Showing results by narrator "Lyle Blaker" in All Categories

In many circles, the image of what a pastor is or does looks nothing like the picture Jesus paints for his disciples of the character that marks citizens of his kingdom. Shepherding Like Jesus is a call to rebel against much of what our culture understands pastoral leadership to be and return to being the shepherd God has called pastors to be. It’s an invitation to recover the most essential element of pastoral ministry: the character of Christ.

Eric's life brought him to boarding school in England, university in Edinburgh and the fame of Olympic Stardom in Paris. But with that fame came trouble as he struggled to stand up for his Christian faith. Eric's strong belief in keeping the Lord's Day as a day of worship was challenged when his 100 meters race was scheduled for the Sunday. Eric's strength of conviction and his subsequent win in the 400 meters have made him a hero and a role model for many young men and women. But his life was so much more than winning tapes and starters' orders - his whole life was a race for God.

On January 2, 1678, a fleet of French ships sank off the Venezuelan coast. This proved disastrous for French naval power in the region, and sparked the rise of a golden age of piracy. Tracing the lives of fabled pirates like the Chevalier de Grammont, Nikolaas Van Hoorn, Thomas Paine, and Jean Comte d'Estrées, The Lost Fleet portrays a dark age, when the outcasts of European society formed a democracy of buccaneers, settling on a string of islands off the African coast.

How does worship work? How exactly does liturgical formation shape us? What are the dynamics of such transformation? In the second of James K. A. Smith's three-volume theology of culture, the author expands and deepens his analysis of cultural liturgies and Christian worship he developed in his well-received Desiring the Kingdom. He helps us understand and appreciate the bodily basis of habit formation and how liturgical formation—both "secular" and Christian—affects our fundamental orientation to the world.

What if your biggest failures were actually setting you up for your real purpose? Redeemed by Grace is my story, shaped by addiction, the Marines, business wins, painful setbacks, and the kind of rebuilding only God can do. From a broken home in small-town Florida to Parris Island… from battling alcohol to finding real faith… from building multi-million-dollar companies to losing everything and starting again—this is a transformation only God can pull off. This isn’t about religion. It’s about relationship.

When Poets Were Warriors studies the person and work of Jesus as an example of what it means to be a Christian man. Casey knows that Jesus is more than an example of masculinity, though he is not less. He wants readers to walk away from his book not only with a greater understanding of what it means to be a man, but also with a greater love for Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus provides the greatest example of what it means to be a man while doing what only he could do: redeeming others from sin through His life, death, and resurrection.

The percentage of adolescents who suffer from significant anxiety is currently close to one-third, and this number has been steadily rising over the past few years. The experience of living with anxiety can make a teen feel cut off from others and frightened.

Drawing upon the timeless wisdom of Thomas Aquinas, The Natural Law offers clear insights into perplexing ethical dilemmas. The compelling conclusions of Aquinas emerge through a critical examination of contemporary ethical frameworks, including moral relativism, utilitarianism, and Machiavellian politics. In part one, which elucidates the core principles of natural law ethics, the listener will discover fundamental truths underpinning the concepts of right and wrong, which are rooted in the very fabric of our humanity.

In April 1998, legendary southern jam band Widespread Panic held a free open-air record release show in downtown Athens, Georgia, its home base. No one involved could have known that the predicted crowd of twenty thousand would prove to be nearly five times that size. The show, now known as "Panic in the Streets," went on to become a cult favorite of fans and a decisive moment in Athens music history. This event holds the record for the world's largest record release party, but the story of how the it came to be has not been told until now.

Critical theory was born over a century ago. Created to foster social transformation, this emerging theory would soon influence universities, politics, and pop culture across the globe and spark tense debates between groups across the sociopolitical spectrum. But what exactly lies at the heart of critical theory, and how should Christians engage with this controversial perspective? To answer these questions, we must examine the history, philosophy, and ideas of the thinkers who shaped its development.

When we encounter human suffering or personal tragedy, Christians and non-Christians alike utter the same refrain: Where is God? If God exists, then where in the world is he? Why doesn't he show himself? And how can we tell if God is really working or not? Tim Muehlhoff gives us insight into recognizing how God is at work in the world.

Drawing from thirty years of global executive coaching experience, Damian Goldvarg delivers an actionable framework to help leaders develop coaching skills crucial for today's workplace. The book provides practical tools for building trust, improving communication, managing virtual teams, and fostering innovation through coaching conversations.

Stress happens. We all feel it. It steals our joy, interrupts our sleep, affects our relationships, and wears us down. We can't escape the things and people that cause it. We can't medicate it away. So we must deal with it. But how? How do we attain peace in life?

You’ve read the articles, watched the videos, and rehearsed the lines—but when it’s time to speak up, your brain locks up like a browser with 47 tabs open.

As questions and mysteries around project-based learning and inquiry continue to swirl, experienced classroom teachers and school administrators Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy have written a book that will empower those intimidated by PBL to cry, "I can do this!" while at the same time providing added value for those who are already familiar with the process. Hacking Project Based Learning demystifies what PBL is all about with ten hacks that construct a simple path that educators and students can easily follow to achieve success.

If you've experienced trauma, your nervous system may be stuck in "fight-or-flight" mode—leading to symptoms such as hypervigilance, extreme anxiety, and distrust of others. You may struggle with intense emotions, or have nightmares and flashbacks. And you may even experience physical symptoms such as an upset stomach, a pounding heart, or shakiness. This compassionate guide offers a breakthrough approach to bring your mind and body back into balance.

All forms of recreational digital consumption—whether on smartphones, tablets, game consoles, or TVs—have skyrocketed in the younger generations. Most media experts do not seem overly concerned about this situation: children are adaptable, they say, they are "digital natives," their brains have changed and screens make them smarter. But other specialists—including some pediatricians, psychiatrists, teachers, and speech therapists—dispute these claims, and many parents worry about the long-term consequences of their children's intensive exposure to screens.

In Launchpad Republic: America's Entrepreneurial Edge and Why It Matters, Howard Wolk and John Landry provide an insightful and thought-provoking history of entrepreneurship in the United States, with a focus on the political, legal, and cultural forces that have sustained "creative destruction" and propelled the country forward for more than 200 years. In telling this story, the book highlights the critical features that have set America apart from other countries and identifies the key attributes necessary for it to maintain leadership for years to come.

Money issues are a frequent source of conflict in any marriage. But blended families are a monetary minefield. Debts, bills, and child support payments from previous relationships often influence the finances of a blended family. And planning for college expenses, retirement, and inheritance gets even more complicated in stepfamilies.

The Bible calls Jesus the friend of sinners, but it's hard to imagine what friendship with Jesus really looks like. We so often don't even know how to do friendship with the people around us, despite all the options we have to connect. So how are we supposed to feel that close to a holy, perfect, and invisible God? How do we see Jesus as the real person he is? And how do we experience true friendship with him when we struggle to maintain true friendship on earth? Join author Jared C. Wilson as he explores what it means to be a friend of Jesus.