Showing results by narrator "Carla Mercer-Meyers" in All Categories

There are so many moments in life when we choose to silence our intuition, abandon our own voice, and play small because we wonder, deep down: "Do I know who I really am? Is who I really am enough?" It's courageous work to learn to live from our essential identity - loved, worthy, whole. But what if God is calling us to shamelessly recover the woman he created us to be? What if God is urging us to be - for the first time in our lives - brazen?

Let's be honest. The journey to discovering Jesus - Real Jesus - can be complicated, messy, and a little crazy. Just ask Jami Amerine. Banned from the Mormon church as a child, she's spent the rest of her life trying to reconcile Fifth-Grade Jesus, Catholic Jesus, and Americanized Jesus (just to name a few). But when she met Real Jesus, everything changed. You can meet Him, too - right here, just as you are.

God delights in transforming lives. In Broken into Beautiful, singer and songwriter Gwen Smith's first book, she tells the real-life stories of women with shattered dreams, shameful secrets, and damaged souls and the God who makes them beautiful again. Each chapter features a compelling personal story coupled with relevant biblical teaching and application. Listeners will meet women wounded by infidelity, abortion, widowhood, abuse, and other tragic events, only to discover the joy of being restored by a loving heavenly Father.

Sarah Ivill contends, “As we study prayer through the lens of the unfolding story of Scripture, it will teach us how to pray, but more importantly it will reveal the Covenant God to whom we pray.” And such an endeavor provides the foundation and motivation necessary to enrich our prayer life. See how Old Testament prayers find their fulfillment and transformation in Christ. Discover boldness and joy in prayer because Christ is the high priest who gives us access to the throne of grace. Moreover, look forward to an eternity in which our prayers will consist of unhindered praise.

Many believers know in their heads that God cares about them. But it's hard to hold that truth in your heart when you're worn out and weary from the mundane, everyday battles and struggles - when you lose your temper again or give into that persistent temptation or feel paralyzed by overwhelming circumstances. The truth is that the Holy Spirit is right there - waiting for you to let him help. With warmth and encouragement, Sarah Bowling shows how he longs to be part of every situation you face in life.

Jami Amerine, author of Stolen Jesus, returns with a totally relatable account of her experiences as a mom. She's eager to help you see how to let your Heavenly Father parent you so you can embrace peace as you parent. Come find the miracle in the mayhem and meet the one whose presence turns sticky floors into sacred ground.

In The Happy Traveler: Unpacking the Secrets of Better Vacations, psychology professor Dr. Jaime Kurtz applies the large and ever-growing body of research on happiness and decision-making to enhance the experience of travel. An avid explorer, study abroad instructor, teacher, and happiness researcher, Dr. Kurtz shows how anyone who has a vacation in his or her future can create the most meaningful, fulfilling, and joyful experiences possible.

None of us wants to be sidelined, stuck, shamed, or silenced. But the difficulties of life have a way of putting us in a corner, and we don't know how to move forward. We see brokenness in our communities, our relationships, and our spirits. It's so easy to blame ourselves or our circumstances, to get bogged down in discouragement and toxic thinking. But that's not what we were meant for, and that's not how God wants us to live.

An engaging and accessible guide to the Bible’s teaching on miracles and whether they happen today.

Emma Sharpe, granddaughter of world-renowned art detective Wendell Sharpe, is a handpicked member of a small Boston-based FBI team. For the past decade Emma and her grandfather have been trailing an elusive serial art thief. The first heist was in Ireland, where an ancient Celtic cross was stolen. Now the Sharpes receive a replica of the cross after every new theft - reminding them of their continued failure to capture their prey.

Celebrated doula, healer, yoga teacher, and parenting coach Lori Bregman brings a holistic guide to being a more balanced, authentic, and joyful mother. Introducing the "five expressions of motherhood" - Action Mama, Flow Mama, Rebel Mama, Vulnerable Mama, and Free Mama - Lori offers supportive advice, exercises, meditations, and yoga practices to cultivate a healthy balanced life and stronger bonds. Accessible and encouraging, Mamaste provides foundational tools for parenting, relatable examples, and exercises to build self-awareness and mindfulness.

Kara Tippetts discovered how to find joy in the small moments of life. She learned how to hold tight to hope, even while battling intense physical and emotional pain. And she lived out the truth that God can redeem any story. In her final book, Kara offers gentle reflections on living and dying well. She invites us to cultivate soft hearts, even when we face great disappointment. Her ideas for living are hard-won, wrestled with in the crucible of family, illness, and faith.

Clementine DeVore spent 10 years trapped in a cellar, pinned down by willow roots, silenced and forgotten. Now she's out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why. When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for 10 years, until a boy named Fisher set her free.

When Lexi Burke escaped the remnants of a cold winter in Chicago, it wasn't a random vacation. She left the hectic pace of Burke Enterprises behind with enough money to retire at age 32, intent on settling into the idyllic island life... until she met local photographer Derek Mitchell - a talented man with a grudge against rich tourists. From art night to snorkeling lessons, hiking, and chopping coconuts, Lexi can't talk herself out of spending time with the handsome, hardworking man who knows the value of every dollar. She also can't find a way to tell him the truth about herself.

The Maiden Thief by multiple NYT and internationally best-selling author Melissa Marr is a dark fantasy novelette about a teenager whose town is plagued by the annual disappearances of girls and young women.

At age 12, Ashlee Nichols fell in love with her brother's best friend, Beau Jacobsen. Everyone thought she was cute, and that her crush was simply a crush. But her young heart had known he was the one, and she had planned on marrying him as soon as she was old enough. Unfortunately, when she confessed her feelings to Beau, he'd laughed, patted her on the head and told her he was flattered. Sure, Beau had been 22 at the time, but she knew she wouldn't always be a little girl. Just when she turned 18 and was finally old enough to date him, Beau joined the Army and was deployed to Afghanistan.

André Brink - "one of South Africa's greatest novelists" (the Telegraph) - gives us his most powerful novel yet; the truly unforgettable story of a female slave, and her fierce determination to survive and to be free. It is 1832 in South Africa, the year before slavery is abolished and the slaves are emancipated. Philida is the mother of four children by Francois Brink, the son of her master. When Francois's father orders him to marry a woman from a prominent Cape Town family, Francois reneges on his promise to give Philida her freedom....

Ten years ago, Stacy Buchanan's mother—the mayor—was found dead in Coldwater Cove, Maine. Her death was ruled an accident, but Stacy never got over the feeling that something was off. Her father's health takes a turn for the worse, and she is forced to pass up a dream job to return to the cove. After Stacy finds a key piece of evidence that proves her mother's death was no accident, the case gets reopened. She can't move on with her life or find closure until justice is served, but a desperate killer is still out there and will do anything to keep the truth buried in the past.

A Nor'easter is predicted in Coldwater Cove and storm chaser Emma Ross is desperate to improve warning times with her research so no one has to live through what she did. Armed with her equipment, she sets out to capture the storm, but captures a group of men and girls crossing the frozen ice instead. When she tries to help, they shoot at her. Navy SEAL Gunner Nash is on leave, choosing the cove for its lack of tourists in the harsh winter months as his destination. After three tours of duty, he prefers to be alone. While ice fishing, he hears the shot and discovers a wounded Emma.

Greta loves her job as assistant librarian. She loves her best friend, Will, the high school civics teacher and debate coach. She even loves her mother despite her obvious disappointment that Greta is still single. Then she meets Mac in the poetry section of the library, and she is smitten. Mac is heart-stoppingly gorgeous and showers her with affection - poetic text messages, and free hot chocolate at the local café where he works. The only problem is that he seems to be a different person in his texts than in his face-to-face conversation.