Showing results by narrator "Mark Smeby" in All Categories

Student ministry is one of the most demanding forms of ministry out there. Leaders are normally expected to teach twice a week, partner with parents, and be an active part of the students’ lives outside of church. For the most part, many student ministry leaders know this going into the ministry of students, and yet are left realizing there is so much more than taking kids to camp and showing up for extracurricular activities.

Are you having trouble believing what the new self-proclaimed “experts” post on LinkedIn and beginning to question their proclamation that everything in sales has changed? The one constant in the world of sales is the noise from self-titled experts and thought leaders informing you of the latest tools, tricks, and strategies that you should utilize. However, ironically, the more modern solutions you adopt, the harder it is to get results. Mike Weinberg offers a wake-up call to salespeople and sales leaders on how to bypass the noise so you can start winning more new sales.

This is a guidebook for how to defend Christianity with Christ-like gentleness and respect toward those who persecute the faith, making you a stronger witness to the good news of the gospel than many other apologetics books that focus on crafting unbreachable arguments. Conversational in tone and balanced in approach, Apologetics at the Cross provides a listenable introduction to the field of apologetics. You'll be informed and equipped for engaging a wide range of contemporary challenges with the best in Christian thought.

Is heaven real? What is it really like? Award-winning author Lee Strobel tracked down the evidence and provides answers to the questions middle school children 8-12 ask about both heaven and hell in this young listener's edition of The Case for Heaven that is perfect for teaching your child about the biblical evidence for eternal life.

He helped save people every day - but he had no idea how to save himself. Jason Sautel had it all. Confident in his abilities and trusted by his fellow firefighters, he was making a name for himself on the streets of Oakland, California. His adrenaline-fueled job even helped him forget the pain of his childhood - until the day he looked into the eyes of a jumper on the Bay Bridge and came face-to-face with a darkness he knew would take him down as well.

Scott Hamilton has experienced the heights of accomplishment and the depths of disease, from winning the Gold to becoming a cancer and brain tumor survivor. But through his successes, struggles, and setbacks, Hamilton has never lost his trademark humor and honesty. More important, he has never lost his faith and optimism. How does he keep smiling?

The incredible story of a lead singer's rise to fame and his crushing fall when he lost his singing voice, his career, and his marriage - and then found a new calling more in tune with God than he ever thought possible.

The Bible promises us more than inspiration. More than influence. The Bible promises us access to the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. So what keeps us from drawing on that incredible resurrection power in our daily lives? In His Mighty Strength, popular pastor and author Randy Frazee explores Jesus’s time on Earth to uncover the amazing source of his strength. Jesus continually sought direction from the Father and found the power to live the Father’s will through the Holy Spirit. He said yes to God every day of his earthly life - and we can, too.

In Hero Maker you will learn how to bring real change to your church and community by developing the practical skills to help others reach their leadership potential. Drawing on five powerful practices found in the ministry of Jesus, Hero Maker presents the key steps of apprenticeship that will build up other leaders and provides strategies for how you can activate gifts, help others take ownership, and develop a simple scorecard for measuring your kingdom-building progress.

Christ never actually told us how to "do church". Yes, he had a lot to say about the church, but what he did say was mostly unrelated to stylistic issues or contextual trends. He never spoke about its leadership hierarchies or the pros and cons of denominational fellowships or the types of music. And yet, much of our time and energy as leaders and shepherds is consumed by chasing after tips, tricks, and secrets to "grow" churches.

Authored by a millennial, The Passion Generation will guide you beyond the stats of what millennials are doing to why they’re doing it and how we can all move toward healthy community. With wit, compassion, and startling insights, this audiobook shares stories and studies drawn from Skeldon’s years of working to bridge generational gaps. In his signature conversational style, Skeldon offers researched strategies that will spark healthy connections and practical methods that will help you make disciples of the millennials you love.

Imagine grocery shopping once-a-week or less, eating healthier, and having more free time-all while saving money. Sound too good to be true? For the Economides family, it's a reality, and it can be yours too.

Thirteen years ago, amidst scandal, sin, and shattered lives, Michael English fell from the pinnacle of the Christian music world. In 1994, newspapers around the world blared the headline, "Gospel Singer Named Artist of the Year Turns in His Awards After Confirming He Had an Affair with a Fellow Married Singer." From 1994 to 2002 Michael English's life went from bad to worse. Public shame, divorce, broken relationships, drug addiction, even homelessness. But in 2002, God reached out and rescued Michael from himself.

When your biggest superpower is also your most critical weakness, it helps to have a manual on how to control it. Entrepreneurs are creative, bold thinkers and risk-takers capable of great accomplishments. At the same time, for every success story, there is a counter story of an epic collapse caused by a lack of a moral compass, values, or proper guidance. Jeff Hays knows the highs and the lows having ridden that rollercoaster many times in his life and career and provides a much-needed user’s manual for entrepreneurs everywhere and the people in their work and personal lives.

Clean eating never tasted so good! The Daniel Plan Cookbook is the mouth-watering companion to The Daniel Plan book that shows you how to make recipes like Chile Verde Chicken and Mongolian Beef, as well as great American classics in a more health-conscious way. Full of practical tips, food facts, and inspiration from The Daniel Plan signature chefs, this book equips you with the knowledge, tools, and freedom to choose from a variety of delicious options to create your weekly menu and give momentum to a healthy lifestyle from the inside out.

How is the health of your soul? Is the deepest part of you flourishing—or is it languishing and gasping for air? Life lately has been filled with exhausting challenges: personal loss, political division, economic turmoil, faith deconstruction, and isolation. And our soul feels it.

When Dale Partridge's outwardly perfect life, marriage, and family were crumbling on the inside, he began questioning if culture's definition of success was something to seek after or to be saved from. What he found challenged everything he believed about "the good life" and equipped him to rebuild an even better life based on God's timeless design. Filled with scripture and practical application, Saved from Success is the book millions of burned-out and bedraggled Christians have been waiting for.

Why is there suffering? Doesn't science disprove miracles? What about hell--and the millions who've never heard of Jesus? Is heaven for real? Lee Strobel decided to use his award-winning journalistic skills to investigate the idea of faith and prove that placing our trust in things we cannot see is a solid bet. This teen adaptation of The Case for Faith present hard-hitting findings as well as Lee's journey from skepticism to belief in an easy-to-follow manner so you can make a decision about the Christian faith and theology for yourself.

Every week a terrorist attack, riot, or political scandal makes the headlines - and we feel the world around us shaking again. We struggle to separate truth from biased statements and hope from naïveté. We wonder how we got here and where these uncertain days will take us. One of the world’s top investigative reporters, John S. Dickerson, addresses this post-truth, post-Christian society in Hope of Nations. Hope of Nations shows us how and why the world is changing, where those changes will lead, and what it looks like to live like Christ in today’s society.

Seeking to bring clarity and simplicity to the study of God’s Word, Guthrie has written a concise, easy-to-digest collection of wisdom anchored by one verse for each book, from Genesis to Revelation—a verse that summarizes or lays the foundation for that book, placing it in context with the rest of the Scriptures.