Showing results by narrator "Mark Smeby" in All Categories

Joe Coulombe founded what would become Trader Joe’s in the late 1960s and helped shape it into the beloved, quirky food chain it is today. Realizing early on that he could not compete and win by playing the same game his bigger competitors were playing, he decided to build a store for educated people of somewhat modest means. In this way, Joe laid down a blueprint for other business owners to follow to build their own unique shopping experience that customers love, and a work environment that employees love being a part of.

Never Too Far celebrates new beginnings. It offers encouragement and perspective, and it’s for you if you feel frustrated or confused, if you’re sorrowing or in pain, if you’ve made mistakes or are grieving, if you’re disappointed or feel as though life doesn’t make sense. The good news is that God is in the business of giving fresh starts to people. He gives hope to the hopeless. Direction to the directionless. Help to those who need help. God is always good, all the time, and God’s plans will always prevail, even when our plans don’t.

Don’t apologize for what you believe. In an age marked by uncertainty, the Unapologetic New Testament audio download has the tools you need to defend your faith—and share it with the people you love.

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.

Depression is the number-one health issue in the world today, yet those who suffer are still sometimes stigmatized - especially followers of Jesus. Many assume God's peace, power, and protection should prevent us from ever feeling anxious, depressed, and afraid. But the Bible teaches otherwise, particularly in its depiction of the life of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Chris Hodges uses Elijah's life to show us that everyone is susceptible to depression. Even when we're walking closely with God, we can still stumble and get lost in the wilderness of tangled emotions.

With a thoughtful approach to the language and context of the original, the author’s voice has been carefully preserved and the Bible texts updated to the New International Version. Full of powerful challenge to devote your all for God’s highest glory, these readings open the way to deeper, stronger faith.

Recenter God in your life with How Great Is Our God: Living A Worship-Led Life In a Me-Driven World by Grammy Award-winning worship artist Chris Tomlin. In this intimate look at his songs, Tomlin shows how worship music is more than just music but a tool for putting God first.

This is the story of David Wilkerson, the man who believed against the odds that God could do great things in the rejected and ignored of New York City, who refused to give up on those on the streets even when they had given up on themselves, and who saw in the eyes of the drug addicts and gang members what others failed to see - the love of Jesus Christ.

Christians today face a dilemma: In a world that seems to reject everything we believe, how do we walk closely with God without caving to pressure or alienating those we hope to reach? In this eye-opening new book, Chris Hodges provides a solution by examining the life of the prophet Daniel, who persevered in a corrupt culture that closely resembles our own — and emerged as an influential force in God’s redemptive plan.

In a world where there are 68 million searches for pornography every day and where over 70 percent of Christian men report viewing porn in the last year, it's no surprise that more and more men struggle with an addiction to this false fantasy. Common wisdom says if they just had more willpower or more faith, their fight would be over. Is the answer really that simple? According to the counselor and ministry leader Michael John Cusick, the answer is no—but the big truth may be much more freeing.

While many churches talk about discerning calling and engaging in mission, very few are structured to make this their ministry focus. Underground Church is a new vision for the church rooted in its biblical mission to share the love of God and serve the poor. Sanders explores how to make structural changes, how to think about leadership, how to fund ministries, and how to truly engage people in God's mission. Filled with creative insights, he explains what it means to center the mission of the church around the callings of individuals to outward ministry.

When Dr. Ray Strand found himself in a losing battle, unable to successfully treat his wife who had suffered chronically with pain and fatigue, he agreed to try the regimen of nutritional supplements that a neighbor suggested. Much to his surprise, his wife's condition began to improve almost immediately. That amazing turn of events led him to dedicate himself to researching alternative therapies in medicine, particularly in the arena of nutritional supplements.

With clear facts and answers to the questions kids six to ten ask most, this adaptation of Lee Strobel's New York Times bestselling and award-winning The Case for Christ uses kid-friendly language, examples, and easy-to-understand information to introduce young listeners to the research, eyewitness accounts, and evidence behind the question of whether Jesus really was the savior the Bible promised, and what that answer means for our lives today.

We all experience moments when God's love and presence are tangible. But we also experience feeling utterly abandoned by God. Why? The answer is found when you take a deep look at the other important relationships in your life and understand your attachment style. Through his years working in trauma recovery programs, extensive research into attachment science, and personal experiences with spiritual striving and abuse, licensed therapist Krispin Mayfield has learned to answer the question: Why do I feel so far from God?

If following Jesus involves a life of sacrifice and suffering, is it wrong for a Christian to seek purpose and joy in this world? Many Christians sense tension between their desires to enjoy life in this world--the beauty of God’s creation, the rich love of deep relationships with others--and the reality that this world is fallen and broken, in need of redemption. How can we embrace and thrive in the tension between enjoying creation and promoting redemption?

In a defensive and divided era, how can followers of Jesus reveal a better way of living, one that loves others as God loves us? How can Christians be the kind of people who are known, as Proverbs puts it, to "turn away wrath"? Scott Sauls' compelling new book shows Christians how to become people of "a gentle answer" in a politically, relationally, and culturally fractured world by helping listeners grow in affection for Christ, who answers our hostility with gentleness.

The tough questions kids eight to 12 ask about faith, Jesus, and Christianity are investigated and answered in this 365-day devotional that uses the historical facts and theological truths found in The Case for Christ to help young listeners develop their faith and understand what it means to be a Christian. Each day’s reading also includes reflection questions, helping kids think through what their faith personally means to them.

Failures don't need to be final, and disappointment doesn't need to be defining. Come along on a wild, hilarious, faith-building ride, and let The Art of Getting It Wrong guide you toward hope for the future and the freedom to love your life exactly where you are. Long before his YouTube channel, The Miller Fam, became a viral sensation, Stephen Miller got a ton of things wrong. He knows what it's like to endure countless failed endeavors, make too many rash decisions, and feel deep discouragement when life doesn't go as planned--sometimes all before breakfast.

Imagine if you could see the playbook that returned a struggling tech empire to the top of the tech leaderboard. The Microsoft Story will help you understand and adopt the competitive strategies, workplace culture, and daily business practices that enabled the tech company to once again become a leading tech innovator.

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.