Contemporary Religion

Drawn to the lakes and peaks of the Cumberland Mountains of East Tennessee by the need to recover from the blow life has dealt her, Samantha Hill seeks to set her new priorities now that she has been denied what could've been and certainly should've been. All Matt Landry wants is two weeks off by himself hiking and fishing, during which he hopes to regain his hold on what is important in his life going forward.

All Helena really wants is a better life for her 12-year-old son, Luke. To do that, she needs to get him into a good school, which isn’t easy to do when you are a single mother and a Catholic in a near-future United States where there is no more separation between church and state. States, even neighborhoods, are divided along religious lines, and Helena faces discrimination everywhere she goes. Adam, a teenager from her congregation, convinces Helena to leave everything behind and take him and her son across the new American landscape to New Secular City.

Though her B&B/Antiques business has fallen off, Billie D'Allesandro doesn't let it dampen her spirits. At forty, she no longer entertains any notions about falling in love and living happily ever after. Instead, she focuses on helping her friends and neighbors, giving generously of both her time and her money. When her niece arrives with her four-year-old twin daughters, Billie finds it a welcome distraction.

For twenty years I searched for my perfect true love. I failed miserably until I asked God to help. Miracles do really happen!

Seeking to leave her troubled past behind, nineteen-year-old Elizabeth Cameron decides to join a religious group in Belton, Texas, where she and her five-year-old Indian charge will be hidden from a cruel world. Former gunfighter and robber Caleb Martin will do anything for a governor's pardon, even if it means escorting an irritatingly prim young woman. After this assignment, he'll have his freedom. Yet along the way, he learns that there may be something he needs even more.

Understanding Maqasid al-Shariah calls for the development of a juridical sense that is finely tuned to the higher objectives and purposes of Islamic rulings, the aims of which are the formulation of a new methodology in understanding the revealed texts and the reform of Muslim thought and its application. The author draws attention to the importance of understanding various levels of maqasid, including distinguishing between primary aims (al-maqasid al-asliyyah) and secondary aims (al-maqasid al-tabi'ah).

Liam once approved of helping others, but not anymore. He lost his mother due to a crazed street person, and he's hardened his heart. Now a successful photographer, he’s returned to set up shop in his hometown - directly across the courtyard from his sister’s best friend. Zoe runs an outreach center and encourages the homeless and needy, especially at Christmas. Nursing a soft spot for Liam that started as a girlhood crush, she sets out to help him by creating her unique brand of encouragement cards. Her hope is to reignite the fire and love for Christmas and God that Liam once had.

Hannah seemingly has it all with her loving husband Samuel and a newborn on the way. But adversity soon hits as a drought in their Amish community puts a damper on their finances and their marriage. When Hannah's father suddenly dies, she realizes just how much he meant to her, but she's also forever grateful for everything he taught her in life.

Everyone in Hollybrook agrees Uriah Umble is bad news - except Beulah Yoder. Uriah certainly isn’t bad news for her. She loves him and will do anything for him - including sneak out of the house repeatedly to be with him. After months of this, she finally gets caught and the anvil falls. She is forbidden to ever see Uriah Umble again. Join Beulah as she struggles through unbearable circumstances. Feel her confusion and rejection and rejoice with her as she learns the true meaning of faith, forgiveness, and love.

“Ascolta il canto della vita. Non è un caos, è un cosmo. La felicità è uno stile di vita, non la conseguenza di un desiderio: è un’attitudine. Puoi essere felice qui ora: se riesci a essere in silenzio, consapevole della vita che ti circonda e che è anche dentro di te, sarai felice. Ogni cosa nell’esistenza è felice, ad eccezione di te. L’esistenza è felicità, è un’eterna celebrazione, è una festa.”

Deutschland in naher Zukunft. In der Politik gibt es eine Quote für Frauen mit Kopftüchern. Jesus-Statuen in Kirchen werden gegen geschlechtsneutrale Figuren mit Blumenkränzen ausgetauscht. An der Erdogan-Schule in Berlin haben alle Schüler*innen Migrationshintergrund. Zugleich verüben Rechtsradikale, die einen Staat im Staate schaffen wollen, mörderische Anschläge. Wegen der ungelösten Wohnungsnot werden Containersiedlungen errichtet, in denen die Unterschicht untergebracht ist. Und auf der internationalen Bühne greifen China und Russland nach der Weltherrschaft.

Ghost hunters, an exorcism, and a ghostly grey tabby Mad River welcomes a pair of ghost hunters and their television show to town only for a murder to occur as the cameras were rolling. Now Shelby's ghost friends are being accused of the dirty deed and the good reverend is calling for an exorcism. Can Shelby find the killer before the pastor exorcises her spirit friends away from the only homes and town they've ever known? Find out in the Mad River Mystery Series.

Be very Afraid when the Ghosts are Spooked! When Shelby's sister Harriet isn't acting herself and the ghosts of Mad River Old Town are in hiding, she knows something isn't quite right. Follow that with two inquisitive strangers, Shelby's in the fight for her sister's life. Just in time for Halloween! Join Shelby along with the ghosts of Mad River as they tackle an evil entity set to take over someone's body and soul.

Wyatt Galloway has a lot of things going for him in his life, but a woman is not one of them. He is focused on his career as a sheriff, setting his goals high for promotion. He has zero intention of falling in love with a woman; that is until he meets Breigh. Sweetness and beauty are not something he normally falls for, but she has him weak in the knees despite his resistance. Having had her heart broken, Breigh‘s sworn off men and wants to concentrate on being happy. Until she is in the right place at the wrong time.

La vie réglée d'une des filles Reich, famille juive ultra-orthodoxe de Jérusalem, bascule lorsque la brigade des mœurs, qui sévit clandestinement dans son quartier, la soupçonne d'être une femme adultère (en hébreu sotah). Prête à tout pour ne pas déshonorer sa famille, elle est contrainte de s'exiler. Dans le monde vertigineux de New York, ses convictions seront mises à l'épreuve. Comment redonner un sens à sa vie ? Ce roman, inspiré d'une histoire vraie, nous fait pénétrer au cœur d'une communauté qui vit au rythme de rites ancestraux.

Karen (8 Jahre) und David (6 Jahre) verbringen ihre Ferien in der Windmühle ihrer Tante Olga. Die ist ganz anders als andere Erwachsene. Schon dass sie in einer Windmühle wohnt, ihren alten, klapprigen Wagen "Garten" nennt und immer einen großen hellblauen Hut trägt, lässt darauf schließen, dass die Ferien keineswegs langweilig verlaufen. Neben allen Abenteuern lernen die beiden Kinder: Gott liebt mich, ich kann eine enge Beziehung zu ihm haben und jederzeit zu ihm beten.

There's something truly magical about Christmas. Filled with remarkable true stories of the kindness of strangers and the blessings of answered prayers, this collection with its small miracles truly captures the spirit of the season. These stories of hope, faith and joy are a moving tribute to the true meaning of Christmas and remind us all that the greatest gifts in life can't be gift-wrapped.

When rumors about an illicit union resurface for him, Ahmed, a psychiatrist, tries to kill the woman he loves and once treated as a patient. Selena is a Christian mystic, who will sacrifice true love for a more noble, virtuous, and spiritual ideal. What proceeds is an unconventional relationship eclipsed in time by the sacred. When Ahmed becomes aware of it, a tragic outcome is transcended. Both are forever changed by the experience.

Der Trapezkünstler Nico ging zum Magnesia-Behälter, rieb sich die Hände ein und murrte: "Ich weiß nicht, wie man jemanden trainiert, der unter dem speziellen Schutz der Obrigkeit steht!" Roby, das Zirkuskind, lachte und fügte dann ernst hinzu: "Der Schirm des Höchsten ist doch auch über dir..."

Joseph Woods has spiraled out of control with his addictions and mental illness. But one day, Joseph bumped into Matteus Anderson, an acupuncturist, and his life changed. Matteus asked him a question: "What is the purpose of your life?" As a result, Matteus unraveled a mystery for Joseph that would lead to sessions of acupuncture, meditation, and lively dreams.