How do you explain a love that has no explanation? What will happen if you let it touch your heart? God loves you not because you are flawless, not because you are a perfect person, but just because you are you. In Life-Changing Love, John Ortberg reveals the God you’ve longed to encounter: a Father head-over-heels in love with you, his child, and intensely committed to your highest joy. Ortberg takes you to the very focus of who God is to discover a burning, passionate love that gives, and gives, and gives. He explores the life-changing ways this love has expressed itself through Jesus. And he shows how you can love your mate, your family, your friends, and the world around you with the same practical, transforming love. Dispelling your fears and misconceptions of God, Life-Changing Love brings you face-to-face with the Love that frees and empowers you to love.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this refreshing and inspiring memoir, Lauren Akins, the wife of country music star Thomas Rhett, shows what it’s really like to be “the perfect couple” fans imagine, and reveals what it actually takes to live in love, stay in love, and grow together. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PARADE When country music star Thomas Rhett won the ACM Award for Single of the Year with “Die a Happy Man,” his wife, Lauren Akins, was overjoyed. Her childhood best friend and now husband was being anointed the hottest new star in country music—for a song he had written about her. He was living his dream. Lauren was elated, but she was also wrestling with some big questions, not the least of which was, How can I live my own life of purpose? Lauren Akins never wanted to be in the spotlight, but as Thomas Rhett made his relationship with Lauren the subject of many of his hit songs, she was tossed into the role of one of America’s sweethearts. Revered by fans for her down-to-earth ease and charm, her commitment to humanitarian work, and the pure love she exudes for her family, Lauren has never shared her side of their story—full as it’s been with deep love, painful loss, tremendous joy, and a struggle to stay grounded in faith along the way—until now. In Live in Love, Lauren shares details about her childhood friendship with Thomas Rhett, explaining how they reconnected as young adults. She offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of being married to her best friend, who just happens to be a music star, and the struggle to find her own footing in the frenzy of her husband’s fame. And in heart-wrenching detail, she opens up about her life-changing experiences doing mission work in Haiti, and then in Uganda, where she met the precious baby who would become their first daughter. From sharing the romance of their handwritten wedding vows to the challenges they faced as they adjusted to the reality of becoming first-time parents, Live in Love takes an intimate look at one couple’s life—and opens a window into all of our journeys on the path to self-discovery. Live in Love is a deeply personal memoir that offers inspiring guidance for anyone looking to keep romance alive, balance children and marriage, express true faith, and live a life of purpose.

Is love best when it is fresh? For many, the answer is a resounding “yes.” The intense experiences that characterize new love are impossible to replicate, leading to wistful reflection and even a repeated pursuit of such ecstatic beginnings. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev takes these experiences seriously, but he’s also here to remind us of the benefits of profound love—an emotion that can only develop with time. In The Arc of Love, he provides an in-depth, philosophical account of the experiences that arise in early, intense love—sexual passion, novelty, change—as well as the benefits of cultivating long-term, profound love—stability, development, calmness. Ben-Ze’ev analyzes the core of emotions many experience in early love and the challenges they encounter, and he offers pointers for weathering these challenges. Deploying the rigorous analysis of a philosopher, but writing clearly and in an often humorous style with an eye to lived experience, he takes on topics like compromise, commitment, polyamory, choosing a partner, online dating, and when to say “I love you.” Ultimately, Ben-Ze’ev assures us, while love is indeed best when fresh, if we tend to it carefully, it can become more delicious and nourishing even as time marches on.

Prospective college students and their parents have been relying on Loren Pope's expertise since 1995, when he published the first edition of this indispensable guide. This new edition profiles 41 colleges—all of which outdo the Ivies and research universities in producing performers, not only among A students but also among those who get Bs and Cs. Contents include: Evaluations of each school's program and "personality" Candid assessments by students, professors, and deans Information on the progress of graduates This new edition not only revisits schools listed in previous volumes to give readers a comprehensive assessment, it also addresses such issues as homeschooling, learning disabilities, and single-sex education.

Grady Daniel Jr., who has spent many years as a teacher, Christian leader, and psychiatric rehabilitation counselor, asks a fundamental question in this book: what is missing in the attitudes of so many ministers, teachers, doctors, and businessmen in their dealings with those whom it is their responsibility to serve? Though many fulfill the requirements of their work on paper - they often fail in the most basic sense - to serve with Christian love - agape. This book is about that necessary love - agape - the kind of love that God has for man: sacrificial love, seeking only the best for its object - a "gift love." Mr. Daniel's discussion of agape, though firmly grounded in sound biblical scholarship, is not merely theological: it is geared to helping everyone - whatever their role in life understand what agape can mean to them - and those whom they serve - for agape is in a very real way, man's most complete fulfillment - why it is said that is better to give than to receive. Of A Love That Changes Lives the author says, "This book should be a beginning ...," It can be just that for you a beginning of a new life, based on agape. Grady Daniel, Jr., B.S. (Clemson University), M.Ed. (Rehabilitation Counseling, University of Georgia) taught eleven years at Georgia Military College, then worked at the State's mental hospital, Central State. He was later director of Augusta's Psychiatric Halfway House for nine years. For his outstanding work as a counselor, he twice received the Georgia Rehabilitation Counseling Association's Case of the Year Award; and a Case of the Year Award presented by the Southeast Region of the National Rehabilitation Counseling Association. In addition, the author has been a Baptist deacon for many years and has taught Sunday School forty years. Daniel and wife, Corinne have been married fifty years and have two sons, Barry and Vic, both married and full time Christian ministers.

Part instruction book, part therapy, part religious cult, part sheer anarchy, this wickedly funny day planner will help readers stick a spoke in the wheel of their routine, every day of the first year of their new life.

You don’t have to sink or swim in your marriage. Sail off into the sunset with the love of your life. Most marriages need rescue at one time or another. So when you need help, it’s usually due to those thoughtless things you do or say that break the delicate connection between husband and wife.Before you face storms in your marriage (or if you’re already in one), turn to psychologists and best-selling authors Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend. They offer real solutions and biblical insight for couples who want to keep the wind in their sails of romance.You’ll fi nd forty practical, irresistible ways to steer clear of, or resolve, all the “dumb” things that can scuttle our most cherished relationship. Insightful advice, along with true stories from the authors’ clinical practice, will strengthen your marriage or help get it back on course. Discover how to... Avoid Bringing Out the Worst in Each Other Get Exactly What You Need Out of Marriage Rebuild Trust After Great Betrayal Reignite Sexual Passion Accept That There Are No Perfect 10s and Very Few 9s Reconnect, Even When All Seems Hopeless Love When You Don’t Even Like Escape Stupid Temptations to Be Unfaithful Whether you’re simply sailing in choppy waters or braving a relational typhoon, reach for this lifeline—Rescue Your Love Life—so you and your mate can recapture the fun, happiness, and romance you deserve.