Heaven's Point Guard is the story of sixteen-year-old Kirk Gentrup, popular student, star basketball player, and all around great athlete, who was tragically struck by lightning while on the baseball field in 1995. Written from the perspective of Ken "Cruiser" Gentrup, Kirk's father, the story includes many stories, recollections, and messages from those who knew and were impacted by Kirk's example in the sport he loved and in his community. Heaven's Point Guard is both a memoir of Ken's attempts to cope with the loss of his son and a testimony to Kirk's enduring legacy in his school and the community.
As the Garden of Eden cooled from creation, God’s first decree to Adam was to partake only from the Tree of Life, not the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Unmeasured Knowledge is not experientially assimilated Life truth. Live in heavenly awareness or lost to confused ignorance. God so forewarned. Conventional human conditioning facilitates misperceiving this reality’s dimensional nature as continual ... not impermanent. In rushes naive attachment to the imagined unchanging essence of t
A Hallelujah Love Novel Still reeling from their pastor's sex scandal, the members of Gospel Truth Church need someone who can restore order. Enter Reverend Doctor Pastor Bishop Overseer Mister Stanley Obadiah Meshach Brook, Jr., who quickly sets up a code of ethics so strict even Jesus might not pass muster! But when the new rules send much of the flock fleeing, Reverend Doctor O turns to Reverend Stanley Lee and his wife, Passion, to lead a revival. But as far as Passion is concerned, the church isn't the only thing that needs reviving. . . "Vibrant characters, artful storytelling, and an original voice." --Donna Hill
This collection is a combination of romantic, philosophic, mystical, and spiritual poetry written to warm even the coldest of hearts. They come from a very inspired place that speaks of a great desire to understand ourselves. The elusive butterfly in all of us, that out of its innate curiosity to learn and experience things by necessity, transforms itself. They also speak of the unique place that we all share in the divine tapestry we call life and how we are all intimately connected. The poems reflect on the betrayal and hypocrisy that we all inevitably encounter on our journey through life. Most importantly, a message of hope and joy runs through them, so that we are always reminded that even in our darkest moments, the light of truth and love has never abandoned us. The book also shares some of the stories that inspired and motivated some of the poems. They run the gamut, from gut-wrenching tearjerkers to deeply impassioned pleas for universal kindness to the whimsical frolic of a playful little child. Included is a section titled Musings on Life. These are philosophic perspectives intended to be life lessons for the reader. Its been said that not all men are masters, but all masters have been men. Along that same line of thinking, the author feels that although not all philosophers are poets, all poets are philosophers.
Doctor Harold Schwack conceals a dark and sordid past. His latest patient, Maryanne Hennessey, sets him on a collision course with a force he doesn’t believe in. A force destined to unveil the true intentions of his sadistic heart and end the misery inflicted upon his unsuspecting patients. Mark Hennessey battles to save not only his own soul but the souls of everyone around him. His mother, stricken with cancer, painfully lingers in a medical bureaucracy with doctors who lack compassion, yet still maintain God-like attitudes. Mark struggles to find peace for his mother, only to discover his own sanity shattered when the heavens bestow a divine gift upon him. A seemingly random meeting with a mysterious preacher, Jonah, transforms Mark into an angel of vengeance with the power to end the evil lives of the souls that Satan has already conquered. A power Mark refuses to accept or believe exists until destiny intervenes and leads him down a path that only faith can overcome. Faith that God really does have an overall plan for humanity and an eternal resting place within the Gates Of Heaven.
In his previous life, he lived alone, and in this life, he created a beast. He refused to accept that fate was unfair and he created his own demonic cultivation method. He wanted to turn the Demonic Lion clan into a Qilin clan that could fight against a huge dragon.
For fans of Russell Peters, Trevor Noah, and Mark Critch comes a hilarious debut memoir about life growing up on the outside and finding one's place in the world, by stand-up comic and popular CBC host, Ali Hassan. Growing up, Ali Hassan was a chameleon. His friends came from many different backgrounds and religions--Trinidadian, Parsi, Goan, Hindu, Christian, Sikh. And as a hockey-playing, crockpot-using young man who also knew the words to at least ten Neil Young songs, he could blend in everywhere. But the world has a funny way of reminding you who you are, and his Muslim Pakistani family and community did, too. In this hilarious and insightful memoir based on his hit stand-up comedy, Hassan shares his life-long journey to becoming a cultural Muslim--learning to walk the line of embracing his heritage while still following his passions. From failing to learn Arabic--or much of anything, really--in Sunday school and visiting family in Pakistan (who mocked him constantly) to discovering the wonders of pepperoni as a teenager and being a celebrity judge at Ribfest, Hassan finds himself in compromising situations that challenge his beliefs and very identity. And along the way, his friends and family are there to either encourage or criticize, something he finds eternally confusing. Now, as a father of four, Hassan must explain his point of view to his children. But he can't just "give them" an identity as a cultural Muslim. Sharing his story is the next best thing. Entertaining and heartfelt, this debut showcases why Hassan is one of Canada's most popular comedians, as he explores that deep need that exists in us all: to belong.
The book is SF, but the first three-quarters take place in an almost fantasy setting. It is not a sequel to PRINCIPLES OF ANGELS, but it is set in the same universe and share the same villains, the Sidhe. When a naked, amnesiac stranger is found outside a remote highland village, he is taken in by Kerin, a widow whose unconventional ways are tolerated because her son Damaru is 'skytouched' - he appears simple, but he is able to affect matter. All skytouched are tested by the Beloved Daughter, the living goddess who rules the world from the City of Light. If he's found worthy, Damaru will become a Consort of the skymothers, the Gods of this world. Kerin and the stranger, nicknamed Sais, accompany Damaru to the City, in the company of a priest who's helping Sais to get back his missing past - but as Sais recovers his memory, he realises that the world does not work the way he assumed - and everyone believes - it does. Worse still, the hierarchy which has kept society stable for thousands of years is rotten to the core. Then Kerin and Sais uncover the true nature of the world, and the unimaginable fate of the Consorts - a fate Kerin will do anything to stop her son sharing.
The deities and gods viewed the weak as ants! Then I, Wu Shengxuan, will turn God into an ant in the eyes of mortals! So what if he was a deity? So what if he was a demon? As long as he could clearly see this world, what was wrong with being a free and unrestrained demon? Even if he didn't have a spirit vein, he would still find his own path to body refining! Even if he defied the Heavens, defied the Immortal, exterminated the Devil, and devoured the Demon, then he would take back what was his own! Even if he became a demon, it would be a little bit clear among all the devils. Even if he was betrayed by his best brother in the end, he would only smile and say, "Give me a reason, I will forgive you!"
As one of the greatest, most celebrated athletes in history, Michael Jordan conquered professional basketball as no one before. Powered by a potent mix of charisma, near superhuman abilities and a ferocious drive to dominate the game, he achieved every award and accolade conceivable before retiring from the Chicago Bulls and taking an executive post with the Washington Wizards. But retirement didn't suit the man who was once king, and at the advanced age of thirty-eight Michael Jordan decided it was time to reclaim the court that was once his. WHEN NOTHING ELSE MATTERS is the definitive account of Jordan's equally spectacular and disastrous return to basketball. Having closely followed Jordan's final two seasons, Michael Leahy draws a fascinating portrait of an intensely complex man hampered by injuries and assaulted by younger players eager to usurp his throne. In this enthralling book Jordan emerges as an ambitious, at times deeply unattractive character with, unsurprisingly, a monstrous ego. WHEN NOTHING ELSE MATTERS is an absorbing portrait not only of one athlete's overriding ambition, but also of a society so in thrall to its sports stars that it is blind to all their faults.