Eleven profound prayers teach you the essence of faith and petition. If you're like many believers, you long to pray better, to shake off your dullness of spirit and encounter God more intimately. You want to pray with the courage of Abraham, to beseech God with the courage Moses, but.... There are many examples in the Bible of men and women who prayed fervent, effective prayers that God answered. That's the question: What kinds of prayers does God answer? What kind of faith does God respond to? This book examines in considerable depth eleven amazing prayers. Some are short, others lengthy, but each has something important to teach us. You'll study key prayers of Jesus, Paul, Moses, Abraham, David, Hezekiah, Daniel, and Nehemiah. The aim of this study is to help you develop in prayer, increase your faith, and move you into a new plane of communication with your Father in heaven. However, this is not a course in learning to manipulate God to get your way. It is a study of who God is and how He responds to his children's petitions. Thus it will help you adopt His own heart as you petition your Father. As you model your prayers and your faith after the exemplars put before you in God's holy Word, you'll gradually learn to take your place as one of Jesus' disciples whose prayers move heaven and earth. The book contains 11 lessons that can be used for personal enrichment and by small groups and classes. Preachers and teachers will also find a lot of their word study research done for them, with a number of illustrations and insights for lessons and sermons.

Over 3 million copies sold! Essential reading for Catholics of all walks of life. Here it is - the first new Catechism of the Catholic Church in more than 400 years, a complete summary of what Catholics around the world commonly believe. The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. The word catechism means "instruction" - this book will serve as the standard for all future catechisms. Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a positive, coherent and contemporary map for our spiritual journey toward transformation.

Normal? Who's normal? Not you, that's for sure! No one you've ever met, either. None of us are normal according to God's definition, and the closer we get to each other, the plainer that becomes. Yet for all our quirks, sins, and jagged edges, we need each other. Community is more than just a word--it is one of our most fundamental requirements. So how do flawed, abnormal people such as ourselves master the forces that can drive us apart and come together in the life-changing relationships God designed us for? In Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them, teacher and bestselling author John Ortberg zooms in on the things that make community tick. You'll get a thought-provoking look at God's heart, at others, and at yourself. Even better, you'll gain wisdom and tools for drawing closer to others in powerful, impactful ways. With humor, insight, and a gift for storytelling, Ortberg shows how community pays tremendous dividends in happiness, health, support, and growth. It's where all of us weird, unwieldy people encounter God's love in tangible ways and discover the transforming power of being loved, accepted, and valued just the way we are.