Showing results by narrator "Renee Ertl" in All Categories

Nones claim no religion. Dones have become disillusioned and left the church. Research shows many young adults are landing in one of these camps. But that's not the end of the story. Many emerging adults, ages 18 to 33, are tossing aside the none and done labels and are instead embracing a transformative Christian faith. Based on her extensive research, scholar-practitioner Beth Seversen outlines a model for how to engage and retain millennials and Generation Z in the life of the local church.

Under normal circumstances, Anna Byler would have her choice of any of the young men in her Amish community. But because of the strict rules enforced by her grandfather, the bishop, the available suitors are afraid to court her. Then handsome Jacob Hostetler moves to Paradise and decides Anna is worth the challenge. Anna sees that the bishop’s legalism is dividing the community and even risking the lives of its members - but her grandfather doesn’t. When she is forced to deception in order to pursue her dream of marriage and family with Jacob, Anna feels her own faith slipping.

Too many Christians, especially those in ministry, believe they are untouchable - that they're too faithful to fall or too spiritual to give in to temptation. They deny any sort of weakness, fail to draw proper boundaries, and end up doing the very things they swore they'd never do. Pastor and author Brittany Rust was one such person - until she found herself in the middle of moral failure and a church-wide scandal. Bewildered, humiliated, and ashamed, she thought she was beyond redemption. But God's grace met her on the ground, and here she shares what she's learned through her painful journey.

Allison Allen made a career of being someone else. Formerly a professional actor, and now a highly sought-after Bible teacher, she knows a thing or two about playing a role. But, she says, all of us play roles nearly all of the time, and it's exhausting. We walk into a room, figure out who we're supposed to be in this context, slip into character, and say the lines we know we should say. We become someone else. Maybe we tell ourselves it's some version of us, but deep down we know this inauthentic role is not what God wants for our lives - and it's not what we want either.

Even when you feel hopelessly stuck, change is possible. As women, we are constantly evaluating ourselves. Am I enough? Why can't I change this certain thing about myself? Should I be doing more? We long for real, deep, lasting change - but we don't know how to begin. In Meet the New You, Elisa Pulliam empowers women to take charge of their own life transformation by engaging in a meaningful relationship with God and his word.

The least of these have the most to give. In Wherever the River Runs, Kelly Minter invites us on a journey down a river teeming with piranhas and caimans, as well as machete-wielding mothers, heroic jungle pastors, faith-filled children, and miracles too seldom experienced in our part of the world. Kelly's honest and engaging narrative pulls back the curtain on one of the most captivating places on earth as well as on parts of the gospel we may be able to recite but have never fully believed.

Elizabeth Duncan has nowhere to turn. In charge of her younger brother and sister after their parents die, her options are limited. When she hears that the Shaker community in the next county takes in orphans, she presents herself and her siblings at Harmony Hill. Despite the hard work and strange new beliefs around her, Elizabeth is relieved to have a roof overhead and food to eat. But when she feels a strong attachment to a handsome young Believer named Ethan, life gets complicated.

It is 1844 and Lacey Bishop's life is a tangled mess. Estranged from her own family, at age 16 she went to work for a preacher and his wife. When his wife died, the preacher convinced Lacey that the only decent thing to do was to marry him. That way she could continue to act as mother to the little girl who was left on his doorstop. But Lacey never expected he would decide to take them all off to a Shaker village. In the Shaker village, Lacey’s still married but living in a community that believes marriage is a sin.

Astrid Bjorklund wants to use her medical training to serve God and feels that He might be leading her in the direction of missionary work. Smarting from a misunderstanding with Joshua Landsverk, the young man she thought she loved, she heads east to a missionary training school, hoping to eventually use her skills in some remote outpost in Africa. When she is called home unexpectedly to help in a family medical emergency, Astrid learns of a deadly measles outbreak on the nearby Indian reservation.

With his trademark humor and wit, Dr. Leman offers frank answers to the questions all of us have about sex.

With 300,000 copies in print, Breaking Free is one of author Beth Moore's best-selling releases to date. An empowering audiobook for anyone held back by sin or doubt, it shows listeners how to make freedom in Christ a daily reality by identifying spiritual strongholds in their lives and overcoming them through the truth of God's word.

Dr. Tori Taylor rules the operating room with a cold precision that makes nurses cower and her colleagues take notes. But even with her success as a respected surgeon, Tori finds herself alone in her moment of desperation - dying on her own operating table. Tori needs a heart transplant, but what she receives is far more than just a donor organ. Lying loveless and friendless in the recovery room, Tori experiences flashes of terrifying events she never witnessed.

Some dreams were meant to come true. Jessamine Brady has been in the Shaker Village for half her young life, but in spite of how she loves her sisters there, she struggles to conform to the strict rules. Instead she entertains dreams of the world outside. When Tristan Cooper seems to step out of those dreams to entice her into the forbidden realm beyond the Shaker Village, her life turns upside down. Will Jessamine be able to survive the storms of the world? Or will she retreat back to the peace of Harmony Hill?

.She thought she was content...until a love from the outside world turned hers upside down. Gabrielle Hope and her mother joined the Harmony Hill Shaker community in 1807. The community promised stability and devotion that Gabrielle wholeheartedly embraced. But when a local doctor must be brought into Harmony Hill from the outside, he sets into motion a chain of events that will challenge Gabrielle's loyalty to the Shakers.

Anxiety Interrupted grapples with the anxiety that creeps into our lives and helps us look to the promises of God and to the hope that He holds us securely. As Christians, we can struggle with our questions and experience His sovereignty when we invite His peace into our moments. God can handle our doubts. He can handle our anxieties. He can handle our fears. He can handle our hard questions. These things do not make us less than as Christians. God is the only steady hand that can handle our questions, doubts, and fears.

In the charming town of Smithville, Texas, Brooke Holloway is raising two young children on her own, supporting them by running the family hardware store. The last thing on her mind is falling in love. But she’s intrigued when a stranger moves to town and buys the old Hadley mansion. She’s always heard that house holds a secret - maybe even a treasure - and she can’t wait to see inside. When she meets the new owner and they spend time together, she can’t deny the attraction. Could God be giving her another chance at happiness? Or is she betraying her late husband’s memory?

Josephine Dronberger was a scared teenager when she left her baby in the care of an Old Order Amish couple. But 17 years have passed, and Josie longs to reconnect with her daughter. Linda - as the couple named the child - is promised to Stephen Ebersol, the bishop's grandson. They plan to marry in the fall. When her birth mother comes to Paradise, Linda is drawn to a world she's never known. Will the direction she's been heading since birth be suddenly derailed, and who will stand by her convictions - mother or daughter?

In a society that often paints men as the sole pursuers of sexual desire, countless wives silently struggle with unmet needs and unanswered questions. Many women have carried the weight of shame and confusion, longing for connection while feeling rejected by their husbands. Licensed clinical professional counselor Sheri Mueller shares valuable insights into the underlying dynamics at play in such situations. She delves into the complex emotional and psychological factors that contribute to husbands turning away from their wives.