Showing results by narrator "Pam Turlow" in All Categories

"Thank goodness you're such a plain child. You'll have to rely on your wits." So went the words of Grandma Bebe. And for all of my growing-up years, I scoffed at the beauty of my sister and what I saw as her meaningless existence. But my wits hadn't served me well in this instance, for here I was, in jail. And while I could have seen it as carrying on the family tradition (Grandma Bebe landed in jail for her support of Prohibition), the truth is, my reasons for being here would probably break her heart."

When Lucia Coffey looks at her reflection, she sees fat and failure. When she looks at her sister, Sonia, she sees svelte and success. When she looks at God, she sees that divine love can't possibly be doled out equally. All her life, Lucia has coped by throwing herself into taking care of those who seem more worthy of God's goodness, and feeding the dreams she has buried alive. But when tragedy strikes Lucia's family, she meets Sullivan Crisp - a decidedly offbeat psychologist who is trying to cope with his own shattered past.

Tanwen doesn't just tell stories - she weaves them into crystallized sculptures that sell for more than a few bits. But the only way to escape the control of her cruel mentor and claw her way from poverty is to set her sights on something grander: becoming Royal Storyteller to the king. During her final story peddling tour, a tale of treason spills from her hands, threatening the king himself.

Christian college Professor Demitria Costanas had vowed to end her affair with a colleague. But she gives into temptation one last time...and a lurking photographer captures her weakness for all to see. Quite literally, she's the woman caught in adultery. And almost everyone - herself included - has a stone to throw. Enter Sullivan Crisp, a decidedly unorthodox psychologist with his own baggage. He's well-known for his quirky sense of humor and incorporation of "game show" theology into his counseling sessions. And yet there's something more he offers...hope for a fresh start.

Would you sacrifice your future... for an uncertain past? Gabriella and Evangelia Betarrini are just two normal American teenagers. Normal - except for the fact that they time travel to fourteenth-century Italy, where they’ve lived in castles, become swept up in historic battles, and fallen in love with handsome knights willing to do anything to keep them alive.

There's a secret in Grandma Rose's attic—a forgotten set of dog tags belonging to her first love. But David Hutchins was killed in action and never returned to Smitten. How did the dog tags end up in the attic? The mystery intrigues Rose's three granddaughters—Tess, Clare, and Zoe—and they decide to investigate, though their mother, Anna, warns against meddling. But as the seasons turn and the mystery unravels, the three young women and their mother encounter some intriguing mystery men of their own. Has a 60-year-old puzzle sparked something new for this close-knit family of women?

What if you not only fell back through time...but fell in love, too? Gabi knows she’s left her heart in the fourteenth century, and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, months have passed, and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence - while their enemies will go to great lengths to see them dead. Even in the midst of the battles, Gabi’s heart is increasingly drawn to Marcello, just as Lia’s is to Luca.

There is no one whose brokenness is too broken for God. We know this is true for our friends when we want to encourage them. Yet, when it comes to the places of out innermost sense of regret, we often wonder if it is really true that God can work all things together for good for those who love Him. Angie Smith is one who was quick to encourage a friend, but struggled to believe that God could truly make something spectacular out of her brokenness and disappointments.

From a challenge of faith to a means of transformation: Did God really say you couldn't eat from any tree in the garden? This seed of doubt planted so long ago bears the fruit of fear on some level every day - the idea that our actions could ruin something beautiful and God might not have control over things. In What Women Fear, acclaimed writer and speaker Angie Smith admits, "Fear is a major part of my testimony," as she talks openly about significant struggles she has experienced. Giving a voice to the problem, she says, "I truly believe every single one of us struggles with some type of fear...."

What do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world? Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaeologist parents. Stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds … until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in 14th-century Italy.

Yvette Manessis Corporon grew up listening to her grandmother's stories about how the people of the small Greek island Erikousa hid a Jewish family - a tailor named Savvas and his daughters - from the Nazis during World War II. Nearly 2,000 Jews from that area died in the concentration camps, but even though everyone on Erikousa knew Savvas and his family were hiding on the island, no one ever gave them up, and the family survived the war. Years later, Yvette decided to track down the man's descendants - and eventually found them in Israel.

Let me tell you all I know for sure. My name. Shauna. I woke up in a hospital bed missing six months of my memory. In the room was my loving boyfriend - how could I have forgotten him? - my uncle and my abusive stepmother. Everyone blames me for the tragic car accident that left me near death and my dear brother brain damaged. But what they say can't be true - can it? I believe the medicine is doing strange things to my memory. I'm unsure who I can trust and who I should run from. And I'm starting to remember things I've never known. Things not about me. I think I'm going crazy.

Angie Smith was 18 weeks pregnant with her fourth daughter, Audrey Caroline, when doctors discovered conditions leaving Audrey "incompatible with life". Faced with the decision whether to terminate the pregnancy, Angie and her husband chose to carry Audrey for as long as she had life. This began what turned out to be three months of loving and carrying a little girl that was not expected to live more than a few minutes.

Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only 17, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government's crooked justice system. But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall - her people's death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her Clock is running out.

Tanwen and the Corsyth weavers race to collect the strands of an ancient cure that might save Gryfelle. But Tanwen has a secret: Gryfelle isn't the only one afflicted by the weaver's curse. As Queen Braith struggles to assert her rule, a new arrival throws her tenuous claim to the Tirian throne into question. Braith's heart is turned upside down, and she's not sure she can trust anyone - least of all herself. The puppet master behind Gareth's rise to power has designs on the story weavers and will stop at nothing to reclaim the throne.

Starting over in a new Amish community after suffering terrible heartbreak has been going good for Jonah Miller, until his heart takes another terrible hit. Elaine Schrock loves Jonah, but she feels she must dedicate herself to taking care of her grandmother. Jonah doesn't know if he can risk loving a third time.

Ryan Coe feels lost. Her marriage is over, her kids are living with their dad, her God-life is silent, and her patience is practically nonexistent. To top it off, her once exciting job as a photojournalist has been reduced to taking pictures of enchilada festivals and B-level actors. But when she arrives at the scene of a crime and sees her son’s face through her zoom lens, her world crashes. Her only mission: to find out who really did this and why they framed her.

A shark attack is no match for God's plan and providence. When 13-year-old surfer Bethany Hamilton lost her arm in a shark attack, the media spotlight turned her quiet life upside down. Many wondered how this rising star would find the inner strength to press on and realize her pro surfing ambitions. Would she be able to adapt her surfing style to compete?

In the wake of a deadly coup, the capital city of Urian has descended into chaos. Heartbreak and bloodshed await Tanwen and her friends as they discover the unlikeliest leader now rules Tir. If they want to save the realm, Tannie and the Corsyth weavers must rescue Queen Braith and unmask the Master, ending the strife once and for all. But the success of their hunt depends upon an ally no one trusts.

Priscilla Herschberger and Elam Gingerich, a childhood friend from her Amish community, have been courting for a while, but a marriage proposal still seems to be in the distant future. David Morgan, an outsider raised in the modern world, often visits his grandparents in the area. He and Priscilla become fast friends, and David starts to research more about the Amish faith.