Stories Jesus Told

At Christmas, families gather and presents are exchanged. But the true meaning of the holiday does not come wrapped in brightly colored paper, nor are scrumptious meals the reason for the season. The real gift of Christmas is the birth of Jesus—and the celebration is to honor the miracle with those we love.

In Follow the Star, T. D. Jakes illuminates the meaning of the holiday through family stories about finding the Christmas spirit during the worst times of poverty and hardship—and of the need during the best of times to slow down and appreciate fellowship, love, and God. With warmth and wisdom, Bishop Jakes makes Christmas past and present come alive—and leads us to embrace fully the magnificent miracle of the birth of Christ.

Two spiritual giants. Five days. One timeless question.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships—or, as they would say, because of them—they are two of the most joyful people on the planet.

In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama’s home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness’s eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of life’s inevitable suffering?

They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our time and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy.

This book offers us a rare opportunity to experience their astonishing and unprecendented week together, from the first embrace to the final good-bye.

We get to listen as they explore the Nature of True Joy and confront each of the Obstacles of Joy—from fear, stress, and anger to grief, illness, and death. They then offer us the Eight Pillars of Joy, which provide the foundation for lasting happiness. Throughout, they include stories, wisdom, and science. Finally, they share their daily Joy Practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives.

The Archbishop has never claimed sainthood, and the Dalai Lama considers himself a simple monk. In this unique collaboration, they offer us the reflection of real lives filled with pain and turmoil in the midst of which they have been able to discover a level of peace, of courage, and of joy to which we can all aspire in our own lives.

Journal
This beautiful journal from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu gives you all the space you need to notice and record what gives you joy. Arranged as a 365-day companion, it prompts you with inspiring quotes from The Book of Joy to help transform their joy practices into an enduring way of life. It is the perfect companion for The Book of Joy’s many passionate readers as well as the perfect gift for anyone looking to live a more joyful. Share the joy!

In this book, you’re going to read about a different kind of love story. It’s a love story each and every one of us is currently playing a role in–whether we’re aware of it or not. And truth be told, it’s scary-critical that we stay tuned-in to this love story. Because outside of a growing relationship with your heavenly Father, no other love (or lack of love) has the potential to improve or implode your life like the love that you have for you.

For anyone who has ever struggled with their identity, Landra Young Hughes has a radically simple message: give up. Specifically, give up your need to be in control of how other people see you. Instead, let God’s words–not yours and not others’–define you. Through her own deeply personal story of trying to control her circumstances and others’ perceptions of her through an eating disorder, Landra points the way toward a life free from self-obsession and self-resentment. She shows you how to listen to God’s voice, let go of the struggle for perfection, and live authentically from your deepest self.