the product of three months of intense and exciting co-creation among twenty people. They helped by commenting, drafting paragraphs or chapters, editing, contributing their photographs, contributing their stories and experiences, planning social media marketing, and helping with the book launching on 14 February 2022. They felt a Guiding Hand and a Purpose behind them. The co-creators of this handbook hope that you, dear readers, will feel it too.

The first book of its kind, Hearts and Minds is a scathing response to the grand narrative of U.S. counterinsurgency, in which warfare is defined not by military might alone but by winning the "hearts and minds" of civilians. Dormant as a tactic since the days of the Vietnam War, in 2006 the U.S. Army drafted a new field manual heralding the resurrection of counterinsurgency as a primary military engagement strategy; counterinsurgency campaigns followed in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite the fact that counterinsurgency had utterly failed to account for the actual lived experiences of the people whose hearts and minds America had sought to win. Drawing on leading thinkers in the field and using key examples from Malaya, the Philippines, Vietnam, El Salvador, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Hearts and Minds brings a long-overdue focus on the many civilians caught up in these conflicts. Both urgent and timely, this important book challenges the idea of a neat divide between insurgents and the populations from which they emerge—and should be required reading for anyone engaged in the most important contemporary debates over U.S. military policy.

Mammals raising their young evolved brains hardwired for emotional relationships. Around this mammalian core, humans evolved a new, larger brain for abstract thinking. Too often our abstract thinking gets in the way of emotionally connecting with other people. Hearts and Minds shows you how to improve your relationships by integrating these different brain systems. Plus, you'll find: The best places to meet single men and women (page 93). How young men and women fall in love with mirrors of themselves (page 74), when mature men and women love their real partners, including accepting their faults (page 83). How switching gender roles moves dating into a committed relationship (page 139). How to use conflicts to strengthen a relationship (page 146).

Centered on a series of letters written for friends and loved ones, Justin McRoberts' CMYK is an invitation to see the process of faith and life lived among particular people. "The gift of this CMYK Project is that it brings the rare combination of Biblical faith and raw life together. Any who have known Justin McRoberts would be surprised if it did not do so, of course. The blend is Justin's life and vocation. It has been evident in his music and leadership for many years. But here it is exposed vividly. So are many relationships and the quest for community through life over time. What we are given is an invitation to join Justin in an unfinished, honest, empathic, hurting story of hope. That is why the story must be told in many dimensions: the letters, the lyrics and music, the visual art, the interviews. This is not an invitation into a cartoon encounter with God, nor with each other. It is a multi-dimensional, littered, vivid, living story of being human, seeking God and neighbor. The reason this invitation can be offered at all is not that Justin is remarkable and eccentric (which he is). The reason is that the God Justin testifies to in Jesus Christ has made human beings for this courageous, awkward journey, where the fully divine and the truly human meet. This is life's most breath-taking possibility, and as Justin so movingly illustrates, we may find it is like laying hold of the third rail. No one should find it comfortable." -Mark Labberton, Author of “The Dangerous Act Of Loving Your Neighbor”

MORE THAN 500,000 COPIES SOLD! Are your thoughts out of control--just like your life? Do you long to break free from the spiral of destructive thinking? Let God's truth become your battle plan to win the war in your mind! We've all tried to think our way out of bad habits and unhealthy thought patterns, only to find ourselves stuck with an out-of-control mind and off-track daily life. Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel understands deeply this daily battle against self-doubt and negative thinking, and in this powerful new book he reveals the strategies he's discovered to change your mind and your life for the long-term. Drawing upon Scripture and the latest findings of brain science, Groeschel lays out practical strategies that will free you from the grip of harmful, destructive thinking and enable you to live the life of joy and peace that God intends you to live. Winning the War in Your Mind will help you: Learn how your brain works and see how to rewire it Identify the lies your enemy wants you to believe Recognize and short-circuit your mental triggers for destructive thinking See how prayer and praise will transform your mind Develop practices that allow God's thoughts to become your thoughts God has something better for your life than your old ways of thinking. It's time to change your mind so God can change your life.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” — 1 John 2:15 Those who struggle with habitual sin are keenly aware of the despair and fatigue that comes from trying harder and harder to control the desire to do what is wrong in the eyes of God. For this person, there be times of limited success in overcoming sin, but eventually he/she falls back again into unhealthy patterns. In "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection", Thomas Chalmers argues that no matter how hard we may try, we’ll never overcome habitual sin in our lives unless we switch our affections from the world to Jesus Christ. Thankfully Christ loved us first and is more than willing to set us free if we’d only realize the true Gospel power that we can all have in our lives today.

Parenting is about more than molding the behavior of our kids. It's about influencing a child's heart and mind. Hearts and Minds shows parents the most effective way to influence a child's heart. This book applies the principles of Christian worldview in How Now Shall We Live to the process of raising children. It deals with issues like educational choices, how to handle the teaching of non-Christian worldview in secular schools, and how Christian worldview informs parenting choices.

New York Times bestselling author of The Prodigal Prophet Timothy Keller shows how God calls on each of us to express meaning and purpose through our work and careers. “A touchstone of the [new evangelical] movement.” —The New York Times Tim Keller, pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and the New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God, has taught and counseled students, young professionals, and senior leaders on the subject of work and calling for more than twenty years. Now he pulls his insights into a thoughtful and practical book for readers everywhere. With deep conviction and often surprising advice, Keller shows readers that biblical wisdom is immensely relevant to our questions about work today. In fact, the Christian view of work—that we work to serve others, not ourselves—can provide the foundation of a thriving professional and balanced personal life. Keller shows how excellence, integrity, discipline, creativity, and passion in the workplace can help others and even be considered acts of worship—not just of self-interest.

A wide variety of writing from talented writers from franklinton and McConnell writing groups

“Here is a book to be welcomed enthusiastically, to be read carefully, and to be returned to frequently.” –Sinclair B. Ferguson In our world, we use the word heart to refer to our emotions. But the Bible uses the word heart to refer to the governing center of life. We need to grasp the true meaning of the heart in order to better understand ourselves, our sin, and our need for redemption. As we rediscover the heart as the source of all our thoughts, fears, words, and actions, we will discover principles and practices for orienting our hearts to truly love and obey God with all that we are.