Cracked Open Never Broken

When she was six-years-old, Iman Gatti witnessed the tragic death of her mother. This began a journey in which her childhood and culture were stripped away from her only to be replaced by a decade of abuse and neglect at the hands of those appointed to protect her. Yet in this darkness, Iman held on to the light within her. A light her mother taught her was far too bright to ever be extinguished. In Cracked Open - Never Broken, Iman takes readers on a journey through a childhood of loss, heartbreak, and isolation as she clings to the hope of a life she always dreamed of. Her memoir is for anyone who refuses to succumb to the role of the victim, and instead chooses to live with an unbreakable spirit and overflowing compassion. Through sheer determination, strength, and resilience Iman overcomes the unimaginable. She is proof that, when faced with extreme suffering, the power of the human spirit can endure and transcend. Iman believes we all possess the power of forgiveness and that we can transform our trauma into triumph.

Two souls separated, only to return to each other a decade later. Their foundation was a lie. When Andi met Colby, she was sure he was the one for her. His reckless bad boy ways only pulled her closer. As an aspiring lawyer bartending her way through college, she was strangely drawn to him and his shady ways. She was certain he was the one for her--until he disappeared. Dominic loved Andi with everything he had, but how could he be with her when she didn't even know his name? His days undercover as Colby were some of the best--and most dangerous--of his life. However, once he made the bust, his life as Colby was over and so was his time with Andi. Ten years later, their paths cross again. This time Andi meets Dominic as himself. Newly divorced and constantly spurned by love, will she be able to open her heart to him again? And can Dominic earn her forgiveness and win Andi back when their previous relationship was based on a lie?

"This book will make a profound difference for the church in this moment in history." — The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry Sometimes it takes disruption and loss to break us open and call us home to God. It’s not surprising that a global pandemic and once-in-a-generation reckoning with white supremacy—on top of decades of systemic decline—have spurred Christians everywhere to ask who we are, why God placed us here and what difference that makes to the world. In this critical yet loving book, the author explores the American story and the Episcopal story in order to find out how communities steeped in racism, establishment, and privilege can at last fall in love with Jesus, walk humbly with the most vulnerable and embody beloved community in our own broken but beautiful way. The Church Cracked Open invites us to surrender privilege and redefine church, not just for the sake of others, but for our own salvation and liberation.

A WOMAN’S BATTLE WITH THE BILLION-DOLLAR BABY BUSINESS Cracked Open is Miriam Zoll's eye-opening account of growing into womanhood with the simultaneous opportunities offered by the U.S. women's movement and new discoveries in reproductive technologies. Influenced by the pervasive media and cultural messages suggesting that science had finally eclipsed Mother Nature, Zoll postponed motherhood until the age of 40. When things don't progress as she had hoped, she enters a world of medical seduction and bioethical quagmires. Desperate to conceive, she surrenders to unproven treatments and procedures only to learn that the odds of becoming a mother through reproductive technologies are far less than she and her generation had been led to believe.

Baking delicious treats does not have to be an intimidating process. In fact, it can be easier and less mystifying than many home bakers think. Chef Gail Sokol breaks down the art of baking into easy and understandable steps while encouraging home bakers to create an array of spectacular treats. Together with her delicious recipes that include photographs and links to YouTube how-to videos, Sokol delves into the science of baking, shares common sense tips, and offers lessons drawn from her own experiences. Home bakers will learn the most important ingredients in baking, the proper tools, and how to make scrumptious treats such as chocolate cream pie with brled marshmallow topping, ricotta zeppole with salted caramel sauce, chocolate babka, ice cream-filled cream puffs, and nutty praline tuiles. Baking with Success teaches home bakers how to execute tasty desserts, have fun in the kitchen, and embark on a rewarding lifelong baking journey.

All the trials and broken pieces you went through in life did not come to break you; they only came to make you. Since you did not break down, it is now time for you to break through. Every trials and broken pieces that you went through in life means that they did not come to kill you but to shape you. Whatever does not break you only comes to make you. If you did not break down, this is your time to break through. God is only using your pieces to make up your pages. Every broken piece of your life will make up the pages to your chapter. Someone is trying to make it through the trials and pieces that you already went through. Your trails and pieces will be their guiding tools and the road map that will build the bridge for their crossing over. You were broken not only to be blessed; you were broken to be a blessing to someone's life. There are some people who were lifted to get to the top while there are some who had to climb ropes and rocks to get there. The ones who had to climb understood that life is defined by what you went through and the ways in which you survived. This means that whatever comes to defy you only comes to define who you are on the inside. Your test will be your testimonies, and all the mess that you went through will be used by God for your messages. Jesus was broken as the living bread, broken to save lives. This means your brokenness will bring healing and restoration. For those going through a brokenness, you will be coming out whole. This book is a guideline with tools that will help you in your journey to recovery.

So many of us feel lost. We don't know where to turn. We don't trust ourselves or those around us. We're destabilized by uncertainty. We feel disappointed, disoriented, and disillusioned. We're overwhelmed. We lean too easily on fear instead of faith. There's a reason for that. It's because we don't know how to cope with Change. But Change is the very definition of what it means to live because life is experienced only through Change. So what happens when we resist, defy, or avoid Change? We interrupt the natural order and create disorder in our lives. The very fabric of our reality is imbued with Change. When we defy it, we defy ourselves. We lose our way. This process unfolds simply and predictably over time: Change appears in the form of something unforeseen. We feel uncertain, anxious, frustrated, worried, and fearful at this unexpected turn of events. We resist Change by creating stories of how we think things should've turned out. Our stories cause us to suffer because they are incongruent with reality. Suffering is disorienting and makes us give up our power of free will. When we feel powerless to choose, we abandon ourselves and feel lost. Change can be scary to experience, difficult to process, and harder yet to accept. But it's also the law of life. Whether it's a brutal breakup, a devastating death, a jarring job loss, a debilitating diagnosis, or a perilous pandemic; Change has a way of breaking open our hearts for something bigger, better, and more beautiful to enter our lives. But only if we know how to converse with it. In this thought-provoking self-help debut, Rackliffe shows you how to not just embrace Change, but completely transform your relationship with it--diving deep into the four steps of his RACE Model for Change: 1. Resist one thing only: Your resistance to Change. 2. Accept what you cannot Change so you may let go. 3. Choose to Change what you can by reclaiming your power to choose. 4. Embrace Change by remaining open to it in the future. This is how you find your way back to your true self when you feel lost. First, you stop identifying with the pain of your past. You quit telling yourself stories about how horrific or painful it was. You refuse to be a victim any longer. Next, you embrace your path of highest good in the present. This means using the light of your awareness to make more conscious choices that will support and nourish you, that will help you accept your opportunities to grow. The final step is to stop resisting Change in the future. When something unexpected happens that triggers you, do not react. Learn to lean on your faith. Trust that what happens is for your ultimate benefit even if you can't fathom how. Accept every unforeseen plot twist and embrace every perceived obstacle as an impetus to evolve. This is what it means to heal. This is what it means to find peace. This is what it means to truly live. As Rackliffe writes in the opening pages: "You've been guided to this book for a reason. If you've been looking for a sign, wishing for clarity, or hoping for direction, this is it. Your life is speaking to you through the words on these pages. Should you choose to listen, you will rediscover the truth of who you are. Should you accept this assignment, you will awaken the parts of you that you thought were lost forever. A homecoming of the soul awaits those who are brave enough to choose this path. All you have to do is give yourself permission to embrace it." From the pain of resistance to the peace of acceptance, and from the power of choosing to the bliss of being open to life, this is a voyage of resilience and redemption, fear and forgiveness, judgment and joy. Follow the RACE model for Change and you will always find your way back home to you. Choose to embark on this journey and you will learn to befriend Change. Choose the path of highest good laid out for you and you will finally be able to say, "It's Good to See Me Again."

In this highly anticipated companion to the New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club YA Pick A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, Flora Maxwell heads to Miami to find a path for her future . . . and finds her heart along the way. ‘Swoony, delicious and heartfelt. Every page feels like a warm hug.’ Emma Lord, author of Tweet Cute ‘Exactly the kind of love story I love most’ Jenna Evans Welch, author of Love & Gelato Winchester has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies, Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic 'hurricane' in her household, and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions. So she decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone – especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace. But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn't cast away her self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light. PRAISE FOR A CUBAN GIRL'S GUIDE TO TEA AND TOMORROW: 'An absolute delight' Rachael Lippincott, author of Five Feet Apart 'An utterly charming read that feels like a treasured recipe that will heal and feed a broken heart.' Nina Moreno, author of Don’t Date Rosa Santos 'I could live inside Laura Taylor Namey’s lush, vibrant words forever.' Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of Today Tonight Tomorrow 'This book. THIS BOOK. Laura Taylor Namey has written the coziest love story I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.' Erin Hahn, author of You’d Be Mine and More Than Maybe