Showing results by narrator "Lyle Blaker" in All Categories

In Letters to an American Christian, Bruce Riley Ashford, author of One Nation Under God, addresses overarching issues of the relationship of Christianity and politics, speaks to the way historic Christian belief informs specific hot-button political issues, and challenges listeners to take seriously both our heavenly and earthly citizenships. Written as a series of letters to "Christian" - a young college student who is a new believer - Letters to an American Christian will help every listener think about how Christianity informs what it means to be an American.

Do we have anything in common with the bad guys of the Bible? The sins of wrath, idolatry, and abuse of power are closer to us than we think. How do we guard against them? We learn not only by following moral exemplars; we also need to look at the warnings of lives gone wrong. In this fictionalized narrative, JR. Forasteros reintroduces us to some of the most villainous characters of Scripture. He shows us what we can learn from their negative examples, with figures such as Cain, Jezebel, and even Satan serving as cautionary tales of sin and temptation.

What can we learn about leadership and influence from Paul? Most Christians know something of the Apostle Paul's life and ministry, but what about the incredible team of influencers he assembled and mobilized? Who were they, and how did Paul lead this team to accomplish God's purposes? Even more, what can we learn from their successes and failures, and how can we imitate their qualities?

High school players in a working-class neighborhood in the 1970s gain desperately needed structure and guidance from Jack "Clyde" Dempsey, a scrappy, charismatic coach who seems like nothing more than a football geek. But Coach also happens to be the toughest guy on the streets of Boston, with a temper to match, and it's his secret life as a mob enforcer/collector that forces him to flee the country, becoming one of America's most wanted.

"The Company Commanders" is a fun and exciting science fiction short story. It is the third short story in a series. If you are a fan of short stories or science fiction you will love reading this.

It's wild. One day people finally start treating you like an adult. And it feels good. For a while. Then you run into adult problems, and everyone acts like you should know what to do in any given situation. But what if you don't? What if, when everyone expects you to stand on your own two feet, you're just trying to put one foot in front of the other without tripping? If adulting has got you stressed, anxious, or even despairing, what you need is sound, biblical advice from someone who's been there. JP Pokluda's got you covered.

One in eight Americans struggles with hunger, and more than 13 million children live in food-insecure homes. As Christians we are called to address the suffering of the hungry and poor: "For I was hungry, and you gave me food..." (Matthew 25:35). However, the problems of hunger and poverty are too large and too complex for any one of us to resolve individually. I Was Hungry offers not only an assessment of the current crisis but also a strategy for addressing it. Jeremy Everett, a noted advocate for the hungry and poor, calls Christians to work across ideological divides....

In today's highly charged social and political environment, we often don't know how to talk well with others - especially with people whose backgrounds differ from our own. C. Christopher Smith, coauthor of the critically acclaimed and influential Slow Church, addresses why conversation has become such a challenge in the 21st century and argues that it is perhaps the most-needed spiritual practice of our individualistic age.

We have a leadership problem, and we all know it. When we look at our churches, we see two glaring problems: a lack of qualified leaders, and a general mistrust of leadership as a response to sinful leadership. But churches need leaders. What do we do? The answer is in The Leadership Formula.

In Wondrous Love, world-renowned evangelist Dwight L. Moody delivers a series of powerful gospel messages originally preached in London during his late 19th-century evangelistic campaigns. With heartfelt urgency and Christ-centered compassion, Moody speaks directly to the lost, the backslider, and the spiritually hungry, calling all to experience the life-transforming love of God through Jesus Christ.

Just over half a century since Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the lunar surface, a new space race to the Moon is well underway and rapidly gaining momentum. Laying out a vision for the next fifty years, Back to the Moon is astrophysicist Joseph Silk's persuasive and impassioned case for putting scientific discovery at the forefront of lunar exploration.

Mission Design by Aaron Abramson is a timely guide for ministry leaders navigating the challenges of a volatile and rapidly changing world. With technological growth, societal shifts, and economic instability reshaping the landscape, traditional five-year plans feel out of touch. Yet, even amidst uncertainty, opportunities for meaningful kingdom impact abound.

As John Freeman writes in California Rewritten, "Literature of so many kinds and so many genres from so many different types of people—at the highest level—has been coming out of California and from Californians for decades now." Freeman, one of the sharpest editors working today, has followed the evolution of California's literary life since his teenage years in Sacramento. In over fifty essays inspired by his hosting of Alta Journal's popular California Book Club, he offers an essential road map to California literature now.

Are you tired of looking for productive, loyal employees in an era of chronic talent shortages? Do you want to know how innovative businesses successfully recruit and retain refugees with limited English, the formerly incarcerated, and people with disabilities? Hidden Talent shows how ten companies, from a global tech firm and a major hospital to a small painting company, effectively invest in this marginalized and routinely overlooked talent—and the practical lessons they have learned on that journey.

God's Focus on the Fatherless is an excellent thematic study guide offering a fresh perspective to leaders of local churches who desire to be in tune with God's heart for the marginalized within our communities.

Teenagers and Mental Health imparts gospel hope and guidance for churches and youth leaders ministering to teens with mental health struggles and their families.

It's ok for you to have questions about your faith. You aren't the only one that has those questions, and you shouldn't be embarrassed by them. In Discover: Questioning Your Way to Faith, Mike McGarry explores the twenty most common questions teenagers ask.

For the first time in more than twenty-five years, Greg Sarris—whose novels are esteemed alongside those of Louise Erdrich and Stephen Graham Jones—presents a book about his own life. In Becoming Story he asks: What does it mean to be truly connected to the place you call home—to walk where innumerable generations of your ancestors have walked?

Gunlore, for better or worse, is a powerful and pervasive method of self-expression. In examining the folklore around these controversial and politically charged tools, weapons, and symbols, we can begin to understand the aspects of American culture that will remain prominent for the foreseeable future.

Selling in today's economy has changed. So it's time to rethink how we generate sales to create a sustainable model that produces consistent results. This book addresses the shifts sales professionals and their organizations need to make in introducing modern sales strategies. It provides insights and proven strategies for business owners, sales executives, leaders, and professionals.