Discover your true identity in Christ. Many of us live for the approval of others. We let the world decide who we are, or we look to those around us to discover who we think we’d like to be. The problem is that living for what people think of you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks of you. In Altar Ego, pastor and author of Winning the War in Your Mind Craig Groeschel will show you how to sacrifice your broken ideas of approval-based identity on the altar of God’s truth and become who you were meant to be in Christ. You'll learn how to: Expose false labels and selfish motives. Live according to God's higher values with a deeper confidence in His calling. Trade in your broken ego and unleash your “altar” ego as a living sacrifice to Him. Understand how God continuously shapes you into His vision of you. Once you know your true identity and are growing in Christ-like character, then you can behave accordingly with bold behavior, bold prayers, bold words, and bold obedience. Altar Ego reveals who God says you are, and then calls you to live up to it. Rather than living a timid, halfhearted, shallow cultural Christianity, you'll boldly live in the confidence of the God who believes in you.

Now a Wall Street Journal bestseller. What if the games we played as children were the greatest gift to helping us achieve more today? Before stage fright, impostor syndrome, emotional baggage, and the other dubious gifts of adulthood, everyone pretended to be a superhero, a favorite athlete, an inspiring entertainer, a nurse, a firefighter, a lion, or whatever else captured our imaginations. And yet, that natural creativity is slowly squeezed out of us because we think it’s childish or it’s “time to grow up.” Now Todd Herman—backed by scientific research and countless stories from the real world—will show us how to tap into the human imagination to unleash new versions of ourselves, ready-made to kick ass. Herman has been coaching champions in every field for over twenty years, and he’s helped them bring out their Heroic Self to transcend the forces pulling them into the Ordinary World. Anyone attempting ambitious things faces adversity, resistance, and challenges, but Herman confronts these obstacles with a question: Who or what needs to show up to make success inevitable? In The Alter Ego Effect, Herman presents countless stories from salespeople, executives, entertainers, athletes, entrepreneurs, creatives, and historical figures to illustrate how to activate the Heroic Self already nested inside each of us. And he reveals that we may not be using those traits in the moments when we need them the most. From the creative entrepreneur who resisted their craft, to the accomplished military officer who wanted to be a warmer dad at home, Todd Herman’s clients have discovered there is no end to the parts of their lives they could improve by using Alter Egos.

Discover your true identity in Christ. Many of us live for approval of others. The problem is that living for what people think of you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks of you. In this 5-session video study guide (DVD/digital video sold separately), pastor and author of Winning the War in Your Mind Craig Groeschel shows individuals and small groups how to abandon self-worth based on accomplishments and possessions, turning instead to God to find out who we are. You'll learn to expose false labels and selfish motives, sacrificing them on the altar of God's truth. As you discover your true identity in Christ, your altar ego will drive your actions, empowering you to live according to God's higher values with a deep confidence in His calling. Rather than living a timid, halfhearted, shallow cultural Christianity, you'll boldly live in the confidence of the God who believes in you. Are you willing to lay it all on the altar? The Altar Ego Bible Study Guide offers discussion questions and other supplemental material to delve further into God's divine plan, and will ultimately help you sacrifice any old, unhealthy, untrue, and unbiblical thoughts about yourself and introduce you to your altar-ego—who you are in Christ. Sessions include: Overcoming the Labels that Bind You You Are God's Masterpiece Trading the Immediate for the Ultimate Living with Integrity Developing Spiritual Boldness Designed for use with Altar Ego Video Study 9780310894933 (sold separately).

“Query: would it be a serious breach of etiquette to run out on my own wedding?” This is the question Becky Steele finds herself asking, on the morning of her very own wedding. Having finally managed to fit into her meringue dress after weeks of drinking only skimmed water, she is suddenly uncertain about what exactly she wants. Yes, she loves Julian, but is she quite ready to become a proper grown-up, and give up on the joys of the single life? Julian might be the right man, but has she had enough wrong ones? Things get more complicated still when temptation arrives in the form of gorgeous rockstar toy boy Zack. And it looks like Julian might be making a few contingency plans of his own... Praise for Kathy Lette: 'Fabulous, fast-paced, funny & unapologetically female. Nobody does it better.' DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE, THE GUILTY FEMINIST 'Deliciously rude and darkly funny, but with compassion and humanity at its heart. Read with relish.' NICOLE KIDMAN 'Kathy Lette can turn from raunchy farce to the most tender emotion in a trice.' STEPHEN FRY

Can God be good when life is not? Rediscover faith in the character, power, and presence of God. Even in the questions. Even in the hurt. "I want to believe, I want to have hope, but . . ." Pastor and bestselling author Craig Groeschel hears these words often and has asked them himself. We want to know God, feel his presence, and trust that he hears our prayers, but in the midst of great pain, we may wonder if he really cares about us. Even when we have both hope and hurt, sometimes it's the hurt that shouts the loudest. In Hope in the Dark, Groeschel explores the story of the father who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, saying, "I believe! Help my unbelief!" In the man's sincere plea, Jesus heard the tension in the man's battle-scarred heart. He healed not only the boy but the father too, driving out the hopelessness that had overtaken him. He can do the same for us today. As Groeschel shares his pain surrounding the health challenges of his daughter, he acknowledges the questions we may ask in our own deepest pain: "Where was God when I was being abused?" "Why was my child born with a disability?" "Why did the cancer come back?" "Why are all my friends married and I'm alone?" He invites us to wrestle with such questions as we ask God to honor our faith and heal our unbelief. Because in the middle of your profound pain, you long for authentic words of understanding and hope. You long to know that even in overwhelming reality, you can still believe that God is good. Hope in the Dark is also available in Spanish, Esperanza en la Oscuridad.

Query: would it be a serious breach of etiquette to run out on my own wedding? This is the question Becky Steele finds herself asking, on the morning of her very own wedding. Having finally managed to fit into her meringue dress after weeks of drinking only skimmed water, she is suddenly uncertain about what exactly she wants.

Reverend Samuel Marsden - 'the flogging parson' - is reviled in Australia's colonial story yet is revered in New Zealand and indeed accorded saintly status. Marsden left England for New South Wales in 1793. The young Anglican parson was appointed to the parish of Parramatta and quickly acquired land and wealth in the convict colony. He was appointed a magistrate in 1796; however, his reputation plummeted as his cruelty and harsh sentences became the stuff of legend. He was removed from the magistracy twice, by Governor Macquarie in 1818 and by Governor Brisbane in 1822. Marsden was the first missionary to New Zealand, visiting seven times between 1814 - when he established its first mission, in the Bay of Islands - and 1837. He is often referred to in New Zealand as 'the Apostle of New Zealand' and 'the Apostle to the Maoris'. Quinn examines the extraordinary divergence of views between the two countries, drawing on a wealth of material on the man, the times and places to explain them. Finding wide gaps in the research on Marsden's role and influence, he argues that his status in New Zealand rests on untested assumptions of goodness, piety and disinterest.