Showing results by narrator "Lauren Pedersen" in All Categories

Do you want a life full of meaning, security and peace? I’ve got good news - there is someone who can give that to you, and he’s standing very close to you right now. The world around you may say God isn’t real, and nobody matters - we’re all here by chance. But deep inside, you feel your life does have meaning. You matter. And you are right! The good news is this - God is real and he loves you more than you know.

When her sister, the only family she had left, is murdered by a serial killer stalking the women of Misty Hollow, Madison Everton is determined to find the killer’s identity. Women are being abducted and held for three days before their bodies are dumped, and the women all hold a strong resemblance to Madison. Will she find him before he finds her?

Moms, get ready to reclaim your grace with this tender collection of stories, vibrantly recounted by two women working to embrace God's presence during their own parenting journeys. Each narrative reflection opens with scripture and concludes with a practice or questions to ponder, followed by a prayer. Spanning infancy to early childhood, The Beauty of Motherhood encourages mothers and caregivers to take a deep breath and find the holy in those everyday moments that inspire laughter, frustration, and awe.

Tricia Troyer is thrilled when Brandt Massey, her cousin's English friend, joins the Troyers's holiday gathering for the second year in a row. When Brandt asks Tricia to be his girlfriend, they both know she'll have important choices to make about her future. But the two aren't as different as some believe-and with open hearts and understanding, their very own Christmas miracle just might be possible . . .

Public Relations specialist Hallie Nichols returns home to Village Green, determined to stay just long enough to make living arrangements for her aging mother while avoiding the rejection and painful memories of her past—specifically her ex-boyfriend, banker Trey Gunther. Irked to find Hallie unrepentant for the hurt she caused him ten years ago, Trey dishes a little payback by mandating she meet with him weekly about her mother's finances. His plan backfires when his old attraction to Hallie flares.

Sarajane Giere offers a uniquely intimate glimpse into the life of a military wife, as she tells the story of her fighter pilot husband, Bernie, a Vietnam Veteran who flew 214 combat missions in the Vietnam War and served 25 years in the Air National Guard's world-class 106th Rescue Wing.

Life has not been easy for Marta and her daughter, Jannah. On the brink of losing her home and suffering from a broken heart, Marta has lost all hope. James has never gotten over the fact that he wasn’t able to be a father to his own daughter. When he became Marta’s next-door neighbor years later, he was overjoyed to finally be the father he always wanted to be and has worked on building a relationship with Marta and Jannah ever since. Will he ever have the heart to connect Marta with the biological mother she has never known?

Englischer Marcy Sutton flees her home in Ohio when problems caused by her husband Scott’s gambling addiction wreak havoc. She takes her two young children to stay at a friend’s lakeside cabin in Indiana, but on the way, the car breaks down, and they are stranded in a blizzard. Marcy and her children seek shelter with Hester and Gideon’s Amish family, whose simple way of life reminds Marcy of the true meaning of the Christmas season.

Misty Dawn has inherited her grandmothers old house in Small Town USA. There she meets up with Carl, her new realtor and others who learn that childhood teachings were more than just stories! As a freak lightning storm ravages the city, Misty learns the Rapture has taken place before her very eyes and she has been left behind. The group struggle to survive the End Time as plague after plague is unleashed upon the Planet. Only faith will get them through as they endure the pain and agony of the Apocalypse. Misty mourns loss after loss until she comes to her breaking point.

Shiloh Sloan, the girl from the wrong side of the bridge. The girl shunned because of accusations she’d made against the town’s star football player. Now, she’s returned to teach the children of the people who had turned their backs on her in hopes of showing them how wrong they were.

During the last two decades, there has been much scholarly and popular interest in the financialization of the American economy-why the turn to finance has taken place, what constituted it, and what has come out of it. In Disembedded, Basak Kus draws from the theories of Karl Polanyi-one of the greatest and most influential political economists of the twentieth century-to answer these questions.

Delaney Cooper receives a text from her identical twin sister, Danica, saying she’s in trouble. Again. Except this time, she doesn’t want help. She wants her sister to stay out of it. The trouble was too great this time. Remembering they’d vacationed often in Misty Hollow as children, and her sister often mentioned how much she wanted to go back, Delaney (Delly) packs up the camper and heads out to find her sister before their mother returns from her cruise. She had no idea exactly how bad the trouble following her sister was.

In Scientific Americans, Susan Branson explores the place of science and technology in American efforts to achieve cultural independence from Europe and America's nation building in the early republic and antebellum eras. This engaging tour of scientific education and practices among ordinary citizens charts the development of nationalism and national identity alongside roads, rails, and machines.

Mitch Calloway had served as a youth minister at mega-church, White Hills Bible Church for 10 years, and while he loved his job, he longed to pastor his own congregation. So when the opportunity came to interview for the position of pastor of the historic Mercy Fellowship in Shadow Glenn, Massachusetts, he knew it was God's call.

Pastor Zeal Cooley lifted the crate and looked in the direction of the wooded area around the side door of the church. He nearly called out, "Anybody there?" But he decided against it. He carried the crate inside, past the pulpit and into the office, and set the wooden box on Tillie's desk, then waited for her to finish her phone call.

Marley Brooks is used to receiving fan mail, but when letters from one particular fan take a dangerous turn and a coworker is killed, she leaves her job and flees to Misty Hollow. Her desire to hide doesn’t come easy, as even the people in this remote mountain town recognize her. The letters continue, and Marley enlists the help of local farmer Dirk Mason, former military police.

No longer having carpet in your bathroom. Losing a job, finding a calling. Listening to elk bugle. Planting a garden. Discovering dyslexia in a child. Moving out of your in-laws’ house. Game nights with married children. Rest and nature walks. Unexpected time with grandmother. Teaching kids to fish and not to panic. Zoom for visiting, schooling, worshiping, celebrating, working. These are victories under any circumstances, but especially so under the murky, heavy clouds that 2020 forced on us. Here is proof that hope illuminated the darkness of even our worst days.

Duncan McCammon receives a text for help from his sister. When he arrives at her house, he discovers her gone and her husband murdered. Detective Kennedy Sparks arrives on the scene. As the two investigate, they are drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse where Duncan's long ago rock-climbing buddies are killed off one by one. The killer is following the plot of one of Duncan's books based on an unfortunate accident that had happened years before - a plot that would result in the woman Duncan loved being murdered.

Matt heaved a forkful of hay down just as the barn door opened, and a shadowed figure entered. He heard an unfamiliar cry of bewildered irritation that did not belong to one of his seven younger brothers or sisters. This was a woman’s voice - young, and most definitely annoyed. In an instant, Matt was brushing hay off a young woman’s shoulders. She wore a pale yellow dress dotted with yellow and green flowers with stylish puffed sleeves and a nipped-in waist that flattered her petite figure.

Every era has its challenges, but ours seem to be majoring in anxiety. Bombarded (via screens) by constant global conflicts, rancorous politics, and church scandals, today we endure seemingly endless external stressors. The reasons are easy to find—division in politics and the pews, caring for kids or aging parents, and the rapid impact of social media on our psyches, to name a few. While exploring these origins may hold some benefit, Sara Billups is concerned with right now: How do we live well in the presence of pervasive personal and collective anxiety?