Showing results by narrator "Lisa Larsen" in All Categories

What is the difference between the kid who struggles to "adult" and the one who jumps in feet first, ready to thrive? It all comes down to mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets. Either we as parents raise kids who are dependent on us or we raise kids who are confident, capable, and eager to take on the challenges of an independent adult life.

"I don't care for vocational books written in the United States; they're too American." When Susan Maros heard this comment from a Malaysian colleague, she was initially taken aback. Isn't the concept of calling universal? Why wouldn't resources with a biblical perspective on vocation apply to everyone? The reality is that each of us encounters our questions of calling from within a particular context.

We live in an age uniquely attentive to the problem of mental illness. More than half of us will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in our lifetime. It has been easy, for centuries, to relegate persistent emotional and mental struggles entirely to the realm of a failed personal work ethic ("Just don't worry so much!"), not enough faith ("Just pray harder!"), or, in recent years, a chemical imbalance in our brains ("Just take this pill!").

Cynthia Ruchti and Becky Melby know all too well how adjusting to a new, all-the-time closeness can cause the bliss of marriage to form blisters. Drawing from their experiences, and from men and women across the country in the same situation, the authors take a deep breath and dive into the root causes of the discomfort. They dig into the ways God's word addresses the topic, and they offer practical tips for learning the spiritual, emotional, relational, and even physical steps that can help listeners replace irritation with peace.

When her close friend, Reese Marigold, goes missing after attending Last Chance, an exclusive singles’ retreat on a remote island off the coast of Hawaii, no-nonsense lawyer Ann Stone infiltrates the retreat. Ann quickly realizes there’s more to Last Chance than meets the eye. The extravagant clothes, never-ending interviews, and bizarre dates hint that the retreat is a front for a reality dating show. Could Reese be safe, keeping a low profile until the premier, or did something sinister occur after all?

As she cleans up the cottage her mother left behind, Clara Hannigan discovers a locked hope chest. Inside is a book that might have the answers to her questions...if she can connect the dots between her mom and a prominent local. Complicating matters is one of Clara's students: a mean girl who has a bone to pick with the Hannigans.

On the verge of divorce, Megan Hannigan needs a distraction. So, she turns to the sunny tract of farmland left in her mother's will. It's the perfect locale for a budding business, but locals disagree. Only a third party can help navigate this pesky small-town grudge or else Megan's career plan is dead in the water. Meanwhile, Megan's oldest sister, Kate, hosts a grand opening for her newly renovated Heirloom Inn. Everything is going smoothly until her high school sweetheart reveals a disastrous confession.

Tension in our personal relationships are at an all-time high. Dialogue - when it happens at all - is heated. It isn't that we've lost hope in what faith and politics can accomplish in our world. It's that in our polarizing times, faith and politics seem to be leading more to rage than actual change. It's discouraging, disheartening, and disappointing. But it doesn't have to stay that way. Civility is not a pipe dream. Nuance is not unrecoverable. Peace is possible. And it can all start right here, right now, with us.

Seventeen-year-old Harley Martin has been obsessed with Paris for years. So when Harley's parents feel guilty enough about their constant fighting to offer to send Harley to visit her cousin Gretchen, she doesn't hesitate. But Gretchen and Harley have both changed in the years they've been apart. In an effort to rekindle their friendship, Harley agrees to Gretchen's suggested activity, even though it's outside her comfort zone: a tour with Gretchen and her friends through the off-limits section of the Paris Catacombs.

It's tempting to respond to the slights and indignities of life with bitterness, resentment, frustration, or sadness. But what if there's a better way? Enter The Peace Project and its potent mixture of practicing thankfulness, kindness, and mercy. With short, digestible chapters and plenty of practical application, The Peace Project demonstrates that lasting inner peace comes from outward practices - seeing others, as well as ourselves, not as obstacles to overcome or objects against which to compete or compare but as people of great worth.

If you feel overwhelmed, you're not alone. Three out of five people admit to doing more than they can manage. Thinking God requires this, we say, "I must be everything to everyone". Then we struggle and feel selfish and guilty when we say no, grow weary, or snap at someone out of sheer exhaustion. Is this what God desires? Somewhere along the line of being a good Christian, wife, daughter, or friend we lose sight of who we are in Christ.

In this book, Kerstin shares her own stories with the honesty of your best friend. She explains what has worked for real, overwhelmed, under-supported women who are living through unbearable waits: unemployment, illness, infertility, death, even seasons of joylessness that seem to never end. You will learn how to manage all the little waits that come daily, the ones that make you feel like you're missing out on your life. Where's My Crown offers tangible advice and actionable steps for coping through each season.

What if fear is the new brave? That's the question that you need answered if you are living afraid. Finding courage begins with fear itself - fear of the Lord. I Choose Brave reveals a countercultural plan to help you where you are - knee-deep in fears of parenting, the future, your marriage, and a world that feels unstable. In I Choose Brave, Katie Westenberg digs deep into Scripture and shows that finding the courage to overcome our fears must start with fear of the Lord.

Newly retired from the Marine Corps, Delaney is looking for somewhere to start over. It’s not going to be easy, but when she finds the perfect place to open her dream motorcycle shop, she goes for it. What she doesn’t expect is an abandoned pit bull to come with the building. The shy pup is slow to trust, but Delaney is determined to win it over.

Last week, I was stocking groceries in Freedom, Alabama. This week, I live in Nashville, Tennessee, about to take the stage at the famous Bluebird Cafe. Sounds fantastic, doesn't it? Only one problem - I've got stage fright. But after years of being ruled by fear and hiding from my dream, I confronted my limited reality and left home. Forget the hometown hunk who wants to make me queen of his double-wide. Forget Momma's doubt-inspiring tirade. I can make it in Music City...can't I?

For JoJo Castle there is no place like home. Her onetime love of adventure ended when her life in the big city came crashing down. Now that she’s home, she never wants to leave again. Country music sensation Buck Mathews has charmed the world with his smile and his music. However, news of his mother’s illness brought him home to Hearts Bend for the holiday season. Working with her cousin Haley in The Wedding Shop, JoJo has no aspirations of love. But when her high school crush returns to town, her buried feelings surface.

On July 30, 2010, Matt and Emily were blessed with the birth of a healthy baby boy, Carter Matthew Abbott. Just six days later, Matt and Emily were faced with the decision to either take Carter off of life support or continue down a path with little to no hope of a life or future for their newborn son. Who Is Carter? is the true story of how the Abbotts embraced possibilities over limitations, and discovered how the Anat Baniel Method offered those possibilities of hope and healing.

The yellow diamond. The counting chorus. A place he’s never seen before. It’s been a while, but Nicholas knows the drill, even if he doesn’t understand it. What he’s not ready for is the occasion: A day that starts with him losing his job and turns into him meeting the mysterious Kat, a young woman who can make the impossible possible just by tying together a few pieces of string. For Nicholas, that’s only the beginning.

Someone slipped one of the monkey brothers a bad bunch of bananas. Now, Madam Electra and Officer Bruno have to figure out who is behind the malarkey spreading throughout the circus. Unfortunately, Electra’s cryptic crystal ball makes finding answers no easy cakewalk.

In the last days of the world, the walls of Viyara are still falling, and the dead are rising faster than ever. Juliet is trapped - ordered by Lord Ineo of the Mahyanai to sacrifice the remaining members of her family, the Catresou, to stave off the end of the world. Romeo is tortured: Finally aware that his true love is alive, he is at once elated and devastated, for his actions led directly to the destruction of her clan. The only way to redemption is to offer his life to the Catresou to protect and support them, even if it means dying to do so.