A Reluctant Journey

Where do you turn when pain doesnt diminish, and turns into a constant companion? What does it look like to lean on the Lord for strength when every day is a struggle? In A Reluctant Journey, Kristen Grathwol shares her past and present battles with the chronic pain of fibromyalgia. Weaving personal experience with reflections on Scripture, A Reluctant Journey shows how the cycle of chronic pain can lead to a spiritual cycle of trust and praise. In journal entries that lay bare the doubts and difficulties of chronic pain, along with the joy that comes from surrendering to the One who knows our deepest hurt, A Reluctant Journey explores five facets of this theme: trusting God, surrendering control, praising God in the midst of suffering, learning how to rest and grieve, and seeking community. When we trust God, we are freed from our desire to control, even to the point of embracing our trials. Even when God chooses not to change our circumstances, surrender brings joy and moves us to praise Him for His goodness and His plan in our lives. Yet God also knows our grief and wants us to bring Him our sorrows as well. Seeking God rescues us from the isolating power of pain and restores us to community. Starting this cycle is not a once-and-for-all decision, but a daily choice. An encouragement to those struggling with long-term trials, A Reluctant Journey offers a scriptural message of hope and healing for pain both physical and emotional.

Imagine the God of the universe whispering in your ear, “What shall we create out of your life that will serve My purpose?” The path of authenticity is not a solo endeavor but a calling to a partnership with God that requires utter honesty, trust, commitment, and wisdom. God guides your path with a two-fold promise, “You know I love you as you are, but together, we can make of your life what I created you to be.” Following the petitions of our Lord’s Prayer, Dr. Richard Parrott examines a family of authentic partners, the family of Abraham and Sarah, their son Isaac, grandson Jacob, and great-grandson Joseph. This fresh telling of the story reveals practical answers to the question, “How can my partnership with God be genuine, mature, and significant?” The Reluctant Journey is an honest and practical guide for relating to God. As authentic Christians, we can live true in Christ and our love for him each day, choosing His best for us so that together, we advance His kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” Features include: Truths from the Lord’s Prayer Stories of the founders of our faith Thought-provoking questions for spiritual conversation or reflection

"For nearly three decades, Creighton prosecuted many of Utah's most notorious criminal cases--cases which drew widespread press attention at the time. Now ... he recounts his personal journey through Utah's criminal justice system"--Publisher marketing.

An ECPA 2003 Gold Medallion Finalist!Listed inBooklist'sBest Adult Religion Books of the Year in 2002!His books have sold millions, including classics likeMere Christianity, The Screwtape LettersandThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.Yet C. S. Lewis was not always a literary giant of Christian faith. How did he leave behind a staunch atheism to become one of the most beloved and renowned Christian authors of our time?Other biographies of Lewis explore his childhood or his dramatic conversion to Christianity. But as David Downing reveals in this fascinating book, the rarely discussed period from Lewis's childhood to his early thirties took him on a tumultuous journey of spiritual and intellectual exploration before he became a "most reluctant convert." It was not despite this journey but precisely because of it that Lewis understood the search for life's ultimate meaning so well and went on to become one of the most compelling authors of the twentieth century. Weaving the people, places and events of Lewis's life together with excerpts from Lewis's own writing, Downing shows how Lewis's spiritual quest can also light the path for other seekers.

Thirteen-year-old Henry's happy, ordinary life comes to an abrupt halt when his older brother, Jesse, picks up their father's hunting rifle and leaves the house one morning. What follows shatters Henry's family, who are forced to resume their lives in a new city, where no one knows their past. When Henry's therapist suggests he keeps a journal, at first he is resistant. But soon he confides in it at all hours of the day and night.

As a teen growing up in an impoverished dysfunctional home environment, Laurine Schaffer realizes that she must be pragmatic and pursue a sustainable professional career path. At seventeen, she enrols in a traditional three-year Registered Nurse training program, where she quickly realizes that her perceptions of life and people are dramatically different from many of her classmates. Although Laurine ultimately forges a successful vocation as a college professor, at age fifty-seven she admits she is not being true to herself, or to her lifelong aspiration to write the story of her German Lutheran ancestors who fled Russia in 1892. Following an epiphany in an abandoned family cemetery on the original ancestral homestead in western Canada, Laurine begins to write. As one family history book follows another and another and yet another, her writing becomes a catalyst for a personal healing journey. The Reluctant Author is essentially a prequel to her three previous family memoirs and links the past to the present with poignant clarity.

In December 2020 my wife, Andrea, died of breast cancer. This sucks. I've a lot to say about this matter, actually! And boy, say it I did. The day after Andrea died, I started posting semi-daily postings on Facebook, telling people about my feelings, my experiences, my emotions, and making crappy jokes to make myself feel better. I held nothing back, just let it out for the world to see. And boy, see it they did! These social media entries went places. Several posts went viral, and I got messages of support - and urging me to continue - from as far away as India and New Zealand. Some of these messages asked me when they will be available in book form, because people wanted to share my journey with others. Because my journey helped them. Y'know, this seems like a jolly good idea! But there is a lot more to life than death. Like how the skinny runt with the ponytail managed to get the girl, marry her in a literal fairy tale wedding, and (now fat and bald) live until death do us part. Like the importance of music, dogs, and cricket. ...and stuffed animals. But I digress. I also have a lot to say about life after death, and carrying on as a reluctant widower. Because who the hell wants to be an enthusiastic one, anyway? How I plodded along after the most important being in the universe died, and how I managed to get out the other side, if only just. This is a book on love, death, and life. And the most self-indulgent homage I can write to my wife. I cannot wait to tell you all about it. Beer's on me! WARNING: This book contains more triggers than a gun shop. Reader discretion is advised. Not for inexperienced readers.

Living in London's poorest slum, Mercy Wilkins has little hope of a better life. When she's offered an opportunity to join a bride ship sailing to British Columbia, she agrees. After witnessing so much painful heartache and loss in the slums, the bride ship is her only prospect to escape a bleak future, not only for herself but, she hopes, someday for her sister. Wealthy and titled Joseph Colville leaves home and takes to the sea in order to escape the pain of losing his family. As ship's surgeon, he's in charge of the passengers' welfare aboard the Tynemouth, including sixty brides-to-be. He has no immediate intention of settling down, but when Mercy becomes his assistant, the two must fight against a forbidden love. With hundreds of single men congregating on the shore eager to claim a bride from the Tynemouth, will Mercy and Joseph lose their chance at true love, or will they be able to overcome the obstacles that threaten to keep them apart?