Most of us, at some point, experience the sense of God's absence. Michael Card says that rather than letting the distance widen, this is exactly the time for a deeper pursuit of God. The method he proposes is recovery of the profound, biblical practice of lament.

Expand your definition of worship.It's easy to praise God when things in your life are going well, but what about the other times? What happens when mountaintop experiences cascade into seasons of struggling, suffering, and loss in the valley? God desires for us to pour out our hearts to Him, whether in joy or pain. But many Christians don't feel right expressing anger, frustration, grief, and sadness in prayer. Our personal worship experience is not complete unles...

With this Bible study, a companion book to A Sacred Sorrow (9781576836675, sold separately), you and your small group can fully grasp the importance of voicing your heart's joys and pains to the Father. Job, David, Jeremiah, and Jesus Himself understood the necessity of lament.

In a culture that prizes personality over integrity, we risk confusing charisma with character. Yet true character is not about how we appear but about who we are at the core, shaped, marked, and called by God. This book invites readers on a journey to rediscover the "Maker's mark" imprinted on their souls. With pastoral warmth and honesty, it explores the difference between personality and character, the dangers of living inconsistently, and the hope of being transformed into the likeness...

What would cause the apostle Paul to testify that "I am innocent of the blood of all"? Godly qualities characterized his ministry, and outside of Christ's, there is no greater ministry example. All ministers struggle, and we all know those who toil in frustration alongside us in the Lord's field. You may be amid deep struggle now; worn, tattered, scarred, ready to quit--you have lost the focus and the joy of your calling. Most of us in ministry have known those who have either left the min...

A Fragile Stone

"Follow Me," Jesus told them, "and I will make you into fishers of men!" Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. --Mark 1:17-18 The Gospel of Mark is a book of action and passion. Events happen one after another, with a vivid sense of immediacy and urgency. Jesus emotions come through strongly--at times he is angry and distressed, other times filled with compassion. In this volume, Michael Card provides a lively tour of the Gospel of Mark. As a friend and interpreter of Simon P...

Have you ever had an experience where you felt particularly aware of God? If God is real and we are created in God's image, then it makes sense that our minds and bodies would be designed with the perceptive ability to sense and experience God.Scientists are now discovering ways that our bodies are designed to connect with God. Research shows that our brain systems are wired to enable us to have spiritual experiences. The spiritual circuits that are used in prayer or worship are al...

Winner of a Chicago Book Clinic 2004 Design Award! A Fragile Stone explores the dynamic life of the apostle Peter, revisiting well-known passages and revealing unexpected insights. Author Michael Card sketches out Peter's life, showing how the impetuous fisherman of the Gospels was transformed into the pivotal leader of the early church. "The ultimate reason for getting to know Peter," Card explains, "is so together we might better know Jesus. For the story of Peter is the story o...

God's identity is beyond what we could ever fully express in human words. But Scripture uses one particular word to describe the distinctiveness of God's character: the Hebrew word hesed.Hesed is a concept so rich in meaning that it doesn't translate well into any single English word or phrase. Michael Card unpacks the many dimensions of hesed, often expressed as lovingkindness, covenant faithfulness, or steadfast love. He explores how hesed is used in the Old Testament to reveal God's cha...

When Michael Card first started attending an African American church, he was struck by how the congregation worshiped Jesus as "Master." He soon learned that during slavery, calling Jesus "Master" was a subtle way of saying that their earthly masters were not their true Master. This insight led Card on a journey of discovery, as he wondered, "What did it mean for African American slaves to acknowledge Jesus as Master? What did Paul, Peter, Jude and James mean when they acknowledged themsel...

Winner of a Chicago Book Clinic 2004 Design Award"The ultimate reason for getting to know Peter is so together we might better know Jesus. For the story of Peter is the story of Jesus. Perhaps, if you and I do our best, the same will be said of us someday"--Michael Card.Simon Peter emerges from the pages of the Gospels with greater clarity and definition than any other person except Jesus. He is the Rock, the unambiguous leader of the Twelve. He could even be described as J...