Here is the touching and inspirational story of the author whose life was filled with confusion and bitterness, then a successful ministry, followed by burnout that led to a redirected ministry.
We live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it’s easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.
A lavish presentation of 208 folksongs collected throughout Alabama in the 1940s Alabama is a state rich in folksong tradition, from old English ballads sung along the Tennessee River to children’s game songs played in Mobile, from the rhythmic work songs of the railroad gandy dancers of Gadsden to the spirituals of the Black Belt. The musical heritage of blacks and whites, rich and poor, hill folk and cotton farmers, these songs endure as a living part of the state’s varied past. In the mid 1940s Byron Arnold, an eager young music professor from The University of Alabama, set out to find and record as many of these songs as he could and was rewarded by unstinting cooperation from many informants. Mrs. Julia Greer Marechal of Mobile, for example, was 90 years old, blind, and a semi-invalid, but she sang for Arnold for three hours, allowing the recording of 33 songs and exhausting Arnold and his technician. Helped by such living repositories as Mrs. Marechal, the Arnold collection grew to well over 500 songs, augmented by field notes and remarkable biographical information on the singers. An Alabama Songbook is the result of Arnold’s efforts and those of his informants across the state and has been shaped by Robert W. Halli Jr. into a narrative enriched by more than 200 significant songs-lullabies, Civil War anthems, African-American gospel and secular songs, fiddle tunes, temperance songs, love ballads, play-party rhymes, and work songs. In the tradition of Alan Lomax’s The Folk Songs of North America and Vance Randolph’s Ozark Folksongs, this volume will appeal to general audiences, folklorists, ethnomusicologists, preservationists, traditional musicians, and historians.
What happens when crazy becomes real? At twenty-two, Grace Avalon left her body to be swept into luminous kaleidoscopic light bearing images of places she'd never seen. Escaping from her abusive life, in joyous laughter she surrendered to the light. Her husband placed her in a mental hospital-over twenty years the places in her euphoric visions actually came true. Marianne Williamson, author of Return to Love, has said, "Grace Avalon inspires all of us to trust the wisdom of our hearts. Here is spirituality in practice." THANK GOD I'M CRAZY is an other-worldly confession, as Grace is led out of a secret life of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and experiences deep healing when overcome by flashbacks of blocked abuse, including past lives-all connecting the dots to her soul. Guided by her inner voice, Grace realizes a compass was fixed within her for her path out of abuse . . . back to herself. Everyone can hear their own inner voice and everyone's symbolic messengers are different. Spirituality is our gift . . . it's as normal as breathing. No matter how bad it gets, each painful challenge is a doorway to a greater self, another way. When we are in joy, we have found our truth. You will never see life the same again.Kyle Cease, comedian, transformational entertainer, says, ""I recommend Thank God I'm Crazy to anyone who wants to learn to love life right now." Follow along an incredible journey outside the boundaries of ordinary perception, and allow for the possibility of pure wonder. On these pages, one can discover and celebrate the love, peace and innocence to be found within. Grace's path out of hell also becomes a demonstration ofA COURSE IN MIRACLES (spiritual philosophy) made practical. Included also, are pictures of places which actually occurred, as seen in her visions