In Finding Joy in the Broken Pieces, Joy takes us along on her personal journey through brokenness, restoration and redemption. Where do we run when life circumstances find you broken on the floor 8, 000 miles from home? How do we heal when our feet are planted firmly in paradise? What do you do with a life restored and taken to new heights of redemption? Let's find out...
THE BEAUTY IN BROKENNESS Have you ever tried picking up the broken pieces of a broken ceramic objects or glass and putting them back together? If so, wasn’t it a conscientious task? First, depending on the size of the destruction, you would probably have to search all over the place to recover the broken pieces. Then after collecting all the broken pieces, you are left with yet another formidable task of putting the broken object back to its original form. God makes broken things beautiful. Consent God to heal the wounds of your past heartbreaks and people who left and anyone who couldn’t fully love you. Allow Him teach you the lesson behind each heartbreak. Broken things are despised as meaningless, but God can take what has been broken and remake it into something better, something that He can use for His Glory. Sometimes, God just wants you to surrender. This is a key element of Faith. Surrendering is an act of strength, not weakness. Because it takes a great deal of strength and wisdom to admit that you don’t have all the answers and you can’t change your life. Broken things and broken people are the results of sin.
In a time of uncertainty and devastation--from pandemics to environmental catastrophe--a call to action for finding beauty, creating art, and healing in community. When a beloved place is decimated by physical damage, many may hit the donate button or call their congressperson. But award-winning author Trebbe Johnson argues that we need new methods for coping with these losses and invites readers to reconsider what constitutes “worthwhile action.” She discusses real wounded places ranging from weapons-testing grounds at Eglin Air Force Base, to Appalachian mountain tops destroyed by mining. These stories, along with tools for community engagement—ceremony, vigil, apology, and the creation of art with on-site materials—show us how we can find beauty in these places and discover new sources of meaning and community.
A wise, uplifting memoir about a rabbi’s search for understanding and his discovery of hope and joy after his young son suffered a catastrophic brain-stem stroke: “Deeply moving, extraordinarily thought-provoking, and entirely humane” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). As a young, ambitious rabbi at one of New York’s largest synagogues, Charles Sherman had high expectations for what his future would hold—a happy and healthy family, professional success, and recognition. Then, early one morning in 1986, everything changed. His son Eyal spiked a fever and was soon in serious respiratory distress. Doctors discovered a lesion on the four-year-old’s brain stem. Following high-risk surgery, Eyal suffered a stroke. Sherman and his wife later learned that their son would never walk, talk, feed himself, or breathe on his own again—yet his mind was entirely intact. He was still the curious, intelligent boy they had always known. The ground had shifted beneath the Sherman family’s feet, yet over the next thirty years, they were able to find comfort, pleasure, and courage in one another, their community, their faith, and in the love they shared. The experience pointed Rabbi Sherman toward the answers of some of life’s biggest questions: To what lengths should parents go to protect their children? How can we maintain faith in God when tragedy occurs? Is it possible to experience joy alongside continuing heartbreak? Now, with deep insight, refreshing honesty, humor, and intelligence, Charles Sherman reflects back on his life and describes his struggle to address and ultimately answer these questions. The Broken and the Whole “inspirationally sets forth how to survive in the face of calamity” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) beautifully showing what it means to embrace life after everything you’ve known has been shattered to pieces.
“An inspiring, intimate memoir about faith, resilience and the tenacity of love.”—People “In this emotional tale, a young couple see their lives changed in the blink of an eye—and learn to find love again.”—US Weekly Five months pregnant, on a flight to their “babymoon,” Allison Pataki turned to her husband when he asked if his eye looked strange and watched him suddenly lose consciousness. After an emergency landing, she discovered that Dave—a healthy thirty-year-old athlete and surgical resident—had suffered a rare and life-threatening stroke. Next thing Allison knew, she was sitting alone in the ER in Fargo, North Dakota, waiting to hear if her husband would survive the night. When Dave woke up, he could not carry memories from hour to hour, much less from one day to the next. Allison had lost the Dave she knew and loved when he lost consciousness on the plane. Within a few months, she found herself caring for both a newborn and a sick husband, struggling with the fear of what was to come. As a way to make sense of the pain and chaos of their new reality, Allison started to write daily letters to Dave. Not only would she work to make sense of the unfathomable experiences unfolding around her, but her letters would provide Dave with the memories he could not make on his own. She was writing to preserve their past, protect their present, and fight for their future. Those letters became the foundation of this beautiful, intimate memoir. And in the process, she fell in love with her husband all over again. This is a manifesto for living, an ultimately uplifting story about the transformative power of faith and resilience. It’s a tale of a man’s turbulent road to recovery, the shifting nature of marriage, and the struggle of loving through pain and finding joy in the broken places. Praise for Beauty in the Broken Places “Bold and commendable . . . A strength of this memoir is [Allison Pataki’s] scrupulous honesty.”—USA Today “A memoir about . . . determination and gratitude, and the value of putting one foot in front of another during a crisis.”—The Washington Post “Heart-wrenching.”—Women’s Health “Powerful and immersive . . . Pataki delivers an insightful look at how two people faced a life-altering test as a team ‘fighting to make the dreams of our future possible.’”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Victorious Disciples is a study of biblical principles. By imparting spiritual knowledge and encouragement, this book is designed to help Christian women and men move from knowing the Word of God, to living the Word of God. If you are a new Christian but feel lost, this book is for you. If you have been in Christ for some time, but life is taking a toll on you, this book is for you. If you are a believer, but have no joy and feel defeated, this book is for you. If your church desires to develop a strong discipleship/mentoring ministry, this book is for you. Victorious Disciples provides the following guidelines for your Christian walk: How to study the Bible; How to have an effective prayer life; How to experience victory in spiritual warfare; How to have strong faith; and How to live a Spirit-filled life; How to become disciple leader.
This is a message for those who are broken, for those who have lost hope, and those who are trying to find their way. In the pages of this book, you will see a mirrored reflection and an instant replay of a not-so-favorite movie entitled "YOU!" As you begin to read through the pages, you'll find that there is someone else like you: someone who has been broken, whose life had been torn apart, whose heart was unable to forgive. A person who had not been able to truly love, not even herself, because of the hurt, bitterness, and anger that comes from a broken life. If you are marred by the situations of your past, if your circumstances have you so confused that you don't know which way to turn, if your heart has been broken and you can't seem to mend it, then you are not alone. I was that person who felt like all hope was gone. I felt like no one cared if I lived or died. My emotions were all over the place at times because all I really wanted was someone who would love me. After years of searching, I was introduced to Jesus, and the broken pieces were mended back together. Truly, my life has taken on a new beginning. God gave me a new day just when I thought it was all over, that all hope was gone. I saw myself as a broken glass, shattered, spread out into tiny pieces, I began to pray, to cry out to God to let it all be over: "I can't take it any more Lord. It's so hard. It's too much to bear," as I sobbed tearfully, asking God to take the pain away, to take me away! It was at that time that God let me know it wasn't time for departure, but it was time for restoration. God stepped in. He took those broken, shattered pieces of my life, put them back together, and restored purpose to my life.
You were born with a destiny. Do you know yours? Are you fulfilling it, or have unexpected tragedy, heartache, and obstacles stood in your way? In a world full of divorce, addiction, health issues, abuse, financial struggle, and loss of all kinds, it seems nearly impossible to find your purpose and become who you were born to be. In her book, Becoming Whole, Heather Falter guides you through what it takes to get back up after such tragedies. Heather was an artist first. She wrote this book based on her painting Wings. The painting of a girl holding her broken wing was a piece of art scribbled into her journal and never intended to be shared with anyone. It was a lonely night's attempt at getting out a feeling that had been eluding her for years. As she painted she realized that through unexpected tragedy, and the pressures of life, she had lost parts of herself that she desperately wanted back. She felt lost and broken, and she wasn't sure where to go from there. On the back of her nearly-dry painting that night, she scribbled these words: "I'm not sure how my wings got this way. I'm not sure how or when they broke. It was slow and something of subtlety... My wings were as colorful as they come. Out of my own fear, I've let them fall and turn gray. I've hidden myself. I've tried to be something that others will be pleased with, and in doing so, I've only found displeasure with myself. This image is me promising myself something... That I will pick up my wings and let them teach me to fly. Please, my loving God, let them fly." This book takes you back to the beginning and shows how piece by broken piece she found the girl she once lost. Her story is not only hers-It is all of ours. It is the journey of feeling broken and putting yourself back together again. It is enduring heartache and trauma of all kinds and overcoming them all, becoming stronger than before. In this book, Heather will help you find all of your broken pieces, pick each one up, and nurse them back to joyful health. It is a roadmap to grief, forgiveness, acceptance, self-discovery, hope, healing, and love. She talks of finding joy in each piece that makes up who you are. The pieces she includes are: - Personal Space - Physical Body - Spiritual Body - Mind - Voice - Heart - Intuition - Sexuality - Relationships - Talents This book is full of raw, personal stories, honest advice, and powerful healing practices to adopt that have the capacity to heal parts of you that you didn't know needed healing. Heather's sensitivity, strength, and sense of humor will keep you turning page after page. She is a gentle guide and instant friend who infectiously fills you up with hope. She helps you see that no matter what has happened in your life, you can heal. You can find peace, and you can have joy. You can be who you were born to be. Heather can also be found at www.heatherfalter.com where she teaches courses on Becoming Whole.
When a son, sister, or grandchild begins to behave in unexpected and disturbing ways, family members hope it is simply a phase. For some, it is instead a lifetime illnessƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚"ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚€ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚"schizophrenia. The diagnosis of schizophrenia can bring shock, fear, and worry to everyone involved. But in the midst of the numerous challenges, hope doesn't have to die. Simonetta chronicles her experience of caring for a son with schizophrenia, along with all the struggles, questions, and fervent prayer that went with it. But this isn't one person's story. She has provided information and wisdom from psychiatrists, pastors, parents, and people who successfully live with schizophrenia, uncovering the gospel in each situation and sharing hard-won insights on how to care and advocate for those we love.
In the chaos, uncertainty, and tension that fill our daily lives, we are all searching for the tools we need to navigate through these tough times, hoping along the way to find our true purpose for being here on earth. We anticipate finding peace in place of torment and beauty instead of ashes. Mending Broken Pieces: Volume 2 offers a series of devotionals designed to touch each reader. Authors Pearlie and Donald Singh consider many of the daily challenges we face and have included topics such as: “Your Identity”, “Good Choices,” “God in the Crisis,” “The Battles we Face,” and “The Winner in You.” These chapters are specially designed to provide strength, stability and direction in dealing with each situation. The authors share glimpses of their personal lives, and examine the lives of several biblical figures as well, showing that God is still with us even during the fiercest trial or battle. Although we can become fearful, discouraged, or vulnerable, these readings will help us to take refuge in God. They will also reveal God’s love, kindness and faithfulness, reminding us not to give up but to trust God for the outcome. The truth is God is in control and has the best plan for our lives. This collection of devotionals provides inspiration so you can experience God’s amazing love and become aware of his supernatural power within you to overcome sin, temptation, and everyday struggles.
