THE STORY: The plot concerns two worthy widows whose livelihood depends on a coal mine that has been left to them. The lovely daughter of one widow is engaged to the son of the other, and when it develops that the villainous banker who holds a mort

Have you ever been disappointed by the church? Do you find yourself feeling as if you are on the outside looking in? For many of us church, religion, and even God seem to be unattainable. Whether we have been burned, never truly accepted, or lost in the sea of programs and church growth strategies, we all sense that something is off. Where is the Grace, Love, and Mercy that Christ came to share with us all? Miraculous stories abound of lives that have been turned around. But where is the proof of changed lives? At some point, shouldn't we see these transformations? The truth is that God's grace is for everyone. We have all fallen short, but that is only the beginning of our story. Only God's testimony is powerful enough to save us from ourselves. Our story should not be told in words, but should be lived and explored through our daily walk. We should not merely talk about grace, and mercy, and love, when we have been given the amazing gift, by Christ's death and resurrection, to show grace, mercy, and love. Our real testimonies are defined not by who we were, but by who we are willing to become.

One of Soseki's most beloved works of fiction, the novel depicts the 23-year-old Sanshiro leaving the sleepy countryside for the first time in his life to experience the constantly moving 'real world' of Tokyo, its women and university. In the subtle tension between our appreciation of Soseki's lively humour and our awareness of Sanshiro's doomed innocence, the novel comes to life. Sanshiro is also penetrating social and cultural commentary.

A.B. Bruce's second series of Gifford Lectures, delivered in Glasgow (1898) focus on an historical survey of the Moral Order. The first series of lectures had been on Providential Order, which Bruce considered theistic. Here, Bruce includes in his survey those whose moralities do not necessarily hold to a belief in a living personal God, as well as theists. The author conducts his survey in light of the question, with regard to the moral order, what have the wisest thought? Included in the survey are chapters on Buddha, Zoroaster, the Stoics, Job, Jesus, Browning, and modern dualism.