The reign of Emperor Yongle, or “Perpetual Happiness,” was one of the most dramatic and significant in Chinese history. It began with civil war and a bloody coup, saw the construction of the Forbidden City, the completion of the Grand Canal, consolidation of the imperial bureaucracy, and expansion of China’s territory into Mongolia, Manchuria, and Vietnam. Beginning with an hour-by-hour account of one day in Yongle’s court, Shih-shan Henry Tsai presents the multiple dimensions of the life of Yongle (Zhu Di, 1360-1424) in fascinating detail. Tsai examines the role of birth, education, and tradition in molding the emperor’s personality and values, and paints a rich portrait of a man characterized by stark contrasts. Synthesizing primary and secondary source materials, he has crafted a colorful biography of the most renowned of the Ming emperors.

How happiness became mandatory—and why we should reject the demand to "be happy" Happiness today is not just a possibility or an option but a requirement and a duty. To fail to be happy is to fail utterly. Happiness has become a religion—one whose smiley-faced god looks down in rebuke upon everyone who hasn't yet attained the blessed state of perpetual euphoria. How has a liberating principle of the Enlightenment—the right to pursue happiness—become the unavoidable and burdensome responsibility to be happy? How did we become unhappy about not being happy—and what might we do to escape this predicament? In Perpetual Euphoria, Pascal Bruckner takes up these questions with all his unconventional wit, force, and brilliance, arguing that we might be happier if we simply abandoned our mad pursuit of happiness. Gripped by the twin illusions that we are responsible for being happy or unhappy and that happiness can be produced by effort, many of us are now martyring ourselves—sacrificing our time, fortunes, health, and peace of mind—in the hope of entering an earthly paradise. Much better, Bruckner argues, would be to accept that happiness is an unbidden and fragile gift that arrives only by grace and luck. A stimulating and entertaining meditation on the unhappiness at the heart of the modern cult of happiness, Perpetual Euphoria is a book for everyone who has ever bristled at the command to "be happy."

Glenn Davis is a native of Houston, Mississippi and is a graduate of Houston High School, Mississippi College, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas in the ministry of music for eleven years and in the pastorate for thirty-seven years. In January of 2012 he retired after twenty-five years as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Sumrall, Mississippi. He and his wife Carol reside in Sumrall. Salt-Sower Ministries is the teaching ministry of Glenn Davis. The unusual name is based on an old proverb, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." Someone added the line, "But you can put salt in his oats." If you can get him thirsty he will drink. The purpose of this ministry is to not only teach the Bible but sow salt in the minds of the hearer in order to create a thirst for the living water of the Word. Contact Information Address: 180 Latigo Loop, Sumrall, MS 39482 Phone: 601-270-6167 Email: [email protected]

These are tough times. Amid global isolation, economic downturn, and social unrest, could you use a dose of happy right about now? Learn the secret to lasting joy that will endure through any season of life. In How Happiness Happens, Max Lucado shares the unexpected path to a lasting happiness, one that produces reliable joy amidst any life circumstance. Based on the teachings of Jesus and backed by modern research, this book presents a surprising but practical way of living that will change you from the inside out. In this book, Max will help you discover: Happiness is not selfish People are a joy There is strength in choice Happiness happens when you give it away What are you waiting for? Open the unexpected door to joy and walk in. There’s no better day than today to start your happiest life yet. How Happiness Happens is also available in Spanish.

A "New York Times" Notable Book, "The Debt to Pleasure" is a wickedly funny ode to food as the novel's snobbish narrator instructs readers in his philosophy on everything from the erotics of dislike to the psychology of the menu.

A transformed person loves themselves and has the mental focus to generate a wonderful life. A fulfilled person has so much evidence of success, they automatically want the people around them to be trained in the same way. Happiness is the way