To have the deep love of a friend is to have the shelter in which to embody more and more of the essence that we each are. In her book Gunilla Norris shows how in holding each other with trust and compassion our shells fall away and we emerge into the world as freer beings. Participating in a true friendship is profound and holy work. This book is a gift for the journey.
Evie has lived her entire life under her abusive father's thumb. He controls everything. Where she goes to college, who she sees, what she does. But when she meets Van-a punk who shows her how different life could be-she realizes how much she's been missing. Van offers her excitement, protection, love...and most of all, sex-even if he's at first reluctant to give her all the things she's been craving. She wants to explore this new world of arousal and desire, but Van is only too aware of how fragile she is, how innocent... And how much is at stake, when their love is forbidden.
Family members hurt us. Friends betray us. Fellow Christians deceive us. But Jesus provides a path through the pain—the Lord’s Prayer. In The Wall Around Your Heart, Mary DeMuth shows you that you can reach wholeness and healing in the aftermath of painful relationships by following the road map of the Lord’s Prayer. You’ll walk through story after story of hurt people who are led through biblical truth into amazing, life-sustaining, joyful growth. Life is hard. People can be mean and petty and awful. But they can also be amazing and beautiful and sacrificial. God is good. He is faithful. You can trust him with your relationships. “He’ll send people to call out what is hard in your heart,” Mary shares. “And that’s a gift to you.” Allow God to access the wall around your heart. Dare to say, “Tear down the bricks, Lord, whatever it takes.” Pray first. Ask for bravery—for yourself and for others. Risk engaging despite your hurt. Seek the shelter of Jesus. You don’t have to resign yourself to your wounds! You can rise above the pain. You’ll usher in a new life—an openhearted way of relating to others that expands the kingdom of God. In the process, you’ll draw closer to Jesus, be healed, and become an agent of healing to others.
There are many books that have been written as aids in preparing for "consecration" or "entrustment" to Mary. This present book, while enriched by these approaches, nonetheless seeks to express a different word...or, more accurately, to express this same word in a different way. It is a response to the desires of a number of persons (and to the sense that there are many such persons) who want to go deeper in a life of entrustment to Mary, to grow ever more in intimacy with her and her Son.How can we learn to let ourselves be looked upon by our loving God and healed by his gentle touch? We can allow Mary into our lives, she who was looked upon by God in the most intense of ways, chosen to be Daughter, Bride, and Mother of God. We can allow her to foster this receptivity within us, she who is, above everything else, a little child of the heavenly Father. And here she is indeed not raised up far from us, but right at our side, a little one just as we are little. She knows, more than anyone else, what it means to be a child of God.In being looked upon with love by the Virgin Mother, as well as especially by the heavenly Father, we will find ourselves healed, freed, and transformed, and will discover that we too are beginning to look upon others with eyes of love, within the light that has first bathed us in its radiance.This emphasis on heart-healing through relationship with Mary-this is the approach of this book, which is intended either to be an avenue for entrusting oneself to Mary for the first time, or for renewing and deepening this entrustment. It does this not by focusing on the external elements of such consecration, which can be found elsewhere (such as the historical development or devotional practices), but on seeking to lead the reader into a more intimate relationship with God through the Virgin Mary.These reflections are, thus, intended to help bring all that we are, our brokenness as well as our beauty, to Mary, who will carry us to the healing and cherishing love of the Trinity. In this way, hopefully, a deeper, more spontaneous, and more intimate relationship with Mary will develop, allowing her to free us from everything that hinders us from rejoicing in the joy of being children of God. And, of course, in her we will find ourselves abiding ever more deeply against the loving Heart of Jesus, held by him close to the Father, and sharing with them the Spirit of love who first overshadowed Mary in the beginning of this beautiful story.
A young adult debut from internationally bestselling author Harlan Coben Mickey Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and sending his mom to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch high schools. A new school comes with new friends and new enemies, and lucky for Mickey, it also comes with a great new girlfriend, Ashley. For a while, it seems like Mickey's train-wreck of a life is finally improving - until Ashley vanishes without a trace. Unwilling to let another person walk out of his life, Mickey follows Ashley's trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that this seemingly sweet, shy girl isn't who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickey's father. Soon, Mickey learns about a conspiracy so shocking that it makes high school drama seem like a luxury - and leaves him questioning everything about the life he thought he knew. First introduced to readers in Harlan Coben's latest adult novel, Live Wire, Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron, and eager to go to any length to save the people he cares about. With this new series, Coben introduces an entirely new generation of fans to the masterful plotting and wry humor that have made him an award-winning, internationally bestselling, and beloved author. Follow Mickey Bolitar on his next adventure in Seconds Away, coming out in Fall 2012!
Fifty-two meditations on Psalm 27 instruct and encourage believers to worship God through the ups and downs of life. Psalm 27 is a psalm of trouble and worship, of difficulty and beauty, of the evil of people against people, and of the mercy of God. Because of its honesty about life in this fallen world, Psalm 27 speaks into the life of every believer. At the same time it places joyful and self-sacrificing worship right next to the trouble that is the psalm's background theme. This juxtaposition makes Psalm 27 unique, interesting, practical, challenging, and encouraging. A Shelter in the Time of Storm takes readers through this roller-coaster-ride of a psalm in fifty-two brief and engaging meditations. These meditations are designed to fill hearts with a patient hope that grows stronger as the trouble-spotted days go by. Reflection questions at the end of the chapter make these meditations thought-provoking and practical.
Gifted Bible teacher and inspiring Women of Faith speaker Walsh offers powerful, heart-filled teaching on 10 bedrock promises of God, providing the foundation for daily confidence, joy, and hope.
"In this book, photographer Traer Scott presents over fifty endearing and frequently heartrending portraits of shelter dogs. These images capture the genuine spirit of dogs of all ages, sizes, breeds, and temperaments, whether playful, proud, inquisitive, or shy. Above all, these photographs reveal the strikingly intense emotion, dignity, and even humor that Scott saw in each face, despite the dog's circumstances. By documenting the soulful, unique characters of just a few of the hundreds of dogs she has encountered in her volunteer work, Scott raises awareness of animal rescue and welfare causes, and particularly the need for more adoptive homes for abandoned animals. This collection of portraits is a tribute to all dogs and will appeal to animal lovers every where."--BOOK JACKET.
"Shelter is domestic drama at its best, a gripping narrative of secrets and revelations that seized me from beginning to end."—Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-Winning author of The Sympathizer One of The Millions' Most Anticipated Books of the Year (Selected by Edan Lepucki) Now BuzzFeed's #1 Most Buzzed About Book of 2016 So Far Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Kyung Cho is a young father burdened by a house he can’t afford. For years, he and his wife, Gillian, have lived beyond their means. Now their debts and bad decisions are catching up with them, and Kyung is anxious for his family’s future. A few miles away, his parents, Jin and Mae, live in the town’s most exclusive neighborhood, surrounded by the material comforts that Kyung desires for his wife and son. Growing up, they gave him every possible advantage—private tutors, expensive hobbies—but they never showed him kindness. Kyung can hardly bear to see them now, much less ask for their help. Yet when an act of violence leaves Jin and Mae unable to live on their own, the dynamic suddenly changes, and he’s compelled to take them in. For the first time in years, the Chos find themselves living under the same roof. Tensions quickly mount as Kyung’s proximity to his parents forces old feelings of guilt and anger to the surface, along with a terrible and persistent question: how can he ever be a good husband, father, and son when he never knew affection as a child? As Shelter veers swiftly toward its startling conclusion, Jung Yun leads us through dark and violent territory, where, unexpectedly, the Chos discover hope. Shelter is a masterfully crafted debut novel that asks what it means to provide for one's family and, in answer, delivers a story as riveting as it is profound.
New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr takes readers back to her beloved Virgin River country in this heartwarming tribute to Rhonda Clemons, founder of Zoë Institute and a winner of a Harlequin More Than Words award. By discovering a seed of compassion and nurturing it to effect real change, the dedicated women selected as Harlequin More Than Words award recipients make our world a better place. To celebrate their accomplishments, bestselling authors have honored the winners by writing short stories inspired by their lives and work. This special eBook is yours at no charge because Harlequin is committed to celebrating women¿s efforts and supporting the causes that are meaningful to them. By sharing Rhonda Clemons¿ story, we hope to turn awareness into action and mobilize others to make a difference.
