First Religion

For nearly 20 years, First You Have to Row a Little Boat has enchanted and endeared sailors and non-sailors alike, but foremost, anyone who seeks large truths in small things. This audio edition will find a place in the hearts of a whole new generation. Includes a foreword from New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Zaslow.

May 1565. Suleiman the Magnificent, emperor of the Ottomans, has declared a jihad against the Knights of Saint John the Baptist. The largest armada of all time approaches the Knights' Christian stronghold on the island of Malta. The Turks know the Knights as the "The Hounds of Hell." The Knights call themselves "The Religion." In Messina, Sicily, a French countess, Carla la Penautier, seeks a passage to Malta in a quest to find the son taken from her at his birth twelve years ago. T

First and Only is a guide for every woman who has found herself closing the cover on other leadership books that omit our true experiences and strengths. In this book, Jennifer R. Farmer helps listeners learn what is required for the long haul of liberation by providing a roadmap to on-the-job success, challenging systemic racism, and seeking inner healing through the power of faith.

Prayer is the lifeblood of the Christian faith—but many followers of Jesus still struggle to make prayer part of their daily lives. Why is it that so many Christians find it difficult to develop a vibrant and exciting prayer life? Pastor Chris Hodges has spent years studying the prayers of the Bible and the models of prayer that the scriptures provide for Christians. Now, he shares the teachings and methods he's used to successfully help hundreds of thousands of people understand how to spend time in conversation with God—and enjoy every minute.

Muhammad's was a life of almost unparalleled historical importance, yet for all the iconic power of his name, the intensely dramatic story of the prophet of Islam is not well known. In The First Muslim, Lesley Hazleton brings him vibrantly to life. Drawing on early eyewitness sources and on history, politics, religion, and psychology, she renders him as a man in full, in all his complexity and vitality. Hazleton's account follows the arc of Muhammad's rise from powerlessness to power, from anonymity to renown.

Diana Oestreich, a combat medic in the Army National Guard, enlisted like both her parents before her. But when she was commanded to run over an Iraqi child to keep her convoy rolling and keep her battle buddies safe, she was confronted with a choice she never thought she'd have to make. Torn between God's call to love her enemy and her country's command to be willing to kill, Diana chose to wage peace in a place of war. For the remainder of her tour of duty, Diana sought to be a peacemaker—leading to an unlikely and beautiful friendship with an Iraqi family.

A gospel, as ancient and authentic as any of the gospels that the Christian bible contains, was buried deep in the Egyptian desert after an edict was sent out in the 4th century to have all copies of it destroyed. Fortunately, some rebel monks were wise enough to refuse - and thanks to their disobedience and spiritual bravery, we have several manuscripts of the only gospel that was written in the name of a woman: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene.

Andrew Forrest unfolds a simple framework that applies to every single relationship in our lives. Listeners will be inspired and prepared to risk and reach out to others, even or especially when they are afraid of those who are different or when they risk being misunderstood. They will learn how—if they choose—to transform those relationships into friendships of mutual respect. More than that, Love Goes First provides profound insights into the love of God, and they will have a new awe and appreciation for the steps God is taking to redeem the world he has made.

The smoke clears. The world watches. A name is announced. A man steps forward and the earth’s gaze falls upon him. We have a Pope! And his name is Leo XIV. But who is this 266th successor to St. Peter? What is the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost’s vision for the Church, and what impact will his papacy have on Catholics and on the world? Veteran Catholic journalist and historian Matthew Bunson offers the first authoritative portrait of the new Holy Father.

The First Epistle to the Corinthians claims no author except "the Church of God which sojourns at Rome", but the early church unanimously attributed it to Clement of Rome. This letter had a profound impact on the early church and was commonly read aloud to congregations even through the fourth century - a fact that demonstrates the letter's importance to the early believers and the endurance of the call to repentance found within its pages.

There are few things more in common across cultures than the belief in ghosts. Ghosts inhabit something of the very essence of what it is to be human. Whether we personally 'believe' or not, we are all aware of ghosts and the rich mythologies and rituals surrounding them. They have inspired, fascinated and frightened us for centuries - yet most of us are only familiar with the vengeful apparitions of Shakespeare, or the ghastly spectres haunting the pages of 19th-century Gothic literature. But their origins are much, much older.

Expanded Edition: Now with a brand-new bonus epilogue… In the tense months following 9/11, a chance encounter sparks an unlikely connection between two strangers—a young college student and a marine on his way to Afghanistan. Mark has no interest in romance, especially just a week before he deploys. But when he sees a man follow a pretty waitress from a Providence hotspot, his gut tells him she’s in danger. He feels compelled to intervene. Amanda hoped to learn the restaurant business when she took the waitressing job, but so far all she’s learned is how to fend off handsy guys. ...

Of the many recent books on the historical Jesus, none has explored what the latest biblical scholarship means for personal faith. Now, in Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg addresses the yearnings of those who want a fully contemporary faith that welcomes rather than oppresses our critical intelligence and openness to the best of historical scholarship. Borg shows how a rigorous examination of historical findings can lead to a new faith in Christ, one that is critical and, at the same time, sustaining.

An intriguing supplement to the 'Book of Genesis', The First and Second Books of Adam and Eve remains an ancient text of great interest to modern readers. We are given intriguing insights into what life was like in the almost 1,600 years leading up to the biblical Great Flood of Noah, and how evil came to dominate the whole Earth due to Satan and the cursed Fallen Angels, who still seek to tempt, corrupt and destroy the world today.

Hundreds of details about the early history of mankind had become entirely lost until the restoration of the gospel. These details about the first 2,000 years of human history are all to be found in this groundbreaking volume. We now know that Adam and Eve had two generations of children before Cain and Abel were born. The exact year of the Great Flood can now be calculated. Details about the golden age of Enoch are now available so we can better understand how the law of consecration works and how it eliminates poverty and crime. Many difficult questions can now be answered.

Step into one of the most enigmatic and powerful sacred texts ever written—the First Book of Enoch, finally unveiled with reverence, clarity, and depth. Long hidden in the highlands of Ethiopia and excluded from Western Bibles for centuries, the Book of Enoch returns with prophetic force in this immersive narrated edition. Discover the lost prophecies of the Watchers, the terrifying birth of the Nephilim, the secrets of the celestial realms, and the eternal message of divine judgment and cosmic renewal.

Once in a generation, a historian will redefine his field, producing a book that demands to be read or heard - a product of electrifying scholarship conveyed with commanding skill. Diarmaid MacCulloch's Christianity is such a book. Breathtaking in ambition, it ranges back to the origins of the Hebrew Bible and covers the world, following the three main strands of the Christian faith.

In this electrifying social and intellectual history, Paula Fredriksen answers the question of how Jewish missionaries ended up inaugurating a movement that would grow into the gentile church by reconstructing the life of the earliest Jerusalem community. As her account arcs from this group’s hopeful celebration of Passover with Jesus, through their bitter controversies that fragmented the movement’s midcentury missions, to the city’s fiery end in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, she brings this vibrant apostolic community to life.

One of the greatest works created by any culture and overwhelmingly the most significant of all Tibetan Buddhist texts in the West, The Tibetan Book of the Dead has had a number of distinguished translations, but none encompassed the work in its entirety. Now, in one of the year's most important publishing events, the entire text has not only been made available in English but in a translation of quite remarkable clarity and beauty.

Packed with 52 topical chapters—ideal for listening daily or weekly—and presented with refreshing clarity, Devoted to Jesus is designed to help both new and mature believers grow together. This is a journey you’ll first want to experience yourself and then utilize to invest into others.