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A Christmas Prayer: An Amish Christmas Wedding Story
by Vannetta ChapmanAn Amish Christmas Wedding story from author Vannetta Chapman.Widower Micah Miller runs the Amish Tour Company, offering Englischers a glimpse of a simpler life as well as tea at Rachel King&’s. Rachel has never married and has recently lost her parents. When Micah comes across an abandoned and injured dog, he gives it to Rachel for company. As Rachel is charmed by the dog and shocked by news of the existence of family she never expected, her heart and mind bend toward the possibilities of change in her life—even toward the possibility of love.
A Christmas Resolution: A Novel (Christmas Novella #19)
by Anne PerryNew York Times bestselling author Anne Perry's eighteenth enthralling Christmas novella. When Celia Hooper discovers that her dear friend Clementine is to marry widower Seth Marlowe - a man with a sinister past - she calls upon her husband, Detective John Hooper of the Thames River Police, to help her find out what really happened to Seth's first wife several years ago. Rumour has it that she killed herself and Seth's daughter ran away to live on the streets but no one seems to know the truth.Then Seth accuses Celia of sending him blackmail letters and it quickly becomes clear that she is not the only one trying to stop him from marrying Clementine. With Christmas fast approaching, lines are blurred, relationships are tested and the past won't stay buried for ever . . . A Christmas Resolution is an enthralling festive mystery set in Victorian London from the pen of the New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.
A Christmas Secret: Thomas Kinkade's Cape Light (A Cape Light Novel #19)
by Katherine SpencerThe Christmas season brings the promise of new beginnings in this next novel by the New York Times bestselling author of the Angel Island series.Before Christmas comes....Martin Nightingale was no stranger to Cape Light. He spent many happy summers there as a boy. Now, he's returned to fulfill the unusual terms of his grandfather's will. In order to collect his inheritance, Martin must spread joy throughout the town with anonymous gifts. A shy man who doesn't make friends easily, Martin is stumped by the role of Secret Santa. But a pretty police officer, Louisa Tully shows him that, "A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet."One Christmas, long ago... Martin's grandfather, Walter was a toy-making genius, but a terrible businessman. The Christmas of 1955 seemed the last for Nightingale's Magical Toy Shop. Until miracles arrived, along with a stray dog named, Otis. But, as Martin discovers, his grandfather's greatest legacy is a priceless lesson about giving from the heart.
A Christmas Snow
by Jim Stovall[from the back cover] "For Kathleen, Christmas has always been an unwelcome reminder of her father's abandonment almost three tumultuous decades ago. Although she has tried to forget her past, it has not forgotten her, and in the days leading up to Christmas, an unforgiving blizzard traps her in her home with two unlikely roommates who bring her face to face with the hurts of her past-and the hope of a happier future. Will she let go of the past and grad hold of a future full of love and forgiveness? Or will she continue to be haunted by her pain as the snow storm of the century brings with it the hope of lasting joy?"
A Christmas Spirit
by Joel OsteenIn his first holiday book, Joel Osteen offers uplifting and inspiring true stories of family and friends celebrating Christian traditions during Christmastime. In his bestselling books, It's Your Time and Become a Better You, and in his weekly worship services at Lakewood Church in Houston, Joel Osteen offers hope to millions through his belief in the power of faith and the goodness of God. The Christmas season has become a bustling period for many, filled with distractions and anxiety. Osteen will help readers return to the essence of the holiday, by practising the principles taught by the Child born that day, and by reminding all of what is truly important in life. In the tradition of bestselling books that share Christmas memories and stories to celebrate the essence of the season - the birth of Christ and the hope and love of His message - Osteen's collection of unique stories will illuminate the importance of family and faith, and set readers on the path to a hopeful, peaceful holiday filled with Christian spirit. As always, his words and his practical faith-based advice will be inspiring and insightful, a welcome light in the lives of the faithful at a very special time of year. Influential in the Christian community around the globe, Joel Osteen is a major source of inspiration and an initiator of change for the millions to whom he preaches. This new book of stories from family and friends about Christmas will be cherished by readers everywhere.
A Christmas Star
by Thomas KinkadeA Christmas light shines bright in the midst of the darkest winter. With Christmas only a few weeks away, Sam and Jessica Morgan look forward to celebrating the joyous day together. But when they?re awakened by the smoke alarm in the midst of one quiet night, they barely make it outside before their beloved house is engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, single mom Julie Newton and her seven-year-old daughter appear on Jack Sawyer?s doorstep, thanks to bad weather, a broken-down car, and a dead cell phone battery. And though Jack, still mourning the loss of his wife, feels none of the holiday spirit, he can?t turn them away. As Sam and Jessica become perpetual guests in others? homes, trying to piece their future back together, and Jack finds his frozen heart melting day by day, it soon becomes clearer than ever that miracles can happen even in the humblest of settings. .
A Christmas Vanishing: Christmas Novella 21 (Christmas Novella #19)
by Anne PerryNew York Times bestselling author Anne Perry's twenty-first heart-warming Christmas novella.When Mariah Ellison arrives in the picturesque village of St Helen's to spend the festive season with her old friend Sadie Alsop, she is shocked to discover that Sadie has vanished. Her husband has no idea where she has gone or when she will return but, thankfully, Mariah has other friends in the village who are willing to offer their hospitality.Once settled, she begins a rigorous search for Sadie that is fuelled by malicious gossip as harsh as the winter snow. Has Sadie run away? Has she been kidnapped? Has someone harmed her? And how long can she survive if she has no shelter from the bitterly cold weather? As Christmas Day approaches, Mariah is increasingly determined to solve the mystery of Sadie's disappearance and bring her home in time to celebrate Yuletide together . . .
A Christmas Visitor: An Amish Christmas Gift Novella
by Kelly IrvinFrannie Mast returns to Bee County for Christmas, but her heart stays back in Missouri with an Englisch farm boy.Frannie knows her parents have the best of intentions when they send her back to Bee County, Texas, to live with her aunt and her aunt&’s new husband Mordecai. After all, Frannie knows nothing can come of a relationship with Rocky, the handsome Englisch farm boy back in Missouri. But all bets are off when Rocky follows Frannie to Texas to plead his case. Could he be the Christmas gift to end all gifts?
A Christmas Wish
by Joseph PittmanThis Christmas, the greatest gifts can't be found beneath a tree. . . Eight-year-old Janey Sullivan has had a difficult year, between losing her mother and adjusting to life with her guardian, Brian Duncan. But with the holidays approaching, her one Christmas wish is to find the perfect gift for Brian-if she can learn to trust him first. Reeling from the loss of his soul mate, Brian is determined to give her daughter, Janey, an extraordinary Christmas. But he struggles to read her irregular moods, and when he catches her in a lie, he begins to doubt the future of their new little family. Can Brian and Janey navigate the emotional mine fields of the holiday season and forge a lasting bond? With the help of their friends in Linden Corners, and a bit of Christmas magic riding on the wind, they may be able to preserve Janey's mother's traditions, perhaps even start some new ones-and discover that the life they hadn't planned on can still bring the happiness they've always wished for. Joseph Pittman is the author of the novels Tilting at Windmills, When the World was Small, Legend's End, and A Christmas Wish. He has also written the acclaimed Todd Gleason crime series, including London Frog and California Scheming. He lives and works in New York City. He writes wherever. For more information, visit www. josephpittman. net.
A Christmas for Katie
by Shelley Shepard GrayWill a little Amish girl make a Christmas miracle? It isn't easy to be Katie Weaver. Her sister-in-law Ella is about to have a baby, making Katie an aunt for the second time . . . and she's only six and a half! Plus, her favorite librarian, Miss Donovan, seems sad. She won't even fix up the rundown nativity in front of the library in time for Christmas. Then, an old woman is attacked outside the library, and, one by one, the nativity figures start to disappear! Luckily, there's a new deputy in town, Connor Fields. He takes a real liking to Miss Donovan . . . and he promises to find the missing nativity pieces for Katie. Now, all Katie has to do is pray that Ella's delivery goes well and that some kind of nativity is in place for Christmas Eve. Oh, and that Miss D. falls in love with Connor. Katie knows from watching her three brothers that it makes people real happy. And that would be a Christmas miracle indeed!
A Christmas to Die For (The Three Sisters Inn #2)
by Marta PerryIn this inspirational romantic suspense, a woman in danger wonders if she can trust the handsome guest at her family’s Amish country inn.Book two of The Three Sisters Inn: Danger awaits the Hampton sisters in quiet Amish country.She was lucky to be alive after the hit-and-run that nearly took her life. But history seemed to be repeating itself when Rachel Hampton spied a car speeding down the dark road.Tyler Dunn came to Rachel’s family inn seeking justice for a decades old crime. Rachel wanted to trust the attractive stranger, but he was too secretive . . . until she uncovered a shocking link to her own past. Suddenly a holiday season amid the Plain People swarmed with hidden danger as Rachel found herself a killer’s target.
A Christmas to Die For: A Thrilling Amish Holiday Mystery (The Three Sisters Inn #2)
by Marta PerryA killer on the loose and there&’s nowhere to hide in this thrilling Amish holiday mysterySeeking justice for a decades-old crime, Tyler Dunn visits Rachel Hampton&’s family inn while investigating his grandfather&’s murder. Rachel wants to trust the attractive architect, but he&’s too secretive—until a shocking link to her past is uncovered. Suddenly a holiday season amid the Plain People is swarmed with danger as Rachel finds herself in a killer&’s crosshairs. With Tyler&’s help, can Rachel survive long enough to expose hidden secrets?Don't miss the other titles in the Three Sisters Inn series. Hide in Plain Sight Buried SinsPreviously published.
A Christmas to Remember
by Katherine Spencer Thomas KinkadeThe New York Timesbestselling authors take a journey into the Cape Light of Christmas past. As the citizens of Cape Light deck the halls for a Christmas to remember, the curmudgeonly Lillian Warwick has been confined to her bed with pneumonia. Cared for by her daughters, Emily and Jessica, she lets her thoughts drift back to the holiday season of 1955, to the magical time when she first met Oliver Warwick-the dashing man who would become her husband. Back then, Lillian was beautiful, spirited, and idealistic, and Oliver was a wonderful man who took a real joy in living. As she recounts those romantic early days to her daughters and faces the mistakes she's made, she is reminded of a time when she had much to be grateful for-and of all the special gifts Christmas can bring. And, to cap off this special, life-altering holiday season, there just might be a winter wedding on the horizon. . .
A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss
by Mel Lawrenz"Eva not breathing. Pray." That text message was Mel Lawrenz's entry into the harsh reality of losing his thirty-year-old daughter. Things would never be the same. How could he and his family cope with this devastating loss? In this narrative of grief, Pastor Mel Lawrenz chronicles how his family struggled to survive the sudden death of their beloved daughter. In raw, vivid episodes, he describes the immediacy of the pain and the uncertainty of what comes next. In the agony of traumatic loss, Lawrenz apprehends the realities of love and life and offers insights on how to navigate our life priorities before or after tragedy hits. You are not alone. You too can find a way forward.
A Church for the Poor: Transforming the church to reach the poor in Britain today
by Martin Charlesworth Natalie WilliamsMotivated by genuine concern, dedicated volunteers responded to the call to action and millions of pounds have been invested to support those most in need. However, the culture of many churches fails to attract those they are helping to the very faith that motivates this compassion. Even when people from poorer or working class backgrounds start on a journey of faith, many churches struggle to create an inclusive environment where they can feel welcomed and at home. With biblical insight and practical examples A Church for the Poor, by Martin Charlesworth and Natalie Williams, presents a vision of the church as a place where people from all sections of society can find a home and play a part. It is a call to rethink our traditions and transform the church to reach the poor in Britain today.
A Church in Search of Itself: Benedict XVI and the Battle for the Future
by Robert Blair KaiserA hugely informed look at the intensifying struggle over the future of the Catholic Church. Despite the popularity of John Paul II, opposition to many of his policies had hardened among Catholics by the time of his death. The Church had become more doctrinaire, the voices of millions of dissenters ignored. Now Robert Blair Kaiser examines the most important and divisive issues confronting the Church: the sex abuse scandal, a shortage of priests due to the insistence upon celibacy, the ban on contraception, the roles of women and gays in the Church, the failure to reach out sincerely to other faiths, the increased participation of laypeople in Church affairs. He gives us in-depth portraits of six of the cardinals who gathered in Rome in April 2005 to choose a new pope--Ratzinger from Germany, Mahony from the United States, Murphy-O'Connor from Britain, Rodríguez Maradiaga from Honduras, Arinze from Nigeria, and Darmaatmadja from Indonesia--and through them makes clear why Catholics worldwide are increasingly leaving the Church or defying Church doctrine. Finally, he explains why Ratzinger's ascendance was assured, and what this might mean for the future. With passion and heartfelt concern, Robert Blair Kaiser brilliantly illuminates the issues and the combatants in the battle for the souls of the Catholic world
A Church with the Soul of a Nation
by Phyllis Airhart"As Canadian as the maple leaf" is how one observer summed up the United Church of Canada after its founding in 1925. But was this Canadian-made church flawed in its design, as critics have charged? A Church with the Soul of a Nation explores this question by weaving together the history of the United Church with a provocative analysis of religion and cultural change. The story begins in the aftermath of Confederation, when the prospects of building a Christian nation persuaded a group of Congregationalist, Methodist, and Presbyterian leaders to set aside denominational differences and focus instead on shared beliefs. Phyllis Airhart traces the new church's struggle to save its reputation during a bitter controversy with dissenting Presbyterians who refused to join what they considered a "creedless" church. Surviving the organizational and theological challenges of economic depression and war, the future of the church seemed bright. But the ties between personal faith and civic life that the founders took for granted were soon tattered by the secular cultural storm sweeping through western Christendom. The United Church's remaking came with the realization that creating a Christian social order in Canada was unlikely - perhaps even undesirable - in a pluralistic world. A Church with the Soul of a Nation sheds light on the United Church's past controversies and present dilemmas by showing how its founding vision both laid the groundwork for its accomplishments and complicated its adaptation to the new world taking shape.
A Church with the Soul of a Nation: Making and Remaking the United Church of Canada (McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion #159)
by Phyllis D. Airhart"As Canadian as the maple leaf" is how one observer summed up the United Church of Canada after its founding in 1925. But was this Canadian-made church flawed in its design, as critics have charged? A Church with the Soul of a Nation explores this question by weaving together the history of the United Church with a provocative analysis of religion and cultural change.
A Circle of Quiet: A Circle Of Quiet, The Summer Of The Great-grandmother, The Irrational Season, And Two-part Invention (The Crosswicks Journals #1)
by Madeleine L'EngleThe beloved author of A Wrinkle in Time takes an introspective look at her life and muses on creativity in this memoir, the first of her Crosswicks Journals. Every so often I need OUT. . . . My special place is a small brook in a green glade, a circle of quiet from which there is no visible sign of human beings. . . . I sit there, dangling my legs and looking through the foliage at the sky reflected in the water, and things slowly come back into perspective. Set against the lush backdrop of Crosswicks, her family&’s farmhouse in rural Connecticut, this deeply personal memoir details Madeleine L&’Engle&’s journey to find balance between her career as a Newbery Medal–winning author and her responsibilities as a wife, mother, teacher, and Christian. As she considers the roles that creativity, family, citizenship, and faith play in her life, L&’Engle reveals the complexities behind the author whose works—honored with the National Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and countless other prizes—have long been cherished by children and adults alike. Written in simple, profound, and often humorous prose, A Circle of Quiet is an insightful woman&’s elegant search for the meaning and purpose of her life. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Madeleine L&’Engle including rare images from the author&’s estate.
A City Called Heaven: Chicago and the Birth of Gospel Music
by Robert M. MarovichIn A City Called Heaven, gospel announcer and music historian Robert Marovich shines a light on the humble origins of a majestic genre and its indispensable bond to the city where it found its voice: Chicago. Marovich follows gospel music from early hymns and camp meetings through the Great Migration that brought it to Chicago. In time, the music grew into the sanctified soundtrack of the city's mainline black Protestant churches. In addition to drawing on print media and ephemera, Marovich mines hours of interviews with nearly fifty artists, ministers, and historians--as well as discussions with relatives and friends of past gospel pioneers--to recover many forgotten singers, musicians, songwriters, and industry leaders. He also examines how a lack of economic opportunity bred an entrepreneurial spirit that fueled gospel music's rise to popularity and opened a gate to social mobility for a number of its practitioners. As Marovich shows, gospel music expressed a yearning for freedom from earthly pains, racial prejudice, and life's hardships. In the end, it proved to be a sound too mighty and too joyous for even church walls to hold.
A City Not Forsaken (Cheney Duvall, M. D. #3)
by Gilbert Morris Lynn MorrisWill Cheney Be Content in the Glittering Lights of High Society? OR NOT Cheney Duvall's attempt to help the mountain folks in the primitive wilderness of the Ozark Mountains had proven to be an extremely difficult experience for both her and her nurse, Shiloh Iron. When they return to her home in New York; Cheney determines to go into a private practice with the handsome Devlin Buchanan, a highly successful physician who had previously asked her to marry him. His sponsorship offered her an excellent chance for success among the most wealthy and refined residents of New York. But dark rumors of plague had reached New York well in advance of the arrival of the ship that was bringing Devlin Buchanan back from London. A cholera outbreak in London had been reported in the early spring of 1866, and the deadly pestilence was now transported on the steamship Virginia. Despite holding the ship in quarantine, New Yorkers knew it was only a matter of time before the disease would spread. Polite Society with its elite circles, glittering stores, finest of clothing, elegant carriages, and lush carpet is a far different world than Cheney has known. And while it's gratifying to brush elbows with the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts, her past work has left its mark deep in her soul. Can Cheney be content in a world of high society and pomp, or will the call of the poor and the horrors of the epidemic draw her back?
A City Upon a Hill: How Sermons Changed the Course of American History
by Larry Witham“Witham’s highly readable history of the American sermon strongly bolsters the contention that words change minds and alter the course of events.” —BooklistPivotal moments in U.S. history are indelibly marked by the sermons of the nation’s greatest orators. From colonial times to the present, the sermon has motivated Americans to fight wars as well as fight for peace. Sermons have provoked the mob mentality of witch hunts and blacklists, but they have also stirred activists in the women’s and civil rights movements. A City Upon a Hill tells the story of these powerful words and how they shaped the destiny of a nation.A City Upon a Hill includes the story of Robert Hunt, the first preacher to brave the dangerous sea voyage to Jamestown; Jonathan Mayhew’s “most seditious sermon ever delivered,” which incited Boston’s Stamp Act riots in 1765; early calls for abolition and “Preacher-Captain” Nat Turner’s bloody slave revolt of 1831; Henry Ward Beecher’s sermon at Fort Sumter on the day of Lincoln’s assassination; tent revivalist/prohibitionist Billy Sunday’s “booze sermon”; the challenging words of Martin Luther King Jr., which inspired the civil rights movement; Billy Graham’s moving speeches as “America’s pastor” and spiritual advisor to multiple U.S. presidents; and Jerry Falwell’s legacy of changing the way America does politics.A City Upon a Hill provides a history of the United States as seen through the lens of the preached words—Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish—that inspired independence, constitutional amendments, and military victories, and also stirred our worst prejudices, selfish materialism, and stubborn divisiveness—all in the name of God.
A City of Bells: The Cathedral Trilogy
by Elizabeth GoudgeReturning injured from the Boer War, Jocelyn Irvin travels to the quiet cathedral town of Torminster. Welcomed there by his young cousin Hugh Anthony, his grandparents and their adopted daughter Henrietta, Jocelyn begins to rediscover his enjoyment of life.As he embraces old friendships and new relationships, Jocelyn becomes captivated by the mystery of writer Gabriel Ferranti, a man whose unexplained disappearance months before has cast a shadow which only his return can lift.A charming story of love, family and laying to rest ghosts of the past.What readers are saying about Elizabeth Goudge'Miss Goudge is a born storyteller' - 5 STARS'I wish I had discovered Elizabeth Goudge a long time ago!' - 5 STARS'One of the greatest storytellers of our time' - 5 STARS'Her writing is unique' - 5 STARS'Elizabeth Goudge is an author par excellence' - 5 STARS
A Civic Spirituality of Sanctification: John Calvin (Past Light on Present Life: Theology, Ethics, and Spirituality)
by John CalvinThis volume presents the spirituality of John Calvin in three short texts drawn from his Institutes of the Christian Religion. Many consider Calvin the most influential thinker of the sixteenth century. His ideas flowed from Geneva into northern Europe, to the English-speaking lands of Britain, and through the Puritans to North America. The prolific writings of Calvin across several genres open up many aspects of Christian living, and each one offers an entrée to his spirituality. On the supposition that “spirituality” refers to the way people or groups lead their lives in relation to ultimacy, three texts have been chosen to form the axis for this interpretation of Calvin’s contribution. These texts deal with his theological view of law, a definition of sanctification, and a short treatise on the Christian life. The portrait of Calvin’s spirituality that emerges from these texts and the larger framework of his theology, his ecclesiology, and his career as church leader and civic organizer can be summarized in the following phrase: a practical spirituality of sanctification by participation in society. One cannot find all of that in these texts, but they establish a platform on which the pieces fall into place. The story of his early life and formation, along with several key ideas that characterize the man and his vision, will help to draw a sharper, more distinctive picture of at least this influential aspect of Calvin’s spirituality. It is one that bears direct relevance, with appropriate adjustments, to life today.
A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World
by Carl AndersonCarl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, surveys the exciting and history-changing ideas of Pope John Paul II in A Civilization of Love. By popularizing not only John Paul's vision but also that of his successor, Benedict XVI, Anderson hopes to inspire Christians to work toward creating a civilization of love. In such a civilization every person is a child of God. We are all intrinsically valuable. The battle today is between the culture of death (where people are judged by their social or economic value) and the culture of life. Anderson pushes aside religious differences in order to spread a message of hope to those who are weary of the constant turmoil of modern society. While he does specifically challenge Christians to take an active role in their faith, you do not have to be a Christian to participate in the movement toward a civilization of love.By embracing the culture of life and standing with those most marginalized and deemed "useless" or a "burden" on modern society, Christians can change the tone and direction of our culture. Anderson demonstrates that regardless of our differences, we can come together on the centrality of loving and caring for others. He brings a message of inclusion and hope in the midst of a clash of civilizations and provides a road map for helping Christians understand their role in the world.