Sparkhouse

Waging Peace: One Soldier's Story of Putting Love First

Diana Oestreich served 407 days as a combat medic in Iraq. But when she was commanded to run over an Iraqi child to keep her battle buddies safe, she became a peacemaker instead. This beautiful and gut-wrenching memoir exposes the false divide between loving our country and living out our faith's call to love our enemies. By showing that us-versus-them is a false choice, this book will inspire us all to choose love over fear.

9781506463704

Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It (New and Revised)

New updated and expanded paperback reveals the universal yearning writer David Zahl identifies, not to be happy or respected so much as enough--what religions call "righteous." Today, we look to various passions--from eating to parenting to voting--for the meaning once provided on Sunday morning. Seculosity takes a thoughtful yet entertaining tour of American "performancism." Ultimately, Zahl brings us to a fresh appreciation for the grace of God in all its countercultural wonder.

9781506467641

Van Gogh's Second Gift: A Spiritual Path to Deeper Creativity

Cliff Edwards, a well-known Vincent van Gogh author and scholar, explores Van Gogh's second gift--the surprising written works of Van Gogh in letters written to his brother, fellow artists, and friends. A perfect book for creatives and those who want to understand more about one of the world's most beloved artists, the genius creator of works like Starry Night.

9781506462356

The Poet and the Fly: Art, Nature, God, Mortality, and Other Elusive Mysteries

In this revelatory book, Robert Hudson considers seven poets, each of whom wrote a provocative poem about a fly. Considering Emily Dickinson, William Blake, and several other poets, The Poet and the Fly brings together the poetry, the flies, and the poets' own lives to explore the imaginative, and often prophetic, insights that come from the startling combination of poetry and flies, the extraordinary and the ordinary.

9781506457284

Worth It: Overcome Your Fears and Embrace the Life You Were Made For

Brit Barron grew up in an Evangelical megachurch in the '90s, boxed in by her fears, unable to realize her full potential. All that changed when she fell in love with a girl named Sami.

Worth It shares her story to inspire us to overcome our own fears--the fears that keep us from evolving beyond the narratives that have been defined by others. When we do, we'll find out it was so worth it!

9781506463278

Coming to God in the Stillness: Discovering the Power of Contemplative Prayer

In a simple style with very practical emphasis, Dutch Catholic spiritual leader Jim Borst outlines twelve stages of contemplative prayer, offering readers an easy-to-follow guide. Through this classic primer, discover the power of meeting God in the silence and stillness of contemplation.

9781506459141

Sex, God, and Rock 'n' Roll: Catastrophes, Epiphanies, and Sacred Anarchies

In Sex, God, and Rock 'n' Roll, Barry Taylor weaves together the threads of his life--from life on the road with a world-famous rock band, to theologian, priest, teacher, and a theist-non-theist-post-theist. Taylor reflects on several of the most significant moments in his life to show just how poignantly the sacred moves in all of our lives.

9781506409061

Superheroes Don't Babysit

In an epic battle of sibling rivalry, will this superhero finally meet her match?

9781506458762

The Long Night: Readings and Stories to Help You through Depression

When you're in the midst of terrible depression, the days and weeks can feel like an eternity. Drawing on the wisdom of spiritual figures from the past and present--including Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and many others--The Long Night is a comforting and inspirational companion. Writer, editor, and minister Jessica Kantrowitz has been where you are. As a mentor and friend, she will walk with you on this journey toward life and light.

9781506456645

Hemingway and Ho Chi Minh in Paris: The Art of Resistance

Two of the twentieth century's most fascinating figures, grappling with a world in which Western culture and their respective governments were failing them, came to Paris at the same time in the 1920s. Hemingway and Ho Chi Minh in Paris tells the untold, engrossing story of these two young men and their journey into the heart of resistance in 1920s Paris.

9781506455709

30-Day Journey with Jane Austen

Beloved across the centuries, Jane Austen is widely celebrated for her novels depicting life and romance in eighteenth-century England and the engrossing characters that fill their pages. Whether you read Pride and Prejudice every year or are encountering Austen's wit and wisdom for the first time, this journey provides the perfect way to engage the thought of one of the most popular novelists ever to pick up a pen.

9781506457123

The Athlete Inside: The Transforming Power of Hope, Tenacity, and Faith

Four years ago, Sue Reynolds was morbidly obese. Now, she's a 135-pound triathlete who competes at world championships. The Athlete Inside follows her journey from her first walk to the neighbor's mailbox to finishing sixth at the World Triathlon Championship. A world-class athlete and grandmother, Reynolds is proof that it's never too late to transform your life. Her story is one of hope, tenacity, and faith, and how we each can discover amazing potential inside.

9781506458809

The Shift: Surviving and Thriving after Moving from Conservative to Progressive Christianity

When Christians are kicked out of their conservative churches or leave because they no longer feel at home, they undertake a serious shift. Colby Martin has traversed this treacherous territory, survived its hardships, and is now sharing what he's learned. This friendly survival guide will prepare readers for the pitfalls awaiting them as they shift out of their conservative world, and it will equip them for a more abundant, thriving, and peace-filled spiritual life.

9781506455495

Someday We Will: A Book for Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Someday We Will, kids and grandparents separated by many miles dream of all the wonderful things they'll do together someday, from bicycling down a hill to whiling away the hours on a beach. Before they know it, someday is here!

9781506454009

Shining like the Sun: Seven Mindful Practices for Rekindling Your Faith

Shining like the Sun brings to life the living reality of encountering God by offering readers seven mindful practices--attentiveness, ordinariness, simplicity, rhythms, conversation, delight, and restoration--helping readers touch God as a living reality in their bodies, minds, hearts, and deep in their souls. Through stories that illuminate each practice, simple observations, and tangible suggestions for embodying each practice, readers will discover that we can touch God in any ordinary moment and come alive.

9781506456669

Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus: Exploring the World and Wisdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus, Laura M. Fabrycky takes readers on a tour of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's home, city, and world. Under her expert guidance, we experience his story in new ways and are led to think beyond him into our own lives and civic responsibilities. Ultimately, her transformative tour of Bonhoeffer's Berlin inspires us to discover and embrace what befriending Bonhoeffer means for how we live as citizens of the world today.

9781506455914

After the Rain

A rainy-day picture book about sharing and learning to work together.

9781506454511

Longing for an Absent God: Faith and Doubt in Great American Fiction

Longing for an Absent God unveils the powerful role of faith and doubt in the American literary tradition. Nick Ripatrazone explores how prominent American writers--including Flannery O'Connor, Don DeLillo, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Pynchon, and Louise Erdrich--diverge into two major strands of Catholic writers--practicing and cultural--but when taken together form a rich and unique literary canon immersed in the full spectrum of doubt and faith in contemporary America.

9781506451954

Where the Best Stories Hide

Nicholas has a big imagination and an even bigger box of crayons! Challenged to explain his stories, Nicholas takes a dash of creativity and a dab of courage to wow his whole class and prove that the best stories sometimes hide outside the lines.

9781506454016

The Mindful Christian: Cultivating a Life of Intentionality, Openness, and Faith

The Mindful Christian provides readers with an overview of mindfulness practice through the lens of faith, showing how the ancient healing practice of mindfulness can help them live more joyfully and wholeheartedly. This book teaches principles of mindfulness as well as easy-to-do practices, leaving readers more compassionate, joyful, content, and at peace with themselves--and with God.

9781506458618