Madame Guyon: A Short and Easy Method of Prayer


Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon - 2007
    This classic book teaches the importance of respectful silence in prayer, seeking God in fidelity in love, patience in prayer, collecting yourself inwardly, and total abandonment of self to God. Shortly after Madame Guyon wrote this book, she was imprisoned for 7 years because her prayer styles unsettled the established church of the time. In her own words, Madame Guyon's goal was to "to induce the world to love God and to serve Him with comfort and success, in a simple and easy manner." Little did she know that after her death in 1717 her little treatise would be published and read all over the world. Today Madame Guyon's book reminds us that God wants us to take time with him and let His word penetrate into our heart, by praying and then silently listening and waiting on God to speak to our hearts.

The Sword of the Prophet: Islam - History, Theology, Impact on the World


Srdja Trifkovic - 2002
    What changed, in fact, was that for the first time in American history we have been forced to confront Islamic militancy as it has assaulted the world for almost 14 centuries.In "The Sword of the Prophet," the reader receives the unvarnished truth about the rise of Islam and the patterns set by its founder, Muhammad; the historical meaning of jihad against the (non-Muslim) "infidel" that we see today in the al-Qaeda terror network; the broad sweep of the global military, political, moral, and -- yes -- spiritual struggle that faces us; and what we must do if we wish to survive. Above all, we must avoid the twin perils of complacency and despair, and for that a sober, factual, and contextual presentation like that found in Trifkovic's work is essential. But every American owes it to himself or herself to know the real score of the post-9/11world -- and this slim but invaluable volume is the place to start.

Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS


Azadeh Moaveni - 2019
    Emma from Hamburg, Sharmeena and three high school friends from London, Nour, a religious dropout from Tunis: all found rebellion or community in political Islam and fell prey to sophisticated propaganda that promised them a cosmopolitan adventure and a chance to forge an ideal Islamic community where they could live devoutly without fear of stigma or repression. It wasn’t long before the militants exposed themselves as little more than violent criminals, more obsessed with power than the tenets of Islam, and the women of ISIS were stripped of any agency, perpetually widowed and remarried, and ultimately trapped in a brutal, lawless society. The fall of the caliphate only brought new challenges to women no state wanted to reclaim. Moaveni’s sensitivity and reporting makes these forgotten women indelible and illuminates the turbulent politics that set them on their paths.

The Beekeeper: Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq


Dunya Mikhail - 2018
    Mikhail extensively interviews these women—who’ve lost their families and loved ones, who’ve been sexually abused, psychologically tortured, and forced to manufacture chemical weapons—and as their tales unfold, an unlikely hero emerges: a beekeeper, who uses his knowledge of the local terrain, along with a wide network of transporters, helpers, and former cigarette smugglers, to bring these women, one by one, through the war-torn landscapes of Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, back into safety.In the face of inhuman suffering, this powerful work of nonfiction offers a counterpoint to Daesh’s genocidal extremism: hope, as ordinary people risk their own lives to save those of others.

Joyful Noise: The Hot Mess Choir


She Nell - 2018
    She must pull together four choirs that hate each other for her husband, Pastor Myron Jones’ Pastor’s Anniversary Celebration. The Holy Missionary Mass Choir is filled with characters like Shonda, a single mother of six trying to keep her oldest son alive. Then there’s Donnell, the church playboy who is torn between three women. And no one can forget Mother Willie Mae Odell; whose sole mission in life is to take down Lady Deidra and the choir. First Lady Deidra Jones has a Hot Mess on her hands but will God be able to bring them all together or will they crash and burn like fire and brimstone?

Our Daily Bread - January / February / March 2020


Our Daily Bread MinistriesKirsten Holmberg - 2019
    The daily devotional thoughts published in Our Daily Bread help readers spend time each day in God’s Word. This electronic edition of Our Daily Bread allows you to enjoy the same inspiring content found in the print edition of Our Daily Bread, but with many additional digital features: • 90 Digital Daily Devotionals • Includes Scripture Passages and Insights • Links to a Daily Bible Reading Plan • Links to Additional Topical Content Resources from Our Daily Bread Ministries • Our Daily Bread Author Biographies Our Daily Bread is published and distributed worldwide in more than 40 languages by Our Daily Bread Ministries offices around the globe. Our Daily Bread Ministries also produces a variety of other Bible resources, which are available for the asking. Our Daily Bread is distributed via print, large-print, radio, podcast, email, rss, and mobile. For social networking users, find Our Daily Bread on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Spiritual Gems of Islam: Insights & Practices from the Qur'an, Hadith, Rumi & Muslim Teaching Stories to Enlighten the Heart & Mind


Jamal Rahman - 2012
    This book invites you--no matter what your practice may be--to access the treasure chest of Islamic spirituality, particularly Sufism, and use its wealth to strengthen your own journey.The riches include guidance drawn from the Qur'an, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and Sufi poets such as the thirteenth-century Rumi on cultivating awareness, intentionality and compassion for self and others. This book also features entertaining wisdom teaching stories, especially those of Mulla Nasruddin, Islam's great comic foil, to expand the mind and heart. It breaks down barriers to accessing this ancient tradition for modern seekers by dispelling myths about the Muslim faith concerning gender bias, inclusivity and appreciation for diversity.Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, you will find these gems worthy additions to your own treasure chest within.

The Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad


Hal Lindsey - 2002
    A bestselling author explains how on September 11th an ancient fight-to-the-death conflict exploded on the shores of the United States.

The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the Divisions within Islam


Jesse Harasta - 2014
    The schism between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches influenced relationships between nations across Europe, and religious intolerance based on different Christian faiths led to persecution and outright violence across the continent for centuries. The Protestant Reformation split Christianity further, and the results culminated in the incredibly destructive Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century. Today, the most important religious split is between the Sunnis and the Shias (Shiites) within Islam. Unlike divisions in other faiths - between Conservative and Orthodox Jews or Catholic and Protestant Christians - the split between the Sunnis and Shia has existed almost as long as the faith itself, and it quickly emerged out of tensions created by the political crisis after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. In a sense, what are now two different forms of Islam essentially started as political factions within the unified body of Muslim believers. Over the past few centuries, Christians have mostly been able to live alongside their co-religionists, but the split between the Sunnis and Shias is still so pronounced that many adherents of each branch view each other with disdain if not as outright apostates or non-believers. The religious divide is perhaps the most important fault line in the turbulent Middle East today, with Sunni nations like Egypt and Saudi Arabia at odds with Shiite nations like Iran. At lower levels, non-state groups like the Islamic State and Hezbollah are fighting each other in ways that cross state lines in places like Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. Although it is technically a split in religion, the divide has had substantial global ramifications for decades, and there seems to be no end in sight. The History of the Sunni and Shia Split traces the origins of the split and the historic effects of the main divide within Islam. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the history of the Sunnis and Shias like never before, in no time at all.

The Nightingale


Morgana Gallaway - 2009
    This riveting, illuminating debut novel tells the story of a young woman searching for freedom and fulfillment in war-torn Iraq.

Signs on the Horizons: Meetings with Men of Knowledge and Illumination


Michael Sugich - 2013
    Michael Sugich, an American writer who was initiated into a traditional Sufi order over forty years ago and who lived for 23 years in the sacred city of Makkah Al Mukaramah, has kept company with some of the greatest Sufi saints of the age from many parts of the world. His book is a unique eye-witness narrative of a mystical tradition that today hides in plain sight, veiled by the turbulence and materialism gripping the Muslim world. It is a spellbinding personal memoir told with eloquence, empathy, self-effacing humor, insight and love.

ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror


Michael Weiss - 2015
    In ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, American journalist Michael Weiss and Syrian analyst Hassan Hassan explain how these violent extremists evolved from a nearly defeated Iraqi insurgent group into a jihadi army of international volunteers who behead Western hostages in slickly produced videos and have conquered territory equal to the size of Great Britain. Beginning with the early days of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of ISIS’s first incarnation as “al-Qaeda in Iraq,” Weiss and Hassan explain who the key players are—from their elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to the former Saddam Baathists in their ranks—where they come from, how the movement has attracted both local and global support, and where their financing comes from. Political and military maneuvering by the United States, Iraq, Iran, and Syria have all fueled ISIS’s astonishing and explosive expansion. Drawing on original interviews with former US military officials and current ISIS fighters, the authors also reveal the internecine struggles within the movement itself, as well as ISIS’s bloody hatred of Shiite Muslims, which is generating another sectarian war in the region. Just like the one the US thought it had stopped in 2011 in Iraq. Past is prologue and America’s legacy in the Middle East is sowing a new generation of terror.

The Girl Who Escaped ISIS: This Is My Story


Farida Khalaf - 2016
    In the early summer of 2014, Farida Khalaf was a typical Yazidi teenager living with her parents and three brothers in her village in the mountains of Northern Iraq. In one horrific day, she lost everything: ISIS invaded her village, destroyed her family, and sold her into sexual slavery. The Girl Who Escaped ISIS is her incredible account of captivity and describes how she defied the odds and escaped a life of torture, in order to share her story with the world. Devastating and inspiring, this is an astonishing, intimate account of courage and hope in the face of appalling violence"--

Gandhi: Naked Ambition


Jad Adams - 2010
    Jad Adams offers a concise account of Gandhi's life: from his birth and upbringing in a small princely state in Gujarat during the high noon of the British Raj, to his assassination at the hands of a Hindu extremist in 1948 only months after the birth of the independent India which he himself had done so much to bring about.

Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge


Said K. Aburish - 2000
    He explains why Saddam behaves as he does by suggesting that his life has been marked by a series of personal quests: for recognition after being orphaned and brought up by a destitute uncle; for control of his country; for leadership of the Arab world; for mastery of the technology of destruction, and the fight for Iraq's survival.