Why? What is it that attracts them to Catholicism? In Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor, Allen Hunt unveils the treasures of Catholicism that many life-long Catholics are simply unaware of. At the same time he demonstrates the genius of Catholicism and encourages us to move beyond taking our faith for granted.With a personal touch that is profound and disarming, Hunt takes his readers on a journey that is sure to change the way we experience our faith. At a time when so many are disillusioned about where the Catholic Church is and where it is going, Allen Hunt brilliantly reminds us that personal holiness is the key to the bigger future God wants to leads us to both as individuals and together as a Church.

    Now, in this extraordinary interview, His Holiness challenges millennials to lead a "sweet revolution" that unites young and old in a mission to remake the world. Pope Francis reminds Catholics of all ages that "God is young, He is always new." He has energy, spontaneity, and the desire for change--youthful qualities that can be rallied to fight the many problems facing the Catholic Church, and the world at large. In this inspiring interview, published in English for the first time, Pope Francis's solution to these problems is simple: a bridge between generations, between the wisdom of experience and the courage of youth.

    It will give Christians a deeper understanding of Judaism, both as a religion in itself and as a central component of Christian salvation.To Jews it reveals the incomprehensible importance, nobility and glory that Judaism most truly has. It examines the unique and central role Judaism plays in the destiny of the world. It documents that throughout history attacks on Jews and Judaism have been rooted not in Christianity, but in the most anti-Christian of forces.Areas addressed include: the Messianic prophecies in Jewish scripture; the anti-Christian roots of Nazi anti-Semitism; the links between Nazism and Arab anti-Semitism; the theological insights of major Jewish converts; and the role of the Jews in the Second Coming.

    Rita is known as the \"Saint of the Impossible\" because of her amazing answers to prayers, as well as the remarkable events of her own life. Desirous of being a nun, she instead obeyed her parents and married. Her husband was cruel, and caused her much suffering, to which she responded with love and prayers and eventually converted him. After the death of her husband and two sons, Rita was able to enter a convent, where she devoted herself to prayer and penance. She abandoned herself totally to God, diminishing herself as He increased in her. An inspiring story of a soul completely resigned to God\'s will. 132 pgs, PB

    

    Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop. Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn't know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier.They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protege, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy's powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.Frank Peretti has crafted a rich, rewarding story of love and life, loss and restoration, full of twists and mystery. Exceptionally well written, Illusion will soon prove another Peretti classic.

    God has been outlawed, and the priests have been systematically hunted down and killed. Now, the last priest is on the run. Too human for heroism, too humble for martyrdom, the nameless little worldly “whiskey priest” is nevertheless impelled toward his squalid Calvary as much by his own compassion for humanity as by the efforts of his pursuers.   In his introduction, John Updike calls The Power and the Glory, “Graham Greene’s masterpiece…. The energy and grandeur of his finest novel derive from the will toward compassion, an ideal communism even more Christian than Communist.”

    If only they would listen a little harder to the other voice trying to get through to them-the voice of hope, forgiveness and love-before it's too late.

    When Ed Walker learns that others have been preparing for the disaster for years, he realize finding them may be his only shot at survival. But time is running out...In a dying world one man makes a choice to keep going, hoping against hope there might be a future after all.Alive is a 10.000 word story loosely based on events in Exodus by Andreas Christensen, but can also  just as easily be read as a stand alone.Notice: this novella is also available for FREE on the author's website.

    . . real.

    Forty-six years ago Jake pledged his love to Sadie by carving their names into the Carving Tree. Now newly retired, Sadie is eager to take on life’s newest adventures with Jake by her side. But when the symbol of their enduring love begins to wither and Jake is diagnosed with a heart condition, Sadie’s dreams are put on hold.Bitter towards God, Sadie is determined to nurse Jake and their beloved Carving Tree back to health on her own. Sadie’s luck takes a turn for the worse when she and Jake are threatened with a false lawsuit and Megan Thompson, an aspiring model, goes missing after leaving her young son in Sadie’s care. Overwhelmed with stress, medical bills, and Jake’s deteriorating health, Sadie’s notion of retired life is turning out to be quite different than she anticipated. Miles away, Megan Thompson’s world is also shaken. When what she thought was an audition for a modeling gig turns out to be a hoax, Megan � finds herself a victim of a human-traf�ficking ring. Terri�fied and far from home, Megan knows only one thing is certain: she must, against all odds, escape and return to her son.Will Sadie be able to regain her footing and � nd peace with God, and will Megan ever escape and return to her young son? Both women’s courage and resilience are put to the test in Terry Bowman’s captivating novel, The Carving Tree.

    Each month is introduced by a quote from Scripture (NRSV). The English text was translated by the late Paulist priest, Francis Broome, whose brief foreword is also included, as are end-notes and a table of contents. This is the perfect pocket/purse-sized gift-book for those who have a devotion to St. Therese or to those who have yet to be introduced to her infectious "Little Way."

    St. Francis of Assisi's ecstatic embrace of a life of poverty revolutionized Christianity even as it transformed the ethics of the West. In this luminous and lively book, St. Francis's followers preserved his legend and those of his first disciples, combining stories of miracles with convincing portraits of men who were no less human for having been touched by God."God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land.  The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--may we follow their directions home."--Archbishop Desmond Tutu

    But when tragedy strikes his family, he turns to alcohol to deaden his pain and grief. He becomes an alcoholic and eventually loses his home, his job, and his faith. Thirty years later Jacob lives in poverty in the shadow of the now defunct power plant, where he works as a janitor. Jacob's life takes one more unexpected turn when he becomes trapped in the pitch-black recesses of the plant. In his forced sobriety, the bitter memories he has been drowning for decades begin to surface all around him, dragging him into a pit of regret and despair. Suffering the ravages of alcohol withdrawal combined with the chilling effects of sensory deprivation, he embarks on an emotional and spiritual journey that will take him to the brink of insanity and back. Before his captivity comes to an end, Jacob -- like his namesake from the Old Testament -- will find himself wrestling with God. The town sheriff, a State Police detective, and even a local priest, follow different clues as they search for Jacob. The widening mystery touches off a cascade of changes in the lives of those connected to him. A friendship broken by betrayal is mended, a long abandoned romance is rekindled, dark secrets about the power plant and its caretakers come to light, and a young man's life is forever altered as he uncovers the tragedy that sent Jacob spiraling downward so many years ago.