Broken No More is a true story about a devastated girl who sought a prince to escape a childhood dominated by two alcoholic parentsone a mentally ill motherabuse, panic attacks, depression, abandonment, and incredible loss. Maryann learned early in life that trust and love were just words without meaning and that promises were not meant for keeping. In her brokenness, she began to self-medicate with alcohol at the age of twelve. She took a destructive path that nearly consumed her life and left her in complete despair, but her life was forever changed when she was finally rescued by a true prince, Jesus. Not only did Jesus rescue her, but He gave her authority and power to win the wars against the enemy and recover what was once plundered. She was broken, but because of Christ, today she is broken no more. The goal of Maryanns ministry is to war for the oppressed and train for battle, so that families and generations to come will be freed in Christ and walk in victory.
While lunching in Barcelona during the 1992 Olympic Games, swimming coach Tom Morin asked his Swedish counterparts how they had managed to beat the U.S. in a freestyle relay while drawing from a population of only 8 million. The Swedes explained a coaching theory that differed from the U.S. style of developing great athletes. With the U.S. population big enough to "throw thousands against the wall to see who survives and who becomes a broken egg," it is possible to develop champions by sheer numbers. When the population is small, a different coaching and training style must be applied. Thus was born what Morin saw as a call for No More Broken Eggs, the title of his important new book. The book's subtitle: A Guide to Optimizing the Sports Experience for Athletes, Coaches, Parents, and Clinicians, explains that this is an attempt to reach out to all of those whose mentoring can touch and shape young athletes and create a more positive experience for them as they grow in their sports. Matt Biondi, winner of 11 Olympic medals (including eight gold), wrote the foreword to the book. Biondi writes, "Coaches need to stop and pay attention to those who do not compete at a high level. They need to help their athletes both to develop life habits like persistence and time management and to learn teamwork and goal setting." Writes Morin: "Here in the United States we are often too focused on how good our kids are in sports by the time they are twelve. We use them, burn them out, and throw them away. We do not do much teaching, nurturing or instructing; we just try to weed out those who are not the best and we keep pushing and pushing those that are the best to be better. Many... end up being 'broken eggs.'" The book gives case study examples of athletes who succeeded or overcame the system and some who were weeded out. Chapters include tips for athletes and clinicians, and guidelines for parents and coaches. One chapter deals with an NFL defensive back sent to Morin for substance abuse counseling. This player never succeeded in the NFL for reasons that the chapter clarifies and that will be relevant for many other gifted but challenged young athletes. No More Broken Eggs will serve as an important guidebook to all who touch the lives of young athletes, whether or not they are Olympic or NFL bound.
Candid, shocking, and unforgettable, Broken is a haunting and clear-eyed tale that offers hope for all those wrestling with addiction Unlike some popular memoirs that have fictionalized and romanticized the degradations of drug addiction, Broken is a true-life tale of recovery that stuns and inspires with virtually every page. The eldest son of journalist Bill Moyers, William Cope Moyers relates with unforgettable clarity the story of how a young man with every advantage found himself spiraling into a love affair with crack cocaine that led him to the brink of death-and how a deep spirituality allowed him to conquer his shame, transform his life, and dedicate himself to changing America's politics of addiction. "William Cope Moyers's lucid, measured tale of his own plunge into crack-addled hell [is] frightening in its very realism." -USA Today
Heading back to his hometown, Isaiah Russo encounters the brother he has hurt, the father he has always been distant from, and the teenage son whom he has never met. His new-found faith is put to the test as seeks to make amends.
These poems are about my life experience. They are a glimpse into my journey of reclaiming my life. I began writing poetry as a way of releasing stress, loneliness, and sadness. When I moved to Calgary I had no one to talked to. I felt very alone and out of place, and I had no idea what I was going to do with myself. All of my friends were in Montréal, along with everything I had ever owned. I only had five hundred dollars in my wallet, and two suitcases full of toys, clothes, and important documents....
Ages 10-14 Life is wonderful! At least that's what thirteen-year-old Cassie believes. Everything seems perfect: she's tried out for--and won--the lead role in the eighth-grade musical and she's singing with the best-looking guy in school. Cassie is sure of one thing: nothing can stop her now! Then her dad moves out. And Cassie's perfect world comes crashing down around her . . .
New memoir from George M. Johnson, the New York Times bestselling author of All Boys Aren't Blue—a "deeply impactful" (Nic Stone), "striking and joyful" (Laurie Halse Anderson), and "stunning read" (Publishers Weekly, starred) that celebrates Black boyhood and brotherhood in all its glory! This is the vibrant story of George, Garrett, Rall, and Rasul -- four children raised by Nanny, their fiercely devoted grandmother. The boys hold each other close through early brushes with racism, memorable experiences at the family barbershop, and first loves and losses. And with Nanny at their center, they are never broken. George M. Johnson captures the unique experience of growing up as a Black boy in America through rich family stories that explore themes of vulnerability, sacrifice, and culture. Complete with touching letters from the grandchildren to their beloved matriarch and a full color photo insert, this heartwarming and heartbreaking memoir is destined to become a modern classic of emerging adulthood.
Becoming a dragon is a dangerously subtle process. You make a long chain of bad choices. The chain gradually wraps around you. Layer by layer, it begins to take on the aspect of scales. One day you glance at yourself in the mirror and a monster is staring back at you. You aren't who you used to be. You aren't who you want to be. You're not who you were created and designed to be. Instead, you're a dragon. When Jim Burgen was nineteen years old, he realized how easy it had been to become a dragon. He knew he didn't want to be one anymore . . . but how? No More Dragons is the story of our common, hopeful journey from dragonhood back to personhood. As Pastor Burgen narrates the remarkable process of reclaiming himself from himself, he implores modern church goers to shake off the trivialities of churchiness in favor of the substantive questions that make a spiritual transformation: “Is Jesus the only one who can undragon people?” “Why don't I like most churches?” “Where is God in difficult times?” “How do you shed decades of gnarly scales?” Some choices will lead you to a better life. Some will kill you. Some choices will add a new layer of scales to your dragon, and some will slough them off. No More Dragons is about asking Christ to deliver you and learning how to obey him.
“Such a visual piece . . . readers young and old will return to the story to look more deeply; they won’t be disappointed.” — Booklist (starred review) In a city full of hurried people, only young Will notices the bird lying hurt on the ground. With the help of his sympathetic mother, he gently wraps the injured bird and takes it home. Wistful and uplifting in true Bob Graham fashion, here is a tale of possibility — and of the souls who never doubt its power.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This inspiring guide to healing and growth illuminates the richness and potential of every life, even in the face of loss and adversity—now updated with additional toolbox materials and a new preface by the author In the more than twenty-five years since she co-founded Omega Institute—now the world’s largest center for spiritual retreat and personal growth—Elizabeth Lesser has been an intimate witness to the ways in which people weather change and transition. In a beautifully crafted blend of moving stories, humorous insights, practical guidance, and personal memoir, she offers tools to help us make the choice we all face in times of challenge: Will we be broken down and defeated, or broken open and transformed? Lesser shares tales of ordinary people who have risen from the ashes of illness, divorce, loss of a job or a loved one—stronger, wiser, and more in touch with their purpose and passion. And she draws on the world’s great spiritual and psychological traditions to support us as we too learn to break open and blossom into who we were meant to be.