Mary's Son


Darryl Nyznyk - 2010
    She is angry at the world. On the other side of town, in a slum called the Sink, Jared Roberts and his gang barely survive broken families and a hardscrabble existence. Jared, too, is angry, and intends to do something about it. He eyes Sarah's mansion for a pre-Christmas burglary that will show the world who he really is.Into this mix comes a mysterious little man named Nicholas, who intrigues, yet scares, Sarah and Jared. Against incredible doubt and cynicism, Nicholas tries to guide the two youths away from their anger and the suffering that will follow, only to realize he can not move them. Finally, he whisks them to another time and place where a Christmas long ago teaches them the true meaning of life in a way they never imagined.MARY'S SON is a modern tale of the fears and passions of youth overcome by the wonder of the real Christmas story.

Named By God: Overcoming Your Past, Transforming Your Present, Embracing Your Future


Kasey Van Norman - 2009
    In many ways, Kasey Van Norman has suffered more heartbreak than one woman can bear.   Growing up, she endured her parents' divorce, date rape, and years of addiction to sex and cutting.   As an adult, she suffered the pain of an emotional affair, rejection by her friends and community, and her mother's death from cancer.   But at the end of this twisting path of heartbreak, Kasey walked out of the wilderness and into a place of God's merciful and miraculous healing.  In Named By God, Kasey shares her story of God's infinite grace and compassion so that other women might learn from her experience and grow in their own relationship with God.

The Emptiness of Our Hands: 47 Days on the Streets


Phyllis Cole-Dai - 2004
    They went to the streets with a single intention: to be as present as possible to everyone we met, offering them sustained and nonjudgmental attention. Such attention is the heart of compassion. This book chronicles their streets experiences. It will thrust you out the door of your comfortable life, straight into the unknown. It will force you to confront what might happen to you, and who you might become, if suddenly you had no home. The meditative narrative is accompanied by pinhole photographs shot by James using cameras he constructed from trash. This is the third edition of the book, lightly edited. Though recounting events that occurred in 1999, The Emptiness of Our Hands remains as relevant today as ever. An "eye-opening" and "life-changing" read! Read this book on its own or in the company of Practicing Presence: Insights from the Streets, which Phyllis wrote on the tenth anniversary of her time on the streets. Take your reading slow, perhaps one chapter per day, so you can absorb and reflect. If you happen to be Christian, you might consider using this book and Practicing Presence as companion resources during Lent and Holy Week, which served as a backdrop for Phyllis and James's experience. But you don’t need to be a Christian to take this stumbling journey into practicing mindfulness on the streets. Just allow these forty-seven days to be for you what they were for Phyllis and James: a deep embrace of core values that human beings around the world have held in common for millennia. These values might best be articulated as questions: How do we treat others as we would have them treat us? How do we love our neighbors, including those who seem “alien” and “other?” How do we extend hospitality to strangers, allowing them an honored place among us? These age-old questions have no simple answers. We must seek to answer them daily with our lives. Get your free sampler of Phyllis's work when you join her mailing list at http://subscribe.phylliscoledai.com/. It includes music, poetry, spiritual nonfiction and historical fiction. You can also join her mailing list at http://www.phylliscoledai.com. CATEGORIES FOR THIS BOOK: --spirituality --memoir --mindfulness --homelessness --Lent & Holy Week --social conscience --engaged Buddhism

Hebrew Word Study: A Hebrew Teacher's Search for the Heart of God


Chaim Bentorah - 2012
    Many Christians have expressed a deep feeling that there is much more to the Old Testament than one experiences in a first reading. There is a growing hunger among Christians to study the biblical languages to gain this deeper insight. As a Christian who was raised in an evangelical Christian environment, I am convinced there are spiritual lessons in the Old Testament that we as Christians never experienced. As a Hebrew teacher who has studied the Hebrew language from both a Christian and Jewish perspective, I am convinced that there are truths buried in the Old Testament that have never been exposed to us. A day rarely passes that I do not discover something new and exciting about God and my relationship with Him that I have never realized in a lifetime of walking with God. I have learned that the Old Testament is like the heart of God; it is a well that will never run dry. In this book, you will discover things about God and your relationship with him that you may never have considered. Perhaps you have considered such things but found no biblical reference to confirm it. Ultimately, what you will be discovering is God revealing His heart to you through the depths of His Word as shown through the ancient Hebrew. EBOOK DISCLAIMER: Due to device limitations this eBook is not compatible with the iPad/iPhone using an eReader app such as the Kindle or Nook app. Please note that Hebrew text will be transposed with this app.

A Predator Priest


David Margolick - 2011
    This is the story about Father Bernard Bissonnette, a priest from Grosvenordale, Connecticut and the fifty-year path of destruction and heartache he left in his wake. There were dozens of victims, first in his home state and then in New Mexico, where the Catholic Church sent him to be “cured,” only to recycle him in parishes throughout the state. It highlights the Deary family of Putnam, Connecticut, whose eldest son, Tommy – the second of their thirteen children – was one of Bissonnette’s earliest victims, and who, after struggling for many years with depression, marital problems, and his own sexual identity, eventually killed himself. And it follows the tireless efforts of his youngest brother to overcome the obstructionism and hostility of the Catholic Church and track down Father Bissonnette, confront him with his misdeeds, then bring him to justice – or at least get him thrown out of the Church.

Treachery


Andrea Cremer - 2011
    The Nightshade pack led by his parents has been violently destroyed. His sister, Calla, abandoned her little brother, leaving him to answer for her crimes. And the Haldis pack that would have been his future is irreparably broken by Calla's betrayal. Suffering at the hands of the Keepers, Ansel is losing everything he's ever loved. The only chance he has to save himself means an alliance with his tormentors, and repaying Calla in full for her treachery.

Out of Reach


Carrie Arcos - 2012
    He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn’t come home.Rachel’s terrified—and she can’t help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler…and the possibility that Micah may never come home.

Red Like Blood: Confrontations with Grace


Joe Coffey - 2011
    It is told through the lives of two men a prodigal and a pastor's kid whose broken lives are forever stained the color of grace as they are confronted by the One who meets them in their hopelessness and despair, bringing redemption and healing. Red Like Blood chronicles the power of the gospel in all of its life-changing fullness. It is a story that should challenge, encourage and empower us all.

Spike Milligan: Man of Letters


Spike Milligan - 2013
    Unlike his scripts, poetry, fiction or even his unique war memoirs, these letters show Milligan's talent raw and unvarnished - irreverent, often brazen, sometimes cutting, frequently outrageous - a reflection of his complex personality. Spike Milligan: Man of Letters presents a rich selection of the funniest and most revealing of his missives - most of which have never been seen before. It includes correspondence with the most famous politicians, actors, celebrities and rock stars of his day, and takes the reader behind the scenes in his wrangles with producers, publishers, editors and his impervious manager-agent. It also includes letters to a host of unlikely individuals on some surprising subjects: rounded teabags ('what did you do with the corners?'), backless hospital gowns ('beyond my comprehension'), heartfelt apologies ('pardon me for being alive') and the pressing issue of the imbalance of male and female ducks in London's parks. Here, then, is the real Spike: obsessive, rude, generous and relentlessly witty. Spike Milligan (1918-2002) was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Over the course of his astonishing career, he wrote over eighty books of fiction, poetry, plays, cartoons, children's stories and his unique war memoirs. Norma Farnes was Spike Milligan's agent, manager, mother confessor and friend for thirty-six years. Her books include Spike: An Intimate Memoir, Memories of Milligan and Milligan's Meaning of Life. She lives with her partner in London and Yorkshire.

Denial of the Soul: Spiritual and Medical Perspectives on Euthanasia and Mortality


M. Scott Peck - 1991
    Its trenchant and sensitive treatment of the subject will define our humanity for generations to come.From the Hardcover edition.

Move Ahead with Possibility Thinking


Robert H. Schuller - 1978
    A motivational program to inspire you and change your life to one of achievement and success.

This River: A Memoir


James Brown - 2010
    This River picks up where Brown left off in his first memoir, describing his tenuous relationship with sobriety, telling of agonizing relapses, and tracking his attempts to become a better father.This is the heartbreaking and at times uplifting tale of Brown’s battles, peeking into his former life as an addict and detailing his subsequent ascent to sobriety and fight for redemption.

Dr. Z: The Lost Memoirs of an Irreverent Football Writer


Paul Zimmerman - 2017
    Z came to expect a certain alchemical, trademark blend: words which were caustic and wry, at times self-deprecating or even puzzling, but always devilishly smart with arresting honesty. A complex package, that's the Doctor.  The one-time sparring partner of Ernest Hemingway, Paul Zimmerman is one of the modern era's groundbreaking football minds, a man who methodically charted every play while generating copious notes, a human precursor to the data analytics websites of today. In 2008, Zimmerman had nearly completed work on his personal memoirs when a series of strokes left him largely unable to speak, read, or write. Compiled and edited by longtime SI colleague Peter King, these are the stories he still wants to see told.  Dr. Z’s memoir is a rich package of personalities, stories never shared about such characters as Vince Lombardi, Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, and Johnny Unitas. Even Joe Namath, with whom Zimmerman had a legendary and well-documented 23-year feud, saw fit to eventually unburden himself to the remarkable scribe.  Also included are Zimmerman's encounters with luminaries and larger-than-life figures outside of sports, notably Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, and Hunter S. Thompson. But not to be missed are Zimmerman's quieter observations on his own life and writing, witticisms and anecdotes which sway between the poignant and hilarious. No matter the topic, Dr. Z: the Lost Memoirs of an Irreverent Football Writer proves essential, compelling reading for sports fans old and new.

When Christ Comes: The Beginning of the Very Best


Max Lucado - 2009
    There is much about the end of history we don't understand. But while thoughts on the final day will stir our questions, they needn't stir our fears. Regarding that day, Jesus urged, Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me (John 14:1).Max Lucado believes the day Christ comes will be the beginning of the very best. And our primary task is to be prepared and peaceful while we wait.If we have some questions about the end of time ...If we have concerns about what will happen to us ...If we want to look to the end of times as a source of comfort and not chaos ...Then this is the book we need. New York Times best-selling author Max Lucado walks us through Scripture to find peace in the present and hope for the hereafter.

Alcoholics Anonymous


Alcoholics Anonymous - 1939
    It's a way of life. Alcoholics Anonymous-The Big Book-has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. First published in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease. With publication of the second edition in 1955, the third edition in 1976, and now the fourth edition in 2001, the essential recovery text has remained unchanged while personal stories have been added to reflect the growing and diverse fellowship. The long-awaited fourth edition features 24 new personal stories of recovery. Key features and benefits·the most widely used resource for millions of individuals in recovery·contains full, original text describing A.A. the program·updated with 24 new personal stories