ECPA 2024 Book Award—Faith and Culture and Book of the Year 2023—Englewood Review of Books What does it look like to love someone you disagree with? Fighting, hatred, dissension—these things seem common in the wider Christian community today. Politics, theology, and even personal preference create seemingly insurmountable rifts. It’s hard not to see ourselves as “at war” with each other. We’re not doomed to be stuck here, though. There is a twofold path out of this destructive war, out of seeing our brothers and sisters as enemies—and into a spacious place of loving each other even as we disagree. In Loving Disagreement, Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos bring unique insight into how the fruit of the Spirit informs our ability to engage in profound difference and conflict with love. As followers of Jesus are planted in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit grows and bears good things in our lives—and relationships and communities are changed.

Everyone wants to believe in something beyond or someone bigger than themselves, but nobody wants to be duped. In order to provide answers to people who are seeking the truth, Mark Mittelberg updates for today the classic book by Robert Laidlaw that sold millions, The Reason Why. This short book gives clear, concise reasons why belief in God makes sense.

Imagine an atheist sending you regular prayer requests. Or your coworker grabbing you by the arm and asking you to stay late at work to talk about God just a bit longer. When Jesus talked about the Good News, people ran to him. We should expect the same response. Good News for a Change is about working together with Jesus to share the gospel in ways unique to each person’s situation. You will enjoy evangelism because it is a fun, deeply personal, community and person-oriented way to connect with people. You’ll be energized and focused on helping people discover why Jesus is good news for them.

In the earliest days of the Christian church, the gospel spread out from Jerusalem in a burst of incredible stories. A man who could calm a stormy sea with a word, who healed the lame and the blind, who raised the ire of the religious leaders, and who even raised people from the dead. Compare this organic, even entertaining, method of spreading the Good News to how we are often encouraged to evangelize today, with clever arguments and our defenses already up in anticipation of rebuttal. Somewhere along the way, we've lost the plot to the greatest story ever told. Now Matt Mikalatos invites us back into God's story, both to find our place in it and to rediscover the wonder that the apostles saw in their listeners as they told the story of Jesus, the Messiah they knew personally and loved fiercely. As they lose themselves in modern retellings of the events of the book of Acts, readers will find that sharing the story is easier and more rewarding than they ever imagined.

“For Narnia fans who enjoy heavy snark, this is a must-read.” —Kirkus Reviews “A compelling fantasy world with humor and heart.” —Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese and Boxers & Saints “With the rich characterization of John Green and the magical escapism of Narnia, this book is a must read for all fantasy fans!” —Lorie Langdon, author of Olivia Twist and the Doon series A girl with a deadly lung disease . . . A boy with a tragic past . . . A land where the sun never sets but darkness still creeps in . . . Madeline Oliver has never wanted for anything, but now she would give anything just to breathe. Jason Wu skates through life on jokes, but when a tragedy leaves him guilt-stricken, he promises to tell only the truth, no matter the price. When a mysterious stranger named Hanali appears to Madeline and offers to heal her in exchange for one year of service to his people, Madeline and Jason are swept into a strange land where they don’t know the rules and where their…

After destroying the Crescent Stone, Madeline returns home, bringing Shula and Yenil with her. As her health continues to deteriorate, Madeline feels the Sunlit Lands calling her back. Meanwhile, Jason, Darius, and the rest of the inhabitants of the Sunlit Lands fight for survival and freedom. The magic that fuels the land is failing, threatening to destroy them all. Will Madeline’s return save the land and its people? Matt’s signature humor and epic storytelling are once again on full display in The Heartwood Crown.

Learn to pray with Saint Patrick of Ireland—and to find your story in his own One of Ireland’s most beloved figures, St. Patrick was a man who lived a life soaked in prayer. A risk-taker in the service of others—particularly women, slaves, and the poor—Patrick spent years enslaved, in which he found himself praying all the time—praying for freedom, for a warm place to sleep, or to return home. He never stopped. It was something he did with great intentionality, but also in the breath between one task and the next. Praying with Saint Patrick takes us on a journey through Patrick's life, allowing us to pray alongside him using his story and his actual prayers to deepen and enrich our own prayer lives. Each reading features a quote from Patrick, a scripture, a devotion, and a prayer such as:

In the Sunlit Lands, teenagers fight in a magic war against a terrible enemy. But once a year all such things are set aside for a Christmas celebration, with kids from around the world sharing their traditions, their stories, and their memories of home. Join Madeline Oliver, Jason Wu, and Shula Bishara as each one shares their own moving Christmas tale. A standalone story set in the world of The Sunlit Lands.

A cursed city. A hidden enemy. An ancient wrong. Bumbling goofball Jason Wu reunites with the incomparable warrior Baileya in an attempt to find a happy ending for a city of people who are frozen in time, unable to connect with the outside world. This standalone story takes place between The Heartwood Crown and The Story King, from The Sunlit Lands series.

The Journey to Love is your first step toward learning to accept love from others and to love those around you. Love. Real, experiential love is ever-present in movies. But in real life, finding love in our everyday lives and relationships is elusive. In this collection of 40 short, story-driven readings, Matt Mikalatos shows you how to open yourself to experiencing love, to become aware of love in the world around you, and to set aside control to embrace the wild, untamed vulnerability of lovi...

“Imaginary Jesus” is an hilarious, fast-paced, not-quite-fictional story that’s unlike anything you’ve ever read before. When Matt Mikalatos realizes that his longtime buddy in the robe and sandals isn’t the real Jesus at all, but an imaginary one, he embarks on a mission to find the real thing. On his wild ride through time, space, and Portland, Oregon, he encounters hundreds of other Imaginary Jesuses determined to stand in his way (like Legalistic Jesus, Perpetually Angry Jesus, and Magic 8 B...

A cursed heir with a privileged past . . . A runaway prankster wanted dead or alive . . . A daredevil warrior called Black Skull . . . Join a diverse cast of characters, led by Madeline, Jason, and Darius, as they are thrust into a thrilling adventure in the Sunlit Lands, an epic fantasy world brimming with magical cures and granted wishes. Soon they’ll discover that even in this safe haven, power has its price. Unravel the dark secrets and soul-searing revelations in this war-torn land wrestling with social justice, racial justice, and elitism. How far will they go for power? The Sunlit Lands books engage timely themes of racism, injustice, prejudice, power, and the importance of knowing our history. The writing is witty, which makes the challenging themes feel accessible and not too heavy. The characters are diverse in personality, ethnicity, and areas for personal growth and provide lots of different connection points for readers. It asks the questions: How far would you be willing…

In the third and final installment in the Sunlit Lands series, the magic of the Sunlit Lands has been reset, but that doesn’t mean all is well. Unrest and discord are growing by the day, and Hanali is positioning himself as ruler of the Sunlit Lands. But, in order for Hanali to seize control, there must be a sacrifice, one that very few are willing to make. Jason, Shula, Baileya, and others must work together to save the lives of those Hanali would sacrifice for his own gain.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year—but how much do you know about the real story behind Saint Nicholas? We love Christmas. Not only because of the carefully wrapped presents and the twinkling lights, the loving family, the holiday parties, the singing. We love Christmas because we’re hungry for miracles. For Christmas this year, discover the history as well as the origins of the myths and the legends of Saint Nicholas—a man who was hungry for miracles too. Nicholas made children feel seen, and he let them know they were loved. He paid attention to the people around him and asked how he could help. If they needed money, or a protector, or a prayer, Nicholas provided it for them as a servant of God. He showed them the miraculous love of the Father. In Praying with Saint Nicholas, you’ll find twenty-five devotions with readings sharing a glimpse into Nicholas’s life and prayers for insights that will bring us more deeply into the Advent season and help us be transformed to…