This is the full-color gift edition, with colored ribbons at every chapter heading plus several full-color pictures scattered throughout. This novel could be classed as either American historical fiction or alternative history.The lives of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Mark Twain both contained terrible tragedies from which they eventually found real hope and spiritual meaning-at least in this novel. This novel is about one little sermon called "The Christmas Victory," and one, even littler poem, called "Christmas Bells," and how, fictionally, they both may have influenced and given hope to, not only the author of the poem, Henry W. Longfellow, but also his son, Charles, and Mark Twain, whom Charles meets. Though suffering tragic losses, these all eventually find hope and spiritual fulfillment, at least in this novel.

"If required to summarize my deepest conviction in a single sentence, it would be something like this: I believe that God is more taken with the agony of the earth than with the ecstasy of heaven." So begins the preface to In the Land of the Living: Prayers Personal and Public by Kenneth L. Sehested. What follows from that conviction is a collection of prayers and poems, most of which are "inspired by" one or more particular biblical texts and many of which were originally written for use in Sehested's own congregation. Sehested's lifelong work as a justice and peace organizer informs his "poetic eloquence," which, in the words of one reviewer, produces reflections on Scripture that create "a flash of insight, a bolt of courage, a stretch of imagination, a surprising peek into the heart of God" and "cries out against second-hand convictions." In the Land of the Living (Ps 27:13) represents a significant addition to that tradition of spirituality which takes seriously both the pain of the world and the claim of a God at work disarming both the heart and the nations. Indeed, "These prayers are jumper cables from the pew to the world."

The death of a Christian is an important event as we receive all that God has promised, however grief and sorrow often hinder this thinking. This is one of the four books intended to address the spiritual needs of Christians during milestone events of life.

From The Adventures of Churchy Church Mouse And His Cousin Tootsie. This Church Mouse story came about after reading Scripture from the book of Matthew, chapter 10 verse 38. Jesus said to His disciples, "And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me." I learned that here was Jesus' first mention of the word "cross" to His disciples. Did it mean they were going to carry a cross like He was going to and then be nailed to it? No, Jesus was seeking total commitment from them, even though their lives would be threatened by the evil one of this world. Churchy knows that Jesus is worthy of out total commitment. No matter how the world treats Him, Jesus will always be in the place that rightfully belongs to Him alone. Tootsie is always seeking excitement and adventure. But, Churchy knows that if she doesn't "find" Jesus, she is lost and will never know the full meaning of Christmas. Join me again as we venture through Volume II of the Churchy Church Mouse Christmas Eve stories. In His hand, Greg (John 10:28)