In "This Son Also Rises in the West, "Ihsan Rajab embarks upon his voyage, which begins in urban Newark, New Jersey, where he grew up in midst of the turbulent sixties, . It is the story of his search for the truth and inner peace in a world full of confusion and uncertainty. Through his struggles, changes, and exciting travel to seventeen countries, Rajab revisits the memories of his dysfunctional family. They are finally united by a spiritual thread of reflection, redemption, and belief.

He credits his father's love and ability to rise above his own imperfections as a determining factor in his growth from child to man. Through his father's mistakes and imperfections, he learned many life lessons that are now part of him forever. His father's wisdom instilled identity, purpose, and direction in him. He was inspired by his father's uncompromising principles of self-discipline, self-determination, and perseverance through adversity and his own unwavering belief in God when there was nowhere else to turn.

His powerful story strives to remove ignorance and confusion while journeying on the road to peace and salvation. A tale of a once "typical" African American family illustrates the choices its members have made and propels them along a new path of satisfaction to a bright and positive future.

'A fascinating and thoughtful exploration of faith in the modern world. If you're wondering why it matters and how to make sense of it, read on.' Clare Balding Is it possible to believe in God and be gay? How does it feel to be excluded from a religious community because of your sexuality? Why do some people still believe being LGBT is a sin? The Book of Queer Prophets contains modern-day epistles from some of our most important thinkers, writers and activists: Jeanette Winterson tackles religious dogma, Amrou Al-Kadhi writes about trying to make it as a Muslim drag queen in London, John Bell writes about his decision to come out later in life, Tamsin Omond remembers getting married in the middle of a protest and Kate Bottley explains her journey to becoming an LGBT ally. Essays from: Jeanette Winterson, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Padraig O Tuama, Garrard Conley, Juno Dawson, Rev. Winnie Varghese, Keith Jarrett, Jay Hulme, Lucy Knight, Tamsin Omond, Erin Clark, Michael Segalov, Jarel Robinson-Brown, John L. Bell, Mpho Tutu van Furth, Karl Rutlidge, Garry Rutter, Rev Rachel Mann, Jack Guiness, Dustin Lance Black, Ric Stott. Afterword: Kate Bottley

These volumes trace the Presbyterian Pulpit from the earliest days of the country until the early 1860's. This three volume hardcover set is very difficult to find and you can purchase all three volumes for less than you could purchase one volume from antiquarian booksellers. "Sprague's 'Annals of the American Pulpit' was one of the most useful reference works of the nineteenth century. By recording, often from personal acquaintances, key information about a wide range of clergymen in early American history, Sprague made it possible to peer much further into the day-by-day lives of the churches. This reprinting of the volumes dealing with Presbyterian ministers should be welcome to all students of early American history, but especially by those who desire a sense of how religious life 'on the ground' was carried out." Mark A. Noll, Professor of History, Wheaton College (IL)

This comprehensive biography of Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes his theological positions and contributions as a theologian. Pope Benedict XVI: A Biography is an incisive exploration of the life and career of the current head of the Roman Catholic Church, with an emphasis on his theological positions and contributions as a theologian. Written by a Catholic priest who is an expert on Bavarian theology, the book looks at Benedict's family life, his teen years in Nazi Germany, his rise in the Church, and the beliefs that shape his Papacy. Readers of this biography will learn that, in addition to his native German, Benedict XVI speaks Italian, French, English, Spanish, and Latin fluently, has a knowledge of Portuguese, and can read ancient Greek and biblical Hebrew. They will discover that he plays the piano and is very fond of cats. Perhaps surprisingly, they will find that during the time of the Second Vatican Council, the Pope was viewed as a reformer, and that he continues to regard himself as a supporter of the Council's teaching, holding, however, that those teachings have been widely misinterpreted. All this and more make for a fascinating-and instructive-reading experience. Photographs Lightly annotated bibliography

John Oliver Nelson, born to wealth and privilege, spent much of his life giving that wealth away. In this biography, author Rita M. Yeasted narrates the details of Nelson's life as he fulfilled the Gospel's mandate of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and sheltering the homeless.

"JON: John Oliver Nelson and the Movement for Power in the Church" tells the life story of this man, known as a quick-witted, intelligent, and charming visionary and dreamer, from his birth in 1909 until his death in 1990. A lover of liturgy, music, and fine arts, Nelson is best known as a national leader for the subtle re-empowering of the Church in our culture and for the founding of the nation's first Protestant retreat center, Kirkridge, in the Appalachian Mountains in Bangor, Pennsylvania, in 1942. Begun as a center for the renewal of clergy, Kirkridge soon attracted laity of all faiths.

Jack Nelson's influence extended to thousands over his years as Yale Divinity professor, director of Kirkridge, retreat leader, and spiritual director. Scion of one of Pittsburgh's most prominent Presbyterian families, Jack died in poverty, but rich in friends. With photographs included, "JON" and the story it tells presents his legacy to the world.

"Sandy" will encourage and strengthen your faith. Leighton Ford shares the joy of his son's exceptional life and the pain of his untimely death. His story captures the vitality of a young man with a heart for God.

The early 1930's were a period of dire foreboding for the entire world. The dark clouds of World War II were rapidly gathering, as the Jewish population of Europe was becoming especially vulnerable to the most hideous form of genocide that had ever been devised. It was with this background that a young boy made his way to school on the morning after Kristalnacht. In the fascinating and absorbing chapters that follow, the author, Norbert Weinberg, vividly describes how his family made it to the shores of America, via a year in London. Dressed in European-style knickers and hardly able to speak English, the boy tackles his social and educational challenges. His success is apparent when he is ordained as a rabbi at Yeshiva University in New York. Many captivating incidents and situations are discussed as the rabbi meets with personages such Senator Edward Kennedy, President Jimmy Carter and opens a session of the House of Representatives with an invocation. But the heart of the book lies in his warm relationships with congregants, members of other faiths and family. The pages are infused with humor as when, for example, the rabbi is housed in a small hotel in Quebec City, Canada, for a rabbinical interview. A brooding portrait of Jesus stares at him from over his bed. How do they get along? Or when, in that same city, he was invited to a formal event at which everyone raised a glass of wine to toast the Queen and his wine was not kosher. Was this a soluble predicament? The poignant pages of this book promise to warm the heart of every reader.

Based on diaries and his published works, Nichols presents an account of Adrian Fortescue's developing personality with an interpretative overview of his writing. Beginning with Fortescue's family background, it looks at his reactions to clerical training, and the wider scene, in Rome and Austria-Hungry at the end of the nineteenth century and the attempts of a widely read and imaginative man to adjust to the limits of priestly life in the East End of London, and the home counties in the Edwardian epoch. (Lutterworth Press 2011)

With a great sense of adventure, Franzi Willimann lives a happy and successful life. Now in his seventies, this retired corporate executive, Army veteran, husband, and father of four, is a proud American. But he began life in Switzerland in the 1930's, the child of hard-working hoteliers who taught him to love life, to cherish his faith and his family, and to give generously of himself every single day. Beloved by his family and a multitude of devoted friends, success, for this most happy fellow, is a divine mix of the dark and the light, the joys and sorrows of everyday living. Told with extraordinary humor and simplicity, his story offers each one of us a roadmap to lasting joy and contentment.

As Franzi Willimann and his family will show you, the secret to true happiness is not in what we do, where we live, or how much we achieve, nor is it found in physical beauty, wealth, or social status. True happiness is created in tender minutia, in the small details of lives lived with devoted attention to relationships, to humble service, and to love. Enjoy the story of "O'pa," a genuine treasure of a life bestowing its riches on all those it touches as it unfolds - one glorious day, one devoted hour, one joyously savored moment at a time.

BATTERED BUT NOT SHATTERED Rape, incest, alcoholism, addiction, mentally torture...the list could go on and on with ways that sin poisons our lives. Whether the sin is self- imposed or committed by someone else, it always has the power to cause us utter despair and a deep-seated sense of shame. Shame often convinces us we are irreparably damaged at our very core. The enemy wants us to believe this lie. God says that there is nothing about us that cannot be redeemed God can bring absolute and total healing to the places where we bury our darkest, most shameful secrets. In our lives, storms come and go. Some storms come to take you down but some come to take you higher. The word God lets us know in the book of Mark chapter 4:37-39, that there was a great storm that arose. The wind was fierce and the waves were so ferocious that the boat which Jesus and His disciplines were in was full of water. This story tells us that Jesus was in the rear of the ship, asleep on a pillow. His disciples woke him up and asked him, "Don't you care if we perish, Master?" Jesus got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea "Peace be still." When Jesus spoke to the storm, the wind ceased and there was great calm. This incident teaches us that despite the storms we face in life, when Jesus is in our boat (our lives), and we let Him speak to our storms, we may get battered but we will never be shattered. Loretta Hunt Freeman, a preacher, and teacher. Her obedience's is is to go wherever God leads to share his powerful word . Carson Samuel Freeman, Loretta 's husband is a great Guitarist.