Recommendations based on "An Awakened Heart (Orphan Train) An Orphan Train Novella"

From the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees, an inspiring autobiographical account of personal pain, spiritual awakening, and divine grace.Blending her own experience with an intimate grasp of spirituality, Sue Monk Kidd relates the passionate and moving tale of her spiritual crisis, when life seemed to have lost meaning and her longing for a hasty escape from the pain yielded to a discipline of “active waiting.” Full of wisdom, poise, and grace, Kidd’s words will encourage us along our spiritual journey, toward becoming who we truly are.

"I would like to write a beautiful prayer," writes the young Flannery O'Connor in this deeply spiritual journal, recently discovered among her papers in Georgia. "There is a whole sensible world around me that I should be able to turn to Your praise." Written between 1946 and 1947 while O'Connor was a student far from home at the University of Iowa, A Prayer Journal is a rare portal into the interior life of the great writer. Not only does it map O'Connor's singular relationship with the divine, but it shows how entwined her literary desire was with her yearning for God. "I must write down that I am to be an artist. Not in the sense of aesthetic frippery but in the sense of aesthetic craftsmanship; otherwise I will feel my loneliness continually . . . I do not want to be lonely all my life but people only make us lonelier by reminding us of God. Dear God please help me to be an artist, please let it lead to You."O'Connor could not be more plain about her literary ambition: "Please help me dear God to be a good writer and to get something else accepted," she writes. Yet she struggles with any trace of self-regard: "Don't let me ever think, dear God, that I was anything but the instrument for Your story."As W. A. Sessions, who knew O'Connor, writes in his introduction, it was no coincidence that she began writing the stories that would become her first novel, Wise Blood, during the years when she wrote these singularly imaginative Christian meditations. Including a facsimile of the entire journal in O'Connor's own hand, A Prayer Journal is the record of a brilliant young woman's coming-of-age, a cry from the heart for love, grace, and art.

Like Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's groundbreaking On Death and Dying, Susan Anderson's book clearly defines the five phases of a different kind of grieving--grieving over a lost relationship. An experienced professional who has specialized in helping people with loss, heartbreak, and abandonment for more than two decades, Susan Anderson gives this subject the serious attention it deserves. The Journey From Abandonment to Healing is designed to help all victims of emotional breakups--whether they are suffering from a recent loss, or a lingering wound from the past; whether they are caught up in patterns that sabotage their own relationships, or they're in a relationship where they no longer feel loved. From the first stunning blow to starting over, it provides a complete program for abandonment recovery.

Imagine the Creator of the universe thinking about you right at this moment. What if you could read His thoughts and watch the expression of His face when your name comes up? The Lovesick God reveals the beauty of God’s emotions and why you are the supreme object of His affections. This is not just another book; when you truly grasp the secrets revealed by The Lovesick God, you’ll experience a freedom you never did before. It will be like radiant rays of light overcoming darkness or like falling in love all over again—even like beholding the beauty of the Lord and the meaning of eternal life.

Discover hope for your life today as you explore God’s plans for the future.New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge offers you a breathtaking look into God’s promise for a new heaven and a new earth.All Things New is for you if you’ve ever…Wonder if the difficult things you go through matterFeel anxious about the future and your loved ones' futuresFear that your dreams won’t come trueWant to understand what God has planned for your life All Things New helps you understand the simple but revolutionary idea that, according to the Bible, heaven is not our eternal home--the New Earth is. As Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew, the next chapter of our story begins with "the renewal of all things," by which he means the earth we love in all its beauty, our own selves, and the things that make for a rich life: music, art, food, laughter, and all that we hold dear. Everything shall be renewed "when the world is made new."More than anything else, how you envision your future shapes your current experience. If you knew that God was going to restore your life and everything you love any day; if you believed a great and glorious goodness was coming to you--not in a vague heaven but right here on this earth--you would have a hope to see you through anything, an anchor for your soul, "an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God" (Hebrews 6:19).Most Christians (most people for that matter) fail to look forward to their future because their view of heaven is vague, religious, and frankly boring. Hope begins when we understand that for the believer nothing is lost. Heaven is not a life in the clouds; it is not endless harp-strumming or worship-singing. Rather, the life we long for, the paradise Adam and Eve knew, is precisely the life that is coming to us. And that life is coming soon.

Becoming who you were before the world told you who you had to be. You're not alone when it comes to experiencing shame or fear of not being enough. Shame isn't felt only by those who have gone through failure or trauma or been told they'll never amount to anything. Many people—even those who are considered successful—struggle with a sense that they are deficient or inadequate. Drawing on a rich variety of personal experience, Scripture, spiritual formation classics, psychology, and relational neuroscience; award-winning author and pastor Ken Shigematsu shows how a deep, experiential encounter with the love of God can heal us of our shame, make us whole again, and inspire us to fulfill our purpose by making a faithful contribution to the world. Now I Become Myself will help you: Break free of an unhealthy self-image and from jealousy of others' achievements. Discover how beauty and spiritual joy can help you overcome the unhealthy shame you're clinging to. Create space in your life to draw close to Jesus and deepen your sense of God's boundless love for you. Written with pastoral compassion and understanding, Shigematsu's stories and teachings will uplift you and help you break free from the feeling of not being enough so that you can find rest in the security of God's grace. Each chapter concludes with a prayer exercise intended to nurture your relationship with the God who formed you in love and created you in beauty.

In this bestselling testimony, the author draws on her own life experiences with abuse, incest, teenage motherhood, and a dependence on public assistance to teach others that hardships can help in growth, healing, and learning to love, and that yesterday's tears can nourish the seeds of hope, renewal, and strength that lie deep within.

Beloved: If there are situations, circumstances, or perhaps relationships in your life that you have been struggling to overcome, trying to work through, or doing your best to work around, throw your head back and declare to the universe, "Until Today!" If you believe that life has to be hard, that things will probably never get better for you, that you must expect less or accept less because that is just the way life is, raise your hands and shout into the ether, "Until Today!" If you have been hurt, betrayed, abandoned, or rejected, if you are struggling with feelings of anger, resentment, doubt, or fear, put your hands on your heart and gently whisper to yourself, "Until Today!" My friend and colleague Dr. Therman Evans once told me, "If you behaved yourself into a situation, you must behave yourself out of it!" A devotion is a behavior in service to love, truth, and God that will create powerful changes in the circumstances of your life that have held you down and back until today! Whatever has been going on in your mind, your life, or your heart can stop -- right now, if that is truly what you desire. However, you must be willing to "do a new thing." You must spend a little time, each day, in devotion to the truth about yourself and the truth about life. You must make a conscious approach to what you think and how you feel about what you do. Devotion will clear up misconceptions that may have obscured your vision of life until today! A devotion is a divine action. Its profound dedication demonstrates the desire to be in service to God. Since it is God's desire for you to be happy, any time spent in devotion will be beneficial. Your devotion, as a demonstration of your willingness to embrace new concepts and to undertake behaviors that support those concepts, will ultimately result in your happiness. When you are actively, willingly devoted to seeking a "good thing," the Divine Intelligence of life will guide, support, and reward you. I am excited! It is exciting to be alive in a time when people are actively, willingly, and devotedly seeking ways to be of greater service and create more love in our collective experience. I can hardly wait to see the good, the joy, and the peace that we can create. I am so grateful to be in support of and of service to you as you undertake this journey. Because I know that "where two or more are gathered" the Spirit of good is present, I believe that the things upon which we focus our hearts and minds will reap bountiful results. So, here's to your personal strength and your peace of mind, through the elimination of all things that hindered or denied our collective power and greatness -- Until Today! Be Blessed! Iyanla

Let God help you win the war on worry and receive the lasting peace of Christ so you can experience freedom and joy. Does the uncertainty and chaos of life keep you up at night Is irrational anxiety your constant companion We all experience anxiety, but we don't have to let worry and fear control our lives. In Anxious for Nothing, from New York Times bestselling author, Max Lucado, provides you with a roadmap for coping with and healing from anxiety. Complete with Lucado's signature storytelling and relatable anecdotes, this book invites you to study Philippians 4:6-7--the most highlighted passage of the Bible and any book on the planet according to Amazon. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." In Anxious for Nothing you will experience CALM as Max encourages you to: Celebrate God's goodness Ask God for help Leave your concerns with God Meditate on good things Stop letting anxiety rule the day. Join Max on the journey to true freedom and experience more peace, joy, clarity, physical renewal, and contentment by the power of the Holy Spirit. Look for additional inspirational books and audio products from Max: He Gets Us Calm Moments for Anxious Days Help Is Here

USA TODAY, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, AND ECPA BESTSELLER • The author of Radical takes readers on a soul-searching journey through impoverished villages in the Himalayan mountains, daring them to make a difference in a world of urgent need, starting right where they live. “Grippingly vulnerable and unforgettable. I could not put this book down.”—Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts While leading a team on a week-long trek of the Himalayas, bestselling author and pastor David Platt was stunned by the human needs he encountered, an experience so dramatic that it "changed the trajectory of my life." Meeting a man who'd lost his eye from a simple infection and seeing the faces of girls stolen from their families and trafficked in the cities, along with other unforgettable encounters, opened his eyes to the people behind the statistics and compelled him to wrestle with his assumptions about faith. In Something Needs to Change, Platt invites readers to come along on both the adventure of the trek, as well as the adventure of seeking answers to tough questions like, "Where is God in the middle of suffering?" "What makes my religion any better than someone else's religion?" and "What do I believe about eternal suffering?" Platt has crafted an irresistible message about what it means to give your life for the gospel--to finally stop talking about faith and truly start living it. Praise for Something Needs to Change “Rugged. Authentic. Gritty. Real. Worshipful. There are no other books like this one. I always pick up David’s books with a sense of excitement and, quite honestly, apprehension—because I know that areas of compromise and complacency in my life are going to be exposed. But this book exceeded even my high expectations, for which I am grateful. And so will you be. As David writes, it’s time to run, not walk. Let’s go.”—J. D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention “Extraordinary and challenging. I’ve just never read a book like this before. I am so moved. Bring your full heart to this story and watch how God opens your eyes, changes your mind, and broadens the dreams you have for your life.”—Annie F. Downs, best-selling author of 100 Days to Brave and Remember God “If you dare to read this book, you might just have an unexpected encounter with Jesus that leaves you weeping on the floor, as David’s experience did. Something changes within us when the seemingly overwhelming needs of the world present themselves simply in the life of a single person. Ultimately, I pray your compassion will be transformed to action.”—Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, president and CEO of Compassion International