The Pure Heart

"Hassib, herself an Egyptian immigrant living in West Virginia, articulates the full-bodied chorus of Egypt's voices." --The New York Times Book Review "Exquisite. . . . Anchoring the story is a pair of Cairo-born sisters whose fates spin in radically different directions in the wake of the Egyptian revolution. . . . A lovely novel that does a remarkable job of bringing troubling realities to light, and life." --Vanity Fair A Real Simple Best Book of the Year (So Far) A powerful novel about two Egyptian sisters--their divergent fates and the secrets of one family Sisters Rose and Gameela Gubran could not have been more different. Rose, an Egyptologist, married an American journalist and immigrated to New York City, where she works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gameela, a devout Muslim since her teenage years, stayed in Cairo. During the aftermath of Egypt's revolution, Gameela is killed in a suicide bombing. When Rose returns to Egypt after the bombing, she sifts through the artifacts Gameela left behind, desperate to understand how her sister came to die, and who she truly was. Soon, Rose realizes that Gameela has left many questions unanswered. Why had she quit her job just a few months before her death and not told her family? Who was she romantically involved with? And how did the religious Gameela manage to keep so many secrets? Rich in depth and feeling, A Pure Heart is a brilliant portrait of two Muslim women in the twenty-first century, and the decisions they make in work and love that determine their destinies. As Rose is struggling to reconcile her identities as an Egyptian and as a new American, she investigates Gameela's devotion to her religion and her country. The more Rose uncovers about her sister's life, the more she must reconcile their two fates, their inextricable bond as sisters, and who should and should not be held responsible for Gameela's death. Rajia Hassib's A Pure Heart is a stirring and deeply textured novel that asks what it means to forgive, and considers how faith, family, and love can unite and divide us.

When Iseabail is employed by a wealthy merchant to be his daughter's companion, her life changes forever. Transported from her remote island home to the Scottish borderlands, Iseabail is unnerved both by her precocious young charge and the house's secrets: a hidden chapel, servants who speak in a foreign tongue, a mute stableboy. And then the merchant returns with a mysterious cargo. Why has Iseabail really been summoned here? And will she ever make it back home?

"Pure Heart: Restoration of the Heart through the Beatitudes" is a journey into the deep treasures of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Each chapter addresses one of the eight Beatitudes in a unique approach to inner healing. God longs for us to know Him, and He wants to heal the wounds in our hearts. You may find it difficult to receive love from God or from others because of past abuse or neglect, but desire to go deeper into the Lord's heart. This book is for you. You will discover God's abiding affections toward you and explore His promises over you. As you seek Him for healing, may He restore your heart to wholeness and fulfill the promises of blessing in your life. Tom and Donna Cole have ministered in restoration of the heart and inner healing since 1989. Their desire is to see the Church walk in fullness without the hindrance of wounds and shame. They have spoken nationally and internationally on the healing heart of the Father and speak at conferences, seminars and retreats on issues such as the deeper Christian life and having a life of prayer. They also speak at Pure Heart seminars and retreats, based on this book. For more information, you can visit their website at www.pureheartseminars.com.

Experience Freedom from Sexual Sin through the Power of the Savior Many women and men trapped in sexual sin believe willpower is the key to overcoming temptation, but your shaky self-discipline doesn't have to be the source of your strength. Sharing from his personal struggles, J. Garrett Kell explains that life-long transformation rests in the supernatural power of the Savior and the support of a local church. He offers profound insights into Jesus's teachings on purity and provides you with long-term strategies for your own pathway to freedom. Written for both men and women struggling with temptation, this book is a vital resource for the church, encouraging a healthy, empathetic community to help brothers and sisters in Christ resist sin. The goal isn't purity for purity's sake, but delighting in God and trusting him for ultimate victory.

Loving from a Pure Heart is a Christ-centered curriculum for those who struggle with the pain of dysfunctional relationships. It explores the faces of dysfunctional relationships, covering topics like distorted senses of reality, distorted senses of responsibility, control issues, chronic loneliness, and woundedness. It looks at roots of dysfunction, exploring topics like love hunger, addictions, abuse, legalism, and shame bound families. It provides tools for overcoming dysfunction by understanding the call of God to love as He loves and heart issues that hinder that. It talks about the art of building mutual relationships, loving in difficult circumstances, and understanding the love of God and living in light of that love. If you desire healthier, more meaningful relationships this book would be beneficial and can be used in private study, in counseling settings, or support group settings. Wendy J. Mahill is a member of the AACC, a lay counselor at Riverlakes Community Church in Bakersfield, California, and director of Passionate Heart Ministry. She's written three other books: Growing a Passionate Heart designed to help Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, Growing a Courageous Heart designed to help women struggling with eating disorders, and Embracing a Feeling Heart designed to help people understand the role emotions play in their lives. For more information visit: www.passionateheartministry.com. Nancy Keller has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice since 2001. She resides in Bakersfield, California and has a passion to help people become emotionally healthy, She works with people suffering from childhood sexual victimization, depression, anxiety, loss, relationship issues, and those whose spouses struggle with sexual addiction. She leads a L.I.F.E. Group for women whose husbands with sexual addictions and/or infidelity. Nancy trains and equips leaders of Passionate Heart Ministry and enjoys sharing her own personal journey overcoming the effects of sexual abuse.

In America, we live in a fast-paced, self-indulgent society of pleasure-seeking people who predicate their lifestyles on consumer-oriented and materialistic notions. Influenced by this world around us, our hearts may become faithless, dishonest, deceptive, distressed, and, at times, evil. Hence, our hearts become damaged. However, in the quiet of our solitude, we can deeply reflect on how to become devout and pious as we awaken the pure heart. In Awaken the Pure Heart, author Tallal Alie Turfe explains that while the heart pumps blood through the network of arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system, it is also the spiritual control center of lifethe very center of our existence, and the very essence of who we are. The heart is the center of the soul. It is the seat of our emotional intelligence, intention, and desires, and it is the point of our personal contact with God as He judges. By looking to the Quran as a healing source and by slowing down and reflecting in solitude through prayer and supplication, we too can restore our hearts and the hearts of others. The heart is more than the most important organ in the human body. It is also the quintessence of our spiritual and emotional well-being. Acceptance causes the heart to be elated or jubilant, while rejection causes the heart to be saddened or troubled. Thus, by listening to our hearts, we can discover how to embrace its purity and live with virtue in the modern world.

In 1979, 24-year-old Maura O'Halloran left her waitressing job in Boston and began her study of Zen in Japan. Today she is revered as a Buddhist saint, and a statue in her honor stands at the monastery where she lived. This is the story of her journey.