Ashley Hales

Discover the Path to Spiritual GrowthIn his most familiar sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus extends an invitation to follow his example and reveals what the kingdom of God looks like. Rather than presenting a list of rules, Jesus illustrated spiritual characteristics that signify a truly faithful life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. In their new eight-week Bible study A Fruitful Life, Ashley and Bryce Hales explore how readers can dive deep into the Sermon on the Mount to understanding how a life emulating Jesus--living and loving as he did--is a truly fruitful life. A Fruitful Life includes: Daily individual sessions designed to fit into your daily life, making it easy to stay connected and reflective throughout the week. Access to eight weekly hour-long videos designed for group or individual use that provide profound insights and foster enriching discussions. A Fruitful Life isn't just about reading Scripture; it's about fully engaging with the text and seeing how God's Word can transform our daily lives.

We're told that freedom and opportunity are our ticket to the good life. Get out there and follow your dreams! Be the hero of your own story! Find your happiness! Live your best life! It seems that limitless possibilities await anyone with vision and willingness to hustle their way through life. The thing is, instead of resulting in a sense of accomplishment, this limitlessness merely has us doing more and trying harder—leaving us depleted and dissatisfied. With life and faith. Ashley Hales invites us to a better way: a more spacious life. Contrary to what we've believed, the spacious life is not found in unfettered options or accomplished by our hustle and hurry. The life we crave is found within the confines of God's loving limits. Ashley helps us recognize that when we live within these boundaries, we discover a life filled with purpose, joy, and rest. This is the spacious life—finding true freedom within the good limits given to us by our good God.

In this second edition of essays (it's a follow up to Heal Us, Emmanuel) you'll find more discussion regarding Jesus' love for people in the church. Here are another twenty-nine chapters that dive into experiences, Biblical truths, repentance, reconciliation, and most of all a cry for Christ to hear and heal us. This book gives testimony to pain and grief. There is a lament. Hear Us, Emmanuel asks questions as God's people kneel before his throne. Hear our prayer, O Lord We seek union in Christ, giving God the glory for his grace among us. We repent and confess we have been so often wrong. We discuss current obstacles. We are sinners in need of God's grace, which he eagerly gives. You'll read about steps forward toward the unity we crave. Jesus, help us, your church Chapters by: Lindsay Brooks, Ereke Bruce, Becky Carlozzi, Hace Cargo, Mark Dalbey, Sherrene DeLong, Reed DePace, William Edgar, Ronnie Garcia, Maria Garriott. Ashley Hales, Geoff Henderson, Emily Hubbard, Irwyn Ince, Barbara Jones, Alexander Jun, Edward Koh, Duke Kwon, Al LaCour, Moses Lee, Daniel Murphree, Mark Peach, Mike Philliber, Lisa Robinson Spencer, Elissa Weichbrodt, Ashley Williams, Rob Wootton, Robin Wootton, Ryan Zhang Foreword by Randy Nabors

Suburban life—including tract homes, strip malls, commuter culture—shapes our desires. More than half of Americans live in the suburbs. Ashley Hales writes that for many Christians, however: "The suburbs are ignored ('Your place doesn't matter, we're all going to heaven anyway'), denigrated and demeaned ('You're selfish if you live in a suburb; you only care about your own safety and advancement'), or seen as a cop-out from a faithful Christian life ('If you really loved God, you'd move to Africa or work in an impoverished area'). In everything from books to Hollywood jokes, the suburbs aren't supposed to be good for our souls." What does it look like to live a full Christian life in the suburbs? Suburbs reflect our good, God-given desire for a place to call home. And suburbs also reflect our own brokenness. This book is an invitation to look deeply into your soul as a suburbanite and discover what it means to live holy there.