Showing results by narrator "Mark Smeby" in All Categories

Like the first-century Pharisees, we've reduced Christianity to a set of propositional beliefs. Truth is, we've gotten away from what it really means to be a Christian. In The Jesus of Suburbia, Mike Erre reveals that we've created a Jesus in our own image. In a fresh, startling manner, Erre...

The search for wisdom invariably leads us back to the places we've overlooked. If you're seeking simplicity in a complicated world, Mark DeMoss' insights will illuminate your path to a wiser and more deliberate way of living. Exploring the notions of integrity, humility, and self-restraint...

"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened." ?Donald Miller In Donald Miller's early years, he was vaguely familiar with a distant God. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he pursued...

Authors William Baker and Michael O’Malley teach you that--far from popular media portrayals of corporate callousness--kindness has a very distinct and essential place in the office. Without presenting a naive idea of kindness, this eye-opening book identifies the surprising attributes...

From the influential and ever-growing movement "I Am Second" comes a remarkable collection of well-known lives transformed from restless to happy by the power of God. When I Am Second launched in 2008, the organization meant simply to tell stories of people whose lives changed utterly when they...

Is heaven real? What is it really like? Award-winning author Lee Strobel tracked down the evidence and provides answers to the questions middle school children 8-12 ask about both heaven and hell in this young reader's edition of The Case for Heaven that is perfect for teaching your child about...

Two-and-a-half centuries after his death, the complex life of composer Johann Sebastian Bach continues to fascinate. Bach's colorful life was anchored in his belief that "music has been ordered by God's Spirit"?so much so that he began each composition by scrawling Jesu, juva (Jesus, help me) at...

What if the world's view of success is God's definition of failure? What if your beliefs about marriage, children, career, or money aren't based on God's values, but on those of a broken culture? When Dale Partridge's outwardly perfect life, marriage, and family were crumbling on the inside, he...

Between Heaven & Hollywood is David’s inspirational journey from the wheat fields of his Mennonite home outside of Dodge City Kansas, to the bright lights of Los Angeles. This story of perseverance will assure you that your dreams aren’t frivolous. They might be the most important part of...

The incredible story of a lead singer's rise to fame and his crushing fall when he lost his singing voice, his career, and his marriage--and then found a new calling more in tune with God than he ever thought possible. Mark Stuart was the front man of popular Christian rock band, Audio...

Co-founder of the Outcry Worship Tour, Ryan Romeo, empowers you to live well in the present as you dream well about the future in this practical guide to doing the impossible. When it comes to pursuing our dreams, Ryan Romeo is convinced of two things. First, God knows where you come from. He...

Imagine what our world might look like if Christians became known for remarkable love, as well as life-giving truth. The stakes are high and the need is great for Christians to represent Jesus to a watching world. And today, we have more influence than ever before--for better and for worse. We...

Find the freedom from regret, hurt, and fear that God wants for you while discovering joy, relief, and hope as you become the beautiful human he created you to be. We all carry regret, hurt, and fear. These are burdens that weigh us down and make us feel trapped. In twenty-five years of pastoral...

Why is there suffering? Doesn't science disprove miracles? What about hell--and the millions who've never heard of Jesus? Is heaven for real? Lee Strobel decided to use his award-winning journalistic skills to investigate the idea of faith and prove that placing our trust in things we cannot see...

This book is about surrendering to life as it is, all of our out-of-control circumstances, challenging relationships, wavering faith, fluctuating self-image - and finding the awesomeness in it all, rather than being frustrated that things aren’t the way we think they should be. Resting in the mess. My hope is that this book will help you say farewell to fear, insecurity, ego-driven decision making, self-pity, and regret. After we’ve thrown those ugly bits away, let’s aim for the warm pools of joy and peace; they include greater acceptance of ourselves, others, and maybe even God.

Discerning how to manage our finances faithfully and wisely in a culture obsessed with money can often feel overwhelming. Everywhere we turn, we're pulled in competing directions—by the pressures of social media, constant advertising, endless credit card offers, anxiety-provoking financial headlines, and the ever-present message that we should "live for today." With so many loud voices shaping how we view spending, saving, and success, it's no wonder many people feel confused about how to make decisions that honor God with their resources. So what's a person to do?

We've all had "aha!" moments in our lives, times when a sudden revelation surprises us with insight. According to pastor and bestselling author Kyle Idleman, we can experience this same kind of "aha!" in our spiritual lives. With everyday examples and trademark testimonies, Idleman draws on Scripture to reveal how three key elements can draw us closer to God and change our lives for good.

What if you could close the "joy gap," that distance between how you feel now and the way you wish you felt? In The Joy Challenge, pastor and bestselling author Randy Frazee shares the secret to experiencing real, lasting joy--and stepping into a life of contentment and purpose. If this sounds...

Grasp God’s Word in sixty-six easy verses The Bible can seem like a big, intimidating book—mysterious, archaic, and often hard to understand. Written over a span of fifteen hundred years, and completed nearly two millennia ago, God’s Word sometimes feels like a mishmash of stories and...

God Wants to Help You Overcome Your Greatest Battle of All What we think and believe determines who we are. If that’s so, then why are we so insecure, defensive, lonely, empty, fearful, depressed, self-absorbed, dysfunctional, angry and confused? We are a mess. But that’s not what God has in...