Greed To Grace

It's been fourteen years, but not a day goes by that I don't feel the guilt, the anguish, and the embarrassment of my past. I continually look over my shoulder to see if my past has left me --- but it hasn't, nor will it, ever! God can forgive, but society does not; as a result, I cannot forgive myself because I am not allowed to forget. As you read this book, please, take note of the temptations, the sins, and the human weaknesses. Many of us have succumbed to similar moral misjudgments and disregard for values, but then again, maybe not to the extent which I crossed the line. The two most vivid and effective analogies I can use to describe this period of my life are: close your eyes and imagine a snowball, tightly packed, cold, wet and heavy, rolling downward from high a top the tallest mountain. Slowly at first, but with one nudge after another, the snowball gets a little bigger and rolls a little farther. Soon, the snowball is rolling on its own, gathering speed as it proceeds down the mountainside, all the time getting bigger and bigger and bigger and moving faster and faster. As the snowball increases in size and speed, it dislodges more snowpack from the mountainside and is now three times its original size. Less than one-quarter way down the side of the mountain, a small, harmless snowball has turned into an uncontrollable avalanche, destroying everything in its path without regard to those affected by the destruction. Now, close your eyes and imagine a totally blue sky, not a cloud can be detected for miles. A seemingly endless valley of rolling hills covered with lush green grass, wild flowers of every kind, and trees with too many shades of green to count. In the center of the valley is a lake. The lake is clear and shimmers in sunlight, so bright you have to shield your eyes to see the deep, dark blue color of the water. This gift was created by the hand of God. Only He could be so detailed, ornate, and complex, yet so loving and caring. God's peace, calmness, and serenity surround the lake. Are you there in your mind yet? Bend over and pick up a round stone, about the size of a baseball. Throw the stone high into the air, out over the water. Watch closely as it descends and splashes into the water. See the ripple? See the waves that permeate from the center of the splash in all directions? Watch, as the resulting waves seem to keep going and going until finally the waves, once again, smooth out as they approach the shoreline. Etch these analogies into your mind as you read this book. I assure you, all will become clear. These analogies can apply to much of our lives, including the many complications, trials, and tribulations we experience. I truly hope and pray that you learn from my mistakes. This book is based on a real-life event. The conversations, meeting dates, and specifics are only memories and are not literal in every context. The following pages are my perceptions, thoughts, and memories only, however flawed they may be. I have changed the names of those persons who were a part of my life during this snapshot in my life, except for immediate family members. I want to protect them from any further embarrassment and humiliation. To those I disappointed, embarrassed, humiliated, angered, and hurt, I truly apologize. I can only ask your forgiveness!

One woman's story of discovering unexpected greed behind a family she thought she knew and loved, and what renewed faith taught her during the battle to break free. Greed & Grace is a powerful memoir of resilience, faith, and truth during the discovery of deception in a close family. When Dena requests unconditional love from hers, unexpected circumstances threaten to destroy her emotionally, financially, and spiritually. Can one remain hopeful when a lifetime of family love, emotional support, and inclusiveness suddenly becomes conditional and turns legal? Greed & Grace is an empowering story of personal clarity-a memoir of a woman who discovers that her values and position in a complex family system have always been different from what she believed and with those she loved most.

It's been fourteen years, but not a day goes by that I don't feel the guilt, the anguish, and the embarrassment of my past. I continually look over my shoulder to see if my past has left me --- but it hasn't, nor will it, ever! God can forgive, but society does not; as a result, I cannot forgive myself because I am not allowed to forget. As you read this book, please, take note of the temptations, the sins, and the human weaknesses. Many of us have succumbed to similar moral misjudgments and disregard for values, but then again, maybe not to the extent which I crossed the line. The two most vivid and effective analogies I can use to describe this period of my life are: close your eyes and imagine a snowball, tightly packed, cold, wet and heavy, rolling downward from high a top the tallest mountain. Slowly at first, but with one nudge after another, the snowball gets a little bigger and rolls a little farther. Soon, the snowball is rolling on its own, gathering speed as it proceeds down the mountainside, all the time getting bigger and bigger and bigger and moving faster and faster. As the snowball increases in size and speed, it dislodges more snowpack from the mountainside and is now three times its original size. Less than one-quarter way down the side of the mountain, a small, harmless snowball has turned into an uncontrollable avalanche, destroying everything in its path without regard to those affected by the destruction. Now, close your eyes and imagine a totally blue sky, not a cloud can be detected for miles. A seemingly endless valley of rolling hills covered with lush green grass, wild flowers of every kind, and trees with too many shades of green to count. In the center of the valley is a lake. The lake is clear and shimmers in sunlight, so bright you have to shield your eyes to see the deep, dark blue color of the water. This gift was created by the hand of God. Only He could be so detailed, ornate, and complex, yet so loving and caring. God's peace, calmness, and serenity surround the lake. Are you there in your mind yet? Bend over and pick up a round stone, about the size of a baseball. Throw the stone high into the air, out over the water. Watch closely as it descends and splashes into the water. See the ripple? See the waves that permeate from the center of the splash in all directions? Watch, as the resulting waves seem to keep going and going until finally the waves, once again, smooth out as they approach the shoreline. Etch these analogies into your mind as you read this book. I assure you, all will become clear. These analogies can apply to much of our lives, including the many complications, trials, and tribulations we experience. I truly hope and pray that you learn from my mistakes. This book is based on a real-life event. The conversations, meeting dates, and specifics are only memories and are not literal in every context. The following pages are my perceptions, thoughts, and memories only, however flawed they may be. I have changed the names of those persons who were a part of my life during this snapshot in my life, except for immediate family members. I want to protect them from any further embarrassment and humiliation. To those I disappointed, embarrassed, humiliated, angered, and hurt, I truly apologize. I can only ask your forgiveness!

A captivating first-person look at one of the world's most powerful prosperity dynasties that offers a unique perspective on greed, the Church, and the journey toward Truth. Millions desperate for hope and solutions are enticed by the promise of the prosperity gospel--that God will do whatever they need with just a little faith and a financial gift. All the while, prosperity preachers exploit the poor and needy to stockpile their riches. What can followers of the true gospel do to combat the deception? Through a remarkable and fascinating journey, Costi Hinn went from a next-generation prosperity preacher to the first to abandon the family faith and share the true gospel. Nephew of the world-famous televangelist, Benny Hinn, Costi had a front-row seat to the inner workings and theology of the prosperity gospel. But as Costi's faith deepened, so did his questions about prosperity teaching. As the deceptions in his past were exposed, Costi came face to face with the hypocrisy and devastation caused by his belief system, and the overwhelming truth about the real Jesus Christ. This captivating look into the daily lives of one of the world's leading prosperity dynasties offers a thoughtful perspective on the perils of greed, the power of the true gospel, and hope for the future of the global church. Through real-life stories, Costi challenges and equips readers to be living lights pointing the way to the true gospel and the saving grace of Christ. God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel will bolster your faith and encourage your own journey toward the Truth. Spanish edition also available.

From Greed to Grace is the story of one man's struggle to find his path through life from a meager beginning to what many Christians would call a successful conclusion. Author David McCracken's unhappy childhood took place in the 1940s on a small 200-acre farm in Lyon County, Kansas, without running water or electricity. Attending Sunday school at the age of nine for a couple months was the only framework upon which he could build a Christian life. Yet as a teen, he cried out for God's help. The author had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit at that time, but sensed that God heard his prayer and a peace came over the author. The heart of this memoir is devoted to the transformation the author went through that includes his years of struggle to overcome greed and allow God to guide his steps; how he became a successful self-taught day trader in the stock market; and how he won a 39-year-old claim with the VA. Along the way, McCracken served in the United States Air Force, taught speech and debate, was an award-winning debate coach, learned the stock market and became a religious man. This stunning book about overcoming adversity will open windows when others have tried to close doors. JDavid McCracken is now retired and living in Arizona. Publisher's website: http: //www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/FromGreedToGrace.html

Lenea Grace’s debut collection maps a series of relationships within a greater exploration of Canadiana, barreling through shield and crag, river and slag. A Generous Latitude is not afraid of beer, bears, internal rhyme, David Hasselhoff, sediment, or sentiment. It does, however, eschew sliding down lampposts, CBC sitcoms, McGarrigles, and the sentimental. Taking humor in the human condition, A Generous Latitude toys with juxtapositions of the serious with the silly, the irreverent with more somber realities. Music both teases and generates the poems within the collection. Here, Guy Lafleur’s hockey-disco hybrid album is on par with the Righteous Brothers and Fleetwood Mac. Here, “I’m not smoking and it’s not analog, / but at 2 a.m., it is always 1979.” A Generous Latitude takes a wild, peculiar joy in supplanting the expected with rich imagery that lights the mundane and “strips the Atlantic bare.”

One of the world's most celebrated theologians argues for a Protestant anti-work ethic In his classic The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber famously showed how Christian beliefs and practices could shape persons in line with capitalism. In this significant reimagining of Weber's work, Kathryn Tanner provocatively reverses this thesis, arguing that Christianity can offer a direct challenge to the largely uncontested growth of capitalism. Exploring the cultural forms typical of the current finance-dominated system of capitalism, Tanner shows how they can be countered by Christian beliefs and practices with a comparable person-shaping capacity. Addressing head-on the issues of economic inequality, structural under- and unemployment, and capitalism's unstable boom/bust cycles, she draws deeply on the theological resources within Christianity to imagine anew a world of human flourishing. This book promises to be one of the most important theological books in recent years.

For all of the technical explanations for meltdown in the financial markets during the banking crisis, the most readily accepted and almost universal explanation is the single word 'greed'. This is a subject which can at once be seen as the disease at the heart of society and the motivating force behind the progress of mankind.