Audiobooks narrated by Tom Parks

Mere Christian Hermeneutics: Transfiguring What It Means to Read the Bible Theologically

How can we read the text of Scripture well, rightly, and faithfully? Theologian Kevin J. Vanhoozer believes the two greatest challenges in developing a theory of interpretation are, first, the de facto variety of actual interpretations of the Bible and, second, the plurality of reading cultures--denominational, disciplinary, historical, and global interpretive communities--each with its own preferred frame of reference. A cynical observer might say that the one thing Christians have never agreed on is how to interpret the Bible, or even on the meaning of the 'literal sense.' In response, Vanhoozer offers Mere Christian Hermeneutics. The allusion to C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity is no accident. A 'mere' Christian hermeneutic--that is, principles for reading the Bible as Scripture everywhere, at all times, and by all Christians--represents both a challenge and a promise. With this book, Vanhoozer seeks to fulfill the promise without degenerating into a bland ecumenical tolerance of conflicting opinions. Rather, he turns to the accounts of Jesus' transfiguration, a key moment in the broader economy of God's revelation, to suggest that spiritual or 'figural' interpretation is not a denial or distortion of the literal sense but, rather, its glorification. He calls both church and academy to develop reading cultures that enable and sustain the kind of unity and the kind of diversity that 'mere Christian hermeneutics' calls for and encourages.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

Oligarchy in America: Power, Justice, and the Rule of the Few

To an American, oligarchy is something that happens somewhere else. In Oligarchy in America, Luke Winslow reveals oligarchy's deep intellectual roots and alarming growth in America. The book provides conceptual tools the lack of which have prevented Americans from recognizing oligarchy at home. Winslow argues that generic labels like 'billionaires' for a class of ultra-rich masks the pervasive structures that entrench their power. He introduces instead the concept of democratic oligarchy—an institutional arrangement in which the ultra-rich form a class consciously creating and leveraging state power to accumulate wealth. Like a master class in political ideas, Winslow traces the intellectual lineage of oligarchy in the US. His lively survey examines key rhetorical sources such as Herbert Spencer, Andrew Carnegie, Friedrich Hayek, Lewis Powell, Milton Friedman, Charles Koch, Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, and others. Oligarchy in America maps the connective web of oligarchic ideas uniting these disparate figures. Winslow makes a vital contribution to readers and scholars of communication and rhetorical studies, public address, economics, and political science.

Luke Winslow (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

Becoming an Adult: Advice on Taking Control and Living A Happy and Meaningful Life

Becoming an Adult focuses on the growth, connecting, separating, and choices that every human being must go through. Dr. Henry Cloud highlights key issues that individuals face as they are tasked with navigating adulting. Some of the topics discussed are: - dependency, authority, and boundaries. - reevaluating beliefs, decision making, and discipline. - sexuality, fear of disapproval, and guilt. Dr. Cloud teaches us how to become a healthy, productive, and faithful adult in society. With clear, insightful, and easy-to-follow guidelines, Dr. Cloud is a relatable and trustworthy voice. After reading Becoming an Adult, readers will: - learn how to bond with others and strengthen their existing relationships. - be able to separate from others and identify a better sense of self. - grow emotionally and spiritually. - identify how to make their own path that aligns with their interests and beliefs.

Henry Cloud (Author), TBD, Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Titans of the Twentieth Century: How They Made History and the History They Made

An engaging and original historical portrait of eight of the most influential political figures of the twentieth century: Woodrow Wilson, Lenin, Hitler, Churchill, FDR, Gandhi, David Ben-Gurion, and Mao. The Titans of the Twentieth Century addresses an age-old question: what is the impact of individuals on history? The first half of the twentieth century offered political leaders enormous scope for changing the world. This book consists of essays about eight who, for better and for worse, did just that. Individually, each chapter offers fresh and often surprising portraits of the twentieth century's titans. Collectively, the essays present a vivid and revealing portrait of a turbulent half-century that shaped the world of today.

Michael Mandelbaum (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

Better and Better: Creating a Culture of Purpose, Excellence, and Transformative Human Engagement

Decades before the business world discovered the power of authentic staff engagement, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters cofounder Bob Stiller was busy creating a company with a mission to build an engaged workforce focused on innovation. In the end, Green Mountain became a place where people realized they could make a difference, where their input mattered, where they were rewarded fairly, and where they can grow. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters went public, moved to selling wholesale exclusively, invested in Keurig, and became one of the few coffee companies to ever reach $1 billion in sales. It became one of the top-performing stocks of the 1990s on the Nasdaq exchange, and from 1995 to 2015, its stock had a 70 percent compounded annual rate of growth. In Better and Better, Stiller explains how he did it, from donating five percent pretax net income to environmental and social causes, with employees deciding how donations would be used; to paying employees to volunteer in their own communities; to providing much-needed loans to small farms. With Better and Better, you'll learn how to use optimism, self-awareness, and kindness to build an inclusive and cherished workplace culture.

Robert Stiller (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

Their Finest Hour: 30 Biblical Figures Who Pleased God at Great Cost

A powerful collection of 30 Bible stories about people whose faith in God brought them their finest hour. In today's world, it's easy to fall prey to the approval addiction--seeking the praise of others instead of focusing on pleasing God. In Their Finest Hour, best-selling author R.T. Kendall highlights 30 Bible characters who put their trust in God despite their moments of self-effacing vulnerability. Through these stories, we can learn valuable lessons about faith and trusting God even when it isn't popular or easy to do so. You'll learn the importance of sticking to your convictions, letting God be in control, and trusting His plan for your life through stories of biblical figures, including: - Leah, who experienced delayed significance. - Rahab, who saw a better future with God's people. - Habakkuk, who was willing to wait on the Lord. Their Finest Hour is for ordinary Christians looking to deepen their faith, their understanding of the Bible, and their relationship with God. Relatable stories and personal anecdotes make this book an invaluable resource for pastors, teachers, small groups, and believers seeking inspiration and guidance in their spiritual journey. An enlightening and engaging exploration of moments when ordinary people achieved greatness in the eyes of God, Their Finest Hour will inspire you to seek the true honor that comes from God alone.

R.T. Kendall (Author), TBD, Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

Becoming Spiritually Intelligent: Nine Paths toward Your Most Loving Self

This first-of-its-kind guide to spiritual intelligence—rooted in attachment theory, Christian formation, and the science of spirituality—helps us develop healthy attachments, grow into our most secure selves, and love others in the way God loves. With the care of a pastor and the rigor of a researcher, Paul M. Burns gives us practical ways to develop our spiritual intelligence. Becoming a spiritually intelligent person means cultivating an attachment to God, learning self-differentiation, and nurturing empathy. Burns outlines nine paths toward 'lovingness,' such as the path of sensing God's nearness and the path of self-regulation. Understanding the human psyche—a word that derives from the Greek for 'soul'—can help us grow in Christlike love. How do our earliest attachments shape our sense of who God is? How might stories from Scripture resonate anew when we read them through the lens of attachment theory and brain science? Each chapter offers a spiritual intelligence practice, reflection questions, and a prayer to help us translate emotional and spiritual insights into everyday life. Reminiscent of the work of Richard Foster, Ruth Haley Barton, and Ronald Rolheiser, Becoming Spiritually Intelligent is an authoritative guide to emotional health, relational intimacy, and spiritual growth.

Paul M. Burns (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

Becoming a Self-Reliant Leader: How Grit and Disciplined Duty Forge Indomitable Teams

Discover the ultimate prescriptive handbook on what it takes to design and lead energized and effective teams in an increasingly complex and uncertain global landscape. Becoming a Self-Reliant Leader was crafted from author Jan Rutherford's Crucible® Expedition wilderness experiences. This insightful, practical guide explores each step of the Crucible journey and how its lessons can be applied to today's leadership challenges. The lessons are based around the three pillars of Self-Reliant Leadership®—leading yourself, leading others, and leading an organization—and include how to: ● Develop courage, curiosity, and grit to confront challenges and lead your team effectively ● Select the right people for your team—people who are selfless, adventurous, and heroic ● Create the right direction, pace, and tone to sustain a culture of disciplined duty ● Build mutual, genuine trust among team members and fellow leaders where true commitment versus mere compliance prevails This compilation of lessons and stories from past expeditions offers business leaders more than just an exciting listen—it's a proven recipe to creating and sustaining high-performing teams.

Jacquie Jordan, Jan Rutherford (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

No Small Snakes: A Journey Into Spiritual Warfare

Are You Ready for Battle? As a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Nigeria, a much-younger Gordon Dalbey scoffed at an illiterate laborer's account of dark spirits that had invaded his house. The man looked the highly educated American squarely in the eye. 'There are no small snakes,' he declared. Even as the smallest poisonous snake can easily kill the largest and strongest man, to discount dark spiritual forces is not only arrogant, but dangerous. No Small Snakes relates Dalbey's upending journey from scoffer to spiritual warrior, from arrogance to bold humility. Both spiritual memoir and soldier's manual, this book will challenge you to face the spiritual battle at hand today and prepare you to win it - in your heart and in the world.

Gordon Dalbey (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

When Demons Surface: True Stories of Spiritual Warfare and What the Bible Says about Confronting the

Are demons real? Do ghosts exist? Do some unresolved medical and mental health issues have a spiritual connection? In When Demons Surface, former senior military chaplain Steve Dabbs answers those questions and more. Exploring more than fifty true stories of supernatural encounters from pastoral and personal experiences as well as historical research, this book is scholarly yet simple, hair-raising and enlightening. When Demons Surface will fascinate those curious about supernatural experiences, equip pastors with a resource for those seeking answers, and enlighten advanced Bible readers with insights from Hebrew, Greek, and ancient literature. It will enable readers of all levels to identify supernatural encounters with angels and demons, exercise biblical authority over evil spirits, and help discern whether some unresolved mental or medical health issues are the result of spiritual warfare.

Steve Dabbs (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Leader's Checklist, 10th Anniversary Edition: 16 Mission-Critical Principles

In The Leader's Checklist, 10th Anniversary Edition: 16 Mission-Critical Principles, world-renowned leadership expert and Wharton professor Michael Useem shows you how to lead through any challenge. In this illuminating guide, Useem offers a Leader's Checklist that will help you develop your ability to make good and timely decisions in unpredictable and stressful environments-for those moments when leadership really matters. To illustrate the principles, Useem examines where leaders go right-and wrong. He looks at: how Ramos, the former CEO of ITT, turned around the once-struggling enterprise; how AIG's tone-deaf response to the tumultuous events of the global financial crisis left the company vulnerable to one of the greatest corporate collapses in business history; and how Virginia Rometty, the former executive chair of IBM, acquired and integrated a cloud-computing company to help turn around IBM's fortunes. Based on Useem's own research experience and an array of leadership investigators, thinkers, and practitioners, The Leader's Checklist offers actionable insights you can put into practice as a leader today.

Michael Useem (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Gunman And His Mother: Lee Harvey Oswald, Marguerite Oswald, and the Making of an Assassin

The narrative of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy has been told from many points of view, most significantly in the wave of books exploring the Warren Commission's findings and the conspiracy theories that followed. But for journalist Steven Beschloss, the story of Lee Harvey Oswald began with the troubled bond with his mother. Drawing on public records, key interviews with Marguerite Oswald and other family members, and Lee's own writing and statements, Beschloss traces the origins of an American tragedy back to the lonely boy who couldn't find a way to belong and the unstable mother. Often left to his own devices, young Oswald read heavily, skipped school, and hatched plans to make his mark on the world. The Gunman and His Mother reveals the complex parental relationship that turned a boy into a killer responsible for a crime that changed American history. This updated edition includes material from never-before-seen files containing Marguerite Oswald's personal writings, as well as a series of lawsuits Marguerite brought against various people. Not only do these documents complete the portrait of Lee's mother, but given her attacks on the media, conspiratorial mindset, and her sense of grievance, their inclusion sheds new light on our current political climate.

Steven Beschloss (Author), Tom Parks (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Tom Parks