Refiners Fire

An Israeli soldier’s life flashes before his eyes in this epic tale: “As if The Odyssey had been updated and rewritten by Dylan Thomas” (The Listener, UK). In 1947, Marshall Pearl is orphaned at birth aboard an immigrant ship off the coast of Palestine. Brought to America, he grows up a child of the Hudson Valley, determined to see the world in all its beauty and ferocity. His epic journey takes him from Jamaica to Harvard; from Great Plains slaughterhouses to the Mexican desert; and from the sea to the Alps. Marshall is eventually drawn to Israel to confront the circumstance of his birth in a crucible of war, magic, suffering, and grace. We first meet Marshall among the mortally wounded Israeli soldiers who are being transferred to Haifa during the Yom Kippur War. From there we follow Marshall—along with his memories and dreams—as he reconstructs his life, galvanizing strength through all that he has learned, suffered, and hoped. “Superb...A first-rate odyssey, full of insight and humor and hard-earned truths”—San Francisco Chronicle

Book 1 in the Refiner's Fire series. The daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family from Richmond, Virginia, Caroline Fletcher is raised in a culture that believes slavery is God-ordained and biblically acceptable. But upon awakening to the cruelty and injustice it encompasses, Caroline's eyes are opened for the first time to the men and women who have cared tirelessly for her. Her journey of maturity and faith will draw her into the abolitionist movement, where she is confronted with the risks and sacrifices her beliefs entail.

Julia Hoffman has always enjoyed a carefree life with her well-to-do family, but when she becomes an Army nurse during the Civil War, her eyes are opened to the injustices of the world around her.

Author Gavin Anthony lost his job, his health, his reputation, his girlfriend, and his dreams for the future. It was there---in the midst of the dark, lonely unknown---that he learned the truth about human brokenness and God's restorative ways. In The Refiner's Fire Anthony shares the inspiring, life-transforming lessons he has discovered about suffering. He explores biblical truths that will forever change how you look at the hard times in life: --God is still good, even when we hurt. --God uses suffering to make us more like Him. --Even---and especially---when life is tough, God is working out His plan. --We are not alone in our pain. The Refiner's Fire moves beyond cliche answers about suffering and offers a comforting, hope-filled perspective on God's purpose in pain. This book is an Adult Sabbath School companion book.

This 1995 book presents an alternative and comprehensive understanding of the roots of Mormon religion.

A thriller steeped in European culture like The Salzburg Connection, Refiner's Fire serves up serious suspense to avid fiction readers. This book's "secret underground society" is not Nazi war criminals, however-it's the persecuted Christian church. Yuri and Alexander Deyneko, separated as teens in postwar times, are reunited thirty-five years later in 1980s Bucharest. Now on separate sides of Nicolae Ceausescu's Iron Curtain, the secret life of one brother, a top army official and clandestine Christian, and the ambition of the other- now the American Ambassador to Romania-puts them on a collision course with each other. Fates hang on an issue of conscience. Great writing propels readers through the plot toward a gripping climax.

In today’s modern world of convenience and comfort, suffering can seem senseless. This idea has even crept into the church, where many believe that if we make the right choices and do the right things, pain can be avoided. So it’s little wonder that when do encounter tough situations, we face even tougher questions: Why does God allow suffering? Where is God when I’m hurting? The Power of Suffering takes an in-depth, honest look at the reality of pain and hurt in the life of a believer. Filled with rich Biblical truths and fresh insights, this study explores how God ultimately uses suffering for good in the lives of His children, and offers encouragement and hope for the heavy heart. Includes a guide for both personal and group study and features discovery questions, suggestions for prayer, and activities, all designed to connect life-changing truths with everyday living.

Julia Martens has a rich, powerful voice that could make her one of the world’s finest altos. Ever since she met the brilliant yet erratic conductor, Arno Weber, during her first audition in a church basement in Berlin, his insistent fingers have been shaping her sound. Now Handel’s “Refiner’s Fire” has become his obsession. Unfortunately during last two years, Julia has disappointed him with her inability to correctly sing every note of the challenging aria. As a single, working mother of two-year-old Bettina, Julia is doing her best to balance her life while rejecting the father’s attempts to control Bettina’s care. But everything changes one night while she is rehearsing the aria and Bettina tumbles out their fifth-floor apartment window onto the courtyard below. Suddenly with Julia’s competence as a mother in question, Bettina’s grandmother sues for custody. Refusing to relinquish her daughter or her music, Julia fights to retain what is rightfully hers. As she is led through her memories and into a new chapter where nothing is certain, Julia must somehow find a way to pursue her dreams while fulfilling her duties as a mother. Refiner’s Fire is the tale of a gifted alto and single mother living in Berlin as she struggles to balance her daughter’s needs with her passion for music.