Book picks similar to
All in Orphan Care: Equipping the Church to Help Kids and Strengthen Families by Jason Johnson
family
orphan-care
spiritual-growth
foster-adoption
Blood Over Water
David Livingston - 2009
It was the first time brothers had battled each other in this gladiatorial and quintessentially British tradition for over a hundred years. Only one could be victorious. In this book, David and James tell their stories for the first time, giving an intimate insight into one of our least understood but best-loved national sporting occasions. James, following in his family’s footsteps, is a student at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, while David, wanting to escape his brother's shadow, joins Christ Church College at Oxford University. As the pair embark on training loads almost beyond endurance, their stories reveal the rivalries between these ancient and great institutions. Told in alternating narratives, Blood over Water is an emotional and searching joint self-portrait, and an account of a brotherly relationship tested to breaking point. David's fervent desire to beat his older brother pushes him on, but drives an impenetrable wedge between the siblings. As the race approaches they are unable even to speak to each other.It is only after the race, James wrestling with his final Cambridge exams, that they start to reconcile their shattered relationship, damaged by their pursuit of a shared dream.Not only a nail-biting drama for sports fans, Blood over Water also looks at the darker side of sibling rivalry and asks just what you would be willing to sacrifice to achieve your dreams.
31 Days of Prayer for your Future Husband: Becoming a Wife Before the Wedding Day (Princess in Preparation: Devotionals for Single Women)
Tiffany Langford - 2016
After hours of preparation, writing, and prayer, I am pleased to be able to offer you this devotional! 31 Days of Prayer for your Future Husband is a guide to teach you how to pray for the man God has for you and answers a lot of the questions concerning marriage and God’s will for your love life that you may have been pondering deep down in your heart. This book is designed to help you along your journey as you develop a heart like the Biblical Character Ruth. It is designed to encourage, guide, and teach you what it means to be a praying wife, long before the wedding day. Through this book you will become more prepared for marriage, and understand the value of what it means to become a praying wife and to pray for your future husband. You are made for greatness. God has your love story in His hands. Our culture needs more women who have a heart like Ruth, and I pray this book will be a blessing to you on your journey to wifehood.
The Meaning of Marriage Study Guide: A Vision for Married and Single People
Timothy J. Keller - 2015
In The Meaning of Marriage—a six-session video-based Bible study—Timothy Keller, along with Kathy, his wife of forty years, draws a profound portrait of marriage from the pages of Scripture that neither idealizes nor rejects the institution but points us back to the relationship between God and man. The result is a vision for marriage that is refreshingly frank and unsentimental, yet hopeful and beautiful.This six-session video Bible study is for anyone from singles to couples considering marriage to those who have been married recently or for a long time.The six sessions are:Service: Marriage Isn't about YouCovenant: Created to Make PromisesRoles: Loving through Mutual SubmissionSingleness: Strengthening the Spiritual FamilySex: The Act of Covenant RenewalHope: Seeing the Great Horizon
3 Words That Will Change Your Life: The Secret to Experiencing the Joy of God's Presence
Mike Novotny - 2020
Ready for it?"God is here."It may sound obvious at first, but truly understanding these three words is the key to more happiness, less boredom, more rest, less rush, more love, less drama, more peace, less fear.A deeply satisfying life doesn't require a sabbatical, a mission trip, or a New Year's resolution. As long as God is glorious enough and near enough, you can enjoy the life that is truly life--not just the cheap substitutes we've settled for.This book will help you move from just enjoying the good moments in life to worshiping the God who is right here, right now. This movement will exponentially increase your happiness, peace, and contentment. It will allow you to shake off the guilt and shame of sin and see yourself as God sees you. Learn how to recognize God's impact on your life and find the joy he's been waiting to give you.
Juggling Twins
Meghan Regan-Loomis - 2008
Recommended reading for all mothers of twins."" Deborah Platek, MD, Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates The best twin-tested tips used by real moms The stresses that come with raising two babies are numerous - but they are predictable and manageable. From a mom who's been there, Juggling Twins is a funny, realistic, and reassuring guide for every new mom of twins who may be asking herself, ""Can I really pull this off?"" From pregnancy to health issues, to eating, sleeping, bathing, and leaving the house, Juggling Twins is packed with the detailed, authoritative information that parents of multiples crave. Author and mother of twin boys Meghan Regan-Loomis offers an indispensable toolkit of solutions and techniques, designed to create order out of the chaos and help you catch your breath during this daunting and exhilarating time. You'll learn how to: Nurse two babies at the same time, comfortably and efficiently Get exactly the help you need from family and friends in those first few weeks Safely transport two babies at once when it's just you and them Survive the nights by breaking them into shifts (that include you sleeping) Stockpile the right food and supplies in advance of their arrival Maintain your identity and your marriage through the madness Get prepared, stay calm, and count your blessings (two )-raising twins can be a wonderful, intense challenge that draws on the best in you.
US: The Art of Relationships
Lisa Oz - 2010
Co-author of the YOU: The Owner's Manual series Lisa Oz explores how healthy relationships are the key to growth of the mind, body, and spirit.
GOLDEN ECLIPSE: HEART DOG --- A True Story
Howard Schultheis - 2013
This animal will become one with you. Their heart and soul, and yours, will somehow join. Without words you both instinctively know what the other’s needs are, and you will live to take care of them. This is the true story of my "Heart" dog, Eclipse. Originally written as a way of expressing my grief over her loss, it was meant to be read only by myself. She was such an amazing girl, that I felt her story needed to be shared. All proceeds from this book will be donated to animal rescue. Please do not feel that this book is one that will make you cry throughout. Yes, tears may be shed. (Nothing wrong with that. It saves you money on eye drops) Eclipse's story will also bring many smiles to readers of her story. It's hard for one to hear of the joy she brought to the world and not be touched by it. This amazing rescued golden retriever came into my life at seven years of age, with cancer. She was used for breeding, and then went to a second owner. I had the honor of being her third, and “Forever Home!” She was to become a registered therapy dog, who worked in Hospice and nursing home settings. This book gives concrete examples of her amazing nature, what I consider to be her philosophy of life, and the absolutely tremendous difference she made in the lives of those she met, including myself. You will read of such heart touching moments, as when she attended wakes, memorial services, and even a funeral mass. You will even get to meet Mozart. Yes, he lived with Eclipse! After reading this book my hope is that you will start to live your life like a Golden Retriever.....Minus the shedding of course, which could make you a bit unpopular. {At the end of January 2014 I edited the book slightly by gettng rid of the typos. Now there are no messtakes.....Well, maybe some :-) Also available as of late November 2014....A new book...."Saving Cinco"
Love Without Borders: How Bold Faith Opens the Door to Embracing the Unexpected
Angela Braniff - 2020
The Braniff household includes their two biological daughters, Kennedy, 12, and Shelby 10; Rosie, 7, who was adopted from China with special needs; Noah, 7, adopted from Congo; Jonah 5, adopted domestically, Ivy and Amelia, their two year old twins who were adopted as embryos, and implanted in Angela, who gave birth to them; and finally Benjamin who was also adopted domestically shortly after this book was written.Angela’s love for life and her family radiates through everything she does. In Love Without Borders she opens her heart and her home to share her story, offering a relatable and honest view of motherhood and love. With both humor and honesty, Angela chronicles her journey to discover God’s purpose for her and how she welcomed it—even though it meant raising a large, non-traditional family that looked different than she ever imagined. She talks about diverse aspects of her kids’ lives, from the challenging adoption process, to secondary infertility, and homeschooling. And most important, she reflects on coming to terms with her own sense of identity and worth, on learning to accept there is no “perfect” way to be a woman, wife, and mother, and on embracing and sharing God’s message that love has no borders.Funny, moving, and deeply spiritual, Love Without Borders will inspire other women to discover their own purpose—and to cherish those who God has put in their lives.
Love in the Driest Season: A Family Memoir
Neely Tucker - 2003
Don't miss this gripping memoir.Foreign correspondent Neely Tucker and his wife, Vita, arrived in Zimbabwe in 1997. After witnessing firsthand the devastating consequences of AIDS on the population, especially the children, the couple started volunteering at an orphanage that was desperately underfunded and short-staffed. One afternoon, a critically ill infant was brought to the orphanage from a village outside the city. She’d been left to die in a field on the day she was born, abandoned in the tall brown grass that covers the highlands of Zimbabwe in the dry season. After a near-death hospital stay, and under strict doctor’s orders, the ailing child was entrusted to the care of Tucker and Vita. Within weeks Chipo, the girl-child whose name means gift, would come to mean everything to them.Still an active correspondent, Tucker crisscrossed the continent, filing stories about the uprisings in the Congo, the civil war in Sierra Leone, and the postgenocidal conflict in Rwanda. He witnessed heartbreaking scenes of devastation and violence, steeling him further to take a personal role in helping anywhere he could. At home in Harare, Vita was nursing Chipo back to health. Soon she and Tucker decided to alter their lives forever—they would adopt Chipo. That decision challenged an unspoken social norm—that foreigners should never adopt Zimbabwean children.Raised in rural Mississippi in the sixties and seventies, Tucker was familiar with the mores associated with and dictated by race. His wife, a savvy black woman whose father escaped the Jim Crow South for a new life in the industrial North, would not be deterred in her resolve to welcome Chipo into their loving family.As if their situation wasn’t tenuous enough, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was stirring up national fervor against foreigners, especially journalists, abroad and at home. At its peak, his antagonizing branded all foreign journalists personae non grata. For Tucker, the only full-time American correspondent in Zimbabwe, the declaration was a direct threat to his life and his wife’s safety, and an ultimatum to their decision to adopt the child who had already become their only daughter.Against a background of war, terrorism, disease, and unbearable uncertainty about the future, Chipo’s story emerges as an inspiring testament to the miracles that love—and dogged determination—can sometimes achieve. Gripping, heartbreaking, and triumphant, this family memoir will resonate throughout the ages.
Unwanted: The true story of a new life grown from love, loss and the ultimate betrayal
Suz Evasdaughter - 2020
Confused, little Suz begins to blame herself for her mother's death. Her father eventually brings them back, but instead of finding a safe haven to rebuild their family, Suz finds herself plunged into a life of misery at the mercy of an uncaring and brutal stepmother.Unwanted tells the story of Suz's struggle to escape from her broken home and leave her fractured past behind her. But lurking in the shadows is a dark family secret...
Feathers Brush My Heart: True Stories of Mothers Touching Their Daughters' Lives After Death
Sinclair Browning - 2002
After her own mother died Sinclair Browning began receiving white feathers that she instinctively knew were from her mother, a once aspiring actress who did diaphragm exercises by blowing a white feather into the air while repeating, "I love you." When Browning shared her story on an all women's horseback ride, she as amazed that some of her fellow riders had stories of their own.Feathers Brush My Heart is the result of Browning's years collecting stories from throughout the country, from women with varying occupations, religions and ethnic backgrounds. While each story is unique, the common denominator is that they all share an afterlife gift that their mothers' spirits were alive and well.
Envy: The Enemy Within: Overcoming the Hidden Emotion That Holds God's Plans Hostage
Bob Sorge - 2003
Because while all of us envy others to some extent, few of us acknowledge our problem out loud, let alone try to overcome it and move forward. Bob Sorge draws upon his own pastoral experience-plus the admitted burden of his own envy-to show why and how it can adversely affect the ministry of a church and even prevent revival in people's lives. Sorge reveals why comparison of our ministry and spiritual gifts to that of our fellow believers is to be avoided at all costs so that we do not hamstring God's plan for our growth and the accomplishment of His purposes. This is a must-read for leaders of all churches, great and small-and anyone who wants the peace that comes with a life free of envy.
The Package Deal: My (not-so) Glamorous Transition from Single Gal to Instant Mom
Izzy Rose - 2009
A single “middle-class socialite” living in San Francisco, Izzy loved her career as a successful, Emmy Award-winning TV producer and she was fine with the fact that she was unmarried and kid-less at thirty-five. But, then she fell in love with an irresistible Southern man named Hank and her Izzy-centric lifestyle turned upside down. In short order, Izzy finds herself saying I DO to becoming a wife and “instant mom” to Hank’s two sons and packing her bags for a new life in Austin, Texas. There, Izzy struggles to hold on to a bit of her professional identity while reinventing the stepmother role in her sassy, stylish, but also loving and vulnerable way. Honest and daring, The Package Deal is a toast to the richness of her new life and a tribute to any woman whose ever fallen in love and then asked, What exactly did I get myself into?
Dating Detox: 40 Days of Perfecting Love in an Imperfect World
Kevin Cotter - 2017
They desire to give their lives to Christ and turn away from sin—but without a concrete plan, they quickly fall back into old habits. Featuring daily reflections and resolutions, this forty-day detox provides a practical "cleanse" for those who want to purify themselves from the poisoned dating culture and live a life of authentic freedom, respect, and love.Inside you'll find:Compelling and clear explanations of "God's plans for love, dating, and sex"Hopeful true-life stories of people who have successfully moved from desiring chastity to actually living itPractical tools, habits, and strategies to live more virtuously with joy and freedom
Wife School: Where Women Learn the Secrets of Making Husbands Happy
Julie N. Gordon - 2012
It is truly life-altering."Kendall Tashie, 50, married 30 years, mother of 6, mentors women and Bible study leaderIn a private setting, sincere Christian women repeatedly reveal that after only a few years (or even months) of marriage, their Prince Charming has lost his charm. After learning the principles in Wife School, these same women find their marriages revolutionized. Affection and closeness take a quantum leap. This remarkable progress occurs because Wife School teaches women what their husbands want and need at a deep soul level, making the husband outrageously happy.This self-help marriage book is a laugh-out-loud story in which the bratty and abrasive protagonist, Jessica--who thinks her marriage is beyond repair--learns the secrets to grow a satisfying and soul-stirring marriage. Enroll now with Jessica in Wife School, and embark on a journey that will transform your marriage beyond what you can imagine."The principles in Wife School have changed my life. The wisdom and guidance have reversed the effect the world had on my marriage. Both my husband and I are truly grateful."Emily Wilson, 33, married 8 years, 2 children, mentors younger women"The principles that I have learned from Wife School have changed my marriage and therefore changed my life in unbelievable ways. I have gone from a good marriage to an exceptional marriage (that almost seemed unattainable and unrealistic). Every wife needs to read this book."Jenny Hendrix, 33, married 7 years, 5 children