Desperate is for those who love their children to the depths of their souls but who have also curled up under their covers, fighting back tears, and begging God for help. It’s for those who have ever wondered what happened to all their ideals for what having children would be like. For those who have ever felt like all the “experts” have clearly never had a child like theirs. For those who have prayed for a mentor. For those who ever felt lost and alone in motherhood. In Desperate you will find the story of one young mother’s honest account of the desperate feelings experienced in motherhood and one experienced mentor’s realistic and gentle exhortations that were forged in the trenches of raising her own four children. Also in Desperate: QR codes and links at the end of each chapter that lead to videos with Sarah Mae and Sally talking about the chapter Practical steps to take during the desperate times Bible study and journal exercises in each chapter that will lead you to identify ways in which you can grow as a mom Mentoring advice for real-life situations Q & A section with Sally where she answers readers questions
No Other Options. Desperate people stop Jesus in His tracks...think of the woman hemorrhaging for 12 long years, despondent that all remedies up to that point had proven worthless. The only option left for her was to grab the robe of the miracle man as He walked by. Jesus affirmed her courage, healed her, called her daughter, and blessed her in peace. Jesus admires your gut-honest desperation more than your religious self-sufficiency. It attracts Him like nothing else. What is your greatest place of desperation right now? Cruel circumstances, fractured relationships, bruised emotions and aching loneliness-God meets us in the desperate places of our lives, fights and delights to restore us, and sends us out into a world full of desperate people. "Honesty is what you will find as you advance through the treasures that await you in this unforgettable book. The words are not the hollow ramblings of an academic, but rather the wisdom of a man who writes from the depths of his quest to find meaning and hope in the darkest and loneliest circumstances you have ever endured. My life has been profoundly and deeply shaken by my friendship with Mike O'Quin. I invite you to read his meditations on human desperation. Prepare your heart. I dare say, you will never be the same."- Paul Richardson, author of A Certain Risk: Living Your Faith at the Edge (Zondervan, 2010) "One of the biggest dangers for the Western Christian is to wrap our lives in so much bubble wrap, that we no longer remain vulnerable, raw, broken and, most of all, dependent upon Jesus. Mike carefully removes the bubble wrap we have put around our own souls as he reminds us that it's only in our desperation that we can fully meet the perfect love that saves us. Growing Desperate reminds us that, in the same way Jesus noticed the desperate hemorrhaging woman, He notices our own, everyday brokenness as well, if only we would be desperate enough to reach up. After reading this book, you will be."- Jessica Honegger, founder and CEO of Noonday Collection "Growing Desperate offers a most inspiring and compelling insight into Jesus' promise of the Kingdom for the poor in spirit. It's well-written and cocked full of fascinating stories of Mike's experiences from his life and the lives of people he's served both in the U.S. and Indonesia. His winsome, transparent style of writing invites the reader to be more than OK with our own neediness. Most refreshing is Mike's call for us not just look inward but to also look outward to others who are needy. Mike lives what he's addressing in his book, thus it carries much authority." - Ron Parrish, author of From Duty to Delight: Finding Greater Joy in Daily Prayer "There are generally two types of writers who fill the pages of books in stores. The first are famous people who need some help to make their story readable. You'll buy the book 'cause you know who they are but struggle to finish reading their passable drivel. The second are people you've never heard of who have ridiculous writing talent. Imagery leaps off the page so vivid and real you forget you're reading. You're living the story. You can't wait to read more, wished it wouldn't end and ache to read it again. Mike O'Quin is that second type of writer. Even better, he's lived desperation from Austin to Indonesia. You'll feel his stories tugging at your soul. More importantly, you'll hear the voice of God calling you to a life that's richer, riskier and singing a new song."- Peter Nevland, author of Exposing the Psalms and I'm Going to be a Zebra The heart of why I wrote this book: www.faithactivators.com/why-i-wrote-this-book/
Set in Appalachian coal country, this “superb” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) legal drama follows one determined lawyer as he faces a coal industry giant in a seven-year battle over clean drinking water for a West Virginia community. For two decades, the water in the taps and wells of Mingo County didn’t look, smell, or taste right. Could the water be the root of the health problems—from kidney stones to cancer—in this Appalachian community? Environmental lawyer Kevin Thompson certainly thought so. For seven years, Thompson waged an epic legal battle against Massey Energy, West Virginia’s most powerful coal company, helmed by CEO Don Blankenship. While Massey’s lawyers worked out of a gray glass office tower in Charleston known as “the Death Star,” Thompson set up shop in a ramshackle hotel in the fading coal town of Williamson. Working with fellow lawyers and a crew of young activists, Thompson would eventually uncover the ruthless shortcuts that put the community’s drinking water at risk. Retired coal miners, women whose families had lived in the area’s coal camps for generations, a respected preacher and his brother, all put their trust in Thompson when they had nowhere else to turn. Desperate is a masterful work of investigative reporting about greed and denial, “both a case study in exploitation of the little guy and a playbook for confronting it” (Kirkus Reviews). Maher crafts a revealing portrait of a town besieged by hardship and heartbreak, and an inspiring account of one tenacious environmental lawyer’s mission to expose the truth and demand justice.
A psychiatrist working with young members of radical groups discusses the dynamics of growing up, obstacles of middle class life, why adolescents join cults, and what really happens to them while they are involved in the cults
“Hey, did anyone tell you look like James Dean!” It happened once in a while. I had just lit a cigarette... (can’t resist the slice of ham). Drawing into myself; playing the dead actor behind the wheel, cigarette dangling loosely from my pouting lips; angry at life... scowling at the world! Christy Jones was no James Dean, but he could proudly tell people in his taxi that he was an actor nonetheless. And driving wasn’t the only time he could play a character. The author of this memoir found a passion for acting and made it to Stella Adler’s Academy for Theater in the early ’60s. But to make a decent living he drove a taxi across New York for six years. Christy never had an accident, though he had plenty of narrow escapes during his six years of driving. He preferred driving at night, so he could make the rounds of agents and producers during the day. But the streets can be treacherous... and dangerous. A cab only lasts a couple of years on New York City streets. After a long time spent dropping people off at their destinations, he finally arrived at his own: Broadway. Taxi to Broadway is a story of fleeting conversations and adventurous nocturnal driving, but in the end, it is what all great stories should be – a tale about following your passions.
Lily Proctor has come a long way from the weak, sickly girl she used to be. She has gained power as a witch and a leader, found her way home, chosen to face battle again, and (after losing her first love and being betrayed by her new love) she has learned more about loss and grief than she ever wanted to know. Thrust once again into a society different from anything they have ever seen, Lily and her coven are determined to find answers—to find a new path to victory, a way to defeat the monstrous Woven without resorting to nuclear weapons or becoming a tyrannical mass murderer like her alternate self, Lillian. But sometimes winning requires sacrifices . . . and when the only clear path to victory lies at Lillian's side, what price will Lily be willing to pay? Internationally bestselling author Josephine Angelini takes us on another emotionally wrenching thrill ride in the stunning conclusion to her Worldwalker Trilogy.
"The complete story of the man Moses, history's premier prophet, lawgiver and religious heroic figure, cannot be told without and understanding of the women in his life. The Bible tells us that Moses was born to Yocheved, daughter of Levi, third son of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob. He was watched over by his sister, Miriam, drawn from the Nile waters by Batya, daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh, raised as Egyptian royalty, and married to Zipporah, daughter of the high priest of Midian." "But there is more depth to these women's lives than what appears in the spare biblical text, and it is the Jewish biblical commentaries who unveil these layered nuances. This book draws upon these sources and recounts how the Hebrew midwives resisted carnal intimidation by the Egyptian Pharaoh; what occurred between Moses, Zipporah, and the angel of death that night in the desert inn; why Moses abandoned Zipporah; how Miriam championed her sister-in-law, Zipporah, and was punished for it; and the identity of Moses' mysterious Kushite Woman." "Moses' Women weaves these biblical narratives and the commentaries into a chronicle of the women who reared Moses, bore his children, advised him, and intervened to save him time and again, when his very life was trembling in the balance."--BOOK JACKET.
