Made For Hope

Our lives can change in an instant. How do we go on when our lives have fallen apart? Made for Hope is the heartbreaking story of how one family lost a child and found hope in the midst of their grief. Made for Hope shows us what God has to offer in the midst of our brokenness as we grasp to make it through a difficult season. Heartfelt and vulnerable, it provides hope for those who have gone through loss and who are holding on to hope that God is not done writing their story. A heartfelt and vulnerable memoir, Sara R. Ward offers readers 15 gifts they can find in brokenness, no matter the circumstances.

"Sometimes I could scream with boredom." Measured and self-effacing, Lady Sephora Connaught knows there is another, more reckless side to her. When she's rescued from the fast-flowing Thames by the wild and dangerous Francis St. Cartmail, Earl of Douglas, suddenly her confined world bursts into vibrant life. Francis has never fit into high society's narrow world, so why does he feel so connected to—and undeniably aroused by—this "angel of the ton"? She offers him hope, but only time will tell if their fragile marriage is enough to banish his demons forever!

An illustrated highlight reel of more than 100 women in rap who have helped shape the genre and eschewed gender norms in the process The Motherlode highlights more than 100 women who have shaped the power, scope, and reach of rap music, including pioneers like Roxanne Shanté, game changers like Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott, and current reigning queens like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Lizzo—as well as everyone who came before, after, and in between. Some of these women were respected but not widely celebrated. Some are impossible not to know. Some of these women have stood on their own; others were forced into templates, compelled to stand beside men in big rap crews. Some have been trapped in a strange critical space between respected MC and object. They are characters, caricatures, lyricists, at times both feminine and explicit. This book profiles each of these women, their musical and career breakthroughs, and the ways in which they each helped change the culture of rap.

“[A] landmark book . . . Solnit illustrates how the uprisings that begin on the streets can upend the status quo and topple authoritarian regimes” (Vice). A book as powerful and influential as Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me, her Hope in the Dark was written to counter the despair of activists at a moment when they were focused on their losses and had turned their back to the victories behind them—and the unimaginable changes soon to come. In it, she makes a radical case for hope as a commitment to act in a world whose future remains uncertain and unknowable. Drawing on her decades of activism and a wide reading of environmental, cultural, and political history, Solnit argues that radicals have a long, neglected history of transformative victories, that the positive consequences of our acts are not always immediately seen, directly knowable, or even measurable, and that pessimism and despair rest on an unwarranted confidence about what is going to happen next. Now, with a moving new introduction explaining how the book came about and a new afterword that helps teach us how to hope and act in our unnerving world, she brings a new illumination to the darkness of our times in an unforgettable new edition of this classic book. “One of the best books of the 21st century.” —The Guardian “No writer has better understood the mix of fear and possibility, peril and exuberance that’s marked this new millennium.” —Bill McKibben, New York Times–bestselling author of Falter “An elegant reminder that activist victories are easily forgotten, and that they often come in extremely unexpected, roundabout ways.” —The New Yorker

The morning Arlene Brown read in her hometown newspaper about the abandoned children in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, she did what few retirees would ever consider doing. She joined with a mission group to make the long journey to Africa. Her memoir, Hope Made Real, is filled with rich experiences and courageous actions. Her writings reveal that the most important journeys we make can't be measured in miles, but in the strength, wisdom, and love found along the way. Woven throughout the pages, Arlene shares stories from her childhood that help the reader make sense of her life-changing decision. Her years of raising a family of five, working as a practical nurse, volunteering in the prison system, and her many years laboring in a high-tech factory suddenly come together. All of this, and none of this, prepared her for what was ahead. The book draws in the reader as she tells of her escape from an erupting volcano, is smuggled out of the country with the aid of the United States Embassy and runs from angry African bees. Her story reads like a detective novel as she unravels the secrets that lie behind the façade of some of the early players. Hope Made Real is filled with memorable stories of the children whom she touched with her love and from whom she in turn received so much more. Eight pages of pictures illustrate her life from childhood to Founder of Urukundo Foundation and Executive Director the Urukundo Learning Center, Muhanga, Rwanda -- its primary school of over nine-hundred children, the Sewing Center to train seamstresses and tailors, as well as the Dental Clinic, farm and so much more.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Barack Obama’s lucid vision of America’s place in the world and call for a new kind of politics that builds upon our shared understandings as Americans, based on his years in the Senate “In our lowdown, dispiriting era, Obama’s talent for proposing humane, sensible solutions with uplifting, elegant prose does fill one with hope.”—Michael Kazin, The Washington Post In July 2004, four years before his presidency, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners’ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Obama called “the audacity of hope.” The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama’s call for a different brand of politics—a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the “endless clash of armies” we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” He explores those forces—from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media—that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment. At the heart of this book is Barack Obama’s vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats—from terrorism to pandemic—that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy—where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, Obama says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes—“waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them.”

"Made for Brave is a striking example of how God can create overwhelming good from even the worst of life when we partner with Him"--Amazon.com.

Join Max Lucado on a journey through the book of Esther as he reminds us that God need not be loud to be strong, he need not cast a shadow to be present...and he is active even when he appears distant. This study was born in a hard season—a pandemic that locked down the world. Church doors closed. Students were stuck at home. Masks hid smiles. And as if this weren't enough, the ancient sin of racism and hatred seems to be trying to undo us. Many of us are left wondering if this season will ever pass. To all these things, God has a six-letter word of encouragement: E-S-T-H-E-R. The book that bears her name was written to be read in hard seasons. It was crafted for those who feel outnumbered by foes, outmaneuvered by fate, and outdone by fear. In the You Were Made for This Moment five-session video Bible study (streaming included), pastor and New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado presents the story of Esther in all its drama, urgency, and hope. This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself--with discussion and personal reflection questions, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all five video sessions online (DVD also available separately). Esther's is a story that reaches out of the past to our present circumstances with a singular message: God is present, and he will act. It's a story that demands from us a singular response: what will we do when he does? Sessions and video run times: Cozy in the Culture - Esther 1:1–2:18 (17:30) A Moment of Decision - Esther 2:19–4:14 (17:00) Heaven Set in Motion - Esther 4:15–6:14 (16:30) The God of Great Turnarounds - Esther 7:1–8:17 (17:30) Remembering God's Faithfulness - Esther 9:1–10:3 (16:00) Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.