This memoir, compiled from the journals of Hannah Kilham, traces the life of this remarkable woman (1774-1832). It was prepared for publication in 1837 by her stepdaughter, Sarah Biller, who emphasises those aspects of her stepmother's life that support the representation of her as an independent and pioneering women in order to make further claims for women. In 1796 Hannah Kilham joined the Society of Methodists and became an advocate for the poor, for exploited children and for Irish immigrants. She voyaged to Sierra Leone wishing to bring Christianity to its inhabitants and on her third visit to the country she established a school there. Hannah Kilham fought for the rights of slaves and former slaves and against the practices of colonialism and colonial trade. She also produced textbooks for the study of African languages and established herself as a politically astute chronicler of missionary and educational activities.

The Reverend Henry Venn (1725 1797) was an Anglican clergyman who became a central figure in the English evangelical revival movement of the late eighteenth century. This book, containing a substantial selection of his letters and a biography written by his son John, was edited for publication in London in 1834 by his grandson Henry (who himself became an influential clergyman and missionary). The elder Henry Venn, after studying at Cambridge and being ordained priest, had ministered in parishes including Clapham, Huddersfield and Yelling. He was famous for his preaching, which attracted large congregations, and was remembered especially for his work among the urban and rural poor. He also published several books, including The Whole Duty of Man (1763), which reveal the development of his theological views over the course of his life. They are listed in the bibliography of this volume.

David Brainerd dedicated much of his short life to preaching the gospel to Native American peoples. Josiah Pratt's 1834 biography uses Brainerd's own journal and letters to examine the character of an extraordinary man and expose the discrepancy between Brainerd's self-lacerating writings and the exceptional fortitude made evident by his deeds. It includes Brainerd's moving and eloquent account of his own conversion, his chronic illness and the privations he suffered during a life he described as 'a constant mixture of consolations and conflicts'. This fascinating insight into the private thoughts and struggles of a remarkable figure charts his ceaseless pursuit of God and the battle between his inexhaustible religious fervour and his chronic physical infirmity. The book also includes Brainerd's reflections on the process of conversion and the signs of godliness, and his description of the difficulties he faced in converting Native Americans.

Though written for children 12 and older, this is also the best biography for adults of St. Louis De Montfort, the \"Apostle of Mary, \" famous preacher and author of True Devotion to Mary and The Secret of the Rosary. Truly inspiring Impr. 211 pgs 20 Illus, PB

Zac's Place is a church in Swansea. It is a small chaotic community of Jesus followers where the most fragile of life's walking wounded try to work out their faith, because they quite simply wouldn't fit anywhere else. It's also the spiritual home for the local chapter of the motorcycle club God's Squad. Zac's Place was founded in 1998 and for nearly twenty years has been led by Sean Stillman - a "painfully shy, nervous preacher's kid" - whose front-line ministry, at Zac's Place and on the road, has cost him dearly, including physical beating. In Zac's Place, chaos and disorder sit alongside community and grace in an environment that sometimes resembles an AA meeting mixed with a casualty department. This is Sean's personal story of a transformed faith alongside the broken, the story of the church he started and the European-wide growth of an unlikely bunch of biker missionaries. The thread that will run through it is the `greater righteousness' that Christ was looking for - what can happen when our concern for the perfect performance is stripped bare and replaced with poverty of spirit.

In this book Marnie C. Ferree offers a unique resource for women struggling with sexual addiction. Taking her book's title from the parable where Jesus extends grace to the woman caught in adultery, Ferree bravely shares her own story of sexual addiction, recalling her years of shame from living a double life and the moment when she ultimately had to tell the truth. But more than just offering her story as a hopeful example of God's transforming power, Ferree distills her clinical expertise on female sexual addiction accessibly and gently, providing a much-needed resource for women struggling with any degree of relational or sexual addiction. Ferree details the roots of addiction in family trauma and offers clear-eyed advice as both a counselor and a "grateful recovering sex addict" on how to achieve sobriety and healing. Written by a counselor who understands the condition from the inside out, No Stones offers practical help for those battling sexual addiction. It also includes a specific chapter for anyone in close relationship with an addict, whether a spouse, family member, or friend, who wants to come alongside women as they seek help. Important for pastors and church leaders, this book will also be a much sought-after resource for Christian counselors and therapists counseling women who grapple with this type of addiction.

One of the earliest surviving biographies of Prophet Muhammad, translated into readable, modern English for the first time The Expeditions is one of the oldest biographies of the Prophet Muhammad to survive into the modern era. Its primary author, Ma'mar ibn Rashid (96-153/714-770), was a prominent scholar from Basra in southern Iraq who was revered for his learning in prophetic traditions, Islamic law, and the interpretation of the Qur'an. This fascinating foundational seminal work contains stories handed down by Ma'mar to his most prominent pupil, 'Abd al-Razzaq of Sanaa, relating Muhammad's early life and prophetic career as well as the adventures and tribulations of his earliest followers during their conquest of the Near East. This new translation, which renders the original text into readable, modern English for the first time, is accompanied by numerous annotations elucidating the cultural, religious, and historical contexts of the events and individuals described within its pages. The Expeditions represents an important testimony to the earliest Muslims' memory of the lives of Muhammad and his companions, and is an indispensable text for gaining insight into the historical biography of both the Prophet and the rise of the Islamic empire. An English-only edition.

What was distinctive about Christian biography in late antiquity? In this book, Dr Williams examines a range of biographies of prominent Christians written in the fourth and fifth centuries, and suggests that they share a purpose and function which sets them apart from their non-Christian equivalents. This was an age in which the lives of saints first emerged as a literary phenomenon, and a broad perspective on this developing genre is complemented by close readings of more problematic works such as Eusebius of Caesarea's Life of Constantine and the Confessions of Augustine of Hippo. In including such idiosyncratic examples, the aim is to provide a definition of Christian biography which extends beyond mere hagiography, and which expresses a new understanding of the world and the place of individuals within it. It was a world in which lives might be authored by Christians, but could be authorised only by God.

The "Heavenly Man" has been a publishing phenomenon, selling over 500,000 copies in English alone and being translated into more than thirty other languages, evidence of a worldwide interest in Brother Yun's life. "Yun" is a graphic-novel version of "The Heavenly Man" with artwork drawn and inked by Chinese illustrators to keep the style authentic. The artwork is black and white in keeping with the subject.

The Extravagant Fool is an underdog narrative. Readers will have a front row seat to Kevin Adams s breathtaking story---one that builds chronologically through a very difficult four-year period. At the height of financial success, Kevin Adams had it all. A thriving business with more work than he could get to, investments spread out between luxury homes, commercial real estate, and new business ventures. However, by January 2009, over the course of the last 100 days of 2008, Kevin watched in silent amazement as he lost it all. His house of cards came tumbling down. Kevin had a choice: Do what he had always done---work harder. Or, let go of conventional thinking and learn to live by absolute faith in God. With foreclosures, lawsuits, potential homelessness, and his family looking to him for immediate answers, Kevin took the radical position of stopping every effort to survive and resting instead at the feet of Jesus. The process of living literally by faith is a gamble and one that only The Extravagant Fool for God is willing to take. The Extravagant Fool is about encountering God with an uncommon intimacy. Intimacy increases our ability to discern His voice, which leads to the revelation of who we are, what we are to do for Him on earth, and finally, the provision to carry it out. Yet none of this really takes hold without first hearing the kind of living, breathing, testimony offered by The Extravagant Fool, a man who staked his welfare---and future---entirely on the goodness of God."

What happens when a nineteen-year-old boy leaves home and heads into the jungles to evangelize a murderous tribe of South American Indians? For Bruce Olson, it meant capture, disease, terror, loneliness, and torture. But what he discovered by trial and error has revolutionized then world of missions.

Bruchko, which has sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide, has been called "more fantastic and harrowing than anything Hollywood could concoct." Living with the Motilone Indians since 1961, Olson has won the friendship of four presidents of Colombia and has made appearances before the United Nations because of his efforts. Bruchko includes the story of his 1988 kidnapping by communist guerrillas and the nine months of captivity that followed. This revised version of Olson's story will amaze you and remind you that simple faith in Christ can make anything possible. " Bruchko is] an all-time missionary classic. Bruce Olson is a modern missionary hero who has modeled for us in our time the reaching of the unreached tribes." --Loren Cunningham Co-founder, Youth With A Mission

How the South Bronx and Puerto Rican migration defined Fr. Neil Connolly's priesthood as he learned to both serve and be part of his community South Bronx, 1958. Change was coming. Guidance was sorely needed to bridge the old and the new, for enunciating and implementing a vision. It was a unique place and time in history where Father Neil Connolly found his true calling and spiritual awakening. The Kingdom Began in Puerto Rico captures the spirit of the era and the spirit of this great man. Set in historical context of a changing world and a changing Catholic Church, The Kingdom Began in Puerto Rico follows Fr. Neil Connolly's path through the South Bronx, which began with a special Church program to address the postwar great Puerto Rican migration. After an immersion summer in Puerto Rico, Fr. Neil served the largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the Bronx from the 1960s to the 1980s as they struggled for a decent life. Through the teachings of Vatican II, Connolly assumed responsibility for creating a new Church and world. In the war against drugs, poverty, and crime, Connolly created a dynamic organization and chapel run by the people and supported Unitas, a nationally unique peer-driven mental health program for youth. Frustrated by the lack of institutional responses to his community's challenges, Connolly challenged government abandonment and spoke out against ill-conceived public plans. Ultimately, he realized that his priestly mission was in developing new leaders among people, in the Church and the world, and supporting two nationally unique lay leadership programs, the Pastoral Center and People for Change. Discovering the real mission of priesthood, urban ministry, and the Catholic Church in the United States, author Angel Garcia ably blends the dynamic forces of Church and world that transformed Fr. Connolly as he grew into his vocation. The book presents a rich history of the South Bronx and calls for all urban policies to begin with the people, not for the people. It also affirms the continuing relevance of Vatican II and Medellin for today's Church and world, in the United States and Latin America.

"If I were to become a Christian, it would mean not only changing my religion but changing my whole identity and bringing shame upon my family. My whole family is Muslim, and my society and culture were Muslim. . . . Changing from Islam to Christianity would mess up my life forever." So writes Abu Atallah, who grew up in Cairo as an ordinary Egyptian Muslim. He was deeply embedded in his family, religion, and country. For a time he was part of the Muslim Brotherhood. But as he came of age, he began to encounter people who followed a different way, who called themselves Christians. And a radically new life became possible-at great cost and risk, yet with great joy. From Cairo to Christ is the remarkable story of how one Muslim man was drawn to the Christian faith, and how he later became an ambassador for Christ with a ministry in the Muslim world. Atallah has personally helped hundreds of Muslims come to Christ. This narrative sheds light on Islamic cultural dynamics and what Westerners should know about Muslim contexts. Despite the challenges facing believers from Muslim backgrounds, God is bringing surprising numbers of Muslims to Christ. Discover how the good news of Jesus transforms lives in Muslim communities around the world.

A story of Florence's mission to the Kanakas in Australia and the Solomon Islands.

When Mark McDonough was a teen, a catastrophic fire claimed the lives of his mother and younger brother. It also left Mark with burns on over 65 percent of his body. During a long and painful recovery, his faltering faith in God was strengthened by a remarkable near-death experience. Inspired to pursue a career as a plastic surgeon to help those who suffer as he has, McDonough has overcome numerous other adversities on his journey, including addiction and a stroke. Now he shares his incredible true story of survival and perseverance to bring hope and healing to those dealing with great physical and emotional pain. Anyone who has suffered or watched a loved one suffer from a personal trauma, disease, or loss that has tested or stolen their faith and exhausted their emotional resources will find real hope in this redemptive story.

An inspiring story of one woman's survival and her part in God's work in Africa

Annie Chikhwaza grew up in Holland. In struggling to come to terms with her abuse as a child, she tried to commit suicide but was dramatically converted through the ministry of Brother Andrew. She then began to minister, first to the poor and marginalized on the streets of Amsterdam and then in the volatile townships of South Africa during the height of the apartheid era.

After surviving an abusive marriage and the turmoil and humiliation of divorce, she married a poor African pastor and went to Malawi to start an orphanage. Today Annie has nearly two hundred children in her care, many of whom are HIV positive, and she has built a small town called Kondanani ("Love one another"), which boasts a care facility, several children's homes, a nursery school, primary school, and farm. Kondanani is an oasis of love in a country with more than one million orphans. It has attracted the attention of the media around the world and a host of celebrities, including Madonna, who has adopted one of Kondanani's children.

Annie's story, told here for the first time, shares her many terrible trials: abuse, abortion, a broken back, attempted murder, the loss of everything she had built, attempted rape, and the death of her beloved husband. Her story might have been one of bitterness and anger; instead, Annie uses each trial to point to God's love for her and for every one of His creation.

'Si se me acerca'-me dijo Nicky con voz torturada-, lo mato. -Podrias hacerlo-le dije-. Podrias cortarme en mil pedazos y arrojarlos a la calle, pero eso no cambiaria lo que siento por ti. A veces se reian de el, otras lo amenazaban. Pero un dia ocurrio el milagro Varios lideres de pandillas se arrodillaron en el pavimento pidiendo ayuda... David Wilkerson narra con maestria la conmovedora y veridica historia de su mision entre los drogadictos y perdidos en los pecados mas horribles. El autor paso horas amargas en la ciudad de Nueva York, hablando de regeneracion y rehabilitacion a pandilleros endurecidos y llenos de los vicios mas viles. Cuando comienza a leer La Cruz y el Punal no lo podra poner a un lado. Vivira junto a los personajes momentos de temor, angustia, dolor y emocion. Que lo llevaran de la tragedia a la alegria, de las lagrimas a la sonrisa con los hechos autenticos que aqui se relatan."

The true story of a British Bishop who declared himself to be a pacifist, and what he did when England entered World War I

The story of Edward Hicks throws a new light on the problems of conscience World War I created. Acclaimed author G. R. Evans reveals how he wrestled with the issues, yet had to watch his sons go off to fight--one not to return. Drawing upon his detailed diaries, full of indiscreet comments--the sort of thing it would now be unwise for a bishop to write in an e-mail--Evans reveals Edward Hicks to be a man who was wrestling with his own conscience and beliefs. He was also a strong supporter of votes for women, which was highly unusual at that time, and a supporter of teetotalism, an unusual stance for a Church of England dignitary--not uncontroversial matters on which a bishop could adopt a high-profile position without inviting trouble. This book provides a fascinating glimpse into the impact the war had on those who waited at home and tried to hold onto their humanity.

In Your Eyes I See My Words, Volume 3 brings together the homilies and speeches of Archbishop Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from 2009 through his election as Pope Francis on March 13, 2013. These writings provide an intimate glimpse into the theological, philosophical, scientific, and cultural-educational currents that forged the steady, loving, and nurturing leadership style with which Bergoglio guided the Church in Buenos Aires. That style has now done the same for the Church from Rome, a Church rocked by financial and moral scandals, and a world shaken by the first global pandemic in a century. These writings were kneaded-a word he uses when talking about the work of molding the souls and character of youth and seminarians-in the relationships he formed in his bus rides to work and in his intense contact with all segments of the population. Because of that careful and prayerful process of kneading they have found their full development in Bergoglio's writing as Pope Francis, especially in Evangelii gaudium (November 2013); Gaudete et exsultate, On the call to sanctity (March 2018); and his encyclical Laudato si' (May 2015). In this final volume of Bergoglio's homilies and papers we meet European theologians and thinkers such as Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac, and Bergoglio's Uruguayan philosopher and friend, Methol Ferre, the literary figure Miguel Angel Asturias, and Enrique Santos Discepolo, a singer and composer of tangos that decry corruption. In a prophetic conclusion, the last homily of this volume is an outline of the roadmap Pope Francis has followed throughout his papacy: one defined by ongoing love and care for God's people and that seeks to spread God's merciful anointing to those living on the margins of life.

The fascinating, moving story of a friendship with an inmate on death row It was a clash of race, privilege, and circumstance when Alan Robertson first signed up through a church program to visit Cecil Johnson on Death Row, to offer friendship and compassion. Alan's wife Suzanne had no intention of being involved, but slowly, through phone calls and letters, she began to empathize and understand him. That Cecil and Suzanne eventually became such close friends-a white middle-class woman and a Black man who grew up devoid of advantage-is a testament to perseverance, forgiveness, and love, but also to the notion that differences don't have to be barriers. This book recounts a fifteen-year friendship and how trust and compassion were forged despite the difficult circumstances, and how Cecil ended up ministering more to Suzanne's family than they did to him. The story details how Cecil maintained inexplicable joy and hope despite the tragic events of his life and how Suzanne, Alan, and their two daughters opened their hearts to a man convicted of murder. Cecil Johnson was executed Dec. 2, 2009.