The strangers came first for the timber. Next they came for the coal. Now, they've returned-for Widows Hollow. Pick McKinley is cursed with a fear of strangers. The strangers taunt mountain people and call them Hillbillys. Now, newly orphaned, illiterate, and impoverished, Pick must leave her mountain home and go among the strangers in town to find work if she and her younger siblings are to survive. Maybe it won't be so bad. Her mama had worked among them, cleaning and mending. Pick could not have been more mistaken. Her first encounter with Dr. Stephen Stalworth, Ashford's favorite son and one of its wealthiest, most powerful citizens, almost cost Pick her life and would have but for intervening fate and her rescuer, Jan Vandeventer, the handsome Bluegrass Son of wealthy, world famous horse breeders. Pick is no hillbilly. She's a survivor who has survived against all odds. She must save herself, her siblings, and her community from Stalworth who has vowed to destroy them and she must do it with the only weapons she possesses; faith, and a fairy tale-- called Rosemillion. In her debut novel, J.Helen Elza has crafted a tale of struggle and survival that transcends reading. Rosemillion is a tale to experience and Widows Hollow, despite its poverty, is a place you will want to return to time and again; To fish with the feisty and unapologetic mountain man, Samuel Llewellyn Simpson, "Stump"; "Pay 'em no mind, Miss, they's hollower 'n a cane pole and not nearly so useful." Or to laugh at the fiery- tempered Early Mae, "Mama- John Johnson"; "What is you up to, Old Man? You a'grinnin like a possum in a hen house!" Or to commiserate with Jan who is caught between his world of ivy-league universities and world champion thoroughbreds and her world of illiteracy and poverty; "Jacques, if you want to end our friendship here and now, you call her a hillbilly one more time! I'm sick of it! You and any one of the rest of our so-called peers pick a label, any label, and it's official! Margaret and Victoria call Pick a hillbilly, so she's a hillbilly, right?" Or to grab your hanky and sob or to stand up and shout for sixteen-year old Pick McKinley; "You may call me white trash and hillbilly. You may hate me and my kind, BUT YOU AIN'T GONNA CAUSE THAT LITTLE BABY TO BE A DYIN!" Written as a woman's novel, Rosemillion also appeals to men: "I really did enjoy reading the book and thought Ms. Miller did a wonderful job of placing the reader in the moment. Also, her character development is superb. I've told friends that I never found myself bored reading Rosemillion as I often do when reading other books. Jerry Snow USN Retired Rosemillion will leave you cheering and wanting more. Fortunately, there is more. Rosemillion is book one in J. Helen Elza's Appalachian Trilogy. Look for book two "Return to Widows Hollow," and book three "The Red Amaryllis," coming soon to book stores and kindles near you.

    

    With a simple yet penetrating style, Zacharias uses rich illustrations to celebrate the power of Jesus Christ to transform lives. Jesus Among Other Gods contrasts the truth of Jesus with founders of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, strengthening believers and compelling them to share their faith with our post-modern world.

    Now she’s met Scott Landis and his son, Randy. His adopted son.About the time she falls in love with Scott, circumstances convince her Randy is the baby she gave away nine years ago. But what can she do?If she confronts Scott, she'll lose his love, and he'll keep Randy from her. If she marries Scott without telling who she is, she'll have Randy and Scott, but be living a lie. Is there a happy ending to her life?

    I was on the Stuyvesant baseball team, but because of my working hours, my playing time was limited. My first dream to become a corporate president by the time I was 35 years of age was fulfilled.Experience the ups and downs of a life well lived in Bill Morgenstein's compelling new memoir, The Crazy Life of a Kid from Brooklyn.While first reminiscing upon his childhood in Brooklyn during the depression, Morgenstein traces his life through times of war, peace, and everything in between.At times extremely funny and heartbreaking, The Crazy Life of a Kid in Brooklyn details Morgenstein's enlistment in the US Army, his days running a $55 million dollar company, his despair at losing it all to a scam, and much more.His chance encounters with such historical figures as Sergeant York, Cordell Hull, Sid Gordon, Jomo Kenyatta, and Vince Camuto provide amusing cultural touchstones that reveal a willingness to embrace everything life has to offer.Through all the successful, disappointing, dangerous, educational, and enlightening experiences that have shaped his life, Morgenstein remains philosophical as he explores the roles of ethics, honesty, and unfailing determination in shaping the human experience.

    Letter to A Christian Nation is his reply. Using rational argument, Harris offers a measured refutation of the beliefs that form the core of fundamentalist Christianity. In the course of his argument, he addresses current topics ranging from intelligent design and stem-cell research to the connections between religion and violence. In Letter to a Christian Nation, Sam Harris boldly challenges the influence that faith has on public life in our nation.

    In our rapidly changing and ever more complex world, we suffer a crisis of leadership. Leighton Ford sees the growing dearth of bold leaders--in the marketplace, religion and public life. In this powerful book, Ford calls Christians to be transformational leaders. Many leaders work within situations; transformational leaders change situations. Many leaders accept what can be talked about; transformational leaders change what can be talked about. Many leaders talk about payoffs; transformational leaders talk about goals. Many leaders bargain; transformational leaders appeal to a common vision. Ford realizes that desperately needed Christian and transformational leadership will not emerge until we have a model of the transforming leader. And what more powerful example of leadership could there be than Jesus? Insightfully examining Jesus' work and the best recent books on leadership, Ford presents --the leader as strategist --the leader as seer --the leader as seeker --the leader as servant --the leader as struggler --the leader as sustainer Executives, pastors, managers, professionals--all will benefit from this fresh, in-depth treatment by a man who is himself one of the world's finest Christian leaders.

    The text is arranged pedagogically, with added attention given to applying Scripture to life. The topics addressed include basic tools of how to read the Bible, the general nature of the interpretive task, and how to interpret and apply texts from specific genres of the Old and New Testaments.

    Focusing on key Bible strategies, John Ramirez teaches you how to shore up your defenses after winning a battle and how to put your life back in order so that when the next attack comes, you are stronger, wiser and more knowledgeable than ever.

     The uniqueness of this book comes in the metaphor of sipping saltwater. Even as Christians, we 'sip' on idols such as money, relationships, careers, sex, food, human approval…the list is endless. These things promise to satisfy us—to quench our thirst. In the end, however, they fail to do so and leave us thirstier than we were before drinking them. To make matters worse, we are left with devastating hangovers—the negative consequences of our idolatry. This book enables readers to identify their own source(s) of saltwater and explains how to quench their thirst with Jesus’ living water—the only drink that will ever truly satisfy us both now and for eternity. It inspires readers to go on in the Christian life as they started—by making Jesus the centre of our lives and giving our worship to him.

    But for many teens, and even many adults, God's message can be lost in the Bible's often confusing terminology, dry language, or lengthy history lessons. Who begat who-and why should I care? The Bible: Enter Here opens the door to God's Word by breathing new life into key Bible stories, retelling them in a fresh, fun, and relatable way. You'll discover that the Bible is packed with drama, suspense, and even humor. You'll see that the Bible's main characters were real people, with the same flaws, fears, and dreams you have. And most important, you'll learn how Jesus' teachings are vital to your life today.Here are a few of the characters you'll meet:- JACOB: The guy who wrestled God-and got a nation named after him- PHARAOH: Ten plagues, and still didn't learn his lesson- DELILAH: Irresistible ... and dangerous- SHADRACH, MESHACH, and ABEDNEGO: The ultimate trial by fire- VIRGIN MARY: On parenting the Son of God- PETER: His agony and triumph, in his own wordsLearn how one man's life, death, and resurrection changed the world forever, and what that could mean for you-if you're ready to knock on the door and enter.

    Church leaders, conference speakers, and authors are weighing the merits of the attractional church movement of the past few decades, and where they find it lacking, prescribing changes in the way we need to approach our cultures with the Gospel. There has been a consensus shift among many churches, networks, and denominations to become more focused on mission. The result is a renewed interest in reaching the lost in our cities and around the world. The Church, in many places in the Western world, is in fact returning to a biblical missional focus. Yet there is something still to be addressed in the process: thehow. For centuries, God has called missionaries to cross cultures with the Gospel, and along the way, they have developed the necessary skill-sets for a cultural translation of the Good News. These skills need to be shared with the rest of the Church in order to help them as well be effective missionaries.Tradecraft for the Church on Missiondoes exactly that. This book, in essence, pulls back the curtain on tools once accessible only to full-time Christian workers moving overseas, and offers them to anyone anywhere who desires to live missionally."

    We overestimate tomorrow. We underestimate today. The truth is that the most important day you will ever experience is today. Today is the key to your success. Maxwell offers 12 decisions and disciplines-he calls it his daily dozen-that can be learned and mastered by any person to achieve success.

    But through the transformative power of grace, he discovered the God who loved and accepted unconditionally, freeing him to ask the hard questions and delve into one of Christianity's greatest taboos: doubt. In Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I've Crossed, Jay voices the questions that Christians are thinking but won't ask as he chronicles his doubt about God, the Bible, heaven and hell, church, society, relationships, grace, and love. In the process he encourages all of us to welcome "the other", to read the Bible differently but better, to draw together in community, and to seek an unknown God of limitless grace. Brutally honest but full of grace, Jay invites everyone to cross the line, to dig deeper, and to discover a faith that is beyond belief.

    He gave up the girl he loved, married a different woman, and raised a family. But he’s just been given another shot at happiness.Sylvia has loved Martin since she was a young girl. They have two great children and a wonderful life together—until a love from Martin’s past threatens everything she’s worked so hard to build.Jenny McCoy can’t believe she and Martin have found each other again—but she’s never gotten over his cruel betrayal. Is she ready to forgive the sins of the past for a second chance?Moving between countries and across time, Illusions of Love tells the story of a man, his heritage, and the crisis of faith that brings his life to a crossroads.