Dear God I Hate You Yet You Love Me Anyway

Valerie Rose is an ordinary, middle-aged, middle-class, working woman whose willingness to share her own oppositional view on faith, religion, the world's filth, and building a relationship with God in the midst of it all is real, raw, inspiring, and encourages others to do the same. She is a daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, wife, mother, stepmother, nana, and friend whose passion is to inspire others to turn their frowns upside down and embrace God's love through all life's trials and tribulations. Using her own personal struggles in building a relationship with God, Valerie shows how recognizing God's love for her in the midst of anger, agony, awkwardness, abandonment, alcoholism, and abuse helped her to replace hatred with healing. She overcame abuse and abandonment, fears, hurts, and other hang-ups to go on teaching and encouraging others to learn and grow. Valerie offers life-transforming insights not only about how to overcome hatred, hurts, hang-ups, and painful circumstances many identify with, but also how to heal, grow, and embrace God's love from those experiences and then help others to do the same. Her personal stories will inspire you to see your own hatred, hurts, and hang-ups that have built barriers around your heart and will help you to begin seeking healing, grace, and love; to recognize God loves all of you and He is there for you.

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

There may be no more powerful desire in the human heart than to be loved. And not just loved, but loved anyway. In spite of what we've done or left undone, in spite of the ways we have failed or floundered. We long for an unconditional, lavish love that we know intrinsically we don't deserve. If you are tired, sad, yet always longing, bestselling author Jared C. Wilson has incredible news for you: that kind of love actually exists, and it is actually something you can experience--whether or not you're in a romantic relationship. In his signature reflective, conversational, and often humorous style, Wilson unpacks 1 Corinthians 13 to show us what real love looks like. Through engaging stories and touching anecdotes, he paints a picture of an extravagant God who not only puts the desire for love into our very souls but fulfills those desires in striking, life-changing ways.

How safe is your marriage? The answer may surprise you. The biggest threat to any marriage isn’t infidelity or miscommunication. The greatest enemy is ordinary. Ordinary marriages lose hope. Ordinary marriages lack vision. Ordinary marriages give in to compromise. Ordinary is the belief that this is as good as it will ever get. And when we begin to settle for ordinary, it’s easy to move from “I do” to “I’m done.” Justin and Trisha Davis know just how dangerous ordinary can be. In this beautifully written book, Justin and Trisha take us inside the slow fade that occurred in their own marriage—each telling the story from their own perspective. Together, they reveal the mistakes they made, the work they avoided, the thoughts and feelings that led to an affair and near divorce, and finally, the heart-change that had to occur in both of them before they could experience the hope, healing, and restoration of a truly extraordinary marriage.

Studies have indicated that 75% of what an audience learns and remembers is a result of what they see, while 13% comes from what they hear. Drama puts both together and prepares the audience with a vivid sermon illustration that kindles their anticipation of the pastor's sermon. The majority of these mini-dramas run 3-5 minutes in length. Each introduces the theme of the gospel lesson in the Cycle B lectionary. Written with wit, wisdom, and humor, they help to plant the scriptural message in an unforgettable, poignant, contemporary application. - Minimal preparation is required - Few props needed - 2-4 characters are involved in each sketch Your wonderful drama left us all hungering for more. I assure you that the Lord is truly working through you. Bill Broaddus Brunswick United Methodist Church Brunswick, Ohio Through your gifts of drama you achieved a perfect blend of humor, pathos, conviction, and joy to present the gospel in a living and powerful way. Richard B. Linder Jr., Rector St. Matthew's Episcopal Church Brecksville, Ohio Robert F. Crowley is an actor, director, playwright, theater critic, poet, and teacher. He is the co-founder (with his wife Suanne) of Fisherpeople Drama Ministry, a drama troupe that tours the Eastern half of the U.S. and Canada. Crowley is director of Christian Arts, Visual Arts, Dance, and Writers at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Akron, Ohio. He is also playwright and advisor for L.I.O.N. Players and Joshua Force. Crowley received his M.A. degree in Theater from the University of Akron and his M.Div. degree in Biblical Studies from Ashland Theological Seminary.

Beth Borderieux’s book is based on experiences in daily life that could be connected to truths about God. While doing an everyday task, God often showed her a spiritual truth related to what she was seeing or hearing. She jotted down the ideas and transformed them into poems or devotional short stories. She found this process particularly helpful when she felt low and believes God was encouraging her not to give up. These poems and short passages, combined with biblical quotes, provide a reflection on a variety of topics ranging from pondering on designer clothes, to the stubborn vacuum cleaner, to poison ivy, Christmas, and school. Until My Heart Sings is personal and direct. Reflecting on its wisdoms it is like having a conversation with a friend who is trying to help you cope with life’s problems. Beth Borderieux invites you to examine your attitudes towards life, and to learn to see God in everything.

This book is about a woman who had to overcome many struggles in her life. In this book, you will see through the eyes of this woman as she tried to overcome being the woman that everybody else thought she should be. A woman who lived on autopilot, telling people she was fine but inside, her world was crashing down. The reality is, this woman had many walls that blocked her heart. As this woman struggled daily to accept unconditional love and learn to trust women, she was in a constant battle with self-love and acceptance. In this book, you will see through the eyes of this woman. You will read how this woman tried to shed the old person and become a new, improved person. The truth is, this woman had to find her own truth through discovery, pain, suffering, and revival.

I am writing a series of Christian romance novels. I am sending you the first book, entitled “Lindsay” The books are targeted to women, but I think men would enjoy them, as well. Lindsay is a princess. Amy is promised to a Swiss Duke, Jean Luc Sinclair. Lindsay is an artist, and she is not comfortable being in the public eye. Quietly, she has a strong Christian belief. Lindsay decides to disguise herself, and runs away to New York City. Once there, she befriends a teenage drug addict and prostitute named Debbie. Lindsay takes her in, and tells her about God. Lindsay meets an American politician named Peter Edwards, who lives in Washington, D.C. In an effort to be close to Peter, Lindsay and Debbie move to Washington, D.C. Peter and Lindsay soon become close friends, and he encourages her to further peruse her art. Lindsay then gets word that her father has suffered a heart attack. Feeling guilty for having left her family, Lindsay returns home, and agrees to marry Nicholas. Soon after, Peter realizes that he loves Lindsay, but she is gone. He talks to a minister, and receives Christ. He hires a private investigator, and discovers that Lindsay is a princess, and about to be married. He visits Debbie, who has returned home to her parents, and she confides that Lindsay really loves him, not the Prince. Peter then travels to interrupt the wedding, and Lindsay declares that she belongs with him.