Uncommon Graces

As a senior pastor, John Vawter examines character traits and attitudes that bring dignity to human relationships, injecting grace into the day-to-day dehumanized society in which we find ourselves.

Upon moving to a farm in rural Ohio to distance herself from memories of war, former military nurse Grace Connor meets the conservative Levi Troyer, who struggles with reconciling his feelings for outsider Grace with his Amish faith.

When Amish widow Claire Shetler is attracted to the man behind her fiancé’s death, they both embark on a healing journey to discover God’s hidden mercies, perfect for fans of Beverly Lewis and Beth Wiseman. At seventeen, Tobias Miller smashed his cousin’s car into a tree, killing his brother only four hours before he was scheduled to marry Claire Shetler. Unable to live with his father’s bottomless grief and anger, Tobias left the Amish church and ran away to join the Marines. Twenty-seven years later, Tobias, now called Tom, returns to Mt. Hope, Ohio, a wounded, decorated Marine helicopter pilot, and rents an apartment over Claire’s workshop. A widowed Amish midwife, Claire is struggling to support her family. When Tom rents her room, she does not recognize the disfigured soldier as the boy she once knew. She only sees the money as a godsend, though she is nervous about having a strange man so close by. Claire never dreams that she will end up falling in love with a battle-scarred soldier. As Claire and Tom fight their way through the traumas of the past, they discover the tender mercies God has hidden along the way—including a loving father who has been praying for his prodigal son to come home and a God who makes all things new.

Uses photographs to trace the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Bestselling author Timothy Keller and legal scholar John Inazu bring together a thrilling range of artists, thinkers, and leaders to provide a guide to faithful living in a pluralistic, fractured world. How can Christians today interact with those around them in a way that shows respect to those whose beliefs are radically different but that also remains faithful to the gospel? Timothy Keller and John Inazu bring together illuminating stories--their own and from others--to answer this vital question. Uncommon Ground gathers an array of perspectives from people thinking deeply and working daily to live with humility, patience, and tolerance in our time. Contributors include: Lecrae Tish Harrison Warren Kristen Deede Johnson Claude Richard Alexander Shirley Hoogstra Sara Groves Rudy Carrasco Trillia Newbell Tom Lin Warren Kinghorn Providing varied and enlightening approaches to reaching faithfully across deep and often painful differences, Uncommon Ground shows us how to live with confidence, joy, and hope in a complex and fragmented age. "Loving engagement with folks with whom we disagree does not come easily for many of us with strong Christian convictions. Tim Keller and John Inazu are not only models for how to do this well, but in this fine book they have gathered wise conversation partners to offer much needed counsel on how to cultivate the spiritual virtues of humility, patience, and tolerance that are necessary for loving our neighbors in our increasingly pluralistic culture." -- Richard Mouw, Professor of Faith and Public Life, Fuller Theological Seminary "For anyone struggling to engage well with others in an era of toxic conflict, this book provides a framework, steeped in humility, that is not only insightful but is readily actionable. I'm grateful for the vulnerability and wisdom offered by each of the twelve leaders who contributed to this book. The task of learning to love well - neighbors and enemies alike - is long and urgent, and it can be costly. And yet, as this book shows us, because it is the work of Jesus, we can pursue this love with great hope." -- Gary A. Haugen, founder and CEO, International Justice Mission

Why do you need this book? Because there are treasures in tradition. In stark contrast to the common belief that youth workers require nothing less than a light show, smoke machine, and sweaty punk-rock band to reach teenagers' souls, more and more youth have actually been moving toward depth and quiet---and away from fluff and noise. Creeds, candles, silence, and ancient spiritual practices are all gaining understanding and popularity among students who're passionately seeking otherworldly and mysterious fragrances. They're realizing that there are treasures in tradition. The Book of Uncommon Prayer is your tool for unearthing, dusting off, and tapping into these treasures---but in ways that are completely contemporary and, more importantly, completely relevant to students. It's personal. The prayers and worship services inside are written for youth ministry---for students and for youth workers! They tell the from-the-gut truth about what you and your kids face every day---and in language that won't leave anybody scratching their heads. It's practical. These tools are for just about any situation you can think of. Need a prayer for a lock-in? For family? For loving enemies? For final exams? How about a mind-blowing 'Dumpster' Christmas service? An eye-opening service for All Hallows Eve? Or the most intense service for Good Friday you've ever experienced? They're all here---along with many other innovative vehicles for bringing your students into communion with God. It's unparalleled. This book is for all denominations. It doesn't matter if you're mainline or evangelical, Protestant or Catholic; The Book of Uncommon Prayer is geared for all teenagers and youth workers in Jesus' church! There's also an entire section of devotions and prayers written specifically for you, the youth worker, to renew and strengthen you when times are tough. Plus...we've included a bonus music CD in the back---Eucharist---an at-once moody and energetic, ancient-postmodern collection of songs straight from the 'alternative worship' movement in the United Kingdom. Many services inside use songs from the Eucharist CD, and there's even an entire service that uses the CD from start to finish. Mysterious. Practical. Treasure-filled. (Yes, uncommon, too!) The Book of Uncommon Prayer is a rich source of God-revealing worship and a one-of-a-kind guide for personal renewal that youth workers, camp counselors, Sunday school teachers, adult volunteers (and even students) will love.

Julian, I have a brain tumor. Julian Schlusberg and his partner, Ort, were sitting on the couch in their den, when Ort made this announcement. And then Ort told Julian the rest of the storyhow he went to the doctor for a flu shot and casually mentioned that he had been having dizzy spells. The doctor sent him for tests, and the results were badvery bad. Ort had a large, aggressive brain tumor, a glioblastoma multiforme grade four that would cause his death within a year. In the years since Orts death, Julian has been a traveler on the grief journey. In Uncommon Grace: Revelations in the Place Called Mourning, he recounts the life he has lived in those years. He has learned how brutal and merciless grief can be, but also how it can have the ability to alter our awareness and enable us to see and feel things we had never experienced before. Even in the face of insurmountable sadness and tragedy, it can lend some order to a world of heartbreak where nothing seems to makes sense. All of our sadness, anger, and frustration may ironically enable us to be more perceptive, insightful, and understanding.

Looking back at a tragic event that occurred during his thirteenth year, Frank Drum explores how a complicated web of secrets, adultery, and betrayal shattered his Methodist family and their small 1961 Minnesota community.

When an Amish woman falls for the New York crime writer who buys her family farm, she must decide whether to follow the longings of her heart or the rules of her faith. When an Amish woman falls for the New York crime writer who buys her family farm, she must decide whether to follow the longings of her heart or the rules of her faith. When Hope Yoder loses her husband, she is left trying to support her two small children—and one on the way—however she can. She ends up taking a job as a part-time housekeeper for the Englisch man who has bought the farm that once belonged to her family. Logan Parker is a bestselling crime fiction writer from New York City who accompanies his fiancée on a trip to Holmes County, Ohio, but the trip takes a strange turn when he sees an Amish farmhouse for sale. Intrigued by a strong sense of familiarity, he enters the house and is overcome with a feeling of deep peace. He’s never been to Ohio before, but something in this house feels right, and he purchases the farm to use as a retreat. Something about the peacefulness of the house frees him from the crippling writer’s block that threatens to ruin his career, and something about the quiet Amish woman who comes to clean his home makes him less and less excited about returning to New York and the woman he is supposed to marry. Slowly, Logan and Hope are drawn together, and when they discover that they share a strange past, they must decide how that affects their future. Will Hope overcome her fear of embracing love again?

Uncommon Numbers was the first book in print dedicated entirely to the subject of calligraphic numerals. It is an anthology showcasing the work of 32 master calligraphers from the United States, Canada, England, Wales, Germany and France. The purpose of the book is to draw attention to a largely overlooked subject and to provide the best possible examples of written and drawn numerals for study and inspiration.