Showing results by narrator "Jessica Schell" in All Categories

Every church, every organization, has experienced them: betrayal, deception, grumbling, envy, exclusion. They make life together difficult and prevent congregations from developing the skills, virtues, and practices they need to nurture sturdy, life-giving communities.

"Like any other life-sustaining resource," says Marilyn McEntyre, "language can be depleted, polluted, contaminated, eroded, and filled with artificial stimulants." Today more than ever, language needs to be rescued and restored. Drawing on a wide range of sources, both critical and literary, Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies is an engaging address to everyone concerned with preserving the vitality and precision of the spoken and written word.

With the troubling and painful events of the last several years - from the shooting of numerous unarmed black men at the hands of police to the rallying of white supremacists in Charlottesville - it is clearer than ever that the reconciliation paradigm, long favored by white Christians, has failed to heal the deep racial wounds in the church and American society. In this provocative audiobook, originally published in 2014, Jennifer Harvey argues for a radical shift away from the well-meaning but feeble longing for reconciliation toward a robustly biblical call for reparations.

An exotic fortune cookie-maker hangs up her rolling pin to spare her customers the terrible truth. A dying man comes to terms with the Halloween inside to survive. A woman finds Ambrose Bierce's diary and resolves to break its curse by making her death the final entry. A long-dead lynching victim returns to punish the men responsible for his grotesque execution. The stories in award-winning author E. R. Bills’ first turn at horror fiction showcase an unsettling new voice in the genre. 

Adoption is one of the most radically inclusive aspects of God's kingdom. All of us belong to God's family - Jesus as God's son and the rest of us as his adopted children. In Adopted Kelley Nikondeha explores how the Christian concept of adoption into God's family can broaden our sense of belonging. Drawing on her own story as both an adopted child and an adoptive mother, Nikondeha invites listeners to a rich, biblically grounded understanding of adoption that reframes the way we perceive family, friends, and those in need of rescue.

Displays the amazing power of generosity to transform people and communities. When LaSalle Street Church in Chicago received an unexpected windfall, its leaders made the wild, counterintuitive decision to give $160,000 away to church members - 500 each. They were simply told to go out and do good in God's world. What happened next was amazing.

On March 1, 1893, Princess Ka’iulani, the 17-year-old crown princess of Hawaii, stepped onto the pier at New York City. She was greeted by a crowd of reporters and onlookers who knew that, in many ways, she stood at a crossroads in history. Fully aware of the significance of her visit, she prayed that she could help persuade the American government to return her beautiful islands to the Hawaiian people.

Meeting a vampire isn't something that happens every night, even on the New York City subway. But never in her wildest dreams did Cat ever expect to meet a vampire or survive an encounter with one. Instead, she became his confidant. Why was she so lucky?

"Evil poisons everyone. Period. Our mouths water when we sink our teeth into what we have always craved. Surrendering to our desires by biting off a delectable piece of the forbidden fruit is nothing more than a meager confession: Poison tastes sinfully sweet. #SnowWhiteLies" - Confessions of the Big Apple Debutante, by blogger Miss Snow White.

Rachna Sengupta always knew that she wanted to be a figure skater. Ever since she laid her eyes on Jenny Nguyen, she fell in love with the sport. She knew she wanted to be just like Jenny one day. She was well on her way too, getting better with her skills and ready to take on the world. However, it all came crashing down when an injury took her out of competition. Broken up by that, she takes the year off from the rink and begins to contemplate retirement.

Welcome to a playtime for your imagination! Today, we’re going to listen to a story about elephants putting out fires, a pirate’s quest for ice cream, and dinosaurs in the suburbs! Let’s listen to some fairy tales and use our imaginations to tell a story. Are you ready to start? Me, too!

Welcome to a playtime for your imagination! Today, we’re going to listen to a story about a happily family’s day out in the woods, a fairy pixie visiting her friends, and an escape from an enchanted rose garden.Let’s listen to some fairy tales and use our imaginations to tell a story. Are you ready to start? Me, too!

Welcome to a playtime for your imagination! Today, we’re going to read a story about a happy family on a day out. Papa Brown and his children have fun helping new friends. Happy Children is an old, old fairy tale that great-great grandmothers used to tell their children, using their imaginations to create a story. 

Today, we’re going to listen to a story about three beautiful butterfly brothers! The three brothers have wings of vibrant colors, each different from one another. Butterflies is an old, old fairy tale that great-great grandmothers used to tell their children, using their imaginations to create a story.

Neverland has a way of breaking people. It corrupts souls. It destroys hope. The evil festering inside it brings out the darkness in our hearts and leaves us worse than dead. No good has ever come from it. Ever. It is where I was born. Therefore, darkness is all I know. Corruption is in my bones. So when I see him, I mean to win his heart and then break him. I mean to lure him to my arms and then destroy him.

Today, we’re going to hear a story about a bountiful pot of never-ending porridge! Do you know what porridge is? It is a tasty dish of food eaten all over the world. It’s made out of everything from grains to rice to millet. Maybe you’ve had porridge and called it oatmeal or grits. "Sweet Porridge" is an old, old fairy tale that great-great grandmothers used to tell their children, using their imaginations to create a story. Let’s listen to The Bountiful Bowl and use our imaginations to tell a story. Are you ready to start? Me, too!

Today, we’re going to hear a story about a good son who takes his mother’s advice about a girl and some cheese, even though it sounds funny at first.  

Welcome to a playtime for your imagination! Today, we’re going to read a story about a riddle. Do you know what a riddle is? A riddle is a question that is presented like a puzzle. You get to put the pieces together to find the answer! A riddling tale is an old, old fairy tale that great-great-grandmothers used to tell their children, using their imaginations to create a story. Let’s listen to a riddling tale and use our imaginations to tell a story. Are you ready to start? Me, too!

After centuries of waiting, the ancient goddess Lamashtu has been reborn. But this isn't exactly what Temperance wants to be for her sweet 16. Now, she will unite the werewolf and vampire races that made her what she is, or they will all die in her wake, torn limb from limb and head from neck. All will know that she can rule the earth. But how many will bow to her?