People leaving prison; refugees; victims of abuse and prostitution. All struggle to find a home, to build relationships, to get back on their feet. The root cause of homelessness is relational: the homeless suffer not just the lack of a roof, but a lack of love. But what if someone could provide not only a home, but also a network? Real people, who knew what they were doing, and who cared? In 2007 Ed Walker published with Monarch Books a book called Reflections from the Scorched Earth. It described his nine years of living and working in six distinct war zones - notably in Darfur - as a Christian humanitarian aid worker with Tearfund. Returning to the UK, Ed worked for the YMCA for three years. But before long Ed and Rachel felt the call to start a genuinely Christian charity working with ex-offenders and the homeless. The private rental sector was out of reach for many, and government provision was horribly inadequate. Both problems have grown massively in the subsequent years. Scraping together every penny they could find, in 2010 the young couple set up a charity, Hope into Action, invested GBP30,000 in a house and bought the first home for the homeless in partnership with their church. This charity has now grown to 51 homes across fifteen towns and cities. Hope into Action have won numerous awards both secular and Christian (they won the Guardian's Public Service Award in 2017, and an award from the Centre for Social Justice). The vision is simple, but devastatingly effective. It provides a vehicle for Christians with money to invest in housing stock, with a modest but guaranteed return. Once funds in a locality are available, and in partnership with a local church, HiA will select a suitable house, which is refurbished as necessary. Together with the local church, the members of which will receive training from HiA in befriending and providing guidance, HiA will select suitable tenants. HiA provide case workers to monitor, smooth understanding, provide support and impose discipline. The churches offer friendship and local contacts. The underlying vision is not simply to help the marginalised, but to enable churches. Tenants come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are men coming out of prison and stuck in hostels. Some are recommended by social services, others by refugee agencies. In the last year HiA have provided homes for refugees fleeing from Sudan and Darfur, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Syria, and Iran. The results to date have been impressive, bearing in mind that many of those helped have multiple personal challenges. In the annual statement for 2017 Hope into Action report that 87% of tenants succeeded in maintaining their tenancies; 89% of those who had been in custody refrained from crime; 81% of those with addictions reduced or ceased their drug use; 82% reported improved relations with their families; 47% were involved in volunteering, education or training; and 23% had found a job. There is no requirement upon tenants to have any kind of faith (and many clients are Muslim refugees) but many do become believers. There have been endless teething problems. Relationships have broken down. Tenants who seemed well on the way to recovery and stability have gone completely off the rails. Money has been tight. Most notably however, Ed and his small team have seen God move and provide in amazing, multiple ways. "We have seen miracles, healings, conversions, churches transformed," Ed comments. "I have also gone through some major heart-breaks and dangerous situations, but through it all God has been faithful." Hope into Action tells Ed's story of faith and struggle as he and his wife saw the need, felt the call and stepped out in faith, developed a new theology of sharing and saw both tragic and wonderful results. It explains how we meet and grow in Christ as we interact with those in the shadows and those hidden in darkness.

Even when your faith is tested to the limit, God still has a plan for your journey... When Dr. Gene Baillie's wife, Gini, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, their world was forever changed. This book shares the lessons that Gini and Gene learned as God led them through--and beyond--their darkest valleys on their own journey home. The Journey Home is divided into 30 chapters, each of which contains an important milestone that we've passed on our earthly journey through Gini's cancer diagnosis and treatment. Each chapter contains observations and specifics of a trial with Biblical application. The text contains reflections from Gene as well as Bible verses and quotes, followed by a perspective from Gini.

The figure of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) dominates the history of British evangelicalism in the twentieth century. As perhaps the greatest non-conformist statesman of his generation, 'the Doctor' is best known as a preacher and mentor of young preachers. From the pulpit of Westminster Chapel in London and other platforms, he called the evangelical movement back to a robust reformed Christianity, with a passion for biblical conviction and Spirit-empowered revival. His impact upon evangelicalism was immense, and his legacy remains deeply influential. By building on, and engaging with, the work of earlier biographers and theologians, this valuable collection of new studies seeks to advance our understanding of Lloyd-Jones' life and legacy in a number of fresh directions. The topics covered are: the interwar Calvinist resurgence, Wales, revival, the charismatic controversy, ministerial education, fundamentalism, Barth, Rome, the Anglican secession crisis, and the Protestant past. The volume concludes with a chronological bibliography of Lloyd-Jones' writings. The contributors are Andrew Atherstone, Ben Bailie, David W. Bebbington, John Coffey, Philip H. Eveson, David Ceri Jones, William K. Kay, John Maiden, Robert Pope, Ian M. Randall and Robert Strivens.

A retelling of the biblical story of Ruth.

Winner of the 2020 Midwest Book Award in Autobiography/Memoir, The Color of Love is an unforgettable memoir about a mixed-race Jewish woman who, after fifteen years of estrangement from her racist great-aunt, helps bring her home when Alzheimer's strikes. In 1970, three-day-old Marra B. Gad was adopted by a white Jewish family in Chicago. For her parents, it was love at first sight-but they quickly realized the world wasn't ready for a family like theirs. Marra's biological mother was unwed, white, and Jewish, and her biological father was black. While still a child, Marra came to realize that she was "a mixed-race, Jewish unicorn." In black spaces, she was not "black enough" or told that it was OK to be Christian or Muslim, but not Jewish. In Jewish spaces, she was mistaken for the help, asked to leave, or worse. Even in her own extended family, racism bubbled to the surface. Marra's family cut out those relatives who could not tolerate the color of her skin-including her once beloved, glamorous, worldly Great-Aunt Nette. After they had been estranged for fifteen years, Marra discovers that Nette has Alzheimer's, and that only she is in a position to get Nette back to the only family she has left. Instead of revenge, Marra chooses love, and watches as the disease erases her aunt's racism, making space for a relationship that was never possible before. The Color of Love explores the idea of yerusha, which means "inheritance" in Yiddish. At turns heart-wrenching and heartwarming, this is a story about what you inherit from your family-identity, disease, melanin, hate, and most powerful of all, love. With honesty, insight, and warmth, Marra B. Gad has written an inspirational, moving chronicle proving that when all else is stripped away, love is where we return, and love is always our greatest inheritance.

For more than twenty years, John Milton Bernhisel negotiated with the federal government on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bruce W. Worthen illuminates the life and work of the man whose diplomacy steered the Church's relationship with Washington, D.C. from its early period of dangerous conflict to a peaceful and pragmatic coexistence. Having risen from a Pennsylvania backcountry upbringing to become a respected member of the upper class, Bernhisel possessed a personal history that allowed him to reach common ground with politicians and other outsiders. He negotiated for Joseph Smith's life and, after the Church's relocation to the Utah Territory, took on the task of rehabilitating the public image of the Latter-day Saints. Brigham Young's defiance of the government undermined Bernhisel's work, but their close if sometimes turbulent relationship ultimately allowed Bernhisel to make peace with Washington, secure a presidential pardon for Young, and put Utah and the Latter-day Saints on the road to formally joining the United States.

One part biography, one part prayer book, The Life and Prayers of Saint Padre Pio is an essential for any Christian. The foundation for Padre Pio's work in the world was love. His love of God became intertwined with his love of humanity so that the two became inseparable and unwavering. Padre Pio is notable not for his erudition or even his teachings, per se, but for the man he was and the intercessor he continues to be. Pio gave himself to Christ as a spiritual victim for the souls of sinners. With sweetness, humility, and good cheer, he brought everyone who encountered him closer to Christ. People who met him understood immediately that they were in contact with a Christlike figure. Those who attended his Mass and saw his union with the divine felt as though they had witnessed in person Christ's Passion on the Cross. During his lifetime, Padre Pio brought vast numbers back to devotion to Christ, and, as he himself foretold, in death he has been able to do still more.

In the following meditations I trust I have succeeded in displaying to my readers at least a portion of those riches which are contained in the inexhaustible treasury of our Savior's sufferings. Unmutilated scriptural truth, such as I believe I promulgate, still finds a favorable reception in the world, which I have been permitted to experience in the most gratifying manner. I mention it, solely to the praise of God, and for the satisfaction of those who are like-minded, that my writings, or at least a part of them, are, as I hear, already translated into English, French, Dutch, Swedish, and as I am assured, though I cannot vouch for the fact, into the Danish language also. My "Elijah the Tishbite" has even appeared in a Chinese attire. But that which is of greater importance, is the news I am constantly receiving of the manifold blessing which the Lord of his great and unmerited favor has bestowed upon my labors. That in his condescension and loving-kindness, He would also deign to bless this my most recent work is so much the more my heartfelt wish and ardent prayer, since it has for its subject the chief supporting pillar of the whole church-the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Anyone exploring a new territory knows the benefit of an experienced guide. A guide can make the difference between tiresome drudgery and a life-changing adventure. This is as true for exploring new thinkers and books as it is for places. If ever a theologian required a guide, it would be Karl Barth. His many writings have secured his place as the most significant theologian of the twentieth century. The massive Church Dogmatics alone spans over eight thousand pages and six million words. David Guretzki has been reading and teaching Barth for decades, and he has gathered numerous hints and notes along the way for how best to explore the writings of the Swiss theologian. Inside, you will find: frequently asked questions a glossary of key concepts and persons a tour guide to Barth's early writings tips on how to write a paper on Barth a guided tour to the Church Dogmatics Whether you are a first-time reader or a seasoned student, An Explorer's Guide to Karl Barth will give you the tools and tips to get the most out of your experience. Enjoy the journey! Books in the Explorer's Guide series are accessible guidebooks for those studying the great Christian texts and theologians from church history, helping readers explore the context in which these texts were written and navigate the rich yet complex terrain of Christian theology.

In today's busy world, we can get caught up with the worries and stresses of life. We live in our heads, as we move at lightning pace from one thing to the next. Here, in The Harbour Within, Sister Consilio of Cuan Mhuire suggests how we can live happier and more peaceful lives by learning to live from the soul instead of our heads. From a seven-day guide to living at soul level, to thoughts and inspirations to carry you through difficult times, The Harbour Within shows us how we can discover a place of peace, unconditional love and joy - a harbour within. 'When we move out of our heads and begin to live at soul level, we open ourselves to a life with unconditional love: one that strives to reach beyond thought, expectation, emotion and feeling' Sister Consilio

What if you just trusted the whisper of calling placed on your heart? Kathy Izard was volunteering at Charlotte's Urban Ministry Center when an unlikely meeting with a homeless man changed the course of her life. She realized that serving at the soup kitchen was feeding her soul, but not actually solving the needs of the homeless population. Rather than brush it off and avoid what she now felt called to take on, she quit her job and took on what seemed like an insurmountable task-building housing for Charlotte's homeless. Woven together with this uplifting story of social action is Kathy's personal struggle with faith, forgiveness and fulfillment. In telling her story, Kathy invites you to consider rewriting your own. What's calling you? As crazy at it seems, it may be crazier not to try. This book will push you to do so much more than you ever thought possible.

'What a story - never heard a story like that before' - Chris Evans 'Uplifting and brave' - Stylist 'Claire Nelson relives a life-changing four days' - The Times 'A riveting account of loneliness, anxiety and survival' - Cosmopolitan 'An astonishing feat of physical and emotional endurance' - Mail on Sunday YOU Magazine 'A gripping account of her determination to survive' - Guardian INCLUDES A NEW AFTERWORD In 2018, Claire Nelson made international headlines. The relentless pace of work, social activity and striving to do more and better in the big city was frenetic and stressful. Surrounded by people, Claire was increasingly lonely - and beginning to burn out. When the anxiety she felt finally brought her to breaking point, Claire decided to take some time out and travelled half-way around the world to clear her head. What happened next, on a hike in California, was something she could never have anticipated. Things I Learned from Falling is an incredible story of courage, determination and survival against the odds. Utterly gripping and profoundly moving, this inspirational memoir reminds us all how easily life can go off course, how simply we can lose touch with the truly important and that - even when we are utterly broken - we can be made whole again.

St. Gerard Majella, the Wonder-Worker and "Patron of Expectant Mothers," is a major, major Saint of the Catholic Church. Though he died of tuberculosis at only 29 and though he was only a lay brother, he achieved great sanctity, such that his religious superiors attested that he had not only not committed any mortal sins, but that they could not detect that he had ever been guilty of any sin at all A tailor by profession before he entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer-the Redemptorists-at age 26, St. Gerard became famous for his miracles, cures, charities, ecstasies, mortifications, prayers, purity, obedience, zeal for souls, discernment of spirits, penetration of hearts, infused knowledge, prophecies, knowledge of distant events, bilocations, and power over nature and over human hearts-and even over the devil. This book also describes his death, funeral, miracles after his death, and his beatification and canonization, plus, the widespread devotion to him that soon sprang up everywhere. The reader will search far and wide to find another Saint's life as inspiring as that of St. Gerard Majella For God has surely manifested His approval of this His servant and his wonderful sanctity by allowing this sanctity to be manifested to the world by so many and such great miracles. Here is a book that the whole family will enjoy

Pearl, a dream vision, presents its poignant story of the education of a misguided Christian soul in metrically intricate and verbally ornate stanzas that add up to an overarching numerical design. Together with these two, Patience, Cleanness, and Saint Erkenwald make up the complete works of their anonymous author. All exhibit the dramatizing powers and metrical virtuosity of a master-poet. But none became part of the established literary canon until the second half of the nineteenth century, when the single manuscript copies in which they survive were edited and printed. Taken together, these works offer us a wide-ranging portrait of life in the late Middle Ages from the point of view of an independent-minded, learned, and cosmopolitan Englishman, a man as conversant with the conduct of life in great households as with Christian tradition and doctrine. He knew, among other things, how to sail a medieval passenger ship from its mooring to open sea, how to dress the carcass of a deer or a boar at the end of a royal hunt, and how a knight might flatter a noble and beautiful lady in the most intimate of situations while politely evading her seductive overtures.

Best-selling author John Piper puts the life of Andrew Fuller on display as inspriration for all Christians to devote themselves to knowing, guarding, and spreading the true gospel-to the ends of the earth.

This is the story of the birth and growth of Seattle's innovative Mars Hill Church, one of America's fastest growing churches located in one of America's toughest mission fields. It's also the story of the growth of a pastor, the mistakes he's made along the way, and God's grace and work in spite of those mistakes. Mark Driscoll's emerging, missional church took a rocky road from its start in a hot, upstairs youth room with gold shag carpet to its current weekly attendance of thousands. With engaging humor, humility, and candor, Driscoll shares the failures, frustrations, and just plain messiness of trying to build a church that is faithful to the gospel of Christ in a highly post-Christian culture. In the telling, he's not afraid to skewer some sacred cows of traditional, contemporary, and emerging churches. Each chapter discusses not only the hard lessons learned but also the principles and practices that worked and that can inform your church's ministry, no matter its present size. The book includes discussion questions and appendix resources. "After reading a book like this, you can never go back to being an inwardly focused church without a mission. Even if you disagree with Mark about some of the things he says, you cannot help but be convicted to the inner core about what it means to have a heart for those who don't know Jesus."-Dan Kimball, author,The Emerging Church "... will make you laugh, cry, and get mad ... school you, shape you, and mold you into the right kind of priorities to lead the church in today's messy world."-Robert Webber, Northern Seminary