When we have difficult questions, the Bible has answers. Join Rick Warren, pastor and New York Times bestselling author, as he invites us to take a closer look at key biblical figures and the ways in which they faced difficult questions and challenges in their daily lives. In God's Answers to Life's Difficult Questions, Warren uses stories from scripture to teach us that the Bible is filled with examples of real people who faced the same dilemmas we're facing today. By demonstrating the ways in which God chooses to use ordinary people to accomplish his plans--despite their weaknesses and failures--Warren gives us hope as we take on life's countless challenges. Better yet, Warren provides us with realistic solutions that we can start putting into practice today. Taking us inside the lives of biblical characters including Moses, Paul, and Jesus himself, Warren gives us a chance to see the up-close-and-personal ways they navigated their own circumstances. Although God's Answers to Life's Difficult Questions is anchored in timeless stories from scripture, Warren also weaves in modern examples that address the twelve questions he's asked the most as a spiritual leader, including: How can I learn to handle discouragement? How can I respond better in a crisis? How do I become more resilient when I feel like a failure? How can I fight my loneliness? How is change possible for me? How can I lead a more peaceful life? The concrete, practical insights that Warren shares in God's Answers to Life's Difficult Questions will give you the tools you need to build up your resilience, strengthen your relationship with God, and finally enjoy a life full of lasting purpose, peace, and significance.

Mark Ellingsen dares you to go ahead and sin bravely! In this refreshing and unique book, he challenges the religious legalism pervasive throughout American evangelicalism today and encourages a new understanding of what it means to be both a Christian and a human being. Equipped with the joyful, rebellious vision of Martin Luther, father of the Protestant reformation, and the latest in neuroscientific research, Ellingsen offers a new approach for healthy living - one opposed to the duty-oriented, selfish and stifling conception of faith that has gained such a strong foothold in contemporary American culture. It is an approach that fully embraces the active role that God's grace plays in each person's life and the fun and freedom one gains from it. Beginning with the first theological analysis of Rick Warren's brand of Christianity, this book exposes the burdens and narcissism that purpose-driven and duty-bound living encourages, and includes the purveyors of the Prosperity Gospel, taught by such influential preachers like Joel Osteen, in his critique. Ellingsen writes that brave sinners, aware of God's grace in their lives, instead say "no" to narcissism and "yes" to healthy risk-taking that gets beyond selfish desires to the desire to help one another. When people sin bravely, acknowledging that everything done is done in sin with God's saving grace acting upon them, people can learn to recognize God. This awareness leads to freedom and joy, since the pressure is now removed to do and be good. In addition, total dependence on God entails a self-forgetfulness that leads to happiness. The more boldly someone acknowledges their sin, in failing to take credit for the good they have done, the more focused on God the individual becomes. Correspondingly, this self-forgetful lifestyle is a promising counter-cultural alternative to the cultural narcissism, which so dominate in many segments of contemporary American society. This book demonstrates both how and why brave sinning leads to joy, and in so doing offers readers practical advice on living this way. Ellingsen also cites recent neurobiological findings showing that when people forget themselves in order to focus on bigger projects, the pleasure centers of the brain are stimulated and people become happier and more content. It is this joyous risk-taking that he suggests brings people closer together, closer to God, and closer to a better understanding of themselves. Sin Bravely dares to be that joyful alternative to the purpose driven life.

In all of the years that Rick Warren has been a pastor, the number one question he's asked is "Why can’t I change?" We want to make changes, but we often feel stuck. Let God's Power to Change Your Life be the first step on your journey to getting out of your rut and back into God's wonderful purposes for your life. It's no pie-in-the-sky theory. It's what redemption is about, and it's founded on the resurrection power of Jesus himself. Drawing simple but powerful truths from the Bible, this book gives you practical guidance for specific types of change and empowers you to actually make lasting the changes that you're longing for. Power that cancels your past and sets you free to get on with life. Power to conquer your problems. Power to change. The first two chapters help you lay the foundations for change. Then, taking you inside the Scriptures, Warren gives you a closer look at the fruits of the spirit and the profound impact they can have on your life. In God's Power to Change Your Life, Warren gives you the tools and the encouragement you need to: Become a more joyful person Cultivate a peaceful life in this uptight world Be a kinder, more gracious individual Replace self-indulgence with self-control Experience what "the good life" is all about As Warren reminds us, when you apply the truth of God's Word by the power of his Spirit, your life is sure to change.

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Purpose Driven Life tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Rick Warren’s book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren includes: Historical context Chapter-by-chapter summaries Key scripture and inspirational quotes Fascinating trivia Glossary of terms Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work About The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren: With forty chapters devoted to forty days, Rick Warren’s bestselling The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? guides readers toward discovering their life’s purpose through a Christ-centered approach. Being successful and living out your purpose don’t always go hand in hand. Rick Warren’s wildly popular and life-changing book offers a transformational learning experience to help us become what God created us to be and live the lives we were meant to live. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.

The Conspiracy chronicles the monumental struggles of an innocent priest, Monsignor William McCarthy, falsely accused in 2003 of molesting two young sisters more than 23 years earlier. On the eve of his retirement from a stellar career as a priest and pastor, for the next five tortuous years, he was the victim of an anonymous complaint that was accepted as true by his bishop and friend of 40 years. Share his travails and see how ones faith can overcome the worst injustices that man can heap on a holy and totally innocent person." -- Jack Kraft, Esq. Monsignor William McCarthy paints a picture embracing a situation that is almost impossible to comprehend. Had I not stood by him throughout the years of pure hell he experienced, I would not have believed the outright calumny by a detective, and how the subsequent action of his bishop and diocesan staff could have occurred. Child abuse is a terrible thing, but equally horrible is when innocent priests are unjustly condemned and destroyed by the hierarchy of their church. -- Arthur N. Hoagland, M.D. This book is a must read for any Catholic who loves their Church but is concerned about its often self-destructive response to the tragedy of clerical pedophilia. It is story about tragedy and triumph. The tragedy of the Church that Monsignor McCarthy loves deeply, and into which he has selflessly devoted his entire life, but is sometimes governed by people who have lost all sense of justice. It is a Church that betrayed him. In its attempt to protect the victims of child abuse, it established a new category of victims: its faithful priests. The triumph of Monsignor McCarthy is his faith and love of Jesus, which saw him through his terrible ordeal in spite of the evil that was perpetrated against him. -- Deacon Joseph Keenan

Discover and fulfill your God-given purpose by joining the more than thirty-five million others who have embarked on a spiritual journey that started with this #1 New York Times bestselling book by Pastor Rick Warren. Before you were born, God knew what your life had in store for you. His hope for you is to discover the life he created just for you--both here on earth, and forever in eternity. Let Rick Warren guide you as you learn to live out your true purpose. The Purpose Driven Life is more than a book; it's a road map for your spiritual journey. Combining thoughtful verses from Scripture with timely stories and perspectives from Warren's own life, The Purpose Driven Life will help you discover the answer to one of life's most important questions: What on earth am I here for? Throughout The Purpose Driven Life, Warren will teach you to spend time getting to know yourself and your creator in order to live your life to the fullest. Unlocking your true purpose will also reduce your stress, simplify your decisions, increase your satisfaction, and, most importantly, prepare you for eternity. Designed to be read over the course of forty-two days, The Purpose Driven Life will help you see the big picture, giving you a fresh perspective on the way that the pieces of your life fit together. Every chapter of The Purpose Driven Life provides a daily meditation and practical steps to help you uncover and live out your purpose, starting with exploring three essential questions: The Question of Existence: Why am I alive? The Question of Significance: Does my life matter? The Question of Purpose: What on earth am I here for? Each copy of The Purpose Driven Life also includes thoughtful discussion questions, audio Bible studies that go along with every chapter, and access to a supportive online community, giving you the opportunity to dive even deeper into each life-changing lesson.

Available for the first time, and based on the 40-day spiritual journey that made The Purpose Driven Life a #1 New York Times bestseller, Rick Warren is your guide through this enhanced print version of The Purpose Driven Life, complete with links to videos by Warren himself. A blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century, Warren now offers his classic words of hope utilizing 21st century video technology for a whole new level of learning and engagement. Read, ponder, hear, and see Warren as he helps you discover the answer to life's fundamental question: What on earth am I here for? This enhanced print version of The Purpose Driven Life will help you live out God's purpose: reducing your stress, focusing your energy, simplifying your decisions, giving meaning to your life, and, most importantly, preparing you for eternity. It's a fresh way to interact with a treasured book of hope that has touched millions of hearts and minds all over the world.

In this extensive collection of words to enlighten your mind and uplift your spirit, you will find something applicable to any problem, situation, or conundrum, as well as the inspiration for living your everyday life to the fullest. From the classic wisdom of thinkers such as Aristotle, Francis Bacon, and Thoreau, to the brilliance of more modern luminaries such as Maya Angelou, Golda Meir, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, and even lighthearted guidance from Dave Barry and Oprah, every page of this book holds valuable insight and enlightenment. When caught up in the mundane tasks of our daily lives, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and not be able to see a way out. Seeing clearly the “big picture” of the world around us can be tough. At times like these, a pearl of wisdom from this all-encompassing selection can give you just the life-changing spark you need to rethink and recharge. Selected from the greatest minds in literature, history, philosophy, philanthropy, and art—and divided into categories such as Life in the Universe, Truth, and Relationships—these 1,001 Pearls of Life-Changing Wisdom are sure to be the catalyst you need to start making the positive changes that you want in your life.

From the Hood to the Hill is Chaplain Black's story of overcoming unpromising beginnings in the ghettos of Baltimore. His travels through uncharted waters exemplify God's power for change. Read his story and discover how you, too, can move toward unprecedented satisfaction through a living faith in God. "With Barry Black, you don't just hear a sermon, you see the sermon. That sermon is captured vividly in this story of his life. A life shaped by love, humility, confidence, courage, strength, and hope." - from the Foreword, THOMAS R. CARPER, US Senator "Barry Black is a leader among leaders. Brilliant and articulate, yet humble and approachable, he is a force for integrity, goodness, and compassion on Capitol Hill . . . this narrative, From the Hood to the Hill, is a fascinating read." - DR. RICK WARREN, Best-Selling Author, The Purpose Driven Life, and Pastor, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA "Chaplain Barry Black embodies the best of the American Spirit and the Christian tradition-a man of great erudition who has never forgotten his humble roots; a man of great faith who remains open to all the wisdom of all people; a man of great seriousness who knows how to laugh. The Senate and the country are grateful for his service." - BARRACK OBAMA, US Senator "From a wonderfully unique man comes a powerfully unique story. Barry Black is a testimony to God's faithfulness and grace." - MAX LUCADO, Pastor, Oak Hills Church, San Antonio, TX "This is an inspiring autobiography by an outstanding man of God, a great leader, a powerful preacher, and a true patriot . . . Barry Black is my cherished friend. I'm honored that he succeeded me as Chaplain of the United States Senate. From the Hood to the Hill is a stirring and power-packed book of the way God uses whom He chooses." - DR. LLOYD J. OGILVIE, Former US Senate Chaplain

A good life is when you smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you are for what you have.If you are an introvert or someone who experiences bouts of depression, do you want to laugh more and be more engaging with people in your life? If so, then this book is for you. I hope some of these stories, poems, and facts about overcoming deep challenges may encourage you too.Ralph Waldo Emerson says, "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."I have researched the Bible and other sources on laughter. In this book, I share personal stories that will have you seeking more avenues on how to laugh yourself out of times that are most difficult. Even with depression or anxiety, you can make changes that create a positive spin in your life.Laughter is necessary to our well-being and to our aliveness. Some people think it is a waste of time. They say it's something to indulge in only sporadically. I say: laughter every day keeps the doctor away. If you are not well, laughter helps us to get better; if we are well, it helps us to stay well. Choosing to laugh gives us power to affect how we feel.