Flirting With Faith

As a thirty-seven-year-old, highly skeptical, deeply rational woman, Joan had it all: loving family, extravagant home, a high-profile career, even personal contentment. So Joan was more surprised than anyone when she was relieved in an instant from the luxury of spiritual doubt and compelled to realign her life around practices of faith--about which she was a novice. With an unexplainable desire to pursue whatever God had for her at whatever cost was called for, Joan left her high-salary profession, sold her home and all her furniture (with her husband’s support), and started life from a blank slate. Finally realizing that she had been flirting with faith since she was a young teen, Joan fell in love with the God who had been pursuing her. Joan candidly shares the story of her radical life change as she moved from atheist, to agnostic in addiction recovery, to the unexpected moment when she was “struck” Christian. As Joan lets go of control and convention, her skepticism is gradually replaced with a realization that embracing her new faith with radical abandon led to a far more mysterious and countercultural lifestyle than she’d ever imagined.

This is the story of Satyam, an average, careless young boy whose motto in life is to have fun. He flirts with people, he flirts with his studies, and he flirts with his career until one day life starts flirting with him. As Satyam moves into IIM (Indian Institute of Management), Calcutta, life is no longer fun for him. Reality haunts back and he has to make some tough choices. A compelling read, somewhere you will find that this is your own story.

This is the true story of Karen Sloan's breathlessly confusing and ultimately fulfilling year in the company of a Dominican novitiate. Flirting with Monasticism is a courtship of sorts: a young would-be pastor learning ancient prayers and practices from young would-be priests. As you enter into this story you'll gain a fresh appreciation for the many ways we pray, worship and serve, and a deeper understanding of our unfolding relationship with God and the people of God. This is a story of loving and letting go, of moving through novice dreams to a greater vision. Flirting with Monasticism gives us a new appreciation for how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Market/Audience Emergent church Young adults Features and Benefits Narrative exploration of monasticism. Appreciation and critique of Dominican spirituality from a young, emergent, Protestant minister. A woman's take on monasticism.

Critically acclaimed author brings to life biblical stories that explore our fascination with the forbidden and lead us to a new understanding of God's grace.

“Ben shows that the black keys of wistfulness and sorrow can make music every bit as beautiful as the white keys. These pages will train your ears to hear heaven’s music once again.” —Jeremy Camp, Gold-charting singer and subject of the movie I Still Believe “With depth and clarity, Ben draws on his personal experience to offer you the practical tools and the courage you need to retaliate against the weight of darkness and walk forward in freedom.” —Levi Lusko, pastor and bestselling author Ben Courson’s mission is to inject hope into a generation plagued by anxiety and despair. In this follow up to Optimisfits, he shares his own battles with depression, PTSD, and personal tragedy—and how that turmoil came to fuel his unabashed optimism and unshakable confidence in God’s ability to heal. In Flirting with Darkness, Ben encourages you to not accept depression as a permanent state, but instead turn to the One who will champion your every struggle. He offers up the tools that helped him cling to God during his darkest moments, helping you discover how… prayer can transform your spirit and turn your pain into joy shifting your focus from your problems to God’s promises allows you to recognize your purpose finding a tribe in friends and family will help you move beyond loneliness counseling and medication can be important parts of God’s plan for your deliverance from mental illness If you feel weighed down by despair, the childlike wonder and biblical insights in Flirting with Darkness will help you glimpse beyond your current pain to see the light in your own story.

From popular Christian voices Lisa Jacobson and Phylicia Masonheimer, The Flirtation Experiment inspires you to strengthen your marriage with a fun, unexpected approach that leads to the depth, richness, and closeness you desire. Romance novels, Hallmark movies . . . the immense demand for romantic stories reveals a deep, unsatisfied longing that can be found in many marriages, but does it have to be that way? Is it possible that the best marriage has to offer can grow, rather than fade after you say “I do”? Lisa and Phylicia say, “Absolutely yes!” So what is the secret to a happy, thriving, loving marriage, where the fire of romance and close friendship do not fade? While The Flirtation Experiment includes the frisky side of marriage, it’s far more than a good romp. By degrees, each chapter takes you to a deeper place, covering themes every beautiful marriage has in common, such as covenant, healing, and hope. After reading The Flirtation Experiment, wives will be filled with hope and encouragement for how they can make a powerful, positive change in their marriages, become empowered to pursue their husbands romantically, understand the Bible invites women to be proactive in their marriages, be motivated to consistently love in creative ways, and forge closeness and intimacy in their marriages. “Intentional flirting keeps a positive lightness in the atmosphere and improves our overall communication,” says Jacobson. “My light flirtations bring us closer in meaningful ways and lead to connection on a deeper level. It helps us discover true romance waiting for us in everyday situations.” Perfect for the wife who wants romance, passion, and the closeness that only comes from a deep heart connection but isn’t sure where to start, The Flirtation Experiment is a candid, real-life record of two Christian women from different seasons of life who discovered they could make a significant impact on their marriage relationships, one small flirtatious experiment at a time. Readers can go deeper by using The Flirtation Experiment Workbook.

When forwarding a text message gets Seattle fifteen-year-old Savvy Smith in big trouble, she begins wondering if there is such a thing as luck and, if so, how it relates to God, but to find out she must put her advice column, her ministry, and her friendships at risk.

God has blessed me to see the world for what it really is. Asking questions for which I already have the answer. Your opinions do matter. It’s up to you to ask questions, instead of going with the popular crowd. You are the captain of your brain, correct. Never be misled by anyone or anything.

I used to imagine that life would be easier, more enjoyable, if I were tall, blond, and supermodel thin. But real life-like the average, every day woman-is full of curves and imperfections, and many opportunities to learn that it's not the number on the scale that measures the capacity of your heart. After years of struggling with poor self esteem and too many crash diets to count, I finally got wise-and hired a trainer. With an enthusiastic push from my brother's fiance and more motivation than a Joel Osteen sermon, I, Madeline "Leni" Moore, am ready to ditch the oh-woe-is-me act. That is, until I smack head-on into a tree and collide with him. Lane Sheffield is the guy you drool over from afar. One look at him the first day on the runner's track, and my panties are up in flames. He's out of my league. Slim, sleek, and athletic to my plump, dull, and unfit. Lane has no reason to like me, but to my utter shock . . . he does and this newfound attention from the opposite sex has me all sorts of baffled. What starts out as a healthy journey to lose some of the extra me, turns into a quest to find my true self. Will the need to fit in and finally have someone to call my own lead me to my weight loss goal or my happiness goal? I've focused so long on being skinny, what will it take for me to learn the ultimate lesson-that beauty is only skin deep?"