Showing results by narrator "Jacob" in All Categories

In fifty-six short narratives, Gospel Stories explores the beautiful, triumphant, often heartbreaking and always glorious stories that make up the gospel of God—Gospel Stories. Just as we have one God in three persons, and one church made up of many people, so in Scripture we have one gospel made up of many stories. Inside readers will rediscover the glorious mission of God, freedom from sin, and how the promises of God never fail.

A short story from the NYT best-selling author of the Shacking Up series about a road trip that started with a broken-down car and ended with a questionable motel, an indoor campout, and a set of Kama Sutra sheets.

You have the right to remain sexy. Anything you say can and will be used to get you in my bed. You have the right to use my body to give yourself a delirious, life-changing orgasm. If you have trouble...don't worry, I'm a bit of an expert in that department.

Bonnie Lincoln just wants to be left alone. To come home from work, shut out the voice that reminds her of some devastating losses, and unwind in front of the nostalgic, golden glow of her favorite TV show, Three's Company. When Bonnie wins the lottery, a more grandiose vision—to completely shuck off her own troublesome identity—takes shape. She plans a drastic move to an isolated mountain retreat where she can re-create the iconic apartment set of Three's Company and slip into the lives of its main characters.

Sara suffered a debilitating fear of asserting herself. Spencer experienced crippling social anxiety. Bonnie was shut down, disconnected from her feelings. These patients all came to psychotherapist Hilary Jacobs Hendel seeking treatment for depression, but in fact none of them were chemically depressed. Rather, Jacobs Hendel found that they’d all experienced traumas in their youth that caused them to put up emotional defenses that masqueraded as symptoms of depression. Jacobs Hendel led these patients and others toward lives newly capable of joy and fulfillment....

Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Now all they have in common is Carlton High and the beginning of a very bad day. So when the three unexpectedly run into each other, they decide to avoid their problems by ditching. Just the three of them, like old times. Except they’ve barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say...until they spot another Carlton High student skipping school - and follow him to the scene of his own murder. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it’s about to get worse.

The last time I saw Cade Whitley, I was the curvy, nerdy girl who tutored him in math. He was the popular boy who only saw me as a friend. Now he’s the CEO of the competition. The second we meet again, we start pushing each other’s buttons…then end up flirting.

Mona is a smart girl and figured everything out a long time ago. She had to. She didn’t have a choice. When your parents are uber-celebrities and you graduate from high school at 15, finish college at 18, and start your PhD program at 19, you don’t have time for distractions outside of your foci. Even fun is scheduled. Which is why Abram, her brother’s best friend, is such an irritant. Abram is a talented guy, a supremely gifted musician, and has absolutely nothing figured out, nor does he seem to care.

I can’t date Dean Madden. He’s a bad boy and my older brother’s best friend. So what if I pretended he was my fake boyfriend in high school? That was a long time ago, and he never has to know. We’re both grown up now. It’s never going to happen. Until one hot weekend when everything happens. Now Dean has made a bet with me: Four weeks of dating, and whoever gets dumped first loses. In order to win, I just have to date him. And the more dates we go on, the more I see the things Dean hides from the rest of the world. This might be crazy.

A. J. Jacobs tackles his most challenging experiment yet: a yearlong mission to radically improve every element of his body and mind - from his brain to his fingertips to his abs. First, he had to tackle a complicated web of diet and exercise advice, most which is nonsensical, unproven, and contradictory. Second, he had to consult a team of medical advisers. And finally, he had to subject himself, over the course of two years, to a grueling regimen of exercises and a range of diets and nutritional plans.

She was supposed to save me. In a twist of fate, I rescued her. Since then, I've lived for her, breathed for her, overreached with my love. She's still here, so I must be doing something right. But now I want more. Except, a dangerous secret from my past threatens to come between us, forcing me to confront what kind of man I am. And whether I'm the one who can save our future. Or whether fate has other plans for us.

Recovering drug addict Quincy Gritt has fought his demons. He’s confessed to his crimes and conquered his addictions. He’s finally ready to go after sweet, sexy Roni, the gorgeous brunette who won a date with him in a charity auction five months ago and has been putting him off, and driving him wild, ever since.

I’ve tried to like Adrian Savage, the mercurial frontman for Fugitive Summer, while serving as his band’s opening act on tour. We’re stuck together for three months, after all. And I’m well aware I’m lucky to be here. But it’s proved impossible. He’s far too rude and dismissive a guy to get along with. And way too good at getting under my skin. In fact, at this point, I think it’s fair to say I downright hate his guts.

Lincoln Reeves may be a pro golfer and revered swing coach, but when I met him, he was just one more person telling me I wasn’t good enough. So, I did what any girl in my position would do. I told him to get lost and take his arrogant, annoying smirk with him. I never expected to see him again. I certainly didn’t expect to run into him that same night after one too many tequila shots.

What if you could stop eating, stop working at a bad job, stop a bad relationship - stop anything when you have had enough? Understanding WHY you eat can lead to real and lasting change - both in weight loss and all other areas of life. In You Are Why You Eat food becomes a digestible metaphor. Most of us are unable to walk away - from a plate of food or a bad situation. But instead of staying and trying to please others all the time, what would happen if you listened to your inner voice?

Springtime has arrived at Silverlake Forest! Buds are blooming on trees and the air smells of honeysuckles. Sophie Mouse can't wait to go back to school after the long winter break. But she and her friends are in for a surprise when they learn that they're getting a new classmate . . . and he's a snake! The animals have only heard about snakes in scary stories. Will Sophie overcome her fears and befriend Owen, the snake? Or are the rumors true, after all?

Winning has always come naturally for stud ice hockey defenseman Gus "the Bus" Persson. On the ice or off, he's never had any trouble scoring, racking up goals - and girls. As the best player in his rookie class and the number-one draft pick of the Malibu Suns, he's taking his game to the next level and is justifiably full of swagger. So why does one of the Suns' ice girls treat him like he's invisible?

A new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatization of Neil Gaiman's best-selling 2006 novel about Fat Charlie Nancy and his spider God father and brother taking over his life, and generally doing a better job of it than him. But will Charlie be able to get his life back without entering a whole new world of pain? Charlie Nancy first appeared in Neil Gaiman's American Gods, now a hit TV series.

Best friends aren’t supposed to kiss. But these best friends did. He can’t get the taste of her lips off his mind. She can’t let go of the guilt from her mistake. He wants to be good enough for her. She wishes life were different. He’s the bad boy reject. She’s the girl next door. When opposites attract, they collide and create an explosion that can’t be ignored. Is it possible to be madly in love with your best friend?

Historian Michael Haykin stokes a passion for revival by investigating the history of spiritual renewal in the Reformed tradition. After examining the Holy Spirit's outpourings during the Reformation and English Puritanism, Haykin focuses on two remarkable moments of renewal in the eighteenth century: the Great Awakening and the revival of the Particular Baptists in the British and Irish islands.