Prayer can feel mysteriously difficult, boringly perfunctory and frustratingly out of our control. Often prayer brings us comfort, but sometimes, especially when there aren t easy resolutions or prayers go unanswered, it intensifies and focuses our sense of longing, pain and care. And often God uses our times of darkness and desperation to awaken our hearts to the ache within us--and the cries of those suffering around us. Prayer is all about coming before God to face life head-on, with all its jagged edges of mystery, joy, longing and agony. In fact, says pastor Matt Woodley, prayer is actually a real encounter with the untamable God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore our experience of it should reflect the power, mystery and even risk of entering into relationship with the Lord of the universe. In this book Woodley strips away all the religious-speak and presuppositions we have about prayer, distilling it to the essence of wholehearted engagement with the living God. Exploring an earthy, unadorned, jargon-free approach to prayer, Woodley unpacks a host of fresh synonyms for God-encounters, including prayer as desperation, invocation, mystery, astonishment, groaning and even absence. These marginal ways of praying compel us to engage marginal people--the desperate, the groaning, the victimized and the ignored. As we pray God will open our eyes to the pain of the world around us. With stories from his own experience and biblical and historical examples, Woodley gives fresh language to describe a life grounded in prayer that leads to compassion and service.

Praying Your Prodigal Home - A moving testimony to God's power and faithfulness. Franklin Graham writes, "Praying Your Prodigal Home is a book of hope and encouragement." This gripping book gives you sound biblical principles on how to pray effectively for your lost friend or loved one. It includes focused prayers that can be used as models in praying for unbelievers. Richard has been a prodigal and "has experienced the pain of loving and pursuing a prodigal." In this book, Burr reveals how the God of all mercies listens to the cries of hurting parents and intercessors. Unleash God s power to set your loved ones free!

The Battle Plan equips and encourages you to see prayer as your first wave of attack in every undertaking. Think of this book as a strategic guide to engaging with God, expecting His answers, and enlarging your vision of what He can do through someone like you.

Growing up the son of agnostics, John Koessler saw a Catholic church on one end of the street and a Baptist on the other. In the no-man’s land between the two, this curious outside wondered about the God they worshipped—and began a lifelong search to comprehend the grace and mystery of God. A Stranger in the House of God addresses fundamental questions and struggles faced by spiritual seekers and mature believers. Like a contemporary Pilgrim’s Progress, it traces the author’s journey and explores his experiences with both charismatic and evangelical Christianity. It also describes his transformation from religious outsider to ordained pastor. John Koessler provides a poignant and often humorous window into the interior of the soul as he describes his journey from doubt and struggle with the church to personal faith

Looking at both historical and contemporary contexts, the author argues that religion has played a major role in suppressing scientific pursuit.

Helping Christian parents raise their children with grace and the gospel, this book addresses topics such as the law, God's forgiveness and love, and true heart obedience--a great resource for raising grace-filled kids.