Our Love Could Light The World

You know the Dugans. They’re that scrappy family that lives down the street. Their yard is overgrown, they don’t pick up after their dog, their five children run free—leaving chaos in their wake—and the father hasn’t earned a cent in years. The wife holds them together on her income alone. You wouldn’t want them for neighbors—but from a distance, they’re quite entertaining. You can tell from the empty bottles lying under the bush out front that alcohol is an issue in the household—and all things considered, you can hardly blame the wife for leaving one day. Without her at the helm, the rest carry on the best they can. Their strong sense of family keeps them going. They help—and in some cases, rescue—each other as they struggle for a better life. And while they never follow the rules, or completely conquer the adversity with which they’re faced, they do manage to meet their challenges—and even earn some much-needed respect. Along the way, they might even make you proud. Set in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, the twelve linked stories of Our Love Could Light The World depict a dysfunctional family that’s messy and rude, cruel and kind, and loyal to the end.

These 23 object talks begin with an exciting illustration or demonstration that communicates the Scripture verse and teaches kids ways to investigate and find Jesus. These resources are ideal for quick lessons or attention-getting visuals to supplement existing lesson materials. Just use items from your kitchen, craft basket, or tool chest to create lessons that fascinate children, illustrate a biblical truth, and deliver memorable messages your kids will love.

Freddie was raised on faith. It’s in her blood. Yet when she loses her husband of many years, she can’t quite bring herself to seek solace from the Almighty, and enters a state of quiet contemplation, instead. Her solitude quickly ends when she meets a man roaming her neighborhood in search of his run-away wife, and later, when her daughter returns home to escape another unwise romance. Soon after, Freddie’s sister, Holly, visits and their thoughts turn to their wretched childhood at the hands of their neglectful and pious mother. Also present is their grandmother, Anna, known only through photographs and letters, who seems so different – strong, yet remote. Freddie feels she and Anna are connected, not just through blood, but through the raising of difficult daughters. This kinship makes Freddie see that she has been shaped by forces she doesn’t directly experience, which reminds her about the true basis of faith. With all that to hand, Freddie faces a family crisis that forces her to confront the same questions she’s asked all her life: What does it mean to believe in God? And does God even care?

From sea to sea to shining sea, I bade that she come back to me -- Without her look, without her face, I bade I too would leave this place. The Charmed Ones couldn't be happier -- Phoebe and Piper's childhood friend Lyssa is getting married and has asked them to be bridesmaids! They're thrilled to support her at her wedding, and jump at the chance to get away to the seaside for a little while. The ceremony will take place in Serenity Cove's beautiful old lighthouse, which is rumored to be haunted by the vengeful spirit of the lighthouse keeper who lost his true love at sea -- one hundred years ago, on the date of Lyssa's wedding. The Halliwell sisters ignore the rumors . . . until, that is, they notice the strange behavior of Lyssa's fiancé. He seems to have become obsessed with Lyssa's family heirloom, a strange and beautiful diamond called the Light of the World. Can the Charmed Ones disclose his true identity and intentions before their friend says "I do" to Mr. Wrong?

Charles Booker is thrilled to start married life in Two Harbors, Minnesota, with his ambitious ornithologist bride, Caroline—but he sabotages his own happiness when, blinded by his desire for a family, he tricks Caroline into a pregnancy she doesn’t want. Caroline, bold and unapologetic, follows her own nature and holds Charles to his promise to parent their daughter without her help—an arrangement that allows her to travel the world and follow her birds, wherever they may take her. This uneasy truce results in near tragedy for their daughter, Grace, who comes of age in a household full of toxic resentment on the one side and suffocating love on the other, and increasingly struggles with her mental health as she grows older. Told by all three of the characters involved and set against the backdrop of Lake Superior, Finding Grace is a piercing chronicle of the struggles and eventual insight gained by each over the years, starting with Charles and Caroline’s courtship and continuing into Grace’s early adulthood—and a poignant coming-of-age journey for both Grace and her parents.

Some people might that, at age forty-six, Jane “Par” Parker is too old to win golf tournaments; too old to fear her mother; and too old, after twenty years, to still feel such heavy grief over the murder of her father. But Par has an obsessively tight grip on the past, and no one can tell her to live her life otherwise—not even her three best friends: Pinky, a petite, bossy 911 dispatcher, Carmen, a pot-smoking, dessert-loving masseuse-in-training, and Gail, a business professor, wife of a prison guard, and unlikely romantic. Par is busy preparing for an upcoming tournament, and things are looking good for her—right up until she has to spend a night in jail for a bogus DUI charge and ends up on the front page of her local newspaper as a result. As the week unfolds and Par comes up against one challenge after another, she’s forced to decide: either continue to cling to her memories, or seize the opportunity to evolve and let go of the past once and for all.

Thirteen-year-old Evan Hanson is always the last in her family to know what’s going on—at least, that’s how it feels. Her father, Gene, who’s been meaner since he began serving in Vietnam, isn’t around much, and she likes it better that way. But then her brother, Adam, gets drafted and her anti-war mother, Endura, takes him across the border to Canada, leaving Evan alone with Gene and her younger, special needs brother, Teddy. When he realizes Endura isn’t returning, Gene takes Evan and Teddy to Eat and Get Gas, his mother’s café and gas station in Hoquiam, Washington. There, as well as her no-nonsense but loving grandma, Evan encounters Aunt Vivian, a teasing but caring know-it-all; Uncle Frankie, injured in Vietnam and suffering from PTSD; Paco, the draft dodger Frankie is hiding; Hal and Hubert, the strange but gentle next-door neighbors who play the piano like virtuosos and help out when they’re needed; and Louanne, Frankie’s reserved, sensitive sister. She is drawn in particular to Louanne, who was disfigured by a car accident that killed the rest of her and Frankie’s family. At Eat and Get Gas, Evan finds a new freedom, and she starts to carve out a place for herself by helping in the café and sorting mail for Uncle Frankie, who runs a postal route in addition to running the gas station. She eventually, too, learns some of the family secrets she’s been kept in the dark about—and comes to understand that her mother isn’t coming back any time soon. Then, after reading a letter that wasn’t meant for her, Evan discovers the biggest secret of all.

The stories in Seven Sides of Self explore the various sides of one’s personality: the storyteller, the skeptic, the survivor, the saint (or the sinner), the scholar, the seeker, and the savior. Through the lives of central characters such as Zarce Sun De’oggo, Sister Othrosa Vella, Jarka Moosha, and Old Mims—Nancy Joie Wilkie explores themes of battling strong emotions, the lengths we might go to for self-preservation and self sacrifice, the inability to accept things different, and taking responsibility for what we create in pieces that inhabit the worlds of both sci-fi and fantasy. Original and thought provoking, these are stories that will stimulate the intellect and engage the imagination.

This perfectly delightful and all-inclusive resource covers Years A, B, and C of the liturgical cycle. It is perfect for parishes who schedule a childrens Liturgy of the Word as well as for those who simply want materials to prepare children for the weekly liturgy. It is geared to ages 5-8 and for each week of the lectionary cycle there are creative hand-out activity sheets that involve children in the scriptural message. Best of all, it offers informative background notes and directions for liturgy leaders, parents, catechists, and all who work with parish children. This is a must-have resource for every parish.