Showing results by narrator "Ann Richardson" in All Categories

Marli Rivers’ signature carefree demeanor melts away when her sweet shop is hit with a series of fires, threats, and vandalism. Local firefighter, Jake Kline, steps in to help following the attacks, believing Marli is being targeted by an arsonist. Their professional relationship feels strained, at first, and she is less than thrilled that Jake is the one who’s investigating the fires. Marli perceives him as arrogant, but that perception quickly fades as he proves to be a trusted ally in the face of danger.

Perhaps you’re like me. Perhaps you originally came to Jesus and felt great freedom as He eased your load. But maybe, over the course of the journey with Him, your burdens piled up and you lost your joy. It happens so easily: we unconsciously lose our focus on Christ and begin to look to ourselves. We distractedly go through the routines of the “Christian life,” whatever that is, depending on our own strength, discipline, and works. When that happens, the world goes gray.

Parenting with Scripture is an easy-to-use topical resource for parents who want to make the most of teachable moments with their children. It is a guide to help you train your children in how to think and apply God's word in the day-to-day.

Listen to the fictionalized account of Kajsa Svensson Runeberg, an emigrant wife who recounts, through her diary, how she and her family built up a farm on the unsettled Kansas prairie from 1868 to 1888. This historical fiction is based on the actual Swedish woman who homesteaded the author's childhood home and is the first of the four book Butter in the Well series.

Before its foundation, America first flew the Appeal to Heaven flag. It was the banner George Washington used on his navy ships to signal that their only hope against British rule and religious persecution was an appeal to heaven. The crusade continues today. Sparked in part by a revelation Dutch Sheets received over the course of 12 years, the nation is being called back to prayer for a Third Great Awakening. As a result, pockets of revival are breaking out across the nation.

Freed from the hold of a slave ship, Birdie, the young Songkeeper, and Ky, a streetwise thief, emerge to a world at war. Hordes of dark soldiers march across Leira, shadowed by whispers of plague and massacres, prompting Ky to return to his besieged home city in hopes of leading his fellow runners to safety. Desperate to end the fighting, Birdie embarks on a dangerous mission into the heart of the Takhran's fortress.

Across twenty-five stories, Øyehaug renovates the form again and again, confirming Lydia Davis’s observation that her every story is “a formal surprise, smart and droll.” The stories converse with, contradict, and expand on one another; birds, hagfish, and wild beasts reappear, gnawing at the fringes. A section of a woman’s brain slips into the toilet bowl, removing her ability to remember or recognize types of birds (particularly problematic because she is an ornithologist). Medicinal leeches ingest information from fiberoptic cables, and a new museum sinks into the ground.

Saints are people too. The word saint conjures up images of superstar Christians revered for their spectacular acts and otherworldly piety. But when we take a closer look at the lives of these spiritual heavyweights, we learn that they also experienced struggle, doubt, and heartache. In fact, we learn that in many ways they're not all that different from you and me. Narrating her own winding pilgrimage through faith, Karen Marsh reveals surprising lessons in everyday spirituality from these "saints" - folks who lived and breathed, and failed and followed God.

Noted art historian Harriet F. Senie tackles pivotal subjects and more in Monumental Controversies. Senie places partisan politics aside as she investigates subjects that have not been adequately covered in classrooms or literature and require substantial reconciliation in order for Americans to come to terms with their history. She shines a spotlight on the complicated facts surrounding these figures, monuments, and sites, enabling us to revisit the flaws of our Founding Fathers and their checkered legacies while still recognizing their enormous importance and influence.

After a long journey through Norway, Ingrid has returned to Barrøy, the island that bears her family name. The Second World War still casts its long shadow: former collaborators face cold shoulders, while others wish to leave the painful years in the past. When a boy arrives on the island, Ingrid assumes responsibility for him, and so he joins the Barrøy community, raised alongside Ingrid's own daughter, another child of war.

A heat wave grips Cape Cod, but the attendees of the So Noir literary retreat don't allow the hot weather to dampen their enthusiasm. They roam the halls of Castleton Manor in Lighthouse Bay, Massachusetts, wearing trench coats and fedoras, just like their favorite fictional private eyes. Librarian Faith Newberry gets herself in a jam when she agrees to deliver a lecture about the detective code. It's not exactly duck soup to grab the audience's attention, but Watson, her devoted feline companion, listens attentively.

Katherine Yoder has loved Johnny Mullet since the two were children, but he’s never returned her affections. Now Johnny is trying to forge a new life for himself by purchasing a farm and building a business of his own. But times are tough, and he soon learns that he can’t take anything for granted - especially Katherine. Before Johnny has the opportunity to tell Katherine his true feelings, she’s struck by a serious illness. While Katherine struggles to recall recent memories of Johnny, a surprise visitor comes back into her life.

Embark on an unforgettable journey into the heart of the American West with the Sager family, pioneers who braved the infamous Oregon Trail. In the face of tragedy, Henry and Naomi Sager's seven children found themselves orphaned not once, but twice—first on the treacherous trail, and later under the care of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, courageous missionaries in the untamed lands of what is now Washington.

Throughout history, girls have often been discussed in terms of what they couldn't or shouldn't do. Not anymore. It's time for herstory‚ a celebration not only of what girls can do but also of the remarkable things women have already accomplished, even when others tried to stop them. This uplifting and inspiring book follows the stories of 50 powerhouse women from around the world and across time who each managed to change the world as they knew it forever.

Science and faith are often seen as being in opposition. In this book, award-winning sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund questions this assumption based on research she has conducted over the past 15 years. She highlights the ways these two spheres point to universal human experiences, showing listeners they don't have to choose between science and Christianity.

When Sarah Palmer is caught trying to elope with a fortune-hunting cad, her family has finally had enough of her scandalous exploits. To teach her a lesson and save her reputation, Sarah is shipped off to stay with her married half-sister in the Scottish countryside. But upon her arrival, Sarah discovers her sister has left for Glasgow. Now without a chaperone, she is determined to show her family she can indeed be a good girl. However, a mysterious American is about to change everything....

Be careful what you wish for…When a lowly antiques dealer who's in love with the governor's girlfriend releases a genie from a magic lamp, he unwittingly wishes himself into a hole the size of the Grand Canyon!

Popular Kansas author Linda K. Hubalek continues the story of a Swedish immigrant family featured in the Butter in the Well series with the second book Prairie Bloomin'. Prairie Bloomin' features the 1889 to 1900 diary of daughter Alma Swenson, as she grows up on the farm her parents homesteaded. Even though born on the same farm in two different centuries, the main character of Prairie Bloomin', Alma Swenson Runneberg, and the author shared uncanny similarities while growing up in the Smoky Valley region of central Kansas.

Everyone suffers disappointment, rejection, injustices, and losses, perhaps even traumatic ones. The spiritual pain born of such suffering can paralyze us, leaving us broken inside and barely getting by with the motions of life. Whether we remain stuck or move forward is determined in large part by our resilience.

Living Wisely contains a lifetime of tested insight and guidance from mentor, Bible-study writer, and best-selling author Cynthia Heald. Cynthia shares foundational biblical truths that will help you live a wise life and discern godly choices to make at every crossroads. Living Wisely points you toward the truths of Scripture so you can live well in the midst of a world that doesn't understand true wisdom.