In 1972, a young, untrained pastor struggled to lead a small, multiracial church in a drug-ridden neighborhood of Brooklyn. There was no money for a pastor’s salary, no money for much-needed repairs, no money to even pay the mortgage. One Sunday night, Pastor Jim Cymbala began to preach. Feeling called to minister to the people of Brooklyn, but not knowing what to do in a seemingly hopeless situation, he choked up and tears filled his [...]
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is one of the great classics of the Christian faith. Originally compiled by John Foxe in the 16th century, it has greatly influenced English Protestant thinking. For many English-speaking Protestant Christians of the past five centuries, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress have been considered second only to the Holy Bible as essential reading for the Christian. England was a hotbed of political and religious conflict in the [...]
A photograph of the Shroud of Turin showing both the negative (left) and positive (right) views. Originally published in the French language in 1950, A Doctor at Calvary provides an in-depth description of the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ from the perspective of medical research. Author Pierre Barbet, M.D. (1884-1961) was a French physician and chief surgeon at Saint Joseph’s hospital in Paris. Because of his expertise in anatomy and surgery, including [...]
First published in 1978, Celebration of Discipline has helped many readers find a deeper, more meaningful spiritual life through practicing time honored spiritual disciplines of Christianity. For Christians living in our fast-paced Western culture, experiencing traditional spiritual practices such as simplicity, solitude, fasting and Christian meditation can come as a breath of fresh air. Foster describes the role of the disciplines in spiritual transformation: While it is true that “human striving is insufficient and [...]
Love plays a central role in our culture and in our lives. The apostle John tells us that love is from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, for God is love (1John 4:7-8). Psychologists tell us that the need to feel loved is a primary human emotional need. It is no wonder that God’s primary commandments to mankind are to love God and to love one another (Matt. 22:34-40). [...]
When my firstborn daughter was three years old, I found myself in an odd situation. It seemed like every time I asked her to do something, we ended up arguing. I said to myself, “There’s something wrong here… I’m arguing with a three-year-old!” That realization was the catalyst for my discovering the truth about temperament in the pages of Your Personality Tree by Florence Littauer. You may have encountered a variety of personality tests, some [...]
The Truth Project from Focus on the Family provides a Christian worldview via a 13-week small group study. Each one-hour video lesson, taught by Dr. Del Tackett, discusses the relevance and importance of living daily life from a biblical viewpoint. The Truth Project is an excellent study that explores in detail many of the underlying fallacies that prevent believers from experiencing the fullness of the abundant Christian life. For many, this may be a life [...]
The Practice of the Presence of God is just a little book. It is a compilation of letters and maxims written by Brother Lawrence along with recollections of conversations and a short biography written by his close friend, Joseph de Beaufort. Collected and published a few years after Brother Lawrence’s death in 1691, the book became a classic, highly recommended by such men as John Wesley and A.W. Tozer. Brother Lawrence was not a great [...]
Watchman Nee wrote prolifically, largely for the benefit of his Little Flock. One such work is the little book, Let Us Pray. Nee writes in a simple, heartfelt style. As he writes, he seems to come at his point from many different directions as though walking about and inspecting every aspect of it. Some may find this repetitive, but I found it has the effect of engendering familiarity with the concept and broadening the understanding. [...]
