"My life was a complete a mess, and God bless all of it. Because it's in the messes where we learn the most-as long as we slow down enough to realize what God is trying to show us." Suddenly in the spotlight, twenty-four-year-old Hannah Brown realized that she wasn't sure what she wanted. After years of competing in beauty pageants, and then starring on The Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars, she had become incredibly visible. There she was, in her early twenties, with millions around the world examining and weighing in on her every decision. She found herself wondering what it would mean to live on her terms. What it would mean to stop seeking approval from others and decide - for the first time - what it was she wanted from her own life. An honest and earnest examination of her own mid-twenties, God Bless This Mess is a memoir that doesn't claim to have all the answers. Hannah knows she doesn't have all the answers. What she does have is the insight of someone who has spent critical years of her youth under public scrutiny. Thus what emerges is a quarter-life memoir that speaks to the set of difficulties young women face, and how to move through them with grace. By pushing against her engrained need to seek approval, and learning how to think critically about her own goals and desires, Hannah inspires others to do the same - and to embrace the messiness that comes hand-in-hand with self-discovery (even it that sometimes means falling flat on your face). Using her time on The Bachelorette as a launching pad, Hannah doesn't shy away from the most painful experiences of her life: moments when her faith was tested, when she feared it was lost, and the moments when she reclaimed it on national television. "And Jesus still loves me." Fans will be inspired by the never-before-told stories: the ones about facing depression and anxiety during her pageant years, the ways in which therapy and journaling have proven to be a saving grace, and the previously private moments - both at home and on television - that have shaped the star's outlook. Honest and emotionally urgent, God Bless This Mess is a reminder that true growth doesn't come without strife - and it's through those dark, messy moments that self-acceptance and love can bloom.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven is a retired pastor in the Christian Reformed Church. He has served as editor of The Banner, director of Faith Alive Christian Resources' Education Department, and pastor of churches in eastern and western Canada. He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The biblical story of Ruth celebrates the power to begin life anew, to gather what has been scattered, to glean what one needs. In this original approach to understanding an ancient love story, Jennifer L. Koosed crafts a multifaceted portrait of the Old Testament character of Ruth and of the demanding agricultural world in which her story unfolds. Highlighting the most complex aspects of the book — the relationships Ruth has with her mother-in-law Naomi, sister-in-law Orpah, future husband Boaz and infant son Obed — Koosed explores the use of pairings to define Ruth's aspirational fortitude. Koosed also touches on the narrative's questions of sexuality, kinship and law, as well as the metaphoric activities of harvest that serve to advance the plot and illuminate the social and geographic context of Ruth's tale. From the private world of women to the public world of men, Koosed guides readers through the book of Ruth's revealing glimpses into the sociology of the ancient Hebrew world. The study concludes with a discussion of the postbiblical fascination with Ruth and her later representations in a variety of literary and visual media. Koosed's approach is eclectic, employing a host of methodologies from philology and theology to literature, folklore and feminism. Thoughtful of the interests of both scholarly and lay audiences, Koosed presents inviting and compelling new insights into one of the Old Testament's most enigmatic characters.

Have you ever had an itch, and not scratched it? In the Buddhist tradition, this points to a vast paradox: that by refraining from our urge to "scratch", great peace and happiness is available. On Getting Unstuck, Pema Chodron introduces a rare Tibetan teaching she received from her teacher, Dzigar Kontrul Rinpoche, and one that has become critical to her practice. Here, she unveils the mystery of an ineffable quality; a "pre-emotional" feeling that arises in us, brings us discomfort, and causes us to react by escaping the discomfort, often with harmful habits. With Getting Unstuck, she offers us a first look at "both the itch and the scratch": what Tibetan Buddhists call shenpa. On this new, full-length recording, Pema Chodron, best-selling author and beloved American Buddhist nun, shows us how to recognize shenpa, catch it as it appears, and develop a playful, lively curiosity toward it. Join Pema Chodron to discover more about: Critical mind: how to recognize this fundamental shenpa, and approach yourself and others with a sense of humor and loving-kindness; Ways to unravel the patterns of self-denigration, and develop the fundamental maitri, loving-kindness, toward yourself; How to cultivate acceptance of your irritability, insecurities, and other simply human traits; Recognition, Refrain, Relaxing, and Resolve: the four R's of working with shenpa, and more. An urge comes up, we succumb to it, and it becomes stronger, teaches Pema Chodron. We reinforce our cravings, habits, and addictions by giving into them repeatedly. On Getting Unstuck, Chodron guides us through this "sticky feeling", exploring the moments when we get hooked, and offers us tools for learning to stay with our uneasiness, soften our hearts toward ourselves and others, and live a more peaceful life in the fullness of the present moment.

A REFRESHINGLY SIMPLE GUIDE TO RECOVER YOUR LIFE! In Get Your Life Back, New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge provides a practical, simple, and refreshing guide to taking your life back. By practicing a few wonderfully simple practices'or what John calls "graces"'you can begin to recover your soul, disentangle from the tragedies of this broken world, and discover the restorative power of beauty. Ask yourself: -Are you happy most of the time' -Do you feel deeply loved' -Are you excited about your future' -How often do you feel lighthearted' After reading this book you will -Learn how to insert the One Minute Pause into your day -Begin practicing "benevolent detachment" and truly let it all go -Offer kindness toward yourself in the choices you make -Drink in the simple beauty available to you every day -Take realistic steps to unplug from technology overload These simple practices and others are ready for the taking. You don't need to abandon your life to get it back. Begin restoring your life here and now. Your soul will thank you for it.

How does Jesus feel about his people amid all their sins and failures? This audiobook takes listeners into the depths of Christ's very heart-a heart of tender love drawn to sinners and sufferers.

"I used to be a lesbian." In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. She embraced masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself' How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could' At age nineteen, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians. God broke in and turned her heart toward Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel. Listen in order to understand. Listen in order to hope. Or listen in order, like Jackie, to be made new.

Wisdom and Humor from the Front Porch - Master storyteller Philip Gulley shares tender and hilarious real-life moments that capture the important truths of everyday life. When Philip Gulley began writing newsletter essays for the twelve members of his Quaker meeting in Indiana, he had no idea one of them would find its way to radio commentator Paul Harvey Jr. and be read on the air to 24 million people. Fourteen books later, with more than a million books in print, Gulley still entertains as well as inspires from his small-town front porch.

Free by Divine Decree is written in narrative form. The individual being spoken about is brought before a jude. In the first few chapters, the judgment is given... all have sinned. From that point on Jesus Christ, our appointed lawyer takes the case and ultimately is able to show the Judge that we are free by divine decree.