How can we devote our lives to the service of others? How can we approach every interaction we have with love and humility? How can we place the needs of others above our own? Time and time again we can look to the example of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. In The Sweetness of His Love, author Jacqueline Mehrabi shares thirty-eight simple stories that stretch from the early days of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's childhood to the last years of His life. In each of these brief episodes, we can learn valuable lessons from 'Abdu'l-Bahá's example. This volume of stories is enhanced by the beautiful, full-page illustrations of Jaci Ayorinde.
To know the Sweet Potato Queens is to love them, and if you haven't heard about them yet, you will. Since the early 1980s, this group of belles gone bad has been the toast of Jackson, Mississippi, with their glorious annual appearance in the St. Patrick's Day parade. In The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love, their royal ringleader, Jill Conner Browne, introduces the Queens to the world with this sly, hilarious manifesto about love, life, men, and the importance of being prepared. Chapters include: • The True Magic Words Guaranteed to Get Any Man to Do Your Bidding • The Five Men You Must Have in Your Life at All Times • Men Who May Need Killing, Quite Frankly • What to Eat When Tragedy Strikes, or Just for Entertainment • The Best Advice Ever Given in the Entire History of the World From tales of the infamous Sweet Potato Queens' Promise to the joys of Chocolate Stuff and Fat Mama's Knock You Naked Margaritas, this irreverent, shamelessly funny book is the gen-u-wine article.
Emily wished she was invisible. But after moving to a new town with her dad, a charming boy makes it impossible for her to disappear. Despite her feelings of unworthiness, Emily soon finds herself drawn to the safety of Jake's world. Good looking and the star of the hockey team, Jake has a lot going for him. What most people don't see is the difficult life he has at home. When quiet Emily steals his heart, Jake vows to help her discover she is worthy of love. Just when the two of them realize the sweetness of their relationship, they are put to the test. Only together can they overcome their haunted pasts to fight for a future together
The definitive biography of Chicago Bears and Hall of Fame superstar Walter Payton. Based on meticulous research and interviews with nearly 700 contacts, an unforgettable portrait that describes a man who lived his life just like he played the game: at full speed.
I AM SO IN LOVE WITH YOU CHARLIE, I CAN'T SEE STRAIGHT.Ex-Commando Deck Johnston has a busy life. He is the boss of a successful construction company. The Co-Founder and Sergeant At Arms of the Wounded Souls MC. And he is a single father to a three-year old Blue-eyed raven-haired princess, who has a liking for swearing,guns, cammo and pink tutu's.Deck's life is full. and he isn't looking for anything more.
From the author of "Italian for Beginners," a lush, heartwarming novel about a woman who travels to Paris to uncover a family secret for her dying grandmother--and discovers more than she ever imagined.
As Christians, we know we have not been promised an easy, carefree life. And yet we resist suffering at every turn, despite Jesus’ clear and direct conditions if we want to be his disciples: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24). The truth is most of us find the cross bitter. We’d rather not have to carry it, and we wonder why God demands it of us. In Sweet Cross: A Marian Guide to Suffering, Laura Phelps reveals not only why suffering is a necessary part of our Christian life, but how we can learn to carry our cross without fear or complaint — and even to find that it is sweet. The secret is Mary. Mary teaches us to be patient in our pain and strong in our suffering. Imitating her virtues fortifies us to embrace our suffering and to see the cross as it truly is: the place where Jesus shows his incredible love for us, and where we are given the opportunity to love him in return. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Laura Phelps is a speaker, visionary leader, and author of Victorious Secret: Everyday Battles and How to Win Them. She is a regular contributor at WalkingWithPurpose.com, blogs at LauraMaryPhelps.com, and has written for various online publications, including Catholic Mom. She lives with her husband, Nick, their four children, and a menagerie of pets in Connecticut.
From childhood, willful, intelligent Saira Qader broke the boundaries between her family's traditions and her desire for independence. A free-spirited and rebellious Muslim-American of Indo-Pakistani descent, she rejected the constricting notions of family, duty, obligation, and fate, choosing instead to become a journalist, the world her home. Five years later, tragedy strikes, throwing Saira's life into turmoil. Now the woman who chased the world to uncover the details of other lives must confront the truths of her own. In need of understanding, she looks to the stories of those who came before—her grandparents, a beloved aunt, her mother and father. As Saira discovers the hope, pain, joy, and passion that defined their lives, she begins to face what she never wanted to admit—that choice is not always our own, and that faith is not just an intellectual preference.
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER / AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK ONE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2021 Winner of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize Longlisted for the 2022 Carnegie Medal for Excellence Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad, "a miraculous debut" (Washington Post) and "a towering achievement of imagination" (CBS This Morning)about the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance will alter their lives, and his, forever--from "a storyteller with bountiful insight and assurance" (Kirkus) A Best Book of the Year: Oprah Daily, NPR, Washington Post, Time, Boston Globe, Smithsonian, Chicago Public Library, BookBrowse, and the Oregonian A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice A July Indie Next Pick In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry--freed by the Emancipation Proclamation--seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabelle. The Walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers to work their farm, hoping through an unexpected friendship to stanch their grief. Prentiss and Landry, meanwhile, plan to save money for the journey north and a chance to reunite with their mother, who was sold away when they were boys. Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers. The young men, recently returned from the war to the town of Old Ox, hold their trysts in the woods. But when their secret is discovered, the resulting chaos, including a murder, unleashes convulsive repercussions on the entire community. In the aftermath of so much turmoil, it is Isabelle who emerges as an unlikely leader, proffering a healing vision for the land and for the newly free citizens of Old Ox. With candor and sympathy, debut novelist Nathan Harris creates an unforgettable cast of characters, depicting Georgia in the violent crucible of Reconstruction. Equal parts beauty and terror, as gripping as it is moving, The Sweetness of Water is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love amid the most harrowing circumstances.
Suffering is often a reality people don’t choose. However, they do have a choice in how to respond to it. In The Sweet Side of Suffering, author M. Esther Lovejoy explores the character of God to help readers find a response that sweetens the bitter waters of suffering. This engaging book is written in a narrative voice, sharing biblical truths and practical insights from the author’s personal experiences. Readers can find a message of hope and encouragement as they discover a fresh perspective on strengthening their relationship with God and renewing their confidence in knowing that He is always there.
