Holding Grace

HOLDING FAST TO GRACE is a careful, biblical study of the Christian s relationship to God s grace and the Law of Moses. The conclusion is reached that the believer in Christ in the present age is under God's grace as a rule of life (Rom. 6:14) and not under any part of the Mosaic system, including the Ten Commandments, as a means of sanctification. Aldrich distinguishes between the eternal moral law of God and the Ten Commandments in a way that demonstrates from Scripture that genuine righteousness in this age of grace stems from the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit while avoiding the imbalances of licentiousness and legalism. Regarding the imbalance towards legalism, Aldrich writes, No modern legalist wants to climb to the top of Mount Sinai with its fire and thunder; but many think it is a good thing to take a short hike up its foothills. But to touch the mountain at the bottom was as fatal as climbing to the top (Heb. 12:18-21). The unity of the Mosaic law leaves only two alternatives either complete deliverance from or complete subjection to the entire system. It will be shown that the first of these alternatives is clearly taught in the New Testament (p. 57).

Holding Grace embraces a contemporary, free verse style of poetry as the voice for sharing a range of lifes experiences and emotions, creating an approachable and highly readable collection. Within these pages are recognizable tales of friendship and loss, contentment and longing, reflections on current events and locales, and the pure pleasure that may be found when one stops to soak in the beauty and rhythm of nature. The storytelling here breathes life into the moments captured. From the exuberance of a child free to swing high on a rope and drop into cool waters in Washed Anew, to the quiet reflection of a young father realizing lifes blessings on Christmas morn in A Morning Made of Perfection, the images conjured by the author strike a chord that is at once familiar and emotional. Tenderly written remembrances of childhood, tales of middle-aged angst as one feels the press of time, and backward glances at lifes choices are all countered with stories of natures challenging beauty, and the too infrequent simplicity of enjoying a quiet rain or a frozen breath on a cold day. This collection offers sentimental reflections on life and the memories we carry, as well as an unblinking look at the need to accept the passage of time with grace and appreciation. Pause and take in the life moments, both common and unique, that are so lovingly shared in Holding Grace.

Sentenced to probation, thirty-year-old supermodel Grace King must put her plans of transitioning into acting on hold. Desperate to keep a close eye on Grace and his job, Grace’s ambitious lawyer, Ethan Summerville has her complete community service in the last place Grace wants to be—his church. Instead of God, Grace finds a “chocolate drop” of a man, Brother Horace Green. Unfortunately, Horace isn’t looking for a supermodel. He wants his woman saved and sanctified, but Grace has never met a man who has been able to resist her. Will Horace compromise his faith for a taste of fortune, fame, and Grace? While Grace focuses on the pursuit of passion, Ethan finds one director willing to take a risk and cast Grace in his debut film, but this role fits Grace all too well. Will this film revive Grace’s relationship with God and her career, or bring her closer to destruction?

We all face stress and tension in our daily lives. How we respond either diffuses or ignites it. If lit, we can feel stretched beyond our capabilities, wondering why our God of abundant goodness doesn't remove the struggles we face. Grace in Tension affirms that although God doesn't create our tension, he does show up in the midst of it to lead us through. Centered on Jesus' interactions with Martha and Mary in the gospels, we can follow the sisters' transformative journeys through their own struggles. Reflecting on what transpires between Scripture verses, we see their initial tension become the catalyst that drives both Mary and Martha to the feet of Jesus -- the perfect place to discover peace. Simultaneously, Grace in Tension explores the areas where stress arises in our own lives. Each chapter contains helpful tips to address it, a thought-provoking prayer to inspire us to go to God with our problems, and questions for reflection to help us see all the ways he is working for our good. No matter how big or small our struggle, when we seek out God, he reveals what we need to do to resolve our tension, transforming it into grace. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Claire McGarry is the author of the Lenten devotionals With Our Savior and Abundant Mercy. She contributes regularly to Living Faith, CatholicMom.com, and blogs at ShiftingMyPerspective.com. Her work has appeared in Mornings with Jesus, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Keys for Kids, These Days, The Secret Place, and Focus on the Family magazine. The founder of MOSAIC of Faith, a ministry with several programs for mothers and children, she lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children

Sometimes, grace gets messy. Caleb Kaltenbach was raised by LGBT parents, marched in gay pride parades as a youngster, and experienced firsthand the hatred and bitterness of some Christians toward his family. But then Caleb surprised everyone, including himself, by becoming a Christian…and a pastor. Very few issues in Christianity are as divisive as the acceptance of the LGBT community in the church. As a pastor and as a person with beloved family members living a gay lifestyle, Caleb had to face this issue with courage and grace. Messy Grace shows us that Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” doesn’t have an exception clause for a gay “neighbor”—or for that matter, any other “neighbor” we might find it hard to relate to. Jesus was able to love these people and yet still hold on to his beliefs. So can you. Even when it’s messy. “Messy Grace is an important contribution to the conversation about sexual identity for churches and leaders. Caleb's story is surprising and unique, and he weaves it together compellingly. He states his views clearly, leaves room for disagreement, and champions love no matter where you are in this conversation.” —Jud Wilhite, Sr. Pastor, Central Christian Church

Urban gritty inspirational story of breaking free from the chains that bind us all. Self harm or Love? Addiction or Recovery? Gabe is not a hero, he is damned to be different in a world where everyone seems to want to be the same. His friends are damned too, to lives unpredictable, though a life of crime, sex and drugs is calling. But Gabe has dreams of better things, and a secret that is so shameful it is killing him. Born Different is inspirational for young adults that wouldn't read inspirational books. Facing head on at full speed, depression, addiction, and all other issues that adults, old or young, face; self harm, alcoholism, suicide. Born different questions authority, society, morality and the universe All wrapped up in a modern urban fairytale like love story that takes you to the edge and back again. You might like it, it might just open your mind, it might just help you realise what you have to change.

One of The New Yorker's "Books We Loved in 2017" A Grace Paley Reader compiles a selection of Paley’s writing across genres, showcasing her breadth of work as well as her extraordinary insight and brilliant economy of words. "A writer like Paley," writes George Saunders, “comes along and brightens language up again, takes it aside and gives it a pep talk, sends it back renewed, so it can do its job, which is to wake us up.” Best known for her inimitable short stories, Grace Paley was also an enormously talented essayist and poet, as well as a fierce activist. She was a tireless member of the antiwar movement, the civil rights movement, the tenants’ rights movement, the anti-nuclear-power movement, and the Women’s Pentagon Action, among other causes, and proved herself to be a passionate citizen of each of her communities—New York City and rural Vermont.

Sherman and Grace Coolidge were a remarkable couple in many respects. Sherman Coolidge (Runs On Top), born in the early 1860s into the Northern band of Arapahos, experienced the extreme violence of the Indian Wars, including the death of his father, as a young boy. Grace Wetherbee Coolidge was born into wealth and privilege in 1873, only to reject her life as a New York heiress and become a missionary on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. It was there that Sherman and Grace met and later married in 1902. After eight years together at Wind River, both went on to achieve prominence: Sherman as the president of the Native-run reform group the Society of American Indians (1911–1923), Grace as the author of Teepee Neighbors, a book describing her time on the reservation that drew praise from critics such as H. L. Mencken. Sherman was an Episcopal priest and a mesmerizing speaker who had the unique ability to blend his assimilated Western perspective with Arapaho values to educate the American public about the significant challenges facing Native peoples, including endemic poverty, racism, and inequality. Offering unprecedented entrée into the most significant writings and documents of a leading Native American advocate and his wife, this volume is an intimate portrait of their life and contributes to our understanding of American Indian activism at a key moment of Indigenous resurgence against the settler state.