This is a story of Mr. L, an orphan who was raised and nurtured by a devoted Carmelite nun, then drafted to serve as a skilled sniper during the Vietnam War. A journey of learning and mastering of the French language, excelling in the Little League baseball, discovering the art of hunting, and of an uttermost devotion to assigned military missions. A tale of grief, depression, anxiety, intermixed with bitterness, rage, fear, and delayed onset posttraumatic stress disorder with its most devastating aftermath of survivor's guilt. Witnessing the emergence of innate talents, the gifts of left-handedness, and astounding suddenness of action in each and every providential and self-inflicted circumstances. Travelling through life in orphanages with boyish freedom, self-consciousness, and then an adulthood of giving of oneself and sacrificing of own needs to fulfill a patriotic mission, an acceptance of a higher calling to serve the poor and the disfranchised. Biographies are woven in the tapestry of the therapeutic alliance of a patient-and-physician relationship. As a reader, you will be invited to introspect and reflect on the wonder of the human brain, the bubbling joy of loving, and the gift of living. Will Mr. L descend into the abyss of ending his God-given gift of a well-deserved and joyful life or will he survive his heartbreaking sorrows and insurmountable guilt? Can brokenness be restored through faith, hope, love, and forgiveness? The answers could be revealed by reading this personal journey--a portrait of faith, grace, and the joy that rises from giving and loving.

This collection of some of Elder Holland's most memorable recent talks inspires readers to maintain hope amidst personal trials, suffering, and family struggles by riveting their attention on the Savior who has the power to heal.

Michael Beates's concern with disability issues began nearly 30 years ago when his eldest child was born with multiple profound disabilities. Now, as more families like Michael's are affected by a growing number of difficulties ranging from down syndrome to autism to food allergies, the need for church programs and personal paradigm shifts is greater than ever. Working through key Bible passages on brokenness and disability while answering hard questions, Michael offers here helpful principles for believers and their churches. He shows us how to embrace our own brokenness and then to embrace those who are more physically and visibly broken, bringing hope and vision to those of us who need it most.

Sexuality was a part of God's good creation from the beginning. But with sin came a world filled with sexual brokenness. Thankfully, God is always in the business of restoration. This book offers hope for both the sexually immoral and the sexually victimized, pointing us all to the grace of Jesus Christ, who mercifully intervenes each moment in our lifelong journey toward renewal. Author David Powlison casts a vision for the key to deep transformation, better than anything the world has to offer—not just fresh resolve, not just flimsy forgiveness, not just simple formulas, but true, lasting mercy from God, who is making all things new.

The Stations of the Cross in Atonement for Abuse and for the Healing of All invites a wounded church to contemplate the passion and death of Jesus through the experience of clerical abuse survivors. This one-of-a-kind resource is written and illustrated by priests to foster healing amidst the destruction committed by their brothers. Award-winning author and acclaimed liturgist Paul Turner pairs each of the fourteen Scripture-based stations with powerful quotes from survivors of clerical sexual abuse and responds to each with profound confessional prayer. Thought-provoking paintings by author and liturgist Ronald Patrick Raab, CSC, accompany each station. This resource will be cherished by parishes, faith-based organizations, retreat centers, prayer groups, youth groups, school and campus ministry programs, families, and individuals who yearn to honor survivors suffering with Christ and who yearn to bring this too often ignored reality to lived prayer experiences.

"Robert MacFarlane has written that language does not just register experience, it produces it. Our religious language in particular informs and shapes our understanding of God, our sense of self, and the way we make sense of our challenging path back to loving Heavenly Parents. Unfortunately, to an extent we may not realize, our religious vocabulary has been shaped by prior generations whose creeds, in Joseph Smith s words, have filled the world with confusion. "I make all things new," proclaimed the Lord. Regrettably, many are still mired in the past, in ways we have not recognized. In this book, Fiona and Terryl Givens trace the roots of our religious vocabulary, explore how a flawed inheritance compounds the wounds and challenges of a life devoted to discipleship, and suggest ways of reformulating our language in more healthy ways all in the hope that, as B. H. Roberts urged, we may all cooperate in the works of the Spirit to find a truer expression of a gospel restored."--

The Living Diet invites us to consider our relationship to food from a Christian perspective. Food: can’t live with it or without it. We are bombarded with messages that the secret to health and weight loss can be unlocked with the right product or magic discipline, but we are getting neither thinner nor happier. Reports suggest that we are losing our battle with obesity, while the anxiety people experience in relationship with food increases. We are taught that bodies are fundamentally a problem to be solved, or worse, a war to be won, while a misguided worldview suggests that our food choices are of concern to us alone; an individual act of pleasure or consequences. Few resources speak to our food problem from a distinctly Christian perspective. Drawing on a rich assemblage of personal and collected stories grounded in the teachings of Jesus, The Living Diet offers a joyful alternative to the desperation and dissatisfaction that have become cultural norms for both eating and body image, inviting us to consider our choices in the context of community. Ancient wisdom yields a surprisingly modern response to the dieting dilemma, as well as to the realm of public, or popular, theology, helping the reader discover the real joy of eating and the true gift of embodied living.