The Gift of an Ordinary Day

The Gift of an Ordinary Day
Author: Katrina Kenison
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2009-09-07
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0446558095

The Gift of an Ordinary Day is an intimate memoir of a family in transition, with boys becoming teenagers, careers ending and new ones opening up, and an attempt to find a deeper sense of place—and a slower pace—in a small New England town. This is a story of mid-life longings and discoveries, of lessons learned in the search for home and a new sense of purpose, and the bittersweet intensity of life with teenagers—holding on, letting go. Poised on the threshold between family life as she's always known it and her older son's departure for college, Kenison is surprised to find that the times she treasures most are the ordinary, unremarkable moments of everyday life, the very moments that she once took for granted, or rushed right through without noticing at all. The relationships, hopes, and dreams that Kenison illuminates will touch women's hearts, and her words will inspire mothers everywhere as they try to make peace with the inevitable changes in store.

A Time of Gifts

A Time of Gifts
Author: Patrick Leigh Fermor
Publisher: New York Review of Books
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2011-09-14
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1590175174

This beloved account about an intrepid young Englishman on the first leg of his walk from London to Constantinople is simply one of the best works of travel literature ever written. At the age of eighteen, Patrick Leigh Fermor set off from the heart of London on an epic journey—to walk to Constantinople. A Time of Gifts is the rich account of his adventures as far as Hungary, after which Between the Woods and the Water continues the story to the Iron Gates that divide the Carpathian and Balkan mountains. Acclaimed for its sweep and intelligence, Leigh Fermor’s book explores a remarkable moment in time. Hitler has just come to power but war is still ahead, as he walks through a Europe soon to be forever changed—through the Lowlands to Mitteleuropa, to Teutonic and Slav heartlands, through the baroque remains of the Holy Roman Empire; up the Rhine, and down to the Danube. At once a memoir of coming-of-age, an account of a journey, and a dazzling exposition of the English language, A Time of Gifts is also a portrait of a continent already showing ominous signs of the holocaust to come.

29 Gifts (EasyRead Super Large 20pt Edition)

29 Gifts (EasyRead Super Large 20pt Edition)
Author: Cami Walker
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2009
Genre:
ISBN: 145876446X

At age thirty-five, Cami Walker was burdened by a battle with multiple sclerosis, a chronic neurological condition that made it difficult for her to walk, work, or enjoy her life. Seeking a remedy for her depression after being hospitalized, she received an uncommon prescription from an African medicine woman: give to others for 29 days. 29 Gifts is the insightful story of the author's life change as she embraces and reflects on the naturally reciprocal process of giving and receiving. Many of Walker's gifts were simple?a phone call, spare change, a Kleenex. Yet the acts were transformative. By day 29, not only had Walker's health and happiness improved, but she had created a worldwide giving movement. The book also includes personal essays from others whose lives changed for the better by giving, plus pages for the reader to record their own journey. More than a memoir, 29 Gifts offers inspiring lessons on how a simple daily practice of altruism can dramatically alter your outlook on the world.

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die
Author: Sarah J. Robinson
Publisher: WaterBrook
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2021-05-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0593193539

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

The Love that Will Not Let You Go

The Love that Will Not Let You Go
Author: Paul Douglas Heidt
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 141
Release: 2015-05-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1498203515

This book is an alternative to what passes for Christianity in movies, television, videos, novels, political campaigns, and, sadly, in many churches. It is for Christians, people of other faiths, and people of no faiths. It is for those who have given up on religion and those with secret doubts about concepts and biblical narratives most Christians seem to believe easily. Douglas Heidt contends that traditional Christian theology deals primarily with intellectual conclusions and emotion, leaving seekers with the idea that if they believe certain propositions, and love God, they will lead safe, happy lives, and go to heaven when they die. But this book argues that Jesus didn't teach a theological or ecclesiastical system. By his words and life he simply revealed a way to live, the way God created life to be lived, the life of sacrificial, eternal, universal love, kindness, forgiveness, justice, and compassion. Life's goal is not to believe certain things and go to heaven. Life's goal is to love your neighbor. This uncomplicated assertion has crucial implications for the church, how we understand the Bible, the Christian story, and the Christian life and its conclusion. It presents ideas that may be challenging, and describes how being Christian is not what you think, it's what you do.

Why I Love the Apostle Paul

Why I Love the Apostle Paul
Author: John Piper
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2019-01-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433565072

"Besides Jesus, no one has kept me from despair, or taken me deeper into the mysteries of the gospel, than the apostle Paul." —John Piper No one has had a greater impact on the world for eternal good than the apostle Paul—except Jesus himself. For John Piper, this impact is very personal. He does not just admire and trust Paul. He loves him. Piper gives us thirty glimpses into why his heart and mind respond this way. Can a Christian-killer really endure 195 lashes from a heart of love? Can a mystic who thinks he was caught up into heaven be a model of lucid rationality? Can an ethnocentric Jew write the most beautiful call to reconciliation? Can a person who lives with the unceasing anguish of empathy be always rejoicing? Can a man's description of the horrors of human sin be exceeded by his delight in human splendor? Can a man with a backbone of steel be as tender as a nursing mother? If we know this man—if we see what Piper sees—we too will love him. Paul's testimony is a matter of life and death. Piper invites you into his relationship with Paul in the hope that you will know life, forever.

The Presbyterian Hymnal

The Presbyterian Hymnal
Author: Judith L. Muck
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 358
Release: 1997-01-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780664257408

This is an essential companion to The Presbyterian Hymnal and Hymns, Psalms, & Spiritual Songs. Church musicians and pastors will welcome the ease with which they can locate keywords, topics, and scriptural references.

For Such a Time as This

For Such a Time as This
Author: Kenneth L. Vaux
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2013-07-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 155635942X

This third volume of Ken Vaux's memoirs covers the calendar year of 2012 which focused on (1) teaching in the Evanston church as this body struggled to be both evangelical in theology and oriented to social justice in the community. We searched together for having what it takes to be a "University Church"--preaching and teaching a credible and relevant message and living out a vital witness; seeking honest responses to issues in church and state such as homosexuality, embodying concern for the poor and lively ministry in the neighborhoods of the parish. (2) That community was confronted with belief crisis and ethical challenge during the year with eight gun-killings of young people. The churches now had to move beyond the prevalent complacency, confront the racisim and disregard for the poor disband the apartheid of the village that existed even in black and white Ministeria and get real with what an interfaith community had to do to leaven and heal its own backyard. (3) For Such a Time as This also deals with global and national political issues such as an unwinding war in Iraq and Afghanistan and a new one arising in Syria--biblical theology being put to the test--and the provocative election of 2012 as the theological imagination was stirred by candidates Obama and Romney.

Just in Time! Healing Services

Just in Time! Healing Services
Author: James K. Wagner
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2011-07-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 142672652X

Persons who design and lead worship will find this a practical and useful guide for Christ-centered healing ministry that can be easily adapted in a variety of settings. Included are six complete services of Holy Communion, Healing and Wholeness; Praise, Prayer, and Anointing; and Prayer, Confession, and Laying on of Hands. Services are suitable for Sunday morning worship; retreat settings; small group experiences hospital, nursing home, and home visitations; and personal counseling sessions. James K.Wagner worked for several years at the Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, as the Director of Prayer and Healing Ministries. He is the author of several books on healing and wholeness ministry.