Forgiveness and Permission is the fourth book in The Academy Ghost Bird Series. Sang Sorenson’s abusive mother is secure in a hospital, and her father has vanished to a new family of his own, leaving Sang and her sister to fend for themselves. Sang is hanging by a thread, and her only hope is a group of boys she feels she barely knows. She’s never really alone. The Academy team has stepped in, promising to protect and care for Sang. Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North take over, showing Sang they can be depended on for anything. But just because the parents are away, doesn’t mean Sang’s life has become any easier. The newfound freedom will have a higher price than any of them had imagined. Principal Hendricks now wants to use Sang to exploit Academy secrets. Mr. McCoy has his own dark plans for her. Enemies are closing in. Sang will need to learn to believe in the boys, and the boys will need to learn to trust her if they want to survive their rivals. And each other. The Academy, Relentless Trust Keywords: spies, family, young adult, child abuse, coming of age, friendship, action, adventure, YA, mysteries, thrillers, Charleston, academy, menage, reverse, harem, dysfunctional, relationships, social situations, sleuth, private detective, neglect, family, families, high, school, sibling, bullies, bullying, love, romantic, romance, teen, drama, love triangle, contemporary, secrets

From the award-winning author of The Running Dream and Flipped comes a remarkable portrait of a girl who has hit rock bottom but begins a climb back to herself at a wilderness survival camp. 3:47 a.m. That’s when they come for Wren Clemmens. She’s hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a plane, and then taken on a forced march into the desert. This is what happens to kids who’ve gone so far off the rails, their parents don’t know what to do with them anymore. This is wilderness therapy camp. Eight weeks of survivalist camping in the desert. Eight weeks to turn your life around. Yeah, right. The Wren who arrives in the Utah desert is angry and bitter, and blaming everyone but herself. But angry can’t put up a tent. And bitter won’t start a fire. Wren’s going to have to admit she needs help if she’s going to survive. "I read Wild Bird in one long, mesmerized gulp. Wren will break your heart—and then mend it." —Nancy Werlin, National Book Award finalist for The Rules of Survival "Van Draanen’s Wren is real and relatable, and readers will root for her." —VOYA, starred review

Journeys that begin in brokenness rarely follow a straight road to healing. There are twists and turns--and setbacks--on the path of repentance. Night Driving tells the story of a pastor and seminary professor whose moral failures destroyed his marriage and career, left his life in ruins, and sent him spiraling into a decade-long struggle against God. Forced to fight the demons of his past in the cab of the semi-truck he drove at night through the Texas oil fields, Chad Bird slowly began to limp toward grace and healing. Drawing on his expertise as an Old Testament scholar, Bird weaves together his own story, the biblical story, and the stories of fellow prodigals as he peels back the layers of denial, anger, addiction, and grief to help readers come face-to-face both with their own identities and with the God who alone can heal them.

When Father Zossima was young, his dying brother asked forgiveness of the birds - "Though I can't explain it to you, I like to humble myself before them, because I don't know how to love them enough."These words became a cornerstone in Zossima's existential theology, embracing love and absurdity - love as absurdity.Speaking with visitors before his own death, Zossima recalls his brother's words: "My brother asked the birds to forgive him - that sounds senseless, but it is right - for all is like an ocean, all is flowing and blending - a touch in one place sets up movement at the other end of the earth."In Father Zossima, Dostoevsky embodies an honest, human response to the question of theodicy, marking a major development in early existentialist thought.

Bestselling Taoist author William Martin brings the power of the Tao to the essential practice of forgiveness, creating a unique path from guilt, blame, and shame to peace of mind and freedom. How do we forgive when forgiveness seems impossible? William Martin, author of the bestselling The Parent's Tao Te Ching, provides practical and time honored answers. He weaves excerpts from the ancient sacred Taoist scriptures together with insightful teaching stories, bringing the practice of forgiveness to readers of all spiritual backgrounds. Each chapter contains two parts-a journey toward forgiveness and a practical exercise in forgiving-and also includes personal anecdotes, poems, and simple exercises. With the devastating personal and societal damage caused by resentment, anger, guilt, and shame in mind, Martin patiently and compassionately helps readers overcome the ills of "holding on" with the openness of the Tao. In this accessible work, he illustrates how forgiveness is freedom and that the pathway to overcoming anger is also the way to spiritual liberation.

The hard spiritual work of forgiveness is the conduit to a life-changing transformation into the character of Jesus Christ, for we are never closer to the likeness of Christ than when we forgive one that has sinned against us. Seventy Times Seven: The Transforming Power of Forgiveness seeks to help you understand that forgiveness is an often-lengthy process of letting go—releasing the offender to God—with the end result being you are no longer living life in the shadow of the offense. It presents a clear understanding of what forgiveness is and is not, as well as biblical and scientific evidence of the effects of unforgiveness on one’s life. Along the way, author Robin E. Clifton blends her spiritual and scientific backgrounds with her life experiences to present an authentic, engaging, and enlightening discussion of forgiveness and the remarkable transformation it can bring. You can learn to trust God wholeheartedly and use what He provides to guide you through your life, both giving and receiving forgiveness. Thought-provoking and insightful, this exploration and Bible study examines the transformation that forgiveness can bring into your life