Just when Helen thinks she can take charge of her life, a devil-hunting itinerant preacher upsets the delicate balance she has managed in a family locked in secrets and headed for trouble. When Helen breaks down, her husband, Richard, angry and ashamed, commits her to a mental institution without telling their children where their mother has gone. Lillian's Garden is a novel about failure and finding redemption through learning how to ask for what you want and accepting what love has given you. ,
Meeting House Essays in a series of papers reflecting on the mystery, beauty and practicalities of the place of worship. This popular series was begun in 1991, and each resource focuses on a particular aspect of space, design or materials and how they relate to the liturgy.
Kyra and Derksen, a mother and son collaborative team, weave words and images that invite readers to deepen their curiosity and joy for life. Welcome Home to Yourself invites readers to begin a guided journey through the natural milestones of their lives.
A new critical translation of Pope John Paul II's talks on the Theology of the Body by the internationally renowned biblical scholar Michael Waldstein. With meticulous scholarship and profound insight, Waldstein presents John Paul II's magnificent vision of the human person. Includes a preface by Cardinal Schönborn, a foreword by Christopher West, a comprehensive index of words and phrases, a scriptural index, and a reference table for other versions of the papal texts. Recipient of a CPA Award!
The phrase "I'm spiritual but not religious" has become a cliché. It's easy to find God amid the convenience of self-styled spirituality -- but is it possible (and more worthwhile) to search for God through religion? Minister and celebrated author Lillian Daniel gives a new spin on church with stories of what a life of faith can really be: weird, wondrous, and well worth trying. From a rock-and-roller sexton to a BB gun-toting grandma, a church service attended by animals to a group of unlikely theologians at Sing Sing, Daniel shows us a portrait of church that is flawed, fallible -- and deeply faithful. With poignant reflections and sly wit, Daniel invites all of us to step out of ourselves, dare to become a community, and encounter a God greater than we could ever invent. Humorous and sincere, this is a book about people finding God in the most unexpected of places: prisons, airports, yoga classes, committee meetings, and, strangest of all, right there in church.
What if the one person you are trying to forget was your heart's deepest desire? Becca Tanner is determined to make her dude ranch inn nestled in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains open on time and be a success. Nowhere in her business plan did she pencil in time for arms dealers and drug runners, manipulating fathers, or sparring matches with her one-sided, decade-long crush, Officer Jason Chasseur. She invested everything she had and more that she didn't into her dream and she'll go down swinging before giving up on herself or those counting on her. RCMP Officer Jason Chasseur doesn't believe for a second Becca Tanner didn't know her father pushed him out of the chance to buy back his family's ancestral land. That sparks fly whenever she's near is irrelevant. When the land in question turns out to be an active criminal base-camp and Becca is forcefully recruited, he knows she is in way over her head. As the time ticks down to opening weekend, Becca is running out of time. As danger mounts, she digs in deeper, determined to keep her livelihood and wits about her. Small consolation if she's dead, a fact Jason is quick to remind her as he hustles with everything he has to keep her safe. Family secrets keep pace with them as they run headlong into each new threat. Can they trust each other long enough to help a broken criminal family heal and finally accept the love that has always been between them?
When Eileen Munro's mother became pregnant at 16, she was told to give her baby away to a 'good family', but the couple who paid the fee at the Salvation Army mother-and-baby home in Glasgow in 1963 turned out to be alcoholics who neglected and physically abused Eileen. Then, when their marriage broke down, they failed to protect her from sexual abuse at the hands of a family friend. After watching her adoptive mother drown on inhaled vomit, Eileen and her younger sister were taken into care, but her nightmare was to continue as she was subjected to further physical, sexual and emotional abuse. At the age of only seventeen, seven months into a secret pregnancy, she decided that the only way out was through a bottle of painkillers; when she survived and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, he became her lifeline.
CHRISTMASTIME 1939: Prequel to the Christmastime Series introduces the reader to the world of Christmastime. Set in Brooklyn, we meet the young widow Lillian Hapsey and her two sons, Tommy and Gabriel. Even though the Christmas season is just around the corner, Lillian has no Christmas spirit. Alone, unhappy with her job, and plagued by financial concerns, Christmas has become a burden to her. Overshadowing everything is the war in Europe. Despite the setbacks, Lillian is determined to give her sons a happy Christmas. Can she rekindle her girlhood love for the holiday season? Rediscovering her touchstone just might be the key to unlocking the excitement and magic of Christmas.
Sweet 16 or the coveted 18th birthday are milestone moments in a young girl’s life, but the only age Lillian Clemens is dreading of turning is 21. That would mean she's officially old enough to accept the title of Huntsman, an elite fighter born and raised to battle against the supernatural creatures that roam this earth. The only barrier between the human race and the monstrous demons scattered abroad, feasting on the unsuspecting innocents, unable to protect themselves. The night of her first mission, plans go awry and her own Huntsman partner is killed. Shouldering the blame herself, Lillian doesn't refute the rumors that it was her fault Nikolas is dead. The first lesson Huntsmen are taught is to keep your head in the game and not hesitate. But she'd failed. She'd broken the cardinal rule. Two months later, Lillian's planned the perfect mission, to attack and eliminate the creature that took Nikolas away from her. He was the first person that hadn't judged her based on her gender. Since the creation of the Huntsmen organization, only men have been appointed to the prestigious position. But with her father, Oliver, being the Huntsmen Leader, she was born into a role that she couldn't escape. Lillian hasn’t spent a day where wishing she was a man didn't cross her mind. Life would be so much easier. But then it wouldn't be hers. With the mission a success, but not approved by her father, Lillian is punished and given the ultimatum to either train and succeed to become a Leviathan, or die trying. Leviathan's were more ruthless and cunning than Huntsmen, or at least that's what Lillian had always been led to believe. Leviathan's were the soldiers sent in when a mission was deemed too dangerous for a Huntsman. They were the cleanup crew, so to speak. In her quest to assume the title of Leviathan, Lillian must fight for her life against dangerous creatures, but she must also learn that not everyone in this world is as cruel and maniacal as her father and the Councilman who wishes her dead. Opening herself up to the right people, and laying her trust and her heart in their hands, might be the only thing that'll keep her alive.
