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The Bad Hair Day Book: Pick Me Ups For When Life Gets Tangled
by Mark Gilroy CommunicationsWhen life deals you split ends, tangles, limp bangs, and the absolute wrong shade of color, one quick spritz of humor and a comb-through of wisdom from The Bad Hair Day Book will have you smiling again! The wisest man in the world said "a cheerful heart is good medicine," and this book is just what the doctor prescribes. Readers will be encouraged and cheered up with this delightful collection of true life stories, cartoons, poems, Scripture, simple ideas and advice on simplifying and reorganizing life, and other expressions of hope and humor.
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts
by Joshua Hammer**New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice** To save ancient Arabic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians pulls off a brazen heist worthy of Ocean&’s Eleven in this &“fast-paced narrative that is…part intellectual history, part geopolitical tract, and part out-and-out thriller&” (The Washington Post) from the author of The Falcon Thief.In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that were crumbling in the trunks of desert shepherds. His goal: preserve this crucial part of the world&’s patrimony in a gorgeous library. But then Al Qaeda showed up at the door. &“Part history, part scholarly adventure story, and part journalist survey…Joshua Hammer writes with verve and expertise&” (The New York Times Book Review) about how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist from the legendary city of Timbuktu, became one of the world&’s greatest smugglers by saving the texts from sure destruction. With bravery and patience, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali. His heroic heist &“has all the elements of a classic adventure novel&” (The Seattle Times), and is a reminder that ordinary citizens often do the most to protect the beauty of their culture. His the story is one of a man who, through extreme circumstances, discovered his higher calling and was changed forever by it.
The Badly Behaved Bible: Thinking again about the story of Scripture
by Nick PageWe're told that the Bible is beautiful, uplifting and a joy to read - but, while we know this is how we're supposed to feel about it, in reality many of us find the very opposite. On opening the Bible, we are faced with a multitude of problems; from its form and historical content to its sheer size and often distasteful stories, we can be left feeling overwhelmed and disheartened. But the problem is not with the Bible - and it's not with us either.The problem is we've been misinformed. And so, we end up believing things about the Bible that the Bible never claims for itself. But the Bible won't politely sign up to the neat categories and terms we force on it. That's why it's badly behaved. We want to control the Bible and tame it so that we can ride it into battle; but the Bible bucks and rears and throws us off. We want to pin the Bible down so that it proves our theology; but the Bible evades capture and plays hide and seek. We want answers; but the Bible keeps firing questions. We want it to tell us what to do; but the Bible keeps telling us to think. We want to make the Bible dance to our tune: but the Bible has music of its own. The Bible is an invitation and a call. The breath of God lifts its pages, and they rise and fall with his breathing.In his honest and accessible style, Nick Page urges us to re-discover a fresh look at the Bible as thescriptural bedrock of the Christian faith, to learn how we can undo unhelpful ways of reading it anddemystifying its purpose and scope.Nick tackles what the Bible is and what it isn't, how we can critically read this inspired text and how we approach the difficulties in its content.Alongside helpful analysis and practical advice - including kickstarting his one-man campaign to ban"Bible study" - Nick helps us re-discover how to rediscover the Bible as Holy Ground, as a place where we meet and encounter God.
The Baggage Handler: A Novel
by David RawlingsLost luggage can ruin any trip. But what if it could change your life?A mother of three hoping to survive the days at her perfect sister's perfect house before her niece&’s wedding.A hothead businessman coming to the city for a showdown meeting to save his job.A young artist pursuing his father&’s sports dream so he can keep his own alive.When Gillian, David, and Michael each take the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, the airline directs them to retrieve their bags at a mysterious facility in a deserted part of the city. There they meet the enigmatic Baggage Handler, who shows them there's more in their baggage than they've packed, and carrying it with them slows them down in ways they can&’t imagine. And they must deal with it before they can leave.In a similar vein to The Traveler&’s Gift and Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, The Baggage Handler is a modern-day parable about the burdens that weigh us down—and an inspiring invitation to lighten the load.Praise for The Baggage Handler:&“The Baggage Handler is a tale that will resonate deeply with those who have held on too tightly, for too long, to the things hold them captive. That&’s me. That&’s you. Pick it up and prepare to have your world turned upside down, then turned right side up.&” —James L. Rubart, bestselling author of The Man He Never WasA stand-alone, short novel at 42,000 wordsChristy Award winner for Best First Novel of 2019Includes discussion questions for book clubs or Bible study
The Baghdad Eucharist: A Novel
by Sinan Antoon Maia ThabetYoussef and Maha are distant relatives who find themselves living together in their native Baghdad, seeking shelter and solace from the increasing turmoil that surrounds them. While Youssef is old and has lived through many good years, Maha is young and has seen only sanctions and war. Herlife has been shattered by the sectarian violence engulfing Iraq, a country she feels no longer belongs to her.As the chaos in the country inevitably seeps into their household, a rare argument between Maha and Youssef breaks out, as this fateful day takes an unexpected and calamitous turn. Set over 24 hours, The Baghdad Eucharist unravels through the lives of one Christian family; it speaks both to Iraq's peaceful past, as well as its tragic and painful present.
The Baha'i Faith: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)
by Moojan MomenIn this clear, readable, and informative guide, Momen provides a vibrant introduction to all aspects of the Baha'i Faith, which now has over 5.5 million adherents. From the spiritual development of the individual to the belief in the need for world peace, Momen's comprehensive study gives anyone interested in the contemporary religious landscape an authoritative insight into this 150-year old tradition. Dr Moojan Momen is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and a member of both the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies and the Association for Baha'i Studies.
The Baha'i Faith: A Short History
by Peter SmithThis authoritative account traces the Baha'i Faith from its origins in mid-nineteenth-century Iran to the spiritual and social concerns of the present.
The Baha'i Faith: The Emerging Global Religion
by J. Douglas Martin William S. HatcherComprehensive introductory textbook on the Baha'i Faith intended for personal study and for use in university classrooms
The Baha'is of Iran: Socio-Historical Studies (Routledge Advances in Middle East and Islamic Studies)
by Dominic Parviz Brookshaw Seena B. FazelThe Baha’i community of Iran is the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. This collection of essays presents a comprehensive study of the social and historical development of the Baha’i community, and its role in shaping modern Iran. Central to this study is the pioneering character of the Baha’i community in the late 19th and early 20th century, with chapters examining the role of women in the Baha’i community; the impact of Baha’i-run schools on Iranian society, Baha’i contributions to public health initiatives; and the influence of Baha’i thought and the actions of individual Baha’is on the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1911. Conversion to the Baha’i Faith is another important theme, as contributors investigate the phenomenon of large scale conversion to the Baha’i Faith from the Jewish and Zoroastrian communities. Finally, although persecution of the Baha’is has drawn the attention of the Western media, until now few scholars working in the field of Iranian studies have chosen to write on the history or details of this persecution. Here, five prominent figures in the field redress this balance and look at different aspects of this persecution, including its historical background, the attitude of secular Iranians, persecution before and after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and human rights perspectives. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Iranian studies, Middle Eastern studies and comparative religion, and with many chapters authored by leading academics in Iranian studies, The Baha’is of Iran addresses both a gap in academic literature on the Baha’i Faith, and in the study of modern Iran in general.
The Bahá'í Faith, Violence, and Non-Violence (Elements in Religion and Violence)
by Robert H. StockmanBoth violence and non-violence are important themes in the Bahá'í Faith, but their relationship is not simple. The Bahá'í sacred writings see violence in the world – not just against Bahá'ís, but physical and structural violence against everyone – as being a consequence of the immature state of human civilization. The Baha'i community itself has been nonviolent since its founding by Baha'u'llah in the mid nineteenth century and has developed various strategies for responding to persecution nonviolently. This Element explores how their scriptures provide a blueprint for building a new, more mature, culture and civilization on this planet where violence will be rare and nonviolence prevalent.
The Bahá’ís of America: The Growth of a Religious Movement
by Mike McMullenThe Bahá’í Faith had its origins in nineteenth century Shi’ite Islam, but embraces Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad—among others—as prophets, each seen as a divine messenger uniquely suited to the needs of his time. The Bahá’í community has spread to become the second most geographically widespread religion in the world. It has a 120 year history in the United States, where members have promoted their core belief that all people are created equal.American Bahá’ís have been remarkably successful in attracting a diverse membership. They instituted efforts to promote racial unity in the deep South decades before the modern civil rights movement, and despite lip service to fostering multi racial congregations among Christian churches, over half of American Bahá’í congregations today are multiracial, in comparison to just 5 to 7 percent of U.S. Christian churches. This level of diversity is unique among all religious groups in the United States.As the story of a relatively new religious movement, the history of the Bahá’ís in America in the 20th and early 21st centuries offers a case study of institutional maturation, showcasing the community’s efforts to weather conflict and achieve steady growth. While much scholarly attention has been paid to extremist religious movements, this book highlights a religious movement that promotes the idea of the unity of all religions. Mike McMullen traces the hard work of the Bahá’ís’ leadership and congregants to achieve their high level of diversity and manage to grow so successfully in America.
The Bailey Flanigan Collection: Leaving, Learning, Longing, Loving (Bailey Flanigan Series)
by Karen KingsburyLeaving The book you’ve been waiting for from New York Times best-selling author Karen Kingsbury . . . Leaving is the first volume in a new series that features members of the popular Baxter family and finally completes the Bailey Flanigan/Cody Coleman story. Learning Learning, book two in The Bailey Flanigan series, picks up where Leaving ended. Bailey Flanigan and Cody Coleman are not only separated by physical distance, they are also faced with great emotional distance. Can distance truly make the heart grow fonder? Find out in this poignant love story, featuring members from Karen Kingsbury’s popular Baxter family. Longing Longing, book three in the Bailey Flanigan Series, picks up where Learning ended. After a long and lonely silence from Cody Coleman, Bailey Flanigan becomes closer to her one-time Hollywood co-star, Brandon Paul. Nights on the town in New York City and long talks on the balcony of Brandon's Malibu Beach home make Bailey dizzy with new feelings and cause her to wonder if her days with Cody are over forever. Loving Loving, book four in the Bailey Flanigan Series by New York Times best-selling author Karen Kingsbury, completes Bailey and Cody’s story. But who will the actress spend the rest of her life with: Brandon Paul, a rich, handsome man that any woman would be thrilled to marry? Or Cody Coleman, her first love?
The Bait of Satan, 20th Anniversary Edition: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense
by John BevereFrom the author of ECPA and CBA top sellers, Thus Saith the Lord?, Breaking Intimidation, and The Fear of the Lord BEST SELLING BOOK WITH OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE Are you compelled to tell your side of the story? Do you fight thoughts of suspicion or distrust? Are you constantly rehearsing past hurts? Have you lost hope because of what someone did to you? The Bait of Satan exposes one of the most deceptive snares Satan uses to get believers out of the will of God--offense. This trap restrains countless Christians, severs relationships, and widens the gulfs between us. Jesus said, "It is impossible that no offenses should come&” (Luke 17:1). Although you will encounter offense, you can choose how you will react. In this new twentieth anniversary edition, John Bevere shows you how to identify the traps ahead of you and escape the victim mentality. With declaration-style prayers and testimonials from people whose lives have been changed by his message, this book will inspire you to stay free from offense and its destructive power. Don&’t let anyone affect your relationship with God!
The Bake Shop (An Amish Marketplace Novel #1)
by Amy ClipstonReturn to Lancaster County with the first installment of Amy Clipston's charming new Amish Marketplace series.Christiana Kurtz loves to bake, but when her bake stand becomes too busy, her mother encourages her to move her business to the local market. Her new bake shop becomes so inundated with customers that the line blocks the leather and woodcraft shop next door, which is run by Jeffrey Stoltzfus. When Jeffrey complains that her stand is driving away business due to the lines, she complains to him that his personalization machine smells. Though their relationship starts off on bad footing, they eventually forge a friendship.When Christiana’s father makes a surprise visit to the market, he is upset to find that Jeffrey uses the building’s electricity to personalize his items. He tells Christiana that Jeffrey is too modern for her, and she’s forbidden from dating him. Christiana is crushed, but she knows she must obey her father.When Jeffrey’s shop catches fire one day, he puts the entire market in jeopardy—including Christiana’s bake shop. Christiana, however, can’t deny how she feels about Jeffrey despite his mistakes. Though the odds are against them, can two young people find a way to rebuild both their businesses and their relationship?
The Baker's Wife
by Erin HealyBefore Audrey was the baker's wife, she was the pastor's wife. Then a scandalous lie cost her husband a pastoral career. Now the two work side-by-side running a bakery, serving coffee, and baking fresh bread. But the hurt still pulls at Audrey. Driving early one morning to the bakery, Audrey's car strikes something--or someone--at a fog-shrouded intersection. She finds a motor scooter belonging to a local teacher. Blood is everywhere, but there's no trace of a body. Both the scooter and the blood belong to detective Jack Mansfield's wife, and he's certain that Audrey is behind Julie's disappearance. But the case dead-ends and the detective spirals into madness. When he takes her family and some patrons hostage at the bakery, Audrey is left with a soul-damaged ex-con and a cynical teen to solve the mystery. And she'll never manage that unless she taps into something she would rather leave behind--her excruciating ability to feel other's pain.
The Balancing Act: A Daily Rediscovery Of Grace
by Robert SchnaseOur lives are filled to capacity with routines, habits, conversations, surprises, and disappointments. With all that's going on in life, it's easy to miss those quiet moments of grace which come more often than we realize. But they are there. In The Balancing Act, a collection of thirty short and insightful devotional readings originally written for his blog at www.fivepractices.org, Bishop Robert Schnase invites readers to take a daily look at how to watch for and include God in their lives. The Balancing Act is written to inspire prayer, conversation, questions, and change. Feel free to use it as a personal daily devotional or in small groups. Topics include spiritual attentiveness, life goals, and prayer. Readings will be grouped under weekly themes and include group discussion questions with each of the 30 readings. Listen to Bishop Schnase read from The Balancing Act. Please, Lord, Send Someone Else Somewhere Out There The Balancing Act Download a brochure on all available Five Practices products.
The Balavariani: Barlaam and Josaphat: A Tale from the Christian East (David Marshall Lang's Journey from Russia to Armenia via Caucasian Georgia #2)
by David Marshall LangOriginally published in 1966, the full Georgian text of the oldest version of this Christian version of this matchless classic of Oriental wisdom literature is made accessible to a wider readership in an English translation. Based on a unique manuscript preserved in the Greek Patriarchate at Jerusalem, this rendering should appeal to those interested in comparative religion, Buddhism, medieval Christianity, the history of monasticism and in the literature of the Georgians and other ancient nations of the former Soviet Union.
The Ball and the Cross
by G. K. ChestertonThe adventures of two men, one an atheist, the other a Catholic, who want to fight a duel over God and the Virgin Mary. The world thinks them both mad, of course, because they seem to be serious, and the story ends by shutting up in a lunatic asylum all the people who are sane enough to care one way or another about their quarrel.
The Ball and the Cross (Barnes And Noble Library Of Essential Reading Ser.)
by G. K. ChestertonThe thrilling allegorical novel from the author of The Man Who Was Thursday and the Father Brown Stories First serialized in the Commonwealth, G. K. Chesterton's fantastical third novel opens with a debate between Professor Lucifer and Brother Michael as they soar across the sky above London. Part farce, part theological exploration, The Ball and the Cross soon settles on the story of another pair of contraries. When differences of opinion lead an atheist and a devout Roman Catholic to plan a duel to the death, fate intervenes and propels the two men toward deeper understanding. Widely considered to be one of Chesterton's most accessible and substantive works, The Ball and the Cross was commended by Pope John Paul I for the profound truths it reveals. Readers for over a hundred years have marveled at the brilliance of this exhilarating tale about belief, nonbelief, and our collective search for the truth. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker
by Mark BeaverOn a June night in 1983, twenty-three-year-old Karla Faye Tucker and her boyfriend, fueled by a sinister cocktail of illicit drugs, broke into a Houston apartment. “We were very wired,” Tucker later testified, “and we was looking for something to do.” Though they later claimed they entered the premises with no murderous intent, they ended up slaughtering two people—one a sworn enemy, the other an utter stranger. The weapon: a pickax they found in the apartment. Fourteen years later, in early 1998, Tucker was facing lethal injection. But after her religious conversion in prison, Texas would be executing a different woman than the one who’d committed the murders. Her change was so dramatic that the most powerful and influential voices in American televangelism—Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell among them—were urging viewers to contact Texas's governor, George W. Bush, and plead for clemency. One follower was author Mark Beaver’s father, a devout Southern Baptist deacon who asked Beaver to put his fledgling literary ambitions to work by composing a letter on his behalf to Governor Bush.Through a merger of true crime, social history, and memoir, The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker illustrates how a seemingly distant news story triggers a national reckoning and exposes a growing divide in America’s evangelical community. It’s a tale of how one woman defies all conventions of death row inmates, and her saga serves as an unlikely but fascinating prism for exploring American culture and the limits of forgiveness and transformation. It’s also a deeply personal reflection on how a father’s request leads his son to struggle with who he was raised to be and who he imagines becoming.
The Ballad of the White Horse: An Epic Poem
by G. K. ChestertonA rousing ballad based on the true story of legendary Saxon king Alfred the Great In the dark times before a unified England, warring tribes roved and sparred for territory across the British Isles. The Ballad of the White Horse records the deeds and military accomplishments of Alfred the Great as he defeats the invading Danes at the Battle of Ethandun. Published in 1911, this poem follows the battle--from the gathering of the chiefs to the last war cry--with a care to rhythm, sound, and language that makes it a magnificent work of art as well as a vital piece of English history. A significant influence on the structure of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, The Ballad of the White Horse transforms the thrilling exploits of a courageous leader into an inspirational Christian allegory. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Ballet Class Mystery (Adventures of Callie Ann, Book 2)
by Shannon Mason LeppardBook 2 in The Adventures of Callie Ann. On her first day at her new dance school, Callie spots a boy dancing all by himself in a private studio. But he disappears before she gets a chance to meet him! Picture descriptions present.
The Bamboo Cross: Christian Witness in the Jungles of Viet Nam
by Homer E. DowdyNative missionaries attempt to spread Christianity into the isolated tribes of the jungles of Viet Nam. At the same time, the Viet Cong, or "junglemen" are trying to chase the French colonists out of the country. The Viet Cong are also trying to eradicate all French influences, such as Christianity.
The Banality of Evil: The Counter-Image of God in Nazi Logic
by Ana Rubio-SerranoThe aim of this book is not only to show the historical Auschwitz but the Auschwitz that has taken root in human beings: first, the inability to distinguish between good and evil; second, the obsession for reaffirming one's own identity as uniquely human and third, the impossibility of thinking about otherness. Even today, Auschwitz persists as a legacy, of which our world is both executor and heir. Auschwitz is, therefore, the starting point, but not the endpoint. This book is a study that shows the model of the anti-human that is born of Nazi anthropology, contrary to the model of man revealed by Christian anthropology. A humanistically oriented theological and philosophical examination of the "banality of evil" within the universe of the Nazi extermination camps.
The Banality of Heidegger
by Jean-Luc NancyHeidegger and Nazism: Ever since the philosopher’s public involvement in state politics in 1933, his name has necessarily been a part of this unsavory couple. After the publication in 2014 of the private Black Notebooks, it is now unambiguously part of another: Heidegger and anti-Semitism.What do we learn from analyzing the anti-Semitism of these private writings, together with its sources and grounds, not only for Heidegger’s thought, but for the history of the West in which this thought is embedded? Jean-Luc Nancy poses these questions with the depth and rigor we would expect from him. In doing so, he does not go lightly on Heidegger, in whom he finds a philosophical and “historial” anti-Semitism, outlining a clash of “peoples” that must at all costs arrive at “another beginning.” If Heidegger’s uncritical acceptance of prejudices and long-debunked myths about “world Jewry” shares in the “banality” evoked by Hannah Arendt, this does nothing to lessen the charge. Nancy’s purpose, however, is not simply to condemn Heidegger but rather to invite us to think something to which the thinker of being remained blind: anti-Semitism as a self-hatred haunting the history of the West—and of Christianity in its drive toward an auto-foundation that would leave behind its origins in Judaism.