Life Is Like A Rock It S Hard

Most people do not think to observe geology from the sidewalks of a major city, but all David B. Williams has to do is look at building stone in any urban center to find a range of rocks equal to any assembled by plate tectonics. In Stories in Stone, he takes you on explorations to find 3.5-billion-year-old rock that looks like swirled pink-and-black taffy, a gas station made of petrified wood, and a Florida fort that has withstood three hundred years of attacks and hurricanes, despite being made of a stone that has the consistency of a granola bar. Williams also weaves in the cultural history of stone, explaining why a white fossil-rich limestone from Indiana became the only building stone used in all fifty states; how in 1825, the construction of the Bunker Hill Monument led to America’s first commercial railroad; and why when the same kind of marble used by Michelangelo clad a Chicago skyscraper it warped so much after nineteen years that all 44,000 panels of it had to be replaced. This love letter to building stone brings to life the geology you can see in the structures of every city.

The first intensive analysis of sense of place in American mining towns, Hard as the Rock Itself: Place and Identity in the American Mining Town provides rare insight into the struggles and rewards of life in these communities. David Robertson contends that these communities - often characterized in scholarly and literary works as derelict, as sources of debasing moral influence, and as scenes of environmental decay - have a strong and enduring sense of place and have even embraced some of the signs of so-called dereliction. Robertson documents the history of Toluca, Illinois; Cokedale, Colorado; and Picher, Oklahoma, from the mineral discovery phase through mine closure, telling for the first time how these century-old mining towns have survived and how sense of place has played a vital role. Acknowledging the hardships that mining's social, environmental, and economic legacies have created for current residents, Robertson argues that the industry's influences also have contributed to the creation of strong, cohesive communities in which residents have always identified with the severe landscape and challenging, but rewarding way of life. Robertson contends that the tough, unpretentious appearance of mining landscapes mirrors qualities that residents value in themselves, confirming that a strong sense of place in mining regions, as elsewhere, is not necessarily wedded to an attractive aesthetic or even to a thriving economy.

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of a rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by. Exodus 33:22 The bible declares that there will be seasons of darkness in our lives. There will be times when we will feel that trouble is all around us and that there is no hope of escape. However, this inspired publication will provide an alternative outlook to the hard places we may experience in life. The alternative is a supernatural encounter with the presence of God right where you are. Wherever you are in your Christian walk and no matter what you may be facing in life, there is opportunity for you to behold the beauty of Gods presence. As you read this book, you will be moved to seek a deeper relationship with the Lord just as Moses did who sought the Lord and found Him between a rock and a hard place. Yakisha T. Simmons is a Praise & Worship leader at New Bethel Sounds of Praise in Summerville, SC. She is a wife and mother of two children and is committed to living a life of victory and dedicated to sharing joyous living principles. She obtained an undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina and a Masters in Business Administration at Webster University and is now employed as a Technical Writer for the Navy. She and her husband, Jonathan, are the founders of Life Changers Enterprise which offers a range of services from music studio production to graphic design/publications.

"You can buy The Narrow Path to Expansive Vision online at any major online bookstore, or through the Westbow website." We live in a country deeply divided politically and culturally, and the chasm widens and deepens with each passing day. As a society, it seems like there is an increasing tendency to follow the wrong things and the wrong people. So where do we turn to find a leadership example in an “all about me” world? How do you live and lead a narrow-path (yet not narrow-minded) life in a wide-path world and society? You turn to the greatest leadership example in history: Jesus Christ. This may seem like an obvious answer, but it is not. In conducting original research for the book The Narrow Path to Expansive Vision, RD (Randy) Oostra completed a national online survey of business leaders, including those who identified as Christian leaders. One question on the survey asked those who identified as Christian leaders to name their top three leaders of all time. Only 13 percent mentioned Christ as one of their top three leaders. In addition, only 43 percent of these Christian leaders considered themselves to be servant leaders. As The Narrow Path to Expansive Vision unfolds, it weaves a narrative of Randy’s personal journey growing up in a rigorous Dutch Reformation background to his life as a CEO of a national health and well-being organization. Randy tells his story of how he has lived in and navigated through the science-based world of health care, as well as his frustrations with a Church leadership that frankly has not always been helpful in meeting the challenges he faced as a business leader, and in life in general. Based on these experiences, Randy offers a foundational approach to leadership inspired by the example of Christ. It is a hopeful message that both believers and non-believers will find meaningful and useful.

One of the most extraordinary survival stories ever told -- Aron Ralston's searing account of his six days trapped in one of the most remote spots in America, and how one inspired act of bravery brought him home. It started out as a simple hike in the Utah canyonlands on a warm Saturday afternoon. For Aron Ralston, a twenty-seven-year-old mountaineer and outdoorsman, a walk into the remote Blue John Canyon was a chance to get a break from a winter of solo climbing Colorado's highest and toughest peaks. He'd earned this weekend vacation, and though he met two charming women along the way, by early afternoon he finally found himself in his element: alone, with just the beauty of the natural world all around him. It was 2:41 P.M. Eight miles from his truck, in a deep and narrow slot canyon, Aron was climbing down off a wedged boulder when the rock suddenly, and terrifyingly, came loose. Before he could get out of the way, the falling stone pinned his right hand and wrist against the canyon wall. And so began six days of hell for Aron Ralston. With scant water and little food, no jacket for the painfully cold nights, and the terrible knowledge that he'd told no one where he was headed, he found himself facing a lingering death -- trapped by an 800-pound boulder 100 feet down in the bottom of a canyon. As he eliminated his escape options one by one through the days, Aron faced the full horror of his predicament: By the time any possible search and rescue effort would begin, he'd most probably have died of dehydration, if a flash flood didn't drown him before that. What does one do in the face of almost certain death? Using the video camera from his pack, Aron began recording his grateful good-byes to his family and friends all over the country, thinking back over a life filled with adventure, and documenting a last will and testament with the hope that someone would find it. (For their part, his family and friends had instigated a major search for Aron, the amazing details of which are also documented here for the first time.) The knowledge of their love kept Aron Ralston alive, until a divine inspiration on Thursday morning solved the riddle of the boulder. Aron then committed the most extreme act imaginable to save himself. Between a Rock and a Hard Place -- a brilliantly written, funny, honest, inspiring, and downright astonishing report from the line where death meets life -- will surely take its place in the annals of classic adventure stories.

Far from bitter or self-pitying, Rock Monster is an honest account of one woman's life-changing experience in a relationship with rock legend Joe Walsh. At once envious, glamorous, debauched and disturbing, it's her long and winding journey from life in the fast lane to sobriety and redemption. Set in the late-eighties and nineties, these are some of Walsh's darkest years, from spiraling addiction to a stunning comeback with the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over tour. Loaded with true stories never before heard, Rock Monster is essential reading for classic rock fans and anyone touched by addiction. Kristin Casey pulls no punches, sharing gritty details with self-awareness, humor, and affection. Sharply written, bold and incisive, it's the worldly-wise tome only an ex-addict, ex-stripper, and ex-rock-chick could give us. In the tradition of women-in-rock survivor tales--by Marianne Faithfull, Crystal Zevon, or Mackenzie Phillips--Kristin Casey pulls a veil on the enduring myth of the lifestyle's glamorous decadence. Rock Monster is a sexy, crazy, cautionary tale of two addicts in love without a single relationship skill.

Her face is on all the billboards, on every movie screen, at every awards gala. She’s bigger than life, and she acts every bit the diva. Underneath her bratty facade, something secret lays dormant. I can sense it, because I’ve got secrets too. But when I’m hired as her bodyguard, I almost refuse. I don’t want to tempt the demons in me. With her sinful good looks, and that laugh that drives me wild, I know I’m in for a hell of a ride. But I can’t let her in. I won’t. No matter how determined she is, no matter how much she teases me. Until suddenly, her hotel room is under lockdown. It’s just her, and me. For hours. On Christmas. I’m falling for her. But can her light finally chase away the darkness that guards my heart? Search Terms: romantic suspense, bodyguard romance, alpha male romance, bad boy romance, alpha male, dark romance, antihero romance, forbidden romance, office romance

Begun as a journal assignment in high school, "Unmasked: One Soul's Journey from Anonymity to Identity" is a twenty-six year chronicle of one woman's journey from addiction, mental illness, bulimia, decadence, and self-hatred to transformation and redemption through an intimate relationship with God. With candid transparency, Paige DeHart takes the reader deep within her recovery process that was influenced by institutions such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Unity Church, and the mainstream Christian Church; while sharing quotes of great thinkers from many diverse fields such as religion, science, psychology, and philosophy. Because of the diversity of her experience, Unmasked will appeal to anyone who has ever pondered the deep meanings of existence. With the honesty of Koren Zailckas' Smashed and the direct revelation of Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations with God, Unmasked will both inspire and educate the reader on topics ranging from the nature of drug and alcohol addiction to the beautiful universal truths of life and love that are familiar to all. In her own words, Paige's desire for this project is that 'all who read the words of these many pages will be unmasked themselves.'