When the girls set out to raise the money to go on a 3-day ski trip with the church youth group, Morgan is confident that God will provide the funds. But while everyone else finds a way to afford the trip, Morgan’s plans are derailed by her grandmother’s illness, school, Christmas activities, even jealousy … and when Grandma suffers a heart attack, Morgan’s faith is severely tested. Will God provide what’s really important? The girls of 622 Harbor View may not have much, but they’ve got dreams, a desire to make the world a better place, and friendship.
The Ski Trip Is the Least of Their Worries Follow Morgan, Amy, Carlie, and Emily as they navigate grown up issues while trying to still have fun and friends just like any other kids. Raising Faith: Morgan trusts God to provide her with ski trip funds and works hard to earn the needed money. But when everything blocks her efforts, from her school activities to her grandmother’s life-threatening heart attack, it’s a test of faith against the odds. Run Away: As the ski trip nears, Emily’s mom flees her abusive ex-husband and whisks Emily away to somewhere unknown. The girls fear for their friend as Emily struggles with hard lessons in forgiveness.
The principles laid out in this book by my dear friend and brother, Rafael Bandeira, are solid foundations anchored in eternal truths for those who desire to leave behind a legacy of life and transformed society. By following these principles, you will see your dreams come true and find fulfillment in your vocation. By ignoring them, despite the use of well-honed methods, you will fail to see your ideals realized. Rafael's book fills in a missing element in the formation of leaders, missionaries and Christian social entrepreneurs. How many projects have failed for lack of vision, solid foundations and proper tools for fundraising? This book has come at the right time for Christian entrepreneurs—to eliminate headaches and ease their biggest worries—furnishing all that is needed to make the dream of transformation come to life and grow to fulfill its mission. In this book, Rafael brings together many years of experience having traveled throughout the country as a fundraising consultant for Christian social projects, leaving in his wake a legacy for social entrepreneurs.
Carlie’s mad! Can she forgive her friends—and will they forgive her? Meet Morgan, Amy, Carlie, and Emily. They all live in the trailer park at 622 Harbor View in tiny Boscoe Bay, Oregon. Proximity made them friends, but a desire to make the world a better place—and a willingness to work at it—keeps them together. Friendships are put to the test as the girls go on their long-awaited ski trip with the church youth group. But there are boys on this trip, and some of the girls would rather flirt than ski—and tomboy Carlie would rather snowboard than shower! Then an accident on the slopes forces her to slow down—and shows her who her real friends are.
Since it was first released, How to Defend the Faith has given Catholics worldwide a new way of talking about their faith around the dinner table or at the office, getting across the Church's positions on contentious issues without losing their cool. It's about learning the principles that allow you to step outside the negative frames imposed by the news media and being well briefed on what the Church actually thinks about politics, gay people, marriage, women, sex abuse, and other key topics. Now revised and updated, How to Defend the Faith includes new sections on what we can learn from Pope Francis's communication, advice on how to give a talk and be active on Twitter, and many other invaluable tips and principles gleaned from the author's years of putting the Church's case in the media. Find your voice. Embody the new evangelization. Enjoy a new and better way to defend the Faith -- without ever having to raise your voice.
"Do you want your friendships to be deeper and more meaningful than Facebook "likes"? Are you looking for a community of companions to create true spiritual bonds? Drawing on the cardinal and theological virtues, stories of the saints, and anecdotes from their own friendships, Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet - bestselling authors of 'Divine Mercy for Moms' - provide a practical primer for any Catholic woman seeking ways to deepen old friendships and develop new ones of virtue." -- back cover.
Sticky Faith delivers positive and practical ideas to nurture within your kids a living, loving faith that lasts a lifetime. Research indicates that almost half of high school seniors drift from their faith after graduation. Struck by this staggering statistic, and recognizing its ramifications, the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) conducted the "College Transition Project" in an effort to identify the relationships and best practices that can set young people on a trajectory of lifelong faith and service. This easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to actively encourage their children’s spiritual growth so that it will stick with them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith. Written by Fuller Youth Institute Executive Director Dr. Kara E. Powell and youth expert Chap Clark--authors known for the integrity of their research and the intensity of their passion for young people--Sticky Faith is geared to spark a movement that empowers adults to develop robust and long-term faith in kids of all ages. Further engage your family and church with the Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, Sticky Faith curriculum, and Sticky Faith youth worker edition. Sticky Faith is also available in Spanish, Cómo criar jóvenes de fe sólida.
How parents approach the task of passing on religious faith and practice to their children How do American parents pass their religion on to their children? At a time of overall decline of traditional religion and an increased interest in personal “spirituality,” Religious Parenting investigates the ways that parents transmit religious beliefs, values, and practices to their kids. We know that parents are the most important influence on their children’s religious lives, yet parents have been virtually ignored in previous work on religious socialization. Renowned religion scholar Christian Smith and his collaborators Bridget Ritz and Michael Rotolo explore American parents’ strategies, experiences, beliefs, and anxieties regarding religious transmission through hundreds of in-depth interviews that span religious traditions, social classes, and family types all around the country. Throughout we hear the voices of evangelical, Catholic, Mormon, mainline and black Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist parents and discover that, despite massive diversity, American parents share a nearly identical approach to socializing their children religiously. For almost all, religion is important for the foundation it provides for becoming one’s best self on life’s difficult journey. Religion is primarily a resource for navigating the challenges of this life, not preparing for an afterlife. Parents view it as their job, not religious professionals’, to ground their children in life-enhancing religious values that provide resilience, morality, and a sense of purpose. Challenging longstanding sociological and anthropological assumptions about culture, the authors demonstrate that parents of highly dissimilar backgrounds share the same “cultural models” when passing on religion to their children. Taking an extensive look into questions of religious practice and childrearing, Religious Parenting uncovers parents’ real-life challenges while breaking innovative theoretical ground.
The miraculous power of prayer—to protect, guide, and heal—plays an important role in the sixth adventure of the Girls of 622 Harbor View. Fleeing her abusive ex-husband, Emily’s mother packs up her two children and disappears down a rainy Oregon highway. Emily’s friends are devastated—they haven’t even been on the ski trip yet!—and they’re worried. But what can they do?
