If it hadn’t been for the stranger in buckskins, the Jakes family would have been in serious trouble. Little did they know, the storm was just the beginning of their struggles. They'd come to Colorado to raise a new breed of horse. Along the trail they would follow were new friends, old enemies, and the land. At times it was hard to tell which ones were the most dangerous. It would take all of their fortitude and the help of kind-hearted strangers to keep the dream alive.

    But with her job as an activity director at a North Carolina mountain resort on shaky ground and her penchant for choosing all the wrong men, Mara's not scoring high in the pursuit of either security or happiness.Alex Price is on the rebound from a broken engagement. Who would have guessed his social-climbing fiancee would drop him, a successful lawyer with his own practice--okay, a successful practice with his two overbearing older brothers--for a back-to-nature forest ranger?When these childhood adversaries meet on the "honeymoon" cruise Alex is now taking alone, they make a pact to help each other ward off unwanted attention from fellow shipmates--a pact that sends them sailing into uncharted waters.

    Though competing against one another for the flying assignments of their dreams, like the fearsome F-15 and F-16 fighters, a good mission sometimes takes a backseat to a good party or punch line in this classroom of cut-ups. The high stakes, however, loom over Lt. Wright. In a program where one out of three students fails, not everybody who starts UPT will finish it. And not everybody who does finish will get a desirable flying assignment. Some won’t even escape the Columbus Air Force Base. Will Lt. Wright get his dream assignment flying a C-141 cargo plane based out of beachside Charleston, South Carolina? Or be forced to perpetuate the If you ain’t a pilot… system as the dreaded FAIP (First Assignment Instructor Pilot) in Columbus, Mississippi? Though a military memoir, IF YOU AIN’T A PILOT… is a story of youthful innocence, a happy tale of the best of friends. Beneath the story’s surface layer of how an Air Force officer’s aeronautical rating determines his worth, similar thematic layers unfold around gender, race, and other ways people define each other. At its core, this story is about people, our relationships, and how we choose to treat each other. While 30 years have passed since the memoir’s events—and our aircraft, our enemy, and our pop-culture ties have changed—we still struggle with our differences. IF YOU AIN’T A PILOT taps into the mystic of Top Gun, the satirical wryness of Candide and Catch-22, and the allure of the air-travel genre captured by Mark Vanhoenacker’s recent Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (2015), Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, and James Salter’s The Hunters. Set at the end of the Cold War in the heart of Dixie, IF YOU AIN’T A PILOT…crosses Top Gun adrenaline with Pee-Wee’s Playhouse antics at a flight training base where Air Force idealism collides with Deep South heritage. Complete at 142,000 words, this comedic memoir written for a general audience charts the year when a newly commissioned officer is challenged not only by flight school but also by the Air Force dictum If you ain’t a pilot, you ain’t $#!+. That said, the primary mission for IF YOU AIN’T A PILOT...is to make readers laugh. While the story is written for a non-military audience, military pilots, civilian pilots, and any person who ever dreamed about flying as a kid will love IF YOU AIN’T A PILOT….

    Many people simply do not understand what it is, how to avoid it, and what can be done to help the holy souls there. For most Catholics, it's been years since their catechism training and they simply forgot what was taught. Purgatory 101 will bring back the knowledge that you forgot. It will show what Purgatory is and how you can help yourself and the holy souls. Armed with knowledge, you can make a positive difference for the suffering saints in Purgatory.

    51 pages of summaries and analysis on Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.

    Oaks, former President of Brigham Young University, and justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and now a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the governing bodies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church). Elder Oaks presented these at various sessions of the LDS General Conference, and at devotionals and firesides at BYU.

    A plane crash causes two unlikely survivors to depend on each other to get out of the jungle alive and find their families.

    In their own words, these men and women describe feeling the Lord's blessings as they have served in some of the most harsh and difficult circumstances imaginable. Their experiences range from leading armed combat and air rescue missions to saving lives in a makeshift hospital tent. Also included are stories of much-needed help and support received by families of those who are serving away from home. These life-changing stories, recorded in on-site personal interviews by bestselling author and artist Chad Hawkins, are reminders that the Lord does watch over and protect His children during troubling times. Featured black-and-white photographs throughout.

    As we seek to discern truth amidst the clamor of dissenting voices in order to worship, minister, and lead our families effectively, we rely on the Spirit’s help every day.”The roles of both the mind and the heart in personal revelation are crucial,” writes Elder David A. Bednar, “and no simple formulas or recommended action steps can guide us through this rigorous spiritual process. Indeed, this book is not an attempt to define how revelation works. Rather, it is a witness and a testimony that revelation does work―and in a multitude and variety of ways.”In this landmark book, Elder Bednar outlines several principles of revelation, then provides a host of examples in which we can observe these principles in action for ourselves. As we come to recognize the role of revelation in our lives, we can move forward in confidence that the Lord is guiding our steps. As Elder Bednar writes, “If we are striving to be and become good―not perfect right now, but gradually getting better, . . .then indeed we can have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. We are not ‘preparing to receive revelation’; we are ‘living in revelation.’”

    in communications, reluctantly joins the other seven scholars at the insistence of his father-in-law, a prominent televangelist. Anney, Stephen's wife, who bears an old grudge against the Mormons, fears that he has been thrust into a study that may influence his protestant beliefs. As Stephen absorbs the truths of the Book of Mormon, a wedge is driven between them that could ultimately destroy their marriage.This extraordinary novel rivets the reader's interest on several different levels--intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. Will Peter Polk, the project coordinator, be able to carry off this study? Will his scholarly conclave reach any substantial conclusions about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon? And will Stephen risk losing his wife and family if he embraces a new faith?

     The evolution of church culture has been something that has needed to happen for a long time. Culture, traditions, oral laws, and the status quo can be a good thing... but it can also be a bad thing. Do you remember what was happening in Israel around the time that Christ came on to the scene? Israel started to live by their own set of oral laws and traditions, or what we might refer to today as "culture." The "culture" in Israel when Christ showed up was one of the most judgmental and hypocritical cultures the world had ever seen. It was a very isolated and unaccepting culture. But Christ showed up and cast a net over all types of people. The Greeks, the Romans, the Samaritans, and every other nation across the globe. His net covered even the worst of repentant sinners. The only people that were excluded or "damned" were the unrepentant elite, the "scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites" who "strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel" (Matthew 23:23-24). Christ took the existing covenants and commandments and simplified them. He brought an evolution of love, empathy, and compassion. He built a culture that was geared toward the lowly of heart and revolted against those who spent their lives pointing out the flaws in others. "For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). The bulk of Israel was living according to their culture and their superstition instead of their religion. This has been the bane of each and every covenant society, which caused Joseph Smith to say, "What many people call sin is not sin; I do many things to break down superstition, and I will break it down." The doctrine of the LDS church doesn't lose people. It's the culture and superstition that causes unnecessary strife. This book, The Cultural Evolution Inside of Mormonism addresses the changing culture, the unprecedented changes that are taking place in the church, and the historical transparency. The Table of Contents explains where this book will take you: 1. More Extended Hands 2. Fewer Wrecking Balls 3. The Cultural Evolution 4. Not Customizing Christ 5. The Three Types of Mormons 6. A Place Where Doubters Are Welcome 7. The Kindness of Christ 8. Embracing Intellectuals and Scholars 9. Change in The Church Comes Slowly For A Reason 10. The Humble Few 11. Millennial Mormons 12. Making Rash Decisions 13. Giving Volunteers A Break 14. Logical Evidence For The Church Is Mounting 15. From Which All Others Are Derived 16. Temple Workers Galore 17. No Other Religion Provides A Better Hope 18. People Throwing The Book of Mormon Out The Window 19. The Bible That Needed To Be Rescued 20. Looking For Just One Reason To Believe 21. Liberal Conservatives 22. Pageantry In The Church 23. Peeling Back Polygamy 24. Looking At Tithing A Little Differently 25. Not Judging Others Sabbath Day Worship 26. The Place For Gays Inside The Church 27. What I Really Believe 28. Why I Love The Church

    Her boyfriend, Greg, is handsome, witty, and has his uncle's law practice practically in his back pocket. But when a tragic accident takes the life of someone close to her, it also takes away Kaitlyn's peace of mind. In an effort to comfort Kaitlyn, her best friend plans a Caribbean vacation. But relaxation soon gives way to intrigue and danger as their cruise ship is thrown into turmoil and they are forced to abandon ship. Kaitlyn and her friends join a young steward, Matthew, in a desperate attempt to survive. Thrown together by circumstances, Kaitlyn finds she is developing feelings for the attractive steward. But Matthew has just returned from a mission and has definite ideas about dating only Mormon girls. If she can find a way to survive, she knows she'll have to confront her feelings. Whatever she decides, her life will be changed forever.

    Everything seems to be clicking, including his easy camaraderie with his companion, Elder Kaai, and his girl waiting for him back home. But when Kaai passes away unexpectedly, John is overwhelmed with grief, and his faith is shaken to the core. Why did God let this happen? John returns home to heal from the devastating loss. Determined to leave the past behind him, he struggles to move forward with life—to pretend Peru never happened. But Peru did happen, and the memories continue to haunt him, not to mention the confusion he feels over his relationship with his girlfriend. It isn’t until an old friend reaches out to him that John finds the lifeline he needs. Now he must decide if he can put aside his fears and love more deeply than he’s ever loved before.

    And for seventeen years they've been searching for him. Now, with their emotional and physical resources exhausted, Garrett feels that they need to face reality--Austin is never coming back. But Leah can't let go, and her obsession with finding Austin takes a terrible toll on her relationship with her husband and their two daughters. The family is on the brink of collapse. Then a stranger appears who changes everything--perhaps not for the better.

    What is it, and where can it be found? Is it an ideal to be hoped for in the next life, or a reality to be sought here and now? "To me there was never a time when we had a greater need for happiness and for the peace, contentment, serenity, hope, gratitude, and joy that are part of it," writes Mary Ellen Edmunds. In Happiness: Finders, Keepers, she offers a wealth of practical, cheery, spirit-filled suggestions for living a happier life. Since our Father in Heaven's plan is "the great plan of happiness," and since one of the reasons for our very existence is that we "might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25), it's clear that we're meant to be happy right now, here, today! We can do so, even in the midst of trials, if we understand the true nature of this heavenly gift. "I am convinced that even with the heavy burdens, the awful injustices, and the tragedies in the world, there is happiness all around us," writes the author. "We must be the finders and the keepers — those who are aware of and who cherish this holy, abundant blessing." Overcoming stress, maintaining a sense of humor, remembering our blessings, feeling gratitude — these are just some of the paths to happiness discussed in this delightful book. Warm personal stories and solid insights from the scriptures and the words of Church leaders help shape our perspective. The message is one of hope: There are things we can do and feel that will make us almost instantly happier. As Mary Ellen says: "May we remember that we already chose the great plan of happiness, but we need to choose it again, hour after hour and day after day, through all our earthly experiences. . . . If we will, we can live happily ever after!"