Nearly everybody struggles against the same, predictable urges that have plagued human beings since the Garden of Eden. We aspire to rule rather than serve, desire things more than God, resent the successes of others, and run away from hard things. As a result, we suffer unfulfilled lives, lack contentment, and can never seem to get a handle on how to improve our lot. In this powerful book on personal spiritual change, Steve DeNeff unlocks the seven secrets to a life filled with purpose, contentment, and a strong sense of well-being. Keying on the seven most common spiritual problems that we all face--the seven deadly sins--DeNeff points the way toward life transformation by embracing the virtue-filled life of the Spirit. Readers will experience practical life changes as they learn how to cooperate with God--changing what they do as he changes who they are. Includes guide for personal or group study.
She charmed America with her smart, likable, down-to-earth personality as she campaigned for her husband, then vice-presidential candidate John Edwards. She inspired millions as she valiantly fought advanced breast cancer after being diagnosed only days before the 2004 election. She touched hundreds of similarly grieving families when her own son, Wade, died tragically at age sixteen in 1996. Now she shares her experiences in Saving Graces, an incandescent memoir of Edwards’ trials, tragedies, and triumphs, and of how various communities celebrated her joys and lent her steady strength and quiet hope in darker times. Edwards writes about growing up in a military family, where she learned how to make friends easily in dozens of new schools and neighborhoods around the world and came to appreciate the unstinting help and comfort naval families shared. Edwards’ reminiscences of her years as a mother focus on the support she and other parents offered one another, from everyday favors to the ultimate test of her own community’s strength—their compassionate response to the death of the Edwards’ teenage son, Wade, in 1996. Her descriptions of her husband’s campaigns for Senate, president, and vice president offer a fascinating perspective on the groups, great and small, that sustain our democracy. Her fight with breast cancer, which stirred an outpouring of support from women across the country, has once again affirmed Edwards’ belief in the power of community to make our lives better and richer.
Meet the Saving Graces, four of the best friends a woman could ever have. For ten years, Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel have shared a deep affection that has helped them deal with the ebb and flow of expectations and disappointments common to us all. Calling themselves the Saving Graces, the quartet is united by understanding, honesty, and acceptance -- a connection that has grown stronger as the years go by. Though these sisters of the heart and soul have seen it all, talked through it all, they are not prepared for the crisis of astounding proportions that will put their love and courage to the ultimate test.
As the only daughter of a successful businesswoman, Grace grew up with nothing but the best. Sheltered by her single mother and educated in an exclusive private school in Detroit, Grace was not ready for the harsh realities of an unforgiving world. Grace's naivete coupled with her desire to experience life on her own terms leads her down a path of emotional devastation and physical abuse. Through a chance encounter Grace meets Mike, a successful design artist who introduces her to a relationship very different from her usual one-night-stands and affairs with married men.Things take a turn for the worst however when Grace's roommate walks in on her and her married personal trainer in their apartment. This betrayal tears apart Mike and Grace's romance and shatters the trust and friendship between Grace and Trina. In the midst of torn relationships, Grace's mother dies in a tragic plane crash leaving Grace with no one left to turn to except the God she thought had long since abandoned her.
The CNN senior political analyst and USA Today columnist offers a path to navigating the toxic division in our culture without compromising our convictions and emotional well-being, based on her experience as a journalist during the Trump era, interviews with experts, and research on what leads people to actually change their minds. “Bracing, elevating, and essential . . . Kirsten Powers has given us a great gift at an urgent hour.” —Jon Meacham For years, New York Times bestselling author Kirsten Powers has been center stage for many of our nation’s most searing political and cultural battles as a columnist, TV analyst, and one-time participant in the thunderdome of Twitter. On a good day, there will be civil disagreement. On a bad day, it’s all-out trench warfare—nothing but a cycle of outrage and self-righteousness. More and more, Powers finds herself wondering, along with countless Americans: How are we to cope with this non-stop madness? In Saving Grace, Powers writes with wit and insight about our country’s poisonous political discourse, chronicling the efforts she’s made to stay grounded and preserve her sanity in a post-truth era that has driven many of us to the edge. She draws on lessons offered by faith leaders, therapists, theologians, social scientists, and activists working for change today. She dismantles the widespread misconception that grace means being nice, letting people get away with harmful behavior, or choosing neutrality in the name of peace. Grace, she argues, is anything but an act of surrender; instead, it is a kinetic and transformative force. Saving Grace offers a template for a different kind of America, one where we can engage with people who hold opposing views without sacrificing our values or our passionate beliefs in the causes we care about. It’s a culture that embraces repentance and repair, a process through which those who have caused harm can take responsibility and work toward righting the wrongs in which they have participated. It’s a place where we’re empowered to see the possibility in other people, even people who are driving us nuts. Provocative, original, and filled with deep wisdom, Saving Grace is an essential read for anyone engaged in the struggle to live compassionately in an era of relentless demonization and division.
A dazzling novel based on the hit television series Saving Grace In the shadow of past misfortune, Oklahoma police detective Grace Hanadarko lives life hard and fast. After Grace’s drinking and driving leads to tragedy, an uncharacteristic angel named Earl answers her prayers and hopes to guide her back on the right path. But saving Grace is about to become a hell of a ride. Ever defiant and rebellious, Grace does have a soft side, especially for kids. The body of a teenage boy dredged out of the Oklahoma River appears to be a suicide. But Grace soon discovers that the boy, Zack Lacey, may have been murdered, the victim of a brutal hate crime. As Grace digs with her typical driven style, she uncovers shocking secrets in young Zack’s life, forcing her to wrestle with questions of faith, hope, and justice. She’ ll deliver justice for the boy. As for faith–well, she’s working on it.
Distinguished biblical scholar Frank Matera here views the theology of the Pauline letters through the lens of the saving grace that Paul experienced at his call and conversion. Focusing on Christology, soteriology, theology, anthropology, ecclesiology, ethics, and eschatology, Matera explores both the unity and the diversity of the thirteen Pauline letters. Written in a clear and coherent style, God's Saving Grace presents students, professors, and pastors with a comprehensive yet concise and accessible overview of the theology found in the entire corpus of Paul's letters.
Sparks fly like snowflakes when a klutzy but gorgeous novice crosses skis with a hot resort owner in this tempting tie-in to New York Times bestselling author Kristen Proby’s popular Love Under the Big Sky series! Grace Douglas is on a practice run for her friend Cara Donovan’s bachelorette party ski weekend in Aspen. The problem is, despite living in rugged and picturesque Cunningham Falls, Montana, Grace is the clumsiest person ever born. To prepare for the trip, she is taking lessons at a local ski resort. She just prays that they have an ambulance on standby. Sexy hotelier Jacob Berkley is ready to play ski instructor, but he quickly discovers that the best place on the mountain for Grace is in the lodge with a hot toddy. Her sense of humor and easy laugh quickly pull him in, and soon he’s determined to help her get off the bunny slope for a fun vacation with her friends. He just didn’t expect their steamy chemistry to trigger an avalanche of desire straight to his heart.
Evie was pregnant and forced to give up the baby. But Evie can't just leave the child with strangers, especially when she thinks the baby is being neglected. With her boyfriend waiting in the truck, Evie snatches the baby and convinces him to drive her to Montreal where she plans to start a new life with her child. But when the baby won't eat and she and Justin argue, she ends up alone in a small town. As the baby becomes sicker, Evie must decide whether to admit her mistake and turn herself in, or to keep running. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! Also available in Spanish.
