"This book is an eye opener to every women blindly expecting they along can change any man; a must read." Pastor Cynthia Joan Dunbar, Holy Temple Easton, PA "It's Caroline's painful past that has allowed her to progress and transition from victim to victor. She is a resounding voice for women and men whose lives are plagued by the devastating and destructive effects of sexual sin." Pastor Mark Parrott, Sr. This book openly and explicitly discusses one woman's shock and pain after marrying the man she loved. Her world turned upside down and became a living nightmare when she became faced with the truth; she married a pastor living with the "deep dark secret" of homosexuality. She lived with depression, suicidal tendencies and anger while he lived his secret life on the "down low." Caroline unashamedly discusses her fight to overcome the embarrassment and confusion she suffered at the hands of her husband. She honors God through her testimony reminding us our God is a healer and deliverer no matter the crisis. Her faith and trust deeply abound in the Lord Jesus Christ. Take a walk with her through this book. You will feel the pain, feel the shame and experience the victory!
My sincere hope is that every person in an abusive relationship will get out, and that the abuser will be changed by realizing the pain and suffering they cause. When I prayed that God would allow me to marry a preacher, somewhere in my mind I thought it would guarantee me a life of love, peace, and happiness. Nothing was further from the truth. After all, preachers are men too, clothed in nice suits, shoes, and fancy robes. All my life, I had been around marriages that should have ended years ago. I wanted to be different; I wanted to help people change. I wanted to see men love and cherish their wives. We all know for the most part at least on the surface that preachers wives seem to be more than happy. Some wear the designer suits and hats with fancy matching shoes. On occasion, I did too. However, I soon found out, at least in my life, it was all superficial. I was all smiles and encouraging words outside the door, but most days, behind closed doors, my life was a living hell. Three months into my marriage, I began living in a nightmare. I told myself I would never tell anyone. I would help the world believe we had the ideal marriage. Even before the I-dos, I knew there were some problems. Before long Shirley became a preachers wife with a secret life,and everything in her told her that shes not the only one!
In a tie-in to his film release and DVD study series, Dr. James Dobson presents principles for building a lasting legacy of faith for families everywhere. We live in a culture that seeks to destroy the embryonic faith of our children and usher them into politically correct ideology, godless systems of belief, and gross immorality that would have shocked previous generations. Today's Christian parents truly live in perilous times. But the good news is that you can be victorious in this battle for the hearts, minds, and souls of your precious children. Whatever stage you are in as a parent or grandparent, you can leave a spiritual legacy that will equip your children and grandchildren with an unshakable heritage of faith. How can you teach your children what matters most? By being intentional about their spiritual training. Your Legacy will help you make that the central priority of your family.
Every day, a pastor faces armies of despair, fatigue, exhaustion, and frustration. That blessed hope of a Spurgeon church has morphed into a Paul prison. Every time he looks up, there is another attack. First errors are found, then sin; doctrinal arguing leads to internal strife. The army of the nation's culture surrounds for the kill. The pastor places his baptism handkerchief on a broom handle and crawls out to surrender. Just then, he looks to the horizon to see a glorious alliance of sixty-six armies. The enemy turns in fear--many ride away, while others engage, only to be routed. The preacher had forgotten that there are more with us than against us. No matter the mess, God is with us. He has given his Spirit to move among us, and he has given us his word to defeat every attack. Grab this handbook and be encouraged; you can preach your way out of every mess.
“In Playing by the Book, S. Chris Shirley tells a story I loved curling up with, featuring one of the most endearing teen protagonists I've read in years.” —Alex Sanchez, author of The God Box and Boyfriends with Girlfriends When seventeen-year-old high school newspaper editor Jake Powell, fresh from Alabama, lands in New York City to attend Columbia University's prestigious summer journalism program, it's a dream come true. But his father, a fundamentalist Christian minister, smells trouble. And his father is rarely wrong. In Playing by the Book, Jake navigates new and unfamiliar ways "up North." Starting with his feelings for a handsome Jewish classmate named Sam. What Jake could keep hidden back home is now pushed to the surface in the Big Apple. Standing by his side are a gorgeous brunette with a Park Avenue attitude and the designer bags to match, a high school friend who has watched Jake grow up and isn't sure she's ready to let him go, and an outrageously flamboyant aunt who's determined to help Jake finds the courage to accept love and avoid the pain that she has experienced. Provocative and moving, Playing by The Book is a feel-good novel about the struggles and triumphs we encounter in the search for our own truth. “There's so much to admire in Chris Shirley's debut novel, but the most remarkable thing may be its voice. Jake is both earnest and skeptical, curious and guarded, and he tells his story with an endearing humility that–somehow–avoids the sarcasm that has become the norm. Playing by the Book reminds us of how rewarding it can be to climb into someone else's head.” —Patrick Ryan, author of Send Me and Saints of Augustine
Allow me to make some introductions. My name is Carl Prichard. I would like you to meet Silent Agony, the first of three novels dealing with the fictional crime lords of my hometown Detroit, Michigan. The forces that drive corruption seem hell bent on bringing together powerful men committed to destroy each other. Monkey Sharpe, the ex-con looking for stability by creating a chosen lifestyle in the trafficking of narcotics; The Ghost, a cold-blooded killer whose chosen profession allowed him to wear a peacekeeper's badge; Amps, the sick degenerate who collects his victim's ears to decorate his apartment; Sledgehammer, the ex-professional boxer and ex-con who contracted to kill; and Wee Willie Witchum, whose personal demons tormented him until he finally does the unthinkable to preserve his arch enemy in silent agony. The action is fast paced, the romance is steamy, and the characters are believable enough to be feared. Silent Agony serves up a man-sized story that will keep you up reading all night, and looking over your shoulder all day.
This story unfolds in the late 1980's, deep in the back woods in a small town in Indianola, Mississippi. Rosie Turner, a young mother, is seen sitting on the stoop of her little run down, tin top house; some might even call it a shack. She sits there with her head down praying about the web she has entangled herself in; she is married to so-called preacher, Reverend. Fred Turner, who is nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing. Rosie could stand the abuse Fred bestowed upon her, but when she found out he was molesting her 8 year old daughter, Lue Ella, she couldn't take any more abuse. The Lord heard her prayers and sent a blessing her way by the way of a grey hound bus. Sadie, Rosie's younger sister, had come to town to visit and would unbeknownst have an emotional roller coaster ride through the back woods of Indianola. She would uncover deep dark secrets --even murder.
Foe over 25 years, charismatic Pentecostal evangelist Brother Tony Leyva used Christianity, the Bible, and his status as a "prophet of God" to gain access to, seduce, and sexually assault the young sons of his enthralled followers in 23 states. Echols strips bare the world of Pentecostals to reveal how impassioned faith and devotion to the "annointed ones" blinded parents to the evil in their midst.
"“The People’s Victory is a mirror for each of us to see our own power to fight for justice and create the change we want to see in our world.” – Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California In 1996, a small group of Americans from all walks of life banded together to create one of the most miraculous political victories in modern American history. Opponents attacked the issue of marriage equality as amoral and a direct threat to families. Allies warned that it was a generation away from being practicable and a selfish drain of precious political capital. A stirring oral history told by those who almost inexplicably found themselves fighting on the front lines, The People's Victory recounts the successes – and the setbacks – that only served to strengthen everyone’s resolve to resist, fight, and bring equal marriage rights to an entire nation. Through it all, these love warriors found their voice and home in Marriage Equality USA, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots organization of its kind. While high profile books, articles and documentaries have covered the judicial and legislative machinations, this book puts a human face on the people who made the everyday personal sacrifices to keep the movement alive. The People’s Victory shares deeply moving personal testimonies of over sixty people, from Marvin Burrows, who was forced out of his home and lost many treasured possessions after losing his lost his partner of fifty years; to Kate Burns, who risked arrest for the first time when she stood up for her relationship; to Mike Goettemoeller, who pushed his mother in a wheelchair with Marriage Equality USA to fulfill her dream of marching in a Pride parade. Edie Windsor, the triumphant lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case United States vs. Windsor recounts shouting down a major LGBTQ organization with “I’m 77 years old and I can’t wait!!” when they attempted to belittle marriage as a critical issue. Writer and producer Del Shores shares the touching moment his young teenage daughter used tears and laughter to console him after the passage of Proposition 8 in California dealt a blow to the cause. The People’s Victory is an inspirational roadmap for anyone who has felt passionately about an issue, but has questioned whether one person’s contribution can make a difference. These candid accounts once again prove that every movement for important social change must be built on the acts of everyday. In fact, that is the only way the people have ever been victorious. In his introduction, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom writes: “I hope these stories inspire you to resist, to fight, to win and in the end write the next stories in our continuing push for a more just and perfect union.”
Please pass me that parenting book; I need to smack my forehead with it! Life’s most teachable moments…why do they happen when the prim and proper lady that you have always admired from a distance is standing two feet away? Why do they happen when someone stops by your house, and you need a front-loader to scoop a path to the door because you have been sick for a week? Why do they happen when your toddler decides to speak his first full sentence in a public bathroom loudly commenting on the sounds from the next stall? It has been stated, “Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” It takes your breath away when your son randomly decides to scream “BOO” in a store at a total stranger, causing them to drop their parcels. It is hard to breathe when your child vomits on the bald man’s head in front of you on an airplane. Here are some amazingly breath-taking moments that have made my life laughably enjoyable (although often embarrassing.) May they bring enjoyment to your life, as they have to mine.
