Spiritual Memoir

Originally published in 1978, A Step Further is Joni Eareckson Tada's response to thousands of letters she received from people puzzled about the "whys" of suffering. Joni answers these questions by taking a personal look at how God has used circumstances, people, and events in her own life and the lives of others.

From zeniths of ecstasy and through valleys of darkness, one man’s journey leads him across a colorful landscape of strange adventures, and into the depths of truth that we all eventually seek. After attempts to escape the troubles of his mysterious past through sex, drugs, and violence; things end up in ruin. But then, a series of profound mystical experiences compels him along the path of self-knowledge. An unfoldment of the spiritual sciences opens up before him and leads the way to realization and lasting happiness.

The Bible reveals not just butterflies and broken hearts. In Scripture, we see God’s beautiful design for the partnership of marriage. We witness friendships that cross all boundaries. We watch as families navigate the many seasons of life. Our guiding example for them all is the deepest, most abiding, foundational love ever known: God’s unconditional love for His people. In The Love Stories of the Bible Speak, Shannon Bream draws lessons from the good, the bad, and the ugly of Biblical romances, friendships, and families.

Jonathan Rogers follows the roots of Flannery O’Connor’s fervent Catholicism and traces the outlines of a life marked by illness and suffering, but ultimately defined by an irrepressible joy. In her stories, and in her life story, Flannery O’Connor extends a hand in the dark, warning and reassuring us of the terrible speed of mercy.

There’s a lie masquerading as truth that’s running rampant in our culture. It goes something like this: you are powerful enough to control your circumstances and create the life you want through positive thinking, solid planning, and dreaming big enough. But if you’ve ever tried to control your life or to strive your way to self-fulfillment, you’ve discovered what lies on the other side of this supposedly empowering message. Tara Sun explores why the quest for control is overrated—not to mention downright dangerous—and reveals the surprising, lifegiving alternative: radical surrender to God.

Cold Tangerines is a collection of stories that celebrate the extraordinary moments hidden in our everyday lives. It is about God, and about life, and about the thousands of daily ways in which an awareness of God changes and infuses everything. It is about spiritual life, and about all the things that we have called nonspiritual life that might be spiritual after all.

It's not what I lost. It's what I've found. I was only 17, just a girl, when God asked me for everything I had...my health, my hopes, my independence, my dreams, my freedom, and my mobility. He took it all. I was so angry with him that I tried to push him away. God relentlessly held me more closely. Looking back, 40 years later, I understand that God has changed and healed me - my heart and my mind - in the most unexpected ways, giving me rubies of his wisdom about an unbending faith and an experience of his mercy I can now tell you about.

In a debut memoir that is funny and earnest, Riley invites questioners, doubters, misfits, and curious believers to participate in the universal search to heal what life has broken. Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome takes you by the hand and reminds you that sometimes you first have to be lost in order to be found.

In this groundbreaking book, one of America's premier religion writers revives ancient expressions through cultural commentary, vulnerable personal narratives, and surprising biblical insights. Both provocative and liberating, Learning to Speak God from Scratch will breathe new life into your spiritual conversations and lure you into the embrace of the God who inhabits them.

“One thing in particular the high priest wants to make you aware of, no one has ever gotten out of our secret society alive. You and I were brought into it by the special workings of the spirit, and we are to be in subjection to them, not they to us.” With these words Roger’s friend tried to convince him to remain within the camp of the prince of darkness—but Roger had caught a glimmer of Light and was determined to learn more.

Raised as an atheist, Sara Miles lived an enthusiastically secular life as a restaurant cook and a writer. Then early one winter morning, for no earthly reason, she wandered into a church. "I was certainly not interested in becoming a Christian," she writes, "or, as I thought of it rather less politely, a religious nut." But she ate a piece of bread, took a sip of wine, and found herself radically transformed.

The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers focuses on Mr. Rogers' spiritual legacy, but it is much more than that. It shows us a man who, to paraphrase the words of St. Francis of Assisi, "preached the gospel at all times; when necessary he used words".

Ally Brooke burst onto the music scene as a member of Fifth Harmony and quickly became a fan favorite with her infectious positivity and approachable attitude—not to mention her incredible voice. Following the band’s meteoric rise to fame, she embarked on a solo career, releasing her own hit singles, joining the 28th season of Dancing with the Stars, and showing people everywhere the rewards of hard work and faith. Now in this moving and inspirational memoir, Ally opens up about the experiences that led her to the spotlight.

Despite his deep desire to overcome mental illness and lead others out of their own pain, pastor Andrew Stoecklein died by suicide at the age of 30. In the wake of the tragedy, his widow, Kayla, embarked on a journey to better understand Andrew’s harrowing battle, come alongside those with similar struggles, and help the church overcome the stigma of suicide.

When Ernest Gordon was 24 he was captured by the Japanese and forced, with other British prisoners, to build the notorious "Railroad of Death", where nearly 16,000 prisoners of war gave their life. Faced with the appalling conditions of the prisoners' camp and the brutality of the captors, he survived to become an inspiring example of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds.

Through these stories, Shannon explains the intimate connection between faith and family—and how God’s unexpected agenda can redefine the way we think about family. Not all of these mothers and daughters in the Bible were paragons of virtue. Like us, they were human beings who faltered and struggled to do their best. While some heard God’s voice, others chose their own paths. Through the lens of their imperfections, we can see how God used their stories to bring about His divine plans. He’s still doing the same work in our lives today.

Following Jesus is a journey none of the people in this book ever expected to take. Why did they? What difference did it make? The book you’re looking at is dangerous. If you listen to it, you’ll see that God is still active in saving even the most unexpected people: An atheist woman who viewed Christians as “idiots.” A married couple high in the leadership ranks of the Mormon church. An African-American man who became a Black Muslim out of hatred for white Christians. And much more!

AN AWE-INSPIRING TRUE STORY of Angela Lenhardt and Trigger the Wonder Horse is a testament of faith and how the power of prayer can change your life. This book is for anyone in need of a reminder that when life gets you down and you’re faced with uncertainty and fear, God is omnipresent. Within your own heart, exists a superpower called love, that will open up a world of possibilities once you connect and believe in it.

Known as the godfather of the civil rights movement, Howard Thurman served as a spiritual adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders and activists in the 1960s. Thurman championed silence, contemplation, common unity, and nonviolence as powerful dimensions of social change. But Dr. Lerita Coleman Brown didn't learn about him during her years of spiritual-direction training. Only when a friend heard of her longing to encounter the work of Black contemplatives did she finally learn about Thurman, his mystical spirituality, and his liberating ethic.

Join Wes "Scoop" Nisker, a renowned Buddhist meditation teacher, performer, and newscaster, on a wild ride from West to East and back in his quest for true self and enlightenment. Narrated by the legendary Peter Coyote, this audiobook combines the best elements of memoir and social commentary to illuminate the spiritual hunger of modern America.