Why I Tried to Die


Book Description

Come walk with Lisa as she takes you on a journey from death to life. Her testimony of how she was delivered from a life of addiction and trauma will inspire you to seek a deeper relationship with God. Why I Tried to Die will grip you from the beginning through the end. Lisa's courageous transparency throughout the pages of this book reveal the glory of God and His redemptive healing and restorative powers. It is a must- read for all who are currently going through or dealing with trauma from the past. You will not be disappointed. -MB Busch President, Heartbeat of Heaven Ministries Lisa invites the reader on a journey. This journey is the story of her life, full of hopelessness, tragedy and trauma. Yet, in the midst of the most difficult and hopeless of moments, she encountered the living God who repositioned her with a hope and a future. No life is beyond the reach of a loving God, and Lisa's story is a great reminder of this truth. -Pastor Ruth Hendrickson, Ruth Hendrickson Ministries A riveting page-turner! Lisa's story is one of how heartbreaking trauma kept her world from being safe. But, God had other plans! In the most surprising of places, He set her free. Her trust, resiliency and transformation are a testimony of God's power that speaks profound truth. -Mary Whitman Ortiz, Founder, Limitless Intimacy When reading Why I Tried to Die, I instantly was able to connect to the author. Her ability to capture and articulate her story to the reader was simply amazing. As someone who dealt with abuse for many years, I was able to identify with what Lisa described. As an author myself, I understand firsthand how difficult it is to not only keep the reader intrigued, but also create an imagery for the reader to experience. Lisa was able to do that as well. I believe that this book will not only transform lives, but also change the minds and stereotypes that have been in place. The author is an amazing woman, and I am blessed to have her in my life. -Veronica Dixon Co-Pastor, Elevated Life in Christ Community Church What comes through for me in Why I Tried to Die is Lisa's amazing courage and resilience. I read her words but cannot fathom how she endured persistent childhood trauma in her home, the shuttling back and forth to foster homes and a different school every year, and exposure at such an early age to drugs, alcohol, sex and sexual abuse. On several occasions, I have had the privilege of hearing Lisa eloquently summarize her life's journey, but the book captures what a ten-minute talk cannot-the depth of the harm she experienced and her battle to overcome the pain and trauma against all odds. Speaking with her before her initial talk, I had no clue that she was so horribly mistreated by too many for so long. Lisa is truly a remarkable woman. Her work is an inspiration to all who read it that even the most inhuman challenges can be overcome with faith and the love of life as expressed by her devotion to her children. -Robert K. Reed Executive Deputy Attorney General for Special Initiatives Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General




Redemption's Hope


Book Description

Two distinct sets of villains. Two orphaned children. A man without a country and a woman with too much past...All in a rambunctious young country where anything goes, especially in the West. Seriously. What can go wrong? In this latest installment of the best-selling series, "Western Dreams", join Jenny and White Bear as they cross the historic West in an epic story peppered with grit, guns, and glory that award-winning author Kelly Goshorn calls "a sweeping tale of faith, dedication, and perseverance set in the American west." "...masterful wordsmithing!" says Clarice G. James, author of "The Least of These," "Party of One," "Double Header" and "Manhattan Grace."




Hope Runs


Book Description

Sammy Ikua Gachagua had lost his father to illness, his mother to abandonment, and his home to poverty. By age ten, he was living in a shack with seven other children and very little food. He entered an orphanage seeing it as a miracle with three meals a day, a bed to sleep in, and clothes on his back. When Claire Diaz-Ortiz arrived in Kenya at the end of an around-the-world journey, she decided to stay the night, climb Mt. Kenya, then head back home. She entered an orphanage seeing it as little more than a free place to spend the night before her mountain trek. God had other plans. Hope Runs is the emotional story of an American tourist, a Kenyan orphan, and the day that would change the course of both of their lives forever. It's about what it means to live in the now when the world is falling down around you. It's about what it means to hope for the things you cannot see. Most of all, it's about how God can change your life in the blink of an eye.




The Edge of Redemption


Book Description

The Edge of Redemption is far more than a remarkable story. Troy Evans challenges us to engage subcultures that we often perceive as threatening--to ask ourselves, who are the unreachable in our own communities? Rather than flee them, we are called to reach out and offer redemption to those who are on the edge of destruction. Evans was chasing the hip-hop dream; fame, fortune, and power could be his. And he was sure he could get it all if the gang violence or the law didn't get him first. Then redemption stepped in from the most unlikely circumstances to bring about the most unlikely change. Today, Pastor Troy Evans ministers to the community that once was his prey. He is connecting with lives and seeing the miracle of his own redemption repeated and multiplied in the same mean streets that once enslaved him. Enter into Evans' story and God's vision.




The Most Beautiful Disaster


Book Description

Hope Carpenter opens up about her personal struggles that nearly destroyed her family, her church, and her ministry, but then God did something miraculous—out of her brokenness, He made something beautiful. As co-pastor of one of the nation's largest megachurches, Hope Carpenter had perfected the roles of supportive wife, good mother, devoted worship leader, and dutiful homemaker. But inside, she was secretly ashamed, sad, and afraid. She didn't know who she was, and she didn't know how to ask for help without bringing down the whole façade. A series of bad choices led to multiple affairs; her husband kicked her out and announced from the pulpit of their church that their marriage was over. Hope was sure her life was done. But in her lowest moments, something beautiful happened. God met her there, and, with a lot of hard work, time, and mountains of therapy, she started to understand the pain that had caused her to act out. She and her family faced their brokenness together, and in powerful acts of forgiveness only God could have arranged, they all found real breakthrough and healing. Ron and Hope rebuilt their marriage and their family, and their ministry thrives today. In The Most Beautiful Disaster, Hope helps readers understand the lasting impact of childhood trauma and gives readers practical steps to uncovering the root of pain in their own lives. She shows how small decisions can lead to big changes, and helps readers find healing and wholeness in Scripture and prayer. Ultimately, readers will be led to hope, reconciliation, and true freedom.




There Is Always Hope


Book Description




The Sacrament of Happy


Book Description

God is good, God does good, and oh, how He wants you to be happy. In her new book, The Sacrament of Happy: What a Smiling God Brings to a Wounded World, Lisa Harper unveils that happiness is a gift from God that we can unashamedly enjoy. Happiness tends to be cast as a fluffy emotion without substance rather than a biblical concept, but this is not theologically accurate. Wearing the twin hats of both seminarian and belly-laughing adoptive mom, Lisa Harper dismantles the old-school idea that joy, not happiness, is the truly spiritual emotion, and asserts that Christ-followers are actually called to happiness. We are called to happiness, and this happiness is not impacted by personal or global tumult. In fact, happiness is a sacrament. The general definition of sacrament is “a visible sign of inward grace.” In communities of faith, it most often refers to holy communion or the Eucharist. In the broadest understanding, however, a sacrament is a gift bestowed by God, and in that case, ‘happiness’ is absolutely a sacrament—a visible, sometimes even audible, sign of inward grace! Lisa shares heart-wrenching difficult stories from her past, as well as some side-splitting hilarity along the way. Throughout the book, we see that happiness and sadness can coexist and ebb and flow like the tides. Christine Caine, Founder of A21 & Propel Women, had this to say about Lisa’s new book: "The Sacrament of Happy—like all of Lisa’s messages and books—enriches my understanding of God and His Word—and His great love for us. As always, she unfolds biblical truth so clearly and calls me to action. Every. Single. Time.”




Bloom in the Dark


Book Description

A compilation of true stories, letters, and poems about painful times in women's lives caused by some type of abuse or trauma. Each woman found hope and redemption through a relationship with God. This book is written to give hope to those experiencing personal darkness.




The Shawshank Redemption Revealed


Book Description

A 25th anniversary history and celebration of The Shawshank Redemption, one of the most cherished American films of the late twentieth century and one of the finest movies made from a Stephen King story. The movie not only boasts a great story, it has a great backstory, starting with the dollar deal that eventually led King and co-stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman to put their trust in a largely untested director making his first feature film. Although the film received mostly positive reviews on its release in September 1994, the box office was disappointing and it failed to win many awards. But as Andy tells Red in the film, “no good thing ever dies.” The movie found new life, reaching an ever-growing audience on cable and home video (through word of mouth, it became one of the top-rented movies of 1995). Each year, The Shawshank Redemption rises in polls asking film fans to name their favorite movies. It has become nothing less than this generation’s The Grapes of Wrath, an inspiring story about keeping hope alive in bleak times and under the most horrendous conditions.




Redemption's Edge


Book Description

Tempting love can be fatal—even for the most dangerous vampire in Savannah—in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Alyssa Day’s tantalizingly sexy romance... Meara Delacourt loves being underestimated, especially when it comes to her enemies. Few know that the wealthy socialite and philanthropist is a 300-year-old master vampire—or the horror that rains down when her emotions spiral out of control. The consequences are nothing short of devastating. Which is why she can’t risk an attraction to the irritating, arrogant, and unbelievably hot Edge...even if she wanted to. And oh, she does. Scientist-turned-vamp Edge knows exactly what it’s like to fear emotions. He keeps a tight rein on his, knowing that—thanks to being the subject of a cruel experiment—falling in love is an instant trigger for his death. Fortunately, he can control himself...he has no choice. But the golden, sexy-as-hell Meara is one temptation he can’t find a cure for. Now they’re forced to fight the pull of their attraction, knowing that every moment of surrender brings them closer to the edge of disaster. But as the Chamber—a sinister organization of ancient warlocks—decides to seize control of Savannah, they’ll have no choice but to fight together, knowing it could spell doom for them all. Especially when the Chamber reveals the one secret that could end it all... The Vampire Motorcycle Club series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 Bane's Choice Book #2 Hunter's Hope Book #3 Redemption's Edge