Reaching for Heaven chronicles Rebecca Browder's struggle with the Proteus syndrome, a condition that involves atypical growth of the bones, skin, head, and a variety of other symptoms. Rebecca is dedicated to learning as much as she can and to sharing a positive outlook on life through her faith in her Savior, Jesus Christ. She has learned to overcome overwhelming obstacles because of her malformation and medial disabilities manifested by the Proteus syndrome.

Rebecca seeks to reach out to others who may be struggling with a disability or with a challenging life. By letting people know that they are not alone, Rebecca believes she is fulfilling God's purpose for her. She believes that God doesn't take anything away from us to make us sad or hurt us, but rather to make us stronger so that we can reach out to others and treat them with loving kindness.

Rebecca's story is one of strength, challenges, and the understanding that God has something better in store for her. It has been challenging for her to go from being able to walk to being bed bound, but she understands that sometimes we have to accept the hardest things in life in order to receive better things in the future. Our faith and trust in God can carry us through our difficulties.

""Sacred Journeys" is a totally fascinating book, raw with spiritual emotion and sexual frankness. I recommend that everyone read it."
--"Rev. Elder Troy Perry, Founder, Metropolitan Community Church"

"Paul Whiting tells his story in his own unique and engaging way, without apologies. He is a truth teller, a gifted preacher, an interpreter of the Word. "Sacred Journeys" is a valuable resource for every library."
--"Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, Metropolitan Community Church"

"While gays and lesbians have gained acceptance among many Christians, the same is not true within conservative churches. Paul Whiting's writings will be of great interest to evangelicals going through experiences similar to his."
--"Andrew Shackleton, Evangelical Fellowship, United Kingdom"

It seems that government wants to invade every part of our lives: our workplace, our religion, even our families. And now our debt As a small businessman, I am appalled at the spending deficit, year after year. Don't our people in Congress know that even the interest on our national debt is a backbreaking load on our economy? Perhaps we have too many lawyers roaming the Hallowed Halls and too few responsible businessmen.

The awful specter of death overwhelmed me. Never again would I hear her bubbly laughter as she jumped into my lap to hug me. Never again would she delight us with her little-girl antics. I begged God to spare her. I confessed every sin I could remember. It was not to be. In His infinite wisdom, God took her home. Oh, Susan.

I consider the Bible to be the most practical book ever written. It teaches us how to live in a world that seems to consider honesty and integrity to be a fault. It teaches purity in a world where chastity is pictured as unnatural. It promotes self-sacrificial friendliness to a grasping, self-seeking world. It teaches us to live peaceably, and finally, it can prepare us for eternity.

The captivating story of the world's favorite saint is now retold for a modern audience by one of the great novelists of our time. Perhaps more than any other figure in Christian history since Jesus Christ, Saint Francis of Assisi has captured our imagination, for his is a story of extreme self-sacrifice, of love to God and man. How could this wealthy, handsome youth cast away all the advantages that were his by birth and choose instead a career of poverty and humility? How could he attract members of all strata of society to his mission? And how, when his order became established throughout Europe, could he renounce great personal power and humbly continue his life's work? Here is Francis, from his twelfth-century boyhood to his life as a missionary roaming the very boundaries of the known world. Here too are the men and women who followed him--Bernard de Quintavalle, the rich businessman; Peter Cathanii, the lawyer; Brother Giles, the farmer's son; Lady Clare; and so many others--all drawn together by the personal magnetism and humble faith of their leader, all re-created by bestselling novelist Elizabeth Goudge against a rich medieval canvas.

Three million girls across the world are at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) each year. When Ann-Marie Wilson met a girl named Fatima in West Darfur, who had experienced FGM at the age of five and was pregnant by the age of ten, she knew she had to do something. Her life's work since then has been geared toward speaking out against FGM, as well as supporting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of as many survivors as possible. Built on the experience of more than 3,000 FGM survivors' stories as well as meetings with heads of state and the Pope, Overcoming tells the compelling story of how Ann-Marie leaned on her Christian faith through her darkest moments to build 28 Too Many. This international organisation offers hope to the millions of girls who, just like Fatima, are at risk of FGM each year.

Part personal narrative, part spiritual formation guide, Be the Brave One is the story of Rev. Ann Kansfield leaving the grind of Wall Street and finding her calling at a church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn; becoming the first female and openly gay chaplain at the New York Fire Department; and getting voted the inaugural New York Times New Yorker of the Year. Guiding her story are the values that anchor her life in an adventurous faith and have allowed her to transform from a ""run-of-the-mill capitalist jerk"" into a pastor, chaplain, wife, mother, and spiritual leader. Be the Brave One weaves gritty, real-life stories with witty commentary and practical faith to explore what it looks like to live out our convictions in our daily lives--and how that can radically change us and those around us. Ultimately, Kansfield's story will leave readers both comforted and challenged to discover and live out their own spiritual values

Puppet, Protestant partisan, or Erasmian humanist: which, if any, was Thomas Cranmer? Although he was a key participant in the changes to English life brought about by the Reformation, his reticent nature and lack of extensive personal writings have left a vacuum. For the first time this book examines little-used manuscript sources to reconstruct Cranmer's personal and theological development.

This book is about my life. The only redemption I got was when God took me into His arms and set me upon a solid foundation. To say that God cannot help me because I am too messed up and bad is not true. If God could reach down and pull me out of the slime pit I spent time living in, He can do the same for you. There is no mountain high enough or no valley low enough that the arm of the Lord cannot reach.

This book is about walking on a path of destructive choices, all the while not realizing in the midst of rebellion and selfishness there was a merciful God standing by and waiting for me to call out to Him.

I can say I am saved and on my way to heaven, and that is true. The ultimate aim is to inspire and encourage folks who are finding it difficult to believe that their lives can change. If one person is helped by my story, then I have succeeded in what I set out to do.

Why Jesus? Perhaps you have had the funny feeling that God wants to get your attention. Or maybe you're intrigued with what you've heard about Jesus. Or maybe you're simply looking for meaning and direction in your life. John Stott spent a lifetime wrestling with questions about Jesus both personally and in dialogue with skeptics and seekers around the globe. In Why I Am a Christian he provides a compelling, persuasive case for considering the Christian faith. If you take an honest look at Jesus, you will discover that following him gives you the purpose, identity and freedom you've been searching for--and far more than you have ever imagined.

The Life and Doctrine of Saint Catherine of Genoa is a biography of the fifteenth century Catholic visionary saint, Caterina Fieschi Adorno, who combined a seemingly limitless intense mystical devotion to Christ with a sweet, humble and obedient nature, and who is noted for her selfless ministrations to the poor and sick. This version of her Life and teachings was translated into English in 1873, from an Italian text largely produced by the spiritual director of her later years, Father Marabotto. This volume also contains her Spiritual dialogue between the soul, the body, self-love, the spirit, humanity, and the Lord God and Treatise on Purgatory .

Meyer's spirited and moving account of the life of King David follows the progress of David from humble shepherd to glorious king of Israel and Judah. The story of David's life and rise from modest beginnings is one of the most celebrated in the Old Testament tradition. This book is an attempt by F. B. Meyer to tell the story of David with a sequential and lively narrative, with the Bible as a source. Meyer's account is readable, colorful and thoroughly rooted in the authentic Biblical canon. We first see David as a bright, courageous young lad, who ascends from obscurity to fame and renown by fighting and defeating the great Goliath. Not merely a great leader, David takes to authoring a great series of sacred songs and hymns celebrating life and the Lord. His wise leadership, which increased the influence of Judaism and its interpretation of God, led David to become one of the most important figures in the Holy Bible.

From the author of I Take My Coffee Black, a sobering, humorous memoir about learning to let go and embrace the sanctity of life after being diagnosed with Cancer.

When Tyler Merritt was diagnosed with cancer, everything he thought he knew about what mattered in life changed. This Changes Everything is a humorous and optimistic love letter to this beautiful life.

Though he made it through a highly invasive surgery and thought he was in the clear, Tyler soon realized that the cancer had other plans. It wasn’t a question of if the tumor would come back for an encore, his doctors told him. It was a question of when. Laced with Tyler’s trademark humor, love of pop culture, and arguably too many musical theater references, This Changes Everything is a story about how wrestling with the idea of death can birth a whole new outlook on life, how we live it, and the urgency that comes when you grasp that time is a precious commodity.