This Is Hard

"This is hard." With those words, a hospital chaplain acknowledges the pain we feel after the death of someone we love. And then he slowly reflects on our questions: "Why can't I think?" "Why am I sad when they are at peace?" "Why do people say stupid things?" "Is this my fault?" Formed in hospital rooms and walks down hallways, this short book is like a conversation with someone who understands loss, with words of clarification for our feelings and space to write what is worth remembering in the future. This book is helpful for people in the hours and days after a loss. It's helpful for pastors, friends, and family members wanting to know what to say and what not to say. It's helpful for anyone who, at some moment needs to hear, "This is hard."

"Quirky and inviting essays on what it means to live joyfully in a world full of 'anger and anxiety'...This optimism booster has a light touch and a lasting impact."—Publishers Weekly This book is about one idea: joy. A deep sense of well-being, regardless of circumstances, is not only possible but is promised to all who follow Jesus. Life is hard, but God is good. And through Him we can start to see the world in a more childlike, humble, and optimistic way. Brant Hansen doesn't follow a success plan. He just keeps simply showing up and taking Jesus very seriously. And by taking Jesus seriously in all of life, he has become more joyful. More peaceful. And full of laughter. And that attitude is contagious to all who read his bestselling books and listen to his award-winning radio show. In Life Is Hard, God Is Good, Let's Dance, Brant is at his best—sharing stories from around the world, as well as from his own heart and head, with a writing style that will likely make you laugh, cry, and rethink your outlook on life and the kingdom of God. Through his unique life experiences and extensive travels, readers will see how God is moving through people all over the world, and they will learn to: See that it's possible to live joyfully in a world of anger and anxiety Completely trust the character and promises of God Claim the abundant life mentioned in John 10:10 Live each day simply and with a faith and joy that is contagious Brant says, "In this book, I want to take the format of Bob Goff's Love Does and mix it with my own strange experiences, in a way that I think Ted Lasso would be proud of." Through short, energetic, captivating, and often humorous chapters, Brant's message will leave you with a renewed love for a simpler life that overflows with greater joy than you've ever experienced.

Xiao Tianyi was the "old man" of Entertainment Circle, but because she wasn't very keen on this business, she made her manager very vexed.Zhong Zhengliang, the new star male god of Entertainment Circle. As a tyrannical black-hearted person, he was only fond of the adorable and silly her.When they were filming again, the two of them bumped into each other by accident. From then on, they could no longer ignore each other's position in their hearts.When an accident occurred, would they clench their hands and help each other? When the Xiao San appeared, how did they face the reality, would they be loyal to their simplest thoughts?In the face of so many trials, how were the two of them supposed to face them, separate, or be separated by a single head? "Should I give up, or should the Weak Water take only one ladle of water?"

Marriage among the Maya of Central America is a model of complementarity between a man and a woman. This union demands mutual respect and mutual service. Yet some husbands beat their wives. In this pioneering book, Laura McClusky examines the lives of several Mopan Maya women in Belize. Using engaging ethnographic narratives and a highly accessible analysis of the lives that have unfolded before her, McClusky explores Mayan women's strategies for enduring, escaping, and avoiding abuse. Factors such as gender, age inequalities, marriage patterns, family structure, educational opportunities, and economic development all play a role in either preventing or contributing to domestic violence in the village. McClusky argues that using narrative ethnography, instead of cold statistics or dehumanized theoretical models, helps to keep the focus on people, "rehumanizing" our understanding of violence. This highly accessible book brings to the social sciences new ways of thinking about, representing, and studying abuse, marriage, death, gender roles, and violence.

Parenting Is Hard and Then You Die provides a biblical and comprehensive strategy for raising healthy kids in a world that is morally bankrupt, spiritually desolate, and increasingly dangerous. That strategy is clear and specific, rooted in the Bible, proved successful, and communicated in a fun, entertaining way. Dr. David Clarke has written many books on family. This book stands out for all of the following: Extremely practical Clarke's trademark humor Gives good attention to the teen years Strategies tested in his own home and by counseling clients

An expert on computer privacy and security shows how we can build privacy into the design of systems from the start. We are tethered to our devices all day, every day, leaving data trails of our searches, posts, clicks, and communications. Meanwhile, governments and businesses collect our data and use it to monitor us without our knowledge. So we have resigned ourselves to the belief that privacy is hard--choosing to believe that websites do not share our information, for example, and declaring that we have nothing to hide anyway. In this informative and illuminating book, a computer privacy and security expert argues that privacy is not that hard if we build it into the design of systems from the start. Along the way, Jaap-Henk Hoepman debunks eight persistent myths surrounding computer privacy. The website that claims it doesn't collect personal data, for example; Hoepman explains that most data is personal, capturing location, preferences, and other information. You don't have anything to hide? There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep personal information--even if it's not incriminating or embarrassing--private. Hoepman shows that just as technology can be used to invade our privacy, it can be used to protect it, when we apply privacy by design. Hoepman suggests technical fixes, discussing pseudonyms, leaky design, encryption, metadata, and the benefits of keeping your data local (on your own device only), and outlines privacy design strategies that system designers can apply now.

Narumi Momose has had it rough: Every boyfriend she’s had dumped her once they found out she was an otaku, so she’s gone to great lengths to hide it. When a chance meeting at her new job with childhood friend, fellow otaku, and now coworker Hirotaka Nifuji almost gets her secret outed at work, she comes up with a plan to make sure he never speaks up. But he comes up with a counter-proposal: Why doesn’t she just date him instead? In love, there are no save points.