“Like many evangelicals who love the gospel, I had my doubts about Lent.” It’s true, Lent can often seem like an empty ritual. But what Aaron Damiani came to find, and what he describes inside, is something else entirely. Something exceedingly good. In The Good of Giving Up, Anglican pastor Aaron Damiani (who comes from a low-church background) explains the season of Lent, defends it theologically, and guides you in its practice. You’ll learn: The history and purpose of Lent How to practice it with proper motivation Ways it can reform your habits and convictions How to lead others through it, whether in the home or church Lent has been described as a “springtime for the soul,” a season of clearing to make room for growth. The Good of Giving Up will show you why, encouraging you to participate in what many know as a rich spiritual journey. “When I was finally ready to take the plunge, I learned that observing Lent is not a forced march of works-righteousness. But it was good medicine for [my soul], for the painful split between what I knew about God and what I experienced of Him.”

Jeff James was one of the good white guys. At least that's what he thought. But when he asked a black friend how to become an antiracist, he had to think again. "Simple," she shot back, "get rid of whiteness." Thus began his journey to discover, name, and dismantle the racial category that had defined and advantaged him for a lifetime. In Giving Up Whiteness, James leads readers on an intimate, humble, and disorienting investigation of what it means to be white in twenty-first-century America. He begins to wonder what forces shape his own and other white people's choices: about where to live, who to marry, and what church to join. With a blend of honest storytelling and incisive critique, James guides readers through the questions he encountered: What privileges accrue to people categorized as white? How have some Christians bolstered white supremacy through misreading of Scripture? How does whiteness make itself invisible? And is it possible to give it up? The things we can't see yield the most power, so it's time to take a hard look at whiteness. Ultimately, James writes, white people like him have a lot of work to do, and it's past time to get started.

Abraham creates a portrait of a young, crumbling marriage. It is alternately sad and compelling.'

Giving Up is Jillian Becker's intimate account of her brief but extraordinary time with Sylvia Plath during the winter of 1963, the last months of the poet's life. Abandoned by Ted Hughes, Sylvia found companionship and care in the home of Becker and her husband, who helped care for the estranged couple's two small children while Sylvia tried to rest. In clear-eyed recollections unclouded by the intervening decades, Becker describes the events of Sylvia's final days and suicide: her physical and emotional state, her grief over Hughes's infidelity, her mysterious meeting with an unknown companion the night before her suicide, and the harsh aftermath of her funeral. Alongside this tragic conclusion is a beautifully rendered portrait of a friendship between two very different women.

“We’ve all had situations in our lives where we just couldn’t see how we’d make it through another day. With this book, you’ll be encouraged and lifted up by Rachel, a friend who understands how to seek God’s strength and healing in the midst of the pain!” —Lysa TerKeurst, author of It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way Learn to overcome obstacles—one step at a time through your faith in God. Life often sends hard things our way: illness, financial struggles, broken relationships, and so many kinds of loss. Sometimes we can’t imagine a way forward. So how do we keep going when everything is going wrong? Rachel Wojo has learned that hope rises to greet us when we find the strength to take One. More. Step. Like you, Rachel has faced experiences that crushed her dreams of the perfect life: a failing marriage, a daughter’s heartbreaking diagnosis, and more. In this book she transparently shares her pain and empathizes with yours, then points you to the path of God’s Word, where you’ll find hope to carry you forward. One More Step gives you permission to ache freely—and helps you believe that life won’t always be this hard. No matter the circumstances you face, through these pages you’ll learn to: · run to God’s Word when discouragement strikes · replace feelings of despair with the truth of Scripture · persevere through out-of-control circumstances and gain a more intimate relationship with Jesus Rachel identifies the reasons you may tempted to quit and shows you where to find the courage to keep going, one step at a time. You’re not alone. So don’t give up. God won’t let you down. That’s a promise.

JamieJake White is our king. A king with a crown of thorns, a heart of stone, and evil in his soul. He hides it well though, under a beautiful smile and eyes that ravage your heart. But Stoneview Prep's golden boy has always had a dark aura around him. Like a well-guarded secret. A blackness that he never lets anyone see. "Curiosity killed the cat, Jamie." My mom always tells me. She never said it would get me in more trouble than I could handle. She never said it would throw me into the dark world of Jake White. And when I not-so-accidentally find out part of Jake's past, I finally learn the consequences of mischievous nosiness. Curiosity doesn't kill this cat. It turns it into a mouse to be played with. At least that's what Jake decided.JakeThree years. That's how much my twin and I got of freedom before our past caught up with us. We were doing well, we were being good, we were keeping out of trouble. Most of all, I was in control. But trouble always finds a reason to make its way back to us. And when it does, Jamie Williams is here to witness it. In the morning I learned of her existence, in the afternoon she was spying on me like a fangirl. This girl is desperate to find out what's behind the golden boy's facade I was kind enough to put on.So be it. I have time on my hands, darkness on my mind, and a hundred ways to make Jamie Williams bend to my will.This book is approximately 92,000 words and is the first book of a three-book series. Giving In is a dark high school bully romance intended for mature readers. It contains detailed sexual scenes and bullying scenes that some readers may find triggering. If you are unsure of your triggers, please heed the author's trigger warning in the book.