Hard things are a part of life--but they don't have to have the final word. Join bestselling author Lisa Whittle as she teaches us how to learn how to see the good again. What does it feel like to come back from something hard, to be able to hope again? Instead of running away from the obstacles we face and the growth we crave, Lisa teaches us that our challenges can become the keys to our greatest usability in the kingdom of God--that is, if we let God make good of them. In The Hard Good, Lisa guides us on a powerful path to progress as we learn to: Accept things we wish were different Apologize and forgive first Cheer for someone who gets what we want Open our hearts again when we've been hurt Find joy in the waiting Show up when we want to shut down Your hard place is never too hard for God. Allow it to change you, help you, and ready you for the greatest comeback you have ever known. Praise for The Hard Good: "I can't think of a person better equipped than my friend Lisa Whittle to tackle the hand-in-hand partnership of the title of this book: The Hard Good. She knows the angst of hard in deeply personal ways. She knows the choice of good because her heart purely seeks Jesus, and she truly wants to make a holy difference by helping others. Settle in. Dare to crack open these pages. You can, as I do, trust her with your heart. Let's do this. Together we can do the hard good." --Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author of Forgiving What You Can't Forget

The Hard Good shows why the divine road that leads to God's perfect plan for our lives is often paved with difficulties. At our very core is the desire to be God's woman or man--faithful, having fulfilled the potential God created in us. To reach that point, sometimes we have to endure hard things, things God has designed for good, to supernaturally shape us into the people he wants us to be. When we choose to accept the "hard good," we discover our life's purpose, and he promises to give us the joy and passion as our deepest longing is fulfilled. The hard good is a powerful path to growth, as you learn to accept things you wish were different apologize and forgive first come clean (repentance) give up the now for the best stay in the journey cheer for someone who has what you want open your heart, even when it's been hurt tell yourself no The Hard Good is a six-session video Bible study based in 1 Samuel. It will help you discover a practical roadmap to help you find God's true purpose for your life--a study in becoming the person God uniquely created you to be. With counsel from Scripture, which speaks into relevant and universal issues that touch each one of us, The Hard Good inspires and motivates you to discover the growth you have long desired as you search for your purpose in God's perfect plan. This pack contains one study guide and one DVD.

In a series of brief chapters, Al Gini lays out ideas for 'stepping out of the shadow of the self' - an argument for stopping thinking of yourself as the centre of the universe. It's hard to be good, he explains, until we realize that being good only has meaning in relation to other people. Ideas of justice, fairness, and ethical behavior are just that - abstract ideas - until they are put into action with regard to people outside ourselves. We may worry too much about good versus evil - big concepts that give us plenty of room to sit on the right side of the equation, he argues. Instead, we need to be thinking about how being good involves an active relationship toward others. Being good all by yourself may not be good enough. This warm and generous book is for anyone who wants to know how to use ethical thinking as way to live, work, and be with others.

Many of us believe that we are saved by grace--but for too many, that's the last time grace defines our life. Instead of clinging to grace, we strive for good and believe that the Christian life means hard work and a sweet disposition. As good girls, we focus on the things we can handle, our disciplined lives, and our unshakable good moods. When we fail to measure up to our own impossible standards, we hide behind our good girl masks, determined to keep our weakness a secret. In Grace for the Good Girl, Emily Freeman invites women to let go of the try-hard life and realize that in Christ we are free to receive from him rather than constantly try to achieve for him. With an open hand and a whimsical style, Emily uncovers the truth about the hiding, encouraging women to move from hiding behind girl-made masks and do-good performances to a life hidden with Christ in God.

How can a good God allow evil? What does it all mean? Where lies happiness? Adele Gonzalez, founder of the Get-With-It organisation, provides answers to these questions. Her answers are based on theology as well the experiences of people through the ages.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward, a novel set in Flannery O'Connor's hometown of Milledgeville, and a tragedy that forever alters the town and the author herself "A wholly believable world shaped by duty, small pleasures, and fateful choices."—O, The Oprah Magazine Forced by illness to leave behind a successful life in New York, literary icon Flannery O'Connor has returned to her family farm in the small town of Milledgeville, Georgia. With her health and time both limited, all she wants is to be left alone to write. But Flannery's plans are soon upended by Melvin Whiteson, a banker from Manhattan who has recently married the town belle. Melvin is at loose ends with his new life; though he has every opportunity, he's not sure where to begin. Flannery knows exactly what she wants, but is running out of time. Through their unusual and clandestine friendship, both will come to reflect on the decisions they have made and the paths they have chosen. Literary history and fiction gracefully intersect in this emotionally charged novel of small town Southern life, which asks us all to consider how we can live our lives to the fullest.

The most comprehensive volume ever produced in defense of the Gospels and Acts The four Gospels and the book of Acts tell stories of Jesus’ life and the birth of Christianity. Are these stories true history or just religious fiction? Christians accept the stories as true and say that the entire Bible is a reliable communication inspired by God. Against this, non-Christians have argued that the Bible is a book of legends, myths, and historical inaccuracies—just another example of human religious endeavor. In this volume, four world-class New Testament scholars address challenges to the reliability of the Gospels and Acts. In order to identify the most important challenges, the authors drew from the literature of skeptics and New Testament critics, plus they included questions that many Christians ask as well. The result is the most comprehensive defense of the Gospels and Acts that has ever been published. The primary purpose of the Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible is to equip readers to defend the reliability of Scripture and the historic evangelical understanding of its teachings. It is designed for use by general readers, though scholars will find it a probing and welcome resource as well. A secondary purpose is to encourage awareness and discussion of Bible difficulties that are not commonly mentioned from the pulpit or even the seminary lectern. This is not a verse-by-verse commentary. The authors were provided an index that identified verses known to be relevant to the topics of apologetics and biblical reliability. They restricted their comments to these verses, plus any others that they recognized as germane to the aims of this project. Typically, each commentary note begins by stating the challenge or challenges regarding the text at hand. We attempt to state the case in all its potency, as a critic would state it. This approach takes seriously the critical viewpoint and helps ensure that the reader feels the full weight of the challenge. The contributors take each challenge seriously and seek to describe viable solutions that support faith and align with a high view of Scripture.