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The Monk's Record Player: Thomas Merton, Bob Dylan, and the Perilous Summer of 1966
By Robert Hudson. 2018
The story of a monk, a minstrel, and the music that brought them together In 1965 writer-activist-monk Thomas Merton fulfilled…
a twenty-four-year dream and went to live as a hermit beyond the walls of his Trappist monastery. Seven months later, after a secret romance with a woman half his age, he was in danger of losing it all. Yet on the very day that his abbot uncovered the affair, Merton found solace in an unlikely place—the songs of Bob Dylan, who, as fate would have it, was experiencing his own personal and creative crises during the summer of 1966. In this striking parallel biography of two countercultural icons, Robert Hudson plumbs the depths of Dylan&’s surprising influence on Merton&’s life and writing, recounts each man&’s interactions with the woman who linked them together—Joan Baez—and shows how each transcended his immediate troubles and went on to new heights of spiritual and artistic genius. Readers will discover here a riveting story of creativity and crisis, burnout and redemption, in the tumultuous era of 1960s America.Finding God: A Treasury of Conversion Stories
By John M. Mulder. 2012
The search for God is a staple of human history. Finding God records sixty first-person accounts of Christians who found…
God in different ways and the impact this discovery made on their lives and on the world in which they lived. Ranging from the first century to the present, Finding God is a fascinating digest of conversion stories from a wide variety of people -- from the apostle Paul to the rock musician Bono. These narratives together demonstrate the remarkable diversity of spiritual journeys and the dramatic changes that can result from encounters with God. Both instructive and inspirational, Finding God will expand horizons and deepen the faith of those who seek insight into the age-old spiritual quest to find God.Between the Swastika and the Sickle: The Life, Disappearance, and Execution of Ernst Lohmeyer
By James R. Edwards. 2019
The life, theological contribution, and mysterious disappearance of one of the more important New Testament scholars in the twentieth century On…
February 15, 1946, the Soviet NKVD raided the home of Ernst Lohmeyer just hours before his inauguration as the president of Greifswald University in Germany. Lohmeyer had survived active duty in both World War I and World War II. A New Testament scholar and theologian, he resisted the rise of Nazi fascism as a member of the Confessing Church. But the Soviet occupation of Germany was even more repressive than Nazi domination. With the exception of correspondence from prison, Lohmeyer was never heard from again. In Between the Swastika and the Sickle, James R. Edwards recounts the story of Lohmeyer&’s life, his theological achievements, his courageous resistance to the forces of political repression, and the events surrounding his death. But the book also includes Edwards&’s intrepid search for the legacy of this brilliant and courageous scholar, whose story is made even more compelling by the tumultuous interplay of faith and politics in twenty-first-century America.Abraham Kuyper: A Pictorial Biography
By Jan De Bruijn. 2014
Among historians there is little disagreement about the significance of Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920), but discussions about…
Kuyper have centered mostly on his worldview, with little said about his context and personal life. Jan de Bruijn’s beautiful pictorial biography fills a gap in offering a full-fledged portrait of this remarkable, visionary, polemical, complex character.Nearly four hundred full-color illustrations with extended explanatory captions make up the book. Readers will see political cartoons, family photos, posters, pictures of important places in Kuyper’s life. Even Kuyper enthusiasts are sure to find something new here! Never before has there been a book available in English that illustrates Kuyper’s life to such a great extent.Damning Words: The Life and Religious Times of H. L. Mencken
By D. G. Hart. 2016
Recounts a famously outspoken agnostic's surprising relationship with Christianity H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) was a reporter, literary critic, editor, author—and…
a famous American agnostic. From his role in the Scopes Trial to his advocacy of science and reason in public life, Mencken is generally regarded as one of the fiercest critics of Christianity in his day. In this biography D. G. Hart presents a provocative, iconoclastic perspective on Mencken's life. Even as Mencken vividly debunked American religious ideals, says Hart, it was Christianity that largely framed his ideas, career, and fame. Mencken's relationship to the Christian faith was at once antagonistic and symbiotic. Using plenty of Mencken's own words, Damning Words superbly portrays an influential figure in twentieth-century America and, at the same time, casts telling new light on his era.Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption
By Katie J. Davis. 2011
The New York Times bestslling account of a courageous eighteen-year-old from Nashville who gave up every comfort and convenience to…
become the adoptive mother to thirteen girls in Uganda.What would cause an eighteen-year-old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, Tennessee, to disobey and disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother&’s heart, lose all but a handful of her friends (because they think she has gone off the deep end), and break up with the love of her life, all so she could move to Uganda, where she knew only one person and didn&’t even speak the language? A passion to follow Jesus. Katie Davis left over Christmas break of her senior year for a short mission trip to Uganda and her life was turned completely inside out. She found herself so moved by the people of Uganda and the needs she saw that she knew her calling was to return and care for them. Katie, a charismatic and articulate young woman, is in the process of adopting thirteen children in Uganda and has established a ministry, Amazima, that feeds and sends hundreds more to school while teaching them the Word of Jesus Christ. Kisses from Katie invites readers on a journey of radical love down the red dirt roads of Uganda. You&’ll laugh and cry with Katie as she follows Jesus into the impossible and finds joy and beauty beneath the dust. Katie and her children delight in saying yes to the people God places in front of them and challenge readers to do the same, changing the world one person at a time.Healing Lazarus: A Buddhist's Journey from Near Death to New Life
By Lewis Richmond. 2002
Lazarus lies in his bed, helpless to move. But he sees now that he is not alone. His beloved wife…
is with him, all of his relatives and closest friends. They mop his brow; they change his clothes and linen. They stroke his limbs and speak soothing words into his ear. For so many years Lazarus had been the master, the authority, the one who made decisions and told others what to do. And now, for the first time, the roles were reversed, and he found his heart filled with such gratitude, even over the simplest things -- the light streaming in from the window, the warmth of the fire in the fireplace. How wonderful it was to be alive. For Lewis Richmond, overcoming a swift and devastating brain injury -- one that left him unable to sit up or speak -- was only the beginning of a journey to recovery. As the 52-year-old Buddhist teacher soon discovered, regaining his health would be the most difficult thing he could ever imagine. But love, courage, and the Buddhist teachings that sustained him throughout his adult life would help guide him not only back to wellness, but to rebirth and transformation. Richmond's timely, compassionate memoir can help anyone on the road back to health -- be it from illness, life crisis, or other catastrophe. In sharing this experience, as well as many others, Richmond offers insightful information about the struggles, setbacks, and frustrations of getting well -- and tells of the lessons learned and rewards gained. Illuminating from the first page to the last, Healing Lazarus is one man's affirmation of life, as well as a steadfast companion for those who may face days that are physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging.God in the Foxhole: Inspiring True Stories of Miracles on the Battlefield
By Charles W. Sasser. 2008
From veteran military writer Charles Sasser comes a collection of inspiring personal accounts of American soldiers whose faith has guided…
them through the hardships of war.From the battlefields of the American Civil War through World Wars I and II, from Korea and Vietnam to the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, soldiers of all faiths have struggled for understanding and called on a higher power when faced with the realities of combat. God in the Foxhole is a stunning collection of true personal accounts from generations of American soldiers whose faith, in the words of author Charles W. Sasser, "has been born, reborn, tested, sustained, verified, or transformed under fire."A renowned master of combat journalism and a former Green Beret, Sasser has gathered an immensely moving collection of war stories like no other—stories of spirituality, conversion, and miracles from the battlefield. Be they Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or atheist, churched since childhood or touched by the divine for the first time, here are the riveting experiences of army privates, bomber pilots, navy lieutenants, marines, prisoners of war, medics, nurses, chaplains, and others who, under desperate circumstances and with every reason to fear for their lives, found unknown strength, courage, and heroism through their remarkable faith. These inspiring accounts transcend the explainable to become stunning portraits of survival and belief: the angelic vision that brought inner peace to an exhausted helicopter door gunner in Vietnam; the makeshift full-immersion baptisms of eleven soldiers on Palm Sunday in Iraq, 2004; two enemies—a Nazi priest and an American G.I.—who served Communion Mass in a Belgian sanctuary in 1944; the prescient letter from a Civil War army major to his beloved wife, one week before his death at Bull Run; the 21st-century toddler with a jaw-dropping spiritual connection to a war hero of Iwo Jima, and dozens more.A war chronicle like no other, God in the Foxhole affirms, for military buffs and readers from all walks of life, the power of faith in the face of adversity.Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist: The Story of a Transformation
By Yossi Klein Halevi. 2014
The poignant and insightful memoir from Yossi Klein Halevi, the award-winning journalist and author of the acclaimed Like Dreamers—a coming-of-age…
story about a traumatic family history, radical politics, and spiritual transformation that speaks to a new generation struggling to understand what it means to be Jewish in America.The child of a Holocaust survivor, Yossi Klein Halevi grew up in 1960s Brooklyn perceiving reality through the lens of his family’s brutal past. Increasingly identifying with their history of suffering, he regarded the non-Jewish world with fear and loathing. Determined to take action—and seek retribution—he became a disciple of the late rabbi Meir Kahane and a member of the radical fringe of the American Jewish community.In this wry and moving account, Halevi explores the deep-rooted anger of his adolescence and early adulthood that fueled his increasingly aggressive activism. He reveals how he started to question his beliefs—and his self-inflicted suffering as a hostage of history—and see the world from his own clear perspective.As a journalist and author, Halevi has dedicated himself to fostering interfaith reconciliation. Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist explains how such a transformation can happen—giving hope that peaceful coexistence between faiths is possible.On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life
By Amy Purdy. 2014
Amy Purdy, who inspired a nation on Dancing with the Stars and has been called a hero by Oprah Winfrey,…
reveals the intimate details of her triumphant comeback from the brink of death to making history as a Paralympic snowboarder.In this poignant and uplifting memoir, Dancing With the Stars sensation Amy Purdy reveals the story of how losing her legs led her to find a spiritual path. When the Las Vegas native was just nineteen, she contracted bacterial meningitis and was given less than a two percent chance of survival. In a near-death experience, she saw three figures who told her: “You can come with us, or you can stay. No matter what happens in your life, it’s all going to make sense in the end.” In that moment, Amy chose to live.Her glimpse of the afterlife—coupled with a mysterious premonition she’d had a month before —became the defining experiences that put Amy’s life on a new trajectory after her legs had to be amputated. She wouldn’t just beat meningitis and walk again; she would go on to create a life filled with bold adventures, big dreams, and boundless vitality—and share that spirit with the world. In 2014, Amy—the only competitor, male or female, with two prosthetic legs—claimed a bronze medal for the U.S. Paralympic team in adaptive snowboarding. She then became a contestant on season eighteen of Dancing With the Stars, and viewers were captivated as the girl with bionic legs managed to out-dance her competitors all the way to the finale.Amy’s journey is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity we all have to dream bigger, defy expectations, and rewrite our stories. Amy was given a second chance for a reason—to use her life to inspire others. Her powerful memoir urges us to live life to the fullest, because we are all a lot more capable than we could ever imagine.Little Matches: A Memoir of Finding Light in the Dark
By Maryanne O'Hara. 2021
“Gripping and true in all ways. This fine, affecting memoir will stay with me for a very long time.”—Meg Wolitzer,…
author of The Female Persuasion“In this vividly written memoir novelist O’Hara shares a painful but ultimately beautiful account of her daughter Caitlin’s life with cystic fibrosis. . . . Her compelling story will resonate with anyone seeking a light in the darkest depths of grief.”—Library JournalIn the vein of The Year of Magical Thinking and Beautiful Boy, an emotionally raw and inspiring memoir that illuminates a mother’s grief over the loss of her adult child and considers the hope of soulful connections that transcend the boundary of life and death.When their only child was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of two, Maryanne O’Hara and her husband were told that Caitlin could live a long life or be dead in a matter of months. Thirty-one years later, Caitlin lost her battle with this devastating disease following an excruciating two-year wait on the transplant list and a last-minute race to locate a pair of healthy lungs. The sudden spiral of events left Maryanne in an existential crisis, searching to find an answer to the eternal question: Why we are here? During her final years, Caitlin had become a source of wisdom and comfort for her mother—the partner with whom she shared a deep spiritual quest to understand what it meant to have a soul. After Caitlin’s passing, Maryanne began to notice signs—poignant, persistent synchronicities that seemed to lean toward proof of Caitlin’s enduring presence.Weaving together a series of interconnected meditations with illuminating glimpses of life rendered via text messages, e-mails, and journal entries, Little Matches is a profound reflection on life and death, motherhood, the pain of chronic uncertainty, and finding inspiration in the unexpected sparks that light our way through the darkness.The Grace in Dying: A Message of Hope, Comfort and Spiritual Transformation
By Kathleen Dowling Singh. 1998
In this brilliantly conceived and beautifully written book, Kathleen Dowling Singh illuminates the profound psychological and spiritual transformations experiences by…
the dying as the natural process of death reconnects them with the source of their being. Examining the end of life in the light of current psychological understanding, religious wisdom, and compassionate medical science, The Grace of Dying offers a fresh, deeply comforting message of hope and courage as we contemplate the meaning of our mortality.While the prevailing Western medical tradition has seen death as an enemy to be fought and overcome, Singh offers a richer and more rewarding path of understanding. Combining extensive training and education in developmental psychology with profound spiritual insight, she balances expert analysis with moving accounts drawn from her experiences working with hundreds of dying patients at a large hospice.Singh moves beyond the five stages of dying revealed in Kübler-Ross's classic On Death and Dying, and finds in the "nearing death experience" even more significant and forming stages of surrender and transcendence. These stages involve the qualities of grace: letting go, radiance, focusing inward, silence, a sense of the sacred, wisdom, intensity, and, in the end, a merging with Spirit. Through this intense process, we come to experience at last the reality of our true self, which transcends our finite ego and bodily existence, and our merging with the source of being from which we originated. Dying is safe.In clear, nontechnical language, Singh reveals the transformations that come with dying, using the vocabulary of growing Western, as well as Eastern, wisdom.Written for those aware that their life is coming to an end, those who care for the dying, and, ultimately, for all of us who inevitably face our owndeath and the deaths of the people we love, The Grace in Dying reveals that dying is the most transforming, powerful, and spiritually rich of life's experiences.The amazing true story of an out-of-control rock star, his devastating addiction to drugs, and his miraculous redemption through Jesus…
Christ.In February 2005, more than ten thousand people in Bakersfield, California, watched as Brian "Head" Welch—the former lead guitarist of the controversial rock band Korn—was saved by Jesus Christ. The event set off a media frenzy as observers from around the world sought to understand what led this rock star out of the darkness and into the light.Now, in this courageous memoir, Head talks for the first time about his shocking embrace of God and the tumultuous decade that led him into the arms of Jesus Christ. Offering a backstage pass to his time with Korn, Head tells the inside story of his years in the band and explains how his rock star lifestyle resulted in an all-consuming addiction to methamphetamines. Writing openly about the tour bus mayhem of Ozzfest and The Family Values tour, he provides a candid look at how the routine of recording, traveling, and partying placed him in a cycle of addiction that he could not break on his own.Speaking honestly about his addiction, Head details his struggles with the drug that ultimately led him to seek a higher power. Despite his numerous attempts to free himself from meth, nothing—not even the birth of his daughter—could spur him to kick it for good. Here Head addresses how, with the help of God, he emerged from his dangerous lifestyle and found a path that was not only right for his daughter, it was right for him. Discussing the chaotic end to his time in Korn and how his newfound faith has influenced his relationship with his daughter, his life, and his music, Head describes the challenging but rewarding events of the last two years, exposing the truth about how his moments of doubt and his hardships have only deepened his faith.Candid, compelling, and inspirational, Save Me from Myself is a rock 'n' roll journey unlike any other.God's Right Hand: How Jerry Falwell Made God a Republican and Baptized the American Right
By Michael Sean Winters. 2011
An acclaimed reporter presents the first major biography of the legendary, and divisive, conservative pastor who reshaped the landscape of…
American politics—Jerry Falwell. At a time when the Tea Party movement is dominating much of America's social and political discourse, the story of Falwell's Moral Majority will resonate strongly. Indeed, Falwell’s language may sound familiar to anyone who has heard recent speeches by figures like Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, or Michelle Bachmann.Life: My Story Through History: Pope Francis's Inspiring Biography Through History
By Pope Francis. 1989
For the first time, Pope Francis tells the story of his life as he looks back on the momentous world…
events that have changed history—from his earliest years during the outbreak of World War II in 1939 to the turmoil of today. An extraordinary personal and historical journey, Life is the story of a man and a world in dramatic change. Pope Francis recalls his life through memories and observations of the most significant occurrences of the past eight decades, from the Holocaust to the fall of the Berlin Wall, Videla’s coup in Argentina to the moon landing in 1969, and even the 1986 World Cup in which Maradona scored the unforgettable “hand of God” goal.Here are the frank assessments and intimate insights of a pastor reflecting on the Nazi extermination of the Jews, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the 2001 terrorist attack on America and the collapse of the Twin Towers, the great economic recession of 2008, the Covid-19 pandemic, the retirement of Pope Benedict XVI, and the subsequent conclave that elected him Pontiff. The “pope callejero” recounts these world-changing moments with the candor and compassion that distinguishes him, and offers important messages on major crises confronting us now, including social inequalities, climate change, international war, atomic weapons, racial discrimination, and the battles over social and cultural issues.Translated from the Italian by Aubrey BotsfordPlain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish
By Sue Bender. 2007
"I had an obsession with the Amish. Plan and simple. Objectively it made no sense. I, who worked hard at…
being special, fell in love with a people who valued being ordinary." So begins Sue Bender's story, the captivating and inspiring true story of a harried urban Californian moved by the beauty of a display of quilts to seek out and live with the Amish. Discovering lives shaped by unfamiliar yet comforting ideas about time, work, and community, Bender is gently coaxed to consider, "Is there another way to lead a good life?" Her journey begins in a New York men's clothing store. There she is spellbound by the vibrant colors and stunning geometric simplicity of the Amish quilts "spoke directly to me," writes Bender. Somehow, "they went straight to my heart." Heeding a persistent inner voice, Bender searches for Amish families willing to allow her to visit and share in there daily lives. Plain and Simple vividly recounts sojourns with two Amish families, visits during which Bender enters a world without television, telephone, electric light, or refrigerators; a world where clutter and hurry are replaced with inner quiet and calm ritual; a world where a sunny kitchen "glows" and "no distinction was made between the sacred and the everyday." In nine interrelated chapters--as simple and elegant as a classic nine-patch Amish quilt--Bender shares the quiet power she found reflected in lives of joyful simplicity, humanity, and clarity. The fast-paced, opinionated, often frazzled Bender returns home and reworks her "crazy-quilt" life, integrating the soul-soothing qualities she has observed in the Amish, and celebrating the patterns in the Amish, and celebrating the patterns formed by the distinctive "patches" of her own life. Charmingly illustrated and refreshingly spare, Plain and Simple speaks to the seeker in each of us.Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham
By Billy Graham. 2011
Commemorative editionHailed as "the world's preacher," Billy Graham enjoyed a career that spanned six decades and his ministry of faith…
touched the hearts and souls of millions. In Just As I Am, a #1 New York Times Bestseller, Graham reveals his life story in what the Chicago Tribune calls "a disarmingly honest autobiography." With down-to-earth warmth and candor, Graham tells the stories of the events and encounters that helped shape his life. He recounts meetings with presidents, celebrities, and world leaders, including Harry S. Truman, Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth, and the Shah of Iran, and shares his own spiritual journey as he movingly reflects on his personal life and relationships. This is an inspirational and unforgettable portrait that will be treasured by readers everywhere.Washed by Blood: Lessons from My Time with Korn and My Journey to Christ
By Brian Welch. 2008
An Out-of-Control Rock Star. An Inescapable Addiction to Drugs. A Miraculous Redemption through Jesus Christ.You think you've heard this story…
before but you haven't. Washed by Blood is a look at the dramatic saving power of Jesus Christ unlike any other—one that shows how God looks out for all of us, even those who seem farthest away from his grace. Brian "Head" Welch was a rock star who thought he had it all. He was the lead guitarist in Korn, one of the biggest and most controversial rock bands on the planet. He lived in a mansion, had millions of dollars in the bank, and legions of fans all over the globe. He was living the good life, and it should have been perfect. But it was all a lie.What no one knew was that backstage and away from the crowds, Head was fighting a debilitating addiction to methamphetamines, and that nothing—not even the birth of his daughter—could make him quit for good. He had given up. He was empty inside. He spent his days contemplating suicide convinced that each high would be his last. And that was when he found God.Washed by Blood tells the remarkable story of how God's unconditional love freed Head from his addictions and saved him from death. Here Head describes the joys and struggles of his journey to faith, detailing how Jesus has helped him cope with his pain and find the path that's right for both him and his daughter. An account of triumphs, hardships, and the healing power of Jesus, Washed by Blood is an inspirational demonstration that God is always there to save even the most troubled souls.A Martyr's Grace: 21 Moody Bible Institute Alumni Who Gave Their Lives for Christ
By Marvin J. Newell. 2006
"Have you grace to be a martyr?" D.L. Moody was once asked."No," he replied, "I have not. But if God…
wanted me to be one, he would give me a martyr's grace."They came from around the world. Administrators, teachers, doctors and nurses, church planters and pilots. Regular people in the prime of life.In A Martyr&’s Grace, Marvin Newell tells the individual stories of these faithful men and women who made a difference in the places they served. He also describes—in many cases for the very first time—how Jesus called them home. Their legacies live on in the rainforests, villages, churches, and cities where they died. What is it that compels ordinary people to sacrifice their lives in this way? Only Christ. They didn&’t go expecting to die. But they went—having already given their lives.S. N. Goenka: Emissary of Insight (Lives of the Masters #5)
By Daniel Stuart, S. N. Goenka. 2020
In a life that saw him evolve from a staunchly religious Hindu to an ecumenical master of Buddhist insight meditation,…
Satyanārāyaṇ (S. N.) Goenka (1924–2013) emerged as a leader in the spread of lay mindfulness and insight meditation practice on a global scale. A second-generation Burmese of Indian origin, Goenka was a successful businessman before turning to Buddhist meditation for help with crippling migraines. Becoming first a close student and then assistant teacher under the innovative Burmese lay Buddhist teacher U Ba Khin, Goenka eventually felt the pull of karmic destiny to teach meditation in India and thereby repay the ancient debt that Burmese Buddhists owed to the original Indian Buddhist tradition. In the 1970s, as he became an integral part of the Indian Buddhist spiritual landscape, thousands of young people from the United States and Europe flocked to India to explore its spiritual possibilities. Out of this remarkable convergence was launched a global network of practitioners and meditation centers that would become Goenka&’s legacy.Drawing heavily on Goenka&’s own autobiographical writings and Dharma talks, Daniel Stuart draws the first comprehensive portrait of the master&’s life and demonstrates that Goenka&’s influences, teaching, and legacy are much more complex than has been commonly thought. Stuart incorporates a wide range of primary documents and newly translated material in Hindi and Burmese to offer readers an in-depth exploration of Goenka&’s teachings and his practice lineage in Burma. Stuart further details the trials and tribulations Goenka faced in building a movement in India in the 1970s, developing a global network of meditation centers, and negotiating a range of relationships with students and religious leaders worldwide. This fascinating addition to the Lives of the Masters series reflects on Goenka&’s role in the revival of Buddhism in postcolonial India and his emergence as one of the most influential meditation masters of the twentieth century.