Religious Life

When little Zanna's oldest brother died just before Christmas, she was left with the gift she had made for him - a picture that only he would have understood. Every Christmas, Zanna's gift is brought out and displayed as a way of including their lost brother in the celebration. This is the story of the life of that family, and of the many gifts they gave each other that could only be understood with love.

Born Helena Kowalska on a clear August day in 1905, to a poor Polish family, she was the third of 10 children. When Helena turned 19, she felt called by Jesus to go to Warsaw and enter a convent. After arriving, she was turned down by convent after convent, until finally, one accepted her. She took the name Faustina and stayed in the convent until her death in 1938.

The winners of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting tell the astonishing story of Mary Clarke. At the age of 50, Clarke left her comfortable life in suburban Los Angeles to follow a spiritual calling to care for the prisoners in one of Mexico's most notorious jails. She actually moved into a cell to live among drug kingpins and petty thieves. She has led many of them through profound spiritual transformations in which they turned away from their lives of crime, and she has deeply touched the lives of all who have witnessed the depth of her compassion.

When the first two stages of William Branham’s ministry had been well-established, the question persisted: What was the third stage to be? Following the leading of God, William Branham set about in the final five years of his life to deliver a series of sermons that would carry the church into a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the scripture that have been hidden since time began.

In addition to penning acclaimed poetry and plays, Coretta Scott King Honor recipient Shelia P. Moses wrote the novels The Legend of Buddy Bush and The Return of Buddy Bush. Humor and pathos abound in this moving tale of a wide-eyed African-American boy striving to understand his place in his family and their rural North Carolina town.

The White Witch, Aslan, fauns and talking beasts, centaurs and epic battles between good and evil: these have become a part of our collective imagination through the classic volumes of The Chronicles of Narnia. Yet who was the man who created this world? This audiobook attempts to unearth the making of the first Narnian, C. S. Lewis himself.

The best-selling author of The Road Less Traveled and In Search of Stones presents a novel of the afterlife that teaches important spiritual lessons for his life. The soul of Daniel—the author-psychiatrist who narrates this story—awakens in the afterlife infused with fear and excitement. Two spiritual "greeters" guide him as he begins to negotiate the "corridors" of this new environment, encountering welcome and unwelcome spirits.

Alban Butler was born in England and worked for a time as a Roman Catholic missionary priest. He was later appointed president of an English seminary in France. His primary literary work, the Lives of the Saints, was published between 1756 and 1759.

Kenan loves drawing and playing soccer with his friends. He wants to be a famous athlete, hates it when his classmates trash his buck teeth by calling him “Bugs Bunny,” and fights with his big brother, who’s too busy and cool for him lately. Sometimes his parents drive him crazy, but he feels loved and protected—until the war ruins everything. Soon, Kenan’s family is trapped in their home with little food or water, surrounded by enemies. Ten months later, with help from friends and strangers, they finally make it out of the country alive. But that’s only the beginning.

In this provocative new contribution to public theology, world-renowned theologian Miroslav Volf (named "America's New Public Intellectual" by Scot McKnight on his Jesus Creed blog) and Matthew Croasmun explain that the intellectual tools needed to rescue us from our present malaise and meet our new cultural challenge are the tools of theology. A renewal of theology is crucial to help us articulate compelling visions of the good life, find our way through the maze of contested questions of value, and answer the fundamental question of what makes life worth living.

St. Benedict was not interested in fame, power, or legacy. He was only interested in living the Christian life to the fullest and helping those around him do the same. The rest is history - and the work of Providence. Not only consecrated religious, but also many lay people, find inspiration in his call to balance, discipline, and prayer. Historically, St. Benedict helped bridge the early Church with the medieval period by standing on the shoulders of the fathers of the monastic tradition.

Lauren Winner shares the spiritual practices she has adopted in her quest to reconcile Judaism and Christianity. Despite her conversion from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity, Lauren Winner finds that her life is still shaped by the spiritual essences of Judaism - rich traditions and religious practices that she can't leave behind. In Mudhouse Sabbath, Winner illuminates eleven spiritual practices that can transform the way we view the world, and God.

The daughter of a Pentecostal evangelist and a race-car driver, Jessi Colter played piano and sang in church before leaving Arizona to tour with rock n' roll pioneer Duane Eddy, whom she married. Colter became a successful recording artist, appearing on American Bandstand and befriending stars such as the the Everly Brothers and Chet Atkins while her songs were recorded by Nancy Sinatra, Dottie West, and others. Her marriage to Eddy didn't last, however, and in 1969 she married the electrifying Waylon Jennings.

Among the most beloved saints in the Catholic tradition, Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226) is popularly remembered for his dedication to poverty, his love of animals and nature, and his desire to follow perfectly the teachings and example of Christ. During his lifetime and after his death, followers collected, for their own purposes, numerous stories, anecdotes, and reports about Francis. As a result, the man himself and his own concerns became lost in legend.

With more than a million copies of her books in print, best-selling author Karen Kingsbury delights multitudes of fans with her inspirational tales. Grief stricken over her father's death, Ellen Barrett returns to her hometown, temporarily leaving behind a troubled marriage. The heartache and confusion that swirl about her threaten to further weaken her already slipping faith. Yet even in this difficult time, God's path is before her - if only she has the willingness and strength to take it.

In A Thousand Lives, the New York Times best-selling memoirist Julia Scheeres traces the fates of five individuals who followed Jim Jones to South America as they struggled to first build their paradise, and then survive it. Each went for different reasons - some were drawn to Jones for his progressive attitudes towards racial equality, others were dazzled by his claims to be a faith healer. But once in Guyana, Jones' drug addiction, mental decay, and sexual depredations quickly eroded the idealistic community.

The Tarot Blueprint was given to me as a channeled message. Every card in the deck was describing some part of the journey, and it instantly struck me that the tarot isn't just about the fool's journey. The tarot actually covers every aspect of life, like an incredible blueprint of the human journey from cradle to grave! Connecting the tarot with the chakras has never been done quite like this before, and learning the cards from this perspective requires no memorization whatsoever. The meanings of the cards are written as a story, which makes it perfect as an audiobook.

St. Dominic Savio (1842-1857) was an Italian adolescent student of St. John Bosco. He was studying to become a priest when, at 14, he became ill and died. He was noted for his piety and devotion to the Catholic faith. St. John regarded Savio very highly and wrote this biography of his young student. This book, along with other accounts of him, assess the critical factors into his cause for sainthood.

St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most venerated Christian figures, and his profound teachings, deep love of nature, and commitment to simplicity have resonated with generations of followers. St. Francis of Assisi, a title in the Essential Wisdom Library, offers a simple and universal introduction to Francis' life, his key teachings, and the spiritual practices that enriched his faith and the lives of those who follow his legacy.

Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians provides access into an underrepresented and misunderstood community and will change the way listeners think about transgender people, faith, and the future of Christianity. By introducing transgender issues and language and providing stories of both biblical characters and real-life narratives from transgender Christians living today, Hartke helps listeners visualize a more inclusive Christianity, equipping them with the confidence and tools to change both the church and the world.