Religious Personal Development

In the 1980s, Erika Bornman’s family join, and ultimately move to, KwaSizabantu, a Christian mission based in KwaZulu-Natal, which is touted as a nirvana, founded on egalitarian values. But something sinister lurks beneath ‘the place where people are helped’. Life at KwaSizabantu is hard. Christianity is used to justify harsh punishments, and congregants are forced to repent for their sins. Threats of physical violence ensure adherence to stringent rules. Parents are pitted against children. Friendships are discouraged.

Is it possible to believe in both God and the law of attraction? A core argument of Rhonda Byrne's best-selling book The Secret, the law of attraction says that thoughts are magnetic. Anyone can have whatever they want, be it good health, wealth, or even relationships. They need only train their minds to dwell on what they desire. But is this true? In this companion audiobook to the current media storm, author Ed Gungor believes there is more to the story.

Faith to Foster is a candid look into the life of ordinary foster parents T.J. and Jenn Menn. It is a journey chronicling their decision-making process, how the children arrived, the birth parents struggle to rehabilitate, help from friends and family, emotional goodbyes, and how faith in Jesus empowered them through it all. TJ and Jenn share their experiences and feelings in a way that encourages any listener to serve their neighbors, not just foster parents. Faith to Foster reminds Christians how God can use them to make a difference in their community.

Each of us is living a story-the story of our life. For Sam Collier, his story started with rejection, because when he and his twin sister were born, their biological mother gave them up for adoption. Though Sam loved his adoptive family, life sometimes felt like a puzzle missing crucial pieces. But it was also the way God would reach into Sam's life and show him that he didn't have to write his own story-because it was really God who was telling his story through Sam.

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. In recent years non-religious funerals have become more common, but without an established canon of texts to fall back on, it can be difficult to plan an appropriate service for a loved one who had no religious belief or connections. Texts recommended by secular humanists, especially modern texts, can sometimes sound trite or overly informal.

Kate Braestrup's life was transformed by the loss of her husband; now Kate faces the possibility that she may lose her son. As a young mother, Kate Braestrup discovered the fierce protectiveness that accompanies parenthood. In the intervening years - through mourning her husband and the joy of remarriage and a blended family - Kate has absorbed the rewards and complications of that spirit. But when her eldest son joins the marines, Kate is at a crossroads.

In India, two out of every three people are under the age of thirty-five. These are men and women who grew up with the internet and the advent of smartphones and social media. But when it comes to love and marriage, they’re expected to adhere to thousands of years of tradition. It’s that conflict between obeying convention and embracing modernity that drives journalist Mansi Choksi’s The Newlyweds. Choksi shines a light on three young couples who buck against arranged marriages in the pursuit of true love, illustrating the challenges, shame, anger, triumph, and loss their actions set in play.

In this beautifully crafted memoir, best-selling author and business leader Joe Sweeney weaves a remarkable tale of friendship, spirituality, and even some of the mischief that characterizes the unlikely 32-year relationship he enjoyed with a modern-day saint. She had a way about her, he said, and it was unlike anything he had encountered as a lifelong Catholic with honest questions about his faith, spirituality, and the meaning of life. A Light Shines Through Us guides listeners of all faiths, and those claiming no faith, on a journey of spiritual exploration and discovery.

Taking care of a family member who is ill, disabled, or dying requires courage, strength, commitment, and love. Now Terry Hargrave, an expert in counseling and caregiving, offers you help with a devotional written with your specific needs in mind. The morning prayers and evening reflections in this book are short and to the point. Strength and Courage for Caregivers weaves together powerful stories, practical advice, and the restorative promises of Scripture, reminding caregivers that they're not alone in this important yet all too often unacknowledged and underappreciated work.

Soulful Poems is a collection of poetry written by Katie Carey as she healed her own trauma from an abusive childhood filled with domestic violence and the toxic relationships she encountered throughout her life.

Affairs end marriages, everyone knows that. Based on a true story, this is a tale not only about restoration, but how God used betrayal to change one man's life forever.

As a child, Susan Silverman was surrounded by a loving family; although her parents weren't happily married, they were devoted to their kids. In a vibrant, funny, imminently relatable voice (think Anne Lamott meets Katrina Kenison), Silverman tells of a family's evolution - from her parents' devastating loss of their infant son to raising bright and wildly unique daughters. It's also the creation story of her own family - raising her own bright and wildly unique daughters and taking a journey to adopt two boys from Ethiopia.

Ministry is hard. Much like marriage, it's full of unanticipated challenges, requires a great deal of selflessness, and often comes with little reward. Marriage and ministry together? It's a unique calling, yet couples who enter into it seldom receive adequate preparation, training, or even warning! Geoff and Sherry Surratt have been at both marriage and ministry together for over 30 years and have seen the highs, the lows, and everything in between - they've managed to figure out a way to make it all work together.

As a student of the well respected teachings of Neville Goddard, I found that the essential shift to success on my journey came ONLY when I learned that you must first accept that everything is internal. Consciousness is the only reality. You can test these simple Approved Guidelines in your own research to find out that the truth is real. The Law of Assumption shows you that the world is truly within. Law of Attraction was wrong because it held to the belief that the world is outside of you. Until you accept this, you will not be successful.

If you gave me this book at age seven and told me the last couple of chapters would be my life one day, I would have said you were crazy and that you have the wrong family in mind. Because my mom and dad would still be married and living in a normal house with normal cars. We would have a golden retriever named Zach and a ginger cat named Ginger. A picture-perfect family. But that all came crashing down for me. No one should have to go through the things we did....

The Bible doesn't expressly talk about dating and we take this as a license to start making things up. Most of the time Christian dating looks very similar to the world's way, only with a cross around its neck. The way we date invites pain, baggage, break-ups, and confusion. It is at best unhelpful and at worst harmful. We need to do something different. We need to do something better. We need to rethink the way we think about dating. That's what this book is about. This book was written to change a paradigm.

Whatever you're searching for, Poetry Inspires Me to Heal is your guide to emotional healing, personal growth, and inner peace. This soothing and reflective audiobook by S.L. Conduite is a quick listen filled with therapeutic and inspirational poetry that fits seamlessly into your day—whether during a hectic commute, a quiet moment, or whenever you need a lift.

This book discusses women's role in the Mormon church historically as well as today. It discusses the unfairness of the Mormon plan of salvation and godhood as well as everyday marriage, children, and living under the modern-day Mormon church. This book will give you the true picture and will have you laughing out loud.

While people used to conceal the fact that they were gay or lesbian to protect themselves from stigma and discrimination, it is now commonplace for people to "come out" and encourage others to do so as well. Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are systematically examines how coming out has moved beyond gay and lesbian rights groups and how different groups wrestle with the politics of coming out in their efforts to resist stigma and enact social change. It shows how different experiences and disparate risks of disclosure shape these groups' collective strategies.

The #MeToo movement has revealed sexual abuse and assault in every sphere of society, including the church. But victims are routinely ignored by fellow Christians who deny their accounts and fail to bring accountability to the perpetrators. All too often, churches have been complicit in protecting abusers, reinforcing patriarchal power dynamics, and creating cultures of secrecy, shame, and silence.