David S. Schaff's biography of the Czech priest Jan Hus - whose name is commonly anglicized as John Huss - is eye-opening and detailed, shedding light upon the philosophy and conflicts which led to Huss's execution. Born into an era of immense religious fervor, Huss quickly distinguished himself with a commitment to Christian studies. His youth was spent singing in churches, where he made a subsistence income from donations. His intellectual abilities proven, he was an early attendant of the University of Prague where he acquired degrees. He quickly translated writings of John Wyclif, who himself (illegally in church law) translated the Bible to Middle English. Perceiving immorality on the part of certain clerics, priests and bishops, Huss publicly condemned and ridiculed these moral failings. Events took a tumultuous turn when the Papal schism resulted in two claims for the Papacy, which threw the Catholic church into chaos. Huss's criticisms grew, and so did the number of enemies he had in the church.

Sweeping the ashes out of the fireplace at my first job as a cleaning lady, I was overwhelmed. My husband of 23 years had left me for another woman, and I was thrust into the role of a struggling single mom. At that time my mother died of cancer, my house went into foreclosure, my car was repossessed, and I was forced into unexpected bankruptcy. In frustration, I lifted my hands up to the Lord and cried out, "God, I feel like Cinderella " He answered me right away. He said, "You are Cinderella, and I will redeem you " I had already experienced the supernatural power of prayer, healings and miracles. I was visited by an angel and prayed for a man that was raised from the dead. So when I heard God answer me in those ashes, I knew I had to trust him like never before. LuAnne's life testimony proves that God can take a life that has a dysfunctional childhood, an abusive marriage, and a seemingly helpless situation, and transform it into a life of joyful fulfillment. Dr. Bill Hamon The stories of God's intervention and his power, the working of the gifts of the Spirit and the miraculous divine appointments are encouraging and amazing. Randy Clark I cried as I read between the lines of my friend's life, but I rejoiced as I saw how faithful God is. You will be encouraged as you read this book of LuAnne's childlike faith and God's supernatural power. Dr Sharon Stone This book will teach you the power of forgiveness. Barbara Wentroble LuAnne Mast and her husband are senior pastors at Destiny Christian Church in Dover, DE. Their traveling ministry is Eagle Fire Ministries; speaking in churches and conferences internationally. They are ordained by Dr. Bill Hamon of Christian International.

The autobiography of John Hitchcock is a true life story that will make you laugh and it will make you cry. All readers will find comfort in the acceptance and easiness to relate to his stories. The stories of adventure, danger, deliverance, and the unseen hand of God in John's life will keep you engaged. John stutters, yet every time he prays, preaches or sings he is totally fluent. He is an example that miracles do happen. The pages will become addictive and it will be almost impossible to put the book down. You will read stories about the wildlife in Africa that almost killed him to the eerie acquaintances with spirits and ghosts that are sure to make the hair on your neck stand up. Readers will cry as they turn each page as they become John's friend and feel his pain as they discover his heartaches and setbacks, but will smile as they learn that all things happen for a reason. Read the story of a classic romance that will give others hope in the low times of their lives. There is a story for everyone, from young to aged, I dare you to enter John's world and quickly become a friend of his literature" - Charlene Hitchcock, daughter.

www.johnhitchcockministries.blogspot.com

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"Free Will, No Choice" is Wendy Buckingham's first published work, a memoir which chronicles her childhood, adolescence, and how she came to meet and join The Unification Church of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. She was to be a faithful follower for half of her adult life before becoming disillusioned by it all after making a pilgrimage to Korea intended to further deepen her faith. The story opens with the recollection of a picture-perfect day with her and her playmates enjoying a carefree life in a wooded bedroom community in the northwest suburbs of Chicago in the mid-1950s. The tragic death of her older sister from leukemia at age 8 creates a tangible disturbance in the family, and as happens all too frequently when such a tragedy strikes a young married couple, her parents divorce not long after. Her mother decides to move back to her hometown of Denver with Wendy and her younger sister Georgia, just as the girls are reaching adolescence. Mother realizes that she cannot survive for long as a single mom with two daughters without an income, and sets her sights on well-to-do bachelors in the Denver social circles. Drugs and alcohol come to be convenient avenues of escape for the author as she is moved in and out of a variety of schools before finally graduating from high school back in Illinois. She has the opportunity to do some traveling with Georgia before the independent-minded Hitchcock sisters seemingly go their separate ways. In 1975, a letter from Georgia from a new age community outside of San Francisco gets Wendy's attention. Sensing that Georgia may have been lured into a cult of some kind, the author decides to travel to the west coast to see for herself what sister has gotten herself into. Long story short, Georgia's stay with the Creative Community Project (aka The Unification Church) ends within 3 months. Wendy's is to last considerably longer. Positive changes in mind, body and spirit are immediately evidenced for our heroine, who begins to experience a most substantial presence of and relationship with God. The first seven years in the movement are spent on MFT (Mobile Fundraising Teams), raising money to support Rev. Moon in his vision of building the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (even though Jesus very plainly said that The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.). Having laid the seven year foundation of fundraising to qualify to be matched (engaged) and blessed (married) by Sun Myung Moon, the scene shifts to New York City and the New Yorker Hotel (now the World Mission Center for The Unification Church), where Rev. Moon is preparing to match 1,500 men and women with unshakeable faith in him as the 2nd Coming of Christ. Wendy emerges from the ceremony with her fiance, Francis Buckingham, and her foot-soldier days are behind her. As family life begins, they find in one another alternative sounding boards for what they really believe and why they are doing what they're doing. With the arrival of their son in 1991, the demands on their time and the little money they have for themselves become more and more unreasonable and unbearable. Where is the messiah when you really need him? As the storm clouds loom in the distance, hope arrives in the form of a book they discover sitting on a shelf in the home of another church couple. It's entitled A Course in Miracles. It begins by stating: Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the Peace of God. The story of the next leg of the journey is now in progress: the power of Faith guided by Wisdom.

Knowing is a process, not an arrival. "The Place of Knowing: A Spiritual Autobiography" celebrates the spiritual-both seen and unseen-through the life of acclaimed writer and devout Mormon Emma Lou Warner Thayne.

In this insightful, eloquently written memoir, Emma Lou-author of thirteen books of poetry, essays, and fiction-shares poignant personal anecdotes that begin with a terrifying near-death experience when, without warning, a six-pound iron rod smashed through a car windshield into her face. As she narrates her journey through her recovery process, she reflects on previous life experiences-from the daily to the sublime. Through both example and insight, she shares adventures while offering a calming presence for those who may fear death, yearn to know how to celebrate life, and crave direction on how to access the wonders of the divine.

For anyone who has wondered about life after death or who desires a better understanding of his or her divine self, "The Place of Knowing" will inspire spiritual seekers everywhere to reach out in friendship to others and to embrace new experiences-ultimately discovering themselves in the process.

A deeply considered new biography of the visionary Dominican by a leading Renaissance scholar Girolamo Savonarola, the fifteenth-century doom-saying friar, embraced the revolution of the Florentine republic and prophesied that it would become the center of a New Age of Christian renewal and world domination. This new biography, the culmination of many decades of study, presents an original interpretation of Savonarola's prophetic career and a highly nuanced assessment of his vision and motivations. Weinstein sorts out the multiple strands that connect Savonarola to his time and place, following him from his youthful rejection of a world he regarded as corrupt, to his engagement with that world to save it from itself, to his shattering confession-an admission that he had invented his prophesies and faked his visions. Was his confession sincere? A forgery circulated by his inquisitors? Or an attempt to escape bone-breaking torture? Weinstein offers a highly innovative analysis of the testimony to provide the first truly satisfying account of Savonarola and his fate as a failed prophet.

"Peter Clark's ministerial journey provides an in-depth understanding of the sacrifices and hardships faced by black Methodist preachers as they spread the gospel and expanded Methodism in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. It provides deep insight into the racial attitudes and economic conditions that prevailed in post-Reconstruction Louisiana." - Angella Current-Felder, author, Breaking Barriers: An African American Family & the Methodist Story

"I could feel the story better than most because I had been down some of the same roads Peter Clark traveled, although a hundred years later and under more comfortable circumstances.'' - Rev. James L. Killen, Jr., author, Pastoral Care in the Small Membership Church

"We sensed Peter Clark's strength and leadership throughout this very turbulent and racially charged time in our history. He would have been honored to have his life written about with such loving care." - Rev. Cindy Foster Serio, spiritual director and retreat leader, Mosaic Spiritual Formation Ministry

"The information regarding tuberculosis is insightful. The biography walks the reader through some very important points and offers some food for thought on the thinking at the time and implications for the race, the individual and the family unit." - Dr. Lisa Armitige, medical consultant, Heartland National TB Center

Susan Mbaluka grew up in a small village in Kenya. Her Christian mother taught her to rely on God and shun the superstitious practices of the witchdoctor. Many times throughout her early childhood, Susan faced unthinkable danger and hardships, but she sought to develop a faith in God like her mother. As she drew closer to God and deepened her relationship with Him, little did she know how the devil would try to kill her, discourage her, tempt her, and torment her as she sought to serve God. What did Susan do when she learned about the Sabbath? How did she obtain an education when her family was so poor? What happened when she was faced with death threats? How did she cope with loneliness when she had to be separated from her husband and children for years? Journey with Susan as she shares her life story and testimony to God's faithfulness and protection for her and her family. God's promises are true Read "God Makes a Way" today