So God Here S My Plan

"Why can't God do things the way we plan?" As you walk through some of the toughest challenges that life seems to throw at you, do you find yourself on one emotional rollercoaster ride after another? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Take a minute to think on these statements and see if you identify with any of them: Why do things always seem to happen to me? It really is all about me--isn't it? I'm not judging you; I just think you're wrong! I just can't ever deal with that because it hurts too much. If these words seem like your own, you are in good company, my friend. Join a regular woman who shares her many faults and failures to find out why God must be in control. Learn how to fight the enemy who sets out daily to destroy your peace and joy. Most of all breathe a huge sigh of relief that you are not alone. There is amazing grace to living life every day, safely in the arms of a loving God who really does have a good plan for your life. "I have read these writings and sometimes they would arrive with comfort, sometimes with a sting, and sometimes humor. But one thing is certain, they always touched my heart." Joan Neal

After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, a professor shares the lessons he's learned—about living in the present, building a legacy, and taking full advantage of the time you have—in this life-changing classic. "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." —Randy Pausch A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull over the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy? When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"—wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have . . . and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

When Iggy Corso gets kicked out of high school, there's no one for him to tell. His mother has gone off, his father is stoned on the couch, and the phone's been disconnected, so even the social worker can't get through. Leaving his public housing behind, Iggy ventures into the world to make something of his life. It's not easy when you're sixteen, have no skills, and your only friend is mixed up with the dealer who got your mom hooked. But Iggy is . . . Iggy, and he has the kind of wisdom that lets him see what no one else can. Includes an author's note.