To Mormons, With Love


Chrisy Ross - 2011
    Sure, she knew Mormons didn't drink caffeine (cough), and they never swore (double cough), but life with family-centered folks would be cozy and wonderful. She could smell the fresh-baked bread just thinking about it. Join her as she honestly, humorously, and lovingly describes her quest to find someone with a real panty line problem, requests her LDS friends baptize her-after she dies-and considers her dad's suggestion to become a Jack Mormon. Although not a convert, Chrisy develops an understanding and respect for a widely misunderstood religion and has found a comfortable spot in her town, the community and the culture.

Scientology - Abuse At the Top


Amy Scobee - 2010
    One review states: "At home alone, a 14 year old girl takes a phone call from Scientology. This starts a quarter of a century journey of manipulation, betrayal and sexual, physical and mental abuse. This journey leads to the highest management echelon and one woman's courage to break free. A real page-turner." Mark P. Another writes: "Amy Scobee has written a book unlike any other expose of Scientology. She actually was at the top of International Management for 20 years, and oversaw the recruitment of Hollywood stars into the Church of Scientology. She witnessed the abuse of top managers by their senior, David Miscavige. She writes convincingly of the human rights violations she endured while on the Rehabilitation Project Force, a thinly disguised slave labor camp. Her book is enjoyable to insiders and laymen alike, with a glossary of terms provided, and plentiful footnotes. This is an important contribution to understanding the controversy surrounding the Church of Scientology. The glaring spotlight eventually points to Abuse at the Top." Michael H.

Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God Son of Thunder


Benita N. Schindler - 1983
    Travelers sang ballads about him as they gathered around their campfires at night. Mothers used his name to frighten children into obedience. He was accused of literally hundreds of murders, all in the name of the Mormon Church. Yet behind all the myth was a man, a human being. Orrin Porter Rockwell believed in his prophet, Joseph Smith. He spent most of a year chained in an Independence dungeon for his belief, then walked across Missouri to Nauvoo, stumbling into Joseph’s house on Christmas Day. Joseph said to him then, “Cut not thy hair and no bullet or blade can harm thee,” and the legend was born.Rockwell continued to serve the leaders of his church—as hunter, guide, messenger, scout, guerilla, emissary to the Indians, and lawman. He traveled thousands of miles, raised three families, accumulated land and wealth—and favorably impressed almost everyone who met him. But although he walked with presidents and generals, scholars and scoundrels, in a life lived at the center of many of the great events of the American frontier, he has remained an enigma, a source of continuing controversy.Harold Schindler’s remarkable investigative skills led him into literally thousands of unlikely places in his search for the truth about Rockwell. Dale L. Morgan, one of the west’s foremost historians, called the first edition “…an impressive job of research, one of the most impressive in recent memory, in the Mormon field. Mr. Schindler has shown great energy and sagacity in dealing with a difficult, highly controversial subject; and he has also made maximum use of the latest scholarship and newly available archival resources.”But the author was not satisfied until he had probed even more deeply, and this revised and enlarged second edition contains greatly expanded documentation as well as textual additions that flesh out the characters and events of this classic drama of early America.

The Complex: An Insider Exposes the Covert World of the Church of Scientology


John Duignan - 2008
    Duignan describes how, two years ago, he staged a dramatic escape from the elite paramilitary group at the core of the Church, the Sea Organization, and how he narrowly evaded pursuit by the Office of Special Affairs. He looks back on the 22 years he served in the Church's secret army and describes the hours of sleep deprivation, brain-washing and intense religious counseling he endured, as he was molded into a soldier of Scientology. He talks about the money-making-machine at the heart of the Church, the Scientology goal to Clear the Planet and Get Ethics In, and the punishments meted out to anyone who transgresses. We follow his journey through the Church and the painful investigation that leads to his eventual realization that there is something very wrong at Scientology's core.--From publisher description.

The God Who Smokes: Scandalous Meditations on Faith


Timothy J. Stoner - 2008
    Filled with humorous insights and challenging ideas, The God Who Smokes imagines a twenty-first-century church where hope hangs with holiness, passion sits next to purity, and compassion can relate to character.

His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy


Susan Ray Schmidt - 2006
    Cascading with rich, well-developed characters, this true story will capture your soul and imagination as the author reveals how a group of kind-hearted, sincere people are led to embrace this controversial lifestyle in their pursuit of the highest degree of glory. Laced with surprising brush-strokes of humor, this heart-rending saga will take its readers on a journey that outsiders whisper of and shudder about. It answers the question that a polygamist's wife is asked countless times: How can you tolerate sharing your husband?In North America today there are over thirty thousand polygamists. They lead secret lives in their attempt to hide from society and U.S. laws. Their women are taught that obedience, unquestioning acceptance of polygamy, and giving birth to huge families of children to follow in their parent's footsteps will assure them a celestial crown. Few search out truth for themselves, but trustingly follow their prophet. Susan's book deals with this head-in-the-sand ignorance. She too, was one of these women.

Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations from the 39th President


Jimmy Carter - 2011
    Based on more than three decades of practical Bible teaching, these readings draw from the riches of God's Word and the compelling experiences of Mr. Carter's own life. Whether through fascinating glimpses into behind-the-scenes activity at the White House, or insightful remembrances of his career in the U.S. Navy, Mr. Carter never ceases to connect the wisdom of Scripture with your own crucial place on the stage of life. Frank, honest, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, and always relevant, Through the Year with Jimmy Carter challenges readers to be more Christ-like every day of their lives.

The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Vol.1: Baghdád: 1853-63


Adib Taherzadeh - 1974
    It is a unique survey of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, using both authentic English translations and original sources, that describes the contents of all major works, including many unknown in the West.Volume 1First of four volumes on the Writings of the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith during His forty-year ministry, describing their contents, including much as yet untranslated, with fascinating descriptions of the circumstances of the time and the persons addressed.Vol. 1 covers Bahá'u'lláh's period of exile in Baghdád, 1853-63

Israel, Palestina: Paz O Guerra Santa


Mario Vargas Llosa - 2006
    Morgana's lens captured, in amazing photographs, the Israeli exodus from 21 settlements along the Gaza Strip while Vargas Llosa interviewed several of the Jewish settlers. The result is a gripping chronicle in which the author reiterates his stance on Israel, his admiration of the economic and livings standards they have achieved despite internal factions and wars. A book inspired by principles of love, freedom and justice, and the firm belief that the best voice is that which refuses to give in to oppression and lies.

Saint Patrick: A Life From Beginning to End


Hourly History - 2018
     Just who was Saint Patrick? Many know him as the figure behind the huge festival of fun and drinking that takes place every on March 17. But look a little more closely and see that there is more to the patron saint of Ireland than meets the eye. Inside you will read about... ✓ From Slave to Bishop ✓ The Feast at Tara ✓ Ireland’s First Martyr ✓ Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus ✓ Confessio: A Brief Look ✓ The Death of Saint Patrick And much more! Saint Patrick will amaze as readers embark on a journey of tough beginnings, holy power, and a story of overcoming adversity to change a nation. Take a look at the saint that devoted his life to bringing Christianity to an entire nation—and succeeded after much difficulty. The saint we know as the reason for a holiday is much more significant than readers know.

The Purpose Room: A Meeting Place Where You Discover, Birth and Accomplish Your God-Given Purpose


Heather Lindsey - 2016
    I knew my purpose. I just didn't understand how I was going to get there in this small cubical doing data entry work at a dead end job in business casual clothes. " - Heather Lindsey We live in a society that makes it easy to compare your life to everyone else's social media "highlight" reels. If you feel "behind," I have written this book to remind you that you're exactly where you're supposed to be. You have God-given purpose. You have a plan. You don't need to copy or imitate anyone but Jesus Christ! He has assigned you with a specific purpose, and called you to solve a problem on this earth, for this generation! If you've struggled greatly with your purpose, Heather Lindsey can relate to you as she shares her years of living purposeless without Jesus, to becoming a first generation pastor, and best selling author to a worldwide ministry. She candidly shares her peaks, pitfalls, and what she has learned along the way as the Lord has revealed His purpose to her. If you've ever struggled with identifying, being afraid of, or walking in your purpose, this book is for you. The Purpose Room seeks to create a comfortable atmosphere for you to be honest about your talents, gifts, or insecurities, in order to confidently walk the path God has called you to. Regardless of where you are in life, The Purpose Room will help you to discover, accomplish and birth your God-given purpose.

Rich Church, Poor Church: Keys to Effective Financial Ministry


J. Clif Christopher - 2012
    Clif Christopher's nearly forty years in ministry as a pastor and President of Horizons Stewardship Company, he has witnessed the financial stewardship practices of thousands of churches. A few have exceptional records in acquiring and managing the necessary funds for mission and ministry, but the vast majority struggle every year to get by.In this important new work made even more relevant by our economic times, Christopher contrasts the traits of the most productive congregations with those who perennially fail to secure the funds to perform transformational ministry. Some churches practice the necessary financial habits that form the foundation of successful ministry, and others waste valuable resources and undermine ministry opportunities.Through Christopher's insight born out of years of experience and consultation, readers can assess the financial condition of their own churches.

Prayers


Sylvia Browne - 2002
    In each case, the words were "infused" into her by her spirit guide Francine, and of course, by God. Granted, these words are a passive mode of prayer, yet the goal is to recharge your spiritual battery so that you'll be able to go out into the world and do God's work. "Over many years of public work, people have often asked me how to pray. My answer is simple, 'Just talk to God, and make your life a living prayer." "These prayers will lift your soul and let you magnify the Lord. They have done so for me and thousands of others. Many miracles have occurred by the power of prayer, and now I want to share these commanding words with you."

The Secret World of Saints: Inside the Catholic Church and the Mysterious Process of Anointing the Holy Dead


Bill Donahue - 2011
    She slept on a bed of thorns. She had a friend whip her. She put hot coals between her toes. She suffered from smallpox, and the disease left her almost blind. Yet she still fasted, in penitence, and ministered to the sick and elderly. When she died, it was said, the smallpox scars instantly vanished from her face. It wasn’t long before people began to credit her with miracles.Indeed, the Vatican has just announced, 300 years after her death, that Tekakwitha is a miracle worker. She will be named a saint—America’s first indigenous saint, no less—as early as next fall. But what, exactly, does that mean? How does someone become a saint? What’s the vetting process? In this thoroughly entertaining investigation into the mysterious world of saints, Bill Donahue tells the strange and fascinating story of how the holy get their halos. The journey to canonization is long (sometimes, as in the case of Tekakwitha, it can take centuries), lurid (decayed body parts play a role), and, nowadays, surprisingly cutting-edge. Tekakwitha earned her saint status thanks to a medical miracle she allegedly caused in 2006: A boy suffering from a fatal flesh-eating bacteria suddenly and inexplicably recovered after his family prayed to the Blessed Kateri. Church experts grilled the boy’s doctors, studied his MRIs and hospital chart, and came to the conclusion that a force stronger than modern medicine saved him. In addition to Tekakwitha, Donahue introduces us to a cast of celestial characters, from Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II—both on the fast track to sainthood—to Saint Francis, Joan of Arc, and the shady Padre Pio, who claimed to suffer stigmata and raise bodies from the dead. But it’s what happens after these holy folk die that’s arguably even more intriguing. Mixing legend and science, history and on-the-ground reporting, The Secret World of Saints sheds light on one of the Catholic Church’s most arcane and captivating traditions.* * *Early praise for "The Secret World of Saints":"My sinful covetousness for Bill Donahue's talents and the fun he's having here has put me out of the running for sainthood. I love his story anyway."— Mary Roach, author of the bestselling "Stiff," "Spook," "Bonk," and "Packing for Mars"* * * About the Author: Bill Donahue is a journalist living in Portland, Oregon. His work has appeared in "The Atlantic," "The New York Times Magazine," "Wired," "Runner’s World," "The Washington Post Magazine," and "Inc." He has been nominated for two National Magazine Awards, and his stories have been reprinted in Best American Travel Writing, Best American Sports Writing, and numerous other anthologies.

St. Joseph and His World


Mike Aqualina - 2020