Do you know who that person is that you lie next to at night is, or that person you call your father. In 1981, we discovered we had been living with a stranger. This was a very traumatic year for my family. After finding out who my father the Assistant Pastor really was, I was silent and guarded for a long time, I felt like I did not have a voice because I was so ashamed. I let all the disparaging things that happened in my life control me. I decided to take a step and tell a friend, then I told another, then my children. I realized I had a lot to say. God led me to take another step and share my life with others to help them understand that when you go through shock, pain, and disappointment you have even more to say and should reveal your pain so you can begin to heal.

Do you know who that person is that you lie next to at night is, or that person you call your father. In 1981, we discovered we had been living with a stranger. This was a very traumatic year for my family. After finding out who my father the Assistant Pastor really was, I was silent and guarded for a long time, I felt like I did not have a voice because I was so ashamed. I let all the disparaging things that happened in my life control me. I decided to take a step and tell a friend, then I told another, then my children. I realized I had a lot to say. God led me to take another step and share my life with others to help them understand that when you go through shock, pain, and disappointment you have even more to say and should reveal your pain so you can begin to heal.

African American women continue to confess their call to ministry even when they know such a confession may cause them to face criticism and even ostracism from many of the same men and women who nurtured them in the faith. In This Is My Story, thirteen successful African American women clergy tell the powerful, inspirational, and sometimes heartbreaking stories of their calls and ministerial journeys, which they experienced in the midst of anguish, uncertainty, and in many cases unfriendly leadership environments. Each of the women includes a sermon of particular importance to her.

This Is My Story is an unusually fascinating account of one man’s life. ·It is a story of the making of a man, initially written with grandchildren in mind—"Who was my grandfather? What kind of person was he?” ·At another level it is a story of a growing faith, telling how amidst the ups and down of life he has remained a “soft-hearted” pilgrim. ·At yet another level it is a story of the making of a leader who never stopped learning how to lead, care, preach, and engage in effective mission. ·Perhaps even more significantly, it is also a story of a ministry, in which the author never lost his sense of delight and privilege in his calling to be a pastor. ·Finally, as one who has at time been at the center of controversy, it is an opportunity to tell “my side of the story.” This is a book for pastors—and for any Christian—who wants the “inside story” of the pains and triumphs of a Christian leader.

"Nothing in my life goes untouched by my husband’s calling." Christine Hoover’s words in the first chapter describe so well the life of a church planter’s wife, which is enormously difficult yet extraordinarily rewarding. To be married to a church planter is a calling of its own with a richness of its own. In The Church Planting Wife, Hoover explores and encourages the hearts of her readers while teaching what it means to have heart prepared for this unique ministry. She knows the challenges: A church planter's wife must develop a job description, be a wise helper to her husband, develop friendships within the church and community, deal with stress and discouragement, handle wounds, and more. Christine speaks candidly about these challenges while urging readers to grow a heart that wholly reflects Jesus. Spread throughout these pages are stories and interviews from church planting wives. Christine Hoover empathetically and pointedly builds from these testimonies to uplift the reader and offer lessons of hope in the midst of a challenging ministry.

Women long to be loved, to be known, to be understood. But who can meet those needs at their deepest level? Only the One who created women--who knows them by name and who designed them--can bring fulfillment that truly satisfies. "Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs" shows how God desires to help every woman: I need acceptance... God loves, forgives, and accepts I need security... God promises He will never leave I need to feel pretty... Christ sees me as new, spotless I need a companion... He is the perfect friend I need communication... He talks to me intimately through His Word Formerly "Heart Hunger."

Jennifer’s determination to find complete healing took immensecourage. God gently led her to face the pain of her abusive past.The toughest journey of her life eventually led to her deepest joy—discovering God as her Father. Whatever pain you may be facing,either currently or from your past, Jennifer’s testimony will stir...