The Secret Sins Of Their Preachers

Edward and Donald Briceson are identical twins, but they could not be more different. Edward excelled in school and was very popular. Donald barely passed and had to live in Edward's shadow. Edward receives a scholarship to the same college that Charles Briceson, his father, also graduated from. He then becomes a very influential minister for one of the largest churches on the east coast. Donald becomes a career criminal, committing his first murder as a teenager. The twins lived their lives f

"A book you will want to read and read again." -- Eugene Peterson Afterword by Bono. How can we find a more transparent, resilient, and fearless life of faith? The book of Psalms has been central to God's people for millennia, across all walks of life and cultural contexts. In reading it, we discover that we are never alone in our joys, sorrows, angers, doubts, praises, or thanksgivings. In it, we learn about prayer and poetry, honesty and community, justice and enemies, life and death, nations and creation. Open and Unafraid shows us how to read the psalms in a fresh, life-giving way, and so access the bottomless resources for life that they provide. "David Taylor’s take is 'open and unafraid' alright. He really goes there, exposing himself before God in the most beautiful way. He might have called the book Naked, because if you don’t find your own self feeling a little exposed here, it might be time to take some armor off." -- Bono, from the Afterword "A book that you will want to read and read again, and yet again, in order to discover the wisdom of the Psalms that shows us how to walk in the life-giving way of Jesus." -- Eugene Peterson, from the Foreword "A winsome, accessible entry into the Book of Psalms…Connects the poetry of the psalms to real-life wonders and struggles." -- Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary "Taylor reads these biblical prayers with Dr. Seuss, rappers, and other poets, along with theologians and the daily news....Guides readers in tracing out patterns of holy speech that have the potential for healing our hearts and our communities." -- Ellen F. Davis, Duke Divinity School "I have always loved the psalms--for their defiant devotion, their deep joy, and their brutal yet beautiful honesty. And after reading this fantastic book about them, I love them even more." -- Matt Redman, worship leader and song writer "In these fraught and fearsome days, we need the psalms more than ever. And we need more faithful artists and thinkers like David Taylor to mine the infinite gifts the psalms offer across the ages." -- Karen Swallow Prior, author of Fierce Convictions

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" II Corinthians 10:4-5. In this riveting tale, Laila, aka LaLa, struggled daily to fight the sexual temptations from within. As she tried to move forward in her walk with God and new role as a wife and mother, the men from her past were calling her back to a lifestyle she desperately wanted to forget. Growing up on Chicago's South Side, LaLa learned early on how to please a man. Her beauty, body, seductive ways, and passionate touch, made it difficult for any man to deny her; and for years, they laid claim to what was not theirs lawfully. Laila was unaware of the ungodly soul ties that would carry over into her marriage as well as ministry. She was clueless to the level of temptations that soon followed. It was on this spiritual journey that she was able to love, and find forgiveness and redemption through God. Follow her as she takes you on a journey to the beginning of it all.