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The book presents a revolutionary approach to higher education based on empathy, trust and collaboration. It describes how people can be brought together across cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, sexuality, class, ability and other divides in a spirit of love and liberation. The setting for the book is "The Bible as Literature" course taught at the University of South Florida by Dr. Gary L. Lemons. The teaching,learning and writing experiences and methods described here can be deployed not just in academia but in business, politics, community activism and beyond.

One woman's view of neighborhood antics, a man's description of eight close calls with death, a heart-wrenching look into the life of a musical conductor who suffered a loss, a mother and adult son on a comedic shopping spree,a connection with a disgruntled cyber-friend, family and friends trying to keep the peace at a baby shower,grief and forgiveness at the end of a life, childhood friendship on a farm that ultimately brings distress, an aging woman's dark night of the soul, an experienced female nurse who makes a shift in employment from hospital to doctor's office, a Los Angeles sheriff who works a task force in gang territory,an irresponsible male truck driver who never wants to grow up, a female retiree who chose to live and survive in the badlands, father and son who witness a life altering event on the way to a ballgame, a single mother who goes through marriageable boyfriends, a single woman who faces a cancer diagnosis and chooses alternatives, two elderly sisters who spend a day at bingo together, a mother working through her own grief and loss, a young married couple living in Belgium under duress, a woman of senior age who just up and leaves her husband one day, a journey to become human from the perspective of a soul.

Have you ever felt like where you come from determines the outcome of your life? What if you could learn to let go of the past and leave a new legacy?Abandoned with several kids in the backwoods of Missouri, my grandma's faith changed the course of our family's future. Ripples is the story of a family plagued by generational sins of violence and addictions.But this isn't just our story. This is a redemption story for everyone who longs to know their lives aren't too messy for Jesus! That you are fully known and fully loved regardless of your past.It's an opportunity to discover that where we come from doesn't have to determine where we go. God is in the business of restoration and He wants it for you as well.In Ripples, father and daughter team, Bill and Laura, take you on a journey through true stories of heartache but also of great victory! In their down home way they share the hope weaved through their own story, in hopes it will help transform yours!Come along as we discover how God's redeeming power leads to freedom and forgiveness along the way.

Gadara: The Story of the Gadarene Demoniac is a work of fiction based on the true biblical account. Jesus cast a multitude of demons from a man into a vast herd of swine. The story attempts to bring this to life, as well as many other events.The demonic 'Legion' is a hideous beast until totally transformed by Jesus. The local people saw what had happened and demanded that Jesus depart out of fear. The swine had run into the Sea of Galilee and drowned. 'Jason' is the original name of the former demoniac and wants to go with Jesus, but he forbids him and tells him to go and tell what good things God had done for him. It is a mission that Jason takes very seriously, for he becomes a man of incredible faith.And so, the fictional account of Jason, the former Gadarene demoniac begins early in the book. My story interacts with the Bible, but in no way re-interprets it. Jason discovers that he has the authority to heal the sick and cast out demons in the name of Jesus; no different than the disciples of Jesus before and after the crucifixion. He affects the lives of many and soon has a reputation; both good and bad. Many had not forgotten his previous life. Jesus returned to the Decapolis months later and was well received. This 'Jason' must have done something to change the hearts and minds of the people deeply entrenched in their cultural beliefs and traditions.Although Jason is delivered and restored in every way, his body remains covered with scars from years of cutting himself with stones. His challenges are relentless. Despite this, he makes friends and meets the love of his life, which doesn't begin well. The story is a roller coaster ride with some good teaching along the way. I wrote the book to be enjoyed. It is an epic novel with action, adventure, romance, and emotion with a touch of humor. The story offers a slightly different point of view: Pagan Greeks confronted with the word of God by one of their own; a strong, fearless, lovable, scarred former demoniac with a mission...and a past.There are many scriptures from the King James Bible used in the book, where appropriate, and all are referenced. All of the words of Jesus are his actual words. The beliefs in the book are basic biblical concepts, as well as the apocryphal book of Enoch to describe the origin of the demons. This was a widely accepted concept in the first century, but it may make the book a bit controversial. I hope so. The demonic activity depicted in the book is also a result of years of interest in the subject of real demonic possession. It was intended to be realistic.This story was also written through compassion for the lost. Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. It's not flesh and blood we fight against, but spiritual wickedness in high places, which is what this work is really about. Therefore, this book is dedicated to Jesus, and to the lost.

While almost everywhere else is experiencing an increase in criminal activity, this Southern city is witnessing exactly the opposite. The crime rate is going down but not all crimes. People with a variety of illnesses are experiencing unexpected improvements to their health. There are even unusual changes to the behavior of some of the animals at the local zoo. All these things are occurring in just this one city.There is no one who can account for the strange goings-on. Those few who are even aware that something is in the works have no idea why it is happening. They have been unable to come up with an explanation that makes sense.A freelance writer, Ardan Healy, being naturally curious, finds himself drawn to the search for explanations. The more he learns the stranger it all seems. How can these things be related to one another? After false starts and dead end trails, Ardan intensifies his efforts but questions whether he will ever find the answers he seeks.Ardan's search for the solution to this puzzle leads him straight into conflict with other parts of his life. Will he stumble on missing pieces of his past while he is looking for parts of the other puzzle? Can he solve both puzzles at the same time?He discovers more than he ever imagined and is pulled deeper and deeper into the mystery. He recruits others to help with the quest for reason in what is going on and finds himself trusting some troubled persons to help him.Ardan uncovers other hard to believe changes taking place in his adopted hometown and they are not all bad, though they are unusual. Is there an unrecognized crime at the root of all these occurrences? What will he do if he finds that someone is responsible for all this and it is not an act of nature? And if there is someone, who could it possibly be?

Losing a loved one leaves a void not just in your life, but in your ability to process life. Grief is a multi-faceted emotion. It unfolds almost minute by minute, revealing loneliness, despair, anger, and a host of other emotions. Learning to process these emotions, despite the pain can be therapeutic.If you're drowning in grief, having difficulty processing your emotions, or just feel like you won't make it through, this book is for you. Grief is tough and it's ongoing, you now must deal with a new normal of living without your loved one. While reading this book you will reminisce, recall, remember, and reflect on the life and love you shared with your loved one. Some days you will laugh, some days you will cry, but you will never forget the love you shared.

Pianist Garreth Llewelyn has a hair-trigger imagination. It helps him lead his audiences into amazing realms. His mesmerizing improvisations engage listeners' senses in incredible ways.Garreth is the best-known pianist in the world, but he's struggling to balance his music with his complicated personal life. His romantic relationships are becoming difficult. His authoritarian father and his envious brother are making it hard to have close family ties.A noted writer, following Garreth from concert to concert, is preparing the definitive biography. But his questions stir up things Garreth hasn't wanted to face. Is his music some form of escape? Is he hypnotizing his listeners?Garreth has other questions for himself: Why is he haunted by a menacing image from his childhood? Why do ancient stone cairns inhabit his thoughts? What is his music, with its increasing synesthesia, trying to tell him?And, most important: what can he do to achieve more with his life?The Improviser takes you around the world from Machu Picchu to northern Manitoba, from Istanbul to Wales, from the Sistine Chapel to the White House. And it takes you into the imagination of a musical genius, into a captivating place where illusion and reality intertwine.

An intriguing speaker uses anecdotes and illustrations to help the audience grasp the points being made. This book contains 160 such stories collected by Steve Boyd, popular after-dinner speaker, trainer, university professor, and pulpit minister. (The latter assures you can tell these stories to your grandmother or your children!)From presidential anecdotes to stories of Greek orators to personal experiences in learning to dance, these are stories you can use tomorrow to make your speech have impact.

Way of Escape is a true life-long story that starts with the rape of a four-year-old girl. The very people she should have been able to trust and run to for help, betrayed her and introduced her to a realm of repeated sexual violation and other forms of ritual abuse. The incidents of her early life defined her self-concept and dictated her life course.It portrays some of the abusive and ritualistic events in her life; some are described quite graphically; all are demonically inspired and represent the potential for evil in the hearts and minds of mankind.The book's purpose is not to place blame on any group or individual, but to give credibility to survivors of abuse, and through the life of this little girl, offer reassurance that God is real. He is faithful and will always provide a way of escape - even when it is physically impossible to break free. God lovingly separates our consciousness and physical perceptions from the inescapable abuse. He allows us to "leave" while still being physically held captive - to dissociate ourselves from the painful situation.In the realm of psychiatry, dissociation is labeled as a "disorder" - Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly Multiple Personality Disorder). When there is no power or means to physically flee from a situation, how can being able to mentally and emotionally "leave" and preserve one's self be called a disorder? In an inescapable abusive situation, fear and physical pain are the most horrific aspects of the victimization. How then, can it not be a blessing of God to escape to a place of psychological refuge where there is no pain, no fear? If someone being assaulted were able to run away to safety, would they not be considered resourceful, heroic, and extremely fortunate? Why then is this inward escape viewed with skepticism, or condemnation? The victim desperately strives to neutralize the terror and prevent the physical and emotional pain. Any method by which this is achieved must be applauded as inventive, and courageous.In cases of childhood sexual, satanic, or repetitive trauma, dissociation is an effective method of survival. Just as the abusive events are sequestered away from the conscious memory, non-traumatic segments of one's life are also hidden away - inaccessible. There may be limited memory of milestone events: early childhood, school years, significant relationships, weddings, childbirth, professional experiences, emotional losses, or joyous events. Looking back on life seems like the replay of a video from which segments have been removed and the remaining scenes re-attached in non-sequential, random order. There are parts of the plot that don't make sense because there is nothing connecting them to the original story. God promises to give back the lost scenes, the experiences that were stolen from us for the gratification of others. He splices back together the soul that was fragmented so events can be remembered and reprocessed in their entirety, without re-experiencing the emotional and physical trauma.Above all, Way of Escape is a story of redemption. From the sexual betrayal, disillusionment and ritualistic abuse of a small child, through her fragmented, emotionally volatile youth and early adulthood, God is faithful to bring about reclamation of innocence once lost, and restoration of a shattered soul. The journey is laborious and emotionally challenging, but through the counselor's skilled and compassionate dedication, God's unconditional love and wisdom, and the willingness of the broken human spirit to be healed, the chains of bondage are broken and wholeness is restored.The author's hope is that the shame, guilt and destructive life path that often result from emotional trauma be resolved and replaced with a positive self-concept, absence of self-persecution, and a future of hope and freedom f

Retired naval officer Frank Warren, now an airline pilot, is on the final day of a routine, four-day trip. On board is William "Will Call" Stimson, U.S. Navy (ret) who now works on Capitol Hill. Will Call and Warren, fellow commanding officers while on active duty developed a strong friendship during their command tours and remained close when each retired. Will Call Stimson knows of an opening in the secretary of defense organization and thinks he knows who the perfect candidate for the job is.Will Call waits for the passengers to deplane in Atlanta and then surprises Warren with a warm handshake and a hug. They talk in the concourse where Will Call describes the position which Frank considers enticing. After a discussion with wife Mary, they decide to pursue this new opportunity and relocate to the Washington, D.C. area.In the Pentagon, Frank learns administrative protocols from Denise Emerson, an attractive assistant who seems to live far beyond her means. Also working there are two individuals whom Frank met while on active duty as a student at the National Defense University (NDU). Rear Admiral Joseph Donaldson, "Joe 2-star" in Frank's mind, was a commander and an early selectee for captain at NDU. An outstanding and highly regarded naval officer, Radm. Donaldson's meteoric rise through the ranks resulted in his Pentagon assignment as the Navy's director of air warfare. Also assigned to the Pentagon was Sharon Fleming who serves as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. She, like Frank Warren and Joseph Donaldson, was a student at NDU and was a war game team member of Warren's during their academic year.Warren, Donaldson, and Fleming are again brought together by unusual Iranian naval activity in the Persian Gulf. In the Situation Room of the White House all three individuals contribute to the formulation of a response by U.S. military forces to acts of aggression demonstrated by Iranians. The original plan briefed to the president doesn't seem right to war planning novice Frank Warren. Warren challenges CentCom's plan and proposes an alternate strategy. Surprisingly, the president invokes Warren's proposal and orders it implemented.In the Persian Gulf, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) anchors due to issues with her nuclear-powered propulsion system. USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) and USS Milius (DDG-69) perform guard duty while Nimitz strives to get their reactors back online. As Sunday morning dawns, a B-52 Stratofortress screams over the heads of Iranian and American sailors and a second flyover ends with an explosive display of firepower. Iran's small boats and two submarines return to Bandar Abbas and the conflict in the Persian Gulf is resolved without further incident.Each side views the event through their own lens and each draws erroneous conclusions. Frank Warren's uneasiness with the lifestyle and disposition of Denise Emerson is well founded but uncorroborated. Denise surreptitiously provides Tehran authorities with intelligence information she can obtain during her normal work routine, motivated by the death of her parents who died when their Iranian airliner was shot down by a United States warship in July 1988.Von Clausewitz's "fog of war" theory proves itself again as the United States and Iran continue their delicate balancing act with potentially deadly consequences.

Surviving the mean streets of New Orleans in 1956, young Tim Kelly begins a young Indiana Jones style adventure by lying about his age to join the Coast Guard at the tender age of fourteen.His adventure takes him to Vietnam where he is awarded the Silver Star medal which is overshadowed by his less than honorable discharge for releasing his rage in an Air Force officer's club taking revenge for Air Force 'friendly fire' that killed three of his friends.Returning home, he is faced with the dilemma of betrayal of an old friend who - although he is a ruthless drug cartel boss - has saved his life on more than one occasion - his decision leads him to the shadow world of drug and human trafficking - and after his cover is blown - he survives torture to be rescued just in the nick of time.After his rescue, everything seems to be going well - Tim and his soul mate Brenda are scheduled to marry - but before that happens Brenda and her best friend the spirited young daughter of the Governor of Texas are kidnapped by the cartel and spirited away to a secret island base off the coast of Yucatan - will Tim be able to save them in time?A Bio-terrorist Dr. Heinrich Fleischer enters the picture to develop a deadly strain of respiratory Anthrax the ruthless Campeche drug cartel intends to use against the other Latin American cartels to gain control of the cocaine and heroin trafficking in the U.S. and Canada.Fleischer, acquires a tactical nuclear device which he plants in a major U.S. port - using the threat to blackmail the President of the U.S. - detonation of the device in a major American port would devastate the world's economy for decades.

Saints In The Field Genuine Remnants is a powerful, cogent, bold and eloquent collection of poetic messages from the Lord written in italics to His saints regarding love, death, addiction, special needs, bondage, encouragement, fear, healing, joy, mothers and protection. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE for God to handle. He continues to thoroughly purge away our dross by purifying us from all unrighteousness. When saints abide in His love and obey His word our lives reflect His ineluctable light to the world.Included is poetry inspired by the author's life, people in her life and situations that she has not experienced regarding our human condition and struggles with principalities and powers. The Lord provided extreme empathy in her heart in order to write about these inner, deep and hidden circumstances (Jeremiah 33:3). He has disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross (Colossians 2:15).

Detectives John Bowers and his partner Minola Raye catch a case that has them on the hunt for a serial rapist who has left two victims in the heart of the city, in the shade of the white-collar towers. Portland, the City of Roses, prides itself on a downtown which welcomes and succors the unfortunate, where every other corner has a Starbucks and the professionals hurry from cobbled streets to catch the trolley to green burbs. This is one new case that has the City fathers determined to put a suspect on the evening news sooner rather than later.John Bowers gets sidelined by a kid who almost puts the Detective in the morgue. While John's on the mend in ICU, his partner and the whole Central Precinct Homicide team is trying to find the main suspect who has disappeared. There's barely a trail to follow, but intuition and plain-dog police work close in just in time to promise the return of safe streets downtown.With John down a deep rabbit hole from the opiates they're shooting into him the hospital, he becomes another crime victim, but this time nobody's on the hunt for the perpetrator. This is one violation that won't end with City Serenade.

This book is based on my true life story and how the past plays a role in characteristics that we exhibit. Especially when I found out that I was born out of Rape. My parents had instilled in me the importance of putting God first in my life. I discovered on this journey the depth of some of those personality characteristics and how they played a role in shaping my future. I also discovered why I repeat over and over many of the same mistakes.My hope for the reader is that they will recognize some of the tendencies that many of us exhibit and then seek to understand them with the help of God. I was lead to a ministry called Wellsprings. This ministry opened my eyes to the reasons I had such competitive tendencies. It was born of an innate desire to fit in and be at the top of my game so that nobody would look down on me or my children. I was driven by fear of not feeling good enough. When I enrolled at Wellsprings, they helped me understand the power of generational curses and strongholds and how we can be born into them. Knowledge is power and the truth will set you free!As my story unfolded, I discovered through a series of events that my parents were not 15 like we had been told. My mother was 28, married with 5 other children. I knew I was adopted at a young age. Several cousins on my dad's side would remind Keith (my brother) and I that we were not "real family". Now don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful adoption story from Bethany Home. I was a baby and couldn't have picked better parents if I had picked them myself. The truth is that my quest to find the key to my story includes many different twists and turns, some were devastating but others were pure joy. In the end, I realized that God's timing is perfect. He truly he is the author of my story ….. nobody could just make this stuff up! One of the things that will help promote this book is completing my "story" by finding my birth father. But I also realize that God is my father! The founder of Sav the 1, prolife attorney/speaker Rebecca Kiessling, has a T-shirt that says: "I took a DNA TEST GOD is my FATHER!"First finding out I was born of rape, to having 5 siblings! Holy cow - what a ride! I am blessed that my beautiful mother, Johanna was here by my side everyday of this crazy introduction into my family! My intended reader is anyone who has faced feelings of not being good enough, rejection and abandonment. Also anyone who had been adopted and wondered more about your story. My hope is that anyone who has faced feelings of not being good enough needs to know that we all have a Father in heaven that says we are! And to those of you that are adopted and think that you have been "given away" or tossed to the side like yesterday's trash - realize that God is the author of every story and he may be saving you from something that could be much worse! Your story is truly authored by God. Please know that we are all CHILDREN OF THE KING and that he knew us BEFORE we were born! And we are most certainly are Always Good Enough! So come to the table that God has prepared and tell your story - we are ALL welcomed there! And always remember like Toby Mac said: "Don't be afraid to tell your story because it might be the key that unlocks somebody else's prison." Join me on this journey where God's revelation changed my life forever and ultimately helped me realize that we are "ALWAYS GOOD ENOUGH".

A spiritual journey and reflective experience of what that first Easter Sunday must have been like. Imagine scene after scene of people meeting the Risen Christ. What the Gospels leave to imagination and faith one now can prayerfully imagine and experience what those encounters may have been like. The opening chapter and each succeeding chapter offer us an opportunity to experience the joyand faith expressions of the first followers of Christ. Have you ever wondered if Christ visited His mother after His Resurrection? This book brings you through such an encounter that is not just an intimate look into a remarkable meeting of Mother and Son but you are given a visual and sensory experience as well as you are invited to recall the fragrant aromatic ointment that Mary of Bethany poured over the feet of Christ prior to His death on the Cross. Present in each chapter will be the ever-present refrain during these encounters, "Be Not Afraid".Each chapter offers us an encompassing portrait of the people and places that we have come to know from the Resurrection stories found in the Gospels. However, these chapters with prayerful literary license allow us to imagine and reflect through a Lectio and Visio Divina of reading and of seeing the remarkable transformation of the lives of people forever changed with each encounter that is Beyond the Empty Tomb!

Welcome to a world depicting the kidnapping and rescue of a nation's queen in the forest called Filltroske. When an omen is about to occur, or similar oncoming fateful situation, seven individuals are chosen receiving stones that not only increase their strengths but those that join them. These individuals set out to rescue the queen in that forest where the trees endlessly sway. In a forest where any that enter do not leave unchanged, physically and/or mentally.

Anastasia DeMars is a successful model enjoying the perks of fame until a humiliating encounter with a Texas sheriff is captured on video and goes viral. The laughingstock of late night TV, Anastasia is sentenced to community service in small town Pleasant, Texas, where cowboys outnumber red carpets and music is the tie that binds this eclectic community together.Always quick with a sarcastic remark, Anastasia gets off on the wrong foot with the staff at The Watering Hole where she must serve her sentence. Forced to abandon the runway for kitchen duty, her disdain for all things unsophisticated is obvious. The absence of a nearby Neiman Marcus is reason enough to panic! But as the people of Pleasant wrap her in their warm embrace, Anastasia discovers she is more than just a pretty face.The Watering Hole attracts some of the best musicians in the business, and Anastasia's relationship with fame shifts as she witnesses both sides of that two-edged sword. Money, notoriety, and opportunity beckon when Anastasia's assignment ends. But Pleasant has gotten under her skin; can a publicity hungry diva find joy without courting followers and paparazzi?

A young man's journey out of the depths of despair leads to summer adventures of self-discovery and essential relationships. The exotic surroundings of the Florida Keys provide a catalyst for the healing power of a smile and touch of a beautiful young woman with a secret, an off-shore natural wonder, and the insightful poems of a troubled young girl. Through emotional ordeals he wrestles with the paradox of being supportive and supported. An attraction turns into a deeper bond. Can commitment equal endurance? Young lovers will discover if they can triumph together. Is together enough?

Students who embark on the journey of Therapeutic Touch© begin by learning a technique - outward steps and processes that help them to understand how to intervene energetically to foster better wellness for others, and how to understand themselves as a healer. As they develop through experiencing the healing process over time, things begin to shift and change. Their awareness of the energy dynamics occurring in the field of their recipient grows and diversifies. On an internal level something is also happening. They begin to open to the deep core of intelligence that flows just beneath the surface of their awareness-the timeless self. From this source, come the intimations about how best to intervene in the flow of energy so that their recipients become more deeply whole. Their skill with a technique has become the mastery of an art. With this mastery comes a new understanding, for slowly they perceive that the intelligence of the timeless self is the selfsame power that flows through the energy matrix underlying all of material reality. The truth becomes apparent: We are all one. There is no separation. And we use that truth to offer healing to our world.Through discussion and poetry, readers of this book open to a reflection of their own experiences as they traverse the journey of Therapeutic Touch© and of healing in general.

Life is a fickle thing. No one ever knows where they will end up. The Single Mother Trying Not To F*ck Up Life takes you on a short light hearted comedic journey of how a woman in her forties goes out into the world as a single mother trying to raise her young sons and balancing it all after a 20 year relationship.The journey of trying to rebuild herself through conventional and unconventional 'therapies' and how we all still have a little Cinderella twinkle in us and want to go to the ball feeling amazing.This book wonders why, as women, are we our most harshest critics. We all need the right people to support and help us trudge though the sewerplants or skip through the rose gardens aka you're either in the crap house or the penthouse. There has to be a sisterhood in motherhood. There just does.The book describes how falling in love for the first time after a twenty year relationship whilst trying to keep your life separate can be difficult as well as the struggle to feel relevant in each other's fast paced social world.It also looks at the trials and tribulations of online dating for a woman in her forties, describing the fast and the furious contenders of the MILF factor. Yes people it is real and it's a crazy phenomenon! The adjustment of the dating these days is a world that is all about smartphones, swiping left or right on dating apps, photo filters and likes on your social media accounts as opposed to Motorola flip phones and giggling at a bar.Whilst the book is generally a comedic take on everyone, there's the real fears you have when you're alone and it's quiet as everyone is asleep, free-to-air TV has nothing on and the Netflix remote batteries are flat.But generally the book lists how as parents, regardless of our single or attached status, there are so many other jobs we do that are not considered volunteer work, tax deductible and cannot be put on our LinkedIn profile. As a single parent, the book has a look inside the world of a clown juggling at the circus.There are chapters in this book that were originally meant to be magazine articles about women over forty on dating apps. There are just so many facets about being a woman over forty that it can't be just about dating so it became this book.The author just hopes this book is found to be entertaining to make you laugh on a plane trip or an evening after the kids go to bed.

A Place Where Dreams Come True is the real life story of divine intervention in the life of a young Iowa man. Through many hardships associated with growing up with a self-seeking father, he was forced to seek something/someone greater than himself. He knew there had to be something better than just existing in this state of emotional pain.Thomas was wondering and questioning everything in life. He was lost, with no direction. He had no answers to all of life's questions: What is our purpose? Why am I here? Is there a God?The story changes dramatically. It begins with his initial encounter with the God of the universe. Being mostly unchurched, Thomas begins to seek after a relationship with God on his own. He started reading the Bible and asking God to prove himself in his life. God likes a challenge…Right?Then the story really takes off! Thomas begins to expect God to do miracles in his life in non-traditional ways. After steps of faith, miracles began to happen. Not being used to religious orthodoxy, Thomas was learning that God is real, and if he is real, then God would prove himself. Thomas presents God as active and personal in life. Thomas encourages others to find a place where dreams come true.

Is life worth living? This is the question a small-town boy suffering from post-traumatic stress seeks to answer as he matures. Scarred by the people around him and forced into hopeless situations, he withdraws into his mind and finds peace only in the privacy of nature while the chaos of modern society threatens to overwhelm him. Panic and depression prevent him from developing his talents and foreshadow future sorrow.As the fearful boy grows into a solitary man, childhood ghosts linger, and nihilism sets in. Caustic disdain for society dominates his mind. Stuck in a dead-end job and lacking connectedness to the world, he whittles his life down to nothing and ultimately destroys the last vestiges of his spirit. Dependent on alcohol and devoid of identity, love, or purpose, he leaves his dark but familiar world behind and embarks on a journey through the mountains and deserts of the western United States to find either redemption...or death.In a bleak world where God is distant, and people are broken, is redemption possible? Count It All Joy grapples with this question in a new and unique way.

An overheard conversation between her husband Charles and his beautiful business cohort tumbles Tennille DeBeau's world into heartbreak and confusion. She realizes the unfortunate truth that her three young children will grow up in a divorced and broken home, and that she will have to fill the void her husband should have filled. She also realizes she cannot stay in Denver and endure her soon-to-be ex-husband and his soon-to-be new wife as they parade in and out of her life.With scarcely a backward glance, she leaves for Elmwood, the dream home of her childhood that is nestled on the South Dakota prairie near her ranching family. Expecting life to settle into a comfortable routine, she instead becomes entangled in the lures of an old enemy. He hates her dog and she hates the cat he brought as a peace offering. Despite her repeated insistence that she wants nothing to do with him, Kane Kerro is determined to be in her life.Meanwhile, back in Denver, Tennille's colorful friend, relative, and staunch supporter, Meredith Dixon, keeps her updated on the DeBeau & DeBeau family business. Meredith also pays a visit to Elmwood and meets Kane. She takes her impressions of Tennille's country life back to Denver and delightfully reports (and misreports) her opinions to Charles DeBeau and the woman of his dreams, Suzanna Parker.A crisis is brewing in the Denver office, and an equally disturbing matter is bubbling at Elmwood. A long lost friend suddenly appears, the loveable but homely mutt dog that Tennille and her children love disappears, and Tennille's continuing nightmares of a circling wolf seem to indicate that evil is near and about to strike.The DeBeau children add their own chaos to the mix, and it becomes evident to the country neighbors that likeable Doc Wilson has a special place in his heart for three little kids growing up without their dad. Fishing trips, church affairs, and cattle work keep Doc, the kids, the ever present Thin Dog, and Tennille in close contact. And if that weren't enough, Charles DeBeau makes an impromptu visit to Elmwood that quickly turns into a disaster.During all the ups and downs in her life, Tennille maintains a lively conversation with her reflection in the mirror. Her honesty and humor about her situation and her emotions will resonate with everyone who has loved and lost. She discovers peace of mind in the ancient words of the Bible, but wonders if she can ever become the woman God intends her to be, especially when the woman in the mirror reminds her of her glaring misdeeds concerning her husband. She tries, she really does. Even when she imagines that he kidnapped her children, even when they argue and she hits him, even when she wants to lock him out of her house, Tennille DeBeau reflects her williness to pursue the higher ground of Christian maturity.If Mirrors Could Talk is an easy read complete with humor, loveable kids, and tender moments. Suspense and the edge of mystery keep it a page turner. Why did Tennille's best friend disappear for so many years?

Jonathan Black, the notorious Wall Street equity trader, runs his desk with an iron fist. Without warning, unpredictable events turn his world upside down. Following a "friendly" corporate merger, Blackie learns the desk he used to run is gone forever. The job he cherishes has yielded to computerized, algorithmic formulas. Adding salt to the wound, he must defend himself against charges of felony insider-trading, having made $2.5 million using non-public information. He is on the street, without a job and under the gun.Agent Margaret Stark of the FBI's white-collar crimes unit, known for her "take no prisoners" approach, investigates Blackie. Maggie is certain that, after many frustrating months trying to unlock an insider-trading ring, she has found the key. Blackie had the means, motive and opportunity to commit the crime. The reader learns of deep personal reasons fueling her desire to take him, and all like him, down.A direct attempt, forcing him to come clean is a complete failure. Maggie must accept that Blackie is no ordinary felon. She adopts a more subtle approach. On the surface, she will offer him a chance to clear his name by working several stings, including insider trading, mortgage fraud, jury tampering and a Ponzi scheme, where Blackie is the bait. She calls them Assignments. In reality, she designs her projects to give her adversary the maximum opportunity to trip up. When Blackie initially resists the deal, Maggie uses a carrot and stick. She argues a court would look kindly on his cooperation. On the other hand, if he refuses, she vows to continue to use all her resources to take him down.As the assignments progress, Maggie learns there is far more to this man than his hostile trading-desk persona. While searching for clues about the illegal trade, she discovers that he is hiding his past and leading a secret, second life, including an insatiable and unexplained need for money. The mystery of the man only intensifies her desire to uncover the truth. Concurrently, the target criminals behind each assignment grow progressively ruthless. The stings are thus, increasingly dangerous. Lives, including Blackie's are at risk.