Love In A Broken Vessel

Hosea has been charged by God with a difficult task--marry a prostitute in order to show God's people the nature and depth of his love for Israel. When Hosea goes to Israel to proclaim God's message, the prostitute God tells him to marry turns out to be his childhood friend Gomer. He finds her broken and abused, unwilling to trust Hosea or his God. But when marrying Hosea becomes her only choice, Gomer does what she's good at--she survives. Can Hosea's love for God and God's love for Israel heal Gomer's broken spirit? With her potent combination of in-depth research and masterful storytelling, Mesu Andrews brings to life a complex and fascinating biblical story of the power of love and forgiveness in the face of utter betrayal.

Hosea has been charged by God with a difficult task--marry a prostitute in order to show God's people the nature and depth of his love for Israel. When Hosea goes to Israel to proclaim God's message, the prostitute God tells him to marry turns out to be his childhood friend Gomer. He finds her broken and abused, unwilling to trust Hosea or his God. But when marrying Hosea becomes her only choice, Gomer does what she's good at--she survives. Can Hosea's love for God and God's love for Israel heal Gomer's broken spirit? With her potent combination of in-depth research and masterful storytelling, Mesu Andrews brings to life a complex and fascinating biblical story of the power of love and forgiveness in the face of utter betrayal.

Andre Dubus is celebrated for his ability to depict the subtlest of human emotions in his characters, and when he turns to nonfiction, the resulting insights are no less illuminative. Especially moving are his descriptions of his children, his wrenching account of the 1986 automobile accident that cost him his leg, and of the ensuing struggle for his spiritual and physical survival. Broken Vessels is a book that, in its scope and sympathy, its grace and courage, never fails to startle with the sudden impact of quiet truths, passionately felt and powerfully expressed.

Julian Kestrel, the dandy detective of Regency London, is most decidedly a man of the world and, through his valet, Dipper, reformed Cockney pickpocket, is not without ties to the underworld. One such connection is Dipper's sister Sally, a prostitute who accidentally happens across the possibility of murder while picking her clients' pockets. Since Sally is not quite in the position to go to the police with her knowledge, she and Julian must chase the clues all through London, from glittery parlors to the dank halls of a home for fallen women.

Victoria L. Johnson helps women understand how Satan may use sex as a weapon to disable or defeat them. She shares how to get help, hope, healing and freedom from guilt, reminding women that God is still there for them offering his forgiveness and restoration.

Broken Vessels is a six week study reminding us that chasing idols always leads to brokenness, and our lives were meant to tell the story of the hope God offers His children when they turn toward him to meet every need and deep longing. Instead of covering up the hard chapters of our lives, we can share the hope we found in the dark by reframing the way we view brokenness born in self-sufficiency. By allowing God to adjust the way we look at past losses and challenges, we can start living a better story today. Readers will have a clearer understanding of how they can let the cracks in their vessels tell the whole story of losses that were healed by the Living Water.Broken Vessels can be a private, personal journey or completed with a friend or small group. It was written as a six-week study; each week has a chapter to read, five days of reflection, and journal opportunities along the way. Each day of reflection is intended to provide a time to dig deeper in scripture. The point of digging deeper is to connect the dots throughout the Old and New Testaments, and to provide an opportunity to consider how God might want to reframe things you have held as truth or conviction. There is space provided to write your thoughts directly in the book, but you may also want to grab a journal to record your thoughts.

Readers often think of Job sitting on the ash heap, his life in shambles. But how did he get there? What was Job's life like before tragedy struck? What did he think as his world came crashing down around him? And what was life like after God restored his wealth, health, and family? Through painstaking research and a writer's creative mind, Mesu Andrews weaves an emotional and stirring account of this well-known story told through the eyes of the women who loved him. Drawing together the account of Job with those of Esau's tribe and Jacob's daughter Dinah, Love Amid the Ashes breathes life, romance, and passion into the classic biblical story of suffering and steadfast faith.

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.