God said that he wouldnt put more on you than you could bear, so why is it unbearable? God said that his grace is sufficient for you, but where is the grace? And he said he would offer you mercy, but where is the mercy? So you find yourself depleted of grace, without mercy, and suffering from the unbearable. You are, as the apostle Paul said, Troubled on every side, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down. You are ready to give up. Pain My Best Friend tells you not to give up! Author Chief Apostle Leonard Lucas Jr. addresses the pain you may be experiencing, and he encourages you to suffer through itGod has the ultimate plan for your life. Chief Apostle Lucas explains how the suffering we all must endure is for the cause of Christ and that no matter how bleak or how intense our pain, we must remain steadfast and remember that God is in control. Enduring pain is difficult, and it is easy to allow the roots of bitterness to take a deep hold. Even though experiences or circumstances may seem unbearable, we must continue to die so that we may live. Suffer through on this journeyand you will never be alone.

First-grader Jake "The Pain" and his sister, third-grader Abigail "The Great One" have more adventures, including visiting their cousins in New York and celebrating their cat Fluzzy's birthday.

“If you struggle to simplify your life and wish you could savor the here and now, this book is a must-read.” —Crystal Paine, founder of MoneySavingMom.com and New York Times–bestselling author Have you ever felt that your life—and budget—is spiraling out of control? Do you sometimes wish you could pull yourself together but wonder exactly how to manage all the scattered pieces of a chaotic life? Is it possible to find balance? In a word, yes. Ruth Soukup knows firsthand how stressful an unorganized life and budget can be. Through personal stories, biblical truth, and practical action plans, she will inspire you to make real and lasting changes to your personal goals, home, and finances. With honesty and the wisdom of someone who has been there, Ruth will help you: Discover your “sweet spot” —that place where your talents and abilities intersect. Take back your time and schedule by making simple shifts in your daily habits. Reduce stress in your home and family by clearing out the clutter. Stop busting your budget and learn to cut your grocery bill in half. This book provides real and practical solutions from someone who has been there. Ruth doesn’t just offer advice, she walks it with you, and shares with brutal honesty her own mistakes, failures, and shortcomings. It is encouraging, motivating, and life-changing. “An inspiring book full of step-by-step instructions and spiritual wisdom. I love how Ruth is transparent about her mistakes as she leads us to reevaluate our priorities. This book is a great biblical guide to living well and finding joy!” —Courtney Joseph, founder of Women Living Well Ministries

THE PAIN AND the Great One are going places! In these new stories the kids are on the go—the Pain needs a trip to the emergency room; the family goes to the mall and not everyone stays together; the kids visit a county fair and want to ride the Super Slide; and a beach outing includes a boogie board. Lots more action and adventure for the dynamic duo who never stay still.

In a society that pushes conformity, how can you be courageously authentic despite fear of judgment? Award-winning leadership and diversity expert Ritu Bhasin gives you the tools to make this happen. This is more than a call to "be yourself"-it's a rally to disrupt the status quo, bring your differences to the light, and help others do the same.

What Jesus Did For Me is the title of my book and the very first poem I wrote. I went through a period of depression, brought on by tormenting voices in my head. At the time, most of the people around me associated the depression with Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D), as it mainly seemed to affect me during the winter months. It wasnt until I became a Born Again Christian that I discovered that the problem was actually spiritual. During the time that I suffered from depression, I lost all my confidence and self-esteem. I had no hope. I became nervous and fearful and I wanted to give up and die. The voices made me believe that I was no good, I was useless, but most of all, that I was a wicked and bad person. I got to a point where I didnt recognise myself anymore. I had always considered myself to be good person; reliable, dependable, kind, thoughtful, and caring. Suddenly, I was told I was somebody different. This became too much for me to bear. Even worse, the voices told me that God would reject me, He would never love me and He would turn me away if I went to Him. Being raised as a Catholic, I believed that God loved everyone, so I was absolutely devastated when I believed that I was not good enough to be loved by God. Eight months after becoming Born Again, the Holy Spirit would visit me during the early hours of the morning. He would minister words of peace and comfort to me. This brought healing to my pain. I now feel safe, secure, and significant. I now know that I have purpose to my life. My poems seek to edify, encourage and inspire other readers, and to let them know that Jesus not only changes lives, but He also heals brings peace, joy, hope and comfort into our lives. My book is written in a poetic style. My poems depict my journey to salvation and illustrate how I have grown and matured in Christ. As you read through my poems you will experience the sense of new hope, strength and joy that God has given me through having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Every one of my poems was Holy Spirit inspired to bring comfort and healing, but many of them also serve as words of wisdom, warning, direction and praise. They also show how God inhabits the praises of His people, and how ones praise can completely change your circumstances around. Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you as He ministered to me as you read through the pages of What Jesus Did For Me.

My Power, My pleasure, My pain cuts deep into emotions from the revealings of truths we encounter and relate to in our everyday lives. For instance, the poem Gladiator is a perfect example of how we as people fight our own demons with the struggles of good or bad, right or wrong, and the plethora of difficult choices that could ultimately change our lives for the better or worse. Mizchief's Dead i...s another powerful and riveting poem demonstrating "we reep what we sow" and we can't change what's been done. But when the journey is at the end we must still chose our fate still fighting the evil trying to trap our souls into misery. Then the question remains which road will you take....The light or the dark? In the end the choice is ultimately yours. Great ending for the book!