Too often, our study of the Bible focuses on searching for specific information or some formula that will solve our pressing needs of the moment. But what if we approached the Bible differently, and instead of transforming the text to meet our needs, allowed it to transform us? That's exactly the idea behind Life with God, Richard J. Foster's much-anticipated book on the Bible. Foster, bestselling author of Celebration of Discipline and general editor of The RenovarÉ Spiritual Formation Bible, claims that God has superintended the writing of Scripture so that it serves as the most reliable guide for Christian spiritual formation. According to Foster, the Bible is all about human life "with God." As we read Scripture, we should consider how exactly God is with us in each story and allow ourselves to be spiritually transformed. By opening our whole selves—mind, body, spirit, thoughts, behavior, and will—to the page before us, we begin to grasp all the Bible has to teach about prayer, obedience, compassion, virtue, and grace and apply it to our everyday lives to achieve a deeper relationship with God. With a wealth of examples and simple yet crucial insights, Life with God is an indispensable guide to approaching the Bible through the lens of Christian spiritual formation, revealing that reading the Bible for interior transformation is a far different endeavor than reading the Bible for historical knowledge, literary appreciation, or religious instruction.

'You'll meet 'traveling companions' from history, like Ignatius and Julian of Norwich--individuals and groups who illuminate these prayers. You'll discover how classical approaches to God can deepen your prayer life today. An appendix offers step-by-step instructions for practicing the Jesus Prayer, and the prayer of examen, for walking the labyrinth, praying with your body, and more--whether individually or in a group." -- Back cover

A vibrant, unstuck prayer life can begin for you right now. Why is it so difficult to pray without getting distracted? Why don’t I have this figured out by now? Pray Confidently and Consistently is for all of us who ask these questions and yearn for more. Join author and prayer journal creator Valerie Woerner in learning to pray boldly to the God of the universe who is beckoning us to come sit with him, share our hearts and needs, and simply know him. Living in close communication with our Father has the power to transform even the most difficult moments of our lives. What weights do we need to throw off so they don’t hold us back from a deeper connection with God? What distractions are keeping us from running freely with him? When we release the burdens suffocating our prayer lives and leaving us gasping for Jesus, we can finally experience the truth that prayer changes everything.

YOU ARE THE FIRST GENERATION RAISED WITHOUT RELIGION What happens if we are raised without religion or beliefs? As we grow older, the beauty and disenchantments of the world temper our souls. We all have spiritual impulses, yet where do these impulses flow in a world of commodities and consumerism? LIFE AFTER GOD is a compellingly innovative collection of stories responding to these themes. Douglas Coupland takes us into worlds we know exist but rarely see, finding rare grace amid our pre-millennium turmoil.

Many people are looking for a fresh way to read the Bible, not as a text to be mastered, but as a story to enter into and a lifestyle to pursue. In this unique Bible, the foremost names in Christian spirituality and biblical scholarship come together to provide a Bible that rediscovers Scripture as living text, rich with insights into how to live our lives more intimately with God. Spearheaded by bestselling authors Richard J. Foster (Celebration of Discipline) and Dallas Willard (The Divine Conspiracy), The Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible introduces the concept of the "with-God life," a model for seeing the whole of Scripture as the unfolding story of God's plan for our loving relationship with the Creator. This central theme weaves throughout the essays, introductions, notes, and exercises, powerfully revealing how God is present to his people today and throughout history. Yet our relationship with God should not be passive. Concrete practices—Spiritual Disciplines—have been used throughout church history to guide disciples of Jesus. This Bible integrates the Spiritual Disciplines into the Christian life by showing how they are central to the Bible's teachings and stories. Abraham and Ruth, Moses and Deborah, Jesus and the disciples all provide amazing examples of the life-changing power of prayer, worship, fasting, celebration, and many other Spiritual Disciplines. Scripture thus becomes a primary means for the discovery, instruction, and practice of these disciplines as well as a tool for spiritual formation. Combining the highest possible biblical scholarship with the deepest possible heart devotion, this new Bible project seeks to nourish inner transformation by unlocking and revealing the profound resources within Scripture for changing our hearts and characters and bringing them in line with what God wants for our lives. The Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible will redefine what the Bible means for Christian discipleship.

The devotional companion to Stovall Weems's book The God-First Life, will help you uncomplicate your life through understanding and implementing the principle of God-first living. Everywhere you look there are how-to books for improving various areas of our lives such as finances, fitness, business, marriage, friendships, etc. The list can be exhausting! If we were to add up all the tips and methods, there would be hundreds of things to keep in mind just to make it through a single day. Often, in our search for ways to improve our lives, we mistake depth and discipleship for a long list of prescribed "spiritual-to-dos," and lose the simplicity of following Jesus in the moment. But what if it is possible to boil it all down to one simple, un-complicated principle that would bring the solutions and wisdom we are looking for? It’s called living the God-first life--your life, God's way. Every area of life brings different seasons of change, and one thing is for certain--we will always face challenges. True peace comes from living a life of faith that is grounded first and foremost in trust. Do we trust when God says He's got our backs? Can we let go of things we don't have the answers to and trust Him enough to simply follow? Can we follow him in the moment, no matter what baggage we carry and what spiritual milestones we've yet to conquer? There's a much more vibrant way to live and act in faith, and it is much simpler than you would think.