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.

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.

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."

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.

'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."

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.

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

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.

New in the acclaimed Jewish Lives series: A biography of the rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who became a symbol of the marriage between religion and social justice "Zelizer's book is absolutely riveting, both as a study of a truly important figure within Jewish thought and in providing insight into the politics of the 1960s."-Sandy Levinson, Balkinization "When I marched in Selma, I felt my legs were praying." So said Polish-born American rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) of his involvement in the 1965 Selma civil rights march alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Heschel, who spoke with a fiery moralistic fervor, dedicated his career to the struggle to improve the human condition through faith. In this new biography, author Julian Zelizer tracks Heschel's early years and foundational influences-his childhood in Warsaw and early education in Hasidism, his studies in late 1920s and early 1930s Berlin, and the fortuitous opportunity, which brought him to the United States and saved him from the Holocaust, to teach at Hebrew Union College and the Jewish Theological Seminary. This deep and complex portrait places Heschel at the crucial intersection between religion and progressive politics in mid-twentieth-century America. To this day Heschel remains a symbol of the fight to make progressive Jewish values relevant in the secular world.

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.

Everybody loves "Novice to Master" As you'll see in the glowing endorsements and reviews included below, this modern spiritual classic has been embraced by readers of all types.
In his singularly humorous and biitingly direct way, Zen abbot Soko Morinaga tells the story of his rigorous training at a Japanese Zen temple, his spiritual growth and his interactions with his students and others. Morinaga's voice is uniquely tuned to the truth of the condition of the human mind and spirit and his reflections and interpretations are unvarnished and succinct. His great gift is the ability to lift the spirit of the reader all the while exposing the humility and weakness in the lives of people, none more so than his own.
Read on to see what everyone from "Publishers Weekly" to well-known Buddhist figures and even "New York Times" bestselling author Anthony Swofford have to say about this one of a kind book

This is the latest edition of Opening the Dragon Gate--the authorized biography of contemporary Taoist master Wang Liping (1949-). Wang is an 18th generation transmitter of Dragon Gate Taoism. This book tells the true story of his apprenticeship in Taoist wizardry, as well as the specialized body of knowledge, mystical wisdom and ritualized practice accumulated and refined over eleven centuries. His story begins with a seemingly chance encounter with three Taoist elders when he was a young boy. What follows is a philosophical quest in a coming-of-age tale like no other, playing out in mountainside temples and remote reaches of China. Wang's story parallels that of the Dalai Lama, as--like Tibetan Buddhists--Dragon Gate Taoists identify, raise and train specially chosen youngsters to become the holders, guardians and transmitters of their ancient, esoteric spiritual wisdom. While few of us will become spiritual gurus like Wang, his story speaks clearly and concisely to modern readers who are on their own "chosen paths," seeking their own forms of self-cultivation, enlightenment, wisdom and a life of greater harmony and truth.

What can you do when your well-laid plans fall apart and life takes an unexpected turn?

Brenda Warner is best known as the outspoken wife of NFL superstar and "Dancing with the Stars" alum Kurt Warner. But years earlier, she found herself living through any woman's nightmare: a healthy baby tragically injured in the bathtub; a sudden end to a career she loved; betrayal and divorce; poverty; public humiliation; a deadly natural disaster that destroyed her foundation and shook her to her core. One shattering phone call at a time, Brenda Warner's life came to resemble little of her dream.

But each time her plans fell apart, Brenda faced a choice: to collapse in the face of tragedy or press forward and survive. She chose to keep going. In the process, she's learned that the unexpected is only one call away. Her story provides hope and encouragement for anyone facing life's challenges and shows us that our circumstances don't tell us who we are, nor are they a measure of God's love. God has a plan for us, even when our plans fail. Brenda's life is proof that sometimes the best dreams are not the ones we dream, but the ones that come true when we least expect them.

"Brenda Warner remains a soldier fi ghting for faith and life in the face of unexplainable devastation. The fortitude of this 'marine mom' will grab your heart. If you think Kurt Warner's journey is moving, do not wait to read the story of Brenda."

--Elizabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of "The View" and special contributor for "Good Morning America," "ABC News"

"We have all had the phone ring and our lives changed. Brenda Warner's moving and inspiring memoir reminds us all of the power of family, the miracles and misfortunes of life, and the foundation that faith plays in our all-too-human existences. Unflinching and fearless, she is the woman I want in my corner: safe, smart, and savvy. A heroine for us all."

--Jamie Lee Curtis, Author/actress/mother/sister