I Feel Much Better Now That I Ve Given Up Hope

Boomerang blessings. That's what Barbara Johnson calls the encouraging feedback she has received over the years from readers whose lives have been impacted by the message of this million-copy bestseller. If you need a fresh breath of joy in your life, this book is just the prescription for you. With the wit of an Erma Bombeck, Barbara Johnson helps you to look for "life's little sparkles," even in the midst of your most crippling sorrows. No stranger to suffering herself, Barbara's experiences have equipped her with the credentials to help others work through their own suffering. In spite of her difficulties, Barbara has learned that while pain is inevitable to us all, we can choose to pick the flowers instead of the weeds. Barbara will teach you how to release that bubble of joy within you?to claim God's promise to "fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." ?Job 8:21 (TLB)

The author, the father of a prodigal son, shares how he moved through guilt, frustration, anger, and grief to hope, forgiveness, trust, comfort, and love.

Conflict is a central theme of our lives. We see the negative consequences of war and violence all around us. Even in the workplace, disputes and arguments cause problems and stifle productivity. But opposition can also be positive. For instance, our muscles become stronger as they encounter resistance. The bonds of our relationships can become stronger as we strive to overcome our differences. Likewise, says author Darby Checketts, businesses and organizations can become stronger as a result of conflict. Postive Conflict is a book that goes beyond coping with or handling workplace conflict; its premise is that conflict is often an indicator that creative energy is about to be unleashed. There is potentially positive power inside opposition, just as with the fusion of atoms. When opposing ideas are openly explored, a breakthrough in thinking can occur, which can reveal more comprehensive solutions. And the coming together of these once-opposing forces multiplies the potential for success. If our view of conflict transcends a win-lose mentality, we will see that the flipside of opposition is the opportunity for discovery and innovation. And in business today, we need leaders who can reconcile the seeming exclusivity of competing ideas and fuse them for new and better results. For example, it is the combination of self-confidence and humility that maximizes a leader's effectiveness. By reading Postive Conflict, you will: Recognize the creative energy inside conflict to unleash the power of opposites. Discover why the optimist's answer to everything is "yes"—that the issue is not what is right or wrong, but how to synthesize ideas to expand problem-solving options. Help your stakeholders come together in a spirit of partnership to move beyond special interests and personality clashes. Understand that your own conflicting ideas and viewpoints reveal new dimensions of who you are and the range of opportunities that await you.

Sweet Zen is an impressive compendium of clear and inspiring teachings showcasing Zen Buddhist approaches to spiritual practice. Offering the unusual perspective on the softness and sweetness to be discovered in the Zen path., which has long been associated with formality and even harshness, this book includes the traditional rigor of Zen practice, but is balanced and eased with ever-growing compassion for the self and for the suffering caused by the delusion that we are separate from all that is.Trained in the Soto tradition of Zen Buddhism, Cheri Huber has taught meditation for more than 20 years.

“By far, the most practical, comprehensive, and spiritual book I have ever read on the process of healing from traumatic events.” —Beth Nimmo, mother of Columbine victim Rachel Joy Scott Learn the ten critical choices necessary for wholeness and recovery after life’s tragedies and disappointments. Blending scientifically-validated psychological truths with spiritual principles, Dr. Beverly Smallwood enables readers to overcome the unexpected and unthinkable. Giving readers a roadmap of ten major choices, she offers hope that no matter what has happened, going forward, we all have the power to choose. Through the power of choice readers will be able to move from: Denial to Reality Victimhood to Responsibility Why to How Doubt to Faith Bitterness to Forgiveness Guilt to Self-Forgiveness Depression to Grief Avoidance to Courage Isolation to Connection Powerlessness to Purpose “Dr. Smallwood makes it clear in her book that the questions we should be raising in times of adversity are not Why’s but How’s. She tackles false teachings on faith which lead to the needed steps that should be taken for correct lifestyle choices. This is an excellent resource to keep renewing our minds.” —Dr. Charles Stanley, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Atlanta; Founder and President, In Touch Ministries