Recommendations based on "Life After Suffering: A Memoir of Subversive Hope"

Beneath the surface we are all connected . . .This is a meditation on the power of creative connection. Drawing on twenty years’ experience as a writer and performer, Kae Tempest explores how and why creativity – however we choose to practise it – can cultivate greater self-awareness and help us establish a deeper relationship to ourselves and the world.Honest, tender and written with piercing clarity, On Connection is a call to arms that speaks to a universal yet intimate truth.

What if you could change your life, simply by changing the way you see it? Ignite your inner magnetism and attract the successful, vibrant life you deserve with this powerful guide to becoming your most magnetic self. We each hold the power to attract the life we want, the one we deserve, the one we dream of. Yet so many of us get stuck in a cycle of self-doubt, insecurities, and old patterns of behavior that hold us back. Through simple guiding principles and practical exercises, Amber Lyon shows you how to embrace your true worth, surrender the doubts that have held you back and enhance your inner magnetism.  You are a Magnet shares powerful magnetic mindset shifts, that will change your perspective on yourself, your life and what’s possible for you. With each principle you will learn how to navigate self doubt, set a clear vision for whats next and learn how to make that vision a tangible reality.  What if you could change your life, simply by changing the way you see it?  Through her four-part framework: Alchemizing Fear, Cultivating Courage, The Magnetic Mindset, and Living Through Joy — you will be guided along the journey of seeing your life through new eyes and learn to align your thoughts and behaviors with your untapped potential.    

"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.

“To me, hard times are like hide-and-seek—where is the solution, where is the hope? We can never give up looking for these things because they are just waiting to be found.” —Gidon Lev On May 8, 1945, when he was just ten years old, Gidon Lev was liberated from a Nazi concentration camp after four nightmarish years. Twenty-six family members, including Gidon’s beloved father and grandparents, were murdered in the Holocaust. Only Gidon and his mother survived. From the depths of despair, a little boy who had lost so much was determined to build a life filled with adventure and love. And that is exactly what he did. Today, a spritely and cheerful octogenarian and father of six, Gidon speaks to celebrities and diplomats all over the world and has taken social media by storm—all with his signature candor, charm, and wisdom. Just what makes this Holocaust survivor, rascal, and dogged optimist tick? Sharing remarkable stories from his extraordinary life, Lev reveals his secrets of happiness and fulfillment. From reconciling with the sometimes painful past to embracing this singular gift called life, Gidon has never taken a day of his life for granted—and neither should we. “You don’t get the life you want,” Gidon says, “you get the life that you get.” Let’s Make Things Better is the story of an indomitable spirit whose cheerful determination to never give up is just what we need during these uncertain times. Now more than ever, Gidon Lev has important lessons for us all about life and how to live it well: having the courage to stand up to hate, living for the moment, believing in ourselves, nurturing loving and caring relationships, and always, always believing that a better world is something worth fighting for.  

Daily meditations taken from the works of an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and preacher who has articulated what he sees with a freshness and clarity and energy that hails our stultified imaginations.

There is a divine restlessness in the human heart, our eternal echo of longing that lives deep within us and never lets us settle for what we have or where we are.In this exquisitely crafted and inspirational book, John O'Donohue, author of the bestseller Anam Cara, explores the most basic of human desires - the desire to belong, a desire that constantly draws us toward new possibilities of self-discovery, friendship, and creativity.

Do you feel like you're living busily but not abundantly? Are you struggling to find balance in life? Have you ever felt like you've reached your capacity and just need a break?Bestselling author Alli Worthington dismantles common happiness myths and empowers you to rediscover your God-given purpose. In ten succinct chapters, Alli breaks apart the sources of our stress and tackles major topics like relationships, calling, traditions, and decisions. With her trademark candor, practicality, and uproarious true stories, she will help you: Find your peace in a world of worry. Find your rhythm in a world that's constantly overwhelmed. Find God's best in a world over-packed with options. Find your groove in a world of high expectations. Find your purpose in a world of striving. Whether you're a harried mom of four or a high-level executive, Alli models real-life guidance on boundaries, relationships, and self-care, humbly examining her own mistakes and walking through how she learned from her missteps and found peace in a world of busyness.

"I am grateful to Lewis for having the courage to yell, to doubt, to kick at God in angry violence. This is a part of a healthy grief which is not often encouraged." - Madeline L'Engle?Written with love, humility, and faith, this brief but poignant volume was first published under a pseudonym, as it was considered too raw. Written moment-to-moment as Lewis processed the loss of his wife to cancer, this is more than a mere book on grief, but a visceral hand outstretched in the darkness, a reluctant guide through the "mad midnight moments" of mourning and loss. ?Key learnings that Lewis discusses are:· Pain is instrumental in the process of spiritual growth· Through hardship we often gain the best wisdom· Memories are treasures that will comfort you tomorrowThis work inspired the award-winning film The Shadowlands, starring Anthony Hopkins.? Writing A Grief Observed as "a defense against total collapse, a safety valve," he came to recognize that "bereavement is a universal and integral part of our experience of love." A Grief Observed reminds us that, “Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape.”

“Everything starts with one person . . . I don’t care if you’re 5 or 105, God from all eternity chose you to be where you are, at this time in history, to change the world.” “If you are following God, He never shows you the end. It’s always a walk of faith.” “Faith is one foot on the ground, one foot in the air, and a queasy feeling in the stomach.” —Mother Angelica Are you unsure of your purpose in life? Stuck in the past and worried about the future? Hamstrung by fear, failure, or trials? Mother is here to help. For more than twenty-five years, Mother Angelica has dispensed spiritual wisdom and practical advice to millions around the globe through her lively broadcasts on EWTN. Now she shares with you her personal life lessons and hilarious counsel as never before. Raymond Arroyo, author of the bestselling biography of Mother Angelica, has assembled an inspiring collection of her powerful insights, comic musings, and no-nonsense guidance for everyday living. Culled from never-before-seen interviews, private conversations, and recorded lessons not heard in over thirty years, to which Arroyo had exclusive access, these selections capture Mother Angelica’s spunky spirit and profound wisdom at their zenith. In Mother Angelica’s Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality, the beloved nun is your personal mentor. Together you’ll discover: How to find God’s Will in your life How to pursue inspirations fearlessly How to make sense of pain and suffering How to spiritually overcome personal faults and trials Created in cooperation with Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, this devotional treasury is accompanied by original prayers from Mother Angelica’s private collection. Within are the meditations, personal beliefs, and pithy life lessons that transformed a disabled child of divorce into Mother Angelica, founder and CEO of the world’s largest religious media empire. Packed with real-world hope, this little book is sure to transform your life in a big way. A portion of the proceeds of this book goes to support the work of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery

Laura Sobiech tells the amazing story of how God used her son’s battle with cancer to touch the lives of millions.“Okay, Lord, you can have him. But if he must die, I want it to be for something big. I want someone’s life to be changed forever.”This is what Laura Sobeich prayed when she found out her seventeen-year-old son had only one year to live. With this desperate prayer, she released her son to God’s will.At that point, Zach Sobiech was just another teenager battling cancer. When his mother told him to think about writing good-bye letters to family and friends, he decided instead to write songs. One of them, “Clouds,” captured hearts and changed not one life but millions, making him an international sensation.But Zach’s story is not just about music. It’s a testament to what can happen when you live as if each day might be your last. It’s a story about the human spirit. It’s about how God used a dying boy from a small town in Minnesota to touch the hearts of millions—including top executives in the music industry, major music artists, news anchors, talk show hosts, actors, priests and pastors, and school children across the globe.Zach once said, “I want to be known as the kid who went down fighting, and didn’t really lose.” Fly a Little Higher is about how God used Zach to do something big.