Religious aspects of sexuality, gender and relationships Books

Book SynopsisIf God means for us to save sex for marriage, why doesn't he just zap us with sexuality on our wedding night? Why do most of us experience sexual feelings throughout our adult lives, not just in the safe confines of marriage? Is limiting marriage to the union of a man and a woman anything but outdated prejudice? What is our sexuality actually for? Today's culture overwhelmingly tells us that sex is essential for human flourishing. Far too often the church perpetuates the same message - as long as you are married. But far from being liberating, this idolising of sex leaves us even more sexually broken than before. With refreshing honesty and clarity, Ed Shaw calls on the church to rediscover its confidence in the Bible's teaching about our ability to experience or express sexual feelings. He points us to how God's word reveals that sexuality's ultimate purpose is to help us better know God and the full power of his passionate love. He shows us how this is surprisingly good news for all our joys and struggles with sexuality.Trade ReviewCompassionate, hopeful and biblical. This is a must-read for all Christians, and a great help as we navigate the vital issues around sexuality. -- Gavin Calver * CEO, Evangelical Alliance UK *A short, clear and often profound book on one of our generation’s most pressing subjects. Ed Shaw has served us superbly with Purposeful Sexuality. -- Andrew Wilson * Teaching Pastor, King's Church London *This wise, sensitive book has a great deal to offer all of us as we attend to the desires, questions and struggles arising from our nature as sexual beings. Its contemporary frame of reference, combined with careful reading of relevant biblical texts, makes it all the more valuable. -- Julian Hardyman * Senior Pastor, Eden Baptist Church Cambridge, author of Jesus Lover of My Soul: Fresh Pathways to Spiritual Intimacy *We live in times when things we know and values we hold are changing and in flux. From our humanity to our identity, everything seems up for re-definition. Perhaps it’s at the point of our sexuality that this is most vivid and complex. With brilliant clarity, grace-filled empathy, and biblical truth, Ed Shaw helps us understand the plan and purpose of our sexuality and wisely draws us back to the place of healing and redemption which we all truly need. -- Tope Koleoso * Lead Pastor, Jubilee Church, London *Whether you are confused or frustrated, scared or scarred, Ed Shaw's latest book will help you to find a renewed sense of joy and purpose for your God-given sexuality. Armed with a better understanding of God's purpose for our sexuality, Ed shows how we will be better equipped to navigate the trials and temptations of our sex-obsessed world. It's a book I will be recommending to people in all kinds of different situations. -- Ros Clarke * Associate Director, Church Society *In this compelling short read, Ed Shaw poses the question, "What is the purpose of our sexuality?" With courageous honesty, he mines deep into Scripture and brings some incredible gems to light. He unearths how our sexuality is the most graphic imagery for the passion and potency of God’s love. Sheer dynamite! -- Rt Revd Dr Jill Duff * Anglican Bishop of Lancaster *I am so thankful I am a sexual being! Ed's book is a much-needed hurricane of fresh air on the purpose of sexuality. As a single heterosexual woman, I am once more staggered by God's kindness in crafting me with sexual desire so that I may more tangibly appreciate his love for me. Ed's short book is beautifully biblical, richly pastoral and deeply evocative. A glorious vision of human flourishing is to be found within these pages. I am more for having read this. -- Kristi Mair * Research Fellow in Philosophy, Ethics and Apologetics at Oak Hill Theological College, author and speaker *How can such a short book pack such a punch? With humanity and great humility, Ed Shaw shows us why our sexuality is such a good thing. That God in his kindness has given us a way to feel the passion of his love for us and yearn for more of him. And that this for all of us, in all our mess, whether or not we’re married. -- Mark Ellis * Director of CU Ireland *‘Sex is life’ advertising slogans hit us constantly. But what kind of sex really is ‘life’? A colossal crisis in relationships and a profound loneliness seem to be the outcomes of this pansexual society. The so-called ‘sexual revolution’ has not brought the flourishing life it promised, but rather the opposite. In this concise and clear book Ed Shaw shows how the biblical vision for sexuality is indeed a source of life and fulfilment. The book provides a lucid and solid framework on sexuality for everyone, but especially for those who are frustrated, confused and tired of the ‘paradise’ promised by the secular views. -- Dr Pablo Martinez * psychiatrist, author and Bible teacher *For a contentedly single heterosexual woman, I seem to be reading a lot of books about sex and sexuality these days. It is a vital topic, and something I need to have a clear, biblical understanding of as someone involved in pastoral work - and indeed as someone involved in human life! Purposeful Sexuality is a brief but vital addition to the genre. In this excellent little book Ed reveals a deep understanding both of the questions surrounding sexuality and of the Bible's glorious, hopeful, life-giving answers. How is God's gift of sexuality good news for all of us, whatever our circumstances? Read this book to find out. -- Jennie Pollock * Associate Head of Public Policy, CMF, and author of If Only: Finding joyful contentment in the face of lack and longing *

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Book SynopsisThe place of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in the Christian churches is a highly controversial issue. The stance of all the mainline churches is that homosexuality is sinful and incompatible with Christianity. In seeking to respond to attacks on their lives, identities and relationships LGBT Christians have moved over recent decades from a defensive position to a more affirmative position which asserts that there is evidence in the Bible and the Jesus tradition of validated homoerotic experience. This book presents a systematic overview of both the defensive and affirmative positions. In part one, The Defensive Testament, each of the so-called 'biblical texts of terror' used to demonise LGBT people is considered in turn and found wanting. None of them has anything to say about consensual same sex love. In part two, The Affirmative Testament, homoerotic elements in various Bible stories including the healing of the centurion's servant, Jesus and the beloved disciple, David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi are revealed to make visible the place of LGBT lives in the Biblical tradition. Taken together, these two testaments forcefully champion the equality of LGBT people in the Kingdom of God and represent a formidable challenge to ecclesiastical homophobia.Trade ReviewAs Director of an evangelical outreach ministry to lesbian and gay people, I am constantly reminded of the way that church teachings on homosexuality have caused immense damage to human lives and relationships. With superb clarity of style and presentation, Dr Sharpe successfully demonstrates in 'The Gay Gospels' that these harsh teachings have no basis either in the Bible or in the mission of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This book will be of enormous value to all involved in the debate over homosexuality and Christianity currently raging in the church and wider society. (Jeremy Marks, Director of Courage UK). Do you think that the Bible condemns LGBT people for wanting loving and intimate relationships with people of their own sex? At the London Lighthouse AIDS hospice it was evident that such homophobic distortion can and does blight lives. This humane and scholarly book helps us to a truer understanding of God's love for all human beings, and how those insights developed in the history of the Christian faith, chronicled in the Bible. (Andrew Henderson, Founding Co-chair of London Lighthouse)

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Book SynopsisHomosexuality is anathema to Islam – or so the majority of both believers and non-believers suppose. Throughout the Muslim world, it is met with hostility, where state punishments range from hefty fines to the death penalty. Likewise, numerous scholars and commentators maintain that the Qur’an and Hadith rule unambiguously against same-sex relations. This pioneering study argues that there is far more nuance to the matter than most believe. In its narrative of Lot, the Qur’an could be interpreted as condemning lust rather homosexuality. While some Hadith are fiercely critical of homosexuality, some are far more equivocal. This is the first book length treatment to offer a detailed analysis of how Islamic scripture, jurisprudence, and Hadith, can not only accommodate a sexually sensitive Islam, but actively endorse it.

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Book SynopsisLGBTQI people in the church have spent a long time being told what God expects of them and how they should behave. From prohibitions on who they might love or marry, to erasure and denial, the theological record is one in which LGBTQI people are far too often objectified and their lives seen as the property of others. In no other significant religious question are ‘theological’ arguments made that so clearly reject overwhelming scientific and experiential knowledge about the human person. This book seeks to find a better way to do theology – not about, but with and of LGBTQI people – taking insights from the sciences and personal narratives as it seeks to answer the question: ‘What does human flourishing look like?’Trade Review‘This is an enjoyably grown-up book. As such, it is a useful rebuke to the desperate immaturity of the Church of England’s official stances on sexuality, but it is also a gift to the wider Christian Church: a call to enrich its mission and to listen more closely to the implications of the Gospel.’ -- Diarmaid MacCulloch‘Charlie Bell has written a fine, orthodox Christian book. He is faithful to God’s revelation, respectful of Scripture, committed to a good future for the Church. He will not stand for a world where the lives and loves of LGBTQI people are disdained or intellectualised as a subject for “debate". His anger is real and measured and true, placed in a context of divine love and human holiness, like the anger of the biblical Jesus himself. And in the end he points us to a vision of a whole humanity redeemed in Christ; a vision of glory. Very highly recommended!’ -- Rt Revd Paul Bayes‘This insightful book is a comprehensive survey of the role of scripture, tradition and reason in understanding what it means to be human and Christian, focusing consistently Christ, human and divine, and on “being human”. The author describes it as a call to action – for LGBTQI people, their allies, and the whole people of God. I hope it will be very widely read and pondered: It deserves to be.’ -- Rt Revd John Inge

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Book SynopsisA fully illustrated Kama Sutrafrom the extraordinary and rare art collection of Lance Dane.Trade Review"Gives us the dazzling artwork from museums and private collections worldwide... fascinating...sex has not changed in over 2,000 years." * Lois Mark Stalvey, Red Rock News, January 28, 2004 *"A new, gorgeously illustrated edition of the famous Hindu Classic." * Erotic Review, Dec/Jan 2004, Issue 58 *"It is not, in fact, a pornographic work, but a book depicting the art of living for the civilized and refined citizen, finding its expression in the sphere of love, eroticism, and the sensual pleasures of life. . . . Rather than calling the Kama Sutra pornography and hiding it on the highest shelf of their bookcases, Western readers should see it as the expression of a refined, sophisticated people on the art of love." * Audrey Chaix, Vulpes Libris, Jan 2010 *Table of ContentsThe Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra Preface to Kama SutraIntroduction to Kama SutraBook 1--General Principles Study of the Shastras Dharma, Artha, Kama Study of Arts, Sciences Man about Town Nayikas and MessengersBook 2--Love-Play and Sexual Union Sexual Union The Embrace The Kiss Pressing and Nail Marks The Bite Sexual Vigor and Intensity Striking and Spontaneous Sounds Donning the Male Role Oral Congress Beginning and End of CongressBook 3--Courtship and Marriage Betrothal and Marriage Instilling Confidence in the Bride Courting a Maid Behavior of a Couple Kinds of MarriageBook 4--The Wife Duties of a Wife Senior and Junior WivesBook 5--Seducing the Wives of Others Characteristics of Men and Women Getting Acquainted Ascertaining Emotions Duties of a Go-between Behavior of a King Conduct of Ladies of the Inner CourtBook 6--The Courtesan Beguiling the Right Man Living as his Wife Acquiring Wealth Reconciliation Special Gains Gains and LossesBook 7--Secret Lore, Extraneous Stimulation, and Sexual Power Beautifying the Body Regarding Virility

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Book SynopsisBring greater satisfaction to your relationship in every way--emotionally, spiritually, and physically--whether you''re preparing for your honeymoon or are empty nesters looking for a new spark.Are you wondering if there''s more to your sex life than the status quo? Or maybe you have questions about your upcoming marriage that aren''t exactly appropriate for the rehearsal dinner? This edition of The Good Girl''s Guide to Great Sex from tell-it-like-it-is blogger and speaker Sheila Wray Gregoire has been completely updated and expanded to include new research from surveys of more than twenty-five thousand people. With humor, stories, and highly practical ideas, Sheila helps you: See how God intends sex to unite couples physically, emotionally, and spiritually--and how to overcome roadblocks in each area Understand more about your two bodies and how they were meant to go together

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Book SynopsisAre you ready to be blessed beyond what you can ask or imagine? Lysa Terkeurst will equip you to hear and recognize God’s voice and discover the incredible opportunities He’s already placed in front of you as you learn to say yes to His call.

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Book SynopsisEvery blessing, every breakthrough, and every miracle can be traced back to the prayers that were prayed by you or for you. Join Mark Batterson, New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker, as he equips you to become an extraordinary influence in the lives of your children through one simple practice: praying for them.Praying Circles around Your Children combines timeless scriptures with stories of parents just like you, which will revolutionize your prayer life and give you a new perspective on the power of prayer.Along the way, Batterson shares five biblically backed prayer circles that will not only help you pray for your kids, but also pray through your kids.In Praying Circles around Your Children, Batterson will give you the tools you need to: Create prayer lists that are unique to your family Turn your family circle into a prayer circle

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Book SynopsisThis easy-to-read book combines biblical teaching on love and marriage with the latest medical information on sex and sexuality, helping couples everywhere fully enjoy the gift God intended for pleasure.

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Book SynopsisChristianity Today Book Award Winner The digital revolution has ushered in a series of sexual revolutions, all contributing to a perfect storm for modern relationships. Online dating, social media, internet pornography, and the phenomenon of the smartphone generation have created an avalanche of change with far-reaching consequences for sexuality today. The church has struggled to address this new moral ecology because it has focused on clarity of belief rather than quality of formation. The real challenge for spiritual formation lies in addressing the underlying moral intuitions we carry subconsciously, which are shaped by the convictions of our age. In this book, a fresh new voice offers a persuasive Christian vision of sex and relationships, calling young adults to faithful discipleship in a hypersexualized world. Drawing from his pastoral experience with young people and from cutting-edge research across multiple disciplines, Jonathan Grant helps Christian leaders understand the cultural forces that make the church's teaching on sex and relationships ineffective in the lives of today's young adults. He also sets forth pastoral strategies for addressing the underlying fault lines in modern sexuality.Table of ContentsContentsForeword by James K. A. Smith1. Adjusting Our Vision: Christian Formation and Relationships in a Sexualized AgePart 1: Mapping the Modern Sexual Imaginary2. Seeking the Truth Within: Love, Sex, and Relationships within the Culture of Authenticity3. Three Paths to Freedom on the Road to Nowhere: The Dead End of Modern Liberty4. We Are What We Acquire: Consumerism as a Corrupting Dynamic5. The Hypersexual Self: Sex and Relationships as Happiness Technologies6. Churches without Steeples: The Loss of Transcendence and the Atomistic WorldviewPart 2: Charting a New Course for Christian Formation7. Searching for Truth That Transforms: Introducing a Christian Social Imaginary8. Seeing the Good Life and Becoming What We See: The Role of Vision within Sexual Formation9. Getting to the Heart of Things: Redeeming Desire and Becoming Our True Selves10. Living the Gospel Story: Narrative Discipleship within the Narrative Community11. Becoming What We Do: The Formative Power of PracticesEpilogue: Melodies of HeavenIndex

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Book SynopsisRebellious Wives, Neglectful Husbands explores significant shifts in modern Qur'anic commentaries on the subject of women against the backdrop of broader historical, intellectual, and political developments in early twentieth-century North Africa.Trade ReviewMubarak's study is a welcome contribution to the emerging academic literature on the Quran and gender. Particularly, for any scholar or student interested in Islamic studies, the book will be a valuable resource for comprehending the Qur'anic exegetical tradition with great nuance and intricacy. Inspired by Barbara Stowasser's work on women and gender, the author insists on two central themes: that hermeneutics has a vital role in the sustainability of Islamic knowledge, and the boundaries of the Tafsir genre continue to be malleable in both the pre-modern or modern period. * Mohammed Salih, Reading Religion *Rather than add to the robust scholarly literature on women and gender in the Qur'an, Mubarak (Queens Univ. of Charlotte) begins her exploration of tafsir works by arguing for the significance of the exegetical tradition, past and present, for understanding Muslims' engagements with the Qur'an itself. She identifies a lacuna in feminist Muslim scholarship: for the most part, scholars have dismissed tafsir as patriarchal to rescue the Qur'an from that same charge. Mubarak offers readings of several 20th-century Muslim commentators in conversation with premodern tafsir scholars to argue that their views of women and gender norms are nuanced and provide openings for critiques of patriarchal perspectives as eternal and universal, thereby offering her own commentary on commentary. * Choice *Joining a vigorous and vibrant debate about patriarchy, hierarchy, and interpretive authority in Islamic texts and Muslim thought, Hadia Mubarak's new study offers detailed engagement with the work of prominent twentieth-century male exegetes. Scholars of jurisprudence and ethics have shown that those genres combine hierarchical gendered presuppositions with attention to women's concerns and needs; Mubarak argues that the Sunni tafsir tradition does the same and thereby offers resources to contemporary advocates of egalitarianism * Kecia Ali, author of Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith, and Jurisprudence *In Rebellious Wives, Neglectful Husbands, Hadia Mubarak provides a fresh, engaging and major study of the extent to which modern Quranic commentaries, responding to the impact of European colonialism and modernity, resulted in new and diverse orientations (Islamic modernism, Islamism, and neo-traditionalism) in modern interpretations of gender and the status and role of women in the Quran. * John L. Esposito, University Professor and Professor of Islamic Studies, Georgetown University *This book is a fresh engagement with medieval and modern Qur'an interpretation on questions of gender and women's status. Hadia Mubarak's reassessment of modern tafsīr highlights the pluralism in the genre and shows how the interpreters have used the tradition to put forth their own new interpretations. Significantly, Mubarak raises the possibility that tradition can be used as a locus for modern reform. * Karen Bauer, author of Gender Hierarchy in the Qur'an: Medieval Interpretations, Modern Responses *This book is about the intersection of modernity and Sunni exegetical thought...The book can be read from a number of perspectives. On one level it is a response to and an accusation of 'well meaning' Muslim feminists who do not engage with the Tafsir genre and yet are quick to discard it as monolithic, patriarchal, misogynist and bereft of women's voice...It is a call to Muslim feminists not to indulge in disciplinary confusion. If one wants to engage with the Qur'an, then one needs to do so within the methods of the field of Tafsir studies and not superimpose methods from other disciplines. The book is also about the interpretive powers of pre-modern exegetes to have a say in modern issues. * Mansur Ali, Cardiff University, UK, Muslim World Book Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Chapter 1: Ruptures and Continuities in Modern Islamic Thought Chapter 2: Modern Approaches to Qur'anic Interpretation Chapter 3: Reflecting the Colonial Gaze: Women in Modern Qur'anic Exegesis Chapter 4: Sexually Neglectful Husbands: Classical and Modern Interpretations of Q. 4:128 Chapter 5: Rebellious Wives: Medieval and Modern Interpretations of Q. 4:34 Chapter 6: A New Rationalization for Polygyny: Medieval & Modern Interpretations of Q. 4:3 Chapter 7: Men's "Degree:" An Unconditional Privilege? Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe book is both an introduction to a thinker, Gilles Deleuze, whose current influence on multiple sectors of the humanities and social sciences arguably exceeds that of any other, and a book-length demonstration of the ramifications of Deleuzian thought for critical biblical scholarship.Trade ReviewArguably the most prominent and prolific critic when it comes to reading the Bible with theory, Moore has done it again with what he calls 'post-poststructuralist' theory. * Tat-siong Benny Liew *Yet another prodigy from Moore's cabinet of wonders. * A K M Adam *Stephen D. Moore produces an impressively generative approach to Deleuze (and Guattari) and affect. * Gregory J. Seigworth *The Bible after Deleuze contributes to this growing literature by reading the New Testament through the lens of Deleuzian theory. * Brent Adkins, The Heythrop Journal *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations INTRODELEUZE (who and why?) Deleuze in Theory The Box and the Machine The Deleuze Affect ELand the Bible? 1. TEXT (the Bible without organs) Part I: At the Bible Study with Foucault and Deleuze What Is a Biblical Author? Knowledge, Power, Desire Part II: At the Bible Study with Deleuze and Guattari In Flux, in Assemblage The Book of Order-Words A Bible That Expresses Everything While Communicating Nothing How Do You Make Yourself a Bible without Organs? 2. BODY (why there are no bodies in the Bible, and how to read them anyway) Part I: The Eclipse of the Ancient Body Bodies Discoursed and Performed Bodies in a Noumenal Night Part II: The Ponderous Weight of the Incorporeal Synoptic Body Nonrepresenting the Synoptic Body What Is a Body When It Is Incorporeal? The Mundane Miracle of Reading (Everywhere Enacted Daily) 3. SEX (a thousand tiny sexes, a trillion tiny Jesuses) Part I: The Deleuzian Queer Desiring and Naming The Proletariat of Eros (Producing the Product Society Cannot Want) Part II: Queer Mark The Coming, and Becoming, of Christ The Crucified Body without Organs The Risen Body without Organs 4. RACE (Jesus and the white faciality machine) Part I: The Matter of Race White Light Dark Matter, I Jesus in Jackboots Dark Matter, II Is Race Structured Like a Language? Part II: Race and Face Assembling Race Facing Race Defacing Race 5. POLITICS (beastly boasts, apocalyptic affects) Unmethodological Prelude Tweets from the Bottomless Abyss Larval Fascisms, Insect Apocalypses Horrible Hope Post-Beast Postscript Index

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Book SynopsisDrawing on fieldwork at First Place, a popular Christian weight-loss program, and Exodus International, a network of ex-gay ministries, this title explores why some Christians feel that being fat or gay offends God, what exactly they do to lose weight or go straight, and how they make sense of the program's results - or, frequently, their lack.Trade Review"Seeking the Straight and Narrow explores with sensitivity, respect, and nuance the ways participants focus on the problems of the body and its unruly desires. A thoroughly original book, it absolutely enriches our understanding of the significance of the straight body - in both senses of that term - in American Christian culture." (Amy Farrell, Dickinson College)"

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Mormon History Association Best International Book Award The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to contend with longstanding tensions surrounding gender and race. Yet women of color in the United States and across the Global South adopt and adapt the faith to their contexts, many sharing the high level of satisfaction expressed by Latter-day Saints in general. Caroline Kline explores the ways Latter-day Saint women of color in Mexico, Botswana, and the United States navigate gender norms, but also how their moral priorities and actions challenge Western feminist assumptions. Kline analyzes these traditional religious women through non-oppressive connectedness, a worldview that blends elements of female empowerment and liberation with a broader focus on fostering positive and productive relationships in different realms. Even as members of a patriarchal institution, the women feel a sense of liberation that empowers them to work against oppression and agTrade Review"Scrupulously researched. . . . Kline's conclusions are vitally important, not only for scholars who must now expand their sense of the variety of responses Mormon women have to Church teachings and policies, but also for missionaries, travelers, investigators, and leaders at all levels in this hierarchical, patriarchal, imperfect, Utah-based church." --Association of Mormon Letters“Reading Caroline Kline's Mormon Women at the Crossroads: Global Narratives and the Power of Connectedness has been an exercise of discovery, delight, and richly provoking insights. . . . I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone with a stake in the tradition. " --Juvenile Instructor"Mormon Women at the Crossroads blends personal stories with theological considerations of women’s roles in contemporary Mormonism." --Foreword Reviews"Yes! Mobilizing her powerful skills as a researcher and her lived understanding of Mormonism, Caroline Kline amplifies the voices of women from the global Mormon movement with a level of respect for complexity and nuance we just don’t get from official LDS venues. In so doing, she offers us all a model for Mormon Studies--and, more broadly, religious studies--of how to navigate the vast distances in geography, history, and perspective that one faith tradition can embrace. This is how we understand our fellow Saints: we listen and let them teach us. Thank you, Dr. Kline. This book should be taught in introductory religious studies courses nationwide, and I hope no Mormon Studies class in the country proceeds without this text on the syllabus."--Joanna Brooks, author of Mormonism and White Supremacy: American Christianity and the Problem of Racial Innocence

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Book SynopsisNavigating (with Jesus) the changes that hit you when you bring a child into the western world.Trade ReviewI wish Dianne and I had access to this book in the early years! * Rob Parsons, Care for the Family *I wish I could have read this book when I was a new mum trying to come to terms with what it means to be a ‘good’ mother in the 21st century. Being amongst the first generations pioneering parenting in a society that not only accepts, but expects, women to be in the workplace means that navigating the expectations, choices and emotions involved is not easy or straightforward. Reading Baby Change will assure you that you are not alone in these challenges, and most importantly, will help you to draw on the wisdom and grace of our Heavenly Father to lead you through. * Becky Harcourt *

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Book SynopsisUntether from your sense of normal and fall into the abundant life God intends.Singer-songwriter and Bible teacher Laura Story gets what it''s like to have plans altered and to surrender security when faced with circumstances beyond our control. But she also understands the blessing of having a Father who loves you enough to place you in the best possible scenario for good and growth.The So Long, Normal video study guide (streaming included) walks small groups through the process of leaving behind the idols of comfort, caution, and routine so you can live strong and well--even when life takes an unwelcome turn.This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself--with discussion and personal reflection questions, video notes, and a leader''s guide. An individual access code to stream all five video sessions online (you don''t need to buy a DVD!).

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Book SynopsisWhat If You’re Not a Failure? What If You’re Not Falling Behind? What If You’re Learning?“Every single thing that used to work has stopped working, all at the same time.”Award-winning author Shauna Niequist’s mom wrote down this phrase in her mid-forties and shared it with Shauna in her mid-forties. It was exactly the way Shauna was feeling at the time. Many of the beliefs and practices that had been useful in her life no longer worked. After trying—and failing—to move forward using the same old tools, she realized she required new ones: courage, curiosity, and self-compassion.Throughout the five sessions of her I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet video series, Shauna talks about unlearning what is no longer helpful, embracing curiosity, and making peace with the unexpected twists and turns of life. She shares candidly about the challenges and blessings she has experienced a

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Book SynopsisThis practical book provides 31 days of challenges to help you and your spouse talk, flirt, and explore all three levels of sexual intimacy--physical, emotional, and spiritual--so you both can experience the best sex ever.Sex is incredibly important in a marriage, yet many things can throw it off course. Whether you are engaged and afraid you won''t be able to light the spark, are newlyweds who haven''t started off well, or have been married five, ten, twenty-five years, or more and you''d like to recapture the spark you once had, this book is for you!The challenges aim to spice up the bedroom while guiding you through all three levels of sexual intimacy. As you go through these challenges with lots of laughter and enjoyment, sex will stop being a source of tension and become something fun that brings you together, just the way God intended. The challenges slowly build on each other to help you:Turn sex into something positive

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Book SynopsisAre you living the kind of love story you want to read about? More than 2.3 million people watched as Jeremy and Audrey Roloff shared their vows and committed their lives to each other. Now for the first time, the former co-stars of TLC''s hit show Little People, Big World share their imperfect, resilient, and inspiring love story. In the New York Times bestseller A Love Letter Life, Jeremy and Audrey teach us that the moment you meet your potential spouse, you can start being intentional about shaping a beautiful love story, uniquely written for who God created you both to be. From health problems to emotional walls to being separated by a thousand miles, the couple faced countless obstacles in their dating relationship. But their unique approach to dating empowered them to write an uncommon love story and prepared them for married life. As beautiful as their wedding was, the Roloffs wanted to be intent

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Book SynopsisA refreshing read in the midst of discouraging times, The Art of Getting It Wrong by popular YouTube star Stephen Miller shares never-before-told stories that will guide you to a healthier perspective on life's failures, setbacks, and disappointments.Trade ReviewAs someone who has lots of experience 'getting it wrong,' this book provided encouragement and instruction on how to let our mishaps refine us instead of define us. Written in Stephen Miller's classic humor, we found ourselves delightfully challenged from start to finish. Andrew East and Shawn Johnson East, former National Football League player and Olympic gold gymnast/The East FamIn his closing remarks in this book, Stephen Miller observes that 'the world tends to write our victories in the sand while etching our failures in concrete.' In our more honest moments, most of us must also admit that we do this very thing to ourselves. The negative verdicts that occupy our minds and hearts throughout the day about never measuring up, about being too much of 'this' or not enough of 'that,' can form us in such a way that the gremlins of regret, shame, and failure become our heart mentors. That's what makes books like The Art of Getting it Wrong, and transparent and serious writers like Stephen, so needed and helpful. Stephen effectively points us back to the reality that what is true for him is also true for us. It's all going to be okay, because God cannot stop loving us and has secured the greatest future for us. Scott Sauls, senior pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Beautiful People Don't Just HappenIn The Art of Getting It Wrong, Stephen Miller reminds us that we do not need to be defined by our worst moments. If you find yourself trying to get back up after falling down, you'll find this book brimming with encouragement and buoyant with hope. Dr. Darren Whitehead, lead pastor, Church of the City, Nashville, TennesseeOpen-hearted vulnerability. A real pleasure to read and a reminder of the best in all of us. I was encouraged and inspired. Thanks, Stephen! Leslie Odom Jr., two-time Academy Award nominee as Hamilton's Aaron Burr, and author of Failing UpThrough his faith, relatable movie quotes, and self-deprecating humor, Stephen Miller takes us on a journey through his life and shows us that we are not the sums of our mistakes; we are what we learn from them. The Art of Getting It Wrong is exactly the type of message this world needs today--a message that no matter how bad we may feel about failure, we are simply going to be okay. Excellent read! Shaun and Mindy McKnight, Cute Girls HairstylesWe're so encouraged by Stephen's unabashed self-reflection and message that we aren't bound or defined by our failures. Our God is orchestrating a powerful story in us all. We all struggle with self-doubt and fear in the hard moments in life, and this book is like a warm hug! Adam and Danielle Busby, OutDaughtered on TLC and It's A Buzz World YouTube channelWith his trademark passion, humor, and optimism, Stephen Miller brings an important and timely message for us in The Art of Getting It Wrong. We all need a friend who can remind us that it's going to be okay, even when life's disappointments, failures, or deep hurts threaten to pull us down. It may not feel like it now, but it's going to be okay. Personally, I need this perspective more than ever. If you find yourself in this place too, you'll want to read this book! Lysa TerKeurst, #1 New York Times bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries

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Book SynopsisHope Beyond an Empty Cradle by marriage and family therapist Hallie Scott will be a welcome resource for families who've lost a child as well as those who want to help them through their traumatic grief.Trade Review'Hope Beyond an Empty Cradle gives an authentic voice to what has been a mostly silent grief. Through her own story of heartbreak, Hallie Scott has provided a tender validation for those experiencing this often lonely journey. Her subsequent work with other baby loss moms and dads has given her a wealth of practical advice for family and friends who want to support them. For Christian readers she leaves room to question and be angry with God while remembering that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Finally, it is an important book for therapists who work with traumatic grief and PTSD.' * Theresa Cornelius, LMFT *'This is the book I wish I had after my baby died. Hallie chronicles her own experience in a way that is refreshingly honest, relatable, and practical, and she does not shy away from questioning God in the midst of the deepest pain. Reading Hope Beyond an Empty Cradle after experiencing infant loss is like holding the hand of an empathic friend who has traveled the same road--and turns back to offer hope for your journey too.' * Rachel Lohman, founder, Hope Again Collective *'When I heard that my friend Hallie and her husband lost their baby, I was speechless. What could I possibly say or do to help? I was deeply saddened by the news but had absolutely no idea what to say. So I said nothing. I had no words for my friend of over twenty years. Hallie and Shadrach have taken their pain and given us a gift. This beautiful book will help all of us understand these losses in a real and profoundly personal way. I hope you don't need this book, but if you do, you will appreciate the personal and pastoral way Hallie guides you through the thoughts, fears, and tears associated with the road to healing.' * Paul H. Alexander, president, Hope International University *'With authentic expression and vulnerability, Hallie allows her own experiences of loss to tell a story about God's redeeming love and the restoration of a broken heart. The journey of healing is remarkably articulated to provide an understanding of the time, space, support, and comfort needed to normalize the grief process unique to baby loss. Like Abby, this book is a gift from God to minister to the many families who have been left distraught and confused by the loss of children in their lives and offers a hope beyond all understanding.' * Melissa L. Zwart, MS, MA, LMFT, program director, Azusa Pacific University *Table of Contents1. Abby 2. Listening 3. Miscarriage 4. Infertility 5. Shifting Relationships 6. Forgiving God 7. Guilt 8. Grief 9. Rainbow Babies 10. The New Normal

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Book SynopsisLeslie Ludy, author of Authentic Beauty and the bestselling When God Writes Your Love Story, revealshow a young woman''s pursuit of acceptance and sameness directly counters her true purpose—to be set apart by her love for God and God''s love for her.This empowering message filled with inspiring stories, personal illustrations, and a foundation of God''s Word to awaken young women to sacred femininity and a life infused with meaning. Each chapter encourages readers to release worldly standards and set their sights on a more worthy pursuit as they: surrender to God''s love and wholeness embrace the real blueprint for beauty enjoy spectacular purpose captivate the masculine heart cultivate spiritual strength This journey will spark a desire in every woman to leave the fairy tale of the masses behind and walk toward the unique beauty, love, and dreams God has for her.

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Book SynopsisInteractive and easy-to-use, Before You Say "I Do" is full of tried and true wisdom to help you plan for your future. It provides couples all you need to build a lasting relationship through engaging activities and thought-provoking discussions that reveal how you can address your past experiences and current expectations to build a love that will last.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the Keys to a Healthy StepfamilyLeading stepfamily expert Ron L. Deal reveals the seven fundamental steps to blended family success and provides practical, realistic solutions to the issues you face as a stepfamily. Whether married or soon-to-be-married, you''ll discover how to· Solve the everyday puzzles of stepparenting and stepchildren relationships· Communicate effectively with an ex-spouse· Handle stepfamily finances confidently· 'Cook' your stepfamily slowly rather than expect an instant blendThis revised and expanded edition has updated research and two new chapters with even more real-world advice on topics such as stepsibling relationships and later-life stepfamilies.

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Book SynopsisFrom beginning to end the Bible affirms women, who have intrinsic value because they--just as men--are created in God's image. In these pages, Fitzpatrick and Schumacher dive into Scripture and explore how women fit into the church's redemption story and into the new world, offering women a transformative view of their Maker, themselves, and the c

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Book SynopsisPrayer Starters is a creative, interactive invitation to help you pray right where you are. Discover lead-ins to 90 conversations with God about the season you're in, whether in your prayer time or in the middle of night when there are no words to be found. Allow this book to draw you into intimate conversations with a God who loves you like crazy.

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Book SynopsisWith humor, grace, and biblical truth, nationally known body-image coach Heather Creekmore leads you on a 40-day journey to stop stressing and free your mental space. With hands-on exercises, quizzes, guided questions, and healthy tips, this one-of-a-kind book will help you stop comparing, start living, and feel confident in the way God made you.

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Book SynopsisThe redemptive divorce process is designed to honor the sacredness of the union while offering practical relief for the suffering partner and tough love for the offending spouse. In some cases, it might even be the catalyst for the restoration and rebuilding of the marriage. Redemptive Divorce is practical, provocative, and utterly unique.

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Book SynopsisWhat if taking care of yourself was the first step to helping your family thrive?If you’ve parented long enough, then you’ve learned firsthand why your personal wellness matters. You’ve felt the pain (or consequences) of devaluing yourself. Whether your wake-up call came from a diagnosis, a breakdown, an issue with your child or spouse, anxiety, or simply feeling depleted and numb, it most likely unveiled this truth: Mothers are humans too. We require love, compassion, rest, and renewal. Taking care of our needs strengthens us and equips us for the road ahead. In More Than a Mom, bestselling author Kari Kampakis offers a practical, approachable, and attainable framework to stay on a healthy path. You can take your kids only as far as you’ve come–and since their strength builds on your strength, you must take time to focus on you. More Than a Mom is about unleashing God’s po

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Book SynopsisGodly Dating 101 will empower believers to rise out of confusion, toxic environments, or sin, and to follow Jesus passionately to build God-honoring relationships and experience a more abundant life. Tovares and Safa Grey will help readers focus on and live by biblical standards, not society’s expectations.

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Book SynopsisIn her warm, storytelling style, a CBN news anchor shares the heartbreaking experiences that have helped her define real love. You will learn--as she did--to guard your heart, avoid counterfeits, and enjoy being sensationally single until the right one comes along.

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Book SynopsisWriting from both personal experience and nearly 20 years as a professional counselor, Dr. Sheri Keffer helps women to reclaim their lives and recover from the trauma of sexual betrayal.

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Book SynopsisEvery one of us has tremendous power to either build others up or tear them down through the words we speak every day, and nowhere is this more evident than in our marriages. Are you being purposeful in how you use the power of your words to speak encouragement, strength, and love--breathing life into the heart of your spouse? Or are careless words having a negative impact on your marriage and on the heart of the one you love most? Matt and Lisa Jacobson want you and your spouse to discover the powerful ways you can build one another up in love with the words that you choose to say every day--words that every husband and wife need to hear. These books offer you 100 Things to say to your husband or wife that deeply encourage, affirm, and inspire. Start speaking these words into each other''s lives and watch your spouse--and your relationship--transform before your eyes.

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Book SynopsisIn a messy world with messy relationships, perhaps the bravest thing we can do is to simply sit together. The team from (in)courage offers this hope-filled guide to loving others well in all circumstances by learning to show up, listen closely, and to love like Jesus in the midst of it all.

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Book SynopsisA psychologist and a biblical scholar use a unique blend of fiction and biblical teaching to reveal the honest to goodness truth about desire, beauty, physical intimacy, sexual struggles, and the glory of sex.

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Book SynopsisInspired by a blog series that received nearly two million views, New York Times bestselling author and speaker takes on topics such as pornography, promiscuity, virginity, purity, "sex-pectations," and sex in marriage, boldly sharing her own testimony and urging readers to look at God's original design for sex.

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Book SynopsisLife is unfair. Bad things happen to good people. Not all dreams come true. We lose people. We fail people. And when we encounter the inevitable struggles of life, we may be tempted to ask God Why me? as we try to reconcile our pain with God''s promises. But a far more helpful and life-enriching question for us to ask God is What are you trying to teach me in this? Tackling ten common struggles, such as isolation, fear, rejection, failure, insecurity, temptation, and more, Landra Young Hughes shows you how to have peace even when life doesn''t make sense. Speaking with great empathy born from her own losses and years in ministry, Hughes doesn''t suggest you 'get over' your hard times. Instead, she helps you recognize that, while you will always live in a broken world this side of heaven, your pain has much to teach you about God and yourself. With her empathetic help, you''ll discover how to grow through grief and thrive despite adversity.

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Book SynopsisDenounces the ideological destruction of personal virtue, and remakes the link, unfashionable since the 1960s, between sex and society. This book argues that in the context of promiscuity, sex trafficking and social chaos, chastity can herald a different sexual freedom, and a recovery of community.Trade Review"More people remain single longer, if not for life, than ever before. In the face of this, coupled with popular cultural messages promoting an active sex life, Taylor's advocacy for chastity is timely and provocative. Drawing on personal interviews, social statistics and references to sources ranging from Freud to Bridget Jones, Taylor (Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in ‘Secular' Britain) chastises what she deems to be a dangerous degree of sexual freedom. The book is at its best when describing the possibilities and benefits of chastity for the individual and society." -Publishers Weekly, December 15, 2008"Celibacy—chosen sexlessness—comes in for lots of ribbing in today's hypersexualized culture, as though it were an illness or a misfortune. Taylor takes a thoughtful new look at celibacy, reminding us that church traditions that once celebrated singlehood and virginity have turned against them. She makes an eloquent case for the faith and power inherent in chastity, which may yet again prove a bulwark within a culture where both closed and "open" marriages seem doomed to failure and where the yearning for connectedness not constrained by sexuality is widespread. Eye-opening and helpful; recommended for most collections."-Starred Review, Library Journal, January 2009"In a society obsessed with sexuality Jenny Taylor's elegant essay comes as a welcome and refreshing change." - Catholic Herald"Jenny Taylor's elegant essay comes as a welcome and refreashing change ... offers an interesting survey of contemporary attitudes." Catholic Herald, January 2009Review in Church Times, April 2009"...it is a well written, scholarly treatment of the subject and it will certainly make you think." The Irish Catholic, September 2009All God's Children - Vol 2.2 2010"The social dimension and implications of individual sexuality...[are] carefully developed and powerfully stated." -- Richard Norman, New DirectionsMention in Church of England Newspaper, February 2009Mention in Baptist Times, March 2009"This is an excellent, brave book and one which will delight and challenge in equal measure, and it is highly recommended." -Interserve Magazine "Very readable, with a good amount of anecdotal material, and an amusing style whish is at times enjoyably risqué ... certain to make an otherwise uneventful train journey pass more speedily." - New DirectionsMention in author's own article in The Times, February 2009Table of ContentsPreface; 1 The State We're In; 2 In the Image of Dog: Freud and his Disciples; 3 Sex and the Destruction of Childhood; 4 Virtue and the Vamp: Women as Culture Carriers; 5 The Church's Turn Against Chastity; 6 Alone Again - Naturally; 7 Sexuality for Society; 8 Surviving Chastity; Appendix: Contemplative exercises from The Shattered Lantern by Ronald Rolheiser SJ.; Selected Bibliography.

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