In 1940, the 1780-farmhouse that noted Maine essayist and curmudgeon John Gould’s great-grandfather built burned to the ground. To honor the generations that came before him, Gould there and then decided to rebuild the house in Lisbon Falls. Like his great-grandfather, Gould cut the timbers from the same woodlot, and the new house rose so smoothly, it seemed as if Great-Grandfather Jacob was building it himself. Memories clung to every beam and rafter and this host of recollections form the substance of this memoir. Woven in are stories of how Gould’s Grandfather Thomas started the Battle of Gettysburg and all the rich associations of a family whose roots dug deep over five generations.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and the modern classics My Sister’s Keeper, The Storyteller, and more, comes a “complex, compassionate, and smart” (The Washington Post) novel about a family torn apart by a murder accusation. When your son can’t look you in the eye…does that mean he’s guilty? Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. He has a special focus on one subject—forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he’s usually right. But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are thrust directly in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And for the frightened small town, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder? House Rules is “a provocative story in which [Picoult] explores the pain of trying to comprehend the people we love—and reminds us that the truth often travels in disguise” (People).
The practice of "church" is witnessing a radical paradigm shift from mass gatherings, aka megachurches, to discipleship-making organs. In this book, The House Church in God's Eternal Purposes, Theodore Andoseh, describes in a practical way what a house church is and all that goes into her form and expression. House churches are the inns, the inns of God. They are the tabernacles of God. The house church is a place to welcome people from the street; wounded people; people who have received only the first aid ministry. House churches are there to care for, heal, nourish, keep and watch over the people so that What was brought from the street does not go back there, What was taken from the hand of the thief does not fall back into their hands. If you are a house church leader or a leader of any organic community of believers at whatever stage and size, then this book provides valuable material to help disciple them in an organic house setting. It is both realigning and enlightening, with a strong voice of Scripture. It is a must-read!
A NEW YORKER “ESSENTIAL READ” “Just as awe-inspiring as the Nobel judges claimed.” – The Washington Post “Olga Tokarczuk is one of our greatest living fiction writers. . . This could well be a decade-defining book akin to Bolaño’s 2666.” –AV Club “Sophisticated and ribald and brimming with folk wit. . . The comedy in this novel blends, as it does in life, with genuine tragedy.” –Dwight Garner, The New York Times LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, TIME, THE NEW YORKER, AND NPR The Nobel Prize–winner’s richest, most sweeping and ambitious novel yet follows the comet-like rise and fall of a mysterious, messianic religious leader as he blazes his way across eighteenth-century Europe. In the mid-eighteenth century, as new ideas—and a new unrest—begin to sweep the Continent, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland. Before long, he has changed not only his name but his persona; visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences, Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following. In the decade to come, Frank will traverse the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires with throngs of disciples in his thrall as he reinvents himself again and again, converts to Islam and then Catholicism, is pilloried as a heretic and revered as the Messiah, and wreaks havoc on the conventional order, Jewish and Christian alike, with scandalous rumors of his sect’s secret rituals and the spread of his increasingly iconoclastic beliefs. The story of Frank—a real historical figure around whom mystery and controversy swirl to this day—is the perfect canvas for the genius and unparalleled reach of Olga Tokarczuk. Narrated through the perspectives of his contemporaries—those who revere him, those who revile him, the friend who betrays him, the lone woman who sees him for what he is—The Books of Jacob captures a world on the cusp of precipitous change, searching for certainty and longing for transcendence. In a nod to books written in Hebrew, The Books of Jacob is paginated in reverse, beginning on p. 955 and ending on p. 1 – but read traditionally, front cover to back.
It was the best time in Jacob Hudson’s life. He was about to marry Abigail Rodgers, his best friend and love of his life. Together they would build their dream home and start a family. Jacob’s carpentry business was successful and he was closer than ever to his siblings. Life was good. 1911, a time when Sir Robert Laird Borden was Prime Minister and King George V was on the throne, life in the Canadian Prairies wasn’t easy, but Jacob was no stranger to hard work and integrity was his middle name. Jacob and Abigail’s happiness wasn’t everlasting. An abrupt illness, extreme weather, unexpected debt; each obstacle more difficult than the last. Jacob was determined and trusted in the Lord, but not everyone had his faith. While Jacob thinks he can help anyone who is in need, he comes face to face with the harsh facts when he too has to rely on others for help. How will Jacob overcome the things he cannot change? When his faith is tested, can he continue to trust that God will never fail? Follow Jacob and Abigail and their family back to Abbington Pickets through early 20th century Saskatchewan and their intriguing story of a carpenter who followed his heart in a small community only to find more than he expected.
This work reevaluates the biblical house of the father in light of the anthropological critique of the patrilineal model. It uncovers and defines the contours of an underappreciated yet socially significant kinship unit in the Bible: 'the house of the mother.'
It is a great privilege for me to endeavor to tell you this story about my Great-Great-Great Grandfather's life; about his ancestors, his family, and his work for God. I have gathered genealogy information used herein since I first learned of my Shook roots in 2000. My non-fiction story is based on found legal documents and documented history that would apply to anyone in the same situation and time period. There is much information out there and so much of it is incorrect in one way or another. I do not claim to have found it all, or even that I have the true grist of what I do have. I do strive to give you my sources for everything that I included here. You can then make up your own mind as to what is fact and what is unproven.
