On September 11th, 2001, Jim Jenkins woke up to the nightmare that was 9/11. A few days later, he was headed for Ground Zero in his official capacity as a US Navy Chaplain. Deeply affected by what he experienced there, Jim has decided to share his story with the world as we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Through his encounters with the victims’ families, political leaders like Rudy Giuliani, and celebrities like Elton John, Jim saw God show up in very unique and amazing ways during his time serving at Ground Zero. Jim’s primary message to America is that we must never forget. But Jim also wants his fellow Americans to know that God can bring redemption out of the rubble.
'No Europeans live there ' exclaim the locals when the Schneider family moves to the slums of Manila. Yet garbage dumps and tin shacks are to be their home for many years. This is the couple's account which tells of countless fascinating encounters, of friendship and betrayal, and of meaningless death and meaningful life.
Buried beneath the rubble is a man who feels disconnected from God and doesn't know why, who is terrified of being vulnerable for fear of looking weak, who depends on his job for his sense of identity and worth, who resorts to passivity to avoid conflict with his wife and who struggles with addiction to numb his loneliness. Often we live life in survival mode with our busy lifestyles keeping us disconnected from God and others. Over time, the wrecking crew of isolation, shame, addiction, and passivity slowly demolishes our heart leaving us buried in the rubble. A true story of how God intervened in the life of one man, psychologist and author, Thomas Paul Mills at a ranch in Colorado in the fall of 2015.. The book explores his journey of uncovering the rubble that he and most men face in our world today. But it's not just his story. Rubble to Redemption is the story of every man. "Many men talk about life change, but very few actually experience it. Many men talk about doing something that God has put on their heart, but very few actually do it. Rubble to Redemption graciously sheds light on the assault against our heart and what God has provided for us to prevail. I experienced clarity, encouragement and strength through reading this book." -Gary Barkalow, Formerly with Ransomed Heart Ministries, Author of It's Your Call and Founder of The Noble Heart Ministry
How do you find the strength to forgive in the midst of unthinkable grief? With compassion for all who have been touched by tragedy, Grace from the Rubble tells the heart-stirring true story of found forgiveness, lasting hope, and the unlikely friendship of two fathers on opposite sides of tragedy. In what was to become the deadliest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing left a community searching for healing and hope. Grace from the Rubble tells the intertwining stories of four individuals: Julie Welch, a young professional full of promise whose life was cut short by the bombing; Bud Welch, Julie's father; Tim McVeigh, the troubled mind behind the horrific attack; and Bill McVeigh, the father of the bomber. With searing details by firsthand witnesses, including the former governor of Oklahoma, masterful storyteller Jeanne Bishop describes the suspenseful scenes leading up to that fateful day and the dramatic events that unfolded afterward as one father buried his only daughter and the other saw his only son arrested, tried, and executed for mass murder. Grace from the Rubble will teach you about: The importance of sharing your story The unlikely connections that can stem from heartbreak The life-changing impact of forgiveness Vivid and haunting, this true story is rich with memories and beautiful descriptions of the nation's heartland, a place of grit and love for neighbors and families. Bishop shares the ways in which the bombing affected her own family and led her to meet Bud and, ultimately, how she learned to see humanity amid inhuman violence. Praise for Grace from the Rubble: "Readers should have tissues at hand before beginning Bishop's affecting story. This incredible and empathetic story is a testament to the powers of forgiveness, fellowship, and redemption." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "Some say that love is the most powerful force in the world. I would suggest it's forgiveness. And the astonishing and beautifully told story of two fathers drawn together by unimaginable tragedy shows how the process of forgiveness happens step by grace-filled step." --James Martin, author, Jesus: A Pilgrimage and My Life with the Saints
A love letter to those in the midst of the breakdown or a reckoning or a rise. A love letter to the wild ones, to the lost souls, to the free. To the seekers and the lovers of leaving and those intent on finding themselves amidst the rubble. Love letters to you. And always, in the end love letters to myself.
In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus explains that in eternity, there will be many people who stand before Him and call Him, “Lord.” But He will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Depart from me . . .” Nothing is more important during our time on the earth than to be sure that we know Jesus Christ personally. Awakening: Coming Out of Cold, Dead Religion and into a Relationship with the Living God is the story of Steve Russell, a third-generation preacher’s kid. Steve grew up going to church every Sunday. He prayed the sinner’s prayer. He was even baptized! But in his 40s, something truly amazing happened. He began to experience the Living God. Through those experiences, Steve’s eyes were opened. He came to realize that he had never truly known Jesus—all he had ever known was religion. Jesus invited Steve into a personal relationship, and Steve said yes. From the moment Steve made this decision, he began to live out one supernatural experience after another after another—all handiwork of the Living God! In Awakening, you’ll read about Steve’s near-death experience, his angelic visitation, miraculous healings, many supernatural answers to prayer, and all the other ways God begins to show up in a person’s life once they come into a personal relationship with Jesus. If you have been in church your whole life, but have never personally experienced a miracle, there’s a chance you need an awakening. If you’ve never seen the supernatural power of God manifest in your daily life, maybe it’s time to consider that an active, personal relationship with Jesus might be what’s missing—and it’s freely available to you right now!
The remarkable story of a small, makeshift library in the town of Daraya, and the people who found hope and humanity in its books during a four-year siege. Daraya lies on the fringe of Damascus, just southwest of the Syrian capital. Yet for four years it lived in another world. Besieged by government forces early in the Syrian Civil War, its people were deprived of food, bombarded by heavy artillery, and under the constant fire of snipers. But deep beneath this scene of frightening devastation lay a hidden library. While the streets above echoed with shelling and rifle fire, the secret world below was a haven of books. Long rows of well-thumbed volumes lined almost every wall: bloated editions with grand leather covers, pocket-sized guides to Syrian poetry, and no-nonsense reference books, all arranged in well-ordered lines. But this precious horde was not bought from publishers or loaned by other libraries--they were the books salvaged and scavenged at great personal risk from the doomed city above. The story of this extraordinary place and the people who found purpose and refuge in it is one of hope, human resilience, and above all, the timeless, universal love of literature and the compassion and wisdom it fosters.
From one of the most brilliant and provocative literary figures of the past century—a collection of essays, articles, reviews, and interviews that have never before been gathered in a single volume. “An absorbing portrait of Baldwin’s time—and of him.” —New York Review of Books James Baldwin was an American literary master, renowned for his fierce engagement with issues haunting our common history. In The Cross of Redemption we have Baldwin discoursing on, among other subjects, the possibility of an African-American president and what it might mean; the hypocrisy of American religious fundamentalism; the black church in America; the trials and tribulations of black nationalism; anti-Semitism; the blues and boxing; Russian literary masters; and the role of the writer in our society. Prophetic and bracing, The Cross of Redemption is a welcome and important addition to the works of a cosmopolitan and canonical American writer who still has much to teach us about race, democracy, and personal and national identity. As Michael Ondaatje has remarked, “If van Gogh was our nineteenth-century artist-saint, Baldwin [was] our twentieth-century one.”
