A Reason To Believe

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick, “an inspirational figure guided by optimism and hope who presaged the rise of President Obama” (The Boston Globe), recounts his extraordinary journey from the South Side of Chicago to the governorship of Massachusetts. “I’ve simply seen too much goodness in this country—and have come so far in my own journey—not to believe in those ideals, and my faith in the future is sometimes restored under the darkest clouds.”—Governor Deval Patrick In January 2007, Deval Patrick became the first black governor of the state of Massachusetts, one of only two black governors elected in American history. But that was just one triumphant step in an improbable life that began in a poor tenement on the South Side of Chicago, taking Patrick from a chaotic childhood to an elite boarding school in New England, from a sojourn doing relief work in Africa to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, and then to a career in politics. In this heartfelt and inspiring memoir, he pays tribute to the family, friends, and strangers who, through words and deeds, have instilled in him transcendent lessons of faith, perseverance, and friendship. In doing so, he reminds us of the power of community and the imperative of idealism. With humility, humor, and grace, he offers a road map for attaining happiness, empowerment, and success while also making an appeal for readers to cultivate those achievements in others, to feel a greater stake in this world, and to shape a life worth living. Warm, nostalgic, and inspirational, A Reason to Believe is destined to become a timeless tribute to a uniquely American odyssey and a testament to what is possible in our lives and our communities if we are hopeful, generous, and resilient. Governor Deval Patrick is donating a portion of the proceeds from A Reason to Believe to A Better Chance, a national organization dedicated to opening the doors to greater educational opportunities for young people of color.

From USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros comes a brand-new small town, older-brother's best friend standalone romance."I'll take them!"That's what I tell the social worker when my pre-k student and his baby brother need an emergency foster placement. I'll do anything to keep the brothers from being split up. But my apartment's flooded and there's only one house I can take them to on such short notice?his.Knox Daniels, my older brother's best friend, offers his new place without hesitation. He's not moving back to our tiny town until next month-that's when all our hotshot firefighters are returning for their one and only chance to rebuild our fathers' fallen, iconic crew.It doesn't matter that I've been silently in love with Knox since we were kids.It can't matter that we pretend that reckless prom night kiss never happened.It won't matter that my feelings for him could destroy his lifelong friendship with my brother and threaten the certification of their hotshot crew.Because I'll be out of his house long before he gets back.Except Knox just walked in?a month early.And the icing on this awkward cake?He's gorgeous as always and I'm covered in baby puke.He takes one look at the boys and tells me we can make this work-We can temporarily fake a relationship to keep them from being separated by the system.Suddenly, everything matters.

Meet Rufus Valasay. As a member of Les Croyants des Trois, a powerful clan of telepaths and healers, he is sworn to protect the ordinary world of the Moyenne. But now, with his memory gone and danger approaching, Rufus has nothing to go on but his passionate feelings for the only person he can trust . . . Make Me Remember He wakes in the cold streets of Edinburgh-no name, no memory, nothing but the certain fear that he has made a terrible mistake and left someone in danger. But should he trust the stranger with the blue eyes and blonde hair who offers him a warm place to stay? With a name like Fabian Fair, how could he not? Her quick smile, her lush curves, and the kindness in her voice stir a hunger he can't ignore. At least he hasn't forgotten how to bring a woman exquisite pleasure. Or-alarmingly-how to read her deepest thoughts . . . With each caress and soulful kiss, his memory returns, making him wish he could forget again. For he is no ordinary mortal, but a Croyant, a magic man, and the danger he faces is very real. Someone is coming for him, someone who will harm anyone to get to him and his kind. But he doesn't intend to make the same mistake twice, or let go of his only reason to believe . . .

Does Christianity Have Good Answers for the Really Tough Questions? Dr. R. C. Sproul believes it does. In this book, the founder of Ligonier Ministries deals with the most common objections to the truths of the Christian faith, including: Has science disproved the existence of God? Will non-Christians who never hear of Christ go to hell? Is it narrow-minded and bigoted to believe Christ is only one way to God? Why do people need God when life is going smoothly? Isn't Christianity just a crutch for people who can’t handle life’s pressures? Is heaven real or just "pie in the sky"? Do Christians have a good answer to evil and suffering? How does the church explain all its hypocrites? Reason to Believe is no collection of pat answers and proof texts. It addresses each objection in a separate chapter—rigorously and biblically—and includes a special capsule summary that gives the kernel of each argument. This is a superb resource for those in visitation and calling programs, and a must for anyone who wants to do more than scratch the surface of Christian truths.

This book unravels mysteries, corrects misunderstandings, and offers thoughtful, straightforward responses to common objections about the Catholic faith. Bestselling author Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, has experienced the doubts that so often drive discussions about God and the Church. In the years before his conversion, he was first a nonbeliever and then an anti-Catholic clergyman. In REASONS TO BELIEVE, he explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith—drawing from Scripture, his own struggles and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather they offer complementary evidence that God exists. But He doesn't merely exist. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernible and knowable. Hahn leads readers to see that God created the universe with a purpose and a form—a form that can be found in the Book of Genesis and that is there when we view the natural world through a microscope, through a telescope, or through our contact lenses. At the heart of the book is Hahn's examination of the ten "keys to the kingdom"—the characteristics of the Church clearly evident in the Scriptures. As the story of creation discloses, the world is a house that has a Father, a palace where the king is really present. God created the cosmos to be a kingdom, and that kingdom is the universal Church, fully revealed by Jesus Christ.

The story of 36 major Eucharistic Miracles from Lanciano, Italy in 800 to Stich, Bavaria in 1970. Details the official investigations. Tells where some are still venerated today. Covers Hosts that have bled, turned to flesh, levitated, etc.; plus, of Saints who have lived on the Eucharist alone. Reinforces the Church's doctrine of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament like no other book!

Detective Matthew Bennett doesn't believe in ghosts. So when the spirit of a murdered child leads him to her body, he's shaken to the core—and taken off the case. Unable to explain his vision, or to let go of the investigation, Matthew turns to renowned medium Kiernan Fitzpatrick. Though he has doubts about Kiernan's claims to communicate with the dead, Matt is nevertheless drawn to the handsome psychic, who awakens feelings he thought were long-buried. Haunted by the lingering spirit of the little girl, Kiernan is compelled to aid in the search for her killer. The chance to get closer to the enigmatic Matt is an unexpected bonus. Although Kiernan's been betrayed by people who turned out to be more interested in his fame than in himself, with Matt he's willing to risk his heart. As the two men grow closer, Kiernan helps Matt rediscover that life offers no guarantees—but love offers a reason to believe... 81,000 words

Is religious belief reasonable? Of course the so-called New Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, energetically say, "No!," Many others, including some believers, insist that faith is utterly beyond reasoned argument. Faith, they declare, is believing something that reason tells you can't be so. In this way they think they shield belief from rational criticism. But philosopher Richard Purtill will have none of that approach to religion. In this newly updated classic work, Purtill carefully applies the power of the mind to understanding whether there is a rational basis for certain religious beliefs. His focus is on widely held Christian beliefs, although much of what he says applies also to other religious traditions. Purtill assesses the common objections to religious belief the claims that religious tenets are nonsensical, wishful thinking, the result of gullibility, immoral, or refuted by modern discoveries. Then he considers the arguments in favor of Christian belief by studying the nature of faith, of the universe, of morality, of happiness, and the world with God in it. He also scrutinizes certain beliefs involving claims of Christian revelation — the credentials of revelation, the idea of God, Jesus as God's Son, organized religion, and the last things (death, judgment, heaven and hell). The two appendices tackle the Christian doctrine of the Atonement and the influence of certain Christian writers on the revival of Christian belief in the 20th century. An updated For Further Reading section is included. Reason to Believe is not a work of revealed theology or religious devotion; it is a highly readable book on the philosophy of religion, aimed at the reader who wants to think seriously about religion but who doesn't know all the philosophers' and theologians' jargon and who may or may not be a committed believer.

Based on fieldwork among Pentecostal men in Caracas, Venezuela, this ethnography seeks an explanation for the explosion of Evangelical Protestantism, unraveling the cultural and personal dynamics of Evangelical conversion to show how and why these men make the choice to convert, and how they come to have faith in a new system of beliefs.