Religious Love

Francis of Assisi is Catholicism's most popular saint. Tens of millions of spiritual seekers summon his name and example. But the real Francis - both his complicated personality and his complex theology - have been misunderstood for centuries. In 1228, Pope Gregory IX rushed to canonize St. Francis only two years after his death. Soon thereafter, the Church eliminated significant aspects of his biography from the public record.

A children's book about the parable of God's endless love and forgiveness - as you've never heard it before!

Nancy's mother is having a baby and it is making her ill; Nancy's father is angry with her mother because they can't afford the baby; Nancy is angry with everyone. Then she starts to see things... things that should only happen in fairytales. Is Buk a sign she is going mad or is he there to save her?

La Madre Teresa fue una de las mujeres más admiradas del siglo XX y su memoria continúa inspirando a muchos alrededor del mundo, pues incluso una santa puede amar los chocolates, hacer bromas o regañar al presidente de los Estados Unidos. Esta fue la mujer a la que Jim Towey conoció a mediados de los noventa—cuando era congresista y abogado de alto nivel—la que iluminó el vacío que había en su vida.

Eden Creswell finds herself in River Bend, Wyoming, without a man to marry. Knowing she can’t go back to her Delaware home, she does the only thing she can: pretend to be someone’s fiancée. Ryder Graham is surprised by one thing after another. First, his depressing paralyzed state, and then a woman shows up on his doorstep claiming to be his mail-order bride. He wonders if it is possible he ordered a bride and didn’t know it, but without another option, he takes her up on her gracious offer to help, alleviating his sister from the duty.

Melissa Bradley was orphaned at a young age and knew nothing of what it was like to have a true family. At the age of 16, she is now forced to leave the only home she’s ever known to become a mail-order bride. She only hopes for one thing, though: a family. Nathan Warren grew up a troublemaker in the midst of a large family. In order to escape, he ran off to become a sailor and travel the world. Along the way, he found more than he bargained for. With faith firmly planted in the Lord and the desire for marriage, he sets out on a new journey with the woman he’s brought out west.

An orphan caught in an unhappy situation, Abigail Summer accepts an invitation to assist her friend in her pregnancy. Little does she know the invitation will change her life more than she ever dreamed possible. Jacob Whitcomb is finally ready for a wife, though the minute he finally takes the initiative to bring his mail-order bride out West, he discovers that his bride has more in her arms than a few bags and a hat—a brand-new baby! Brought together, both with secrets to share, Abigail and Jacob will have to overcome more than they ever expected in order to preserve their family.

Martha Plinket’s plans are derailed when a group of Indians intercept her train. Stranded in the mountains, how will Martha escape and find her way home? Gabriel Marsh has given up living in society for his secluded mountain cabin. His only interaction with humans is with the Indians he trades with. His peaceful quiet is interrupted when it becomes clear his only option is to rescue Martha and take her into town. A place he hasn’t been to for years. Their troubles are far from over when Gabriel discovers the fate of his family.

Dana Jones is getting married—or at least that’s what she tells her poor uncle when he’s all but forced to throw her from his house. But when Dana Jones finds out that the husband-to-be she made up actually exists, everything changes! For Kyle Miller, stepping into the job as sheriff in town is the perfect step for him. Unfortunately, the townspeople don’t see it that way. They want the stability and example of a married man guiding the laws of their town and tell Kyle as much. He’s got to find a wife or get out!

Young Julia King is so beaten down by her tyrant stepmother that she despairs of ever being free. She fears for her life and those of her two young brothers. Unbeknownst to Julia, her cowered father finally devises a way for her to be rescued from her fearful enslavement. No one would ever suspect that her kidnapping was part of an elaborate plan to bring her into the arms of Western cowboy, Lester Royce. Julia's heart still fears for her father and brother's safety, but a surprise like no other awaits her on the day of her wedding.

Jessica Winters’ father is a stubborn and onerous man. In his drive to make his mark, he drags his family west, only to be slain on the treacherous trail, leaving his daughters to defend themselves in the open wilds. No horses, no wagon. No hope but in God. When the sheriff’s son, Nicolas Holloway, discovers the girls sheltering in a cave, it takes a sensitive heart to coax them out. But there is more that Nicholas wants to coax from this gentle and courageous girl—the answer to a question he will ask only one special woman.

Having lost her entire family through a terrible plague aboard the boat that brought her to America, Leslie Logan still hopes for a better life in this land of opportunity. Opportunity for 19-year-old Leslie seems as far away as her forsaken homeland, and circumstances go from bad to worse. Her last hope is to travel west as a mail-order bride. Little does she realize that her trip to Green River is on false pretenses, and that she will not be welcomed by the man who supposedly invited her there. Only the kindness of a poor young farmer offers a ray of hope for the young girl.

When 16-year-old Charlotte Stevens discovers an unusual map and letters among her grandfather’s things, she becomes obsessed with the inscription on the back of the faded papers: “If you care, take this dare. Beyond the shadows, radiance blazes.” Her curiosity carries her to North Dakota, to an old acquaintance of her late grandfather, but before her arrival, the man who held the secrets she so longed to uncover dies. It seems her search has come to an abrupt end, but a new discovery awaits her in his dusty home—one that will introduce her to a treasure beyond any price.

When Teresa Gordan’s well-respected and rich parents are supposed lost at sea, she finds herself under the care of a grasping aunt. Aunt Tiffany intends to posses the poor girl’s inheritance by marrying her off to her wastrel brother. Such dire measures require Teresa to flee west, but when she arrives, she finds that the locals' reception cold as ice. Despite her growing love for Isaac Murdoch, the local pastor and man of her dreams, she vows to cut him loose and make her own way, whatever the consequences. But Isaac knows his calling is to be beside this fascinating young woman.

Callie is the daughter of a rich but heartless industrialist in Baltimore. She witnessed the heartbreaking death of her neglected mother, and now her father insists she marry to extend his business empire. Plucky Callie refuses, insisting that she would rather marry a poor railroad worker than become the plaything of a rich man. Frederick Cameron, the intended match for poor Callie, determines to test the young lady's noble insistence that she marry for love and not money. His grand scheme causes him to travel and step down from the high place of privilege, with startling results.

Sixteen-year-old Laura Ferguson's taste for adventure takes her on a journey that leads from tragedy to triumph. Despite her plans for a round trip to the farthest reaches of the nation she so loves, she finds herself in Sandpoint—a wild and uninspiring Western mining town. Tragic news from the mines keeps Laura in the town to care for a heartbroken traveling companion. Little does she know that from this very tragedy, a triumph of love is about to be told—a story of redemption, liberation, and the binding of two young hearts forever in true love.

Doris Watson comes from humble circumstance, but when her family is blackmailed and her life threatened, the young lady is sent to safety. Her trip to safety is hijacked by the evil intent of a dangerous yet beautiful lady on the train—a stranger with a clever plan to implicate Doris in a spate of jewelry robberies and crush her family. Only Basil Dermott, a young man from Nebraska with a nose for the truth and an eye to uncover wrongdoing, has the means to absolve Doris from these spurious accusations. In his quest, Basil discovers not just the missing riches, but Doris' heart too.

Orphaned Gwendolyn knows she will be thrown to the street on her 18th birthday—just one year away. All she dreams of is to be part of a loving family, and know and marry a man who will truly cherish her. When naïve Gwen is convinced to run away with smooth-talking Oscar Hunter, her longing for love blinds her to his true intentions. Abandoned as a child, she is now abandoned again by the man she thought she loved. It is only the kindness of an elderly Christian mother traveling on the same westbound train that saves Gwendolyn from utter despair.

Bethany's family is facing ruin at the hands of her father's unscrupulous business partner. The only route to salvage the family honor and fortune is a proposal from a rich western magnate—a 65-year-old man in need of a bride. Teenage Bethany insists her father agree to the arrangement, and despite his protests, she heads west to an unknown and frightening future. Only at the very last moment as she stands trembling at the altar is the real story behind the old man's request revealed and Bethany's sacrificial love rewarded.

House on Fire! follows Sophie, a young investigative journalist searching for answers, whose sources for a story on leadership principles in a high-purpose organization get mixed up in a series of mysterious fires around Pittsburgh. Listeners follow Sophie as she explores the intersection of faith and servant leadership in high-purpose organizations and discover how to put serving leadership to work in their own high-purpose organization today.