7 Saving Graces

Nearly everybody struggles against the same, predictable urges that have plagued human beings since the Garden of Eden. We aspire to rule rather than serve, desire things more than God, resent the successes of others, and run away from hard things. As a result, we suffer unfulfilled lives, lack contentment, and can never seem to get a handle on how to improve our lot. In this powerful book on personal spiritual change, Steve DeNeff unlocks the seven secrets to a life filled with purpose, contentment, and a strong sense of well-being. Keying on the seven most common spiritual problems that we all face--the seven deadly sins--DeNeff points the way toward life transformation by embracing the virtue-filled life of the Spirit. Readers will experience practical life changes as they learn how to cooperate with God--changing what they do as he changes who they are. Includes guide for personal or group study.

She charmed America with her smart, likable, down-to-earth personality as she campaigned for her husband, then vice-presidential candidate John Edwards. She inspired millions as she valiantly fought advanced breast cancer after being diagnosed only days before the 2004 election. She touched hundreds of similarly grieving families when her own son, Wade, died tragically at age sixteen in 1996. Now she shares her experiences in Saving Graces, an incandescent memoir of Edwards’ trials, tragedies, and triumphs, and of how various communities celebrated her joys and lent her steady strength and quiet hope in darker times. Edwards writes about growing up in a military family, where she learned how to make friends easily in dozens of new schools and neighborhoods around the world and came to appreciate the unstinting help and comfort naval families shared. Edwards’ reminiscences of her years as a mother focus on the support she and other parents offered one another, from everyday favors to the ultimate test of her own community’s strength—their compassionate response to the death of the Edwards’ teenage son, Wade, in 1996. Her descriptions of her husband’s campaigns for Senate, president, and vice president offer a fascinating perspective on the groups, great and small, that sustain our democracy. Her fight with breast cancer, which stirred an outpouring of support from women across the country, has once again affirmed Edwards’ belief in the power of community to make our lives better and richer.

“Compelling. . . breathtaking. . . unique.” —Washington Post Book World Meet the Saving Graces, four very different friends who get together once a week to kick back and take shelter from the trials and triumphs of their lives. Emma, the brazen skeptic with a soft heart, is hopelessly in love with a married man. Rudy, the fighter, is desperately trying to hold on to a deeply troubled marriage. Lee, “the normal one,” longs for a baby—and overwhelming desire that threatens to destroy her idyllic marriage. Isabel, divorced and free, is falling for her neighbor, a man whom she is sure is gay. For the past ten years their unexpected friendship has helped them cope with husbands, lovers, careers, children and everything in between. Though they’ve always been there for each other, when tragedy strikes their love, loyalty, and courage is put to the ultimate test. As this mesmerizing story eloquently captures, men, jobs and crises come and go, but nothing lasts like true friendship.

The CNN senior political analyst and USA Today columnist offers a path to navigating the toxic division in our culture without compromising our convictions and emotional well-being, based on her experience as a journalist during the Trump era, interviews with experts, and research on what leads people to actually change their minds. “Bracing, elevating, and essential . . . Kirsten Powers has given us a great gift at an urgent hour.” —Jon Meacham For years, New York Times bestselling author Kirsten Powers has been center stage for many of our nation’s most searing political and cultural battles as a columnist, TV analyst, and one-time participant in the thunderdome of Twitter. On a good day, there will be civil disagreement. On a bad day, it’s all-out trench warfare—nothing but a cycle of outrage and self-righteousness. More and more, Powers finds herself wondering, along with countless Americans: How are we to cope with this non-stop madness? In Saving Grace, Powers writes with wit and insight about our country’s poisonous political discourse, chronicling the efforts she’s made to stay grounded and preserve her sanity in a post-truth era that has driven many of us to the edge. She draws on lessons offered by faith leaders, therapists, theologians, social scientists, and activists working for change today. She dismantles the widespread misconception that grace means being nice, letting people get away with harmful behavior, or choosing neutrality in the name of peace. Grace, she argues, is anything but an act of surrender; instead, it is a kinetic and transformative force. Saving Grace offers a template for a different kind of America, one where we can engage with people who hold opposing views without sacrificing our values or our passionate beliefs in the causes we care about. It’s a culture that embraces repentance and repair, a process through which those who have caused harm can take responsibility and work toward righting the wrongs in which they have participated. It’s a place where we’re empowered to see the possibility in other people, even people who are driving us nuts. Provocative, original, and filled with deep wisdom, Saving Grace is an essential read for anyone engaged in the struggle to live compassionately in an era of relentless demonization and division.

Every girl has that one guy ... that one guy who steals her heart and never gives it back. We were all friends ... until we were'nt. We depended on each other ... until we couldn't. We were in love ... until we were ripped apart. We moved on ... even when we didn't want to let go. This is our story.

Presents a collection of photographs of statues depicting female figures in mourning found in nineteenth-century European cemeteries

Distinguished biblical scholar Frank Matera here views the theology of the Pauline letters through the lens of the saving grace that Paul experienced at his call and conversion. Focusing on Christology, soteriology, theology, anthropology, ecclesiology, ethics, and eschatology, Matera explores both the unity and the diversity of the thirteen Pauline letters. Written in a clear and coherent style, God's Saving Grace presents students, professors, and pastors with a comprehensive yet concise and accessible overview of the theology found in the entire corpus of Paul's letters.

Crossway Introduces the Collected Works of John Owen, Updated for Modern Readers Regarded as one of the greatest theologians in history, 17th-century pastor John Owen remains influential among those interested in Puritan and Reformed theology. The Complete Works of John Owen brings together all of Owen's original theological writing, including never-before-published work, reformatted for modern readers in 40 user-friendly volumes. Volume 7, The Holy Spirit— The Helper, includes the treatises "The Reason of Faith" and "The Causes, Ways, and Means of Understanding the Mind of God as Revealed in His Word." Exploring the topics of illumination and biblical interpretation, it features 50 pages of helpful introductions by editor Andrew Ballitch, along with outlines, footnotes, and other supporting resources. Released over a number of years, The Complete Works of John Owen will inspire a new generation of Bible readers and scholars to deeper faith. Edited and Formatted for Modern Readers: Presents Owen's original work, newly typeset with outlines, text breaks, headings, and footnotes Informative New Introductions: Provide historical, theological, and personal context Supporting Resources Enhance Reading: Include extensive annotations with sources, definitions, and translations of ancient languages Part of the Complete Works of John Owen Collection: Will release 40 hardcover volumes over a number of years Perfect for Churches and Schools: Ideal for students, pastors, theologians, and those interested in the Holy Spirit and the Puritans