Time of Hope is the third in the Strangers and Brothers series and tells the story of Lewis Eliot's early life in an English provincial town. As a child he is faced with his father's bankruptcy. As a young man, he finds his career at the legal Bar hindered by a neurotic wife. Separation from her is impossible however because he is absorbed with a total obsession and passionate love. The story goes up to the summer of 1933, when Eliot is age 27.
A daily devotional that provides an accessible way into the whole Bible story. Many of us have favourite Bible verses that we draw comfort from, but we don't always know their context or understand how they fit into the main story arc of the Bible. Tracing the big picture of God's story through the key themes and events from Genesis to Revelation allows us to see the abundant riches in the word of God. As you read the unfolding story day by day, you can encounter God in all his glorious holiness and faithfulness and lift your eyes again to his plans and purposes for the world and be reminded that Jesus is indeed the hope of the world. If you have ever struggled to read the Bible from cover to cover, then this devotional will help you find a way in to God's big story and help you fall in love with Jesus all over again.
When Gabrielle Newman throws her cheating husband out, Stu cares more about the money than the break-up, getting more than his fair share from their house sale. An unexpected bequest offers Gabrielle a new start and she tries to leave the past behind, heading north with Dan Monahan, the private investigator sent to find her. Meanwhile, Stu has got entangled with organized crime in Eastern Europe and is desperate to pay his gambling debts. Gabrielle needs Dan's help to protect herself and her inheritance. She's very attracted to Dan - but dare she trust any man again? Then Stu tracks down his ex-wife and Gabrielle discovers just what the man she once loved is capable of, as her life is threatened. Can she and Dan find a way to stop Stu and his ruthless new friends?
"I look forward to the day I see yellow caution tape stretched around my students' neighborhoods, the chalk outline of apathy on the ground, crushed by the weight of a thousand books. Until then I treat each day as if books are EpiPens and every student has a shellfish allergy with a mouth full of shrimp." Most of the students in Daphne Russell's reading class have never read an entire book, and they can’t relate to Harry Potter and his magic wand. Abel is twenty-eight days behind everyone else and he needs enough books inside him to get his lungs to work again, mend his shattered heart, and kick the shit out of apathy. In her memoir Read or Die, Russell documents her daily battle as a middle school teacher in Tucson, Arizona, fighting against predetermined trajectories of less-than beliefs with an arsenal of hard covers and tattered pages. A talented and caring teacher, Russell offers a moving portrayal that combines rich autobiographical details with firsthand insight into the world of education. Read or Die is not only a compelling story, but also offers revealing and meaningful insights into education in America from a seasoned insider.
The writings of Jacques Ellul have brought him into the first rank as theologian and social critic. Martin Marty commented that if he had to introduce one man from the Protestant world to tell the church what its agenda should be, that man would be Ellul.The eminent Frenchman now brings us his most profound, most moving theological statement. For years, Jacques Ellul tells us in his preface, he had wanted to write a book on "The Age of Abandonment," for it seemed to him that both society and the church had reached that point described in Scripture when God turns his back and is silent. But when he came to elaborate this theme, Ellul found himself inexplicably writing on the theme of hope, despite the fact that his analysis of society remained unchanged. Hope was now no longer a matter of intellect, but a word asked by God of the heart for its salvation.More than ever before, in this book Jacques Ellul shares with readers not only the darkest forebodings of contemporary man's soul, but also his own struggle to emerge from despair to a stronger level of Christian faith--and hope. He writes of hope, not in the vein of Moltmann and Metz, but in a highly original and penetrating manner.
"How long, O Lord, how long "The reality of life is that we're all waiting on something.Marriage. Babies. Jobs. Healing. Family restoration.The list could go on and on...Seasons of waiting on the Lord can be hard, discouraging and exhausting.Perhaps it's only been weeks or months. But for some, the wait has lasted years.Or maybe you've faced an unimaginable trial, such as the loss of a loved one. The journey through grief, sorrow and pain can be filled with isolation and hopelessness.No matter how hard your journey has been, there is a purpose for all of the pain.Come join me in this 60-day devotional as I share pieces of my own story, including both loss and longing. Through the truth shared from God's Word, you will find that it is possible to have joy and declare that God is good, even in the midst of waiting. As you read each devotion, my prayer is that your heart will be healed, your mind renewed and your spirit encouraged to seek, trust and praise the Lord through the storms you are facing today. Although it might be a hard journey now, God is faithful, and he will finish the work that he started in you. If you remain steadfast and don't give up, in due time you will reap your abundant harvest! Be encouraged and have hope - God is in the waiting!
For some decades, the work of Carmelite theologian Constance FitzGerald, OCD, has been a well-known secret, not only among students and practitioners of Carmelite spirituality, but also among spiritual directors, spiritual writers, retreatants, vowed religious women and men, and Christian theologians. This collection sets out to introduce the work of Sister Constance to a wider and more diverse audience––women and men who seek to strengthen themselves on the spiritual journey, who yearn to deepen personal or scholarly theological and religious reflection, and who want to make sense of the times in which we live. To this end, this volume curates seven of Sister Constance’s articles with probing and responsive essays written by ten theologians. Contributors include: Susie Paulik Babka Colette Ackerman, OCD Roberto S. Goizueta Margaret R. Pfeil Alex Milkulich Andrew Prevot Laurie Cassidy Maria Teresa Morgan Bryan N. Massingale M. Catherine Hilkert, OP
A marriage of convenience between a widowed banker and the strong woman of faith he hires as a nanny blossoms into more in this historical romance set in small-town Oregon in 1879. Drought has forced farmers around the small town of Bountiful in the Hope region of Oregon to mortgage their property. Then word comes of plans for a spur line to run through the area and join the railroad in nearby Milton. Folks with money see an opportunity to fill their coffers by buying farmland cheap then selling to the railroad for a profit. The Bank of Bountiful, owned by Eli Whitman, appears to be doing that, as well. Widowed two years earlier, Eli, with a son and daughter to raise, sought a hard-working, educated Christian woman to care for them and his home. Olivia Moore filled the bill, and as soon as Eli recognized her as an excellent investment, he offered her first employment then a marriage of convenience. While Olivia is an excellent choice, her large family gives Eli pause. He knows about the problems posed by in-laws, so he will do whatever it takes to avoid a repeat of his earlier experiences.When Papa tells Olivia the Moore family must move according to Eli's terms for the new railroad line, she fears for their safety, since they'll be homeless during winter. Where will they go? How will they survive? It is up to Olivia to convince her husband to renege on his demands, though she swore before their marriage she would stay out of his business. For Such a Time As This cleverly retells the biblical story of Esther against the backdrop of the American West, transporting readers with an engaging Christian story of duty, romance, family, and love.
A validating new approach to the long-term grieving process that explains why we feel "stuck," why that's normal, and how shifting our perception of grief can help us grow--from the New York Times bestselling author of Motherless Daughters "This is perhaps one of the most important books about grief ever written. It finally dispels the myth that we are all supposed to get over the death of a loved one."--Claire Bidwell Smith, author of Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief Aren't you over it yet? Anyone who has experienced a major loss in their past knows this question. We've spent years fielding versions of it, both explicit and implied, from family, colleagues, acquaintances, and friends. We recognize the subtle cues--the slight eyebrow lift, the soft, startled "Oh! That long ago?"--from those who wonder how an event so far in the past can still occupy so much precious mental and emotional real estate. Because of the common but false assumption that grief should be time-limited, too many of us believe we're grieving "wrong" when sadness suddenly resurges sometimes months or even years after a loss. The AfterGrief explains that the death of a loved one isn't something most of us get over, get past, put down, or move beyond. Grief is not an emotion to pass through on the way to "feeling better." Instead, grief is in constant motion; it is tidal, easily and often reactivated by memories and sensory events, and is re-triggered as we experience life transitions, anniversaries, and other losses. Whether we want it to or not, grief gets folded into our developing identities, where it informs our thoughts, hopes, expectations, behaviors, and fears, and we inevitably carry it forward into everything that follows. Drawing on her own encounters with the ripple effects of early loss, as well as on interviews with dozens of researchers, therapists, and regular people who've been bereaved, New York Times bestselling author Hope Edelman offers profound advice for reassessing loss and adjusting the stories we tell ourselves about its impact on our identities. With guidance for reframing a story of loss, finding equilibrium within it, and even experiencing renewed growth and purpose in its wake, she demonstrates that though grief is a lifelong process, it doesn't have to be a lifelong struggle.
Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu has long been admired throughout the world for the heroism and grace he exhibited while encouraging countless South Africans in their struggle for human rights. In God Has a Dream, his most soul-searching book, he shares the spiritual message that guided him through those troubled times. Drawing on personal and historical examples, Archbishop Tutu reaches out to readers of all religious backgrounds, showing how individual and global suffering can be transformed into joy and redemption. With his characteristic humor, Tutu offers an extremely personal and liberating message. He helps us to “see with the eyes of the heart” and to cultivate the qualities of love, forgiveness, humility, generosity, and courage that we need to change ourselves and our world. Echoing the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., he writes, “God says to you, ‘I have a dream. Please help me to realize it. It is a dream of a world whose ugliness and squalor and poverty, its war and hostility, its greed and harsh competitiveness, its alienation and disharmony are changed into their glorious counterparts. When there will be more laughter, joy, and peace, where there will be justice and goodness and compassion and love and caring and sharing. I have a dream that my children will know that they are members of one family, the human family, God’s family, my family.’” Addressing the timeless and universal concerns all people share, God Has a Dream envisions a world transformed through hope and compassion, humility and kindness, understanding and forgiveness.
