The Louder Song

Lament helps us hear God’s louder song. When you’re in the midst of suffering, you want answers for the unanswerable, resolutions to the unresolvable. You want to tie up pain in a pretty little package and hide it under the bed, taking it out only when you feel strong enough to face it. But grief won’t be contained. Grief disobeys. Grief explodes. In one breath, you may be able to say that God’s got this and all will be well. In the next, you might descend into fatalism. No pretending. Here, you are raw before God, an open wound. There is a pathway through this suffering. It’s not easy, but God will use it to lead you toward healing. This path is called lament. Lament leads us between the Already and the Not Yet. Lament minds the gap between current hopelessness and coming hope. Lament anticipates new creation but also acknowledges the painful reality of now. Lament recognizes the existence of evil and suffering—without any sugarcoating—while simultaneously declaring that suffering will not have the final say. In the midst of your darkest times, you will discover that lament leads you back to a place of hope—not because lamenting does anything magical, but because God sings a louder song than suffering ever could, a song of renewal and restoration.

Christian women have allowed shame to condemn and confine them for far too long. If you’re ready to turn things around, Aubrey Sampson—a pastor’s wife, and an advocate for at-risk women—invites you to become an unashamed woman. Using the model of a house, “Sampson identifies eight major lies of shame such as: I’ll have more value when I change; I cannot experience freedom from shame; My past is unsalvageable; and Shame is only traumatic. Written with a strong biblical theology and humorous authenticity, as well as true-life stories shared by women of all ages, Sampson equips readers with tools for an ongoing spiritual discipline of “shamelessness.” Sampson deals directly with the shame that comes from comical moments in life, as well as from sexual abuse, eating disorders, addiction, abandonment, and other real-life issues. She also encourages women to transform their life’s story into ministry, creating ripple effects of hope and healing that can change the world. Written for any woman whose self-worth has been stolen, Overcomer gives her the courage, in Jesus, to reclaim it.

How political protests and activism influence voters and candidates The “silent majority”—a phrase coined by Richard Nixon in 1969 in response to Vietnam War protests and later used by Donald Trump as a campaign slogan—refers to the supposed wedge that exists between protestors in the street and the voters at home. The Loud Minority upends this view by demonstrating that voters are in fact directly informed and influenced by protest activism. Consequently, as protests grow in America, every facet of the electoral process is touched by this loud minority, benefiting the political party perceived to be the most supportive of the protestors’ messaging. Drawing on historical evidence, statistical data, and detailed interviews about protest activity since the 1960s, Daniel Gillion shows that electoral districts with protest activity are more likely to see increased voter turnout at the polls. Surprisingly, protest activities are also moneymaking endeavors for electoral politics, as voters donate more to political candidates who share the ideological leanings of activists. Finally, protests are a signal of political problems, encouraging experienced political challengers to run for office and hurting incumbents’ chances of winning reelection. The silent majority may not speak by protesting themselves, but they clearly gesture for social change with their votes. An exploration of how protests affect voter behavior and warn of future electoral changes, The Loud Minority looks at the many ways that activism can shape democracy.

This book introduces German Sound Studies using a transdisciplinary approach. It invites readers to auralize space by describing characteristically German soundscapes in the long twentieth century, including the noisy city of the early 1900s, the sounds of East and West Germany, and hip-hop soundscapes of the millennium.

Abigail is frustrated. She can't focus on writing and fools around instead. She is sent to the cooling down room. After that is music class, and she can't make any of the instrument's work! Just when things are about to go wrong again, the teacher discovers exactly what to do to engage this little girl, and Abigail ends up finding a special voice of her very own. Illustrated with bright, graphic pictures, this upbeat book will appeal to anyone with experience of a disruptive child, and readers will love seeing Abigail and her friends triumph. Page Plus features a QR code to listen to Abigail's song.

Every year Tortoise sleeps through winter. He assumes he isn't missing much. However, his friends are determined to prove otherwise! Will Tortoise sleep through another winter, or will his friends convince him to stay awake and experience the frosty fun of winter? Best-selling author Katy Hudson's charming picture book will have everyone excited for winter.